EDITOR’S NOTE — Labor Day is Sept. 7. The Baptist Paper asked several leaders in various roles at SBC entities to share challenges, lessons learned during leadership transitions and reflections on why they keep returning each day for more.
When it comes to helping a new president acclimate to their position, this isn’t Joe Walker’s first rodeo. Walker recently served as interim president at Lifeway Christian Resources while the entity of the Southern Baptist Convention searched for its new leader, Ryan Blackwell, who was officially installed Aug. 24.
In the span of more than three decades, Walker — executive vice president and chief operating officer — has navigated transitions involving four presidents at Lifeway Christian Resources. (In addition to Blackwell, they include Ben Mandrell, Thom Rainer and Jimmy Draper).
‘God can be trusted’
Walker has done it amid both good and turbulent times at Lifeway, which has included helping the organization weather COVID-19, the transition away from brick-and-mortar stores, headquarter moves, numerous restructurings and the usual challenges that come with helping manage a large organization.
What’s his secret to success in navigating these kind of changes?
“Continually remind yourself that God is in full control of the process … and He can be trusted,” Walker said. “View your role as an assignment God has entrusted to you rather than something you have achieved by your own effort and abilities.”
In tense times, he added, it is important to show “grace and lead with a charitable assumption about the other person’s intent. … Give them the grace you would want from them in a similar situation.”
Meanwhile Bobby Reed, chief financial officer of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also knows a thing or two about rowing the rough waters that can come with leadership changes and the constant scrutiny of Southern Baptists. The ERLC named its new president, Evan Lenow, earlier this year too, just a few days before Lifeway’s announcement.
Among the lessons Reed has learned amid leadership transition is to “keep a humble posture and a listening ear” — especially when criticism comes, which in the SBC ecosystem is a certainty.
“Leadership in Southern Baptist life sometimes requires a level of thick skin … a confidence that you are not defined by your critics,” Reed said.
It can be easy to get discouraged by criticism and “false information spread on social media,” he noted. But helpful and “real conversations” can happen one-on-one.
This, he noted, is where “bridges can be built where others have tried to tear them down.”
“In moments, or even seasons, of uncertainty, remember that you only serve one Master, and He has called you to faithfulness, not perfection,” Reed said.
Have your team’s back
While Mike Ebert, executive director of public relations for North American Mission Board, has worked under the same president for nearly 16 years, NAMB also is no stranger to outside opinions on how SBC entities should perform.
Ebert keeps a “running list of Scripture and quotes” that help keep him focused. He has learned that whether dealing with criticism or position changes, being flexible and adaptable is critical.
“The thing that brings you to a job is not always the thing that keeps you there, and that has been very true for me,” Ebert explained. “My roles have changed a lot over the years, but the underlying calling has not — to use the gifts God gave me to help further the gospel. This is not ‘my’ job. It is a job that God has allowed me to steward for a time.”
Maintaining solid internal and external organizational relationships is vital, he said. In other words, “don’t leave people in a lurch. … Demonstrate to them that they are valued … not just for what they can do for you at the office.”
Carol Pipes, director of corporate communications at Lifeway, where she has served for 14 years, is on her third president at Lifeway. Like Walker, she has learned the importance of staying focused on the mission amid chaos.
“I had a leader tell me several years ago that men and methods come and go, but the mission stays the same,” she said. “During seasons of transition, it’s essential to stay focused on the mission while managing the disruptions.”
In communicating an organization’s mission, consistency is vital.
“Find ways to address questions and concerns to reduce anxiety and help build trust,” she said. “People want to know their concerns are being heard and considered. Even if you don’t have all the answers, acknowledging the questions and walking alongside the team through the uncertainty is powerful.”
Julie McGowan, associate vice president for public relations and corporate communications at IMB, echoed Pipes’ thoughts on transparency and humility. She recalled good advice from another leader she worked with whose roles had shifted greatly through the years.
“He had served as a VP, and he had served under the leadership of people he once supervised. I respected that he maintained humility and perseverance through the changes,” she said. “When I asked how (he did that), he quoted a missionary who had said, ‘God’s sovereignty is the source of my sanity.’”
Relationships matter
Roy Hayhurst, director of executive communications for GuideStone Financial Resources, reaches his 21st anniversary at the entity in September. Hayhurst has worked under two presidents: current GuideStone President and CEO Hance Dilbeck since 2022 and longtime president O.S. Hawkins before that.
Amid the reality of constant change, Hayhurst agreed with his fellow SBC colleagues that it is important to remember what “should not change” — the mission of serving others.
“TikTok will be replaced by something new along the way,” he said. “AI is changing the game. But curiosity, asking questions, reading things both related to and unrelated to your field, knowing your audience and building relationships will never go out of style.”
