Interim David Tolliver new MBC executive director

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — David Tolliver, who served as interim executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention for the past 22 months, has been named the new executive director.

The MBC Executive Board voted to call Tolliver 44-4 during a special called meeting on Feb. 3. Tolliver, 58, agreed to accept the position to the applause of board members, convention staff and visitors.

The newly elected leader had joined the staff in 2005 as Cooperative Program specialist and an associate executive director to David Clippard, whom the board fired on April 10, 2007, on a 44-7 vote. Minutes after that firing, the Executive Board made Tolliver the interim.

During the nearly 20 years before coming to the MBC staff, Tolliver served as pastor of Calvary Baptist and Oak Hill Baptist churches, which merged, in St. Louis; Friendship Baptist Church in California; and Pisgah Baptist Church, Excelsior Springs.

Tolliver has served on the Southern Baptist Executive Committee (1992-2000); SBC Committee on Nominations (1999); MBC president (2004); MBC recording secretary (2002); president of the Missouri Baptist Pastors Conference (2000); the MBC Agency Restoration Group (since 2002); Southwest Baptist University Board (2002-2007; and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Board (2002-2008).

Tolliver holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Dallas Baptist University, and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Midwestern Seminary.

He is a fourth-generation Missouri Baptist pastor. His father is Phillip Tolliver; his grandfather, Max Payne; and great-grandfather, R.L. Maness.

Tolliver and his wife, Myra, have been married for 36 years and have a daughter, Terra Jo; a son, Adam; and two grandchildren.