Cooperative Program escrowing is rare, but evidently highly leveraged. Earlier in the year a prominent megapastor and megachurch announced that they were escrowing CP gifts over statements coming out of the ERLC. This was resolved but while the Executive Committee's attention was on the matter, they voted to do a study. It was implied that numerous churches escrow their cooperative gifts, leading me to think that the problem may be more widespread than a few disgruntled megas. The study was completed and a report given. BP's headine was, CP witholding found to be lower than anticipated. Seems … [Read more...] about Crowing about escrowing, monument madness, CP, and disaster relief
Our IMB and conservative fiscal management
The IMB's report of their recent trustee meeting included information about their budget for the coming fiscal year, October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. The total budget is $262 million. The Board's budget is by far the largest of all Southern Baptist entities and is slightly more than the combined totals of all six seminaries plus NAMB. My grandson would call it "ginormous" if it was on his radar. The budget is described as "balanced" and "conservative," terms that should assuage all Southern Baptists who drop their hard-earned money in the offering plates Sunday after Sunday to … [Read more...] about Our IMB and conservative fiscal management
A post-Labor Day SBC smorgasbord
My church had a big anniversary celebration this past Sunday. In what was likely the SBC culinary outrage of the year, there was not a single piece of fried chicken available but there was plenty of bbq. Here's a smorgasbord of SBC items of interest: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is going full bore in response to the two big hurricanes that have hit the US. This is one of the best things we do cooperatively. While we do not minister in this way for the public credit that follows, it would be beneficial if we had a better publicity system. There is an SBCDR Facebook page. NAMB has a … [Read more...] about A post-Labor Day SBC smorgasbord
Baptist associations and the struggle with irrelevance
Did you read the Baptist Press story on the survey of local Baptist associations? Survey Weighs Value of Baptist Associations. Perhaps the most salient quote coming out of this recent study might be this one, "When asked to describe the most exciting aspect of their local Baptist association, the most popular answer among church leaders was 'nothing,'" said Jason Lowe, a Kentucky director of missions who led the study that looked into attitudes about the work of local Baptist associations. "Nothing." How's that for a succinct evaluation of the work of our most historic cooperative … [Read more...] about Baptist associations and the struggle with irrelevance
Eclipse report from William “Totality” Thornton
I'm about 45 minutes from the edge of totality so I had a strategy for prime viewing. Rather than get mixed up in a million or so of America's worst and most aggressive drivers, the metro Atlanta crowd, I took some familiar secondary roads to make a push deep into the totality zone, at least deep enough to get two or more minutes viewing of totality. This is serious business and one shouldn't be too casual about the natural event of a lifetime. My support staff included my wonderful wife and daughter - who understood that this was likely to be similar to airline flights we have taken over … [Read more...] about Eclipse report from William “Totality” Thornton
Confederate Monument Mayhem
In the early 21st Century a paroxysm of rage and indignation arose against the symbols and statues of the Confederacy that was expressed by the defacing of graves, widespread destruction and vandalism of Confederate monuments on both public and private property, in parks, on battlefields and even in museums. The time came to be known as The Great Confederate Cleansing. The movement is generally considered to have fueled the growth of more radical hate groups and to have lowered the tone of racial discussion. Highly unlikely, one speculates, that this would be an accurate description of future … [Read more...] about Confederate Monument Mayhem
Nostalgia, celebration, and those troublesome Confederate reminders
Most southerners my generation go back four or five generations to get to their ancestors who served in the Civil War. With a half century of genealogy as a hobby, I can say with some confidence that most Americans would be at a loss to name even a single great-great grandparent much less convey any knowledge of their involvement in the bloody conflict. I would list seven of eight family lines in the service of the Confederate States of America. The eighth family was a transplanted Yankee who made a stop in Mississippi, didn't like it, and settled in Georgia. My service-aged ancestor in the … [Read more...] about Nostalgia, celebration, and those troublesome Confederate reminders
Cooperative Program Dog Days of Summer Round-Up
Here are a few items that have accumulated regarding our venerable Cooperative Program. CP receipts by the Executive Committee through July are up. About $1.9 million more than for the same period last fiscal year. With two months to go in the fiscal year it's almost certain that the Executive Committee will be able to show an increase in CP receipts. This figure only includes CP received in Nashville. The Executive Committee also reports receipts of designated funds (mostly Lottie and Annie). This figure is down from last year about $13.8 million. Most of the decline is due to last year's … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program Dog Days of Summer Round-Up
“Here’s your pay package, pastor. We will divide it any way you want.”
GuideStone, our chief purveyor of advice on ministerial compensation, hates the compensation system expressed by the two sentences above. Better said, the professionals there and in our state conventions and LifeWay prefer a different approach to ministerial compensation that most SBC churches are using. While I think that my denominational staffers advocate for the better system, I'm not sure that churches have been weaned off of the natural methods of paying the preacher. That is, decide what the church has to allot for pastor pay and let (or work with) the pastor to divide this … [Read more...] about “Here’s your pay package, pastor. We will divide it any way you want.”
“…because churches are too trusting.”
That would be the brusque answer to the question, "Why do so many churches have money embezzled from them?" The fuller answer would be that most churches are small, depend on volunteers for financial matters, and are far too relaxed about the handling of contributions and disbursements by the people who serve as treasurers and church financial secretaries. [It is also the answer to the question, "Why are churches targeted by pedophiles?" and I have heard experts be less kind about this. "Because churches are stupid and are easy targets."] Take LifeWay Research's examination that touches on … [Read more...] about “…because churches are too trusting.”