Arkansas
Messengers to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention’s 168th annual meeting, held Oct. 26–27, at First Baptist Church Cabot, approved a 2022 budget of $21 million, with 48.4% of the budget going to out-of-state missions, including 45.82% to Southern Baptists’ Cooperative Program, Arkansas Baptist News reported. Messengers also approved the formation of a Sexual Abuse Task Force “to ensure the policies and procedures of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are above reproach in handling sexual abuse allegations.” ABSC Executive Director J.D. “Sonny” Tucker said he affirms and welcomes the establishment of the task force.
Florida
The 970 messengers attending the Florida Baptist Convention annual meeting Nov. 8–9 at Lakes Church in Lakeland, overwhelming approved a recommendation to create a nine-person special committee to examine policies and procedures governing sexual abuse allegation reporting, survivor care and prevention within all cooperating ministries of the Florida Baptist State Convention. Messengers also approved a 2022 Cooperative Program goal of $29,150,000 to be distributed 51% to Southern Baptist Convention causes and 49% for Florida Baptist Convention causes. The 51/49 split is the same distribution Florida Baptists have approved since 2016, the first budget recommendation after Tommy Green became executive director-treasurer in 2015. Florida’s 2022 budget is a $650,000 increase over the 2021 budget of $28,500,000. The theme for the 2021 meeting was “The Tie That Binds.” To read more, click here.
Georgia
Nearly 1,000 messengers who gathered in Jonesboro Nov. 8–9 for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board annual meeting approved a 2022 budget of $36,699,980 — allocating $7.2 million to strengthen in-state churches and pastors, $7,400,178 to the International Mission Board and $3,345,567 to the North American Mission Board. The budget represents a 3% decrease from the 2021 budget because the GBMB is “projecting slightly lower receipts” in 2022, said David Melber, GBMB chief operating officer, The Christian Index reported. The GBMB executive committee voted to create a Special Committee on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse “to make recommendations for developing programs, best practices and policy guidelines for preventing sexual abuse,” The Christian Index also reported. To read more, click here.
North Carolina
Emphasizing the gospel and the Great Commission, 1,150 messengers and 215 guests gathered in Greensboro Nov. 8–9 for the 191st annual meeting of North Carolina Baptists. During a report to messengers, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina board of directors president Matt Capps announced the executive committee voted unanimously Nov. 8 to conduct a comprehensive review, the Biblical Recorder reported. That review would examine existing policies and procedures related to sexual abuse, awareness, prevention and response. Findings of the review, along with any recommendations or actions taken, will be presented to the state convention’s board of directors in September 2022 and to messengers at next year’s annual meeting.
Messengers approved a $28 million Cooperative Program budget for 2022, which reflects a $1 million increase over the 2021 budget. The budget also increases the state convention’s allocation to Great Commission ministry partners by 3%, moving from 42% to 45% of the total budget. For more of this story, click here.
South Carolina
More than 750 messengers to the 201st annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention Nov. 8–9 celebrated the convention’s bicentennial year and approved the creation of a task force to review the convention’s sexual abuse policies and procedures.
Messengers also elected the convention’s first African American president, adopted a 2022 budget and participated in an International Mission Board commissioning service, the Baptist Courier reported.
The motion to create a task force was presented by D.J. Horton, pastor of Church at the Mill in Moore. Its review of sexual abuse reporting and prevention will include assessing information shared at the SBC annual meeting in June. The approved $26.5 million Cooperative Program budget is unchanged from 2021. Of the total amount, 54.5% is allocated to in-state missions, ministries and budgets and 45.5% is allocated for Southern Baptist missions and ministry causes.
The theme for the 2021 meeting was “Advance Together.” Click here to read more.
Virginia
More than 1,200 people gathered at Liberty Live Church in Hampton Nov. 7–9 for the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia’s annual homecoming to celebrate 25 years of ministry, the SBCV reported. Brian Autry, SBCV executive director, announced he will work with the SBCV executive board chairman and president to create a special task force and care well team for sexual abuse survivors. Nineteen churches also were unanimously approved for SBCV partnership, bringing the total affiliations of the SBCV to 808 churches.
As part of an annual missions outreach project, SBCV churches collected more than 1,600 Christmas backpacks filled with school supplies and the gospel message.
Backpacks will be distributed to 25 churches and ethnic church plants throughout the state. Messengers approved the proposed ministry investment plan of $10.1 million for the 2022 fiscal year, with $9.8 million coming from SBCV churches giving related to Cooperative Program contributions. The adopted plan will be distributed with 51% going to national Southern Baptist Convention CP ministries and 49% distributed to state level SBCV CP ministries, the same percentage of allocation as last year. The theme for the 2021 homecoming was “Pressing On.” To read more of this story, click here.
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