Resolution honoring Gary Ledbetter upon his transition from the Texan
WHEREAS, Gary Ledbetter, a noted editor and writer in Southern Baptist life, has served in a variety of denominational leadership positions for more than 45 years; and
WHEREAS, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Criswell College in Dallas, Texas, and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri; and
WHEREAS, he devoted 21 years of his ministry serving as editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, the official publication of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; and
WHEREAS, he served as president of the Association of State Baptist Publications in 2009, vice president for student development at Midwestern Seminary from 1995 to 2000, and communications director for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and
WHEREAS, he also served as a member of the Southern Baptist Committee on Order of Business, Southern Baptist Racial Reconciliation Task Force, Southern Baptist Christian Life Commission (now known as the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission), and as student and college minister for churches in Indiana and Texas; and
WHEREAS, he provided communications leadership for the Southern Baptists of Texas beyond the role of editor of the TEXAN, including public relations, media relations, public policy, institutional relations, and supervision of content and design for convention publications; and
WHEREAS, he has had a storied communications career partnership with his wife of 45 years (and friend since high school), Tammi, who is a noted writer and editor in her own right; and
WHEREAS, the couple has relocated back to their home state of Arkansas in a house they designed and built for this next season of life and ministry; and
WHEREAS, he made the transition from the role of editor of the TEXAN on December 31, 2021, to become a communications adviser for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and project manager and senior editor for High Street Press, a book publishing imprint of the Missouri Baptist Convention;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the grateful members of the Association of State Baptist Publications, gathering for their annual meeting in Key Largo, Florida, do convey their deep appreciation for the contribution of Gary Ledbetter to Southern Baptist communications on this date, February 10, 2022.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Association of State Baptist Publications do commit to pray for Gary and Tammi as they enter a new season of ministry, for the good of their souls and the glory of God.