Bill Johnson

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation added Bill Johnson, 48, of Gulf Shores, Ala., as full-time stewardship associate on Jan. 3. Johnson will be responsible for raising funds for endowments for CBF ministry initiatives and partners, according to CBF Foundation president Don Durham.

"I believe strongly in the power of endowments as a way of giving a lasting gift for an eternal purpose," Johnson said.

Johnson’s primary focus will be working with individuals who want to provide long-term support for CBF through endowments. CBF’s primary endowment needs are for Global Missions field personnel training, college scholarships for the children of field personnel, wellness and member care services for field personnel, and support for the Fellowship’s ministry of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling. Each need is important and ongoing, even though earlier endowments have provided significant funding for wellness and member care, Durham said.

"An endowment provides resources for ministry that would very likely not otherwise be possible. It empowers CBF to serve churches more effectively and help them fulfill their God-given mission. I only wish there were more folk who saw this as a part of their stewardship," said national CBF coordinator Daniel Vestal.

Johnson, who earned a Ph.D. in theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was a pastor for 17 years in churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. For the past three years, he has worked as an investment representative.

"Bill’s pastoral background combined with his training as a financial adviser puts him in a unique position to help CBF Foundation offer Fellowship Baptists a helpful hand and an understanding heart as they seek to use the resources God has entrusted to them to support the ministries of CBF and its partners," Durham said.

Johnson’s position was approved June 2003, but required a year’s wait before the staff addition could be made. The Foundation raises endowment funds for CBF and its ministry organizations, offering endowment investment and administration services to CBF churches and partners that already have endowments.

Johnson and his wife, Cheryl, have two sons. Vince is a Samford University junior, and Gaines is a high school senior.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.