Virginians Appointed or Elected

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                        Vol. XVIII, No. 7, August 2005

A brief introduction for those readers not familiar with this important part of the SBC. Each year the SBC president appoints two people (normally a clergyman and a layman) to the Committee on Committees (C/C). That committee has one job, to nominate to the following June convention two other people from each state (again, normally a clergyman and a layman) to be elected by the messengers to serve as the next year’s Committee on Nominations (C/N).

In turn, the C/N must select individuals to be elected by messengers to fill all the openings that occur on all the SBC entities’ boards of trustees. The trustee selections are critically important because it is the trustees who make policy, who hire and fire top executives in the agencies.

Think about this process and you’ll recognize that every step (election of the president, selection of C/C members, nomination-election of C/N members, and nomination-election of replacement trustees) of this two-calendar year (or three SBC June conventions) sequence is vital. We must have people in each of these positions who are absolutely committed to the inerrancy of God’s Word, who are rather widely acquainted around their respective states, who are not out to further their own careers, who have insight and good judgment regarding others and SBC efforts to serve the Kingdom, AND who have the backbone to stand alone – if necessary – to see that the right thing is done.

Each trustee must understand that he is there NOT to serve the president of his entity, but rather to serve the people in the pews of SBC churches. It is they who elected him. It is their contributions which fund all SBC activities. It is they to whom he is responsible. Of course, neither is he elected to a board to make trouble, but when faced with a key issue, he must be willing to stand.

With that as background, let me review the appointments and elections of folks from Virginia for the year(s) ahead.

C/C: SBC President Bobby Welch will name the 2005-6 members in a few months. This past year’s members were Revs. Scott Harris & Tim Piland. Tim is pastor of Nansemond River Baptist Church, Suffolk, and Scott pastors South Norfolk Baptist, Chesapeake.

C/N: Those elected in Nashville to serve from Virginia for the next year are Rev. Ronnie C. Brown, pastor of Swift Creek Baptist Church, Midlothian, and William S. Overton, layman at South Norfolk Baptist Church, Chesapeake. You can help them by sending the names, contact information, and qualifications of anyone you judge would serve the SBC well on a trustee board.

Elected to trustee positions:

Executive Committee: John Marks, pastor Kingsland B.C., Chesterfield, was re-elected to second four-year term.

International Mission Board: Thurman R. Hayes, pastor Bethel Baptist, Yorktown, replacing Wayne Collis of First BC, Dillwyn, who had completed two terms.

LifeWay Christian Resources Board: Douglas S. Echols, pastor Enon Baptist, Chester, replacing Don Cockes who resigned. Also, Fred B. Caffey, layman, Hillcrest Baptist, Ridgeway, re-elected to second four-year term.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary: Houston (Chip) Roberson, pastor Cave Spring BC, Roanoke, replacing Don Davidson, pastor Mount Hermon BC, Danville, who had completed the maximum two consecutive terms.

Southeastern Seminary: J. Michael Palmer, pastor Green Ridge BC, Roanoke, re-elected to a second five-year term. (Only the seminaries have five-year terms.) Steve Felker, pastor Swift Creek BC, Colonial Heights, also re-elected.

Golden Gate Seminary: Kelly Burris, pastor Kempsville BC, Virginia Beach, re-elected.

Note that this year Virginia only needed three new trustees to replace those who resigned or whose second terms had expired. Some years more replacements are needed. We will not know until about the first of the year how many openings there will be from each state to be filled by this year’s C/N.

But you can help our Committee on Nominations members. Over the next six months keep this in mind. If you identify someone who would make a sound trustee, send your recommendation to Ronnie Brown and Bill Overton.

And plan on going to the SBC next June in Greensboro, NC!