Chalk it up to the oddities of Baptist denominational life at the beginning of the 21st century.
Rob Nash, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's new global missions coordinator, has never lived in Virginia — but he's a member of a Baptist General Association of Virginia church.
Nash, who was dean of the school of religion and international studies at Baptist-affiliated Shorter College in Rome, Ga., before accepting his new post, is a member of First Baptist Church in Rome — one of a handful of churches outside of Virginia which have affiliated with the BGAV.
“I'm delighted to be a Virginia Baptist,” said Nash, a former missionary kid with extensive local church ministry experience. “I spoke in favor of the move [to align the church with the BGAV] when it came up.”
Nash, 47, was unanimously elected to the top missions administrator post for the CBF during the June 21 Coordinating Council meeting prior to the General Assembly in Atlanta.
In making the motion to approve Nash, search committee chair Tim Brendle of Richmond outlined the criteria the committee followed in making its selection.
“One of the requirements was that the candidate must have significant cross-cultural experience — knowledge of differing cultural norms, challenge of cross-cultural communication, the ability to respect differences and ability to create understanding,” said Brendle, a retired Virginia Baptist pastor.
Nash lived 13 years in the Philippines where his parents served as Baptist missionaries. He has also studied in or made extended visits to more than 30 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America.
As pastor of Beuchel Park Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., Nash served on the first global missions task group of the Fellowship in its fledgling years.
“We were delighted to find someone with a keen awareness of our mission past who also has a vision for our mission future,” said Beth Fogg of Richmond, who also served on the search committee. Other members of the committee were Jana Benjamin of Tullahoma, Tenn.; Rusty Brock of Ardmore, Okla.; Frank Broome of Macon, Ga.; Harriet Harral of Fort Worth, Texas; and Earl Martin of Jefferson City, Tenn.
Brendle also thanked Jack Snell for his work as interim coordinator of CBF global missions. Snell was affirmed by the Council with a standing ovation.
Nash expects to keep his residence in Rome for another year and a half, until his son — a junior in high school — graduates. He expects his church membership — and presumably his Virginia Baptist status — to change after he moves to Atlanta, headquarters of the CBF.
Until then it'll be a Virginia Baptist who provides leadership for the CBF's mission endeavors.