Ad hoc group monitors progress on church-starting changes

Updated: 1/19/07

Ad hoc group monitors progress
on church-starting changes

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—An eight-person group appointed to monitor the timely implementation of investigator-recommended steps to prevent further misuse of Baptist General Convention of Texas church-starting funds met for the first time Jan. 5.

Jim Nelson, chairman of the group, said he was pleased with the five-hour-plus meeting, during which members addressed all related motions approved by the BGCT Executive Board. They included:

• Fully implement the investigative team’s recommendations in a timely manner.

• Revise church-starting guidelines and elevate them to policy status. Policies are mandatory provisions established by the Executive Board that can be modified only by the board, whereas guidelines are developed by staff and can be revised by the chief executive officer.

• Create an internal audit function.

• Direct the executive director—in consultation with legal counsel—to evaluate the advisability of referring the investigative team’s findings to legal authorities.

• Direct the executive director—in consultation with attorneys, the BGCT president and the BGCT Executive Board chairman—to consider all appropriate and practical avenues to recover misappropriated church-starting funds.

In October, BGCT-commissioned investigators found Texas Baptists gave more than $1.3 million in church-starting funds to three pastors in the Rio Grande Valley between 1999 and 2005. The investigators presented evidence that up to 98 percent of those churches no longer exist and some never existed, except on paper.

Fred Roach, a member of the ad hoc group, said people shared their thoughts openly during the meeting.

“I think it went great,” he said. “I think there was a full discussion. Everyone got to express themselves.”

Members of the eight-person group asked questions of Baptist General Convention of Texas staff leaders, including Executive Director Charles Wade, Chief Operating Officer Ron Gunter and Chief Financial Officer David Nabors. The group then discussed the staff’s progress among themselves.

Nelson said the convention’s staff is moving forward with the implementation of all the Executive Board’s directives.

“I was pleased by the attention the staff has given to this thus far, and I was very pleased with the thoroughness of the concern of the group’s members,” he said.