Despite financial hardships caused by the economic downturn, Southern Baptists gave $141 million to support the work of missionaries through the 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.
The final figure for the 2008 offering is $141,315,110.24, which is more than $9 million below the record 2007 offering of $150.4 million. The total, which fell nearly $30 million short of the $170 million goal, is not enough to fund many of those who are ready to go.
“We are grateful that in these difficult economic times Southern Baptists displayed amazing generosity in giving $141 million to the 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering,” said Jerry Rankin, International Mission Board (IMB) president.
“When many families are hurting financially and churches are experiencing a decline in giving, faithfulness to the support of the International Mission Board reflects the high priority given to global missions and our responsibility to reach a lost world for Jesus Christ.”
The final offering results follow a May 19–20 IMB trustee meeting in Denver during which trustees approved the suspension of new appointments to the International Service Corps and Masters programs. They also approved reducing the number of new appointments to the career, apprentice, associate and journeyman programs.
The IMB spends 71 percent of its total budget, including the Lottie Moon offering and a major portion of funds received from the Cooperative Program, on missionary support, encompassing salaries, housing, medical care and children’s education. It averages approximately $43,000 annually per missionary.
By the end of 2010, the IMB’s missionary force of 5,656 is expected to fall to a level “compatible with financial resources,” Rankin said. The reduction will occur through retirements and completion of service.
“We will not be able to replace short-term personnel completing their assignments and will have to restrict the number of new personnel that can be appointed,” he said.
Just a year ago, the IMB celebrated the offering hitting a historic mark. Cumulative gifts to the offering, which was initiated by national Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) in 1888, topped $3 billion.
“We are grateful for the sacrificial giving of Southern Baptists to missions,” said Wanda Lee, executive director of national WMU. “This year’s giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering may be more sacrificial for some than ever before, considering the level of unemployment and loss of income experienced by many in our churches.
“I believe if we keep our hearts focused on the mandate of the Great Commission, God will be faithful in providing the people and financial resources needed to reach a world desperately in need of the hope found in Christ,” Lee said.
With the growing number of job losses and the decline in financial markets, IMB treasurer David Steverson said the organization’s situation could have been far worse.
“When you consider the number of our constituency who have lost jobs and are directly affected by this economy, we are grateful that the offering experienced only a 6 percent decline,” Steverson said. (BP)
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