David Platt, who has announced his resignation but is still CEO of the IMB, had a plan to greatly expand the Board's overseas workforce. The plan was to meld unpaid overseas secular workers into the IMB's work. Not a few questions were raised about this but it was a plan to get IMB's numbers back up. I know of no SBC entity or institution that is planning for significant expansion based on projected increases in Cooperative Program revenues. IMB receives less than one-third of their budget from CP revenues, much more from Lottie Moon offering and direct gifts. I don't see much going on in … [Read more...] about How IMB’s overseas workers could double in number
Cooperative Program
How many churches give around the Cooperative Program?
This is a bit of a trick question and certainly a tricky question to answer. There has always been available to churches a manner by which they might bypass their state convention and give directly to the Executive Committee for distribution to the seminaries and mission boards and other entities receiving funds through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. The church sends directly to Nashville and the EC what would ordinarily be sent to the state as Cooperative Program money. While this is cooperative in the sense that it joins with other churches in funding SBC missions and education, … [Read more...] about How many churches give around the Cooperative Program?
Great Commission Giving is a mess…but has usefulness
Great Commission Giving was intended to be a metric that lumped all SBC giving, Cooperative Program and societal, into one sum for each church. The latest figure for GCG was $646,017,306. That's a pretty good sum and being the veteran braggers that we SBCers are, it's a good figure to toss out there. But it is a flawed statistic. Consider the following. Baptist Press reported on the giving record of the church pastored by the announced nominee for First Vice President. For 2016 -- the last year for which data is available from the SBC's Annual Church Profile -- New Seasons classified … [Read more...] about Great Commission Giving is a mess…but has usefulness
Why We Can’t Wait: The SBC’s Continual Need to Pursue Racial/Ethnic Diversity In Leadership
As the MLK50 Conference sponsored by the ERLC and TGC came to an end last night, I was both encouraged and discouraged. I was incredibly encouraged with what was said, the amazing people I met, the hard truths expressed, and the desire of 4000 people to bring racial healing to the church under the blood of Jesus and the Cross of Christ. But, upon reflection I was also a bit discouraged that it has taken so long to get here, and I left concerned that we would easily fall back into our centuries old pattern of “going slow” when it came to all of us coming together in sacrificial love and unity … [Read more...] about Why We Can’t Wait: The SBC’s Continual Need to Pursue Racial/Ethnic Diversity In Leadership
CP is up by millions: Can we live with prosperity or mess it all up?
Our venerable Cooperative Program is doing well this fiscal year. Baptist Press reports from the SBC Executive Committee that National CP 4.9% ahead of mid-year projection. The $100,706,826.63 received by the Executive Committee for the first six months of the fiscal year, Oct. 1 through March 31, for distribution through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget represents 104.90 percent of the $96,000,000.00 year-to-date budgeted projection to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. The total is $2,358,588.29 or 2.40 percent more than the $98,348,238.34 … [Read more...] about CP is up by millions: Can we live with prosperity or mess it all up?
Who are the heirs of the Conservative Resurgence? (Luke Holmes)
I eagerly attended my first SBC Meeting in Houston in 2013. It was the closest it had ever been to me and the church had the money to help me. I signed up for every breakout and meeting I could find, and I sat through much of the business sessions and reports. I wanted to soak it all in. I finally got to see and listen to in person many of the names and faces I had only seen from a distance over the years. At one breakout, I don’t remember which one, Danny Akin, president of SEBTS referred to himself as a “child” of the Conservative Resurgence. By this, I took him to mean that he … [Read more...] about Who are the heirs of the Conservative Resurgence? (Luke Holmes)
IMB – Too Valuable to Lose (4) (Anonymous Emeritus Missionary)
This is the fourth in a series of posts by this retired missionary. I write anonymously as an emeritus missionary to draw attention to several important issues for Southern Baptists to consider about our mission future. I only speak for myself, but I believe that many missionaries agree with much of what I am saying. The IMB must continue to affirm and strengthen its core business of sending long-term, God-called missionaries in focused teams to plant reproducing indigenous churches among all the nations. This requires ongoing evaluation of trendy new directions that can actually … [Read more...] about IMB – Too Valuable to Lose (4) (Anonymous Emeritus Missionary)
Who “fully supports” the Cooperative Program?
Since no Southern Baptist church is forced to give to our wonderful, common, funding mechanism the Cooperative Program, how helpful is it to classify any church's percentage CP giving as fully cooperative or less than fully cooperative and more of an indicator of societal giving? My view is that in isolation, using a church's CP percentage as a measure of their cooperativeness or of their Southernbaptistness is ultimately harmful. Randy Adams, the Executive Director of the SBC state convention known as the Northwest Baptist Convention, an area covering Oregon, Washington, and northern … [Read more...] about Who “fully supports” the Cooperative Program?
The Cooperative Program: A Testimony (Steven Newell)
With all the negative press surrounding the Cooperative Program (CP) in recent days with this nonsense about campaigning, let me offer some positive words about the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship program. First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephen Newell. Some of you may be familiar with me from social media, for which I am profoundly sorry! I am a graduate of Baptist institutions, a B.A. from Carson-Newman College (now University) in 1999 and an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006. I was born and raised in SBC churches and have never been a … [Read more...] about The Cooperative Program: A Testimony (Steven Newell)
Felix Cabrera to Be Nominated for SBC Second Vice President
Felix Cabrera, Pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central in Oklahoma City, will be nominated for SBC Second Vice President. The initial announcement came Friday afternoon through Baptist Press. Pastor Ed Litton (Redemption Church, Mobile, Alabama) will nominate Cabrera at the Annual Meeting in Dallas, June 12-13. Cabrera's list of accomplishments and service are impressive. You can see all the details in the BP article, but I wanted to pull a few highlights here. Iglesia Bautista Central was planted in 2015 and has grown to over 200 in weekly attendance. They've been recognized twice for their high … [Read more...] about Felix Cabrera to Be Nominated for SBC Second Vice President