NC Reconciliation Plan

by   T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                                            Vol. XII, No. 4, April 1999

On 4 March a Committee of 36 NC Baptist leaders met at the Caraway Conference Center and produced a plan to "depoliticize" Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) elections. Adoption will require a constitutional change and approval on several levels within the state.

If adopted, the plan would provide for BSC officers and General Board officers to be elected in alternating years at the annual BSC meeting. The plan calls for messengers to participate in one vote for BSC president. The person receiving the most votes would become president for one year, while the person receiving the next highest number of votes would become president-elect. If current voting patterns hold true, one of the two would be conservative, and the other moderate. Both would serve for two years: after one year, the president-elect would become president and the president would become past-president. Messengers would also vote once for the two BSC vice-presidents. The highest vote-getter would serve for two years as first vice-president, while the next person in line would become second vice-president for a two-year term.

These four persons would serve as a committee to appoint the 15-member Committee on Committees, which is responsible for appointing other committees, including the Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations holds responsibility for nominating directors and trustees of convention agencies and institutions, as well as recommending members of the General Board. Messengers to the annual BSC meeting give final approval.

In alternate years, a president, president-elect, and two vice-presidents of the GB would be elected by the convention messengers in the same manner, and would serve for two years. GB membership would not be required for election to these offices. The four GB officers would appoint the committees that support the GB's work, including the budget committee and other strategic committees.

All eight elected officers (four BSC officers and four GB officers) would serve on the GB Executive Committee. BSC employees are hired at the executive committee level of the GB.

Currently, BSC officers are chosen at the annual meeting in separate elections for each position, while the GB elects its own officers. In both cases, officers are elected for one-year terms, though second terms are customary. [This article summarizes one published in the NC state Baptist paper, The Biblical Recorder.]