You may have more to add:
Goofball quote of the year: Kevin Ezell, new CEO of NAMB, commenting on bloggers who were critical of his lack of support for the Cooperative Program and ANnie Armstrong: Typically those are bloggers who live with their mother and wear a housecoat during the day. Huh?
Straight talk quote of the year: David Hankins, Executive Director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is willing, if necessary, to play “the skunk at the tea party” in challenging the idea that the Baptist state conventions are “the bottleneck preventing mission dollars getting to where they need to be.” Give Hankins credit for being straightforward on this.
Quote with the most wiggle room: Milton Hollifield, top guy for the Baptist Convention of North Carolina, said he would commit to moving his state convention to a 50/50 split "over a protracted period." Baptists are trained to read between the lines here. He means that the BCNC will get to 50/50 when pigs fly.
Head scratching quote of the year: "They have your best interest at heart," declared Missouri Baptist Convention Second Vice President, Mitch Jackson. "Your" would be messengers to the MBC and "they" would be the MBC Executive Board, after the latter had spent $5,220,000 on a lawsuit and wanted to spend more. It is unclear at this point how much it will cost the MBC to maintain their best interest.
'You guys handle the pain, I'm outta here' quote of the year: Randel Everett CEO of the Baptist General Convention of Texas: “As we finish out this year and plan for next year, your leadership team has spent many hours looking at various options to determine our direction both strategically and financially. Unfortunately, any of the options considered required that we reduce our expenses. This requires the elimination of some positions,” Everett was in the middle of determining his own personal direction, as in "I'm outta here."
Bald-faced quote of the year: Ed Young, Jr., prominent SBC megachurch pastor: Let me say very clearly, Lisa and I have no secrets. Not even the private jet he tools around in at the church's expense. Former Ed YOung Jr, staff member: "The staff members are told that there is no plane, and several staff members who have actually been on the plane have denied that there is a plane". Elephant in the room? What elephant?
I don't have the words to describe this quote: Sandy Beck, Associational Missionary in North Carolina: “Enough is enough. If his board of directors cannot influence his lack of sensitivity, perhaps the conservative pastors and laity of this state can.” Beck was sensitive enough here to force one of the SBC's best journalists, Norman Jameson, to resign.
SBCers are pretty good at jaw-flapping. There are many more notable quotes for this year.
3 comments:
Good ones, William. Here is my favorite quote of 2010, from our own Florida Baptist Convention president, John Cross, who is on the board of Ed Young, Jr's Fellowship Church:
"I've served on the boards of several very large churches, and I just want you as a church family to know, that I have never, EVER, had the honor of being part of a ministry with such integrity, such authenticity, vulnerability, and accountability [as Fellowship Church]. That's the facts."
Yes, in 2010 the prez of the Florida Baptists endorsed Ed Young's use of a jet, and declared Ed Young's church as the best example of accountability and integrity. Yikes....
Hey William! Jonathan mentioned your blog on Facebook so just had to stop by and say hi. Hope you're doing well.
Good to hear from you, Rick. I read your blog regularly.
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