Working with a Great Leader
by Brian Ford, Executive Director-Elect
It’s been a pleasure working alongside
Executive Director Jim Hill since coming
on staff with Churchnet as Executive
Director-Elect in October 2016. Jim is working
toward retirement as Executive Director of
Churchnet after 13 years of faithful ministry.
Recently he led the organization through a
process of succession planning and
implementation. The process involves
working with the Executive Director-Elect
to help hand off behind-the-scene’s duties
and hand off organizational relationships
that Churchnet and Jim have built, to name
a few.
Since October, I’ve met with him weekly,
as well as travelled together to Israel and Washington, D.C. You get to know a lot about a person when you spend so much time together. I am one of the few people who have an insider’s view of the scope of work Jim has been doing as Executive Director year in and year out. My observation so far: pure class.
Jim has worked tirelessly for Churchnet in so many ways over the years. From casting vision, leadership development, putting together annual meetings and board meetings, working with committees, staff, teams, churches, institutional partners, denominational collaboration, the list goes on. He’s handled it all with humility and grace: pure class.
As we met with ministry partners at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Baptist World Alliance, the North American Baptist Fellowship; as we met with denominational leaders from the National Baptist Convention of America, the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and many others, it is clear that Jim has built strong global relationships that bridge race, culture, and faith. Again: pure class.
On a personal note: I learned that Jim loves his wife and family deeply. He wants to play his vintage Ovation guitar more (he was once in a rock band) and enjoys biking the Katy Trail with Bettie Jo. He’ll eat almost anything once,
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