Executive Committee approves new hires, hears reports
By Melissa Lilley
GREENSBORO (BSCNC Communications) – The Executive Committee (EC) of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) met today in conjunction with the 2009 BSCNC annual session. First on the agenda was a report from the Position Evaluation Committee, which included request for the approval of updated job descriptions for several staff, as well as approval for filling two vacant positions.
The Committee approved Lester Evans to fill the vacant position of Team Leader of Associational Partnerships. This job description was revised following the convention staff downsizing that took place in August of this year. Evans has pastored five North Carolina Baptist churches and served 13 years as Director of Missions for the Macon Baptist Association. Evans has served the BSCNC for the last six years as Western Regional Missionary. He is the product of Baptist educational institutions and earned his doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. This position significantly enriches the partnership the BSCNC enjoys with associations. “He comes today with the affirmation of our directors of missions across the state,” said Chuck Register, Executive Leader for Church Planting and Missions Development.
The EC also approved Richard Lee to fill the vacant Senior Consultant for Urban Church Planting position. Lee comes to North Carolina as a church planting missionary with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. For the past three years he worked in Virginia leading basic training for church planters, recruiting and mentoring church planters, conducting demographic studies and starting small groups among African, African-American and Caribbean people groups. Lee served one year as a Director of Missions in Pennsylvania and three years as a national missionary, church planting group, with the North American Mission Board. He also spent time in Illinois serving as the state director for African-American Ministries & New Work for the Illinois Baptist State Association. Lee earned his master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Lee himself is a church planter. He started Greater Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., in the early 1990s and Immanuel Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kan., in the late 1980s. Register called the urban church planting consultant position a “key ingredient” in working toward a holistic church planting strategy in North Carolina. The BSCNC and the North American Mission Board will jointly fund this position.
In other personnel decisions, the EC approved the updated job description for Senior Consultant for Pastoral Ministries. David Moore, who stepped in to fill this role after Wayne Oakes retired in December 2008, will now assume the permanent position as Senior Consultant for Pastoral Ministries. Moore’s reassignment resulted in the EC approving a revised job description for Senior Consultant, Leadership Development. This updated description combines the positions previously held by Moore and some of the responsibilities formerly provided by Eddie Hammett. Hammett’s job as Senior Consultant for Discipleship and Deacon Ministry was eliminated in the August 2009 EC meeting.
John Butler, Executive Leader for Business Services, spoke to the year-end bonuses for BSCNC staff and salary increases. The proposed 2010 budget includes a 1.5 percent salary increase for BSCNC staff. In 2009, only support staff received a salary increase, meaning all program staff (includes consultants, team leaders and executives) had their salaries frozen. In response to the EC asking whether or not more could be done to compensate staff – considering the downturn in the economy, increase of cost of living and staff assuming additional responsibilities in light of staff reductions – Butler noted that a process is being developed to meet this goal. EC member Todd Brady requested that a written report regarding this matter be brought before the EC. Butler shared that he would work to have this ready for the January 2010 meeting.
After discussion regarding the salary structure and compensation for staff, Butler noted that the BSCNC does not arbitrarily set salaries for staff, but utilizes pay grades for determining compensation. The pay grades have been developed in consultation Blount and Associates. The Blount group compares BSCNC salaries to those of others state conventions and non-profits to set the minimum, mid-point and maximum salary pay grades for staff. In comparison with other state conventions, the majority of BSCNC consultants are below the mid-point range of recommended salary. Brady expressed a desire that the EC ensure salaries be competitive in order that the Convention may continue to both attract and benefit from the service of the “best and brightest.” Milton A. Hollifield, Jr., Executive Director-Treasurer, expressed his appreciation for Brady’s sentiments, sentiments shared by other members of the EC, and shared that while BSCNC salaries are not on the level of other conventions, “Those that we hire express a deep sense of calling to the ministries of the convention.” According to Hollifield, the BSCNC staff, “sees the expression of their calling as more important than their salary.”
Policy on Distribution
Brian Davis, Executive Leader for Administration and Convention Relations, updated the EC on the new policy on distribution. Per a directive from the BSCNC Board of Directors, the BSCNC attempted to contact all existing Convention churches to seek the church’s direction regarding the forwarding of the church’s current contact information to the Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU NC). Each church received a letter with a unique identification number that allowed the church to complete an online survey regarding whether or not contact information should be forwarded. Churches also had the option to mail in a response card. Churches opting not to receive missions education materials missions offering promotional materials (World Hunger, Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong) from WMU NC will receive their materials from the national WMU. By default, churches not responding will have their information forwarded to WMU NC. Davis reported that of those churches responding, 25 percent do not wish to receive their materials from WMU NC.
Blogging and Social Networking Policies
Davis also brought to the EC a policy about blogging and the use of social networking media. This policy will guide BSCNC staff as they seek to establish blogs and maintain blogs, and utilize social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) related to their work in BSCNC ministries. The EC approved this policy and it will be included in the BSCNC staff personnel manual.
Financial Report
Hollifield brought the financial report. He reported that the 2009 North Carolina Missions Offering is 11.7 percent behind the total received last year at this time. Available Cooperative Program funds total $26,980,649.10 or $1,625,587.60 (5.68%) lower than last year. The BSCNC is operating at about $500,000 in the black.
