DALLAS (BP)--Virginia pastor Randel Everett has been nominated as the next executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The executive director search committee's nomination is slated to be considered during the BGCT executive board meeting Feb. 25-26 in Dallas.

Everett, 56, is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Newport News, Va., which is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and former president of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, Va.

If elected, Everett will succeed Charles Wade, who is retiring from the position Jan. 31.

Everett served as chairman of the Baptist World Alliance's education and evangelism commission from 2000-05. He is a former pastor of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Va.; First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla.; First Baptist Church in Benton, Ark., during which he served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention's executive board; and three Texas churches: University Baptist in Fort Worth, Inglewood Baptist in Grand Prairie and First Baptist in Gonzales.

According to a BGCT news release, search committee chairman Ken Hugghins said, as the news release put it, "Everett met the criteria of an executive director who could lead the convention in this crucial time in which Texas Baptists appear segmented and financial issues recently caused the convention to lay off 29 people."

Hugghins was quoted as saying, "As the committee listened to Texas Baptists and talked with excellent leaders and candidates across our state, a description of the kind of leader Texas needs emerged. Randel Everett matches that description and more. He will communicate across the spectrum of Texas Baptists, the generations of Texas Baptists, the many affinity groups of Texas Baptists and focus the Kingdom commitment of Texas Baptist churches, institutions and convention servants."

Under Everett's leadership, the Leland Center was accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and grew to serve about 200 students in more than 12 countries.

A native of Fort Worth, Everett holds a doctorate and a master's degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and a bachelor's degree from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.

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