Baptist Building staff structure flattened

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff has streamlined its structure by eliminating one level of administration—doing away with directors of centers and giving top-level leaders direct interaction with ministry teams.

A series of changes opened the door for a fresh look at the staff structure, Executive Director David Hardage said.

Last year, Wayne Shuffield, who oversaw the missions/evangelism center, became a BGCT congregational strategist in East Texas. Suzii Paynter, who led Texas Baptists’ advocacy/care center, was nominated as executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Chris Liebrum, who was director of the education/discipleship center, will lead the convention’s church ministry resources team and assist Hardage with special projects.

Hardage believes the moves will help Texas Baptists practice good financial stewardship and put the maximum amount of resources into ministry efforts.

“A year ago, there was not an intent to restructure our BGCT organization,” Hardage said. “However, due to some resignations, retirements and reassignments, it became a natural step to reassess how we operate. After quite a bit of discussion, contemplation and prayer, we have come to a new design of our convention staff, which basically represents a flattening of the organization, eliminating a level of administration and, hopefully, a more streamlined management system.”