June 17, 2020

By Aaron Weaver

DECATUR, Ga.— A Baylor University law professor and lay leader deeply involved in CBF is the nominee to become the next Moderator-Elect for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at the upcoming virtual General Assembly, June 25-26.

The CBF Nominating Committee has selected Patricia Wilson to serve as Moderator-Elect in 2020-2021. Wilson has served since 1993 as professor at Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, where her teaching responsibilities include employment discrimination, employment relations, labor law and family law. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology at Purdue University and Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.

For the past 15 years, Wilson has continuously served the Fellowship in a wide variety of leadership roles, including as a board member of CBF of Texas from 2005 to 2014 and as CBF Texas Moderator-Elect (2012) and CBF Texas moderator (2013). She also was a member of the CBF Coordinating Council from 2008-2013, where she was chair of the legal committee (2010-2013).  From 2013-2015, Wilson served a term on the new CBF Governing Board. She served on the CBF Nominating Committee from 2016 to 2019 and was selected to a new term on the Governing Board in 2019.

She is a member of Seventh & James Baptist Church, a CBF congregation, where she currently serves as a deacon. At Seventh & James, Wilson has provided leadership as a deacon (2003-present) and twice served as deacon chair (2007, 2018). Additionally, she has served the church on numerous committees including the worship council (2010-2014; chair 2012-2014) and education council (2020-present).

She is also actively involved in the Waco community and has served on the boards of a number of local nonprofit organizations. She is a former licensed foster parent who fostered 20 children over the course of a decade. Wilson and her husband, Michael W. Jones, have four children: Dr. Alexandra Jones Adesina (32); Michael L. Jones (29); Brianna Jones (20); and Christopher Jones (16).

Wilson expressed excitement to step into the role of CBF Moderator-Elect and emphasized her appreciation and respect for the Fellowship.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve CBF in this role,” Wilson said. “Over the years, I have seen the good work that CBF does, and my appreciation and respect for the Fellowship continues to grow as I see it strengthen and renew its commitment to bearing witness to the love and grace of Christ Jesus. I value the Fellowship’s efforts to work collaboratively with groups and individuals around the world as they carry out the work of God’s kingdom on earth, and I love that CBF strives to be inclusive of all God’s children and to remain faithful to Baptist tenets.

“I approach the privilege of serving with humility. I request your prayers that I may be led by the Holy Spirit to serve faithfully and courageously, and that in all I do it will be to the glory of God.”

CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley praised the Nominating Committee’s selection of Wilson.

“I am so pleased that Patricia Wilson has agreed to serve as our next Moderator-Elect,” Baxley said. “She is a deeply committed lay leader in her congregation, a highly respected member of the faculty of the Baylor Law School, and for more than a decade she has held leadership positions in our Fellowship. She served on the Coordinating Council prior to the 2012 restructuring, the Governing Board and the Nominating Committee. She provided essential leadership in the implementation of For the Joy Set Before Us, our substantial strategic plan for Global Missions in 2015-16.

“I have come to respect her deep faith, strong intellect, considerable leadership gifts and her vision for our Fellowship as we move toward our future together. I am eager for the chance to serve with her and other leaders in our Fellowship as we move into the response phase of Toward Bold Faithfulness and lay a foundation for our ministry in our fourth decade and beyond.”

Governance Nominees

The CBF Nominating Committee, chaired by Christopher Mack, minister to young adults at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, will present Wilson for approval from the virtual General Assembly, June 25-26, along with additional nominees to serve on the Fellowship’s Governing Board, Missions Council and Ministries Council.

Additionally, the Governing Board, led by CBF Moderator Kyle Reese, will bring forward nominees to serve on the Nominating Committee and the Council on Endorsement as well as the boards of CBF Church Benefits and the CBF Foundation.

At the conclusion of the virtual 2020 General Assembly, current CBF Moderator-Elect Carol McEntyre will assume the role of Moderator, the Fellowship’s highest ranking office.

Nominees to be presented for approval at the upcoming General Assembly are listed below:

Nominating Committee Report

Governance

• Moderator-Elect – Patricia Wilson, Professor, Baylor University School of Law, Waco, Texas.
• Nominating Committee Chair-Elect – Lauren McDuffie, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Morehead, Ky.

Governing Board

• Juan Garcia, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church Newport News, Newport News, Va.
• Jewel London, Pastoral Assistant, Brookhollow Baptist Church, Houston, Texas.
• Steve Sheeley, Pastor, Rolling Hills Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ark.

Missions Council

• Graham Carner, Attorney; Laity, Northside Baptist Church, Clinton, Miss.
• Tammy Snyder, Associate Pastor, Bayshore Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.
• Renee Owen, Executive Director of Spiritual Health, WellStar Health System; Laity, First Baptist Church, Marietta, Marietta, Ga.
• Amanda Standiford, Minister to Children & Families, Lexington Avenue Baptist Church, Danville, Ky.
• Dorothy Bowman, Retired; Laity, Wake Forest Baptist Church, Wake Forest, N.C. (1 year term)

Ministries Council

• Matt Dodrill, Senior Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark.
• Tonya Nicholson, Self Employed Bookkeeper; Laity, First Baptist Church of West Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Mont.
• Ellen DiGiosia, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Jefferson City, Jefferson City, Tenn.
• Tommy Justus, Pastor, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Mars Hill, N.C. (2 year term)
• Brian Harfst, Equipping Pastor, Centerville Baptist Church, Chesapeake, Va.
• Bob Searl, Senior Pastor, Spring Creek Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Sarah Hunt Felke, Staff Chaplain, Tampa General Hospital; Laity, Bayshore Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.

Governing Board Recommendations

Nominating Committee

• Jason Edwards, Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Church Liberty, Liberty, Mo. (1 year term)
• Courtney Stamey, Senior Pastor, Northside Baptist Church, Clinton, Miss.
• Brittany Stillwell, Minister of Students and Families, Second Baptist Little Rock, Little Rock, Ark.
• Jud Reasons, Executive Pastor, First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala.

Recorder

• Stephen Cook, Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Memphis, Memphis, Tenn.

CBF Church Benefits

• Leah Schonfeld, Chief Human Resources Officer/ Asst. VP at The Citadel; Laity, Providence Church of Daniel Island, S.C.
• Ron Rooks, Retired CPA; Laity, Bayshore Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.
• Ron Mullennix, Attorney; Laity, Second Baptist Church. Liberty, Mo.

Council on Endorsement

• Dr. Christopher Towles, University Chaplain, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Kathryn Kimmel, Co-Pastor, University Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Miss.

CBF Foundation

• Roy Janse, Laity, First Baptist Church, Greenville, S.C.
• Taylor Freeman, Laity, Forest Hill Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C.
• Parks Avery, Laity, Central Baptist Church, Newnan, Ga.
• Katie Sciba, Home Health Director, Citizens Medical Center, Victoria, Texas
• Jorge Zayasbazan, Senior Pastor, Temple Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas

All nominations are for a three-year term unless otherwise noted.

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CBF is a Christian network that helps people put their faith to practice through ministry eff­orts, global missions and a broad community of support. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.