Michael Crawford, executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, resigned Feb. 3 “due to moral failure involving marital indiscretions,” convention and mission board officers announced the same day.
“The BCM/D officers, staff, volunteers and churches are committed to praying for Brother Michael, his family and providing them with spiritual and emotional support in the coming days, weeks and months ahead,” the presidents of the state convention, mission board and administrative committee stated. “We also call upon all Maryland and Delaware Baptists and our extended Southern Baptist family to pray for everyone involved. Our convention staff is committed to serving in the name of Jesus.
“We are personally counting on the prayers of Maryland and Delaware Baptists and will communicate our next steps and plans as they become available.”
Chief financial officer Tom Stolle has been named interim executive director.
Crawford’s NAMB role also ended
Crawford recently accepted a bivocational position with the North American Mission Board — Send Network’s vice president of strategies and development — as part of a six-member team focused on “churches planting churches everywhere for everyone” but that role ended on Feb. 3 as well.
“As soon as we became aware of the situation, NAMB terminated our contract with Michael Crawford,” a NAMB spokesperson told The Baptist Paper. “We are praying for everyone impacted.”
Editor’s Note — The BCM/D executive director is a full-time staff position hired by the mission board trustees, and the officer roles are short-term, volunteer positions elected by the groups they serve. For instance, the president of the convention is elected by messengers to the convention annual meeting while the president of the mission board is elected from and by those serving as trustees of the mission board. For more information about Crawford when he was announced as the executive director in March 2022, click here.
