Members of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) voted to recommend a $43 million Cooperative Program (CP) budget for 2012 during their Oct. 14 meeting in Montgomery. And while the projected income is the same as the 2011 budget, the way the dollars will be divided is different.
Members also learned of changes in the relationship between the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the appointment of a task force to develop a strategy to carry on ministries in Alabama formerly done in cooperation with NAMB.
The budget, which will be presented to messengers to the state convention’s annual meeting in Mobile Nov. 15–16, calls for funds going to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) causes to increase by $215,000. The extra funds will increase the SBC percentage of Alabama Baptist CP receipts to 43 percent, up from 42.5 percent.
To increase the SBC allocation, funds for Samford University will be reduced $105,000 below the amount it would have received under the formula that determines how CP funds are divided for Christian higher education. Reductions also will be made in allocations to Alabama Baptist Retirement Centers, The Baptist Foundation of Alabama and the SBOM.
Other Alabama Baptist entities will receive the same amount in 2012 as they did in 2011.
SBOM Executive Director Rick Lance told SBOM members that he appreciates the cooperation of the three entities that agreed to take reductions in order to increase the funding for SBC causes.
An additional change calls for CP funds received above the $43.7 million base/causes budget to be divided evenly between state and SBC causes. Previously funds were divided according to budget percentages.
SBOM members also learned that 2012 will mark the fourth consecutive year SBOM employees will not receive raises. “Most of our state missionaries come from local church staffs, so they understand the financial situation of our churches and our convention,” Lance said.
Despite financial shortages at home, Alabama Baptists continue to lead the SBC in CP giving, Lance shared. A report from the SBC Executive Committee indicates Alabama Baptists gave $18,102,416.14 to SBC missions causes through the CP during the last SBC fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. That is almost $800,000 more than the second highest convention gave.
“Once again, Alabama has led the way,” Lance declared. About 10 percent of the SBC’s annual CP receipts of $186,386,063.42 came from Alabama Baptists.
“We are not the largest state convention, and we are not the wealthiest convention,” he later said. “But Alabama Baptists continue to be faithful in their missions giving.”
Lance also announced what he called a limited focus partnership between Alabama and NAMB, which will focus primarily on church planting. He said information received from NAMB indicates that between 50 and 80 percent of all missions funds received from NAMB will have to be used for church-planting activities in the years ahead.
At present, NAMB’s definition of church planting is unclear, Lance continued. Indications are that attractional evangelism events currently used to help start churches will no longer be eligible for NAMB funding.
Seven SBOM positions are considered NAMB missionaries and are jointly funded by the state convention and NAMB. Funding for these positions will end Dec. 31, 2013, and will become the SBOM’s sole responsibility, Lance explained. To keep these positions will require about $166,000 in new money.
Across the state, 18 additional ministry positions are NAMB-appointed missionaries with joint funding by Alabama Baptists and NAMB. About 50 other positions also receive some funds from NAMB. What will happen to these positions and ministries is uncertain, Lance added.
Five of the positions are primarily church-planting ministries and appear to meet NAMB’s definition for future funding, he said. The other positions’ future is in question since NAMB’s focus will primarily be church planting by 2018.
NAMB-appointed missionaries include workers with Hispanics and Asians, African-American strategists, church and community ministers, a minister to the deaf and a campus minister working in a primarily African-American university.
“One of the questions I keep asking NAMB is do they want missionaries in Alabama who are not church planters,” Lance said.
Another change initiated by NAMB is a reduction in its support of jointly funded endeavors. Currently the formula calls for Alabama Baptists to provide 52 percent of joint projects and NAMB to provide 48 percent. By 2018, the percentages must be 65 percent Alabama and 35 percent NAMB.
Lance announced that NAMB has agreed to keep its funding to Alabama steady through 2013. This will give opportunity to work through some of the necessary changes, he said.
NAMB is committed to provide about $750,000 for positions and ministries in 2012. That amount will decrease through 2017 with NAMB’s new strategies being completely implemented in 2018.
Lance also announced the formation of the Future Missions Focus Partnership Task Force to examine issues raised for Alabama Baptists by the NAMB decisions. That task force will consider how the SBOM and associations can work together to carry on missions activities.
“Rumors can be hurtful,” Lance explained. “We need to bring clarity to the confusion that exists.”
He said the task force will be composed of SBOM staff, officers of the state directors of missions organization and three former presidents of that organization. Its assignment will be to develop a strategy for missions work in Alabama that can be implemented in 2013.
“Alabama Baptists are going to be good partners,” Lance said. “We are going to be good partners with NAMB where we can and with our associations. We have to remember that we still have over 2 million lost people in our own state.”
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