Parks to Retire

                                                                                                                              Vol. V, No. 3, June 1992

At the Foreign Mission Board February meeting in Richmond Dr. R. Keith Parks, president of the FMB, asked trustees to resolve the issue of his tenure. Last August he had asked trustees to commit to his serving until 1995 in order to lay the groundwork for his 10 point program for global evangelization. In February Parks and trustees agreed to hold a spiritual retreat 19-20 March.

At the conclusion of the retreat Parks said he felt God was leading him to retire. And in a later meeting with FMB staff he added his decision was based on spiritual leadership, not political pressure. He told the staff his decision to retire in October, when he reaches 65, despite a worshipful retreat atmosphere with trustees asking him to remain as president, has confused some people.

"For a long time there has been the impression that if you can get together and pray together and have a good spiritual experience, that means you will all come out with the same conclusion, said Parks, a 38 year veteran of foreign missions and FMB president since 1980. But he cited basic differences with trustees and said questions asked by trustees during the retreat indicated those differences would remain. He outlined three reasons discussed at the retreat that "reinforced my sense of the Lord's leadership" that October is the time to retire: (1) no clear trustee support for his request to remain until 1995, (2) differences with the trustees over the president's role, and (3) basic philosophical differences regarding missions.

Asked if he would continue missions through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Parks said he will continue to follow his calling to missions wherever God leads but he's not sure where that will be.

Parks' retirement announcement was made official at the 6-8 April FMB trustee meeting in Clemson, SC. The outgoing FMB trustee chairman appointed a 15 man search committee to seek a replacement for Parks. Hancock chose Joel Gregory as chairman. Virginia members of the committee are Phyllis Randall of Blacksburg and John Simms of Salem. Trustees elected John Jackson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Fairfield, CA, as chairman of the 88 member board for the next one-year term. Jackson, nominated by Paige Patterson, received 48 votes. John Greene, a laymen from West Palm Beach, FL, received 35 votes. Karen Gilbert of Hampton, VA, was reelected recording secretary. [BP]