NABPR Annual Meeting – 2005
The National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion
2005 Annual Meeting Minutes
Loews Hotel – Commonwealth C
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
November 19, 2005
9:00 am – 11:30 am
The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion was called to order by President Mikeal Parsons. After a greeting, the President called the names of Roy Honeycutt, Stanley Grenz, Henleee Barnette, and Harold Songer for a time of memory and reflection.
Danny Mynatt, Executive Secretary of NABPR, welcomed those in attendance and distributed the results of the Annual Meeting Opinion Survey. President Parsons introduced Steve Harmon who presented the 2005 dedicated to James Leo Garrett, Jr. entitled “Theology in Conversation.”
Curtis Freeman introduced M ikeal Parson for the delivery of “Luke Among Baptists”–the Presidential Address. “Luke 1:35 is, by far, the most cited verse in Baptist confessions.” Following the presentation, Freeman moderated a time of questions and comments.
Freeman then introduced a panel for the discussion of the topic, “Stanley Grenz as an Evangelical, Ecumenical, and Ecclesial Theologian.” The presenters were Roger Olson (George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Miroslav Volf (Yale Divinity School), and Philip Thompson (North American Baptist Theological Seminary).
At 11:00, President Parson convened the annual business session. After the 2004 minutes were approved, Executive Secretary Danny Mynatt gave the Executive Committee report. Mynatt highlighted the General Fund statement and spoke of the changes related to the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion–especially their move from Valparaiso to Rice University. The endowment funds were noted as decreasing by 3.8% (after increasing by 17% the previous year).
After the report, Executive Secretary Mynatt read the names of nominations for new members into the association. After the new members were approved, Brad Chance offered the nominations of Curtis Freeman for president and Pamela Scalise for vice president of the Association for 2006. There was no opposition and the nominees were elected by unanimous vote. Doug Weaver gave the report of the Editorial Board and announced that the Editorial Board Nominating Committee had invited three new members: Pam Scalise (Fuller-Seattle); Lidija Novakovic (Bethel-St. Paul); and Ken Roxburgh (Samford University).
Curtis Freeman presented the recommendation from the Ad Hoc Committee on the NABPR Dissertation Scholarship. The following portion of the recommendation was read to the members at the annual meeting since it will involve an amendment to the constitution. Under Article VI. Officers and Committees add:
Section F. Dissertation Scholarship Committee. The Dissertation Scholarship Committee of the NABPR shall consist of three members who are nominated by the NABPR Nominating Committee and elected by the NABPR membership. The Committee shall announce the scholarship recipient(s) at the NABPR annual meeting.
Following announcements about time changes and other gatherings, the annual meeting was adjourned at 11:24 am.
With collegiality,
Larry McGraw
Logsdon School of Theology
Hardin-Simmons University