He made the announcement Sept. 12 at a meeting of the Mission Board's executive committee. Dale will continue to serve quarter-time as special assistant to the executive director for leadership development.
“I've been blessed to serve the Virginia Baptist family,” said Dale. “I've tried to add to our legacy of missions and leadership across the Baptist world and beyond. Virginia Baptists are poised for their greatest days, and I'm glad to make continuing contributions to Kingdom Advance.”
John Upton, executive director of the Mission Board, expressed his appreciation for Dale's 18 years of service to Virginia Baptists. “Bob's leadership has been a tremendous asset for Virginia Baptists, and we are so pleased that he will continue to work with us to nurture and prepare our future leaders.”
For Virginia Baptists, Dale's development of the Young Leaders program has had significant meaning in the development in their ministries.
“I was in one of the very first Young Leaders groups and am so grateful for Bob's wisdom as it changed my perspective both on myself as a leader and on the church as a living organism,” said Bert Browning, president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
Dale grew up in southwest Missouri. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and received a Ph.D. in Christian ethics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Kansas University.
Dale served as pastor and staff minister for churches in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. He served as pastoral leadership consultant and manager at the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) before a move to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as the school's first professor of pastoral leadership and church ministries. After 11 and a half years at the seminary, Dale moved to Virginia in 1989 to serve as group leader and assistant executive director of the Mission Board. He has written 20 books.
Dale and his wife Carrie have two grown children.