By Aaron Weaver
DECATUR, Ga. —The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship mourns the passing of Dr. Keith Parks, who served as the first coordinator of CBF Global Missions. Parks led the Fellowship’s new global missions efforts from January 1993 until his retirement in 1999.
CBF Executive Director Paul Baxley reflected on the rich legacy and contributions of Dr. Parks to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
“Dr. Keith Parks was deeply committed to the global mission of Jesus Christ throughout his life,” Baxley said. “He provided visionary and transformational leadership in the establishment of CBF Global Missions. His experience, missiology and strategic clarity laid a strong foundation for our Fellowship’s participation in Global Missions.
Dr. Parks was deeply respected not only by our Fellowship at large, but also by our first generation of field personnel who were touched by his leadership, integrity and vision,” Baxley noted. “Our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship family joins me in offering prayers of gratitude for his life, leadership and personal participation in inviting people to faith in Jesus Christ and His mission of transforming love in the world.”
Current and retired CBF field personnel and staff paid tribute to Dr. Parks with reflections and memories:
“Dr. Parks’ call to mission service was both a call to faith and a promise. The call to faith included a realization that we had more of everything than many in the world, including salvation in Christ Jesus. The promise? It was on behalf of the entire Fellowship–that when we gave away everything including a life near our families, the Fellowship would have our backs no matter what the future might hold.” —Marc Wyatt, director of Welcome House Raleigh Ministries and retired CBF field personnel; and Kim Wyatt, CBF field personnel serving in Research Triangle, N.C.
“Keith Parks is one of my heroes of the faith who embodied the Christian mission to reach the nations with the Gospel message. He was passionate about reaching the unreached and those with limited access to the Gospel and established CBF Global Missions to that end. His leadership and his vision for CBF Global Missions was one of the reasons Frank and I chose to be CBF field personnel.
One of the highlights of my ministry was when Keith and Helen Jean participated in a prayerwalk I led in Turkey. He stood with tears in his eyes overlooking the city/harbor of Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were sent out as the first New Testament missionaries and prayed with gratitude for all God had done. He said that day was a highlight of his ministry. Because of Keith’s life, service and leadership, countless people around the globe have come to have a personal relationship with Christ. Thanks be to God! –Karen Morrow, retired CBF field personnel
“Keith Parks had a passion for making sure everyone could hear the Good News about Jesus Christ—in sustainable, culturally appropriate ways—and he was open to creative means of doing this. And, he always wore a suit and tie!” –Keith Holmes and Mary VanRheenen, retired CBF field personnel in The Netherlands
“Sue and I were commissioned in 1987 under the leadership of Dr. Keith Parks while he served as president of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. Dr. Parks was a tireless advocate on behalf of missionaries and missions and was beloved by missionaries worldwide. He led with integrity and courage at a very difficult time.” –Greg Smith, retired CBF field personnel
“In the early days of CBF, when I heard that THE Dr. Keith Parks would come to CBF to head our Global Missions area, I was in total awe. I saw him as this larger-than-life icon I had learned about in my days in GAs. He was like the E F Hutton of Baptist life: When he spoke, people listened. It was a surprise to find out he was a person of great humility as well!
Before he re-located to Atlanta from Richmond, when he would call our office and I would answer the phone, he would simply say, ‘Clarissa, this is Keith.’ After General Assembly would end and the staff would do the scut work of packing everything up and come home, Keith would be there with the rest of us–shirt sleeves rolled up, breaking down displays and moving boxes.
In the office, he would be in the breakroom, heating his lunch in the microwave with the rest of us. I continued to hold this “giant” in the utmost regard as he traveled the globe working with our field personnel. But I also came to see him as ‘friend’ even as he lived out his call from God.” –Clarissa Strickland, retired CBF staff
“I’ve lost a true friend. Keith Parks left behind a legacy of faith, compassion and dedication. He played a pivotal role in shaping my professional and spiritual journey. It was the summer of 1994 when Keith flew to LaGuardia airport in NYC to interview me for a position with the 3-person global missions staff of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We were living in New York at that time and I met him at his gate (remember when we could do that?). We shared lunch, discussing the job opportunity and his vision for the future.
Later that week, I was offered the position, and my young family embarked on a life-changing journey to Atlanta. Working alongside Keith was a transformative experience, as he opened doors to new possibilities for me and broadened my perspective of the world. His selfless commitment to serving the most vulnerable worldwide was a testament to his unwavering faith.” –Grace Powell Freeman, CBF-endorsed chaplain and former CBF Global Missions staff leader
“As a global leader, Dr. Keith Parks helped missionaries break out of their paternalistic molds by encouraging immersion into local culture and language proficiency. As our world began to change, he helped us see and engage in a world without borders. No longer were we confined by geography in working among the peoples of the world. Because of his vision and understanding of our rapidly changing globalized world, field personnel with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship began to work in new and unique ways among people living outside of their home countries.
Dr Keith Parks was our mentor, an inspiring leader, but simply Uncle Keith to our children. He said once, “God does not call without a knowledge of your children.” That helped us through some difficult times as we raised children overseas. Both he and Helen Jean considered those serving as family. Keith was always ready to think through a problem with you. Helen Jean would drop everything and take time to pray with you. They were caring, thoughtful leaders ready to invest themselves personally in the lives of those sent out.” –Nell Green, retired CBF field personnel
“After a year on the field, Suzie and I sensed God’s urging toward a new ministry opportunity a bit different from our original job description. At a CBF strategy meeting, I cornered Dr. Parks to explain this possible shift. As I launched into my much-rehearsed pitch, Dr. Parks interrupted, saying, ‘You know, it’s usually easier to get forgiveness than get permission.’ What kind of boss says that to a newbie?
This was my first step in coming to understand Keith’s passion for innovation–his desire that field personnel would trust God’s leading and try new things for the Kingdom. All my life, I’d sought security in rule-following. Keith was teaching me to listen for the Spirit’s prodding and step out by faith. Maybe the ‘new thing’ would succeed, maybe it would be a ‘learning experience’ on the road to a more mature outlook. But it would be wrong not to try.” –Kirk, CBF field personnel in Southeast Asia
“Uncle Keith was one of the few big SBC personalities I was blessed to meet and become friends with that were not oversold. He was sharp, friendly and unafraid to operate from the edges. His vision for reaching the most unreached and most neglected around the globe made a difference in global missions. He visited works in a multitude of circumstances where he spoke very little and listened a lot. He called my mother just before she was operated on for spinal surgery. They actually waited to take her into the operation so he could pray for her. He never stopped learning and loving others!” –Jim Smith, retired field personnel and CBF Global Missions staff leader
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Led by the love of Christ, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship invites churches and individuals to
partner in transforming God’s world, working together as a global community to spread good
news, justice and hope through impactful ministries, missions and resources.