New Annuity Board team serves Texas churches

DALLAS?A new team is in place to assist Texas pastors and church staff members in their retirement planning through the Southern Baptist Annuity Board.

Instead of one area director available to assist the more than 1,300 congregations and 115 associations relating to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, there are now three area directors sharing this responsibility.

Chris Elkins will be working with churches and associations in the Panhandle and West Texas region. His major cities include Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, El Paso, Brownwood and surrounding associations.

Elkins came to the Annuity Board in 1999 after serving on the staff of Southern Baptist churches in Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas.

Brad Thompson will be working with churches and associations in South Texas. His region will include all churches and associations from San Antonio to Brownsville.

Thompson joined the Annuity Board staff in 1986 after serving as a missionary in Mexico City, on the staff of Green Acres Church in Tyler and as a singles and married young adult consultant.

Mike Harris will be working with churches and associations in Central and East Texas. His region will include the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex as well as Austin, Houston and East Texas.

Harris recently joined the Annuity Board staff after serving as a family financial planner the past five years. He also was the founding pastor in 1993 of Broadmoor Life Fellowship Church in Colorado Springs.

State Texas is a large and varied state so we have made the strategic decision to multiple persons to coordinate their efforts so the Annuity Board can provide quality service to all participants,” said Dixie Beard, Annuity Board relationship marketing manager and liaison to the SBTC.

“We believe the combined effort makes us more accessible to a larger group of individuals serving in the local churches and associations. In addition, any participant can contact the Annuity Board using the toll-free number at 1-800-262-0511 or on our Web site at www.absbc.org,” Beard said.