One of the more recent creations connected with Southern Baptist life is Baptist Global Response. Although it was created in 2006 and has almost a decade of history, I never hear much about it but the reason for that might be that I don’t get all the usual mailings that go to Southern Baptist churches.
I’ve never given to it. When my church would take up offerings for the significant disasters (tsunami, earthquake, or other global catastrophes) I don’t ever recall sending the money to BGR, which describes itself as a “global Southern Baptist Relief and Development organization.” It also describes itself as “not an official entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, but it does seek to work with all Southern Baptists to better respond to acute and chronic needs and to coordinate worldwide relief and development efforts.”
The organization says that “Baptist Global Response was created to help Southern Baptists become more effective and efficient in responding to global needs created by acute and chronic situations. BGR seeks to coordinate the global resources of Southern Baptists in response to natural disasters, catastrophic crises, and chronic humanitarian needs outside the United States and Canada.”
The money involved in BGR is relatively small, a little over $4 million in contributions for 2014. I understand that some private gifts or grants were made to BGR and that BGR “partners” with IMB on relief, on administration of the World Hunger Fund offerings, and the like. I do not know of any regular offering taken for BGR, just occasional ad hoc ones.
The organization has a small staff based in five regions of the world with headquarters in Nashville.
The Board of Directors is (I’m guessing here) a self-perpetuating board. Present composition of the group includes one IMB staff, two state convention staffers, two pastors, two pastors wives, one in private business, one educator. They are all Southern Baptist so far as I know.
If I were still a pastor and some volcano or tsunami caused great suffering somewhere in the world, it looks to me like BGR would be the destination of choice for a special offering. I’d prefer that over other major relief players, certainly above any United Nations entity but also over CARE, the Red Cross, and others. Some few years ago a major disaster generated a sizable sum of money that was under control of a state convention. The funds were, I think, appropriately used but people had to be retained, there was a lot of travel expense. Sometimes a tsunami of money is a problem. BGR looks like it is set up to handle such things far more effectively and efficiently.
Right now BGR has a Nepal earthquake response. This is what I would ask my church to donate to if I had a church.
Being small, not having a ridiculously large trustee group, and having a partnership with the IMB which means some personnel on the ground almost everywhere makes BGR look very nimble and a good idea.
There are a good many things in SBC life or touching on SBC life that I know little about. This is one and it’s one that makes a lot of sense. I am curious to know if my more active and connected SBC colleagues know much about this and have experience with BGR?
BGR has an informative website: BGR
BGR is a fantastic organization. They do a great job of partnering with missionaries on the field, using them as translators and contacts, so that their relief mission into a country is built on some sort of an ongoing foundation for when the relief aspect is over. However, because of the nature of relief ministry, they’re also able to get into places that regular missionaries struggle with. Earthquakes, tsunamis and the like have a way of opening up doors not only to relief, but to the Gospel. They’ll also train your churches so that you have equipped people to go… Read more »
William,
I assume you saw the FAQ here:
https://gobgr.org/about/faq
Since BGR was founded right around the time we left the field, I have not had personal experience with them. But I totally agree, this looks like a fantastic organization/project that deserves to be supported and promoted as much as possible. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
I think this I the first time I ever heard of BGR, but I think I would give my contribution through either the IMB or Namb which ever was appropriate. Next on my list after them would be Franklin Graham’s organization along with the Billy Graham organization.
Dr. W.,
From what I understand, if you want to give toward disaster relief and humanitarian aid, and you want to do it through the IMB, the way to do that is through BGR. Though they are separate organizations, they work so closely together that to give to BGR is practically the same as giving to the IMB.
My understanding is that BGR is the relief and humanitarian version of the IMB, much in the same way that the individual state disaster relief teams often work closely, though not always under the same umbrella as, NAMB. Whenever I have Christian friends talking about giving to support disaster relief to an org such as the Red Cross, I always instead point them towards BGR.
As I understand it, BGR (and its Canadian counterpart “Canadian Global Response”) was created as a focused organization to work in partnership with the IMB. BGR is more focused more upon immediate crisis relief, and IMB is focused upon a longer term strategy. I know of few organizations that work in closer harmony than the two. BGR is smaller and leaner and can get in there quicker (many times on the first plane in), and being its own organization, the IMB’s name is not involved. Truth be known, many or most of the BGR projects are vital to IMB strategy… Read more »
Post your questions and I can get them answered, I think. Be specific.
Aha, a man with connections. Actually, I thought their FAQs and other info on the website was more informative than most SBC entities.
William,
My comment is rather different from Nick’s. Wen all the Syrian refugee problem developed my wife and I, both former IMB medical missionaries who speak Arabic, tried to volunteer for assisting. That was several years ago and we have yet to hear back.
And, on the subject of poorly communicated programs, what ever happened to the ready reserve program among the retired IMB missionaries?
Gerry Milligan
Because of security issues it was best to separate the disaster relief efforts of the IMB on to a different name and organization. However, it is the way recommended for Southern Baptist to give to disaster relief and it will always work in conjunction with the IMB. At one point, as I understand, it was necessary to separate the hunger relief funds from the disaster relief funds. I have worked with BGR but it has been a few years. As a Southern Baptist I would send all my disaster relief offerings though this organization.
How is this organization different from the various SBC disaster relief through the various state conventions?
State conventions typically national disaster relief, no? Looks like this is a global thing.
Our state disaster relief goes global as well.
There’s a team or two in Nepal right now.