NAMB president, 3 associates, resign

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Geoff Hammond and three of his closest associates resigned their positions with the North American Mission Board after trustees met more than seven hours in executive session Aug. 11 at the board's Alpharetta, Ga., headquarters.

The three staff members who also resigned were Dennis Culbreth, senior assistant to the president; Steve Reid, senior associate to the president for strategy development; and Brandon Pickett, communications team leader.

Their resignations came after 54 of the board's 57 trustees met in an all-day closed session. Four of the 54 trustees participated by conference call.

Until the announcement of the resignations, there was no word from trustees throughout the day about either the substance of their discussions or their progress toward a resolution.

In a statement delivered to the media at 7:33 p.m. Eastern, trustee chairman Tim Patterson said:

"First I want to thank the trustees of the North American Mission Board who have come together today and worked through some very difficult issues. They have carried out their responsibilities today in a way that has been honorable, thorough and fair.