The IMB is announcing that Todd Lafferty will be recommended to the IMB Board of Trustees at their February 6-7 meeting to become the Executive Vice President, working with Dr. Paul Chitwood.
Here is a press release from IMB where you can read about him.
This has been expected since before Dr Chitwood was announced. We were told by multiple knowledgeable sources that Lafferty would be appointed with Dr. Chitwood and our initial post announcing Dr. Chitwood’s candidacy for the IMB presidency carried Todd Lafferty’s name as well. We removed it quickly, and have no idea what the process has been in selecting Lafferty – whether he was already chosen as we’d been told and the announcement was simply delayed or whether a search took place and ended up back where we were told it would be. We may never know and it doesn’t matter.
We do know that Todd Lafferty fills an important role in the IMB. I was blowing a trumpet for an IMB president with field experience. The search committee chose a man who did not have any. Dr. Chitwood seems able, even extraordinary, in many ways, but lacked experience as a missionary. Todd Lafferty fulfills that role.
He replaces one of the luminaries of the IMB, Dr. Clyde Meador.
I worked under Todd L. What a great man! Kind, gracious, often discussing Abiding in Christ, doing that himself, and calling workers under him to do the same. I always got the feeling that he celebrated success / fruitfulness in others. It was a joy to serve under him. Praise God!
There seems to be a general consensus that he is a great choice for this position.
Good choice.
Great choice!
Yes, Todd Lafferty is a great choice. The missionaries love and respect him. He has served as a missionary in South Asia, and he has served as a field leader in South Asia. If you asked me whom to choose, I would pick Todd. I believe this appointment shows that Paul Chitwood has the wisdom to surround himself with seasoned field leaders.
He also served in a leadership role in Southeast Asia. We respect and love Todd and, his wife, Susan. Great choice.
“I believe this appointment shows that Paul Chitwood has the wisdom to surround himself with seasoned field leaders.”
True. Paul is a good administrator. I believe he will serve well to lead the IMB to reach people for Christ around the globe.
Voices readers should know that David Steverson served as Vice President for Finance at the IMB until his retirement.
Also, David Steverson is from Oklahoma. As I recall, he hails from somewhere in the South West part of the state out near Altus or maybe Hollis.
I don’t want to rebuke you, but we don’t judge and condemn people for being Okies. We try to bear with one another in love.
They can’t help being born in Oklahoma.
Another notable personality in SBC life from Southwest Oklahoma is WA Criswell. His home town was in Texas for a while but later it was in Texas — all the while his home town did not move. That’s because the Supreme Court ruled that Greer county was actually in Oklahoma — not Texas. Texans tried to distort the interpretation of which branch of the Red River was the “main” one.
please excuse typo –> should say “but later it was in OKLAHOMA”
Granite
Glad to see the new president choosing VP’s with field experience.
Todd married into a missionary family. Susan ingoud Lafferty grew up in Indonesia, the daughter of SB missionaries. After graduating from Samford University, she went to work for Woman’s Missionary Union as an editorial assistant for the GA magazine and materials. She left WMU to enter seminary to prepare for missionary service. That’s where she met Todd. That family has missions in their blood.
Typo: Should read Susan Ingouf Lafferty