Principles of Sowing and Reaping

2014 National Association of Free Will Baptists | Fort Worth, Texas, July 27-30

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Convention in Cowtown

Central Texas temps soared into triple digits as 4,320 delegates and visitors converged on Cowtown when the National Association of Free Will Baptists returned to Fort Worth, Texas, July 27-30, for the 78th national convention, the fourth in the city. The 2014 theme explored “Principles of Sowing and Reaping.”

Worship

Music Coordinator Kevin Justice and the Music Commission produced a series of unforgettable worship services featuring a 100-voice convention choir, an orchestral ensemble, and numerous talented individuals, families, and groups who lent their voices to the music. Brian Hughes, minister of music and youth at Tippetts Chapel FWB Church, Clayton (NC), served as convention worship leader and guided the congregation into worship. Throughout the conference, speakers examined critical principles of sowing and reaping—the Word of God as it applies to life, stewardship, relationships, and evangelism.

After Texas Moderator Marcus Brewer taught Sunday School, Danny Gasperson, pastor of Zephyr Hills FWB Church (NC), spoke from Matthew 13, “Principles of Sowing and Reaping in the Word of God.”

Sunday evening, Randy Corn (pictured below), pastor of Bethlehem FWB Church (TN) explored “Principles of Sowing and Reaping in Life” from Galatians 6:7-8. He warned listeners to be wary of the danger within, understanding the possibility of falling into sin. He encouraged restoration—bearing the burdens of those who have fallen, and urged the congregation not to quit, because “In due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

Monday evening, South Carolina Executive Secretary Todd Smith spoke from 2 Corinthians 9:5-15 on “Sowing and Reaping Through Stewardship.” He urged listeners to have an attitude of cheerful giving, from the heart, and not out of necessity.

The Tuesday morning Preaching Conference highlighted Texas pastors Howard Bass, pastor of First FWB Church, Tomball, and longtime state Moderator Keith Woody. Tuesday night, Will Harmon, pastor of Cavanaugh FWB Church, Fort Smith (AR), challenged listeners to embrace biblical unity as he explored “Principles of Sowing and Reaping in Relationships” from Proverbs 6:16-19.

Home missionary church planter Heath Ferguson wrapped up the annual Wednesday night missions service by addressing “Principles of Sowing and Reaping in Evangelism” from Psalm 126:5-6 and Romans 1. He issued the challenge to embrace the power of the Word of God and make evangelism an overriding passion, to give everything to follow the call of Christ to plant the seed of the gospel. The altars filled and the convention came to a close in the best way possible, with men and women dedicating themselves to the call of the gospel.

Service

Eighty-four volunteers from eight states arrived at the convention a day early for Impact Fort Worth. The annual outreach event started 9:30 Saturday morning when participants left First FWB Church in Weatherford and Friendship FWB Church in Haltom City to distribute 2,000 flyers and 1,000 gospel tracts.

Extreme Texas heat didn’t slow the determined groups that went door-to-door in neighborhoods near the churches and others who cooked and prepared meals for community picnics hosted by both churches. Eric Halleran, pastor at Weatherford said, “We were privileged to work with Impact volunteers to share the good news of God’s Word with our community. A thousand people got the gospel today! It just gives you a sense of what is possible in Christ.”

Reach That Guy (sponsored by the National Youth Conference) participated in local outreach and service, as 147 participants ranging in age from four to 62 volunteered throughout Fort Worth, supplying more than a thousand hours to six organizations.

Fort Worth residents made note of the efforts. “This is the best group to come through in years,” said one convention center security guard. “Absolutely,” chimed in a second. “I just wish you guys could come back and train some other groups on how to behave when visiting a city.”

Business

General Board 2014

On Monday, July 28, the General Board heard reports from nine national agencies and four commissions as Moderator Tim York led board members through a three-hour, 51-minute slate of business in Hall C-D of Fort Worth Convention center. The General Board approved several recommendations, including a 2014 denominational budget of nearly $25 million and that the convention approve the request of Women Nationally Active for Christ to become an official agency of the National Association, rather than an auxiliary organization. This includes reallocation of The Together Way funds to provide 15% for WNAC. (Read more in the WNAC report.)

Clerk Randy Bryant read the names of 22 appointments to 2015 national committees: Credentials Committee (5), Nominating Committee (7), Resolutions Committee (5), and Obituary Committee (5).

Free Will Baptist Executive Office

Executive Secretary Keith Burden indicated that the Executive Office remains in good financial condition despite heavy convention attrition fees in 2013 and continuing economic uncertainty. He congratulated Free Will Baptists for an increase in cooperative giving in 2013 and thanked them for their faithfulness. He also announced a denominational church revitalization program beginning in 2015. Burden celebrated the continuing success of ONE Magazine, which reaches more than 55,000 Free Will Baptist households.

Free Will Baptist Foundation

The Foundation has grown by 67% or $23 million since 2008, according to General Director David Brown (pictured below), with an increase of nearly $5 million in total assets in 2013. Based on the first half of this year, he expects the trend to continue in 2014, with projected growth of $8 million, and total assets of $61 million by the end of the year. “We are truly in the fast lane,” Brown told delegates. “Like an Indy car driver, we are working hard to stay in control while experiencing high-speed growth.”

The department continues to set aside realized gains to establish a grant program benefiting Free Will Baptist ministries. “As of June 30, we could have sold our entire portfolio of dividend stocks and realized a gain of over $5.1 million for the grant program,” Brown noted. “That is $500,000 in grants every year for ten years, or $1 million per year for five years.” The board is working to finalize grant guidelines and hopes to launch a pilot program early in 2015.

Brown celebrated the success of a partnership with Cornerstone Estate Planning to provide estate planning for Free Will Baptists. In its first year, more than 420 families enrolled in the program. The Foundation recently added two field representatives, Todd Smith and Kris Wootton, to serve as liaisons between the Foundation, Cornerstone Estate Planning, and individuals who wish to safeguard their estates. June McVay was also hired in a part-time role.

Home Missions

In his first report to the National Association, new General Director David Crowe marked 2014 as a year of faithfulness for Home Missions, as the department celebrates 75 years in existence. He pointed to a faithful God, faithful friends, faithful missionaries and chaplains, and a faithful and hardworking staff. He congratulated Free Will Baptists on gifts totaling $4.4 million in 2013, and urged them to continue this pattern of faithful giving.

Dr. Crowe introduced several new directions for the department, starting with a new name. Home Missions will become North American Ministries to reflect the broad scope of their work. “You will also no longer hear us use the term home missionaries,” said Crowe. “We will refer to them as church planters because that's what we send them out to do.”
The department will sponsor a college internship program to give potential church planters an opportunity for on-the-field experience and will begin a new campaign of church planting and revitalization, starting new churches and working with struggling and declining churches to rekindle growth.

Crowe introduced three new staff members who will help spearhead these efforts: Brad Ransom, director of church planting, and Jim McComas, director of church revitalization, and Kerry Steedley, director of chaplaincy. McComas announced the first Free Will Baptist national church growth conference, the Acts 1:8 POWER Conference, May 25-26, 2015, at Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center in Branson, Missouri. Hotel accommodations will be reasonably priced, with no charge to attend.

Master’s Men

Director Ken Akers emphasized the mission of Master’s Men—to partner with churches through training, service, and encouragement to build men who are strong at home, at church, and in the community. He reviewed a long list of Master’s Men activities in 2013-2014: IMPACT Tampa and Fort Worth; disaster relief in Moore, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; couples’ retreats and financial seminars; Operation Saturation in Tallahassee, Florida; ministry construction projects in West Virginia and Illinois; and several sports fellowship activities. He also announced the recent publication of A How-To Manual for Christian Living, Part 2, the latest publication in the Direction Bible Study Series.

Akers also proposed a merger between Master's Men and Home Missions that will bring the department under the umbrella of Home Missions. Master’s Men will remain intact, with all present assets, but will minister and operate under the direction of Home Missions. After a lengthy discussion, delegates approved the proposal, which will take place January 1, 2015.

Board of Retirement

Retirement assets grew more than 17% in 2013, to more than $53 million, according to Director Ray Lewis. Additionally, the department received a record amount—nearly $4 million—in new contributions. Lewis announced four goals for the department as it moves forward: 1) add participants; 2) experience the highest returns from the safest investments possible; 3) operate the most efficient program possible, and 4) fine tune the program to meet the needs of investors. The program now offers four investment options to meet the needs of participants of all ages and hopes to provide a tax-deferred Roth 403b option by January 1, 2015.

Delegates approved an amendment to the charter of the Board of Retirement, allowing the board to offer the retirement plan to Free Will Baptist groups that are not part of the National Association if they do not have their own retirement option.

International Missions

“For 79 years, Free Will Baptists have actively taken the gospel to the unreached, and the work continues,” said Clint Morgan, general director. “Today, God has given Free Will Baptists the opportunity to minister in 19 countries, with career field teams in some, and support roles in others.”

He explained that 2013 was a difficult year, as ongoing financial concerns forced extreme cuts in spending, including the painful decision to lay off missionary personnel for the first time in its 79-year history. In addition, stateside missionaries were placed in a holding pattern. Morgan was quick to emphasize the temporary nature of the situation. “Our goal is to put every missionary approved by the IM Board on the field and keep them there.”

He addressed three major challenges for the Mission: shrinking denominations, a significant decline in giving to most non-profits and ministries, and a shift in doctrinal foundations. “It is easy to see that the funding pie is getting smaller,” said Morgan, “and the world missions slice is not large.” He went on to encourage pastors and churches to build young people with a strong, doctrinal foundation who understand the importance of world evangelism.
Despite the challenges encountered in 2013, the Mission enjoyed significant harvest and opportunities:

• Countries previously considered mission fields now send their own missionaries. Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Latin America—all have thriving churches with active missionary outreach. The Mission is working with these multi-national missionaries to educate them and support their efforts.

• International Missions and Home Missions are partnering to minister cross-culturally to unreached people groups within the U.S.

• Volunteer movements continue to flourish through The Hanna Project. In Spain, social outreach and provisions bring North African Muslims face to face with the gospel, and eight people were baptized in Villalba in June. In Bulgaria, a team working with The Hanna Project partnered with city workers to complete a playground designed for special-needs children. As a result, a city official accepted Christ and now attends the Shvistov Church.

• Morgan honored veteran missionary Bobby Poole (TN), for six decades of service in Brazil, and Director of Field
  Operations Jeff Turnbough introduced the Riesgo family as international educational specialists.

• The Mission celebrated more than 900 baptisms in 2013, with 34,000 attending Free Will Baptist churches every Sunday around the globe. More than twice the number of Free Will Baptists (10,000) attended the national convention in India than registered in Fort Worth.

“We see a great wind of God’s Spirit moving, and Free Will Baptist International Missions refuses to be an obstacle,” Morgan concluded. “I challenge Free Will Baptists to go until He comes, give until we drop, preach until all know, and work until He stops us.”

Women Nationally Active for Christ

After a two-year, in-depth process, the WNAC Executive Committee recommended the organization become a national department and join The Together Way Plan of support.

WNAC delegates voted unanimously to adopt the recommendation, and Executive Director Elizabeth Hodges (pictured below) petitioned the denomination for acceptance. The General Board submitted the item to the national body, and delegates unanimously approved the request. For the first time since 1939, when WNAC withdrew from the denomination, the women’s organization is an official department of the denomination. From this point forward, WNAC convention business will be conducted during the convention business session, as is protocol for all other departments.

In other news, Hodges praised 4,211 members from 22 states who gave $534,690 to missions and ministry causes, including $36,644 in gifts to the Steward Provision Closet. The department awarded Cleo Pursell Scholarships to Nicols Iriquite (Côte d’Ivoire) and Myriam Le Louarn (France). Three Dr. Mary Ruth Wisehart Scholarships were awarded to Free Will Baptist college students Abby Greenwood (Welch), Leah Batten (Southeastern), and Jerra Henthorn (Hillsdale).

Women also provided washing machines for Cedars of Lebanon Bible Institute in Cuba and conference fees to underwrite the cost of women’s conferences in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Hodges introduced Phyllis York as the new editor of Treasure Bible Study. The Tennessean follows Sarah Fletcher, who resigned in October 2013 to pursue an advanced degree in counseling.

Randall House

Director Ron Hunter celebrated the completion of renovations at the Randall House facility. “The new space is highly functional,” he reported, “and will lead to increased productivity, effective workflow, and increased accountability.” Although the cost of the project was $252,000, donated labor reduced actual expenditures to $147,000. This allowed Randall House to finish with a budgetary surplus of $64,827 in 2013, in spite of remodeling costs and greater convention expenses.

Hunter also shared several announcements:

• D6: Second Generation will launch later this year. The curriculum will continue to feature the CLEAR learning system, although streamlined and improved. The revised curriculum line will feature a more manageable theme schedule; three Bible studies per quarter; renewed emphasis on developing a biblical worldview; and increased attention to apologetics.

• A new Randall House Academic imprint will emphasize scholarly works of doctrine and theology, especially Free Will Baptist doctrine. The new department, headed by Charles Cook (TN), will promote classroom use by colleges and universities.

• The D6 Conference has become the global leader in generational discipleship. Randall House recently licensed other groups to replicate the D6 model in their own countries. Norway hosted the first international D6 Conference in 2013, and in 2015, the D6 Conference will meet in Paris, bringing the emphasis on generational discipleship to Europe.

• Engage Leadership Network will provide opportunities for ministry leaders across the nation to connect and share new ideas and opportunities. Brandon Roysden, events coordinator, will spearhead this effort.
  

Hunter honored outgoing board member Danny Dwyer for his service to the department.

Welch College

President Matt Pinson indicated that, in spite of extreme economic and logistic challenges, Welch College is “turning the corner,” with the highest increase in enrollment in 33 years (which means increased tuition and housing income), increased financial stability, and designated gifts on pace to match last year’s record $1.26 million. While the school finished the fiscal year with a deficit of $80,283, the amount is down substantially from recent years.

He also reported many positive trends: a wonderful sense of unity, increased freshmen retention, increased graduation rates, growing numbers of young men studying for the ministry (52% on campus; 62% with online and adult studies), participation in Christian Service, and high student morale. The college was named a Best Christian Workplace and was listed once again among the best Southern colleges and universities by U.S. News and World Report.

Pinson reported a setback in the sale of the existing property on West End Avenue when Aquinas College withdrew its offer to purchase the campus after neighbors opposed the deal. He offered hope for a quick sale, however, with aggressive marketing and a strong Nashville real estate market.

Commissions

Matt Pinson, chairman of the Commission for Theological Integrity, announced plans to publish a new issue of Integrity: A Journal of Christian Thought later this year. The commission will sponsor the 18th annual Theological Symposium, October 27-28, at Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee. Pinson encouraged delegates to visit the new commission website: www.fwbtheology.com for blog-styled articles and news updates.

The Historical Commission distributed copies of “Free Will Baptists and the Sufficiency of Scripture” to convention delegates. The pamphlet is seventh in the Free Will Baptist Heritage Series. The commission continues to expand www.FWBHistory.com with recent additions of more than 60 blog posts, feature articles, and 50 years of Contact magazine in searchable PDF format.

Music Commission Chairman Doug Little marked 2013 as a year of change. After a smooth transition between previous convention music coordinator Chris Truett and current coordinator Kevin Justice, the commission turned its attention to refining its purpose and mission, which includes: 1) assist the convention music coordinator in planning and leading worship at the convention; 2) offer music workshops at the convention; 3) collaborate with other denominational agencies to develop music and worship in Free Will Baptist churches; and 4) build a network of musicians and music leaders to provide assistance to pastors and congregations with limited music resources.

The Free Will Baptist Media Commission continues to provide live streaming of convention services. In addition to live streaming, the commission offers an online archive of convention services from previous years, available at www.nafwb.org/media.

In additional business, delegates approved the report and recommendations of a specially appointed five-member committee that explored the issue of same-sex marriage and created a plan of action for Free Will Baptists. The committee recommended a wording change to the Treatise appendix on marriage, from “marital relationship” to “biblical marriage.” This change will be tabled for approval at the 2015 convention in Grand Rapids.

For convention photos: www.nafwb.yerbyphotography.com

Convention at a Glance 2014

Registration

Pre-Registration – 2,986
National Association – 2,665
National Youth Conference – 3,251
Women Nationally Active for Christ – 598
Total – 4,320 (Individual count. Many attendees register for more than one convention.) 

Theme: Principles of Sowing and Reaping

Speakers

Sunday School – Marcus Brewer (TX)
Sunday Morning – Danny Gasperson (NC)
Sunday Evening – Randy Corn (TN)
Monday Evening – Todd Smith (SC)
Preaching Conference – Howard Bass (TX), Keith Woody (TX)
Tuesday Evening – Will Harmon (AR)
Wednesday Evening – Heath Ferguson (TX)

Live Streaming Totals
Total Visitors – 7,122
Unique Visitors – 4,730

2015 Budget

Executive Office – $859,884
FWB Foundation – $996,207
Home Missions – $5,148,643
International Missions – $6,700,000
Master’s Men – $148,643
Retirement and Insurance – $550,000
Randall House – $4,898,750
Welch College – $5,264,984
WNAC - $286,000
Theological Commission – $7,500
Historical Commission – $3,875
Media Commission – $3,020
Music Commission – $3,575

Total – $24,722,438

2015 Nominating Committee

Stan Bunch (MO), Chairman
Wayne Hale (Mid-ATL)
Larry Reynolds (MS)
Jack Daniel (GA)
Bruce Barnes (VA)
Steve Berry (FL)
Don Matchett (AR)

Elected in Fort Worth

Randall House
2016 Darin Gibbs (NC)
2020 Paul Bryant (MS), Steve Lindsay (AL), Randy Scott (AR)

Board of International Missions
2018 Robert Posner (TX)
2020 Janice Banks (OK), Jeff Manning (NC), Jeff Nichols (TN)

Welch College
2020 Jeff Crabtree (Atl-Can), Shiloh Hackett (AL), Eddie Moody (NC)

Women Nationally Active for Christ
2016     Pam Hackett (SC), Jonda Patton (KY), Lee Ann Wilfong (MO)
2017     Amy Johnson (IN), Susan Burgess (IL), Sarah Sargent (OH)
2018     Diana Bryant (FL), Janie Campbell (AR), Tracy Payne (OK)

Free Will Baptist Foundation
2015 Gene Williams (NC)

Commission for Theological Integrity
2019 Rodney Holloman (NC)

Historical Commission
2019 Robert E. Picirilli (TN)

Music Commission
2019 Kevin Justice (NC)

Media Commission
2019 Josh Owens (TN)

General Board 2017

Indiana: Daniel Edwards
Iowa: Jim Martin
Kansas: Zane Brooks
Kentucky: Chad Blair
Mexico Assoc: Bud Bivens
Michigan: Gene Norris
Mid-Atlantic: Wayne Hale
Mississippi: Larry Reynolds
Missouri: Stan Bunch
New Mexico: Mark Shores

Executive Committee 2017

Stan Bunch (MO)
Wayne Hale (Mid-Atl)
Daniel Edwards (IN)

General Officers
Moderator: Tim York (TN)
Assistant Moderator: William Smith (GA)
Clerk: Randy Bryant (FL)
Assistant Clerk: Ernie Lewis (IL)

The following boards did not elect members in 2014: Home Missions, Board of Retirement, Master’s Men

Convention News Coverage Team: Editorial: Ida Lewis, Stephen Nelson, Eric Thomsen, Jack Williams, and Phyllis York

Photography: Rodney Yerby, Kendra Lindsay, Crystal Hodges