Dan C. Stringer dies following long denominational career and short illness

By Don Hepburn | Oct. 4, 2007

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—“We have lost a giant in Southern Baptist life,” observed Vanita Baldwin reflecting on the Oct. 2 death of Dan C. Stringer, who served as executive director-treasurer for the Florida Baptist Convention from 1979 to 1989.

The 79-year-old former denominational leader had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a little over two weeks earlier. By the time doctors had completed their first round of tests and a liver biopsy, they determined that the cancer had spread beyond the liver to Stringer’s lungs, lymph nodes, pancreas and kidneys.

Funeral services are scheduled to be held Oct. 6 at the First Baptist Church of Sun City, just west of Phoenix. The former state executive is survived by his wife of 59 years, Harriett, age 80, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and a son Kirk. A married daughter—Sheridan Kaye Stringer Cox—predeceased her father over a decade ago.

During his tenure with Florida Baptists, Stringer’s most significant contribution was leading Florida to become in 1985 the first state Baptist convention to send 50 percent of its undesignated receipts to the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program. After four years, pressing financial needs and a downturn in the economy required the State Convention to back away from the 50-50 split.

Recognizing Florida’s growing non-Anglo population, Stringer created a language missions department and expanded program resources to train ethnic church leaders. He recommended the creation of an evangelism division which elevated the visibility and role of the program. Reflecting his passionate commitment to Southern Baptist pioneer mission areas, he led the State Convention to enter into state-to-state mission partnerships with Baptist conventions in Pennsylvania-South Jersey, Montana and North and South Dakota.

Stringer also led in the expansion and development of the Convention’s camps and assembly facilities. These efforts included the purchase of land and construction of the Blue Springs Assembly near Marianna, the addition of facilities at the Lake Yale assembly in Lake County and the purchase of property in Hendry County for a future South Florida assembly facility.

At the time Stringer was elected to serve as the eighth executive director-treasurer by the State Board of Missions in November, 1979, the State Convention had 772,252 adult members in 1,677 churches and missions. When he stepped down in March, 1989, Florida Baptists numbered 950,000 members in 1,825 churches and missions.

Apart from the litany of accomplishments, Stringer was more than just an administrator. People who worked with him recalled his quick wit and his great ability to relate to ordinary people.

Charles Peterson, who served alongside three executive directors during his 34 years tenure with the Convention, said Stringer “loved the people he worked with.” He went on to explain that Stringer worked “to make our lives better,” as Convention employees.

Peterson recalled a series of regional meetings he and Stringer organized in the early 1980s. The regional events were designed to “really to find what people in the state felt about the Convention.” He said the listening sessions helped the Convention staff to learn “how we could do the work better.”

Vanita Baldwin, who served as director of the Woman’s Missionary Union Department during the Stringer era, characterized their work relationship as “a personal privilege and a challenge.” The former missions’ leader recalled that while she and Stringer had disagreements over personnel issues, Baldwin said Stringer “never had a closed agenda.” Rather, “he was very honest” with the staff.

Having known Stringer since the 1960s when Stringer’s father was the city missionary for Albuquerque, N.M., Baldwin observed, “We have lost a giant in Southern Baptist life.”

Several persons who served on the State Board of Missions during the 1980s fondly recalled Stringer’s decade-long tenure.

“He led our convention with steady, thoughtful and mature organizational skill,” recalled Pastor Guy Sanders, who currently serves the First Baptist Church, New Port Richey. From 1985 to 1991, Sanders served on the State Board of Missions representing the Ridge Baptist Association. “His wit, wisdom, and passion for Florida Baptists and Southern Baptists made him a valuable asset to those he served following his retirement from his ministry among us.”

In front of groups of people, “Dr. Stringer’s persona was real professional,” recalled layman Bob Ramey of Ocala. “But once you got him out of the public spotlight he was really funny and had a real concern for people.” Ramey assessed Stringer’s leadership by observing, “Whatever he did he did for the good of Florida Baptists.”

“There was no question about his commitment to the Lord,” recalled Jacksonville layman Charles Suttles. The one-time State Convention vice president said that Stringer was “not only fair, but he was a magnificent leader.” The former member of the State Board of Missions said Stringer was “so likeable” because he “was very close to the people.”

Current Florida Baptist Convention Executive Director John Sullivan who succeeded Stringer in 1989 observed, “In these 50 years, Dr. Stringer has always been a consummate Christian gentleman.” The two men first met nearly five decades earlier when Sullivan led a youth revival at First Baptist Church, Buckeye, Arizona, at which Stringer was serving as pastor.

Since that time Sullivan said his observations of Stringer’s ministry can be characterized as, “Never acting outside the confines of the character of Christ.”

Sullivan went on to describe Stringer’s work ethic by using four pithy phrases: “Hard working. High expectations. Healthy administration. And humble servant.” He concluded by affirming, “The wonderful work he did in the Convention has made my work more enjoyable and doable.”

Stringer took early retirement at age 61 in part due to a growing medical problem—myasthenia gravis—which contributed to failing eyesight and speech impediments. However, in his official announcement to the State Board of Missions in May, 1988, Stringer said, “I feel it is time for a different direction for me and for Florida Baptists.”

Recalling his nearly 10 years of executive leadership, Stringer said, “In my understanding of the dynamic needs of the Florida Baptist Convention, it is a good time for a change in executive leadership.”

He did not elaborate on what he saw as the “different direction” or the “dynamic needs.”

More than a dozen years later, Stringer reflected upon his service with Florida Baptists and other Baptist entities. “Patience and a sense of humor” were the main ingredients needed to work with Baptists, Stringer said in a 2003 oral history interview. He went on to explain that “being an executive director is the most exciting job you could ever have. You do not deal with the same thing two days in a row” let alone “two hours in a row.”

Recalling his long denominational career, Stringer said his greatest strength was the “ability to relate to people.” In his typical unassuming manner Stringer said that his “administrative skills were not the best in the world.” Continuing, he admitted that as an administrator he had “no training for it and no formal education preparing for it.” Concluding he said, “But for what I had to offer I probably did as good as I could.”

Following retirement from the Florida post Stringer and his wife Harriett, who was a native of Lisbon, Fla., moved to Phoenix, Ariz., a state where he had a long history of local church and denominational service.

Stringer was soon enlisted by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Board to serve as executive director-treasurer. His primary task was to lead the Convention through difficult times that included a decline in Cooperative Program receipts that forced staff cuts and reductions in program services to churches. The Convention also was reeling from a $3.6 million deficit in the Baptist Loan Fund. Stringer led the Executive Board in developing a 10-year plan to erase the deficit, and the goal was reached earlier.

After serving the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention for five years, Stringer retired from that post in June, 1995. During the following five months Stringer served as interim executive director on a contract basis two days a week, until a permanent executive director was employed in November.

In 1998 Stringer was elected to serve on the voluntary board of directors of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona. By November, 1999, the board learned that the Foundation was being forced into bankruptcy with liabilities of approximately $650 million and assets of $290 million. As a result, the Arizona Attorney General later proved in court the illegal use of investor funds by several Foundation officers. Stringer became a key player in leading the board to resolve the civil suits that grew out of the bankruptcy and the criminal proceedings against several Foundation employees. Those efforts resulted in investors, many of whom were retirees, recovering up to 80 percent of their funds.

Subsequently, Stringer continued to serve as an interim pastor and volunteered to organize the ASBC historical records and archives.

A native of Cordell, Okla. (b. 1927), Stringer came to the Florida position from Portland, Ore., where he had served as executive director-treasurer of the Northwest Baptist Convention from 1971 to 1979. From 1966 to 1971, Stringer served the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention in a variety of roles: associate missions director, stewardship director, assistant executive secretary, associate executive secretary and as missions director.

Stringer graduated from Baylor University in 1952 and earned a degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1957. During the ensuing 12 years, he served as pastor of churches in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

In 1944, at age 17 and before he had completed his high school degree, Stringer joined the U.S. Marine Corps. By the time he had completed boot camp, both the Germans and the Japanese had surrendered bringing W.W. II to an end. He was assigned to a fire protection unit and at age 18, as a private first class, was third in command of a 128-man unit. In August, 1946, Stringer was honorably discharged from the Corps.