by Franklin Dumond, Director of Congregational Ministries
As we cope with the “New Normal” we are confronted with change and necessary adaptation to it. On the national level, we are now confronted by change with the recently announced resignation of Executive Director Clint Cook.
In our quasi-democratic congregationalism both on the local and national levels, we often undervalue leaders and undermine leadership. We too often fail to realize that “Committee of the Whole” and “One Man One Vote” cannot be located in our concordances since these terms are not included in the Scripture. In the Scripture, leaders are called by God and affirmed by His people. Leadership results from a communicated vision that motivates action and support from those being led.
At the conclusion of our June Leadership Team meeting, we were all surprised by Clint Cook’s resignation announcement. As we concluded this monthly meeting that day he firmly but politely told us “it’s time for this experiment to end.”
Over the last few weeks, we have been taking steps to conclude his tenure by updating documents and revising some schedules. The Personnel Team, the Budget Team, and the Executive Committee have all begun to function by taking steps toward transition. The Core Leadership Team remains focused on daily ministry to and for General Baptists with weekly informal conversations to stay abreast of current situations. The full Leadership Team meetings will still be held monthly on the first Tuesdays.
When Clint assumed the role of Interim Executive Director in 2012 that resulted in his confirmation as Executive Director in 2013, he joined the ranks of men who have served in that capacity with distinction across the years.
- J. L. Mundy, 1960-1964
- Kenneth R. Kennedy, 1965-1976
- Glen O. Spence, 1977-1992
- Dwight Chapman, 1993-1996
- Ron Black, 1997-2010
- James W. Murray, 2010-2012
- Clint Cook, 2012-2020
Very few people ever realized the personal price Clint paid in those early years of his service to the denomination. He remained as pastor of Real Life Church in Springfield, Illinois so his service both there and as executive director became “flex-time”. In addition to those two roles he retained his role in Next Level Coaching that he and I had initiated in 2009. In those years of coaching he often traveled a circuit across four states in two days every month. After he became Executive Director I often quipped “Clint used to work for me. Now I work for him.”
Some people mistakenly equated flex-time with part-time. When he explained his various ministry roles to some of his congregation Clint reported, “They were amazed at how much I got done in my free time.”
In his tenure as Executive Director Clint provided the impetus for innovation in departmental staffing and function. As positions opened due to retirement he suggested team approaches to ministry in the hope that this would take ministry back to the grassroots. The Barnabas Project was developed in 2014 to provide connections to pastors through regional representatives. Church planting was similarly entrusted to a team of church planters working through the Go! Project that eventually morphed into the Creative Church Planting Network.
As Executive Director he took steps to upgrade and extend the life of the ministries building in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. A substantially refurbished building was made possible by the sale of a small unused corner of the property so that reserve funds could remain intact.
The Summit continued to serve our people with dynamic worship, practical training, and up-close-and-personal missionary contact. Having served as the first moderator/host of the newly designed Mission & Ministry Summit in 2007, Clint continued to advocate for the Summit to become both a national and international gathering of General Baptist leaders.
Clint also connected to our mission work in The Philippines, India, Honduras, Mexico, and Jamaica by leading conferences and visiting local in-country ministries.
Throughout these enterprises, Pastor Clint continued to lead the Real Life Church in its growth and development culminating in a multi-million dollar building project to provide for the needs of the congregation.
Despite the personal and professional challenges he faced, Clint remained loyal to the missionary cause espoused by the core theology of a General Atonement that Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man. The Real Life Church remained a leading contributor to denominational missions through Unified Giving as well as through some amazing, God-given special gifts to special causes.
I learned a few years ago that no one of us is perfect and that each of us can only do the best we can with what we’ve got. Looking back on his eight-year term I am sure Clint would agree that there were probably some things that could have been done differently. After all, there are always options and choices. But as I look back on those eight years I just want to say “Thanks for doing what you could do to advance the cause of Christ through General Baptists. Thanks, Clint!”
In 2007 leaders of the General Baptist denomination took intentional steps to re-engineer the denomination’s annual meeting. The meeting originated in 1870 when a General Association of General Baptists was organized in Junction, Illinois.