A Business Meeting You Should Attend

Do you know how hard it is to get members to attend a local church business meeting? In most congregations only a handful of folk regularly participate in the governance of church affairs by consistently attending business meetings. Usually these are the members who direct the organizations, serve on committees, hold church offices or are involved in some leadership role.

Of course that all changes if a controversy erupts. Then members who seldom darken the door of a church often show up. But when things are going well, people often leave the gritty matters of church business to the faithful few. Baptists preach the importance of each believer in the spiritual democracy of a believer’s church but our practice often reflects a theology where responsibility is delegated to a few. 

Alabama Baptists find it just as difficult to get members to the convention’s annual business meeting each November as a local church does for its business meetings. In each of the past two years only 373 of the more than 3,200 Alabama Baptist churches had registered messengers attending the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) annual meeting. 

In 2012 when a new president was elected and the proposed Future Focus emphasis was presented only 837 messengers registered. The year before in Mobile only 763 messengers registered. That was the lowest number of convention participants since the end of World War II. 

Nearly 20 years ago (1994) when concern was high about the relationship between the state convention, the University of Mobile and Samford University, more than 3,100 people registered as messengers in Mobile. But now that relationships are strong between the convention and its cooperating entities, when the work of the convention continues in a strong and steady manner, fewer and fewer Alabama Baptists turn out for the business session. 

But declining attendance does not make the annual meeting any less important. It is at the annual meeting that decisions are finalized about how to spend missions dollars contributed through the Cooperative Program (CP). The proposed 2014 CP budget implements for the first time a shared ministries section for work jointly benefiting the ABSC and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). 

This approach to budgeting has been recognized by the SBC for decades and used by several other state conventions. The shared ministry category allows a convention to consider funds used for these causes to be evenly divided between state and national causes for allocation purposes. 

Even though the proposed budget of $41 million is $1 million less than 2013, the portion marked for SBC causes goes up to 43.3 percent. When the shared ministries section (10 percent of the budget) is evenly divided, that means Alabama Baptists will be using 48.3 percent of CP receipts for SBC-related causes.  

Ministries of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) will use about 22 cents of each CP dollar while the three institutions of higher learning will divide about 20 cents of each dollar. Nine other entities, commissions and ministries will divide about 4 cents of each CP dollar.

Approving the annual budget will be a major decision. It helps set directions and parameters for all Baptists will do together in the coming year.

Those who oversee the ministries of Alabama Baptists and elect the leaders of the various entities will be chosen during the annual meeting. A long and thorough process will be completed when the committee on boards and commissions presents its nominees for service as trustees, directors and commissioners. Each recommendation must be approved by messengers to the annual meeting before the nominees are finally elected. Again that is an important decision. 

A positive change in the program allows the SBOM time to share about the impact of its varied programs reaching across Alabama. Previously the SBOM has offered business recommendations such as the proposed budget but reports about its ministries have been omitted. 

In addition to its new half-hour slot to focus on the overall work of the SBOM, time slots have been given specifically for two SBOM programs — Baptist campus ministries and disaster relief — to highlight the impact of their work.

In keeping with the theme of the annual meeting — Changing Lives — institutions and entities have been asked to forgo regular reports about ministry accomplishments and future plans and share stories about how their ministries change lives. The goal of this request by the committee on order of business is to help messengers see the practical differences Baptist ministries make in the lives of individuals and the corporate life of the denomination. 

While the primary purpose of the annual meeting is business, inspiration is never lacking. The president’s address, the convention sermon, theme interpretations and a special Tuesday night rally featuring the preaching of SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page and the music of Charles Billingsley all promise high and holy moments in the midst of the business focus. 

Of course, the Pastors Conference on Monday is always filled with inspiration as popular preachers from across the state and nation share God’s Holy Word. Together the three days offer Alabama Baptists a wonderful opportunity for inspiration and a time to make sure the convention continues to do its work decently and in order as the apostle Paul counseled the Corinthian church. 

This year’s annual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12–13 at Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville. On Nov. 11 the Pastors Conference will meet in the same place. Hopefully you can be one of those Alabama Baptists who participates in the annual business meeting. If not, you may want to watch the live streaming of the annual meeting at http://live.alsbom.org.

Begin now to pray for the annual meeting. Pray for ABSC President John Killian who will preside, for SBOM Executive Director Rick Lance, for Pastors Conference President Fred Lackey, for each speaker, for each report, for each decision. Like the business of a church, the business of the ABSC is important. It must be bathed in prayer and supported by the participation of God’s people. Maybe this is a business meeting you should attend.