Alabama Baptists approved a record budget, a new state-to-state missions partnership and a revised church retirement plan during the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) annual meeting Nov. 14–15.
Meeting at Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, convention messengers quickly passed all recommendations coming from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) with little discussion.
Messengers approved a $43.925 million record base budget, which is a 3 percent increase over last year’s base budget. They approved a $44.925 million record challenge budget, which is a 2.92 percent increase over last year’s challenge budget. This includes $18,582,505 of the base budget ($18,836,305 of the challenge budget) marked for SBC ministries.
Also approved were the special offering goals for 2007:
– Lottie Moon Christmas Offering — $10 million
– Annie Armstrong Easter Offering — $5 million
– Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries — $2,450,000
– World Hunger Offering — $875,000
– Disaster Relief Offering — $100,000.
Messengers also approved a partnership with Michigan Baptists.
Rick Lance, executive director of the SBOM, noted that 8 million of Michigan’s 9 million people do not know Jesus.
"It is a different atmosphere here in Michigan," said Mike Collins, director of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. "We have more than 600,000 Arabic-speaking people, more than anywhere else except in the Middle East.
"We have lots of areas where we need to start new work," he said. "Thank you for … being willing to walk beside us as partners in this challenge."
The recommendation for the revision of the church retirement plan, which was approved by messengers, attracted the only discussion from the convention floor.
With the revision, nonminister Alabama Baptist church employees will no longer receive matching retirement benefits from the ABSC.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, state conventions will absorb more of the costs for protection coverage for church employees participating in GuideStone Financial Resources’ Church Retirement Plan (ChRP) than they have in recent years. The current $17.50 per month per participant provided by GuideStone will increase to $24.50 per month and will be a shared cost between GuideStone and state conventions. "We anticipate the percentage to be split 50–50," said Bobby DuBois, associate executive director of the SBOM.
The protection coverage provides a disability benefit of up to $500 and a survivor death benefit of up to $100,000 for all ministers and to nonministers who work at least 20 hours in paid church service weekly. Benefit amounts for the survivor benefit are based on age.
The SBOM’s current annual budget for the ChRP is $847,262, which provides the retirement matching benefit to the 3,738 people participating in the retirement plan.
Currently the ChRP participants who contribute more than $52.50 per month qualify for the SBOM matching benefit. For every $3 the participant contributes above the $52.50, the SBOM currently puts in $1. The maximum matching amount from the SBOM is $17.50 per month, which is reached when the person puts in $105. The person can contribute more than $105 monthly up to Internal Revenue Service limits.
What changes is that the SBOM will no longer put in a retirement matching amount for nonministers, DuBois explained in an interview with The Alabama Baptist.
The 2,349 ministers currently participating in the plan will not be impacted unless their church does not contribute an annual amount equal to $420 per retirement participant through the Cooperative Program (CP) and State Causes budget, DuBois said. This is a change from the current requirement of no minimum level of CP and State Causes giving.
Messenger Bob Garrard, pastor of East Greenville Baptist Church, Greenville, noted concern about the new required giving aspect of the retirement plan recommendation.
Some small churches may not have the budget to give $420 annually, Garrard said from the convention floor. "Should there be some way to keep them in the program?"
DuBois said no one would be excluded because a church budget is too small "even if the state board has to absorb the cost." Currently 42 churches participating in the retirement plan do not contribute anything through the CP, DuBois noted.
The recommendation to make these changes follows changes coming from the funding of the protection section of the ChRP.
Also, during the SBOM report, the annual Troy L. Morrison Leadership/Church Growth awards were presented by Teman Knight, director of the SBOM office of leadership and church health.
Larry Wimberly, pastor of Mount Philadelphia Baptist Church, Cordova, received the bivocational pastor award. Mike Mozingo, pastor of Journey Church, Millbrook, received the new work award. Garry Ragsdale, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Alexandria, received the established work award.
"These three outstanding pastors are being honored for their leadership in church health, giving to and promoting the Cooperative Program … and their leadership in outreach to their communities," Knight said.
Morrison, for whom the award is named, was not able to be part of the presentation.
In other business:
– The auditor’s report on the SBOM was approved.
– The state convention annual was dedicated to the late James Glaze, retired director of business management and associate to the executive director of the SBOM.
– A charter change was approved for The Baptist Foundation of Alabama to reflect the organization’s new address.
During the SBOM meeting Nov. 15, new officers were elected:
Chairman — Mike Northcutt, pastor of Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery.
Vice chairman — Travis Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church, Prattville.
Mary Sue Bennett, special assistant to Lance, will function as secretary.
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