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DALLAS?The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board elected a new evangelism associate to the convention staff and re-elected three board officers for 2004-05 during its Oct. 27 meeting.
The officers are: Steve Cochran of Longview, chairman, Joe Stewart, Littlefield, vice chairman, and Sally Tillman, El Paso, secretary.
The board elected to the convention staff Brad Bunting, a Stephenville native and graduate of Howard Payne University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as associate director of evangelism/youth evangelism.
Bunting succeeds Tom Cottar, who left the staff last July to become student pastor at First Baptist Church of Pflugerville.
Bunting told the board how he prayed to receive Christ at age 6 after several conversations he initiated with his parents, his grandfather?a pastor for 52 years?and finally, Bunting’s pastor. He sensed a calling to the gospel ministry in high school and began preaching as a high school senior. He is a veteran speaker at youth camps and youth revivals and served as a youth minister while a student at Southeastern, where he earned a master of divinity degree last spring. He is working on a doctorate at Southwestern.
Since September, Bunting has served the convention staff as a consultant.
“It has been an absolutely wonderful experience. I love the work.”
Answering a query from a board member, Bunting said he has four requirements for every endeavor of youth evangelism, which will occupy most of his time.
They are:
?That it be Christ-centered;
?theologically consistent;
?of the highest quality;
?Great Commission focused.
Bunting will coordinate the programs for the Youth Evangelism Conference, pre-teen camp, and other youth evangelism efforts, and will assist Don Cass, SBTC evangelism director, in SBTC evangelism initiatives, including the Empower Evangelism Conference.
In introducing Bunting, Cass said: “He’s a young man who loves Jesus Christ with all his heart. He’s a strong witness for Christ, he’s not ashamed to share the gospel anytime, any place, anywhere, and I’m glad of that.
“I believe that through the years we’re going to be grateful to God that he’s brought this young man our way.”
Cass said evangelism professors Roy Fish and Malcolm McDow of Southwestern and Southeastern’s Alvin Reid all recommended Bunting.
In praying over Bunting, Cass said: “I pray, Holy Spirit of God, that you would guard him, protect him from the evil one. I pray, God, that his witness would be strong and powerful. That your anointing would rest on his head all the days of his life. ? I pray that there would be thousands upon thousands of people who would say ‘Thank you’ to him because he led them to faith in Christ.”
In other business, Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis told the board that CP missions receipts through September were $13,069, 367?about 10 percent ahead of budget for the fiscal year.
The convention’s total net assets are $8.4 million, which includes a property value of $4.5 million and $2.52 million in operating reserve?equal to about 3.7 months of operation expenses, Davis reported.
Giving to international missions and North American missions through the Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offerings rose, respectively, by 83 percent and 22 percent.
Financial auditor Vern Hargrave, who presided over a certified audit of the SBTC, reported to the board that they “should be proud of the business aspect of the operations of your convention.” Hargrave said the SBTC staff has been very responsive to suggestions that ensure quality and accuracy in the accounting procedures amid tremendous growth.
Davis also reported that a hearing date is pending in Tarrant County over a lawsuit the convention has filed to protest the county’s decision to withhold tax exemption on the SBTC’s property in Grapevine and asked the board to continue praying for a favorable outcome.
The approximately $200,000 in potential tax could be used in ministry causes instead, Davis noted.
The board also voted, with one dissent, to grant $250,000 towards refurbishing the Yucca Lodge
