I do appreciate your dialog here.

I won’t try to respond to everything but I do want to address some of the concerns that have been expressed about state conventions. I obviously can’t speak for everyone but as the communications director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention I am familiar with the KBC and can attest that you won’t meet anywhere a more hardworking or committed staff of Christians who have a strong passion for the Great Commission. These are folks who are working many hours each week in either direct ministries or in ministries that help to strengthen churches so that they can be effective in their own local ministries as well as strong supporters of SBC causes. I am aware of some on the staff who took pay cuts in leaving churches to come to work for the state convention but did so because they felt God calling them to serve here.

Discussing the division of CP resources is a completely legitimate and important process but as we do so, please keep in mind that, at least here in the KBC, we are working with fewer dollars than in the past – not more. In the 11 years that I have been with the convention, Cooperative Program giving has never matched the inflation rate and we have seen the average percentage of undesignated giving from the churches to the Cooperative Program decline from 9.3 percent in 1998 to just under 7 percent last year. At the same time, the Convention has moved to increase the percentage it sends to the SBC.

And this year, due to the downturn in the economy, the Kentucky Baptist Mission Board is working on a spendable budget that is less than the budget approved by messengers. The number of staff has also been reduced during the past 10 years and, again due to the recession, we have some positions that are going unfilled right now.

In Kentucky, CP gifts through the churches are basically divided three ways. The largest piece of the pie (just over 37 percent) goes to the SBC followed by a slightly smaller slice (36.5 percent) that goes to the Kentucky Baptist Mission Board for its work. Then the smallest piece of the pie (26.4 percent) goes to Christian education and KBC entities such as our children’s ministries, camps, foundation, etc.

In addition to supporting SBC mission causes through the CP, Kentucky churches are also supporting the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board through the special offerings. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering from Kentucky was more than $4 million this past year and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering was almost $2 million which effectively doubles what the SBC mission boards receive from Kentucky churches.

Every state convention, seminary, national SBC entity, church and individual Christian should always be looking for better ways to serve and to adapt to the missions and ministry needs of the times. I’m grateful to be a part of a state convention and national convention that is willing and even eager to examine itself and do just that.

Plus, if I understand correctly, it already is not necessary for money to go “through” the state. A church could decide to send it directly to the SBC. We could always “resolve” to encourage more of that.
.-= Todd Burus´s last blog ..Sunday Devotion- A Prayer over Joshua 10.42 =-.

“Still, the statement, if adopted by the Convention as a whole would carry the weight of a resolution and give churches and church leaders an additional basis on which to make needed changes.” ,

You mean like the weight the Garner resolution carried?

Resolutions are a waist of time, because they cannot be enforced as long as the various entities of the SBC can just ignore the ones they wish to ignore.

The whole convention process is a big waist of our time and God’s resources.
.-= Greg Alford´s last blog ..The Decline of LM and CP Offerings – Some Tough Questions =-.

My “objection” was not about LifeWay. It was about SS material.

There is something to be said about local churches having qualified leaders to be able to teach SS without using LW’s material, IMO. I think too much material that is used in SS gets a pass without the pastor actually going through the material to check for doctrinal standards. This goes for LW SS material as well. Everytime I taught from it in the past I did not stick by it, but would take the subject and move about.

The local church would do well to raise up leaders who will do the work of ministry in their teaching without pre-packaged material. That doesn’t mean NEVER use it, but don’t make it the norm.
.-= Mark Lamprecht´s last blog ..Should “Celebrity” Pastors Offer Disclaimers =-.

Plus, LifeWay is a lot more than just SS material. How many hours do you think are saved each year in the local church by buying into the LifeWay VBS packages? Again, you have to use their material, but you get to use their production which is not too shabby. Have you seen the websites they create with all of the digital images that your church can cut-and-paste for its own promotional materials. That’s not cheap or quick to produce, and it is something we take for granted having at our disposal.

Okay, sorry for being on a soapbox. I just wanted to defend the one branch of SBC interference, um . . . resources, that I think is actually helpful to the majority of us in the long run.
.-= Todd Burus´s last blog ..Cynicism and The Sinner’s Prayer- Paul’s Testimony =-.