[1] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Ernest E. Mosley, executive vice
president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive
Committee for the past 11 years, plans to retire April 1.
Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive
officer of the Executive Committee, said Mosley celebrated
his 70th birthday Dec. 28 and “with the encouragement of his
wife and daughters, has decided to retire to allow more time
with his family, especially the grandchildren. He also hopes
to accomplish a number of things he has had to put on the
back burner until now.”
Mosley told Baptist Press, “After 54 years of ministry,
I feel profound gratitude for my godly parents who along
with Shiloh Baptist church in Miller County, Ark., nurtured
my faith and fostered an enthusiasm for going wherever God
called.
“Eleven years ago Harold Bennett encouraged me to spend
the remaining years until retirement serving Southern
Baptists through the Executive Committee,” Mosley said.
“Morris Chapman reaffirmed that calling when he succeeded
Bennett five years ago. It has been a great privilege to
serve with these outstanding leaders, to experience their
confidence and to be affirmed in our relationships.”
Prior to the Executive Committee, Mosley was executive
director of the Illinois Baptist State Association from
1980-87 and a supervisor of pastoral ministries for the
Baptist Sunday School Board from 1967-80.
He also was pastor of Pali View Baptist Church,
Kaneohe, Hawaii, and the University Avenue Baptist Church,
Honolulu, and served two terms as president of the Hawaii
Baptist Convention.
One of the most respected denominational workers in the
SBC, Mosley was called “an esteemed colleague and a dear
personal friend” by Chapman.
“I will miss his daily counsel immensely and owe him an
enormous debt of gratitude for his work, especially his
assistance to me personally as I became acclimated to my
position. I could not have asked for a more professional or
loyal co-worker. His spiritual depth and intellectual
capacity have made him a most effective leader,” Chapman
said. “His contribution to Southern Baptists is
immeasurable.”
Mosley said he was “committed to staying alive all my
life” and does not plan to become inactive.
“There is yet much to be done and I welcome the
opportunity to rearrange my agenda to be able to do it.”
Mosley said he was called to the ministry when he was a
15-year-old boy. With 54 years of ministry, Mosley said, the
“journey in faith would not have been so blessed without my
wife, Vivian, and our daughters Jan Hill, Melody Morris and
Lenora Crabtree who enrich my life in more ways than I can
report.”
Mosley is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and Ouachita
Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Ark. He has been pastor of
six churches, five of which were half-time churches for
which he as pastor was present two Sundays a month.
An author of several books, including “Called to Joy,”
“Priorities in Ministry” and “Basics for Baptists,” Mosley
has written numerous articles for denominational
periodicals. For five years he edited The Baptist Program, a
journal of the SBC Executive Committee.
Mosley said “God surrounded me with people who loved
and encouraged me, Southern Baptist institutions that
equipped me and churches and denominational entities that
invited me to serve. What a blessing!”
Retirement plans include a variety of volunteer mission
ministries as well as writing, preaching and conference
leadership.