There have been nine men who have served the Florida Baptist Convention as executive secretary since that work was begun in 1880. These nine men made indelible impressions in leadership, service and ministry in the convention.

 

William Newell Chaudoin (1829-1904) was born in middle Tennessee. He had few educational opportunities but was of a brilliant mind and was the father of the organizational structure of the Florida Baptist Convention. Chaudoin served as convention president from 1880-1903, with the exception of 1886-1888 when H.M. King was president. He was the first corresponding secretary and treasurer of the State Board of Missions and served from 1881-1901.

 

Lorenzo Don Geiger (1854-1909) was born in Old Town, Florida. Geiger was converted and was ordained to preach at the Button Wood Baptist Church in Levy County. He served churches at Micanopy, Leesburg, Ocala, Apopka, Brooksville and Lakeland. He served as corresponding secretary of the State Board of Missions from 1901-1909.

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Stuart Beggs Rogers (1866-1926) was born near Macon, Georgia. He attended Mercer University and The University of Chicago. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Churches in Marianna, Chipley and Gainesville. He served as executive secretary of the Florida Baptist Convention from 1909-1926. The first Baptist building was erected in Jacksonville during his administration and was named the “Rogers Building” in his honor.

Charles Mercer Brittain (1873-1943) was born in Conyers, Georgia. He served as pastor in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The Florida churches served were at Kissimmee, Lake City and Ocala. Brittain served as Executive Secretary of the State Board of Missions from 1926-1941. He led the convention through adverse times of natural, economic, personal and ecclesiastical upheaval.

Charles Houston Bolton (1886-1973) was born in Belgreen, Alabama. He was a printer, banker, pastor and denominational worker. He served as pastor of First Baptist Church, West Palm Beach, Riverside Baptist Church in Miami and First Baptist Church Avon Park. He served as executive secretary of the Florida Baptist Convention from 1941-1949. After his retirement he served in 40 interim pastorates.

John H. Maguire (1900-1987) served Florida Baptists as executive director of the State Board of Missions from 1944 to 1967. He was born in Brock, Oklahoma, and served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Florala, Alabama (1936-1939) and Calvary Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama, (1939-1944) before moving to Florida. The Florida Baptist Convention state mission offering is named after the Maguires who served so faithfully in “favored Florida.”

Harold Clark Bennett (1924-2003) was born in Asheville, North Carolina. He worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was a United States Navy pilot in World War II. He served as executive director- treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention from 1967-1978. Bennett left Florida to become the executive secretary-treasurer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.

Dan C. Stringer was born November 7, 1927, in Cordell, Oklahoma, and was licensed to preach and ordained at First Baptist Church Albuquerque, New Mexico. He served as pastor in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. He was the executive director-treasurer of the Northwest Baptist Convention before serving Baptists in Florida from 1979 to 1988.

John Sullivan was born October 20, 1936, in Ansted, West Virginia. He graduated from Grand Canyon College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor in Arizona, Texas and Louisiana before moving to Florida. He became the executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention in 1989. He has faithfully led the convention in an emphasis of New Testament evangelism and missions.

This is eighth in a series of vignettes.