Reccord resigns as NAMB president

Compiled from BP reports by Art Toalston and Marty King                         Vol. XIX, No. 4, May 2006

Background:

On February 16 the Georgia Baptist Convention's newsjournal, The Christian Index, carried an article concerning North American Mission Board's evangelism and church planting strategies; the size and makeup of its missionary force; and management issues related to the entity's president, Robert E. (Bob) Reccord. In response a NAMB trustee task force investigated and reported to trustees in a 19 page study.

The report stated, inter alia, that "NAMB was given a seemingly impossible task when it was assigned nine ministry objectives by the SBC during the restructuring process [that culminated in 1997]. In recent years, the Agency has done a good job in trying to narrow the focus to six Major Ministry Objectives (MMO's) while still fulfilling its charter.

"However, in the opinion of the Trustees, NAMB's priority remains Evangelism and Church Planting. The Trustees also believe that those two items are the priorities that most Southern Baptists have for NAMB as well.

"Because dollars are so precious in today's economy, the Trustees believe that the Board must look more carefully at the way in which NAMB uses those dollars," the report continued. "Given the need to fund more missionaries and plant more churches, perhaps the Board needs to prioritize even more carefully to insure that the most amount of money possible goes to these two areas.

"The Trustees acknowledge that this may require the Board to make some tough choices, but ultimately, additional money spent in these two areas will strengthen the work of the Agency among Southern Baptists and her state partners, not hinder it."

The report formed the basis of trustee deliberations during a March 23 special meeting at NAMB's Atlanta-area headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. Concerning The Index article's assertion that NAMB seems to lack a cohesive evangelism strategy, the report also stated, "The recent hiring of Dr. John Avant as Vice-President of Evangelism has already re-energized the evangelism area. He and his new team are working diligently with NAMB's state convention partners to address this very issue with a goal of strengthening partner relationships and developing a more syncretistic approach to evangelism with our state partners."

Regarding church planting, the trustee task force took issue with the Georgia paper, which asserted that church plants during NAMB's eighth year of existence were just 132 over the last year of the former Home Mission Board, which NAMB replaced in the SBC restructuring. The trustee report reiterated the response NAMB issued immediately after The Index article was published, that NAMB has averaged "277 more church plants per year than in the eight years prior to NAMB's existence."

Beyond evangelism and church planting, the 19-page report addressed the numerous other issues raised by The Index, including:

– Outsourcing: The trustee task force recommended "an immediate study of Board policy regarding the use of RFP's [Request For Proposals, i.e., bids], and that the process of outsourcing be subjected to those guidelines as soon as possible."

The report also affirmed the potential savings from outsourcing. "While the downsizing of NAMB personnel and the outsourcing of media projects is a difficult decision to make, the decision appears to make sense on a couple of levels," the task force stated. "First, it makes sense fiscally in a climate of increasing personnel costs. The savings to the Agency will be more than $2,000,000 annually. Second, it increases the Agency's ability to do quality work for less money."

Outsourcing of NAMB's media jobs resulted in the loss of 28 staff positions, the report stated. In the public relations area, the task force reported that two PR firms have been on retainer: Shirley & Bannister at $8,000 per month and the Demoss Group at $4,000 per month. "The Trustees were unaware of the fact that two outside firms were on retainer to provide PR advice to NAMB, especially given the fact that there are two NAMB employees on staff who are tasked with this responsibility," the report stated.

– Strategic Reserves: Concerning the decline in NAMB's strategic reserves, as noted in The Index article, the trustee task force reported that NAMB had $51 million in reserves when it began in 1997 and, at the end of 2005, had $32 million.

NAMB's FamilyNet cable TV channel has accumulated a loss of nearly $10.9 million and also has a loan of nearly $9.6 million, the report stated, while poor stock market performance on investments resulted in an estimated $5.4 million loss from 1999-2000.

"[T]he reserves are now rebounding nicely, as a result of improved market conditions, and they are heading back in the right direction," the report added.

– Missionary Count: The trustee task force reported that its missionary count as of March 13 stood at 5,154, including 66 fully funded national missionaries; 2,730 missionaries jointly funded with various state Baptist entities; 2,358 Missions Service Corps (MSC) missionaries, who are affiliated with NAMB but raise their own financial support.

The task force cited a number of factors that had led to a decline in the number of jointly funded missionaries, including health insurance costs that were absorbed by NAMB and not passed on to the missionary force.

– Staff Morale: The task force stated: "There appears to be an attitude throughout the Agency that affects the willingness of employees to engage in the process of sharing concerns about the direction NAMB is headed and making suggestions for its improvement. Literally, it has been described by some as a culture of fear; fear of reprisals for asking tough questions or appearing to challenge the authority structure. Ultimately, given the number of positions that have been eliminated at the Agency, the greatest fear is the fear of losing one's job.

"The Trustees acknowledge that every organization needs to have an effective chain-of-command strategy," the report continued. "However, they also acknowledge that there appears to be a need for improving employee morale, relationships, and feedback between members of the ELT [Reccord and other officers who form the Executive Leadership Team] and the other Agency employees, as well as a protection system for those who might be perceived as 'whistle-blowers' for trying to address perceived issues of mismanagement."

– Discontinued/Struggling Initiatives: The task force acknowledged that NAMB's post-9/11 evangelistic campaign named "What Now?" "was not widely accepted by the states" and thus discontinued, costing the mission board $343,700.

A subsequent media resources initiative aimed to help Baptists across the country, "See Who Cares," has been delayed by the shift last year "of personnel and resources in order to handle the immense scope" of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief coordinated nationally by NAMB in response to Hurricane Katrina, the report stated, suggesting that InovaOne should not have been the lone company to handle the outsourcing of both See Who Cares and NAMB's disaster relief media needs.

NAMB's "Elevate" 2004-05 conferences – "to help twenty-something's discover their place of ministry in the workplace," as described by the report – "were poorly attended" and thus canceled early in the 2005 schedule, resulting in a loss of just over $1 million from NAMB's reserves, the task force stated.

NAMB spent $1.4 million to create a new 316 Network initiative to help churches gain access to web-casting technology and, to date, has received about $30,000 in revenue. "The Trustees believe that it may be too soon to tell if the 316 Network can succeed financially," the task force report stated. "In their opinion, the Board should monitor it carefully this year and be prepared to make a decision regarding its viability in the near future."

Under an accountability plan adopted by trustees March 23, a trustee subcommittee will be appointed "to develop a set of Executive Level controls to be used as a guide" related to the various issues in the report, including controls for "when the President ... wants to develop new initiatives, including the appropriate oversight and approval by the Board."

Reccord’s Resignation

Robert E. Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board, announced his resignation April 17 from the Southern Baptist entity he has led since its creation nine years ago. Speaking to nearly 200 NAMB staff members at NAMB’s Atlanta-area offices, Reccord said he made the decision, which was effective immediately, with “mixed emotions.”

“I am thankful for the countless numbers of people we have seen come to Christ and the thousands of churches we have seen planted and nurtured,” he said. “On the other hand, I regret we were not able to complete a number of things we have started or dreamed about. I regret that events of recent weeks have created an environment which makes it difficult to lead the organization and to stay on mission.”

During his announcement, Reccord told employees he has found it increasingly difficult to be an entrepreneurial leader within a denominational structure. “I believe that honest philosophical and methodological differences have brought us to this point of separate directions,” Reccord said. He added he hopes he has “demonstrated my love for and commitment to Southern Baptists and all for which we stand.”

“I also hope I have demonstrated a Kingdom heart and mindset,” Reccord continued. “It is this mindset and my entrepreneurial bent that have led us to explore more effective applications of technology and media; strategies for reaching a wider range of demographic groups; and creative evangelism initiatives.”

Barry Holcomb, chairman of NAMB’s board of trustees, read a statement to the mission board’s employees, acknowledging Reccord’s accomplishments, integrity, and visionary leadership style. “I stand here today with Dr. Reccord to say thank you for nine years of tireless service to the North American Mission Board,” Holcomb said. “As an agency, we’ve seen growth in many areas, including increases in our church planting efforts, a significant increase in mission personnel and the dramatic increase and impact of our disaster relief work.”

Holcomb said Reccord had “sought to provide leadership that was both consistent and visionary,” and he emphasized that neither a special focused financial audit nor an investigation by the trustees themselves revealed “evidence that Dr. Reccord had done anything unethical in his role as president.”

“Dr. Reccord has aptly noted that in [Southern Baptist] Convention life, entrepreneurial leadership and denominational requirements may be at odds with one another. This is no one’s fault – it is simply a reality. There is no question God has some special things in store for the next chapter of this ‘out of the box’ thinker,” Holcomb said.

Reccord told employees he doesn’t know what he is going to do but has already received several calls asking him to consider various ministry opportunities.

“We will follow God’s leadership to do what is best for the Kingdom,” he said. “Stepping away will allow me to leave behind a never-ending stream of administrative responsibilities and focus on unleashing men, women, and young people to fulfill their God-given calling and change the world.”

To that end, Holcomb announced that Reccord will serve as a liaison between NAMB and Promise Keepers as he speaks at 19 PK events across the country from June through October.

“NAMB and Promise Keepers entered into an agreement earlier this year to work together to mobilize workers for the rebuild that continues along the Gulf Coast following last year’s hurricanes,” Holcomb said. “I’m thankful that Dr. Reccord has the opportunity and the desire to challenge Christian men across America to invest their time and talents alongside Southern Baptists.”

Holcomb announced NAMB’s trustees will consider naming an interim president at its upcoming May 2 meeting as well as begin the search process for a new president.

In the meantime, Carlos Ferrer, NAMB’s chief financial officer, who was named the previous week as the interim chief operating officer, would assume all executive leadership responsibilities, Holcomb said. “Carlos is a man of great giftedness and integrity, and he will provide outstanding leadership during this time.” Ferrer, a native of Cuba, joined the former Home Mission Board in 1992 as controller.

SBC President Bobby Welch said April 17 after the resignation of NAMB President Bob Reccord, “As NAMB’s first president, Dr. Reccord assumed a Herculean task in the launch of that new and expanded entity,” Welch said of NAMB’s 1997 launch as part of the SBC’s “Covenant for a New Century” restructuring.

“I and my wife will make our Annie Armstrong Offering this year the biggest and best ever,” Welch said of Southern Baptists’ yearly gifts to support NAMB’s work via 5,300 missionaries across the United States and Canada.

“I personally am urging all Southern Baptists and their churches to now demonstrate their best support ever for NAMB’s missionaries and ministries!” Welch continued in a statement released to Baptist Press. “That can best be done by our gifts to not only Annie Armstrong but, of course, the Cooperative Program as well,” he said, referencing the CP channel through which Southern Baptists, through their churches, also support SBC causes and the work of their state conventions.

“NAMB’s future is critical to world change for the cause of Christ and lost souls,” Welch noted in his statement. “The SBC has never needed NAMB to do its best like now. NAMB now demands seasoned, experienced, trusted, focused leadership like never before to double its primary focus upon evangelism and new church starts.”

Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC’s Executive Committee, said in a statement to Baptist Press:

“Bob Reccord is a friend, colleague and brother in Christ. I will miss working with him as president of the North American Mission Board. He is both a visionary leader and gifted communicator, and I’m convinced he will have a significant and fulfilling ministry in the Lord’s service for many years to come.

“Bob has been faithful to follow the Lord’s leadership through his life and, no doubt, will continue to do so. I have every confidence that God will open doors of opportunity for Bob to maximize his tremendous talents for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

“In some respects, I have also been encouraged by the whole process,” Chapman said. “Questions were asked by Southern Baptists. Inquiries were made by the trustees of NAMB. Accountability was required of the leadership. Action was taken by the leadership that was ultimately in the best interests of NAMB and of the Southern Baptists Convention. This experience, as painful as it may have been, demonstrates once again that we can be confident in the ministries made possible through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ lifeline of support for cooperative missions. I commend Dr. Reccord and the trustees for honoring Christ in the way they worked through this process.”

Chapman concluded by stating, “... we pray for Bob and his wife, Cheryl, as they seek God’s guidance for the future. We also prayerfully anticipate that God will raise up His man for this particular time in the life of the North American Mission Board. I ask all Southern Baptists to begin praying that God’s choice will be so clear and definitive to the trustee search committee that His perfect will shall be unmistakable. The very soul of America is at stake.

Welch added his commendation to Reccord for his leadership as NAMB’s first president, noting, “One reflection of his innovative and creative guidance led to the coordination of the state conventions’ disaster relief ministries. That resulted in an unprecedented and nationally recognized help to our world and nation as well as the pastors and people of the Southern Baptist Convention. Such leadership also explored and tested a number of contemporary opportunities for reaching out to the lost world with the Gospel.”

Now, Welch said, “Dr. Reccord’s resignation signals the next great step and stage for the relatively new NAMB.”