JEFFERSON CITY – Members of a board of directors duly elected by the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) stand ready to govern the Missouri Baptist Foundation, which has been under the control of a self-perpetuating board for more than a decade. As described in a related story, the MBC has taken the legal steps necessary to seat these duly elected trustees.
Bringing a broad range of professional and ministerial experience to their trusteeship, members of the MBC-elected board are:
- Floyd Gilzow, chairman, a member and deacon at Concord Baptist Church, Jefferson City, and vice president of governmental and environmental affairs for the Missouri Public Utility Alliance. In previous years, Gilzow served as vice president of administration for Southwest Baptist University, as deputy director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, as executive director and president for the Upper White River Basin Foundation, and as deputy chief of staff within the United States Congress.
- John Dearing, vice chairman, pastor of Excelsior Springs Baptist Church, Excelsior. Dearing gained managerial experience prior to entering the ministry, and he is pursuing a Ph.D., with a major in missions, evangelism and church growth and minors in biblical spirituality and education administration, from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
- Jay Hughes, secretary, administrative pastor, Second Baptist Church, Springfield. He holds a Master of Business Arts degree from Louisiana Tech University. Previously, Hughes served as associate executive director and, in 2011, as interim executive director for the MBC.
- Larry Shoaf, member of First Baptist Church, Jackson. Shoaf holds a Master of Education Administration degree from Southeast Missouri State University. Before retiring, he served has served as a salesman, teacher and principal. He has also served, within the church setting, as a deacon and as a member and chairman of several committees.
- William Friese, interim pastor, New Oakland Baptist Church, Monroe City, and owner of Prime Solutions, LLC. He has served in pastoral ministry for 32 years—often as a bivocational minister, taking on numerous other jobs and owning his own insurance agency. Friese also served in the United States Navy for 10 years. He holds a Bachelor of Theology degree from Hannibal-LaGrange University and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS). He is also a doctoral candidate in church revitalization at MBTS.
- Allen Calkins, pastor of First Baptist Church, Gray Summit. Calkins holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Colorado State University, a Master of Business Arts from the University of Tulsa, and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
- Joby Steele, bivocational pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church, Alton, and principal at Alton High School. Prior to accepting his current position at Alton High School, he served as a classroom teacher for eight years, as a high school guidance counselor for two years, as an elementary principal for five years and as an assistant principal for four years.
- John Wheeler, member of First Baptist Church, O’Fallon. Before retiring, he served as the senior safety consultant for the large insurance broker and agency, Alexander and Alexander, where his clients included General Motors and Southwestern Bell. He also co-owned and managed 18 rental apartments for nearly 20 years.
- Michael R. Dennis, member at First Baptist Church, Camdenton. Before retiring, he served as a pastor and director of missions, as well as a teacher, principal, collegiate registrar and admissions director. He has also served with the Missouri Baptist Convention’s missions department.
- Al Groner, director of missions, Bethel Baptist Association, and member of First Baptist Church, Monroe City. He served in the financial world for 10 years after college and in the pastorate for 19 years.
- Rob Hawkins, member of First Baptist Church, West Plains. Hawkins is a CPA, having practiced as a public accountant for 18 years. He has also served in the local church setting on the budget and finance team, on the leadership team, and as church treasurer.
- James Ogan, member of First Baptist Church, Shell Knob, where he serves as a staff evangelist. He has also served as the vice president for the Fellowship of Missouri Baptist Evangelists, as project manager for Electric Corp. of America, and as a Kansas City Police Officer.
Featured image used with permission under Creative Commons License from reynermedia.