David Hardage to BGCT as Exec Director

[Sandy]

http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.ph ... &Itemid=53

Predictable choice.

[Matt Richard]

[Sandy]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]

The BGCT is in dire straits at the moment. It is losing churches faster than it can replace them with new church starts. It has seen budget giving through the Cooperative Program drop by 35% in about five years time. It is not that far removed from a major scandal involving more than a million dollars in misappropriated church planting funds. One exec director retired as a result of it. The resulting drop in CP giving, church departures, budget cuts and staff layoffs could not be reversed, and that led to a very short term of service for Randel Everett.

During the time between Wade's retirement and Everett's selection, the search committee asked BGCT churches, pastors, and individual church members for input regarding the selection. They set up a series of "listening sessions" attended by committee members and local church leaders and members, to hear what Texas Baptists had to say about the next exec. I attended one of those. There were two very clear messages that were spoken. One was that they wanted a leader who was more closely aligned with the SBC than the previous administration had been. The other was that it was becoming clear that denominational structures were becoming obsolete, and that a younger leader with some creative innovation ability was needed, capable of some out of the box thinking to streamline the operation and make involvement more appealing to churches. The feeling was that they might have to look outside of Texas, and outside of the circle of influence of people who rotate from committee seat to committee seat and board to board. Going a little younger in the age category, and perhaps even away from someone who had a resume with a long list of "prestigious" pastorates, to someone who had some public relations ability and training and a business background. The committee said, "thanks for the input" and then promptly ignored it in selecting Everett. Unable to reverse the steepening decline, he bailed and used his connections to get a large church from which to retire. And so, at a time when their churches are telling them to repair the relationship with the SBC by selecting an exec who is more sympathetic to Southern Baptist causes, and to be on the cutting edge of organizing a twenty first century state convention, the committee picks yet another insider who is still operating under the good ole boy system.

The committee doesn't get it.

[Bruce Gourley]

[Sandy]

[Bruce Gourley]

[Big Daddy Weaver]

So the selection of David Hardage is "predictable"?

Come on, Sandy.

On the one hand, you claim Hardage is part of some good ole boy system. Yet, you don't even know who he is. Heck, many people don't him. Unlike Everett (was picking a guy from Virginia "predictable" too?), Hardage's ministry has been here in Texas. But he's not exactly a well-known Texas Baptist name.

The pick should be seen as surprising not predictable. Predictable would have been choosing someone well-known and deeply involved in the executive happenings of Texas Baptist life.

Also, a big chunk of Baptist professionals in the South have some sort of Texas ties. It's a big state with alot of Baptists, Baptist churches and Baptist institutions. You have "Texas ties." Shoot you even ran for BGCT office.

[Sandy]

The bulk of Everett's ministry was in Texas, prior to his time in Virginia.

Hardage's resume includes:
1. Development director of the BGCT's only theological school, at Baylor. How are you a development director for the only theological school in the convention and yet "not well known"?
2. Director of Missions of Waco Baptist Association, one of the state's largest, and with Baylor in it, very high profile and well connected, since Baylor and Truett put a lot of their grads in Texas Baptist churches.
3. 13 years as pastor of FBC Sulphur Springs, one of the BGCT's largest churches in East Texas.
4. Chairman and full allowable term member of the state missions commission, which is one of the central, most important and active convention committees.
5. Chairman and long term member of the state missions funding committee, another central committee with a high convention profile.
6. Trustee at East Texas Baptist University.
7. Trustee at Latham Springs Baptist Encampment.
8. Interim at Columbus Avenue, which is one of the largest and most visible churches in Waco, and where many Baylor faculty and administrators attend.

So a guy who's been in convention connections almost continuously for over 20 years is "not well known" and a "surprise"?

He's probably much less controversial than some of the names that were tossed around during the process, but even if you take the "Texas ties" out of predictable, you've got someone here who has pastored a big, prominent, influential church, and moved into an institutional executive position with more committee and board service than his predecessor had. So I still say he's a predictable choice.

He'll probably have to shoulder the same expectations that Everett did, though the expectations now might simply involve stopping the freefalling decline of Cooperative Program gifts, and stopping the exit or dual affiliation of churches to the "other" state convention instead of expecting the exec director to single-handedly reverse those trends. If it doesn't work out, this job will add enough to his retirement, and he's close enough to it, that he could exit with a nice golden parachute.

Just out of curiosity, BDW, who did you think had an "inside track" to this position?

[Big Daddy Weaver]

Sandy, you stated: "I'd be interested in what David Montoya has to say, because I'm sure he's done his homework on this guy."

Your comment and reference to "this guy" sure left the impression that you weren't exactly familiar with Hardage.

I'm sure that Hardage is known to those potential and current Truett donors. He's not exactly well-known to the average BGCT messenger.

Heck, you ran for BGCT office and clearly weren't familiar with Hardage.

I've heard from a few long-time involved Texas Baptists who were surprised. Hardage just wasn't on their radar. He obviously wasn't on Montoya's radar either.

As for well-known names: I'd be shocked to learn that Steve Vernon wasn't seriously considered. And Jim Denison comes to mind. I don't think that the BGCT theologian gig has really turned out the way he hoped it has. His center has changed names at least once. It hasn't exactly "taken off." I would think that the former megachurch pastor would want a more visible, more executive position in Baptist life.

[William Thornton]

[Sandy]