NEW ORLEANS (BP)–The Conference of Southern Baptists of Evangelists elected a fellow lifelong soul-winner to its office of pastor adviser. Jerry Falwell was voted to the post by acclamation during COSBE’s June 12 annual business meeting in New Orleans.
“I believe that evangelism is heartbeat of New Testament Christianity,” Falwell said. “Southern Baptist evangelists are the best group of evangelists in the world today, and I’m highly honored to be associated with them.”
The purpose of the office of pastor adviser is to provide counsel and encouragement for the evangelists of COSBE. In his role, Falwell will propagate evangelism and promote evangelists in the Southern Baptist Convention.
“That is my gift — encouraging the Lord’s people,” Falwell said. “I’ve been a pastor for 45 years at the same church, and I will do my best to encourage and motivate God’s evangelists to stay the course and do a better job.”
In addition to Falwell, the other 2001-2002 officers for COSBE are: President, Mike Osborne of Virginia; vice president Jim McNiel of Missouri; secretary/treasurer Margaret Allen of Oklahoma; secretary/treasurer-elect Sherry Orr of Florida; music director Leon Westerhouse of Alabama; assistant music director Phillip Summerford of Indiana; and parliamentarian Benny Jackson of Tennessee.
In other business, COSBE recognized several evangelists for 25 years of kingdom service, as well as evangelist Don Womack of Memphis, Tenn., for 57 years in the gospel ministry.
“Dr. Womack has been in evangelism for over 50 years, and he was one of the early founders of our Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists,” Jackson. “He has just been faithful through the years and is still very active. … The Lord has just used him in a wonderful way.”
Accepting a plaque for his many years of evangelistic ministry, Womack said, “I think one of the beauties and glories of heaven will be … that some people will come by and say, ‘I want to thank you. I’m here because you told me how to get here.'”
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