INFORMATION SERVICE
 
 
Baptist World Alliance
Eron Henry, Associate Director of Communications
Neville Callam, General Secretary
Website: www.bwanet.org  
Email: communications@bwanet.org
Phone: +1 703 790 8980
Fax: +1 703 893 5160

July 29, 2010
 
For Immediate Release
BWA President David Coffey demits office
Washington (BWA) -- David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance since 2005, will demit office at the conclusion of the 20th Baptist World Congress in Honolulu, Hawai'i, from July 28 to August 1.

Coffey was elected during the Congress in Birmingham, England, in July 2005, which marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the BWA. The first congress was held in London in 1905.

During his tenure as BWA president, Coffey has visited many countries and represented the BWA in a number of meetings with government leaders, including presidents, prime ministers and other government leaders in Israel, Lebanon, and Cuba. He has led BWA delegations to Vietnam, China and Jordan, and has preached to Baptists in a number of countries in various BWA regions.

Among Coffey's BWA initiatives was the formation of the BWA Emerging Leaders Network, formed to identify potential Baptist leaders who, over the past several years, met during the BWA Annual Gathering.

Coffey was the driving force behind the formation of the Implementation Task Force which completed its work during the period and made recommended changes to the BWA, inclusive of changes to the size and makeup of the BWA Executive Committee and other constitutional reforms.

It was also during Coffey's tenure that the BWA elected Neville Callam as BWA general secretary, succeeding Denton Lotz who retired in 2007.

Prior to being elected BWA president, Coffey was general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) for 15 years, and is a former president of the BUGB and of the European Baptist Federation, one of six regional fellowships of the BWA.

He was also a former Moderator of the Free Churches Group which represents 19 Free Church denominations in England; and was one of the four presidents of the ecumenical group, Churches Together in England, serving alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and a representative of the Orthodox churches.

In 2008, Coffey was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to inter-faith relations. He was also named to the Advisory Council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2008.

"It has been  an inestimable privilege to serve as the BWA president," Coffey stated. "The opportunities for international ministry have been immense and the capacity for personal spiritual development has gone beyond all expectations. The prayers of those who have followed my global journeys have been a sustaining power for my ministry."

An author, Coffey's books include Build That Bridge, a study in conflict and reconciliation in church life; and Joy to the World, an Advent devotional guide.
 
 
 
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