Executive Board approves 2022 MBC spending plan
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board members meeting here, Aug. 23-24, received a preliminary report from its Racial Reconciliation Task Force, approved the MBC’s 2022 spending plan, and recommended that Missouri Baptist messengers gathering this fall in Branson take a special offering to support the MBC’s Collegiate Disaster Relief Strategy.
Racial Reconciliation Task Force
The MBC’s Racial Reconciliation Task Force presented its preliminary report, requesting that the Executive Board recommend them to MBC messengers gathering in Branson this October.
The task force, which first convened last May, includes MBC President Jon Nelson, pastor of Soma Community Church, Jefferson City; Merle Mees, pastor of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty; Jeremy Muniz, pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Springfield; Carlos Smith, pastor of The Journey Church Hanley Road in University City; Emily Stallings, member of Soma Community Church, Jefferson City; Jordan Wade, member of Mosaic Bible Fellowship, Kansas City; and MBC Executive Director John Yeats.
Their preliminary report encouraged greater education about racial reconciliation, which can be accomplished through mutual prayer, the pursuit of authentic relationships, and practicing the Great Commandment. This can also happen by “inviting churches within our state into kingdom partnership to see churches planted, revitalized, and encouraged to think beyond where they are and connection intentionally with those in other contexts.”
Among other action steps, the report recommended that Missouri Baptists develop training opportunities and educational events to foster racial reconciliation and publish a “Missouri Baptist Historical Narrative About the Struggle Toward Biblical Racial Reconciliation.”
2022 Spending Plan approved
The MBC’s 2022 spending plan is based on a $15 million Cooperative Program (CP) budget approved by the board earlier this year.
This CP budget sets aside 5 percent of the total CP giving for “shared expenses,” which are allocated for annuity protections and The Pathway. The board approved a spending plan for these “shared” funds that amounted to a total of $750,000.
From the remaining CP budget, 35 percent is allocated for Missouri Baptist missions and ministries. The board approved a spending plan also for these funds, which amounted to a total of $5,727,000.
Additionally, 22 percent of the total CP budget is allocated for Missouri Baptist entities, including the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, The Baptist Home, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, Southwest Baptist University, Hannibal-LaGrange University and Missouri Baptist University. The remaining 38 percent is allocated for Southern Baptist Convention causes. Any CP receipts above the budgetary goal will be split evenly between MBC and SBC ministries.
Collegiate Disaster Relief Strategy
The board also recommended that MBC messengers gathered in Branson this fall take a special offering on Tuesday morning, Oct. 26, to support the Collegiate Disaster Relief Strategy.
Among other things, the MBC’s Collegiate Disaster Relief Strategy recruits, trains and deploys collegiate interns to bring help, hope and healing to survivors across the state and nation. The program included 12 college interns this summer.
Other business
In other business, the executive board:
• recommended that MBC messengers “authorize, approve, and ratify the formation of new non-profit corporations by The Baptist Home, to serve as holding companies for each of the separate locations of The Baptist Home, provided that MBC general counsel verifies that new corporate articles and bylaws conform to the requirements of MBC governing documents for MBC entities.”
• authorized MBC Executive Director John Yeats, in consultation with the chairs of the Executive Board’s properties and business services committees, to “execute real estate sales, purchase real estate, and execute agreements and other documents, not to exceed $500,000.” The authorization expires on Dec. 31, 2022.
• recommended an amendment to item three in the Nominating Committee Rules and Procedures. As amended, it reads: “Communicates with each Entity president to confirm each vacancy and expiring term, to discuss persons eligible for a second term, and to request information about the particular needs of the institution and its board, in terms of personal attributes, skills, education, or experience. Since trustees are to provide accountability for administrators, entity presidents and chairmen of entity trustee boards who inform the Nominating Committee of eligible individuals to serve as a board trustee for their respective entity understand that the Nominating Committee alone selects well-qualified nominees to serve on MBC Entity boards of trustees and brings those nominees to the messengers for affirmation.”
• granted all six MBC entities “view only” access rights to SBC Workspace (Noah), containing the Missouri Baptist contact list and related information.
• approved the amendment to the MBC Historical Commission Bylaws, reducing the “two-year hiatus before eligibility for re-nomination to serve” on the commission to a one-year hiatus, which matches other MBC boards and commissions.
• recommended that the 2024 MBC annual meeting take place, Oct. 28-29, at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles; and that the 2025 MBC annual meeting take place, Oct. 27-28, at the Branson Convention Center in Branson.
• amended the “pay grades” and “job inventory” section of the MBC Employee Handbook and recommended the formation of a subcommittee to review pay grades and job inventory.