Reccord Under Executive Level Control

Typical SBC nonsense, you are a great person, right up to the point that you believe something that we don't agree with (private prayer language) or do something that gets us bad PR. When you cross that line, you've got to go! I fully expect Reccord to be gone in the next couple of months.

 

I've got mixed emotions about this. The articles by the Georgia Christian Index did raise some red flags. But I really like Bob Reccord, so I hate to see him being treated like a child.

On the other hand, I've felt for some time that our entity heads tend to live like celebrities and I've often been quite frustrated by misues of CP $$, especially on "Magnolia Hill" and in "Pecan Manor". So while I wouldn't have personally started with Reccord in trying to brings some accountability to our entity heads, if this sets a precedent and the other entities and the seminaries follow suit, the convention will be better off in the long run.

 

RandR, would you explain what "Magnolia Hill' and Pecan Manor" are?

 

The typical SBC nonsense is a lack of integrity. If they think they are any better than anyone else God will show them a better way--His way and they might not like it.

 

Pecan Hill is Paige Patterson's home at SWBTS. Here's a video of their home at Christmas.

Pecan Hill Christmas

I think Magnolia Hill was his home at SEBTS.

 

Tom,

When a president's home gets renovated and lavishly decorated, it gets a name unto itself.

Or so it would seem.

 

When I first heard Patterson had chosen the name "Pecan Hill" for his home at SWBTS, and then when I saw pictures of it, I wondered if it was paid for by CP dollars. Is it?

 

Yes. It's a seminary property. The seminary also pays for domestic help for the president and his family. (A friend of mine used to do housekeeping for the Hemphills.)

 

randr and computerjunkie,
Thanks for the info.

 

Some years ago I worked in almost every room of that home before and during the time it was renovated.

It was nice to see the work I did, but a sick feeling to know that today it is being made a show piece and the leadership is dining in luxury while others are serving God with sometimes hardly enough to eat. Reminds me of the cries of Amos.

What kind of a message does this send to young people going into ministry?

Compare their life of luxury to TC Jester who was the pastor of Baptist Temple in Houston. A street in Houston is named after pastor TC Jester. When that pastor died about 1/2 of his check already had an advance taken against it because he gave so much away.

 

It's quite a contrast between the seminary president's mansion and the seminary STUDENTS' housing, isn't it? I know (and have known) lots of seminary students and some of them live on the brink of poverty trying to get through seminary.

I guess the president of a seminary should have a nice home, but I think this one's just a tad extravagant (to put it mildly). Wonder if the CP would consider "sharing the wealth" a little?

 

Everyone should really read the NAMB Trustee report available on their site...answers a lot of questions

uh just a note about the SWBTS house, it was reportedly paid for with a private donation. I was at SWBTS while this was happening. Many people wondered aloud why it was needed to build a private library on the back, a guest room, and bar-b-que pit when our beloved LDC was financially faltering, tuition was going up (went up 250% while in my three years), and no improvements to student housing were taking place.

just remember, as much as I love the SBC, the rule stands:

its good to be the king

 

Tom and Junkie,

I guess I should tread more lightly. The six seminaries receive a portion of their total income from the CP. Other revenue comes from private donations and from tuition. How that is broken down and divided out in the overall budget is a question I can't answer.

So I suppose one could argue that "CP money" doesn't necssarily pay for such extravagance. Still the larger point remains. The SBC has serfs and its has aristrocracy. And the latter operates outside of any real accountability for the most part.

 

Something from the report, pg 17:

There appears to be an attitude throughout the Agency that affects the
willingness of employees to engage in the process of sharing concerns about
the direction NAMB is headed and making suggestions for its improvement.
Literally, it has been described by some as a culture of fear; fear of reprisals
for asking tough questions or appearing to challenge the authority structure.
Ultimately, given the number of positions that have been eliminated at the
Agency, the greatest fear is the fear of losing ones job.

this kind of fear exists at nearly every SBC institution that I know of, we must do something to stem this fear

 

Whne someone is in leadership there is always the ability to say, "No." When I worked for a large company I told them in the interview that my philosophy was that the bosses should get their pay raise last. I received a huge paycheck all because of my employees who made me successful. When I started with the company the branch I was at was losing money. I told the employees what the circumstances were and that they would get a pay raise when it turned around. It took two weeks to bring it around some. That branch had been losing money for the previous five years. I had the same employees and listened to their ideas. They made the company a success. They got a big pay raise. Working with them was like feeding corn to a group of chickens. I felt like they would do anything for me.

 

That is what happenss when leaders are full of self.

 

There is an update on Associated Baptist Press, and the entire report is on the NAMB website. I've read the ABP article and am wading through the whole report.

This is just another example of why every organization must have a level of accountability. Christian organizations are no exception.

Could someone briefly remind me why NAMB wss formed? (I grew up in GA's in a Southern Baptist Church and I'll always know it as the Home Mission Board.)

 

Amen. I've been in 2 large churches in the last 10 years that have literally split in half for that very reason.