General Secretary Announces Retirement Plans
Jimmy Martin, general secretary of the International Baptist Convention, announced his retirement plans for the end of 2020 at the convention’s 55th Annual Convention Meeting, held 29-31 October in Madrid, Spain.
Martin has served as general secretary since 2003. Before that he served as pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Martin said that announcing his retirement plans this early gives the convention time to plan.
The convention also approved the renaming of the Missions Endowment Fund to the IBC Endowment Fund. It also expanded the scope of use of the funds to include major repairs to existing church buildings, matching grants for smaller repair projects, and strategic initiatives of the convention. The endowment fund will continue to be used to help churches escape the “rent trap” by purchasing property or constructing buildings.
The convention approved a 409,687€ budget for 2019. This budget is a 7% increase over the 2018 budget.
During the final business session, Tim Faulkner, pastor of Il Faro International Baptist Church, Naples, Italy, was elected president. Nick Howard, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Wiesbaden, Germany, was elected 1st vice-president. Nathanael Fawcett, pastor of Calvary International Church, Sao Paulo, Brazil, was elected 2nd vice-president. Each will serve a one-year term.
The evening sessions focused on the theme “Vision-Driven Leadership.” Gary Preston, pastor of Frontline Community Church, Ramstein, Germany, and strengthening church core strategy director, spoke on vision-driven leadership and vision-driven deployment. Parker Windle, pastor of Emmanuel International Church, Paris, France, spoke on vision-driven strategy, while David Martin, pastor of Cologne International Baptist Church, Germany, spoke on vision-driven combat.
The convention also heard presentations from each of the strategy directors concerning their strategy and plans for the coming year. Darryl Evetts (multiplying churches), Gary Preston (strengthening churches), David Fresch (empowering leaders), Scott Corwin (building connections), and Judith Lynn Maxwell (developing resources) shared their vision for 2019. Gary Preston is retiring in April and Barry Cole, pastor of Aviano Baptist Church, Italy, was elected to serve as the strengthening churches core strategy director.
On Wednesday evening, the convention celebrated its 60th anniversary with a video presentation and a birthday cake.
Fifty-six messengers representing 31 churches were part of the business sessions. Next year’s ACM will be held in Naples, Italy.
