CBF council hears of year-end budget shortfall

DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s (CBF) governing board, at its Oct. 11–12 meeting at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., heard a report on sluggish contributions to CBF, which reached only 86 percent of the amount budgeted for the recently concluded fiscal year and ended the year with a shortfall.

CBF leaders reported the fellowship received $19,103,539 in total revenue, including $14.8 million in undesignated gifts, for the 2006–2007 fiscal year, which concluded June 30.

Expenses for the year totaled $21,619,206.

Much of the drop in revenue was in undesignated receipts, the category that includes contributions from churches and which accounts for about 56 percent of the organization’s revenue.

The fellowship’s financial report indicated the organization finished the fiscal year with a shortfall of $649,974 in unrestricted funds and $2.5 million total.