JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board members approved a 2015 Cooperative Program (CP) goal of $14.5 million during its spring meeting, April 15.
Although the 2015 goal shows no increase from the 2014 budget, allocations will differ slightly. During the MBC annual meeting last October, messengers voted that five percent of 2014 budget would be placed into a “shared expenses” category, which would be allocated for annuity protections and The Pathway. Remaining funds would be split, 60 percent going to the MBC and 40 percent going to the national convention.
According to the April 15 recommendation, the 2015 budget will also set aside five percent of CP giving for the “shared expenses” category. But remaining funds will be split differently, with 59.5 percent going to the MBC and 40.5 percent going to the national convention. The change represents a desire, affirmed by MBC messengers last fall, to achieve a “50-50” split by the year 2020.
But the recommended budget temporarily slowed the pace for the MBC’s move toward “50-50” by 2020, since CP giving during the first three months of 2014 had declined from the previous year – largely because of winter weather. Projections based on these early months of 2014 suggested that CP giving would not sustain more than a 0.5 percent change from the previous year.
Three members of the executive board voted against the recommendation. According to Robin Dale, chairman of the communications committee and pastor of Elm Spring Baptist Church, Kingsville, the recommendation showed a lack of faith in God. He explained that, before the winter slump in CP giving, Missouri Baptist churches and the executive board had prayerfully supported a 2 percent change in CP allocations to the state and national conventions. He encouraged the board to act in faith by affirming this original plan despite the decrease in CP giving during the early months of 2014.
Yet Larry Thomas, chairman of the support services committee, approved of the recommendation. He reminded executive board members that the convention could increase the pace once again if churches are able to increase their CP giving. MBC Executive Director John Yeats also told board members that they can re-evaluate the situation during their next meeting in July. At this time, they will have more accurate projections, based on another few months of CP giving.
According to the recommendation, any receipts that exceed the 2015 budget will be divided 50-50 between the state and national conventions.
Alongside this recommendation, the executive board also approved an increased 2015 goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and for the Missouri Missions Offering (MMO). The Lottie Moon goal was set at $4 million, up by $500,000 from the previous year. MMO was set at $710,000, showing an increase of $10,000.
The executive board also approved a plan for using a $500,000 underspend from 2013. According to the board’s recommendation, the underspend will be invested, by varying degrees, in general reserves, a mid-year bonus for MBC staff members, a security upgrade and renovations to the Baptist building and capital needs for Baptist Student Union properties around the state.
They also voted that a $30,000 MMO underspend from 2013 would help to fund the Heartland Interstate Strategy (HIS), an initiative to plant Southern Baptist churches in the largely unreached territory along the I-29 corridor stretching from Kansas City to Winnipeg, Canada.
During its April meeting, the executive board also decided that MBC staff would receive no salary raises in 2015 because of projected CP receipts. However, any 2014 underspend – not to exceed $40,000 – would be used either as a supplement for dependent insurance coverage for MBC staff or to give them a one percent match for contributions to a retirement account.
Additionally, the Inter-Agency Relations Committee recommended that the MBC should provide $10,000 in scholarship funds to Hannibal-LaGrange University and Southwest Baptist University only “at the end of those years when CP receipts exceed the budget requirement sufficiently to fund that amount.” The recommendation was approved unanimously.
In other business, board members heard the retirement announcement of Sondi Scroggins, who has served as childhood ministry specialist for 15years. Scroggins will retire effective April 30, but will return to MBC service as a part-time contract worker to assist in childhood ministry projects through at least the end of 2014. Scroggins also oversaw Bible Drill and Vacation Bible School (VBS) training. Sunday School/Discipleship Specialist Mark Donnell and other staff will take on Bible Drill while another contract worker will be brought on to cover VBS training.
They also recognized Bob Kenison, president of the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH), who is retiring after 33 years of experience at the end of June. Russell Martin, executive vice president and treasurer of the children’s home, will serve as interim president beginning July 1, but he brought the MBCH report to the board.
Additionally, Stephanie Bliven – a board member from the East-Central region of Missouri – reported to her colleagues regarding the progress of work done by a Governing Documents and Processes Task Force appointed by MBC President Wesley Hammond. Last December, the board approved the creation of this task force, for the purpose of bringing recommendations “relating to the effectiveness and efficiencies of convention processes, and to update the governing documents related to the MBC and its Great Commission ministries in consultation with the Committee on Continuing Review.”