Baptist Standard Managing Editor Ken Camp will retire Dec. 31, 2025, bringing to a close a decades-long era of reporting on Texas Baptists.
During the last 40-plus years, Camp has reported on every part of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He also has covered the Southern Baptist Convention, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist World Alliance and other Baptist entities.
“Ken Camp has always been a torchbearer for the truth,” John Hall, chief mission officer for Texans on Mission, said. “He has always believed Christians will respond when they know about opportunities to share the gospel in their own communities, across their state and around the world.
“Over the years, I’ve seen time and again he is correct,” Hall continued, “and many, many people got involved in ministry because of the stories Ken shared clearly, concisely and compassionately. I know. I’m one of them.”
Reporting these stories has taken Camp all around Texas and to several places around the world. He has had a front-row seat to some of the most consequential events in Texas Baptist and Southern Baptist history.
“I’ve been in the same room with four United States presidents or former presidents,” though “some of the rooms were pretty big,” Camp noted.
“But the people who made the deepest impression were folks like a West Texas pastor who visited almost every patient in the local hospital every morning except Sunday for 40 years and a Central Texas pastor who has served the same small, rural congregation for 60 years and counting,” Camp recalled.
Early days in journalism
Camp’s name has appeared in bylines for more than 50 years, first as the editor of his high school newspaper and as the writer of a weekly column about school news for the Greenville Herald Banner. The summer after he graduated, he worked the evening sports desk part time for the local newspaper.
Despite his high school experience in journalism, Camp had other career plans. He began college with a double major in English and history, with plans to go to law school.
“My plans changed after I attended a free lunch at the Baptist Student Union at East Texas State University,” Camp wrote.
“A missions speaker was talking about how Christian vocational service involved more than preaching, and people with specialized skills—including journalism—were needed on the mission field,” he continued.
Though he didn’t feel called to foreign missions, he did have “a clear sense God was calling me to Christian service as a writer. I changed my second major from history to journalism.”
Becoming a Texas Baptist journalist
To prepare for Christian service, Camp attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Upon his arrival, he learned Southwestern was launching a communications program. The program required an internship, which he found with the Texas Baptist Public Relations Association, working at the BGCT during the summer of 1983.
When Camp graduated from seminary in 1984, he went to work for Tom Brannon and Orville Scott in the BGCT public relations (communications) office.
At the BGCT, Camp wrote news and feature stories on Texas Baptist Men, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, the Christian Life Commission, River Ministry, Church Extension (church starting) and more for 19 and a half years.
“Our primary vehicle for communicating with Texas Baptists was through the Baptist Standard. So, I was in daily contact with Toby Druin,” Camp wrote, referring to the Standard’s managing editor at the time.
“Our office also served as the Dallas Bureau for Baptist Press. That meant I was in contact several times a week with Dan Martin and Marv Knox at BP,” he added. Knox later became editor of the Baptist Standard.
When Orville Scott retired, Camp became the news and information director for the BGCT. In his supervisory role, he worked with Baptist journalists John Hall, Ferrell Foster and Dan Martin. He also was in charge of the newsroom at BGCT annual meetings, which hosted religion reporters from newspapers around Texas.
When Tom Brannon retired, Camp served more than a year as the BGCT’s interim communications director.
Memorable experiences during his BGCT years
Camp described working the newsroom at the 1985 SBC annual meeting in Dallas as his “baptism by fire.” The meeting “drew 45,531 messengers,” he reported.
“Charles Stanley was elected president, defeating Winfred Moore [pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo] in a 24,453 to 19,795 vote marked by multiple irregularities. On the row in front of where my wife and I were seated, we saw a couple casting ballots for their children—including an infant,” Camp recalled.
A few months later, in the immediate aftermath of the Mexico City earthquake, Camp traveled there with the initial TBM disaster relief team at the request of the National Baptist Convention of Mexico.
“From the field kitchen set up outdoors in downtown Mexico City—where thousands of people were sheltered in a tent city—the TBM volunteers served about 2,000 meals an hour for the first four hours,” he wrote.
Camp also reported on Partnership Missions in Australia and Mexico, as well as River Ministry along the Texas/Mexico border. When the BGCT launched its Mission Texas initiative to start 2,000 new churches in Texas within five years, Camp made day trips to churches around the state for feature articles about church starting.
Reporting from Oklahoma City at the request of Associated Baptist Press in the days immediately following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, was a particularly moving experience for Camp.
“I saw a city sustained by their faith in God and by his grace,” Camp stated. “Over the course of several days, I was able to attend a prayer gathering at a local church, interview chaplains who served first responders at the bombsite, interview survivors of the blast, and attend the community-wide prayer service where Billy Graham and President Bill Clinton spoke.”
Working with giants
Of particular note to Camp during his years at the BGCT was “the rare privilege of working with and learning from giants: Phil Strickland and Weston Ware at the Christian Life Commission, Bob Dixon and John LaNoue at Texas Baptist Men, Joy Fenner at Texas WMU, Elmin Howell at River Ministry and many more. I’ve been blessed to tell their stories.”
Referring back to his trip to Mexico City, Camp recalled spending part of the trip there riding in a truck with John LaNoue.
“I remember asking him late at night what his motivation was for all the work he had done—creating the first disaster relief mobile unit and serving as on-site coordinator at disasters far and wide,” Camp recalled.
“He told me Jesus did two things throughout his public ministry—he met human needs where he found them, and he pointed people to God,” Camp continued.
“That’s what disaster relief ministry does, and reporting on God’s work through the volunteers the past four decades has been one of my great joys,” he concluded.
Joining the Baptist Standard
Camp was named managing editor of the Baptist Standard in December 2003, beginning work effective Jan. 1, 2004. He followed Mark Wingfield, who resigned to become associate pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas.
The Baptist Building—as the BGCT office building at 333 N. Washington Avenue east of downtown Dallas was known—was a busy place in the 1980s and 1990s, “a constant stream of people in and out of our office,” Camp recalled.
Camp’s move from BGCT communications to the comparatively quiet Baptist Standard office at 2343 Lone Star Drive west of downtown Dallas enabled him “to concentrate on writing and editing, rather than having to attend all the meetings required at the Baptist Building.”
“Serving as managing editor at the Standard had been my dream job since I was in seminary,” Camp said, “and I was eager to have the opportunity to work on a daily basis with Marv Knox, who was a good friend and for whom I always have had the greatest respect.”
“Hiring Ken was one of the best day’s work I put in across almost two decades of editing the Standard,” Knox, retired editor of the Baptist Standard, noted.
“He always helped the Standard maintain its core mission—inform Texas Baptists about the opportunities, challenges, issues and developments that impact their churches, as well as the Baptist General Convention of Texas,” Knox added.
Reporting for the Baptist Standard
During his two decades as reporter and managing editor of the Baptist Standard, Camp had numerous interesting experiences, such as interviewing Texas Death Row inmates and ex-convicts.
Camp traveled to Ethiopia and Kenya with Buckner International and to Cuba and Uganda with Texas Baptist Men (now Texans on Mission) to report on their work in those countries.
He also reported on Baptist World Alliance Congresses in Birmingham, England; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Brisbane, Australia; and BWA annual meetings in Birmingham, Ala., and Stavanger, Norway.
Camp regularly reported on the work of the Christian Life Commission, “from public advocacy in the Texas Legislature to the support of human-need ministries around the state and the globe through the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.”
“My greatest delight has been the people with whom I’ve worked and the wonderful folks I have met around the state,” Camp stated.
“It’s people like Jimmy and Janet Dorrell, who have lived among and served the poor in Waco for more than four and a half decades,” Camp recounted. “It’s volunteers who dig water wells, build churches, teach English-as-a-Second-Language classes, minister to children, and stock the shelves of food pantries.”
Challenges in reporting
Working in the BGCT’s public relations office came with some inherent tension.
To overcome the tension, “I leaned hard into the advice that the best public relations is to tell the truth and be as forthcoming as possible,” Camp said.
Having the Baptist Standard as a check also helped, Camp noted, saying if he didn’t report on a matter, the Standard could and probably would report on it.
At the Standard, reporting the investigation into a church-starting scandal involving phantom churches in the Rio Grande Valley was a particular challenge, Camp recalled.
“Texas Baptists sunk more than $1.3 million into start-up funding and monthly support for three pastors in the Valley who reported 258 church starts between 1999 and 2005,” he reported.
“Investigators said up to 98 percent of those churches no longer existed in 2006, and many of them never did—except on paper,” he added.
“It was not a good time for the BGCT, but it needed to be reported, and we did it,” Camp stated.
Given the Baptist Standard is a denominational news source, the decline of denominational loyalty and “a rapidly shrinking market for honest reporting” presented a continuous challenge during Camp’s tenure with the Standard.
Transitioning from the printed newspaper to an online-only publication was a personal challenge for Camp. In addition to learning new technology, “the news cycle changed drastically,” he noted.
“Instead of producing in-depth, long-form articles for a newspaper printed every other week or human-interest feature stories for a monthly magazine, we’re now providing relatively brief breaking news on a daily basis—actually, multiple times a day,” Camp wrote.
“Providing content for the internet is like trying to feed a ravenous beast always craving more. I won’t miss that part,” he concluded.
Camp as a mentor
Reflecting on his early career working with Camp, John Hall recalled: “I learned to write as a result of Ken’s editing and instruction. He didn’t just edit a piece and hand it back to you to correct. He made the editing marks and then went through each one of them with you. He educated me by walking beside me. He was a mentor in the best sense of the word.”
Camp is more than a reporter and writer, however, Hall noted. “It’s what he did beyond the written word that has most impacted me.
“When I moved to Dallas and knew few people, Ken would stay late, somehow knowing I needed a friend. I saw him get excited about ministry in his church, raising his sons and people coming to faith. In many ways, I didn’t just learn how to be a journalist from Ken. I learned what it truly means to be a Christian.”
“The first assignment Ken gave me when I was 23 was to cover a cutting-edge church in Houston. I remember it vividly,” Hall recalled.
“I was so excited to go on the trip by myself. I was a grown up, and he asked me to write an article and shoot photographs of the service. I was going to nail it.
“I did all the interviews. The quotes were fantastic. … I took photo after photo after photo of a highly visual service. There was so much to shoot, that I just kept shooting.
“I turned in the story shortly after and gave Ken back the camera. That’s when I realized I never put film in the camera. I had no photos, and I was standing before this man I’d read faithfully for years.
“I apologized profusely [and] braced myself for a severe talking to. Instead, Ken took a breath and sighed. Then, he let out a laugh that could only be Ken’s.
“‘Don’t worry,’ he told me. ‘I did it on my first assignment, too. We’ll figure out something.’”
Hall described Camp’s response in two words: “Grace. Kindness.”
“Then,” Hall continued, “Ken quickly followed it up with, ‘But you only do it once.’
“An opportunity to learn and grow. That’s Ken Camp,” Hall concluded.
Baseball and family
Camp is not shy about his love for his family and for Texas Rangers baseball.
“You can’t talk about Ken Camp without mentioning the grandkids and baseball. I’m pretty sure the grandkids come first, but baseball is a close second,” Scott Collins, retired vice president of communications for Buckner International, wrote.
“I remember sitting next to Ken for entire games and saying few words, because Ken was keeping score,” Marv Knox recalled.
“However, he could provide a perfect recitation of the turning points of the game and analysis of how his beloved Rangers were doing in any given year. This not only reflects Ken’s love of baseball, but also his meticulous attention to detail, which made him a splendid reporter,” Knox wrote.
Camp’s colleagues remember him bringing his family to BGCT annual meetings. However, his children remember it best.
“When my brothers and I were little, BGCT annual meeting happened to fall on or around Halloween,” Daniel Camp recalled. “So, Dad and Mom dressed us up in our costumes, and we trick-or-treated through the newsroom.
“Dad said he remembers going around to all the reporters beforehand, giving them all candy, so they’d have something to hand out, and telling them to put out their cigarettes for a minute,” Daniel continued.
Reflecting on a career
As Camp nears retirement, he reflected on his more than four decades reporting on Texas Baptists: “It’s been an honor to have worked for organizations committed to historic Baptist principles—the Lordship of Jesus Christ, biblical authority, soul competency, the priesthood of believers, religious liberty, and the separation of church and state.
“I have loved to tell the stories of how God is at work in and through Texas Baptists. I hope I’ve been able to bear witness faithfully to what the Lord has done and continues to do.
“In recent years, it’s been amazing how many opportunities we’ve had to report on international religious freedom issues, thanks to contacts with the Baptist World Alliance and the 21Wilberforce human rights organization.
“At times, those stories have attracted the attention of government officials—in the United States and in foreign countries. I never dreamed I’d be involved in something like that.”
Expressing his decades-long commitment to accurate, thorough and fair reporting, Camp said: “Texas Baptists need the Baptist Standard. Self-governing organizations like the BGCT need informed constituents to make wise decisions. That requires a credible, honest, independent source of information.”
*******
Family and colleagues describe Ken Camp
Daniel Camp, Ken’s son and pastor, South Garland Baptist Church
Praising Ken’s objectivity and fairness, Daniel said: “He is not an editorial writer and doesn’t try to be. You won’t catch him sneaking his own opinions into his reporting.
“He is there to report on what has happened, providing meaningful context where it’s helpful, but he is not there to convince or persuade. He’s a reporter first.”
Daniel noted Ken’s attention to detail: “I’ve seen him reporting and am always impressed by how fast his pen is moving when facts and figures are being thrown around. He’s not going to miss one.”
Daniel also noted Ken’s eye for a good story: “He knows what kind of stories he wants to read and what our churches need to hear, and he gravitates toward those.”
Toby Druin, editor emeritus, Baptist Standard
“I remember the first time I saw Ken Camp’s byline on a story I received at the Baptist Standard from the BGCT public relations office. It was tight and required little editing—just like the flood of stories Ken has written over the years.
“Ken has been an excellent presenter of the Texas Baptist story. Baptist Standard readers have always been able to depend on him to give them the information they need to be informed [and] to be better Baptist Christians.”
Marv Knox, retired editor, Baptist Standard
“Ken is full of integrity. … He’s also careful and conscientious.
“As a thoughtful, lifelong Texas Baptist, he always has been able to write articles in context, helping readers understand the setting and impact of the events he covered.”
His reporting “always put the Standard in a good light—even, or maybe especially, among people who didn’t particularly care for the Standard’s editorial positions.
“Because he is so disciplined and focused, he enabled the Standard to move easily into the era of digital news coverage. He would finish gathering information and immediately sit down and write an article. We often posted stories about Texas Baptist events before the people involved in those events even got home.”
John Hall, chief mission officer, Texans on Mission
“Watching Ken work is inspiring. He can turn a story in minutes, make any piece worthy of publishing through masterful editing and communicate complex topics in ways everyone can understand.”
“He was fair to everyone and everything he covered. He wanted people to hear all sides of a conversation.”
Scott Collins, retired vice president of communications, Buckner International
“When I think of Ken Camp as a reporter, the first word that comes to mind is ‘thoroughness.’ I’ve always known when I read a story with Ken’s byline that he covered the whole thing. There was no need to ask, ‘What else?’”
Like Daniel Camp, Collins also described Ken as accurate and fair: “Ken has always been driven by his ethics when it comes to reporting. So, I know when I read something he has written, he is reporting with fairness.
“Because of Ken’s experiences in Baptist life over the past four decades, he has provided a perspective for Standardreaders he is uniquely qualified to provide.”
“Ken is … probably the most reliable person in Baptist communications today.”
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.