JEFFERSON CITY – During their July 13-14 meeting here, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board affirmed the direction of the MBC, under the leadership of Executive Director John Yeats, to reorient its missionary staff around a vision of “transforming lives and communities with the gospel.”
During the meeting, the board also approved the 2016 executive board budget of $14.8 million.
MBC vision, mission affirmed
The executive board affirmed the reorientation of MBC staff, so as better to achieve its vision of “transforming lives and communities with the gospel” and its mission of “cooperating with Missouri Baptists to make disciples, multiply churches, and develop leaders.”
During the meeting, Executive Director Yeats revealed that the MBC will no longer consist of eight separate teams, but rather of one team led by five ministry catalysts, who will ensure that the MBC’s financial, ministry and human resources are deployed in the best ways possible to advance the convention’s vision and mission. The five ministry areas are the Executive Office, led by the MBC executive director, as well as Ministry Support, Making Disciples, Multiplying Churches, and Developing Leaders.
The executive board affirmed the new structure of the Executive Office and of Ministry Support, but the structure of other ministry areas were not yet revealed. According to Yeats, a decision was made to organize the Executive Office and Ministry Support groups first because they support the other strategic ministry areas of the MBC—Making Disciples, Multiplying Churches and Developing Leaders.
The Executive Office will oversee what, according to the old structure, were called the Business and Support Services team, the Strategic Partners team and the Pathway/Public Policy team. It will also include a new liaison.
The new liaison will help “transition the MBC away from continued, direct involvement in ministry activities that are not core to our vision and mission,” Yeats told the executive board, July 13. “He will point inquirers to churches, ministry partners and others who are effectively doing those kinds of ministries.”
Ministry Support is basically a merger of the Communications Team and the Information Technology group.
During their meeting, the executive board authorized Yeats “to grant severance compensation for reorienting staff during the period, July 15, 2015, through December 31, 2015.”
Although some staff cuts will be involved in this reorientation, Yeats said that it is not yet fully known to what extent MBC personnel will be affected by this reorientation. He added that the goal of this reorientation is not to cut staff or budgets, but rather to ensure that the MBC vision and mission is driving the convention’s ministry activities.
2016 budget approved
During their meeting, the executive board also recommended that, during its annual meeting, the convention approve a 2016 executive board budget of more than $14.8 million—an increase from the 2014 and 2015 budgets, which were both set at $14.5 million.
According to their July 14 recommendation, 5 percent of the 2016 CP goal of $14.8 million is set aside in a “shared expenses” category, which is allocated for annuity protections and The Pathway. This has been part of the allocation since 2012. From the remaining CP funds, 42.5 percent goes to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) ministries, 41.5 percent is allocated to MBC missions and ministries, and 16 percent is allocated to MBC institutions, including the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Hannibal LaGrange University and Southwest Baptist University.
Their recommendation involved a 2 percent change from 2015 allocations, according to which 40.5 percent of CP funds would go to the SBC and 59.5 percent would go to the work in Missouri.
Disaster Relief offering recommended, other business
In other business, MBC Executive Board members also
• recommended that the convention authorize a special offering to be taken during its annual meeting, Oct. 27, to benefit the Disaster Relief Summer Missionary Program;
• authorized that any underspend from a pipe restoration project in the Baptist building be spent on other capital needs and construction projects, as directed by the executive director;
• approved a list of organizations to exhibit during the MBC annual meeting, Oct. 26-28, at the Expo Center in Springfield, with seven organizations being invited immediately and others being placed on a waiting list;
• recommended that the 2017 MBC annual meeting take place on Oct. 23-25 at First Baptist Church, Raytown;
• and amended the executive board bylaws, as recommended by the MBC’s auditors, to state that “at the time of each Executive Board meeting, the Executive Director Evaluation Subcommittee Chairman has access to and reviews the Executive Director monthly expense reports. The bylaw change maintains compliance with IRS rules stating that reimbursable expenses and company credit card use by any employee be reviewed and approved by the next level of authority.