Bivocational church leader Ray plans to retire this fall

Posted: 8/31/07

Bivocational church leader
Ray plans to retire this fall

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—Baptist General Convention of Texas bivocational/small church affinity group director Bob Ray will retire this fall.

Ray, who helped start the Bivocational/Smaller Membership Ministers and Spouses Association in 1993, will retire some time this fall and move to Fairy, where he has served Fairy Baptist Church more than 40 years as pastor. He will be the first congregation’s first pastor to live in Fairy in the church’s 125-year history.

“The Lord has laid on Rosalind's heart and mine that now is the time to retire as director of the office of the bivocational/smaller church ministries and focus on our church family at Fairy,” he said. 

“Our plans are to continue to be supportive of the ministries of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and will continue to take an active part in the Texas Baptist Bivocational and Smaller Membership Ministers and Spouses Association.”

Ray said “serving and helping bivocational and smaller membership churches through the BGCT has enabled us to fulfill a dream.” 

“Smaller membership churches are a real passion of mine and will continue to be,” he said. ”This office gave me the opportunity to develop training events and opportunities to affirm and encourage the leaders of our smaller membership churches.  I was able to raise the level of awareness of the needs of our bivocational/smaller membership churches throughout the convention.”

Randy Rather, president of the bivocational/smaller church ministers’ association and pastor of Tidwell Baptist Church near Greenville, praised Ray’s commitment to small-church ministry.

“There is no one I have ever met who has been a greater advocate and has a bigger heart for small church and bivocational work,” he said.

“His passion for small church has shown in the years of support, service and ministry that he and Rosalind have brought to the Bivocational/Smaller Membership Ministers and Spouses Association. He’s brought a level of expertise and drawn out from those around him excellent ministry and a passion for that kind of work. He’s helped us lay the groundwork for the continued development and future of the association. Without his leadership, the association would not be what it is today.”

David Keith, former president of the association and pastor of Carlton Baptist Church in Carlton, thanked Ray for his service and his expertise.

“He’s forgotten more about bivocational work than most of us will ever learn,” Keith said. “Even before he was on staff, he and Rosalind were dedicated to bivocational work and spent thousands upon thousands of hours on it.”

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade remembers meeting Bob Ray when Wade served as BGCT president. He was struck by Ray’s leadership ability and heart for small church ministry.

“When the opportunity came to expand our ministry to bivocational ministers, I was glad we could call Bob Ray, a life-long bivocational minister to lead that effort,” Wade said. “He and his wife Rosalind have been remarkable leaders and the work has grown. Bob has laid a foundation that demands that we find the very best person possible to take the baton and lead our bivocational ministry to the future. Bob’s greatest strengths as I have observed are his steady and unwavering commitment to serve everyone. No one and no ministry is unimportant to Bob Ray.”