OSAGE BEACH – At least three out of the four Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) offices will be contested during the MBC annual meeting here at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Oct. 27-29. Seven nominees have been announced for the four offices, and nominations could come from the floor during the annual meeting without a prior announcement.
So far, only one presidential candidate has been announced. Joshua Hedger, who currently serves as the MBC’s second vice president and as director of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Center for Church Planting, has announced his intention to nominate Neil Franks as president. Franks, pastor of First Baptist Church, Branson, currently serves as the MBC’s first vice president.
“I have had the joy of serving with Neil as an officer of the convention for two years now,” Hedger said. “I have watched him ask great questions, learn quickly, and lead well. Neil has also led his church, FBC Branson, to be a great commission church through their giving and going to help with missions and church planting all over the world. It is my belief that Neil will help lead Missouri Baptists to continue in that direction, using our resources and our energies for the advancement of the gospel to those who have not heard.”
Two candidates have been announced for the office of first vice president.
Ron Baker, interim pastor for Unity Baptist Church in Fulton, has announced his intention to nominate Gary Schultz, pastor of First Baptist Church, Fulton.
“He is committed to the convention, to the work of the convention and would make a very good first vice president. … He is very straight forward in what he believes, what he says and what he does. There is no pretense about him,” Baker said, adding that Schultz writes, teaches theology and serves on the leadership council for the Grand Crossings Baptist Association.
Tony Preston, professor of pastoral leadership at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has announced his intention to nominate Ken Parker, pastor of First Baptist Church, Kearney, for the same office.
“I think he is a well-qualified pastor,” Preston said, “who is committed to and serves faithfully within the contexts of SBC causes, Missouri Baptist Convention causes, local association causes. He is very involved in the veins of cooperation and support that exist within our denomination. … He is a good and godly man, and I think he would do a good job.”
Two candidates have also been announced for the office of second vice president. E. Frank Whitney, pastor of Union Hill Baptist Church in Holts Summit, has announced his intention to nominate Jeff Anderson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Hannibal.
“Jeff and I have been lifelong friends since about 1982,” Whitney said. “Jeff has a great heart for God and is one of those people that loves the Lord, and I couldn’t be prouder of who he is. … Jeff has a great business mind. He is a certified public accountant by trade, and he has just had lots of successes through his ministry, but no greater success in his ministry than just in loving and leading people to a passionate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Matt Marrs, the North American Mission Board Send coordinator for Kansas City, has announced his intention to nominate Doug Richey, pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church, Excelsior Springs, also to the office of second vice president.
“Doug has been a pastor in Missouri for a number of years,” Marrs said, adding that Richey has led his church to support the Cooperative Program. “He has served in a wide variety of roles within the denomination. … I think he would be well received, well thought of among all groups within Missouri Baptist life. He has been around and has the experience within our convention to have the respect of veteran leaders, and I think he has a great rapport with young leaders, as well.”
Two candidates have also been announced for the office of recording secretary. Menk Ferguson, senior adult pastor at First Baptist Church, Arnold, has announced his intention to nominate Jeremy Muñiz, pastor of First Baptist Church, Desoto, for this office.
“Jeremy has been a faithful pastor in Desoto,” Ferguson said. “His heart is in missions. He is one of our young pastors, coming up in the Missouri Baptist Convention, who is very successful, and his heart is hot for God. He wants to see people saved, and since he served on the nominating committee from 2011 to 2013, he knows the function of the Missouri Baptist Convention. He is not totally new to it, and I think he would be an excellent man for the position of recording secretary.”
Jim McNeil, president of the Missouri Fellowship of Baptist Evangelists (MFBE), has announced his intention to nominate Doug Austin, a member of Bethany Baptist Church, Cape Girardeau, and chairman of the MBC’s Christian Life Commission (CLC), as recording secretary.
“Every organization needs someone who is a detailed person to keep good records of the meetings and the happenings that occur on a daily basis—and especially for the work of the Lord in the Missouri Baptist Convention. We need a man who is capable and loves the Lord preeminently,” McNeil said, adding that Austin is the man for this job. He noted also that Austin is faithful and intentional in ministry and that he has had success as a businessman and loves the church.