WASHINGTON — Baptist World Alliance (BWA) President David Coffey was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Coffey, BWA president since 2005, was honored with the OBE for his services to interfaith relations.
He previously served 15 years as general secretary for the Baptist Union of Great Britain and was moderator of the Free Churches in Britain for several years. The Free Churches is a grouping of non-Anglican Protestant and Evangelical churches that includes Baptists, Methodists, Salvation Army and the Assemblies of God, among others. Coffey was also one of the four presidents of the ecumenical group Churches Together in England.
The BWA leader stated that the honor given by the queen is “recognition of great work that is done by the thousands of Baptists and unsung heroes who will not appear on any honors list, but who we would be lost without.”
BWA General Secretary Neville Callam said, “David Coffey is a worthy beneficiary of the distinguished honor bestowed on him. His has been a life of service built on the foundation of vocational self-understanding and fueled by a keen mind, an uncompromising commitment to excellence, and a readiness to serve for the sake of Christ and the Church.
“The Baptist World Alliance holds David in very high esteem and we dare to entertain the thought that we have a share in the honor he has received.”
The OBE is one of several honors awarded by the queen, with persons named to the queen’s New Year’s Honors list.
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