Just announced this afternoon, Sebastian Traeger will resign in November from his position as Executive Vice President of the IMB. See below his comments, set off by ****, and a little commentary from me at the bottom.
****
Brothers and sisters,
With a full and thankful heart, I am writing this email to let you know that I will soon be transitioning out of my role as Executive Vice President. My heart’s desire is to remain and work alongside you all. At the same time, I am trusting God’s Word in Proverbs 16:9, which says: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” I believe the primary role of an EVP is to lead alongside the president, and in light of David’s transition, I want to respect this opportunity to give our future president total freedom to choose the right person to serve alongside him in the future. Therefore, I will resign effective November 15th (at our next trustee meeting), and will work closely with Clyde between now and then to ensure a seamless leadership transition.
Four years ago, when David asked me to serve as EVP, it was an easy yes. As an active Southern Baptist, I already deeply loved the IMB and its mission, and I was driven by a desire to play my part in getting the gospel to people who have never heard it. Upon accepting this position, I soon came to love the people of the IMB in a way I could not have imagined. It has been a blessing, beyond measure, to work and serve alongside brothers and sisters who sacrifice daily for the sake of the gospel. I have learned so much from so many of you, my family has been extremely blessed by you in visits with you around the world, and we are altogether grateful for each of you.
So thank you. Thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you. Thank you for patience as we worked together through changes (large and small) to move our organization to a place of sound financial footing and to better position IMB to carry out the missionary task today and in years ahead. Most importantly, thank you for your passion to proclaim the gospel and plant churches in some of the hardest places in the world. As I move on to service in the kingdom outside the IMB wherever and however God leads me, I will continually be cheering you on as I remain committed to spending my life as your partner in the gospel for the spread of God’s glory among the nations.
And I will pray that we will continue to be faithful in all our work – pushing hard on the plow, with an open-handed trust in God’s good purposes.
With love and respect, your brother,
Sebastian
****
So with David Platt leaving at the end of September and Sebastian departing shortly thereafter, we have two empty slots at the very top. The four remaining VPs of the organization are John Brady (Global Engagement), Rodney Freeman (Support Services), Edgar Aponte (Mobilization), and Zane Pratt (Training).
Before looking ahead, let’s remember what Sebastian accomplished. He came in with Platt and surveyed a very difficult financial landscape. He helped formulate a plan which, painful as it was, helped restore a measure of financial stability to the organization. Traeger was instrumental in streamlining processes and reorganizing our somewhat top-heavy sending agency, helping re-focus field roles on the primary task of missions while moving support roles into a parallel avenue of service. He and his team aimed at increasing the professional skill level of those in support roles as befitting an organization with high standards of excellence.
Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to recall the reasons why I used to call him (very playfully) Sebastian The Hatchet Man. He was the face of the team which hacked and chopped and cut very deeply into programs, departments, and personnel in ways that some felt was excessive. Observers have commented on Home Office job postings for positions the leadership team eliminated just months before; seemingly they learned that one man’s chaff is another man’s grain. On the field, opinions collated in a highly scientific fashion (chats) via sophisticated data collection tools (Facebook, iMessage) show varying levels of approval and disapproval, though some unite around two concerns: (1) We don’t really seem more efficient, and in some ways we are less so; and (2) Maybe someday we’ll have someone in that role who better understands how Home Office changes impact field personnel.
Despite the questions, Mr. Traeger served honorably and ably. While changes flowing from his office did not always personally benefit me (the horror), I cannot say his mistakes were worse than anyone else’s have been these last four years, least of all mine. I’m glad he joined us and did some of hardest dirty work our company has seen in the last few decades.
Godspeed, Sebastian, and thank you.
Given the financial mess the IMB was in at the outset, I’m assuming some errors were unavoidable in applying whatever drastic remedy the situation required.
I actually wonder if one of our other entities in transition might be wise to ask for a consult.
Could you give some of us who are out of the loop a little background of Sebastian’s background before his stint at the IMB?
I understand that he came from the business world, but I could be wrong. Did he have any experience as a missionary, a pastor, or a seminary prof?
I do not know much about Mr. Traeger.
He was an entrepreneur for years. I’m fairly confident he and David Platt worked together on some missions projects. Beyond that, I just don’t know.
I get the impression – and I hope I’m being fair to you – that you’re wondering about the appropriateness of his selection given a seeming lack of ministerial experience. Assuming I’m right….
Under Platt’s leadership, there was a shift in thinking: missionaries should focus on the missionary task, and support people on support tasks. Missionaries should be trained, educated and led in that pursuit. Support roles – media, design, finance, etc – should be similarly focused and trained. That is, they should have educational and vocational backgrounds in media, design, finance, etc. In the past, missionaries moved into support roles and were still considered to be missionaries. Under Platt and Traeger, those roles became distinct from one another. Ministerial professionals had training and experience to do that; support professionals likewise.
In that light, it should come as no surprise that Traeger led as EVP. His background seems to have prepared him well to find inefficiency and flaws. Being a pastor, seminarian, or minister would likely not have trained him for the task he faced when he ascended to the office.
Hope that helps.
He was also a lay elder at his local church and co-wrote a book called “The Gospel At Work.” A number of years ago, he wrote a missions paper with JD Greear on the “next wave of missions.”
By the way, there’s a typo on his last name in the title – should be Traeger.
Thanks for this information about Sebastian.
Also – typo? Traeger is how it is spelled at the top, unless I’m completely blind; I could be, after all.
Support roles – Media specialists, accountants, member care, etc have had training, degrees and job experience in their profession as well. This did not start with Platt and Traeger. In the past, missionaries were APPOINTED to support roles, although some, with the needed skill set and background, did move into finance or other support positions after serving in strategy positions. There are still appointed missionaries in these roles although some have transitioned to the new system.
I echo Suzanne’s clarification on support roles. In the past you could be appointed as a Career Missionary to the support roles and some Career Missionaries have transitioned over the years into these areas because of giftings in those areas. Things like that happened in the past in prior administrations in the IMB. My husband and I are Career Missionaries with 14 years of experience, 8 years church planting and 5 years now in logistics. So not all support positions now are in the Field Support Role (FSR) category. And even those who are in the FSR category are classified as missionaries just like ISC, Masters, and Journeymen, and they associate with a church planting team in their area. Their positions are even called “missionary” roles in our Manuel for Field Personnel. So same role, just a different benefits package and a new intentionality in finding people with specialized professional skills.
Thanks to Suzanne and Amy for clarifying an error on my part.
Yes, the move for professional qualification did indeed begin earlier, and it was unfair of me to slight (by accident, I assure you) the skills of a good many people in those roles. Sebastian’s leadership did lead to separating the support roles in a unique way we have not traditionally used.
Thank you ladies, and I apologize for not having explained that more fully.
Sebastian previously worked in business and technology where he started, led, and built several companies. And he got a degree in Politics from Princeton. https://www.imb.org/leadership/
I don’t know this gentleman, but it’s not surprising that he is leaving if Platt is.
Platt did a great thing in dealing with the financial crisis. I can’t comment on the wisdom of the solution, but he faced it and did not kick the can down the road. I suppose this gentleman helped him with that.
Let’s keep Meador in this position for 10 years, if we can.
Ethan, I am afraid I do not share your opinion on Sebastian’s accomplishments. I think that David Platt’s tenure as IMB president would have been much more successful if he had not turned the day to day operation of the home office and many of the decisions related to the field over to Sebastian, another person with no field experience or long-term international living experience.
As far as his financial plan, I have commented on the VRI before. Many of us had warned of the financial harm being done for years. That falls on Jerry Rankin and the trustees who were going along with the decisions being made. The business solution Platt and Traeger used, put the burden to pay for other’s mistakes on the field missionaries and home staff with the most experience. I was on the field when the VRI was announced and watched the suffering it brought about both to those who took the VRI and those who remained. There are areas that are still without adequate leadership and strategy because of lack of planning to account for the ones that left. I have mentioned before other options that could have been taken and will not repeat them here.
Sebastian was known for questioning the importance of a “call” to missions and the idea of a life time commitment to missionary service. He pushed aside people with experience in the main office and cancelled teams doing vital work because he didn’t understand their need. He and Platt came in to the board with the idea career missionaries could be replaced with countless teams going on trips. I believe Platt learned the need for long term missionaries. I am not sure Sebastian ever did.
Sebastian should follow Platt’s example and leave immediately.
I won’t argue with your perspective; you’ve been around far too long and have the respect of many of my peers. Yes, I agree there were flaws and mistakes, things that could have been avoided by someone with more field knowledge. Yes, Sebastian was a man of his times, someone who one justified the reduction of the IMB’s retirement package by saying, “No one joins an organization to retire from it anymore.” Yes, as I acknowledged, some of my peers have been concerned about his approach to the job.
Even so, there’s a difference between being a bad guy and lacking experience. His philosophy was different, to be sure, but not sinfully so. He got a painful job done, one that would not have fallen to him had prior leaders made better decisions. As I see it, it’s sort of like a sniper picking off targets: he doesn’t like that the job is necessary, but once it becomes obvious that somebody’s gotta die, well, he grits his teeth and does his job.
But I appreciate your perspective, and thank you for offering a tempering point of view.
Thanks Ethan. I am not saying Sebastian is a bad guy. He was just not the person for this job. He was unqualified by experience and attitude. Your statement of his, “No one joins an organization to retire from it anymore” shows how wrong he was for this job. Yes, we as missionaries do accept our call and are appointed with the idea we will retire from it God willing!! That is why his mindset and the way the VRI was carried out was wrong in my opinion. He made other statements that were just as disturbing to those he was supervising.
I realize that I am highly biased and my opinions are based on my experience and may be different from those who have seen the situation from a different perspective. I respect your judgment based on what you have observed.
One of the strange stories of 21st century SBC is how our flagship entity came to be so financially strained and who ended up fixing it and why those who were responsible hardly get a mention. But, I’m glad the board is on solid footing now. I’m not sure any insider could have or would have addressed the issues decisively.
I hear the average tenure is under 10 years now, so things have changed considerably.
Amen, William…Amem indeed.
Ron West:
Thanks for your comment. I always appreciate the perspective you give as a long term missionary.
Short term trips are not the same as career missionaries. Not even close.
The negative comments I heard about Dr. Rankin were related to financial decisions that were in the millions. But these criticisms never got traction because of all the heat over so-called prayer languages and baptism policies.
I liked the boldness of the Platt selection and thought he could be a great vision caster, but his youth and inexperience shine like a Beacon.
I am for a man going wherever he thinks he should go to serve best. But from writing a book titled “Radical” to being an SBC executive, to now jumping ship again to pastor McLean Bible Church demonstrates a great speaking ability but not the ability to lead something like the IMB.
I really like Clyde Meador. Quiet. Experienced. Knowledgeable.
In the SBC leadership these days that really is radical.
Looking forward and now that we’ve had plenty of time to process Platt’s departure and with Treager’s announcement, whom do we need at the helm of the IMB in terms of background and experience? Both for President and Executive Vice President?