DALLAS—Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Randel Everett has announced a realignment of the BGCT Executive Board staff to focus on the three priorities of missions, Christian education and advocacy.
Wayne Shuffield will lead Evangelism/Missions, Chris Liebrum will lead Education/Discipleship and Suzii Paynter will lead Advocacy/Care. All three currently are on the BGCT staff, and Paynter will continue in her role as director of the Christian Life Commission.
“As the Future Focus Committee evaluated the history and assignments of the BGCT, these three priorities became obvious,” Everett said. “We’re working to put our team together in a way that will maximize our effectiveness in these three areas. We also want to communicate the resources for ministry in our churches and institutions so that we do not duplicate efforts.”
Three priority areas
The new organization chart will locate the three priority areas around a center portion that will include executive leadership and offices that relate to the entire organization, including institutional relations.
Affinity Group ministries, led by Gus Reyes, will be part of the central functions. The affinity groups—African-American, Hispanic and intercultural—are “at the heart of everything we do,” Randel said. Reyes also will lead the Hispanic Education Advisory Council.
The changes will begin being implemented immediately, with full rollout expected in May. The Center for Evangelism/Missions will consolidate BGCT evangelism and missions efforts and include Baptist Student Ministries. This team also will include church starting, western-heritage outreach, missional church and “key church” efforts.
The Center for Education/Discipleship includes Bible study, worship/music, church architecture, BaptistWay Press, church leadership, stewardship, small church/bivocational ministries, historical collection, theological education and ministries through BGCT-related educational institutions.
The Center for Advocacy/Care includes the Christian Life Commission, chaplaincy, community missions and ministries through BGCT-affiliated children and family ministries agencies and medical centers.
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Leaders of the three centers and the three executive leaders—Everett, Associate Executive Director Steve Vernon and Treasurer Jill Larsen—will function as the coordinating council. It will meet monthly to maintain communication between the varied efforts but will not primarily be a decision-making body.
Leadership council
A broader group of about 25, including the six on the Coordinating Council, will be the leadership council. This group will be involved in the annual planning process, which includes budget decision-making.
No positions have been eliminated. Some vacant positions are remaining unfilled for now, but that is related to financial uncertainties not the realignment, BGCT staff leaders noted.
“At this point, we do not believe the staff realignment will result in any cost savings,” Larsen said. “We are trying very hard to not eliminate any positions since the unemployment rate is so high which could make finding a new position very difficult. The primary purpose of the realignment is to match our organization structure to our focus, which is evangelism/missions, Christian education/discipleship and advocacy/care.”
That three-pronged emphasis emerged early in discussions of the BGCT Future Focus Committee, Co-Chairs Stephen Hatfield and Andy Pittman noted.
“I was not surprised. It’s within the scope of the executive director’s job to align staff,” and the “three-legged stool” of evangelism/missions, Christian education/discipleship and advocacy/care match Texas Baptists’ passions and strengths, Pittman said.
Everett’s decision to realign staff in accord with those three priorities may serve as “an intermediate step” as the committee continues to draft the recommendations it will present to the convention’s annual meeting, Nov. 16-17 in Houston, said Hatfield, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lewisville.
“Our work is not done yet,” Hatfield said, noting the Future Focus Committee will meet again May 12.
“We’ll take the three-legged stool and recommend ways our churches, institutions and Executive Board staff can collaborate to accomplish the three priorities,” Pittman added.
–With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp
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