New officers take reins of CLC
JEFFERSON CITY—The Christian Life Commission (CLC) of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) elected an entirely new group of officers Dec. 6 when it met in the Baptist Building.
Those officers are: Phil Gloyer, chairman, Joplin; Brian Baker, vice chairman, Belton; David Krueger, secretary, Linn; and Krista Hardecke, treasurer, Owensville. Gloyer and Hardecke are laity while Baker and Krueger are pastors.
Gloyer, whose home church is Forest Park Baptist, chose Matthew 20:20-28 as a Bible passage that helps explain his vision for the CLC. In those verses, Jesus talks about the importance of servant leadership in the context of helping the disciples understand what constitutes greatness. The CLC should be about informing, educating and equipping, Gloyer said, with methods that help Missouri Baptists think through questions so they can come to their own biblical conclusions under the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
“I think the most effective expression of authority comes from good arguments, not from official pronouncements,” Gloyer said.
Commisioners were briefed by MBC Interim Executive Director David Tolliver, Missourians Against Human Cloning Executive Director Jaci Winship, and MBC Lobbyist Kerry Messer.
Tolliver expressed his support for the group, particularly for the work they are doing to ban human cloning in Missouri. Winship’s talk focused mainly on the legal challenge to ballot summary language crafted by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan that is allegedly constitutionally biased against Cures Without Cloning, the campaign being supported by Missouri Baptists and other coalition groups. The case has been assigned to Cole County Circuit Court Judge Patrica Joyce.
Winship mentioned some of the financial needs connected to the campaign such as legal fees, building a database and petition circulating. Commissioners talked about allocating some of the available $200,000 in MBC funding to those needs in due time, perhaps when the CLC meets on Jan. 31. Winship said one of her roles in the coming months will be to keep major coalition partners like Missouri Baptists as informed as possible.
“I want to work as closely with you as possible on the Cures Without Cloning campaign,” she said.
Messer, who contracts with the CLC to represent consensus Missouri Baptist interests at the State Capitol, gave a lengthy talk on the scope of pro-family lobbying in Jefferson City. As someone who is seen as a fixture in the Capitol, Messer stands as the only non-social justice theology advocate in a place where not too long ago Missouri Baptists were not known for that type of thinking. Messer said he is continuing to work for biblical public policy in the leading areas of abortion, alcohol and gambling, among others.
Future meeting dates of the CLC will be June 19 and Sept. 25.