RICHMOND — The Virginia Baptist Mission Board has announced personnel changes in its empowering leaders team.
Team leader Dee Whitten, who joined the VBMB in September 2003 as the Northern region field strategist and became team leader in 2005, has accepted a position as co-pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Fredericksburg. In this capacity, Whitten will lead a portion of the church that has established a new location called Fairview at River Club. The style of the worship and organization will differ considerably from the founding Fairview, where Bob Sizemore serves as the other co-pastor.
Whitten
Ailor
Heath
Whitten, who left the pastorate of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Stafford to join the board's empowering leaders team, has always been committed to pastors and the pastorate. His move back to the pastorate and a local church field is in pursuit of a long-standing sense of God's call.
Jim Ailor has been named to fill the vacancy as the empowering leaders team's Northern region field strategist. Ailor comes to the position from the Peninsula Baptist Association, where he has served for the last three years as the director of missions.
Ailor, a native of Hampton, has served churches in various regions of the state. About his new position, Ailor says, “When pastors relate, when they start building significant relationships with one another, ministry always comes out of that, great ministries. I've witnessed it many times over the past 25 years. I'm excited about getting back to Northern Virginia and re-igniting old friendships and beginning new ones, connecting pastors with like visions, and watching to see what God does with those relationships.”
Eddie Heath has been named interim team leader for the empowering leaders team. Heath will continue to serve as the field strategist for the Tidewater region of the state.