AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting narrowly elected the first woman president of the state convention — and continued a two-decade string of officers endorsed by the moderate Texas Baptists Committed organization.
By about a two-to-one margin, messengers approved a $50.1 million Cooperative Program budget. They also rebuffed a move to consider a “no-confidence” vote in the BGCT Executive Board.
Messengers further approved the creation of a committee to recommend a “shared vision” for the convention, although it was without the 2008 deadline or the 2020 goal proposed by the motion's author.
The annual meeting drew 2,027 messengers and 1,098 visitors from 601 churches. The 2006 meeting in Dallas attracted 1,990 messengers and 820 guests — the lowest attendance in more than 50 years.
Joy Fenner, 72, a former missionary to Japan and executive director emeritus of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas, was narrowly elected over pastor David Lowrie.
Many convention messengers attributed the close margin of Fenner's election less to her gender and more to dissatisfaction with current BGCT leadership, as well as Lowrie's West Texas ties.
In nominating Fenner, Steve Wells from South Main Baptist Church in Houston said Texas Baptists “have been going through a difficult time” and insisted Fenner could provide the “clear and courageous voice” needed.
Lowrie, who would have been the first second-generation BGCT president, had been endorsed by Baptist bloggers who called for an end to what they saw as the Texas Baptists Committed organization's control over the BGCT.
Messengers also elected Mike Massar, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, as first vice president, and Jeff Raines, associate minister at First Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas, as second vice president. Massar beat Lee Saunders, minister of church development at Garden Oaks Baptist Church in Houston. Raines ran unopposed.
The Baptists chose not to consider a motion by Michael Chancellor from Crescent Heights Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, calling for them to give the BGCT Executive Board directors a vote of “no confidence.”
With only a smattering of dissenting votes, messengers instead approved a motion by Dan Malone of First Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas, objecting to the “no-confidence” motion.
Ed Jackson from First Baptist Church in Garland, Texas, called on the BGCT president and the Executive Board chair to appoint a committee with 25 members to consider a “shared vision” for the BGCT for 2020.
His original motion called on the committee to bring interim reports to the Executive Board in February, May and September meetings and to bring a final report to the 2008 BGCT annual meeting.
It gave specific charges to the committee about addressing the relationship between the BGCT and its institutions, setting priorities, studying changing missions strategies and analyzing “the impact of innovation on our ministries and the sustainability of all programs.”
Phil Wise of Lubbock, Texas, chair of the committee on convention business, brought a substitute motion that abbreviated the language of the original motion, expanded the number of people naming the committee to include all convention officers, and extended the deadline for a final report to “no later than the 2009 annual meeting.” It made no mention of the 2020 date.
Messengers to the annual meeting approved the substitute motion from Wise's committee.
They also approved a special agreement with Baptist Child and Family Services to allow the agency to elect two-thirds of its trustee board and the BGCT to elect one-third of the board.
In other business, messengers initially approved to a constitutional amendment that clarifies the decision-making authority of the convention in annual session.
The motion of clarification was prompted by outcry following a ruling by the presiding officer at the 2006 BGCT annual meeting who said a decision by the Executive Board immediately prior to the annual meeting “pre-empted” action by messengers. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds approval at two consecutive annual meetings.