Tennessee Baptist evangelist Jerry Drace and his wife, Becky, stand beside a slide that recognizes Drace’s induction into the COSBE Hall of Faith. Drace said Becky is his “ greatest prayer partner and encourager.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Six men, including Tennessee Baptist evangelists Jerry Drace and Ron Herrod (deceased), were added to the Southern Baptist Evangelists’ Hall of Faith June 10 at the Westin hotel, across the street from the Indiana Convention Center.
The recognition took place during the annual meeting of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists (COSBE). COSBE was organized in 1958 and the Hall of Faith was established in 2008.
Typically, two evangelists are honored every other year, but because of the pandemic, none had been honored for six years, the group’s secretary, Amy Stockwell, explained to Baptist Press.
Two of the six have “gone to their reward,” President Keith Cook of Springfield, Tenn., told the perhaps 200 people at the group’s no cost “Finish Well Cookout” timed to be part of the 2024 SBC annual meeting.
Honorees included Drace, Gary Bowlin of Summit, Miss.; Sammy Tippet of San Antonio, Texas; and Charles Massagee of Nevada, Texas. Ron Herrod and Darrell Robinson were honored posthumously.
Herrod, a former Tennessee Baptist pastor and evangelist from Sevierville who died in 2018, served in evangelism for 23 of his 60 years in ministry, which included national television, crusades and mission projects in more than 30 nations. His goal was to reproduce himself through winning the lost, planting churches and discipling new believers.
Drace, of Jackson, recently retired as pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Friendship, where he served for 14 years while continuing to serve as a vocational evangelist.
Since 1975, Drace has preached in approximately a thousand churches throughout the nation and in several international countries.
During his tenure as president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists the members of COSBE voted unanimously to establish:
• the Council of Accountability, which created the provision for disciplinary action among members of COSBE if necessary,
• the Affirmations of Accountability, which sets forth the ethical standards and biblical beliefs of the members of COSBE,
• the establishment of the Samaritan’s Fund, which provides funds for members of COSBE during times of a personal major crisis and the establishment of the Sunday morning worship service.
“It is an honor to be inducted into the COSBE Hall of Faith,” Drace said. “To be in the company of such evangelists as Billy Graham, T.W. Wilson, Franklin Graham, Vance Havner, Junior Hill and Manley Beasley is truly a humbling experience.”
“The New Testament call to vocational evangelism is as relevant and significant today as it was in the days of the Apostle Paul. It has been a joy to serve hundreds of pastors not only in the Southern Baptist Convention, but in numerous other denominations as well.”
Drace credited his wife, Becky, for making the ministry of the JDEA possible. “She has been and continues to be my greatest prayer partner and encourager” he said.
During the COSBE meeting, several evangelists were recognized for 50 years’ service in evangelism: Keith and Joan Cook, Keith Fordham, Beverly Massegee, Betty Moni and Kay Cox, who died this spring.
Daniel Howard was also recognized for 25 years in evangelism.
New officers of COSBE are: New officers were elected for the Southern Baptist Evangelists are: Royce Williams, president; Derek Keiser, vice president; Amy Stockwell, secretary-treasurer; Russell and Kristi Johnson, music directors; Jerry Drace, parliamentarian; Becky Drace, recording secretary; Sammy Tippit, digital evangelism advisor; and Gary Bowlin, financial advisor. B&R — B&R editor Lonnie Wilkey contributed to this report.
