By David Roach OZARK, Mo. (BP) -- Jim Wells, a 15-term Southern Baptist Convention registration secretary known for his humble leadership style, died June 17 following a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 69. First elected registration secretary in 2002, Wells oversaw messenger registration, ballot counting and reporting of vote totals at SBC annual meetings among other duties. He served alongside eight SBC presidents. SBC President Steve Gaines called Wells "a humble servant of Jesus Christ." Wells "was a diligent servant and a godly, Christ-like man," said Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn. "He was a great encouragement to me and to many other presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention. We will miss him." When the advanced stages of cancer prevented Wells from attending this year's SBC annual meeting June 13-14 in Phoenix, messengers adopted a resolution of appreciation that stated "countless volunteers" on the SBC Credentials Committee and among convention tellers "have witnessed transformative servant leadership through Wells' humble, yet principled leadership style." As recently as June 9, the resolution stated, Wells said he was "confident in these final hours … [Read more...]