VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 1/5/12)—The new officers for American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) began their terms this week for the biennium beginning January 1, 2012 and ending December 31, 2013. Ruth Clark is serving as president, Rev. Don Ng as vice president, and James R. Ratliff is continuing his service as budget review officer.
“We welcome Ruth, Don and Jim as ABC officers for this next biennium. Each brings a wealth of experience to their role that will serve us well in a biennium of transition,” said Roy Medley, general secretary of ABCUSA. ”During these next two years the Board of General Ministries will be reinventing itself and these three will help lead us into new roles for it and ABCUSA/OGS.”
Reid Trulson, executive director of International Ministries, said, “The exceptional leadership that Ruth gave first as vice-president (2008-9) and then as president (2010-11) of American Baptist International Ministries has been highly valued by Board members, missionaries and staff. She has represented us well in international as well as inter-church settings. We are indeed blessed as she now begins to exercise her leadership gifts within our American Baptist movement as our new ABCUSA president.”
Nominated by the Central Region, Clark served two terms on the General Board (now the Board of General Ministries), including four years as part of its Executive Committee. She served as vice president of International Ministries, chaired the Bylaws Committee for IM in preparation for the new structure, and just completed her term as president of that board. Regionally, she chaired the Alaska Commission and the regional Mission and Stewardship Committee, served on the Board of Directors, and was part of both the Task Force on Restructure for the Region and the Bylaws Task Force. Clark is a member of the Judson Baptist Church of Kansas City, Kansas where her husband John is pastor. She is actively involved in the educational, musical, and women’s ministries of the church, teaching Sunday school and serving as church pianist for the worship team
Since 1998, Ng has served as senior pastor of the historic First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco that was started by the American Baptist Home Mission Societies in 1880. Denominationally, Don served on the General Board (now Board of General Ministries), Executive Committee of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Executive Committee of the General Board, and the Education Task Force for the new ABCUSA Bylaws that were adopted in June 2011. From 1978-1998, Don was on the national staff of American Baptist Educational Ministries in Valley Forge, where he was director of Education for Discipleship, Youth Ministry and represented EM on the General Executive Council. He was also involved in curriculum development, camping and conferencing, Asian Pacific youth ministry and Christian education, and directed a number of the national American Baptist youth gatherings. Additionally, he served as the Chief Affirmative Action officer for ABCUSA. Other ABCUSA involvements include serving as a trustee at the American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, CA and as president of the ABCUSA Asian Caucus.
Ratliff has served as a regionally nominated representative from ABC of Metro New York, where he has served as region president. During his terms as representative, Jim was a member of the Board of International Ministries where he served on the Finance Committee. He also served on the Budget Review Committee of the General Board prior to beginning his service as budget review officer in 2007.
To learn more about the Board of General Ministries and the new officers, please click here.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.