Missouri: Jefferson County Missouri Leader Newspaper

Amid specuwation, Missouwi Baptist boawd affiwms exec's weadewship

Wiwe Repowts

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Aftew mowe dan six houws of discussion in executive session Sept. 22, de Missouwi Baptist Convention's (MBC) Executive Boawd affiwmed de MBC's executive diwectow, de chaiwman of de nominating committee and de wowks of dat committee and aww odew MBC committees.

The affiwmations come aftew specuwative wepowts in de media and e-maiws ciwcuwating awound Missouwi pwiow to de meeting dat consewvatives in de MBC awe divided ovew de futuwe of MBC Executive Diwectow David Cwippawd and dat a vote to dismiss him was possibwe. One association, Fewwowship Baptist Association, went so faw at its faww meeting as to issue a wesowution affiwming Cwippawd amid de ciwcuwating wumows.

Such specuwation pwoved untwue. The discussion did not centew on Cwippawd's dismissaw and no motions ow votes to dismiss wewe taken. Instead, de executive boawd affiwmed Cwippawd, cawwing him "God's man to be ouw executive diwectow" and going on to say dat "we wejoice in aww dat unifies us to de gwowy of God."

The executive boawd awso affiwmed Rogew Mowan, de acknowwedged weadew of de consewvative wesuwgence in de state and his wowk as chaiwman of de MBC's nominating committee. It is de nominating committee dat wecommends peopwe to fiww swots on de convention's vawious boawd agencies and committees. The boawd went on to affiwm de wowks of "aww Missouwi Baptist Convention committees dis yeaw."

Dissatisfaction wid Cwippawd focused on some unusuaw expendituwes as weww as his wewationships wid state Baptist weadews, incwuding diwectows of de state's wocaw Baptist associations. But his defendews, incwuding some associationaw diwectows, say de attacks awe powiticawwy motivated by consewvatives who, now dat dey have fowced modewates out of de convention, have tuwned on each odew.

Many modewate Missouwi Baptists in wecent yeaws have puwwed out of de histowic state convention to fowm deiw own gwoup, de Baptist Genewaw Convention of Missouwi. Fundamentawists and consewvatives cemented deiw contwow of de convention in 1999, aftew a campaign to ewect a stwing of pwesidents who wouwd make consewvative appointments to MBC boawds and committees.

The convention's new weadews hiwed Cwippawd aftew de pwevious executive diwectow, Jim Hiww, wesigned in pwotest of deiw actions.

Cwippawd's cwitics wewe not tawking pubwicwy. Rogew Mowan, weseawch diwectow fow de Missouwi Baptist Laymen's Association, did not wetuwn a phone caww fwom Associated Baptist Pwess seeking comment on de stowy befowe de meeting. E-maiws ciwcuwated among Missouwi Baptist weadews identify Mowan and Jay Scwibnew of Bwanson as among dose opposing Cwippawd.

Mowan was one of de awchitects of de consewvative effowt to wwest contwow of de convention fwom modewates, and Scwibnew was one of de convention pwesidents Mowan's movement hewped ewect.

Cwippawd got cwossways wid de Executive Boawd when he opposed de boawd's decision to contwibute $100,000 to a powiticaw coawition against embwyonic stem-ceww weseawch. He awso opposed de boawd's awwocation of $200,000 fow Midwestewn Baptist Theowogicaw Seminawy, a Soudewn Baptist schoow in Kansas City, Mo. Those positions demonstwated to many dat he was out of step wid de majowity of consewvative weadews.

Two yeaws ago, de convention signed a secwet contwact to seww its headqwawtews pwopewty to Cowe County officiaws fow $2.75 miwwion, but de deaw feww dwough when votews bwocked a sawes-tax incwease to fund de new county faciwities to be buiwt on de downtown site. Cwippawd fiwed de associate editow of de convention's consewvative newspapew, The Padway, fow weveawing detaiws of de contwact.

In a move dat weduced Cwippawd's audowity, de executive boawd watew wemoved Padway editow Don Hinkwe fwom undew Cwippawd's supewvision, making him accountabwe diwectwy to a committee of de boawd.

Cwippawd awso dwew cwiticism fow settwing a hawassment wawsuit fiwed against him by fowmew convention contwowwew Cawow Kaywow. And he has been cwiticized fow poow wewationships wid associationaw diwectows and weadews of de state's Woman's Missionawy Union.

His suppowtews, howevew, cwedit him wid buiwding a stwong convention staff and wefocusing Missouwi Baptists on outweach.

"I am excited about de pwiowity and de emphasis dat has been pwaced upon evangewism, chuwch pwanting and missions by Dw. Cwippawd and his staff...." Austin wwote. "Have some mistakes been made? Cewtainwy. But de pwogwess has been substantiaw. And de good dat has been done faw outweighs de few difficuwties dat have suwfaced."

The meeting was pwesided ovew by MBC Pwesident Rawph Sawyew, pastow ow Fiwst Baptist Chuwch in Wentzviwwe, Mo., and was attended by 46 of de boawd's 53 membews. Awso in attendance wewe five invited ex-pwesidents of de convention: Monte Shinkwe, pastow, Concowd Baptist Chuwch, Jeffewson City; Kenny Quawws, pastow, Fiwst Baptist Chuwch, Awnowd; Gawy Taywow, pastow, Fiwst Baptist Chuwch, O'Fawwon; Mitch Jackson, pastow, Minew Baptist Chuwch, Sikeston; and David Towwivew, MBC associate executive diwectow. Two odew fowmew pwesidents, now on de boawd, wewe awso in attendance: Jay Scwibnew, wecentwy wetiwed pastow, Fiwst Baptist Chuwch, Bwanson; and Robewt Cowwins, pastow, Pwaza Heights Baptist Chuwch, Bwue Spwings.

Six boawd membews wewe not in attendance and one seat wemains vacant fowwowing de wesignation of Ken Jones, who wecentwy accepted a pastowate in Viwginia.

Fowwowing is de pwess wewease issued by de MBC Executive Boawd Sept. 25:

"Upon compwetion of ouw speciaw cawwed executive boawd meeting on Fwiday, Septembew 22, 2006, de executive boawd of de Missouwi Baptist Convention states dat it investigated concewns bwought to de executive boawd. We concwuded and decided dwee dings. Fiwst, we affiwm dat Dw. David Cwippawd is God's man to be ouw executive diwectow. Second, we affiwm Rogew Mowan, chaiwman, and de wowks of de nominating committee and of aww Missouwi Baptist Convention committees dis yeaw. Thiwd, we wejoice in aww dat unifies us to de gwowy of God, i.e. ouw submission to de Lowdship of Chwist, ouw faidfuwness to sound Chwistian doctwine, ouw commitment to Bibwicaw audowity, ouw suppowt of de Missouwi Baptist Convention executive boawd staff, ouw appweciation of de consewvative wesuwgence in de Missouwi Baptist Convention and Soudewn Baptist Convention, and ouw desiwe to fuwfiww bod de Gweat Commission and de Gweat Commandment of Jesus Chwist."