Leo Endel, former Iowa pastor since May 2002 has been executive director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, which is considered a “New Work” state convention. It will forward 13 percent of its Cooperative Program gifts to SBC national causes this year.
[img_assist|nid=6366|title=Leo Endel, Executive Director Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=67|height=100]During the 11 years of Endel’s last pastorate, at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa, attendance grew from 35 to around 500. Southern Hills also sponsored three new churches and increased missions giving while undergoing two building programs. When he left, Southern Hills was giving 13 percent through the Cooperative Program, 3.5 percent to the association and 2 percent to local missions, primarily for church planting in northwest Iowa.
Endel holds a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a bachelor of science in business administration from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. He currently is a doctoral student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.
[img_assist|nid=6367|title=Jimmy Jackson President Alabama Baptist State Convention|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=65|height=100]Jimmy Jackson, the senior pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., for 31 years is in his second year as president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
He also has served as first and second vice president of the SBC, and has been an assistant parliamentarian at the SBC’s annual meetings for nearly 25 years.
He is a trustee at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a former member of the SBC Executive Committee.
He holds a divinity degree and Ph.D. in Hebrew and Old Testament from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
He is a native of Greenwood, Miss., and a graduate of Mississippi College.
Information from Whitesburg’s 2009 ACP lists 163 baptisms and primary worship service attendance of 1,556. The church gave $295,748, or 4.64 percent, through the Cooperative
Program from total undesignated receipts of $6,364,921.According to the ACP, the church also received $236,735 for LMCO for international missions and $138,548 for the AAEO
for North American Missions.
[img_assist|nid=6368|title=Ted Traylor Pastor Olive Baptist Church Pensacola Fla.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=74|height=100]Ted Traylor, the pastor for 20 years in November of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., also is a member of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. He is a NAMB trustee and chairman of NAMB’s presidential search team. He was president of the Southern Baptist
Pastors’ Conference in 2004.
Information from Olive’s 2009 ACP lists 270 baptisms and primary worship service attendance of 3,105. The church gave $731,080, or 10.1 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $7,213,206. According to the ACP, the church also received $33,264 for the LMCO for International Missions and $10,466 for the AAEO for North American Missions. In 1989, the year before Traylor became pastor, the church had undesignated receipts of $1,923,165 and contributed $417,320, or 21.7 percent,
through the Cooperative Program.
Traylor holds degrees from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and SWBTS in Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned both the master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees.
[img_assist|nid=6369|title=Bryant Wright Senior Pastor, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Marietta, Ga.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=76|height=100]Bryant Wright, founding and senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., reports an average weekly worship attendance of 4,383 and, in 2009, 459 baptisms.
The church gave $638,992, or 3.9 percent, of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program in 2009, according to its ACP.
Wright, in comments to Christian Index Editor Gerald Harris March 12, said he wants to see “a greater percentage of our dollars [going] to the IMB, NAMB and our seminaries.” Wright proposed that each state convention keep no more than 25-30 percent of CP funds in-state so that 50 percent can go to international missions.
Wright, a native of the Atlanta area, holds a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts in English from the University of South Carolina. After earning his M.Div., he was single adults minister at Second Baptist Church in Houston before accepting the pastorate of the fledgling Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in December 1981.
SBC VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
[img_assist|nid=6370|title=Ron Herrod Evangelist, 1st Vice President nominee|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=66|height=100]Ron Herrod, nominee for the 1st VP of the SBC, is the current president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists.
After serving as a senior pastor of several Southern Baptist churches for more than 35 years, Herrod launched R.H.E.M.A. (Ron Herrod Evangelism Ministries Association) in 1995 based in Sevierville, Tenn. Herrod’s pastorates had included First Baptist Church in Kenner, La.; First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Ark.; and Central Baptist Church in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
He is a member of Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn. Stats for 2009: 204 baptisms; 2,884 in worship; $174,999, or 3.76 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $4,654,098. LMCO: $20,000 for International Missions;AAEO $2,128 for North American Missions.
[img_assist|nid=6371|title=Ray Newman, Georgia staffer to be 2nd Vice President nominee|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=70|height=100]Ray Newman, ethics and religious affairs specialist for the Georgia Baptist Convention, is to be nominated as second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In addition to his responsibilities with the Georgia Baptist Convention, Newman serves as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
Newman is in his 50th year in ministry, the past 21 of those years as a state missionary for Georgia Baptists. He served as a pastor for nearly 30 years, and today is a member of North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville.
Stats in 2009: 110 baptisms; 2,129 in worship; $376,014, or 12.99 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $2,892,419; LMCO: $16,185; AAEO: $10,575.
SBC PASTORS CONFERENCE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
[img_assist|nid=6372|title=Troy Gramling, Pastor Flamingo Road Church, Cooper City, Fla.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=100]Troy Gramling is to be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference during its June meeting in Orlando.
If elected, Gramling would lead the 2011 Pastors’ Conference in Phoenix.
According to the church website, Flamingo Road exists in six campuses: Cooper City, Doral and Hallandale Beach, all in South Florida; plus others in Pensacola, Fla.; Lima, Peru; and an Internetbased campus.
Stats for 2009: 1,535 baptisms; 10,000 in worship service; $12,500, or 0.18 percent, through the Cooperative Program from $6,800,000 in undesignated income; total mission expenditures: $518,000, with $10,000 for associational giving and no gifts reported for the LMCO or AAEO.
Vance Pitman, a younger pastor from the western United State, is to be nominated president of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference.
He is pastor of Hope Baptist Church which was started with 18 people meeting in Pitman’s home and now has grown to nearly 2,000 each week.
According to information from his church, Hope Baptist has planted nine churches in the last seven years, with another church planned in the Las Vegas area.
Stats for 2009: 117 baptisms; 1,670 in worship; $61,888, or 2.47 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $2,497, 299. The church’s total mission expenditures were $1,436,838, with no gifts reported for LMCO or AAEO.
LOUISIANANS ON SBC COMMITTEES
ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Nominees to serve on the boards of various Southern Baptist Convention entities recently were selected by the 2010 SBC Committee on Nominations.
These boards include Executive Committee, the four denominational boards – International
Mission Board, North American Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources and GuideStone Financial Resources – the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the six seminaries and the Committee on Order of Business.
Nominees will serve if elected by the messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, June 15-16 in Orlando, Florida. The following list includes changes only, and only of those people from Louisiana. A complete list of nominees is available through Baptist Press, the SBC’s official news website, atwww.bpnews.net.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (83 members): 20 nominations considered; 7 new members; 13 renominations, including Tommy G. Middleton, Baton Rouge, La., being nominated for a second term.
GUIDESTONE FINANCIAL RESOURCES (44 members): 9 nominations considered; 7 new members; 2 renominations – none from Louisiana.
INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD (90 members): 22 nominations considered; 11 new members; 11 renominations – none from Louisiana.
NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD (58 members): 18 nominations considered; 8 new members; 10 renominations, including Sharon K. Parker, layperson and member of Start Baptist Church, Start, La., replacing Tova M. Hutson, Baton Rouge, La., who resigned.
LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES (57 members): 17 nominations considered; 4 new members; 13 renominations, including Barbara A. Nylin, Baton Rouge, La., being nominated for a second term.
SOUTHERN SEMINARY (43 members): 8 nominations considered; 4 new members; 4 renominations, including Rick W. Byargeon, pastor, Temple Baptist Church, Ruston, La., replacing F. Randy Harper, Bossier City, La., who declined to serve a second term, for term to expire in 2015.
SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY (40 members): 8 nominations considered; 3 new members; 5 renominations, including none from Louisiana.
NEW ORLEANS SEMINARY (40 members): 6 nominations considered; 2 new members; 4 renominations, including none from Louisiana.
SOUTHEASTERN SEMINARY (30 members): 6 nominations considered; 3 new members; 3 renominations, including none from Louisiana.
MIDWESTERN SEMINARY (35 members): 7 nominations considered; 3 new members; renominations, including none from Louisiana.
GOLDEN GATE SEMINARY (39 members): 7 nominations considered; 4 new members; 3 renominations, including Clay Crenshaw, Bossier City, La., being nominated for a second term.
ETHICS AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION (34 members): 8 nominations considered; 6 new members; 2 renominations, including none from Louisiana.
COMMITTEE ON ORDER OF BUSINESS (7 members): 2 nominations considered; 2 new members, including nominees with term to expire in 2013, replacing members ineligible for re-election, including John B. Hoychick, layperson and member of First Baptist Church, Rayville, La., replacing Jonathan Whitehead, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Appointments to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Committee on Committees have
been announced by SBC President Johnny Hunt. Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of
Woodstock, Ga., in accordance with SBC Bylaw 19 which requires that their names be
released to Baptist Press no later than 45 days prior to the annual meeting.
The Committee on Committees will assemble in Orlando, Fla., just prior to the SBC June 15-16 annual meeting to nominate members of the Committee on Nominations who, in turn, nominate trustees to serve on boards of the various entities of the SBC. SBC Bylaw 19 also provides that the Committee on Committees “shall nominate all special committees authorized during the sessions of the Convention not otherwise provided for.”
The Committee on Committees has 70 members, two from each of the 35 state or regional conventions qualified for representation on boards of SBC entities, including from Lousiana: Gevan Spinney, First Baptist Church, Haughton; and Bill Dye, North Monroe Baptist Church, Monroe.
Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt has named members of the Credentials Committee for the June 15-16 annual meeting in Orlando, including Jerome Vascocu, First Baptist Church, Rayville.
Members of the Tellers Committee for the June 15-16 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando have been named by SBC President Johnny Hunt, including Pat Thomas, First Baptist Church, Elton.