[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Jim Wells, the SBC’s registration secretary, will be re-nominated for another one-year term during the June 15-16 annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., a Florida pastor announced June 2.
Jim Locke, senior pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., said Wells, who is director of missions for the Tri-County Baptist Association in southwest Missouri, has done an “outstanding” job as registration secretary since he was first elected to the position in 2002.
“I’ve known Jim personally and professionally for over 10 years,” Locke said. “For five of these years, I worked closely with Jim as director of missions during my tenure as pastor of First Baptist Church in Forsyth, Mo. Jim is a Christian leader whose heart beats for pastors. He quickly became a good friend who offered wise counsel, personal encouragement and a Christ-like example.
“I also served alongside Jim as chairman of the Credentials Committee at the 2005 annual meeting in Nashville and witnessed first-hand his administrative prowess and his graceful abilities with people. His consistent preparation makes it a joy to serve any of the committees for which he’s responsible,” Locke said. “Likewise, Jim has brought innovation to the registration process, overseeing and implementing technological enhancements that have added ease and effectiveness to convention registration.
“Jim’s credentials for this position are strong. In addition to his eight years as registration secretary, he’s served as a pastor and director of missions, and has supported denominational life at the state and national level through service on numerous boards and agencies,” Locke concluded. “He’s fully committed to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God and reflects the character of Christ in his daily life. Simply put, he’s one of the most capable, committed and godly men I know. For these reasons, I am delighted to commend him personally and recommend him publicly for another term as SBC registration secretary.”
The Tri-County Baptist Association, which Wells has led for nine years, received the “Church Planting Association of the Year” award in 2004 from the Missouri Baptist Convention.
[2]Wells, who is a member of Hopedale Baptist Church in Ozark, Mo., previously pastored Oakwood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., for 16 years, leading the church to increase its Cooperative Program giving from 8 percent to more than 16 percent of undesignated receipts. He was in the pastorate more than 32 years.
Wells has been a member of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s executive board and the SBC Executive Committee.
A Missouri native, Wells holds a master of divinity degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., along with degrees from Hannibal-LaGrange College and Central Missouri State University.
He and his wife Judy have one daughter, Dana.
Information for Hopedale Baptist Church from Southern Baptists’ Annual Church Profile survey for the most recent year, 2009, lists 43 baptisms and primary worship service attendance of 350. The church gave $48,776, or 10.6 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $458,568. According to the ACP, the church gave $6,855 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and $3,609 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.
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Compiled by Mark Kelly, an assistant editor at Baptist Press.