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Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches Welcomes Dr. Jim Vogel as new state representative
From the Baptist Bulletin (http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=18868)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—Jim Vogel has been approved as the new state representative for the Empire Association of Regular Baptist Churches, having received a 94 percent vote from the messengers attending the group’s fall conference. Vogel, who currently ministers as the associate national representative for the GARBC, will assume his new duties in April 2012. He succeeds Craig Golden, a former GARBC pastor who has served as the state representative since 1988. When Golden announced his plans to retire in 2012, he gave a personal recommendation, saying, “It would be a personal thrill to have a man of Dr. Vogel’s caliber to succeed me and be our representative for the Empire State Fellowship.””
During the October meetings hosted by Glen Baptist Church, Watkins Glen, N.Y., Jim and Jeannie Vogel shared their testimonies, offered a vision for the fellowship, and participated in a question-and-answer session. Each church in the state fellowship was allowed three voting messengers to the business meeting, with a two-thirds majority vote required for approval of the candidate.
In their ministry with the GARBC, the Vogels were assisting pastors and churches by providing counsel, instruction, and encouragement. Describing how his work with the GARBC changed his ministry outlook, Vogel said, “I think I have a better understanding of the breadth of ministry in our churches. I have a greater appreciation of the small-church pastor—guys that are ministering 45 minutes from the nearest grocery.”
“I love what I do—that’s why this new position is so appealing to me,” Vogel says. “I like encouraging and supporting our pastors and leaders. This is a right fit for us—we’ll continue to do these things in our new position.”
Vogel had served in youth and senior pastorates for 30 years, and had earned a doctor of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He was formerly the director of the Empire State Fellowship Talents For Christ program and was a member of the Empire State Fellowship Council of Ten. He has also served on the GARBC Council of Eighteen and as a trustee of Baptist Bible College. After the transition, Vogel will continue to write his popular Leader’s Digest column for the Baptist Bulletin, and will edit a new anthology on pastoral ministry to be released by Regular Baptist Press in 2012. Jeannie Vogel will continue her speaking and writing ministry, which includes her award-winning RBP book Accepting the Challenge: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses.
John Greening, GARBC national representative, expressed sadness at losing the Vogels as colleagues at the GARBC Resource Center in Schaumburg, Ill., saying, “I value his balanced perspective, his deeply rooted convictions, and his commitment to strengthening churches. However, I couldn’t be happier for the Empire State Fellowship. Jim and his wife, Jeannie, will do an outstanding job of perpetuating the legacy of capable leadership that the Empire Fellowship has enjoyed. They will bring great potential for the Empire State churches in the ministry days ahead. My wife, Daria, and I are praying for Jim and Jeannie and supporting them as they make this transition.”
The Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches is an association of more than 180 churches in New York, with 136 of these also in fellowship with the GARBC. The group is led by a Council of Ten who oversees the program of the Fellowship; members are elected to a two-year term of office during the October meetings. Jim Vogel will be the fifth state representative for the group, succeeding Craig Golden (1988–2012), Russell Camp (1975–1987), Milo Thompson (1971–1975), and L. Duane Brown (1965–1970).