ATLANTA - The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation hired Bill Johnson, 48, of Gulf Shores, Ala., Jan. 3 as stewardship associate, responsible for raising funds for endowments for CBF ministry initiatives and partners.

Johnson's primary focus is working with individuals who want to provide long-term support for CBF through endowments, said Don Durham, president of the CBF Foundation.

"An endowment provides resources for ministry that would very likely not otherwise be possible," added national CBF coordinator Daniel Vestal. "... I only wish there were more folk who saw this as a part of their stewardship."

Johnson was a pastor for 17 years in churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. For the past three years, he has worked as an investment representative.

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