John Bates has worked at Church Extension Fund since 1984. What began as a job as an accounting clerk blossomed into a vocation as President and Chief Financial Officer. Bates announced his plans to retire at the CEF Fall Leadership Conference and again at the All Pastors Conference this fall. Bates will officially retire at the end of April 2026. Until then, he will work to make sure that the transition to a new CFO is a smooth one. "I have loved my time at Church Extension Fund, but it's time that I pass the torch to someone else. CEF is in a great place both financially and from a leadership standpoint, and it's easy to walk away when these two things are true." 

CEF will work to replace John and a job description will be on the CEF website in the near future. Thank you for all your years of service, John!