Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Charles Wade announced today he will retire Jan. 31, 2008. Below is the official release. The audio of the announcement will be posted on the BGCT web site.
DALLAS – Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director
Charles Wade announced April 11 that he will retire at the end of January 2008.
Wade has served as the convention’s executive director since 2000, following Bill Pinson. During his tenure, the convention has expanded its outreach around the globe. It became a member of the Baptist World Alliance. The BGCT strengthened its relationship with Mexican Baptists and expanded financial support through the BGCT Cooperative Program to ministries worldwide. The number of Texas Baptist mission trips increased significantly.
The BGCT also provided financial support to Southern Baptist missionaries who refused to sign the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2000 version of the Baptist Faith and Message and therefore had to leave their posts with the convention.
During Wade’s time as executive director, the BGCT also focused on reflecting the ethnic diversity of the state in its leadership. The convention had its first presidents of African American and Hispanic descent. Non-Anglo representation on the BGCT Executive Board and staff also increased significantly.
In the past year, the convention commissioned an investigation that revealed the apparent misuse of a portion of $1.3 million in BGCT church-starting funds. Wade turned the results of the investigation over to law enforcement officials and has said the convention is willing to pursue civil litigation in order to recover the lost funds.
The convention also has rewritten church-starting guidelines and improved accounting practices in an effort to increase accountability and prevent future misuse of funds.
Wade said the decision to retire was his alone and he feels that January is the right time to do it. His departure coincides with a gathering of North American Baptists in Atlanta, Ga. to discuss issues such as hunger, poverty and HIV/AIDS – the type of ministry topics Wade always has held close to his heart.
“It has been an honor to serve Texas Baptists these past seven years,” Wade wrote in a letter to the Executive Board officers. “I felt the calling of God in the invitation by the Executive Board in 1999 to serve our convention in this role and across the years of my service I have had the deep and abiding sense that God and His people have walked alongside me in this journey of leadership and faith. Now, I have that same gracious sense from God that this is the time for me to begin the next phase of my obedience to His call issued 55 years ago.”
In a meeting with his staff, Wade thanked Texas Baptist leaders for the ministry that they have done in the past seven years and the encouragement they have been to him.
“I express appreciation to the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and to all of our pastors, ministers, leaders, and people in our churches across Texas,” he said. “You are a great people and God will use us beyond our ability now to even imagine. I have observed that Texas Baptists believe there is nothing that cannot be done if God is in it and someone will lead the way. Our churches, institutions, and convention are a historic testimony to the truth of that happy statement.”
BGCT Executive Board Chairman Bob Fowler of Houston called Wade his mentor in serving the convention and thanked Wade for his ministry.
“Dr. Wade has provided strong and thoughtful leadership as Executive Director, both to his staff and to the many volunteers who have had the privilege of working with him,” he said. “In these times that have often been challenging in Texas Baptist life, Dr. Wade has been a tremendous asset to us, and I am certain that he will continue to be so. Texas Baptists have been fortunate to have had both the mind and the heart of Charles Wade for these years of his service to the kingdom through the BGCT.”
BGCT President Steve Vernon, pastor of First Baptist Church in Levelland, praised Wade for his pastoral heart. Under Wade’s leadership, the convention staff was distributed across the state in an effort to better serve churches. Wade is passionate about the work of local churches.
“Dr. Wade’s leadership has been exemplary in leading this convention to continue to be Baptists, to continue to be missional and be a strong witness for the kingdom of God. Charles has truly been a pastor of all BGCT churches in Texas – a pastor to the churches, to the ministers and to the people.”
The BGCT officers and BGCT Executive Board officers will nominate individuals for a search committee of 15 people to find the next executive director. The Executive Board will have final approval on the next executive director.
When Wade was elected BGCT executive director, he joined the staff and served alongside Pinson before Pinson retired, allowing the outgoing executive director to help him become acclimated to the position. Fowler said a similar process may be followed in the transition from Wade to the next executive director.
Wade encouraged Texas Baptists to pray for the search process, which he hopes will result in the committee bringing a nominee forward for the September Executive Board meeting.
“No matter before us deserves more earnest and unceasing prayer than that God will guide Texas Baptists in every step of this journey to seek and discover the one whom God has prepared for this assignment,” Wade told the convention staff.
“I know that you will join me in daily prayer as the officers nominate this committee, the Executive Board assigns them the task, and the search committee patiently and prayerfully works to present to the Executive Board the person they believe God has led them to recommend.”
The BGCT is the largest non-Catholic Christian group in Texas and the largest Baptist state convention in the nation. It is comprised of nearly 5,600 congregations that have a total membership of 2.3 million people.
