W. Winfred Moore
Encyclopedia
William Winfred Moore the retired pastor of the First Baptist
Church of Amarillo
, Texas
. was president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas
and, a prominent figure in the Southern Baptist Convention
during the second half of the 20th century.
in Gibson County in western Tennessee
. Moore's five sisters included Mary Evelyn Eddings (deceased), June Moore, Wanda Cooper, Betty Gass, and Phyllis Riley, the latter of Louisville
, Kentucky
.
Moore was educated at Lambuth College and Union University
, both in Jackson
, Tennessee. He then enrolled at George Peabody College in Nashville
, Tennessee. He holds an honorary doctor of divinity
degree from Wayland Baptist University
in Plainview
, Texas, and an honorary doctor of laws from Baylor University
.
Moore and his wife, the former Elizabeth Campbell (born 1921), have three children: Anne Preston of Amarillo, Fred Moore of Chicago, Illinois
, and Maria Patterson of Midland
, Texas.
After service at FBC in Amarillo from 1959–1989, Moore became visiting distinguished professor of religion and director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness at Baylor University in Waco
, Texas. During his time in Waco, he was also the interim pastor of churches in Waco, Lampasas
, Sugar Land
, Austin
, and San Antonio
.
and served until 1986. He was also the first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1985 to 1986. In 1985, Moore, as the moderate candidate, lost the SBC presidential contest in a challenge to the fundamental-conservative incumbent, Charles F. Stanley
, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia
. Moore received 19,795 votes (44.7 percent) to Stanley's 24,453 (55.3 percent). SBC presidents normally served only two consecutive one-year terms.
In 1986, Moore told his Amarillo congregation that he would allow his name to be placed again in nomination for the SBC presidency to succeed Stanley. Moore indicated that he had long "been deeply disturbed about the direction of our convention. At the present we are headed in the direction of making doctrinal agreement a prerequisite for cooperative missions and evangelism. Our Cooperative Program
(unified method of support) was established [in 1926] because Baptists were confident that it is the most effective way to reach the world for Christ. History consistently has shown the basic rightness of that decision. . . . We have agreed and do agree on the authority of the Bible, but we have not and will not completely agree on the interpretation of the Bible. What we did back in 1926 . . . was to trust each other and to agree on the priority and wisdom of cooperative missions and evangelism
."
Moore, however, despite the extensive Baylor University network that campaigned on his behalf, was defeated again in 1986, losing to Adrian Rogers
, then the pastor of the large Bellevue Baptist Church
of Memphis
, Tennessee, and the choice of the fundamental-conservative wing. SBC conservatives, who maintained their majority in denominational leadership after 1979, considered Moore a liberal in theology
though he preferred the term "moderate-conservative".
While in Amarillo, Moore was also the chairman of the Baylor board of trustees for four years.
Prior to coming to Amarillo, Moore served in churches in Borger
in Hutchinson County
in the Texas Panhandle
, Tupelo
, Mississippi
, and Birmingham
, Alabama
. He formerly served on the boards of the Southern Baptist Blue Mountain College
in Blue Mountain
, Mississippi, Wayland Baptist University, and Howard Payne University
in Brownwood
, Texas.
named Moore "Man of the Year" in 1977 and 1989. His involvement in civic causes encompasses United Way, Rotary International
, and the High Plains Baptist Hospital in Amarillo. He headed a board that raised $6 million to build the hospital. He also worked to raise funds for the Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice and Life Enrichment Center and the Amarillo Ronald McDonald House.
In 1990, he joined the Baylor faculty. In 1993, the W. Winfred and Elizabeth Moore Visiting Professorship in Ministry Guidance was established in honor of the Moores. In 1997, he was named director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness, a program jointly sponsored by Baylor and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
In 2000, he was named by the Amarillo Globe-News among the one hundred "History Makers of the High Plains" of the 20th century. Other receiving the same accolade were former State Representative
Malouf Abraham, Sr.
, of Canadian
, Texas, former State Senators Grady Hazlewood
, Max Sherman
and Teel Bivins
, and former Amarillo Mayor
and Texas Railroad Commissioner Ernest O. Thompson
.
In 2004, he received the "Baptist Elder Statesman" Award.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. was president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas
Baptist General Convention of Texas
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. The churches cooperating with the Baptist General Convention of Texas partner nationally and internationally with both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,...
and, a prominent figure in the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
during the second half of the 20th century.
Family and education
Moore was born to the late W.E. Moore and the former Sadie Hammonds (October 13, 1900–October 24, 1997) of MilanMilan, Tennessee
Milan is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,851 at the 2010 census. The zip code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service is 38358. Residents of Milan are usually referred to as Milanites...
in Gibson County in western Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Moore's five sisters included Mary Evelyn Eddings (deceased), June Moore, Wanda Cooper, Betty Gass, and Phyllis Riley, the latter of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Moore was educated at Lambuth College and Union University
Union University
Union University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, and Hendersonville, Tennessee...
, both in Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
, Tennessee. He then enrolled at George Peabody College in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee. He holds an honorary doctor of divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Wayland Baptist University
Wayland Baptist University
Wayland Baptist University is private, coeducational Baptist university based in Plainview, Texas, U.S.A. Wayland Baptist has a total of fourteen campuses in four additional Texas cities, five other states, and the country of Kenya. On August 31, 1908, the university was chartered by the state of...
in Plainview
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,336 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
, Texas, and an honorary doctor of laws from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
.
Moore and his wife, the former Elizabeth Campbell (born 1921), have three children: Anne Preston of Amarillo, Fred Moore of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and Maria Patterson of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, Texas.
After service at FBC in Amarillo from 1959–1989, Moore became visiting distinguished professor of religion and director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness at Baylor University in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, Texas. During his time in Waco, he was also the interim pastor of churches in Waco, Lampasas
Lampasas, Texas
Lampasas is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,786 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Lampasas County.Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
, Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
Baptist affairs
In 1984, Moore was elected president of the Baptist General Convention of TexasBaptist General Convention of Texas
The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. The churches cooperating with the Baptist General Convention of Texas partner nationally and internationally with both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,...
and served until 1986. He was also the first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1985 to 1986. In 1985, Moore, as the moderate candidate, lost the SBC presidential contest in a challenge to the fundamental-conservative incumbent, Charles F. Stanley
Charles Stanley
Charles Stanley , is a US preacher, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.Charles Stanley may also refer to:*Charles H...
, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Moore received 19,795 votes (44.7 percent) to Stanley's 24,453 (55.3 percent). SBC presidents normally served only two consecutive one-year terms.
In 1986, Moore told his Amarillo congregation that he would allow his name to be placed again in nomination for the SBC presidency to succeed Stanley. Moore indicated that he had long "been deeply disturbed about the direction of our convention. At the present we are headed in the direction of making doctrinal agreement a prerequisite for cooperative missions and evangelism. Our Cooperative Program
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
(unified method of support) was established [in 1926] because Baptists were confident that it is the most effective way to reach the world for Christ. History consistently has shown the basic rightness of that decision. . . . We have agreed and do agree on the authority of the Bible, but we have not and will not completely agree on the interpretation of the Bible. What we did back in 1926 . . . was to trust each other and to agree on the priority and wisdom of cooperative missions and evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
."
Moore, however, despite the extensive Baylor University network that campaigned on his behalf, was defeated again in 1986, losing to Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers
Adrian Pierce Rogers served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention , a Southern Baptist pastor, and a conservative author....
, then the pastor of the large Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church is a large Southern Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-History:Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis...
of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee, and the choice of the fundamental-conservative wing. SBC conservatives, who maintained their majority in denominational leadership after 1979, considered Moore a liberal in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
though he preferred the term "moderate-conservative".
While in Amarillo, Moore was also the chairman of the Baylor board of trustees for four years.
Prior to coming to Amarillo, Moore served in churches in Borger
Borger, Texas
Borger is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,302 at the 2000 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also established the Hutchinson County seat of Stinnett and several other small towns in Texas and Oklahoma.- History...
in Hutchinson County
Hutchinson County, Texas
Hutchinson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the northern portion of the Texas Panhandle. In 2000, its population was 23,857. Its seat is Stinnett . Hutchinson County is named for Andrew Hutchinson, an early Texas attorney....
in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, Tupelo
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He formerly served on the boards of the Southern Baptist Blue Mountain College
Blue Mountain College
Blue Mountain College is a private liberal arts college, supported by the Mississippi Baptist Convention, located in the northeastern Mississippi town of Blue Mountain not far from Tupelo, Miss. In 2005, the College's Board of Trustees voted unanimously for the college to go fully...
in Blue Mountain
Blue Mountain, Mississippi
Blue Mountain is a town in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 670 at the 2000 census. It is the location of Blue Mountain College, a private Christian liberal arts college.-Geography:...
, Mississippi, Wayland Baptist University, and Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University is a four-year private university located in Brownwood, Texas.Currently the university enrolls 1,400 full-time students. Howard Payne is known for the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom, its Music program and its Christian Studies program...
in Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
, Texas.
Civic service and honors
The Amarillo Globe-NewsAmarillo Globe-News
Amarillo Globe-News is a newspaper in Amarillo, Texas, owned by the Morris Communications Company.The current-day Globe-News is a combination of several newspapers published in Amarillo. One began on November 4, 1909, as a prohibition publication by the Baptist deacon Dr. Joseph Elbert Nunn...
named Moore "Man of the Year" in 1977 and 1989. His involvement in civic causes encompasses United Way, Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, and the High Plains Baptist Hospital in Amarillo. He headed a board that raised $6 million to build the hospital. He also worked to raise funds for the Baptist St. Anthony's Hospice and Life Enrichment Center and the Amarillo Ronald McDonald House.
In 1990, he joined the Baylor faculty. In 1993, the W. Winfred and Elizabeth Moore Visiting Professorship in Ministry Guidance was established in honor of the Moores. In 1997, he was named director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness, a program jointly sponsored by Baylor and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
In 2000, he was named by the Amarillo Globe-News among the one hundred "History Makers of the High Plains" of the 20th century. Other receiving the same accolade were former State Representative
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr. was a self-made Texas multi-millionaire in the oil and natural gas business and a political and civic leader from Canadian, the seat of Hemphill County in the northeastern Texas Panhandle. He made his fortune in part by leasing mineral rights throughout the eastern Panhandle...
, of Canadian
Canadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
, Texas, former State Senators Grady Hazlewood
Grady Hazlewood
Grady Hazlewood was a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from 1941 to 1971, having represented the Amarillo-based District 31 in the Panhandle...
, Max Sherman
Max Sherman
Max Ray Sherman is a former member of the Texas State Senate from Amarillo, Texas. He was also president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and dean of the Lyndon B...
and Teel Bivins
Teel Bivins
Miles Teel Bivins served as United States ambassador to Sweden between 2004 and 2006. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2004, and sworn in at Washington D.C., on May 26. He presented his credentials to King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on June 9...
, and former Amarillo Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and Texas Railroad Commissioner Ernest O. Thompson
Ernest O. Thompson
Ernest Othmer Thompson was a general in the United States Army during World War I, a mayor of Amarillo, Texas, an attorney, a businessman , and a 32-year member of the Texas Railroad Commission. He was recognized as a world authority on petroleum and natural gas production and conservation...
.
In 2004, he received the "Baptist Elder Statesman" Award.