CORVALLIS, Ore. (ABP) — While professing to believe the Bible teaches them to submit to their husbands, Southern Baptist women tend to function as equal partners when it comes to most decision-making in the home, according to a new book by an author familiar with Southern Baptist women.

That is due in large part, says author Susan Shaw, to the fact that Southern Baptist girls are taught from a young age to believe they have direct access to God — without any need for an intermediary like a husband or a minister.

Shaw, director of women’s studies at Oregon State University, wrote God Speaks to Us, Too: Southern Baptist Women on Church, Home & Society , from the perspective of both an insider and outsider. She grew up Southern Baptist but now attends a United Church of Christ congregation.

She weaves her own experience with more than 150 interviews of current and former Southern Baptist women from various traditions and backgrounds.

"For years I had been intrigued by the contradictions in Southern Baptist women's lives," Shaw said in an e-mail interview. "They professed to be submissive, but they ran their families and churches. They were Southern women with all of that cultural baggage, and yet they were strong leaders, some even challenging cultural and denominational norms by being ordained and becoming pastors. So I wanted to explore those contradictions and complexities."

SBC women "a rebellious bunch" 

She concluded that while the Southern Baptist Convention’s official positions might seem to make women subordinate, Southern Baptist women are, in fact, a rebellious bunch. The level of rebellion varies from ordained women — who defy the decades-old Southern Baptist tradition that girls can aspire to be missionaries but only boys can be called to preach — to stay-at-home moms who view their husbands as head of the home, yet exert significant influence on the direction of their families and churches.

Shaw said Southern Baptist women are a diverse lot, but one thing they share across the spectrum is belief in the Baptist distinctive often termed "soul competency" or "priesthood of the believer." Because of that belief, Shaw says in the book, whether or not a woman views herself as a complete equal to her husband or is assigned to a helper role, she answers only to God in matters of faith.

"The doctrine of the priesthood of the believer has significantly and essentially shaped the identity of Southern Baptist women," Shaw said. "Each woman I interviewed, without reservation, claims that God speaks to her, and, for many women, that belief has empowered them to challenge gender norms in Southern Baptist life. For all of them, that belief has allowed them to negotiate a very strong sense of [moral] agency, even among women who espouse submission" to their husbands or other male leaders.

Shaw said a lot of people would be surprised to learn that Southern Baptist women are stronger and more independent that their popular image might suggest. They know they have power, but they exercise it in different ways — some through traditional ways and some in more feminist fashion.

"God speaks to us too" 

"The bottom line, though, is if they feel like God is telling them something, then that's the way they're going to go," she said. "'God speaks to us, too' — that's what they kept telling me."

In the book, Shaw profiles her mother as a typical Southern Baptist woman of her generation. She would say her husband is head of the house, but he would never make a family decision without discussing it with her first.

Shaw turns to her mother's Bible study group, nicknamed "the Clique," as an important focus group representing the older generation of Baptist women.

While they accept the language of male headship, they do not view themselves as powerless in the home. "Man is the head," one member of the Clique comments, "but woman is the neck that turns him."

They aren't afraid to disagree with their pastor and to tell him so. They may believe that only males should be pastors and deacons, but it is common knowledge that without women, the average Baptist church could not function.

Shaw said women who espouse submission still view themselves as equal to men in God's eyes. They see submission based on role, not value, and as a choice they make, not a requirement imposed on them. And they don't see male authority as all-encompassing.

"It's a recognition that at some point in a marriage relationship wives and husbands are going to disagree, and at that point, they believe, the wife's role is to give in to the husband's authority," she said. "But on the whole, what they really practice is a partnership, with give-and-take."

Shaw grew up attending a Southern Baptist church in Rome, Ga. She earned master's and doctoral degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was ordained as a minister and taught eight years at California Baptist University. She left the Southern Baptist Convention about 13 years ago, following significant controversy between moderates and fundamentalists over issues such as women’s ordination and the proper role of pastors.

Conservatives ultimately won, and by 2000 they had changed the confessional document of the nation’s largest Protestant faith group to discourage women pastors and teach that each wife should "submit herself graciously" to her husband's “servant leadership.”

Shaw said Southern Baptist women's views are shaped as much by generation as anything else.

"Older women are much more progressive than most people might think," she said. "Women who came of age during the women's movement are more likely to identify as feminist, or at least see feminism as an important development of the '60s and '70s. Some younger women are more conservative than their mothers and grandmothers, but other younger women are on the forefront of progressive social and theological change."

AUSTIN (ABP)—A group that promotes equal rights for homosexuals in religious organizations appears to be targeting Baptist schools in its third annual tour of faith-based educational institutions.

Most of the stops scheduled on Soulforce Q’s Equality Ride are Baptist-affiliated schools, including Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and Dallas Baptist University.

Others include Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.; Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.; Union University in Jackson, Tenn.; Mississippi College, Clinton, Miss.; and Central Baptist College, Conway, Ark.; along with Columbia International University, Columbia, S.C.; Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta; Heritage Christian University, Florence, Ala.; Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie; and Simmons College of Kentucky, Louisville, Ky.

Louisiana College, a Baptist school in Pineville, La., also was originally included. But Soulforce Q canceled the visit because the area is still recovering from Hurricane Gustav, according to college spokesperson Amy Robertson.

Soulforce Q is the young-adult division of Soulforce , an interfaith organization that “works to end political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through relentless nonviolent resistance,” according to a press release.

“As young people and students ourselves, we understand that it’s very difficult to learn in an environment where you don’t feel safe,” Equality Ride co-director Jarrett Lucas said. “And students who face harassment or expulsion can’t always speak up for themselves.

Soulforce Q sends requests for meetings with administrators and students to the schools several months in advance of the ride. A negative response doesn’t mean the institution will be dropped from the tour list. “The colleges’ responses shape the itinerary,” the release noted. “The Equality Ride strives to visit a mix of schools that are open to collaboration and schools that are not yet willing to make a place at the table for affirming viewpoints.”

“A lot of schools will let students know we are coming,” ride co-director Katie Higgins said in a telephone interview. “And we tend to get a flood of e-mail from students, mostly positive.

“We get contacts from students who say they are not safe,” even at institutions with safety policies in place, Higgins said. “The fact of the matter is that every college in this country could benefit from the Equality Ride.”

Palm Beach Atlantic University, a Florida Baptist school, will not meet with ride participants. A “visit by Equality Ride would fail to meaningfully further the mission of either organization,” Palm Beach Atlantic president David Clark said in a prepared statement released to faculty, staff and students.

“As we have explained to them, our campus is already a safe place for all students. The university does not tolerate harassment of any individual. We believe we have a welcoming campus for all students,” he added.

Palm Beach Atlantic does not ban students with same-sex orientation from enrolling, but it does require students to follow its behavior policies, which prohibit homosexual behavior.

At least one Baptist school will welcome Equality Ride participants. Student affairs leaders and administrators at Dallas Baptist University will meet them for lunch when the tour stops Oct. 24. Dialogue sessions are scheduled for the afternoon.

“We had been aware of what the Equality Ride was,” DBU Dean of Student Life Jay Harley said in a telephone interview. “We anticipated receiving an invitation from them.

“After a lot of prayer and discussion among the administration,” administrators at Dallas Baptist decided to allow the ride organizers to lead a discussion, “but with the understanding that we disagree with where they stand.,” Harley said. “It is a part of higher education to have discussions, even about topics about which we disagree.”

Students had input into the decision as well. University administrators “explained why they wanted to pursue a discussion (with Soulforce Q) and asked how we would respond to that,” DBU Student Government Association president Leigha Caron said.

“Our students have a strong commitment to good character and morals. We as Christians … can show the selfless love that Christ would have us show.”

Harley emphasized that Dallas Baptist already has safety policies in place. “We regard the safety of all students—for all students to be safe, to not be discriminated against or to experience hatred from other students … that includes those who may be dealing with homosexual issues or students dealing with other issues or students who are not Christians,” he said.

ATLANTA (ABP) — Scholars and history buffs who want to learn more about Baptist history now can do so in one place.

The American Baptist Historical Society dedicated the Samuel Colgate Historical Library and Archives on Mercer University’s Atlanta campus Sept. 27, bringing its vast collections previously housed at Valley Forge, Pa., and Rochester, N.Y., under one roof.

The space also represents something of a reunion for Baptists — who divided over slavery in 1845 and have never reunited. While some questioned relocating the library and archives to Atlanta, particularly with American Baptist Churches USA headquarters in Pennsylvania, Mercer President Bill Underwood said Atlanta was the perfect location, because of the city’s civil-rights history and the personal history of university founder Jesse Mercer.

The Georgia Baptist preacher whose financial contributions helped establish the university in 1833 also made a substantial gift to the American Baptist Publication Society. That, in turn, helped lead to establishment of the American Baptist Historical Society in 1853“

This is a partnership between the leading Baptist research university and the largest Baptist historical resource in the nation,” Underwood said. “I felt from the beginning this partnership could help both institutions advance their missions.”

The building is also the new home for the Baptist History and Heritage Society, which was the successor to the former Southern Baptist Historical Commission. In addition, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship — which was where most in the moderate camp of the Southern Baptist Convention’s controversies of the 1980s migrated — has announced plans to move into the building.Albert Brinson, co-chair of a fundraising campaign for the American Baptist Historical Society, said the move is appropriate. Brinson was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta by co-pastors Martin Luther King Sr. and Martin Luther King Jr. He said both men thought Atlanta was a natural spot for bringing diverse people together.

"Our relationship with American Baptists makes this a special moment that now, in 2008, we celebrate the opening of the largest center of Baptist history,” Brinson said. “We are a part of that Baptist history. Atlanta is a great place for bringing people together, and we are asking God to bless this place.”

An American Baptist Historical Society employee leads a tour of the society\'s new archives on the Atlanta campus of Mercer University following an opening ceremony Sept. 27. (PHOTO: Mercer University)

Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, said the dedication was momentous for those who treasure the nation’s rich Baptist heritage. “This is a significant day for those who have prayed for the unity of the church,” Medley said. “By joining with this storied institution rooted in Baptist life and in the South, it’s another way in which God is healing the divisions, the scars and the wounds of Baptists in the past.”

From a research perspective, proximity to other historical collections at Emory University and Vanderbilt University make the new site convenient for researchers, said Anthea Butler, assistant professor of religion at the University of Rochester and a participant in the dedication ceremony. “It’s important for the archives to be in Atlanta because it puts it in great proximity to all the great Baptist research sites in the South, all within a 500-mile radius,” said Butler, a Baptist historian.Trinette McCray, president of the historical society, echoed that proximity is important. “To have our collections together under one roof makes it easy for researchers and history buffs to see our historical documents,” she said. “Atlanta is perfect because it is one flight from almost any city in the country, and researchers and students won’t have to search for documents in two locations.”

The archives hold tens of thousands of artifacts of Baptist history, some from as early as the 1500s from Dutch and German Baptists, according to Deborah Van Broekhoven, the historical society’s executive director. She called the new library and archives an exciting place where learning is still taking place.“We’re always stumbling upon a wide variety of stories,” Van Broekhoven said. “People come from all over the world to use our collections because part of their history is in our archives. Probably the most exciting thing is they tell us more about the story, from different perspectives, because it’s a piece of their own history.”

Read more

CBF agrees to lease former Georgia Baptist Building (12/21/2007)

Former Southern Baptist history group to join American Baptists at Mercer (2/26/2007)

American Baptists will move historical collections to Atlanta (9/25/2006)

Landrum P. Leavell II, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls and president emeritus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, died in Sept. 26 in Wichita Falls. He was 81.

Leavell held two doctor of divinity degrees and a doctorate in theology. A graduate of New Orleans seminary, he had been a pastor of churches in Mississippi and Texas for 26 years when the struggling seminary asked him to become its seventh president in 1974. He served there until he retired in 1994.

“By any standard of measurement, Dr. Leavell is one of the greatest presidents that this seminary ever had,” said current NOBTS President Chuck Kelley.

Leavell was pastor of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls from 1963 to 1975. He served as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1971 to 1973.

Leavell authored or contributed to 14 books including Angels, Angels, Angels and Twelve Who Followed Jesus.

Survivors include his wife of 55 years, JoAnn Paris Leavell; children Landrum P. Leavell III of Denton, Ann Leavell Beauchamp of Greensboro, Ga., Roland Q. Leavell II of Jackson, Miss., and David E. Leavell of Springfield, Tenn.; sister Margaret Leavell Mann of Newnan, Ga.; and 11 grandchildren.

Leavell was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Leonard O. Leavell, and a sister, Anne Leavell Murphey of Newnan, Ga.

The funeral will be at First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls,  at 2 p.m.  Tuesday, Sept. 30 under direction of Lunns Colonial Funeral Home, with visitation to follow in the church’s parlor. Interment will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan, Ga., under the direction of Higgins-Hillcrest Chapel Funeral Home.   A memorial chapel service will be conducted Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. in Leavell Chapel, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Memorials gifts are requested to be given to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls. 

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)—Hurricane-weary churches in southern Louisiana that weathered Katrina and Rita and three years later Gustav may have been done in by Ike’s onslaught.

Joe Arnold, director of missions in Bayou Baptist Association southwest of New Orleans, said 5,000 more homes in the region were flooded by Ike than Rita in 2005. This means 15,000 homes rather than 10,000 homes.

“Longtime pastors tell me they’ve never seen the water this high,” Arnold said. “I’ve got 11 churches that were strongly impacted. ‘No church; no offering; no salary.’ That’s an abbreviated version of my report.”

Live Oak Baptist Church in Montegut had three feet of water in the building when Pastor Tommy Bellon evacuated. The parsonage next door sustained similar damage.

Bethel Baptist Church in Bourg had two feet of water in the building and roof damage.

First Baptist Church in Houma was in the final stages of volunteer construction on its new day school. It was an eight-building compound with a central courtyard.

“We only have one standing now, and we may have to tear it down,” pastor’s wife Jan Folmar said. “We may just be at square one.”

Arnold spent a recent morning in a conference with other associational leaders to assess the damage inflicted by Gustav and now Ike.

“One of the problems we’re going to see is a shortfall—my conservative estimate—of $100,000 in offerings over this six-week to two-month period,” Arnold said.

“Some of these people don’t have jobs, so no money to give. … Some of them feel like, ‘I don’t know if I can go through this again.’ They still know their strength comes from the Lord, but it’s part of the grief process.”

Arnold would like partnerships to develop between churches in Bayou Baptist Association and churches elsewhere.

“I have three churches that were limping already,” Arnold said. “If they don’t get partnerships in bodies and finances, they’re not going to open again. When you’re limping and fall into the water, it’s hard to get up again.”

J.P. Miles, director of missions for Carey Baptist Association, which includes Calcasieu, Jeff Davis and Cameron parishes—from Lake Charles to points west and south—noted the region received the full impact of Ike’s powerful storm surge.

“In many areas, it’s kind of déjà vu as to what has taken place,” Miles said.

“We’re looking at a new phase of ministry, especially on the coast. In assessing this thing after Rita, we tried to get people to take a broader view. That’s what we’re going to do again.”

An additional problem in the wake of Ike: Some buildings were even more badly damaged than they were during Rita, Miles said. After Rita, church reconstruction was grandfathered in under previous zoning requirements, if half the building was left.

“Now everything has to be up to code, and entirely different codes, which might mean 18-foot stilts in some cases,” Miles said.

One significant issue is that churches must come up with a 5 percent insurance deductible, or $5,000 for every $100,000 valuation of the property, said Lonnie Wascom, director of missions in Chappapeela, LaTangi and St. Tammany Baptist Associations.

Such deductibles are “a major hit for our churches,” said Wascom, whose associations encompass Slidell and other areas hard-hit by 2005’s Katrina.

“We had a number that were hit with what I consider minor damage,” Wascom continued. “But it’s like ‘minor surgery’ when it’s the other guy and ‘major’ when it’s you, and that’s true with churches—especially smaller churches.”

Baptist relief workers pass mileposts. Southern Baptists disaster relief volunteers have passed the milestone of preparing more than 2 million hot meals in the wake of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. In addition to cooking meals, in three weeks Southern Baptists served more than 40,000 volunteer days, completed 1,236 chainsaw jobs, provided 24,561 showers, purified 7,008 gallons of water and finished 4,960 loads of laundry. Volunteers had 13,420 ministry contacts, and chaplains had 1,569 contacts. Volunteers and chaplains have led 125 people to faith in Christ.

Former BWA president dies. David Wong, president of the Baptist World Alliance from 1975 to 1980, died in Alhambra, Calif., Sept. 16 at age 97. Wong was born in Wuzhou and later lived in Guangzhou on the Chinese mainland before moving to Hong Kong in 1949. He was the first layman and the first Asian to be elected BWA president. Prior to becoming BWA president, Wong, an architectural engineer, was chair of the BWA men’s department and served as president of the Asian Baptist Federation, presiding at the first World Conference of Baptist Men, held in Hong Kong in 1974. During his tenure as BWA president, the organization underwent a comprehensive restructuring that led to the creation of the BWA General Council, the BWA created its division of evangelism and education, and the organization granted greater recognition to regional bodies.

Global Women founds endowment. Global Women established its first endowment, created a funding plan for its projects and adopted next year’s projects at a recent board meeting in San Antonio. Board members established an endowment to ensure the future of an organization that seeks to minister to oppressed and marginalized women around the world. They also determined to earmark 40 percent of Global Women’s undesignated receipts to fund several projects in 2009. The board also voted to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals—eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global development partnership by 2015. The board elected Lita Sample, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field representative in California, as president; Nell Lockhart of Kirkwood, Mo., as vice president; Ann Wilson of Maryville, Tenn., as secretary; and Martha Isom of Birmingham, Ala., as treasurer in 2009.

Texas, national WMU to develop Korean resources. Leaders of national Woman’s Missionary Union and Texas WMU have signed a three-year agreement to develop Korean-English missions education materials, following the success of a pilot project in 2007. The initial focus addressed a specific need in Korean Baptist churches for missions education for preschoolers and children. After just one year of making bilingual missions resources available, Mission Friends and Children in Action organizations in Korean churches have grown exponentially. The agreement to develop the Korean-English missions education materials calls for Texas WMU to handle logistics, including layout and design, printing and distribution, while national WMU will lend its expertise in curriculum development and help fund the project with a $10,000 grant paid annually for the next three years.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Even though sharp drops in the stock market have many Southern Baptist pastors worried about their retirement funds, making an emotional decision to get out of the market is unwise, the president of Guidestone Financial Resources told members of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Sept. 23.

"When I was a pastor in Fort Lauderdale, we had just started a big capital campaign in the late '80s when Black Monday hit and the stock market fell over 22 percent in one day," O.S. Hawkins said. "That would be like the stock market dropping 2,500 points in one day today. But we got through that. We got through the '80s and '90s and the tech bubble and the dot.com issues and 9/11 the volatility in the oil and gold markets that we still see."

Investors who bail out of the stock market after a sharp downturn wind up missing out on the rebound that will help them recover their losses, Hawkins said.

"What happened last Wednesday, when the markets went down 500 points in one day, was people were panicking and a few got all out of the equity markets that afternoon," Hawkins said. "Well, Thursday and Friday the market went back up, and then to get back in, it's like having a double whammy."

A successful retirement savings strategy requires an investor to stay the course even when the stock market becomes volatile, Hawkins said.

Hawkins referred to a recent analysis that showed an investor who had parked his money in an index fund 20 years ago and left it there would have seen an annual increase of more than 12 percent. On the other hand, an investor who got jittery and moved his money every time the market sank, would have seen only a 3.7 percent annual average return because he missed the 50 best days of market performance.

Markets are cyclical, with both down times and up times, but over the long haul, they make money, Hawkins said. A long-term commitment to a diversified investment portfolio, like the ones Guidestone offers Southern Baptist church and denominational employees, limits the impact of a market downturn and allows investors to maximize the benefits of the stock market's money-making ability.

"Guidestone's strength and stability across these 90 years has helped us weather a lot of market storms," Hawkins told the group.

Hawkins encouraged the group to think of retirement planning like running a marathon. A runner needs to get a good start, set a pace and run it, be ready to kick up the pace near the end and then sprint the last few yards to the finish line.

"That's the way it is with retirement planning," Hawkins said. "You've got to get a good start. Then you determine your time horizon and set your pace. Then when your kids get grown and you don't have any more college bills, you got some expendable income, then you put the kick in there and maximize all your 403(b) and use other vehicles to do that. Then when you get near [retirement] you put as much as you can in there for tax purposes and save that way."

A look at the history of the stock market reveals there has never been a 10-year period in which investors who stayed the course failed to make money, Hawkins said. A wise investor plots a strategy that anticipates market turbulence and then lets his strategy work for him.

Many people, however, don't feel they have the investment knowledge to devise a strategy and then manage their investments, he added.

"This is one reason we launched the My Destination date-targeted funds last year," Hawkins said. "They balance your portfolio for you and when you get closer to retirement, when you don't have that time horizon, it makes things a lot more conservative and you're not in the equity markets as much. You just pick the date of your retirement, then let us do the driving for you."

ATLANTA (ABP)—The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board will reorganize over the next year to focus more on local churches’ involvement in missions and provide flexibility to reach people groups across geographical lines.

At their September meeting in Atlanta, IMB trustees approved a reorganization of the missionary-sending agency and revised its vision, mission and core-values statements. The process will take about a year to fine tune and complete, according to an IMB news release.

Although details of the reorganization have not yet been publicized, basic changes include grouping current missionary teams into “clusters” and replacing the IMB’s 11 geographically based regions with eight “affinity groups.”

IMB President Jerry Rankin told trustees that sending missionaries, reaching the lost and planting churches would remain the agency’s primary tasks. Reorganization would provide the support to focus on reaching people groups even when they move across national boundaries.

But changes in the agency’s mission statement and core values also emphasize the local church’s role in reaching the world with the message of Christ.

“The revised mission statement … reflects that the Great Commission is the responsibility of the local church and refocuses the efforts of the agency on assisting churches to fulfill that responsibility,” according to the IMB release.

The values statement, the release continued, shifts “the role of the agency from a primary focus on sending missionaries to one that serves the churches in their involvement in the Great Commission and the sending of missionaries.”

The changes simply reflect what some churches already are doing through the current IMB structure and will facilitate involving more congregations, said Ken Winter, IMB’s vice president of church and partner services.

“Churches for years … have been strategically involved in reaching the lost,” he said. “We’ve seen dramatically increasing involvement … and churches desiring to engage people groups.”

For the past few years, congregations have been able to participate in strategic planning and action to reach specific people groups as “engaging churches,” often partnered with an IMB region. The mission board assists with training and resources and provides a coach/mentor for the congregation. Currently, 150 churches partner in some way in IMB’s West Africa region alone.

“We see an awakening taking place,” Winter said. The changes are designed “to unleash the resources God is making available,” and development of affinity groups is “an attempt to do more, effectively.”

Asked if the changes might adversely affect the Cooperative Program, the SBC’s unified budget, Winter said, “I don’t believe so, based on what we’ve seen. In fact, we’ve seen just the opposite. … For the past four to five years, as churches have been more strategically involved …, we see their giving increasing. … I think it’s people connecting with God’s heart for missions.”

In other action, IMB trustees approved a new child-protection policy requiring all personnel to undergo thorough background checks and to disqualify anyone with a history of sexual abuse, a criminal conviction of a sexual nature or with behavior that indicates they pose a risk to children.
The board also approved appointment of 83 new missionaries.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—Veteran Baptist communicator David Wilkinson has been named executive director for Associated Baptist Press.

Wilkinson, who currently serves as development director for the Baylor University School of Social Work, will replace current ABP Executive Editor Greg Warner, who is in the process of going on permanent disability due to a chronic back condition.

The independent news service’s directors unanimously approved Wilkinson for the position Sept. 8. On Oct. 1 he will assume the post, created as ABP’s board revamped the agency’s structure. It has operated with five full-time staffers, including Warner. However, one of the editorial positions was already vacant when Warner announced plans to step down.

In addition to editorial duties, Warner also was ABP’s chief administrative officer. The new structure divides news responsibilities from administration and development.

“Our personnel committee spent early summer thinking about our stewardship of ABP’s human resources in a time of transition,” noted Marv Knox, who chaired the board’s committee for the position, in a prepared statement. “We asked: Can we change our structure so we can do a better job of reporting Baptist news?

“We decided we need our leader to focus on setting the tone of our work and strengthening our overall operations. And then the rest of the organization can focus on doing journalism, which is our calling,” added Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard.

“For 17 years, we asked Greg Warner to be our lead journalist and also to manage the business. That was tremendously difficult, because journalism’s urgent deadlines worked against ongoing operations, like building organizational structure and raising money. He did a fine job, but we felt we could help his successor by focusing the job and building an even stronger supporting staff.

“So, now we’re freeing the new executive director from day-to-day journalism deadlines. And we’re asking him to focus on strengthening ABP’s vision, function and financial stability,” Knox said.

Warner said he believes Wilkinson is perfectly suited for the new position. “What a great move for ABP! I have long admired David’s exceptional talent as a writer and creativity as an organizational leader,” he wrote in an e-mail.

“He’s also a beloved colleague and one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. It’s flattering to think someone of David’s caliber and reputation will succeed me. I’ve long wished for a chance to work with him. While that won’t be possible, this is the next-best thing. He’s a perfect fit in the new structure of ABP,” Warner continued.

“We are certainly delighted to have someone with David’s experience and expertise to lead ABP into the future,” said Dan Lattimore, ABP’s board chair.

“He is well-thought-of throughout Baptist life, and we feel he has the leadership ability to take ABP to the next level and to enhance the role of ABP in partnership with New Voice Media,” he said. Lattimore is an administrator and journalism professor at the University of Memphis.

New Voice Media Group is a strategic collaboration for creating a new, multimedia platform for historic and progressive Baptists and other Christians. The 2-year-old partnership includes ABP; the Baptist Standard; the Religious Herald, which serves the Baptist General Association of Virginia; and Word & Way, the historic Baptist newspaper in Missouri.

Wilkinson wants to focus on the future. “I believe ABP’s mission has never been more important for the global Baptist movement,” he said. “I think the convergence and frequent clash of national and global trends present an unprecedented opportunity to re-envision the nature and role of an independent religious news service.”

Despite his excitement about the new position, Wilkinson acknowledged that it comes at a cost to a close friend. “No one would have wished for this painful situation for Greg that has created this opportunity,” Wilkinson said. “Greg Warner personifies the best in journalistic excellence and integrity, and it is a deeply humbling honor to follow his lead.”

Wilkinson’s 30-year career includes a broad base of denominational service and communications experience, encompassing journalism, marketing, media relations and development. He served the Southern Baptist Convention as a communications specialist for the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) and two stints in communications for the SBC Christian Life Commission (now the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission).

The Oklahoma native earned a bachelor of arts degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He worked for the seminary as director of communications and later as vice president for seminary relations.

From 1997 to 2003, Wilkinson was the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s coordinator of communications and marketing. He then became minister of education and discipleship for Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He assumed the Baylor post in May 2007.

“I respected him as a journalist and as someone with broad experience,” noted Keith Parks, who was CBF’s missions coordinator during Wilkinson’s tenure with the organization. “More importantly, as [someone] of integrity who would report accurately…. I have great respect for David and for his work.”

Wilkinson has been honored with several journalism and public-relations awards, including the Frank Burkhalter Award, the Baptist Communicators Association’s highest award for outstanding achievement in journalism.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP)—This summer, waves of volunteers hit the shores of Oahu, Hawaii, for the first-ever co-ed student-missions event sponsored by Woman’s Missionary Union.

The event, dubbed “Collide/Lima Kokua,” drew high-school students  to Hawaii “to give them the opportunity to make a difference in the world for Christ,” said Suzanne Reece, national WMU ministry consultant for the student team.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s missions auxiliary coordinated the event in conjunction with Hawaii WMU and the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention.

In partnership with 17 island churches, students and leaders served at 17 ministry sites and participated in ministry projects, such as Vacation Bible School for homeless children, backyard Bible clubs, painting, trash pick-up, church information distribution, prayerwalking and other projects.

The weeklong event was originally called simply “Collide,” but both national WMU and Hawaiian organizers wanted a name that would reflect their partnership and goals. Lima Kokua, Hawaiian for “helping hands,” became part of the name as a result.

The name was particularly fitting for Rogelio Maciel, 13, of First Baptist Church of South Houston.

“This was my first time doing a missions trip, and I went to help out with other people and show many people about Christ,” he said.

“The thing that meant most to me was seeing the kids in VBS learn about Christ. And when they grow up, they will teach others.”

“I got to play with the kids and teach them about God. It was amazing to hear their answers and comments about God,” Alicia Esquivel, 16, also from the South Houston church, said. “I enjoyed learning from the kids that I was teaching.” 

In addition to hands-on missions projects, Collide/Lima Kokua participants also enjoyed a Hawaiian dinner, group worship experiences and cultural education.

News service editor steps down. Greg Warner, who has been executive editor of Associated Baptist Press since 1991, informed the independent news service’s directors and staff he would be stepping down for medical reasons. Warner, 53, underwent his seventh spinal surgery since 2002 on Aug. 28. He has begun a 90-day sick leave that he expects to transition into permanent disability. The surgery—a fourth lumbar spinal fusion—was the latest of more than a dozen medical procedures Warner has undergone in an effort to relieve back pain that surfaced in 1998. Despite temporary improvements following some of the procedures, he said, his condition has degenerated to the point where he is in constant and significant pain requiring large doses of prescription painkillers.

Wilkinson named news service executive. Veteran Baptist communicator David Wilkinson has been named executive director for Associated Baptist Press. Wilkinson, who currently serves as development director for the Baylor University School of Social Work, will replace current ABP Executive Editor Greg Warner. The independent news service's directors unanimously approved Wilkinson for the position Sept. 8. On Oct. 1, he will assume the post, created as ABP's board revamped the agency's structure. The new structure divides news responsibilities from administration and development. Wilkinson's 30-year career includes service with the Baptist Sunday School Board, the Southern Baptist Convention Christian Life Commission, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, as well as Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Wilkinson earned a bachelor of arts degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Former RTVC building sold. Chesapeake Energy Co. has purchased the 87,966-square-foot building that housed the former Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission in Fort Worth. The SBC began its broadcast ministry with The Baptist Hour radio program in Atlanta in 1941. In 1955, the operation was moved to Texas, and its programming expanded to include television programs. The commission developed the American Christian Television System in the mid-1980s to try to increase market exposure, but soaring costs forced the commission to merge ACTS with another network. A major SBC reorganization, implemented in 1997, merged the RTVC with the Brotherhood Commission and Home Mission Board to create the North American Mission Board. NAMB shifted some RTVC work, primarily radio programming, to its Atlanta-area headquarters. NAMB streamlined the operation in 2004, reducing staff and cutting the budget by more than half. It cut radio production completely the following year.

American Baptist scholar dies. David Scholer, professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, died Aug. 22 after a long struggle with cancer. He was 70. Scholer, an American Baptist, was a specialist in several areas of New Testament studies, including Gnosticism and second-century Christianity, but was perhaps best known for his contributions to studies on women in ministry. He taught at the California-based evangelical seminary 14 years. Scholer is survived by his wife, Jeannette; two children, Abigail Scholer Strazzabosco and Emily Scholer Hernandez; and three grandchildren.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (ABP)—Four families packed a church van and headed on summer vacation. Although they only drove a few hours to Kansas City, Kan., this was no ordinary vacation for these Missourians.

This vacation was about sharing God’s love through mission projects.

“What more can you ask for? You get to have fun and tell people about Jesus at the same time,” 8-year-old Matthew Black said. “It makes you have such a joy in your heart. I’d do it again—any time, any place.”

Black and his family joined more than 100 other volunteers at FamilyFest, a hands-on missions opportunity for families sponsored by Woman’s Missionary Union. The volunteers, ranging in age from 4 to 72 and representing 10 states, did everything from painting and construction to servant ministries to backyard Bible clubs in the Kansas City area.

Meanwhile, 1,100 miles to the east, more than 60 volunteers ages 5 to 77 traveled from seven states to minister in 10 churches and four ministries in Baltimore, Md., during another FamilyFest missions event.

Nelda Taylor, former president of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, was part of a team who won a FamilyFest trip during a contest at the 2007 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio.

Taylor and her team from Austin Baptist Association served at City Springs Elementary School in Baltimore, where they mopped and cleaned the facility and prayed over the school’s students and teachers.

With rising gas prices, Gena Brown of Richland, Mo., said her family knew they would need to stay close to home this year. So, four families—almost half of their small church—decided to pool their vacation money and do something as part of God’s work.

Brown admits she was not sure how taking young children would work on a mission trip.

“I was afraid they’d get bored or tired,” she said. “But they’ve loved every second of this. The older kids are already talking about what we can do back home for mission projects in our own community.

“That’s exactly what we had hoped for. We wanted to open the kids’ eyes, as well as our own, to God’s will for us to serve others and share his love.”

Texan Kathy Jean Applegate from First Baptist Church in Godley fastens some glitter strings to a classroom doorway at Metropolitan Baptist Church, Kansas City, Kansas. Applegate volunteered at the church as part of WMU’s FamilyFest.

Twenty-one members of Osawatomie (Kan.) Baptist Church took vacation time as well to cross the state line into Missouri and repair a church. Melissa Cooke, an Osawatomie member, said her congregation decided to participate in FamilyFest as a way to “give back” what they’ve received.

Almost a year ago, floods flowed through the Kansas town. Soon after, volunteers came to assist. Cooke said volunteers helped at the church, and the church served as a host site.

“Those volunteers were a good example of service to us. They planted the missions seed in our congregation,” she said. “When FamilyFest came to
our area, we knew it was the perfect opportunity for us to give back. The appeal of this particular missions trip was that it was aimed for families.”

Cooke’s three children worked alongside her and her husband, Brian, throughout the week. Eleven-year-old Shelby Cooke and her dad joined the youth group to paint hallways and stairwells.

“Dad, I bet the church people are surprised when they see this,” Shelby said, while painting the stairwell a vibrant red. “I think they will feel loved just like we felt loved.”

With additional reporting by Shannon Baker