Posted on 10/30/2007 6:49:17 AM PDT by JFC
Historic vote puts former missionary, state missions exec at helm Texas Baptists elect first female president
BETH PRATT A-J RELIGION EDITOR
AMARILLO - Joy Fenner, former missionary and state missions executive, was elected president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas on Monday at its annual meeting.
Out of 1,748 votes properly cast, Fenner received 900 votes to 840 for David Lowrie, pastor of First Baptist Church in Canyon.
She is the first woman to be elected president of the state convention, which numbers some 5,600 affiliated churches.
Fenner
"I got who I wanted for president," said Ann Ferguson, a messenger from Possum Kingdom Baptist Church.
Gary Manning, a professor at Wayland Baptist University and member of Plainview's First Baptist Church, said he was pleased to hear the affirming things said about both candidates.
"I'm happy Joy was elected; this is indication of the openness toward women in ministry," Manning added.
O.C. Madden, member of Lubbock's First Baptist Church, was surprised at the closeness of the election.
"I think it shows difference of opinion, and that people welcome the opportunity to have more than one person to vote for," Madden said. "I don't see (the vote) as a statement for or against anybody."
In an interview after the election, Lowrie said he believed he had made his point that the convention's new leaders needed to be more centrist.
Warren
Speaking of Fenner, Lowrie said, "I am going to support her to the best of my ability, and encourage (those who voted for him) that it's not time to back out. I know some are on the fence. You don't create futures by pulling out."
The vote was a win-win for him, he said, because he got his point across to leadership, but he doesn't have to do the work.
As far as vision is concerned, he and Fenner are on the same page as evidenced by their answers earlier to a questionnaire that was printed in The Baptist Standard, a state news magazine.
Fenner said communications with the churches needs improvement.
"We have 5,700 churches as diverse as you can imagine," she said.
A motion for a vote of no confidence in the executive committee was brought in the afternoon business session, followed by a motion to affirm the executive committee. The motions will be dealt with in today's business session.
Some question budget
Texas Baptists adopted a $50.1 million budget that drew questions about why the biggest budget cut was made in missions, evangelism and church-starting efforts.
"It seems to me we as Texas Baptists can do better than this budget," Gary Morgan of Cowboy Church in Ellis County said.
Joy Jordan of First Baptist Church in Alpine questioned the $2 million allotted to communications.
Paul Sadler, professor and chairman of the religion and philosophy department at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, said most of the questions showed a lack of understanding about changes in how the budget is structured.
"What looked as if there were cuts were because most were not understanding the process of adjustment in how we account for the money," Sadler said. "It's a good budget."
For example, funds earmarked under various ministries for promotion of programs and events was moved into a category called communications.
Warren gives address
Rick Warren, Monday's keynote speaker, was hoarse from battling fires, which are 50 percent contained in California's Saddleback Valley, where his church is located.
The church is a disaster center.
"We were taking evacuees all week, and because we have 120 acres of property, we had lots of animals, too," he said. "It looked like Noah's Ark for awhile."
The church is a staging area and feeds 400 to 500 firefighters daily. The church also sends out volunteer chaplains out to other evacuation areas.
In the Katrina disaster, Saddle Back Church collected $1.6 million to pay salaries of pastors so they could continue to minister in their communities. About 600 churches were lost in Katrina, he said.
"This is the eighth or ninth disaster for us," he said. "We were almost as fast as Texas Baptist Men in getting to the Katrina disaster."
Warren, author of the best-selling book in the world next to the Bible, spoke to Texas Baptists about the peace program that his church is conducting.
Warren's "40 Days of Purpose" has sold 30 million hardback copies in 100 different languages.
Baptist Ping!
bump for later
Adrian Rogers is spinning in his grave.
Just one question: Where in the Bible does it say the church - any church - should have a president?
I am 66 years old, and was enrolled in a Baptist Cradle Roll from birth.
My Father was a Southern Baptist pastor, his sister was a Baptist pastor’s wife, another sister a missionary, a brother a So. Baptist missionary. I am ashamed to be affiliated with this denomination today.
For more reasons than this one!
What's wrong with you Baptist guys anyway? You sure like to complain but when there's work to be done...crickets.
Baptists had a president-who knew?
That is simply not true. The problem is the infiltration of pepele like Rick Warren and Steve Gains.
She is not the President of a chuch, she’s the President of the Association. State Baptist Associations are just that, associations of member churches. If a church wants to be a member of the association, there are rules to follow, etc., just like any other organization.
The only thing that makes this news is that she is the first woman elected President of a state Baptist Association. “Moderate” Baptists (IE:Liberals) will be all over this as it will be portrayed as a slap in the face of Conservative Baptists in the Southern Baptist Convention, who affirmed leadership roles a couple of years ago where they said women should not hold office as pastors in churches.
Look at it this way, ANYTHING seen by the liberals and press as a slap in the face of Conservative (or evangelical) Baptists will be played up. Anytime they can get in some digs at us, they will. Problem is, I don’t know if this woman is “moderate” or conservative. IIRC, I think she is more conservative, so it may not be the big “victory” the libs have been dreaming for since Conservatives took over the SBC back in the late 70’s-early 80’s.
Maybe the men aren't doing it because you are?
No, he is laughing from heaven.
My dad lives in Amarillo and is Southern Baptist. He was telling me yesterday that he did not think they would vote the women in as President. He was determined it was not going to happen.
I agree that many MEN are not stepping up to the plate. I am shocked... that the man running against this lady is wanting to go more “center”. I never thought this would happen in the Panhandle of Texas.
These are the liberals in Texas. The conservatives belong to the smaller Southern Baptists of Texas.
Hopefully if the BGCT continues to move in a liberal direction, other churches will secede from the body, which is a voluntary organization, as are all Baptist associations. Bible believing Southern Baptists in the BGCT should remember the fate of conservative congregations that stayed in the main Presbyterian and Methodist bodies after the leadership turned liberal.
This event involves the “Baptist General Convention of Texas” NOT the Southern Baptist Convention.
I don’t care what her gender is, if she starts going liberal, the Baptists will break up just like the Episcopaleans, because most of us wont settle for that crap.
A convention is NOT a church...Where in the Bible does it say that a demonation can’t have a convention?
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