The final total for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions for 2016 has been released by the IMB: $152,982,560.94. Round it up to $153 million and the 2017 total is a staggering $12.8 million lower than last year’s record $165.8 million. Read BP on it here.
This is no surprise to the Executive Committee whose monthly reports have given indications of a large drop, nor to the IMB which has been operating on a budget projection of $153.5 million, nor to observers like me who have been watching monthly figures. I notice that no report on the offering actually gives the dollar figure of the drop. Perhaps our loyal, SBC and IMB loving writers cannot train their fingers to juxtapose the numbers 165.8 and 153 on the screen.
But let’s be positive here:
- $153 million is a staggering sum for international missions. Thank God for the generosity of Southern Baptists who gave, virtually every SBC church in every state.
- IMB has things well in hand and no longer budgets to spend as if the goal will be met. The institutional memory of the mammoth deficits of the recent past will remain with IMB trustees and leadership for a long time.
- The amount of the decrease is about the same as the entire budget for Gateway Seminary. The amount of the offering is almost equal to the total budgets of all of our six seminaries.
It might be good to consider:
- As with almost every other metric in Southern Baptist life, revenues are flat and in some areas declining.
- Southern Baptists have the ability to respond as they did last year with the record $165.3 million offering. Most pastors would tell their church, “If we can do it once we can do it again, and again. So, let’s do it.” Same for LMCO.
- While a one-time crisis-based surge is good, it would be better if we had a permanent surge of IMB support. There are no less lost people in the world.
Thinking ahead in regard to international missions:
- The model of the 20th century of fully-supported personnel is going to be supplemented by a variety of alternatives in response to financial and other factors.
- I don’t know anyone who has the ability to see where this will be a decade or so in the future.
- Southern Baptists will continue to invest heavily in the LMCO.
- It sounds rather retro but it would be helpful if churches gave greater prominence to the WMU and the Southern Baptist mission education programs rather than the panoply of ad hoc alternatives many of which push their overseas work.
At any rate, let’s not sniff at $153 million but rather thank God for how much we have to invest in His work.
William, did I hear wrong or is this the 4th highest total ever received? Someone tweeted that?
Yes. It is the fourth highest ever (Not adjusted for inflation.) I added a link to the BP story that says that. I sure hate it if I depended on tweets for all my info.
That’s certainly another positive. At least it didn’t drop off the charts.
More information regarding the financial situation of the IMB will be known once the SBC Annual for 2017 is up on the website of the Executive Committee. I don’t know what the publication schedule is for the SBC Annual. If it is published concurrent with the annual meeting then we should see it in a few days. Right now the fiscal year for the IMB is the same as the calendar year. According to a Baptist Press story published earlier in the week, a vote will be taken at the annual meeting in Phoenix to change the fiscal year so… Read more »
Just one small comment regarding internal conflict being the #1 reason people leave the field. I’ve worked overseas with this organization for my entire life. Unfortunately the BP story wasn’t surprising. The problem isn’t a new one. Internal conflict has been the primary reason people leave the field for as long as I can remember. It’s not just our organization either. It’s a huge concern for all of the evangelical orgs I have worked with overseas. At its root, I think the problem boils down to two things: 1. Many of us live is extremely difficult, or even dangerous, places.… Read more »
Thanks to William for an informative, balanced post. Roger, you make some good points and ask some good questions. The leaders of the IMB assumed that the 2015 LMCO total of $165.8 million was an exception, not the new rule, and they budgeted accordingly. This was wise. They told us missions professors that they wanted to see what the LMCO would bring over several years. IMB leaders are talking about “New Pathways” to service overseas. You’ll hear more about this at the SBC meeting. By New Pathways they mean that the IMB will deploy about 3,000 fully-funded career missionaries. The… Read more »
Did the Muslim controversy contribute to the drop off?
That’s a fair question. The 2016 offering total is in line with the past few years. The big total last year is clearly a response to the downsizing. I judge that the Muslim mosque had no discernible impact.
God will always provide for us what we need to fulfill the calling He has given.
As we follow Him, we will discover that 153 million is what is needed to complete the mission this offering is responsible for. Now to make sure we spend it according to His will, not ours. If this cannot be figured out then we are in trouble to begin with.
Thanking God, Dr. Platt is President of IMB.