State Leaders Meet with IM in Nashville

Antioch, TN—Free Will Baptist leaders from nine states with undesignated funding programs convened at the Nashville Airport Marriott on January 7-8. The 17-member group—including state executives, missions directors, moderators, and International Missions Board members—met with the International Missions staff to provide their insights on the proposed restructure of the funding system.

Board Chairman Danny Williams presented a brief overview of the Mission’s strategic plan, the basis for the decision to restructure. This was followed by a simple presentation of the current version of the proposed plan by the Mission’s General Director James Forlines.

The majority of the two-day session was dedicated to defining the benefits and challenges of the proposed restructure. Led by professional facilitator Frank Breeden, leaders spent time in small groups defining their questions and issues for clarification. In a candid, yet graceful discussion, the leaders gave their ideas and asked questions. Breeden told the group he was “very impressed with the quality of the feedback and with the constructive tone of the entire session.”

William Smith, Georgia’s Executive Director, said the meeting “was a monumental step in the right direction.”

The group created a task force of nine members (one from each state) to meet at intervals with Forlines and members of the board and staff to provide advice and recommendations as the restructure process moves forward.

“This was the most productive missions meeting I have ever attended,” asserted Arkansas Missions Director Don Matchett. “The format, the openness, and the willingness of the IM board and staff to really listen should make this an historic meeting,” he concluded.