JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board members accomplished much during their latest meeting here, April 10-11. Alongside other business, they celebrated a ribbon cutting with Jefferson City officials, set 2018 goals and CP allocations and approved a new Disaster Relief endowment.
Ribbon cutting celebration
Board members joined city officials in front of the Baptist Building on April 11 to celebrate the completion of a joint project of the MBC and the Jefferson City community: namely, the improvement of sidewalks running alongside the Baptist building. The improved sidewalks, now wider and with better landscaping, was funded jointly by the city and the MBC.
During a ribbon cutting, MBC Executive Director John Yeats shared his gratitude to participate in this partnership with the community.
“We hope that this facilitates a message that we can do things together if we simply work together,” he told a crowd of Board members and city officials.
Yeats later told The Pathway that he hopes Missouri Baptists will visit the Baptist Building to pray, to learn about the MBC’s ministry efforts, and to see the new sidewalk and other recent improvements to the building. And the new sidewalk is not the last renovation to come to the property: During their meeting, Executive Board members approved the use of $25,000 of interest money from a designated funds bank account to renovate landings and restrooms on the Baptist Building’s first, third and fifth floors.
2018 financial goals
In other business, Executive Board members also approved 2018 goals for Missouri Baptist giving programs. They set the 2018 CP goal at $14.5 million, which equals the actual CP giving receipts from 2016 but is less than the 2017 goal of $14.8 million.
The Board also set allocations for the 2018 CP goal. They removed the 5 percent “shared expenses” category, which in previous years has helped to fund The Pathway and annuity protections; the money needed for these ministries will now come from funds allocated for MBC causes. The Board allocated 60 percent of the 2018 CP goal for MBC causes, while allocating the remaining 40 percent for Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) causes. Any CP receipts above the 2018 goal will be split evenly between MBC and SBC causes.
Other 2018 goals showed no change from 2017 goals: Lottie Moon was again set at $4 million; Annie Armstrong, at $2 million; and the World Hunger Fund at $235,000.
MMO allocations
The Executive Board set the 2018 Missouri Missions Offering (MMO) goal at $710,000, which was $15,000 shy of the original 2017 MMO goal of $725,000. However, the Board also decided to amend the 2017 goal, making it $710,000. The reason for this adjustment: Actual giving to MMO in 2016 was $705,506, suggesting to the board that lowering the 2017 goal would be prudent.
The Board also approved allocations for the 2017 MMO receipts, which will be distributed in 2018: $163,500 goes to Making Disciples; $169,500 goes to Multiplying Churches; $169,751 goes to Developing Leaders, which includes the WMU; and $207,249 goes toward a “standing percentage allocations” category.
Underspend allocations
Additionally, the Executive Board approved the use of $403,190.66 in underspend from the 2016 budget year. They designated the use of this underspend in the following ways:
- $20,000, split equally between Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) and Southwest Baptist University for their ministerial scholarship funds;
- a total of $210,000 for MBC mission and ministry efforts—specifically, $70,000 for Making Disciples, $40,000 for Multiplying Churches, $40,000 for Developing Leaders, $30,000 for Ministry Support, and $30,000 for other ministry projects approved by the Executive Director;
- $45,000 for Entity Assistant Reserves for the Missouri Baptist Foundation and other entities.
- $65,000 to go toward capital projects for a new HLGU extension center at the Baptist Building in Jefferson City; toward water extension at Old Bethel, the site of the first Baptist church in Missouri; and toward other renovations;
- $63,190.66 to be placed in the general reserve account.
Disaster Relief endowment
The Executive Board also approved the establishment of a new endowment to support Missouri Disaster Relief. The endowment, which will be managed by the Missouri Baptist Foundation, is named the MBC Disaster Relief Legacy Fund. During the 2015 annual meeting, Missouri Baptists took up a special offering to support the establishment of this endowment, and other individual donors have since contributed toward this cause. More than $16,000 has been placed in the fund already, and the Missouri Baptist Foundation is offering a matching funds grant of $7500 upon establishment of the fund.
Larry Lewis Learning Center
The Board also approved the reallocation of $11,990.79 to support the Larry Lewis Learning Center. In 2014, the Board named a portion of the Baptist Building after Board member and longtime MBC and SBC churchman Larry Lewis, intending this space to be refurbished and used as a conference and ministry training area within the building.
The $11,990.79 now allocated for the Larry Lewis Learning Center had previously been set aside for the maintenance of block party trailers. These funds, however, were no longer needed for this purpose after the trailers were donated to various local associations several years ago.
Other business
In other business, the MBC Executive Board:
- authorized the Board chairman and secretary to amend Corporate Authorization Resolutions with Hawthorn Bank, Jefferson City, and the Missouri Baptist Credit Union to allow authorized signers to purchase certificates of deposit on behalf of the MBC.
- approved the use of $3,000 from Agency Restoration Funds to extend the MBC’s partnership with PhilanthroCorp through April 30, 2017;
- recommended that the 2019 MBC Annual Meeting be held at the Branson Convention Center in Branson on Oct. 28-30, 2019;
- approved a potential salary adjustment, up to 2 percent, for MBC staff members in 2018;
- authorized the MBC Executive Director “to execute necessary documents to extend the audit agreement with Capin Crouse LLP for an additional three years”;
- and authorized the “Executive Director, on approval by legal counsel, to receive a deed to church real estate, and to execute back a deed to an affiliated church containing a reversionary clause in favor of Missouri Baptist Convention causes, in the event of disaffiliation with the MBC.”