Wiley joins BSC staff

From staff reports

ASHEBORO - Robert E. (Bob) Wiley, who resigned last fall after five years as executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, will join the Baptist State Convention (BSC) General Board staff as senior consultant for church planting for the eastern region of North Carolina.

Wiley's appointment was approved by the General Board's Executive Committee on Jan. 29.

Prior to his tenure as the Illinois convention's top executive, Wiley was director of the associational missions division for the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board) from 1986-96. He worked as a director of missions and served in other positions with the Home Mission Board (HMB) from 1976-86.

Wiley told the Executive Committee he learned the importance of church planting from his parents. His father, a pastor, helped to start 63 churches in the Midwest. "My mother used to say, 'when they get robes for the choir, it's time to start another church,'" Wiley said. He later told the General Board, "I believe the most effective method of reaching people who are not in church today is to start a new work that they will attend."

Milton Hollifield, executive team leader for the Mission Growth Evangelism Team, said Illinois Baptists started more than 200 new churches during Wiley's five-year tenure, and that he "continues to think creatively and plan strategically in assisting pastors and directors of missions."

Executive Director-treasurer Jim Royston noted that one of his goals is for the BSC to have a net gain of 150 new, healthy, reproducing churches by 2006. He praised the appointment of Wiley, who joins Nelson Tilton, another former HMB employee with long experience in new church starts, on the Church Planting Team. Wiley, Tilton and Pam Mungo will focus primarily on European-American (predominantly white) church starts. Other consultants are working to start language and ethnic-based congregations.

Wiley moves into a position that was vacated by Lynn Sasser, who will become senior consultant for associational development and regional resources. That position came open when Bobby Stafford announced his retirement after 15 years of full-time service to the BSC, much of it working with associations. Along with the change in leadership, the position will also be moved from the BSC's Strategic Initiatives and Planning Team, and will relate directly to Royston in the administrative group.

Stafford will continue to work part time for the BSC, on a contract basis, as cooperative program giving promotion coordinator.