RICHMOND — William H. “Bill” Whitaker II said he knew that God was preparing him for a change in ministry. Having served as executive business pastor at First Baptist Church of South Richmond for more than 12 years, Whitaker said late last year he and his wife began praying about and preparing for the move, thinking they would be relocating to a new city and possibly another part of the country. But God was in the process of preparing a new ministry less than eight miles away.
Travis Collins (left) and Bill Whitaker of Richmond’s Bon Air Baptist Church. |
In September Whitaker accepted the call of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond to serve as its first executive pastor. The predominately white multi-site congregation approved Whitaker, an African American, for the position, which gives him supervision of all ministerial and support staff and the responsibility of “managing the mission” of the congregation, said Travis Collins, senior pastor of the church, which has three campuses on Richmond’s Southside. Whitaker joined the staff on Oct. 23.
“Whitaker is blessed with a unique combination of both leadership and management skills — skills that he has honed over the years in experience and education,” said Collins. An instructor of church finance and administration at the School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Whitaker is also a faculty member of the Institute of Church Administration and Management on the campus of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, where he trains pastors and church leaders in church administration, lay leadership development and legal issues affecting the modern-day church.
Whitaker received his bachelor of business administration degree in computer information systems from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and a master of divinity from VUU’s School of Theology. He began doctoral studies at Howard University School of Divinity in Washing-ton, and later received the doctor of ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Passion for ministers’ health
While Whitaker’s organizational skills are impressive, Collins said his passion for the ministers’ health sets him apart.
“Frankly, these are stressful days for vocational ministers and we believe God will use Whitaker to nurture, mentor and encourage our staff at Bon Air,” said Collins.
“I began studying and researching clergy care and ministry support when my first call to ministry negatively impacted every part of my personal life — my marriage, my family, my health and finances,” said Whitaker. The hardest part was not knowing where to turn for help.
As God restored his ministry, marriage and life, Whitaker said he discovered a clergy support system called the Pastor Care Network. Later this led him to create CBA1: The Church Business Administration Network, a clergy support system.
Bill Whitaker greets members of Bon Air Baptist Church after a worship service. |
Whitaker notes that on average more than 1,600 pastors in the United States are terminated or forced to resign every month. One in four ministers is terminated at least once in his or her ministry. More than half of ministers who leave the ministry never return, he said.
“While clergy crisis and turmoil can never be completely avoided, it is my hope that men and women in ministry who are experiencing ministry discord of any type will never know and feel the isolation and hopelessness I felt nine years ago,” said Whitaker.
He plans to write weekly devotionals for the staff at Bon Air to encourage and nurture them through the various ministry-related trials they face in their own lives. “I want leadership both inside and outside of our ministry at Bon Air Baptist Church to know that there is help and hope for wounded ministers through self-empowering ministry support such as the Church Business Administration Network and the Pastor Care Network.”
Collins acknowledges that much of the interest in Whitaker joining Bon Air’s mostly white staff is that he is an African American. Part of that interest is contextual — in the past year both the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Southern Baptist Convention have elected black presidents for the first time in their histories.
But Collins said race was not a consideration for the search team. “It would have been wrong not to call Whitaker because of his race, but it would have been equally wrong to call him because of his race,” he said.
“At Bon Air Baptist one of our seven ministry emphases is what we call a ‘multi-ethnic mentality,’ ” Collins said. “We define a multi-ethnic mentality like this: Here, everyone is welcome for worship, membership, fellowship and leadership regardless of the hue of their skin or the accent of their tongue. If Bill’s coming enhances our multi-ethnic mentality, and if more people who don’t look like me come to be part of the family of God called Bon Air Baptist, then praise be to our Father,” said Collins.
The spirit of Bon Air
Whitaker said he believes that the spirit of Bon Air is certainly an example of God’s desire to unite and minister to all peoples regardless of the differences they face in life. “I am just thankful that God is allowing me to represent him during this time of spiritual movement within the religious community,” he said.
Whitaker will not be the only African American on staff at Bon Air. He joins Valerie Carter, who serves as its associate pastor for glocal missions; Les Venable who is campus pastor at its Robious Hall campus; and David Bailey, who serves as worship leader for The Gathering, a contemporary worship service.
“I do believe deeply in the beauty of a multi-ethnic church. I believe churches that will be effective in the 21st century will be those in which a multi-ethnic culture exists,” said Collins. “Our children and grandchildren are far more comfortable with people of other races than many adults are, and future generations are not likely to go to a church where everybody looks alike.”
Collins said if he were to walk into a church in which the women were sitting on one side and the men on the other, he would assume the congregation was stuck somewhere in history.
“The same will be true not so long from now,” he said, “when someone walks into a church where everyone is of the same color.”
“I am honored to be a part of the Bon Air Baptist family and humbled by God’s call and move in my life and ministry,” said Whitaker. “It is a joy to work with Travis Collins and the ministers, staff and congregation of Bon Air Baptist Church. They are nothing short of a blessing sent by God for me and my family.”
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.