Members of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s executive director search team officially began their pursuit of a new convention leader at a meeting in Branson, April 20–21. Team members prayed together, discussed the search process, elected officers and organized the search process.
Current executive director John Yeats asked the MBC Executive Board in March to begin a search for his replacement. The board elected a 10-member committee that includes current MBC President Chris Williams.
The search team plans to use the MBC website as the vehicle for receiving recommendations for executive director/treasurer. An “Executive Search” tab is expected to be added to the website beginning May 1. The portal closes May 31.
Navigating complexities
Yeats moderated the search committee’s first meeting and used the time to orient members to the process of searching for an executive director, a process that he said can resemble the search for a senior pastor of a local church.
Even so, “the process is somewhat different due to the financial and legal complexities of a non-profit corporation with a staff of 36 full-time employees and 53 ministry contractors, such as Baptist collegiate directors, WMU director and others,” Yeats noted.
“Part of the executive director’s role includes understanding how each function of a state convention is vital to the whole, including Cooperative Program giving,” he added. “After all, he is the primary advocate for Missouri’s cooperative ministries and specifically the Cooperative Program.”
During the meeting, the search team selected officers: chairman, Wesley Vance, executive pastor, Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield; vice chairman, Lane Harrison, senior pastor, LifePoint Church, Ozark; correspondence secretary, Gina Jordan, pastor’s wife, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Licking; and hospitality coordinator, Neil Franks, Missouri Baptist Foundation president and representative for MBC entities.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by the Pathway.
