NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The eight presidents of the Baptist Sunday School Board/LifeWay Christian Resources during its 111-year history have been “remarkably similar, but also strikingly different.”
Gene Mims, LifeWay vice president and president of its church resources division, noted what can be learned from each president during a special one-hour Anniversary Day chapel May 17 that included recognition of 227 employees with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service to the ministry.
“We might be tempted to think we are the first to wrestle with the tension between business and ministry,” Mims said. “That is absolutely not true. One of the early criticisms of this institution is that we were so business-focused that we were only interested in making money.”
In addition to each president serving at the crossroads of business and ministry, Mims also noted of each:
J.M. Frost (president from 1891-1893, 1896-1916): “He dreamed the dream. It broke his heart to leave the pastorate. Frost had the vision, a compelling image of an achievable future. He had the dream, but not the clarity. He couldn’t imagine what the future would hold. He would never have imagined what we would become.”
T.P. Bell (president from 1893-1896): “He was a fierce defender [of the Sunday School Board]. He was a fierce competitor. He saw anyone who was opposed to this institution as someone who had to be eradicated. He went on the offensive and stood tall as he expressed that the Sunday School Board was a necessity for Baptist life. He was a champion for what he believed in. We learned from him that opposition to God’s appointed, intended work is to be expected, but [the work] is never to be compromised.”
I.J. Van Ness (president from 1916-1935): “He was a true educator. He brought the value of Christian education into the Southern Baptist Convention long before the seminaries thought about it. He saw that it wasn’t only products that we needed, but we needed educated people. From him we learned the true value of a Baptist spirit.”
T.L. Holcomb (president from 1935-1953): “He was always for the pastors and for the churches. He left the administrative work of the Sunday School Board to other people, because he always wanted to be on the outside preaching and leading revivals. He was a reluctant president. We learn from him that our work is always for and to the local church.
James L. Sullivan (president from 1953-1975): “He is arguably the greatest leader we’ve ever had. He served in the transition of the greatest magnitude and moved easily between business and ministry. He knew the denomination like none before him and knew the board and all the details of it. His hallmark position was to always keep the board in the center, not the right and not to the left, of every issue and opportunity. We learn from him the lessons from the center.”
Grady C. Cothen (president from 1975-1984): “He came to board with a love of the Bible. He brought a spirit of risk and undertaking. Remember BTN [Baptist Telecommunications Network]? He brought the greatest denominational background of any of the presidents. We learned from him the willingness to try new things and dream new dreams. We learned that risk is in order as the denomination changes.”
Lloyd Elder (president from 1984-1991): “He came to the board during the time of the greatest modern upheaval. He came during the time of a changing board of trustees, a changing convention, a changing institution. During this time, he worked tirelessly to do what he could. He often said that he would do what he could do with what he had for as long as he was given. We learn from him the ethic of hard work and kingdom focus in difficult times.”
James T. Draper Jr. (president from 1991 to the present): “His history is still to be written. His spirit and dedication and his love for pastors is obvious. What we’re learning from him is that it’s not what you do, but who you are. Who you are makes the greatest difference in leadership.”
Mims concluded by saying, “We can learn from the lessons from the past. There is a recurring theme from these leaders. They have all focused on three things:
“Evangelism. Our reason to exist is evangelism, to take the word of Christ out to the world.
“The Bible. It’s to be followed institutionally. It’s always our focus.
“The churches. Their health is our health. Their needs are our needs. Without them, we have no reason to exist.”
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo titles: RECAPPING THE PRESIDENTS, PUMPED UP and BUSINESS & MINISTRY.
