VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 1/17/20)—Rev. Dr. Tom Wiles informed the Board of Ministries of the American Baptist Churches Of Rhode Island (ABCORI) in December of his plans to retire on June 30, 2020. In his letter to the Board he writes, “It is now my joy to share with you, as friends and colleagues, that on June 30, 2020, I will enter another new season of life and ministry…At that time, I will be 68 years old and will have served in full-time, vocational ministry for 43 years. I will always be both proud and thankful that those years culminated with 7½ years among the American Baptists of Rhode Island.”
Acting General Secretary C. Jeff Woods said, “We appreciate Tom’s many gifts and his willingness to serve the ABC with those gifts. He provided outstanding leadership to the ABCORI region, served as Secretary/Treasurer for the Regional Executive Ministers Council, and developed an improvisational model that benefited several regional and national organizations. We will miss Tom’s presence and sense of humor at our meetings.”
Rev. Dr. Tom Wiles has served as Executive Minister for the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island since 2013. Rev. Wiles served churches in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska in both pastoral and administrative roles for 36 years. A third generation Baptist pastor, Wiles was educated at Oklahoma Baptist University, Baylor University and Central Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Church Management and The Academy of Spiritual Formation.
In addition to his local church ministry, Rev. Wiles has served as University Chaplain and adjunct faculty in the areas of worship, leadership, and spiritual formation at Grand Canyon University. He has been involved in international mission endeavors in Mexico, Siberia, Myanmar and the Czech Republic.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.