NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Citing
unprecedented economic challenges facing the Executive Committee (EC), Frank
Page, president and chief executive officer of the EC since Oct. 1, announced
structural and staffing changes on the Executive Committee staff in two memos
sent to Executive Committee members on Nov. 17 and Nov. 29.
Page informed the Executive Committee that he has reduced the EC staff from
five divisions to three, combining the duties of two divisions and bringing
another into the president’s office. The office of news services and the office
of convention relations, separated into two offices since 1991, have been
combined back into one office and will become the office of convention
communications and relations. Given the economic situation the Executive
Committee is facing, Page said he thought it “wise to return to this
arrangement, at least for the immediate future.”
Roger S. (Sing) Oldham, current vice president of convention relations since
2007, will assume oversight of the new office. The position of vice president
of news services, filled by Will Hall since 2000, has been eliminated. Hall’s
last day of service is Dec. 3, 2010.
Baptist Press will conduct its work through the new office of convention
communications and relations. Art Toalston, editor of Baptist Press since 1992,
“will continue to oversee the daily operations of this vital news service to
Southern Baptists,” Page wrote.
Reflecting on Hall’s 10 years of service to the EC, Page affirmed his effective
leadership in expanding the reach of BP through multiple venues. “Will has been
a faithful employee of the Executive Committee for over ten years,” Page wrote.
“His desire to serve the Lord and Southern Baptists has been manifest in many
ways over the years that have revealed a life-style of integrity and
competence. This has been accompanied by a kindness which is deeply profound.
He will be personally missed.”
Hall responded, “It’s been a blessing to serve on the Executive Committee staff
and to lead Baptist Press for more than a decade. Baptist Press has been a
rewarding ministry, not just for what has been achieved, but especially for the
friendships, fellowship and professional relationships that define the Baptist
Press staff and the rest of the team which includes so many contributors around
the nation who help make Baptist Press a news service of distinction.”
He added, “Catherine and I and our family cherish the special relationships
which have marked this portion of our lives, and we pray for His blessings on
the Executive Committee leadership, staff and trustees, and on the Southern
Baptist Convention.”
Under Hall’s leadership, Baptist Press initiated a sports news service and
launched a Spanish weekly edition. Baptist Press also developed such special
projects as TruthQuest California (a Christian teen travelogue later developed
by FamilyNet into a television series). The Library of Congress selected
Baptist Press’ war coverage by a team embedded on the USS Harry S. Truman, and
later deployed on the ground in Iraq, for a historical collection of the 2003
War on Iraq that will provide access to researchers worldwide. In the past
three years, Baptist Press has won 35 first, second or third place awards from
four professional organizations, including recognition as “Best in Class” as a
news service. Hall’s personal awards include top honors for editorials and news
writing.
In his Nov. 29 memo, Page also indicated that, “beginning immediately,” the
responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion will be housed in his office.
He wrote, “I hope Southern Baptists will see in this my desire to give a
heightened sense of priority to Cooperative Program promotion by making it a
direct responsibility of the president’s office.”
A separate office of Cooperative Program was created in 1997. It was expanded
to include stewardship education in 2006. With the duties of Cooperative
Program promotion being brought directly into the president’s office, the vice
presidential role filled by Bob Rodgers since 2005 will come to an end on Dec.
10.
Page told Baptist Press that Rodgers had provided invaluable service to the EC
by reigniting a passion for biblical stewardship at a time when it seemed to be
languishing in denominational life. He wrote in the memo, “Bob is a layman who
has a passion for the things of God. Having served the Executive Committee
since 2005, he is a man who has served faithfully and brought to our Convention
a deep desire to see individual believers as well as churches fulfill the
commands of our Lord. He is a delightful human being whose presence will be
sorely missed.”
Rodgers, speaking of his five years of service on the Executive Committee,
said, “There is nothing in my professional life that has given me greater joy
than serving God and the Southern Baptist Convention as part of the Executive
Committee staff. My constant prayer is for the Christians in our churches to
practice biblical stewardship. Practicing biblical stewardship will free our
convention from the (financial) bondage that gets in the way of reaching a lost
world for Christ.”
The EC bylaws empower the president to “classify, title, and direct the members
of the (EC) staff in their work.” The bylaws also empower the president, with a
concurrence of the officers of the EC, to employ interim executive staff. The
personnel manual empowers the president to terminate employment of executive
staff with the concurrence of the EC officers and requires that he inform the
EC’s administrative subcommittee “no later than” the next scheduled Executive
Committee meeting.
“It is never an easy thing to let staff go from an organization,” Page wrote in
his Nov. 29 memo. “This has been an agonizing set of decisions for me to make.
Bob and Will have both made significant contributions to Kingdom work.”
In other action, Page changed the name of the office of convention policy to
the office of convention policy and operations. D. August (Augie) Boto, an EC
staff member since 1998, will oversee the office and will continue his duties
as executive vice president. Page also renamed the office of business and
finance to the office of convention finance. This position, vacant for the past
17 months, will be filled by William (Bill) Townes, who will serve as interim
vice president of convention finance until his formal election at the February
Executive Committee meeting.
In his Nov. 17 memo, Page wrote, “Bill comes to this role with a strong resume
of denominational service. He is currently the director of development at the
North American Mission Board, where he has been serving since 2007. He has
previously served as the chief financial officer of the Georgia Baptist
Convention from 1992 to 2006.” Page added, “Among Bill’s credentials include
his licensure as a CPA. He also holds an MBA degree.” Townes will assume his
office today (Dec. 1).
Noting that the EC had to operate well below anticipated budget receipts in the
fiscal year just ended (Sept. 30, 2010) and is facing the likelihood of even
greater budgetary shortfalls in the current year, Page wrote in his Nov. 29
memo, “we must make serious decisions because these are serious times.” He also
stated that the staff reductions “will not be the only ones we will need to
make in the days ahead.” He asked the EC members to “pray diligently” for him,
for the EC staff and “for the work of the entire Executive Committee.”