Kansas-Nebraska honors a faithful shepherd, welcomes a new season of leadership.
By Kevin Ferstl/Church Forward KNCSB
Photography: Trevin Pasta
SALINA, Kan. (BP) -- The 2026 Annual Meeting of Church Forward (Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists) was hosted by the convention-owned Webster Conference Center Oct. 12-13.
This year's gathering carried special weight as messengers and guests paused to honor Executive Director-Treasurer Dr. David Manner, who is retiring after 26 years of service to Church Forward. After the meeting's opening sessions on Oct. 12, churches from across Kansas and Nebraska gathered that evening for a retirement dinner in Manner's honor.
Those who have known Manner for decades described a leader who has remained steady through difficult decisions and changing seasons, who built ministry around people rather than programs, and who has spent years investing in and equipping the next generation of pastors and leaders. “He’s steady,” one longtime colleague said when asked what stood out most about Manner’s leadership.
As one colleague reflected during the evening’s tribute, “Whatever ministry God entrusts to us, it’s only ours for a season. We don’t own it. We simply steward it.” The sentiment echoed through a night of gratitude for a leader many in the room credited with personally encouraging, mentoring, or investing in their own ministries.
Breakout sessions this year were led by John Shields and Eric Franklin (“Assessing Your Missional Vitality”), Danny Payne and Kelly Randolph (“Sharpening Your Discipleship Core”), and Timm Collins (“Aiming Your Church At Its Mission Field”), equipping pastors and church leaders to take an honest look at their churches’ health and identify practical next steps toward mission.
The meeting drew 250 messengers and 48 visitors, who gathered for worship, business, and training alongside the Manner tribute.
Alongside the retirement celebration, messengers also welcomed news of a new season of leadership. Dr. John Shields, who has served on Church Forward staff for five years as Director of Leadership Health, following three years as a part-time church health consultant, was announced as the convention’s new Executive Director-Treasurer, effective Nov. 1. Before joining Church Forward, Shields spent 25 years as lead pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Lexington, Neb.
“Church Forward has a long history of prioritizing the Great Commission through trusted relationships,” said Shields. “I have been blessed to have been a part of that as a pastor and humbled to embrace this new calling to serve the churches of Nebraska and Kansas. We all stand in a line of other faithful servants trusting God to advance His mission, as we obediently follow Him. My hope is to do just that during this next season.”
Shields said he will prioritize strengthening the missional vitality of individual churches and deepening a culture of discipleship across the convention, casting a vision of 500 missionally connected churches across Nebraska and Kansas, healthy, Spirit-led, and joyfully cooperative for the gospel.
The 2027 budget was approved in the amount of $4,689,420 with a Cooperative Program allocation of 29%, remaining consistent from 2026.
Officers elected for 2027 were President David Crowther, Vice President Shane Lester, Recording Secretary Vicki VanMeter, Assistant Recording Secretary Andrew Abbott, Parliamentarian Sandy Peterson, and Historical Secretary Tony Mattia.
The 2027 Church Forward Annual Meeting will be hosted by Webster Conference Center of Salina, Kan., Oct. 11-12, 2027.
