By Vicki Brown, Word&Way News Writer
Columbia — The Baptist General Convention of Missouri hired four additional staff members to head teams under its new strategic plan at their regular meeting on June 3.
Board members tapped Marilyn Nelson, Bob Perry, Owen Taylor and Gary Snowden to join executive director Jim Hill and communications specialist Brian Kaylor to lead teams under the First Priority plan messengers adopted at the annual meeting in April. All will serve on a part-time basis.
The plan calls for six teams to direct the convention's efforts. Each team will include a leader, an assistant leader, BGCM directors and ad hoc members. Teams are "more than subcommittees" of the board, Hill said.
Hill will head the administrative team, and Kaylor will lead the resources and relationships team.
Marilyn Nelson
Nelson has been tapped as leadership development team leader. A native of Amarillo, Texas, she earned a bachelor of science degree at Texas Tech University, a master's degree in social work at Washington University and a doctor of social work degree at Catholic University of America. She served with the Home Mission (now North American Mission) Board for 23 years.
She has served as director of Christian social ministries for the District of Columbia Baptist Convention; director of the Johenning Baptist Center in Washington, D.C.; an adjunct professor at Catholic University; professor of Christian ministry at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Va.; and minister of community servanthood for Northminster Baptist Church in Richmond in 2001.
She currently serves as a mentor for the Young Leaders program for the Center for Creative Church Leadership Development and supervises case managers and social workers at Kitchen Inc., a benevolent ministry in Springfield.
Bob Perry
A Missouri native, Perry will head the congregational health team. He earned a bachelor of science degree in education at Southwest Missouri State University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ordained in 1966, he served as pastor of First Baptist and Pisgah Baptist churches, both in Excelsior Springs.
A missionary to Mexico with the Foreign (now International) Mission Board, he also served as pastor of Capital City Baptist Church in Mexico City. He was director of missions for Clay-Platte Baptist Association (1984-1988) and of Mount Vernon Baptist Association in Annandale, Va. (1988-1997). In 1997, he became executive director of Richmond Baptist Association in Richmond, Va.
He has been a mentor for the Young Leaders program for the Center for Creative Church Leadership and a facilitator for the organization's advanced leader lab. He served as a vice president for the Missouri Baptist Convention and as a trustee for Midwestern Seminary.
He currently serves as board chairman for the Ministering to Ministers Foundation, the Center for Congregational Ministries and Organizational Health Associates Inc. Perry is the author or co-author of six books.
Owen Taylor
At their meeting, directors accepted Owen Taylor's resignation from the board so that he could become leader of the church planting team.
Taylor has served as pastor of several churches throughout his ministry career, including New Fairview Baptist Church, Sarcoxie; Burdette Baptist Church, Adrian; Calhoun Baptist Church; Temple Baptist Church, South Chicago Heights, Ill.; First Baptist Church of Affton, St. Louis; and Manchester Baptist Church. He currently is pastor of Sanctuary Fellowship, a new church start in St. Louis.
A board member for Missouri Baptist University, he has served on The Baptist Home board and served two terms as BGCM vice president.
A graduate of Southwest Baptist University, Taylor earned master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees at Midwestern Seminary.
Gary Snowden
Currently associate pastor at First Baptist Church, Lee's Summit, Gary Snowden will serve the BGCM as leader of the missions mobilization team.
Snowden served as a missionary with the International Mission Board from 1986-2002. In addition to other duties, he taught at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City.
Snowden earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. (06-15-05)