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Amen, William. When will our boards start being as open and as transparent as are our churches--at least our smaller, and medium-sized churches?

John

Here - here, hope you get a reply. I must be on some don't reply to him list, they used to send an acknowledgement letter, now they don't even do that.

William - I posted an article on my blog expressing my support of your open letter, and had some interesting anon comments posted I thought I'd share here:

"Why did I know you would leap on this ridiculous call for "openness and transparency"?

This guy is a liberal who is as anti-SBC as anyone on that blog.

Obviously you guys don't stop to consider the legal ramifications of full disclosure of a personnel matter. The same holds true for churches in their staff relationships.

I don't think you really want full openness and transparency because sometimes its more than you bargained for."

and this one:

"Just thought you folks should know that a few of us wrote Tim Patterson today (since they posted his email address on Baptist Life) and reaffirmed our support for him and asked him to be sure NOT to publish any of the details of Hammond's resignation and/or firing.

This kind of information has no business being made public. The trustees have been empowered by the convention to deal with personnel issues and it needs to stay there.

The last thing Hammond and his family needs is a bunch of malcontent bloggers like you guys poring over every detail of his life."

and this one, in response to the previous one:

"Great idea! It is just that thinking that allowed Bob Reccord to spend millions on his pet projects that published his personal books, took him around the world promoting his own business, etc.

That thinking also paid Paige Patterson's taxidermy bills, pastry chef and renovations to Pecan Manor from CP dollars.

They love lemmings like you. Keep up the support.

What flavor kool aid are they serving you guys this week?"

I didn't know you were a "liberal"! Now that you've called for accountability from NAMB trustees, you have been unmasked as the liberal you are!

Yeah, Tom, I read the comments. People can think what they will but NAMB is a dysfunctional SBC agency and the problem is mostly with trustees.

It is hypocrisy for trustees to expect the SBCers who pay the bills to just shut up and keep sending money when some among them circulate personnel emails among the 57 of them and while Baptist Press and the Christian Index do major pieces on agency morale and leadership issues.

Here is the bottom line: NAMB trustees have ushered that outfit through two high-profile, costly failures within the past 40 months. Whose fault is that?

Concerning employment contracts, severance agreements, and non-disclosure agreements, trustees should initiate a policy that these are not confidential documents and are available to the people who pay the bills. Any CEO of a publicly traded corporation has such information disclosed to all shareholders. If the prospective new CEO insists on a confidential employment contract he is unworthy of the position.

Southern Baptists deserve better than we've gotten from NAMB.

An aside;

William writes in part "Concerning employment contracts, severance agreements, and non-disclosure agreements, trustees should initiate a policy that these are not confidential documents and are available to the people who pay the bills. Any CEO of a publicly traded corporation has such information disclosed to all shareholders. If the prospective new CEO insists on a confidential employment contract he is unworthy of the position."

Ed: William perhaps a solution would be to find a female CEO.

I started to put "he/she" Ed but I try to be realistic here.

William, thanks for sharing the letter with us. I doubt you'll get a forthright response but you are representing your church well as their pastor in seeking to lead in good stewardship of mondies given toward missions.

However, Athens, Georgia is not exactly the SBC hinterlands.

Respectfully shared by one in a location that is.....

Excellent letter that deserves an answer. I doubt you get it; asking questions makes you a liberal. Welcome to the way some of the rest of us first acquired the label.