DENVER (BP)–Bill McCartney, founder and president of Promise Keepers, is resigning his post effective Oct. 1 in order to care for his wife and spend more time with his family, the international men’s ministry announced Sept. 9.
PK board chairman Retired Army Lt. Gen. Alonzo Short said board members have formed an internal committee to prayerfully select McCartney’s successor.
Short will continue serving as interim president, a role he assumed when McCartney requested a six-month sabbatical in March in order to care for his wife, Lyndi, who is battling a severe respiratory illness.
“God has assigned me to be a husband and a grandfather,” a PK news release quoted McCartney as saying. “The ministry of Promise Keepers is not finished; it is needed now more than ever. I am confident that the Lord will direct and empower the ministry to move forward in strength and support. The opportunities for PK are limitless.”
McCartney’s resignation notice was given during the board of directors’ quarterly meeting Sept. 8, the news release reported.
“Bill let the board know in the most loving way that his time at the helm was ending. But he will always be the founder, and we expect to solicit his advice, counsel and expressions of love,” Short said. “Coach Mac has enabled millions of men to find their identity in Christ and embrace true manhood, which has equipped them to be better husbands, fathers and church and community leaders.”
As another anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Short noted that personal fear and anxiety seem to be at an all-time high. “Beyond that, the pressures on men are relentless; the stress on families is intense,” he said. “Real men matter, and men of integrity will make the difference in our society. Promise Keepers intends to continue to be there to help encourage, empower and equip them in that challenge.”
McCartney founded Promise Keepers 13 years ago when he was the football coach at the University of Colorado. On the way to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet, he began envisioning thousands of men gathered for revival and discipleship. What evolved was an international ministry with a name derived from the covenant God fulfilled through Jesus Christ. “In Christ, God kept all the promises that he made to mankind and we rely upon God as the original Promise Keeper to keep our promises,” the Promise Keepers website, www.promisekeepers.org, states.
The ministry is designed to ignite and unite men to become passionate followers of Jesus Christ through the effective communication of seven promises to God, other men, family, the church and the community, the website says. Promise Keepers reaches men through stadium and arena conferences, radio and television programming, the Internet and outreach to local churches.
Since its inception in 1990, Promise Keepers has directly reached about 5 million men. The 2003 conference season is planned for 17 cities, which will be announced in October. The theme will be “Uprising: the Revolution of a Man’s Soul.”
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: BILL MCCARTNEY.
