Celebrate the Victories

For the first time in a decade, the Alabama Baptist State Convention is struggling to make its basic operating budget. Indications are that the $40,427,480 goal will either be slightly exceeded or slightly missed, officials say.
With so tenuous a financial situation, messengers adopted an identical Cooperative Program base budget for 2004 as they approved for the current year.

To many observers, the possibility of missing the Cooperative Program operating goal and using the same budget for a second year sounds like a problem. The truth is that being so close to making the annual Cooperative Program goal should be viewed as a victory.

As sister state Baptist conventions met during the past two months, news reports chronicled an unhealthy pattern. Convention after convention reported seriously lagging Cooperative Program receipts from their churches. Convention after convention cut staff or closed programs or reduced support to cooperating entities. Convention after convention approved reduced budgets from the prior year. Some reduced the percentage going to causes outside their state.

Such a pattern does speak of a problem.

In Alabama things are different. Cooperative Program receipts were up 2.63 percent over last year at the end of October.

Receipts were also running ahead of the budget goal by about 0.67 percent. That may not be much, but at least receipts are up, and that is a victory.

Because November ended on a Sunday, receipts from the churches are not likely to be high. Many churches forward Cooperative Program gifts only once a month after the final Sunday. That means that going into the final month of the year, receipts could be trailing the budget goal. Whether Alabama Baptists meet their annual Cooperative Program goal may come down to how many churches get their contributions to Montgomery by Dec. 31. That is only three days after the final Sunday of the month.

That the Cooperative Program budget for 2004 did not have to be reduced is also a victory. In a perfect world the goal would go up, but that is not always possible. With the difficult financial situations in our state and nation, it is a victory that the annual budget did not have to go down as annual budgets have in so many other places.

Programs will not expand during the coming year. Building new ministries or expanding existing ones is difficult when working with a flat budget.

But no ministry will be cut because of lowered Cooperative Program receipts. Staff positions will not be eliminated as in some other conventions. During these difficult economic times, Alabama Baptists continue to financially support missions and evangelism, education and ministry at home and around the world through the Cooperative Program.

Part of the reason Alabama Baptists are not experiencing serious cuts in staff and ministries is the careful management by the various entities. Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) Executive Director Rick Lance reported at the recent annual meeting that 14 positions have been eliminated from the SBOM staff in the last five years. This was done without fanfare as opportunity presented itself.

Other entities have experienced similar reductions. For example, at The Alabama Baptist, two full-time staff positions have been cut in the past two years. Two positions is a sizable percentage of this small staff.

Some entities have had to reduce benefits, and some have given no salary increases at all. Careful management and administration by Alabama Baptist entity leaders is also a victory.

Despite best efforts, at least one Alabama Baptist entity is experiencing serious financial difficulty. The Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries recently reported it will operate with more than a $300,000 deficit this year and next. The Children’s Homes ministry has experienced a serious drop in giving by Alabama Baptist churches and individuals.

Because the Children’s Homes has permission to directly solicit churches for gifts, the entity receives little Cooperative Program support — slightly less than $265,000 of its annual budget of more than $5.8 million. Children’s Homes officials often point out that Cooperative Program receipts operate their many programs about three weeks out of a year. The rest of the funds has to be raised from Baptist churches and individuals.

Hopefully, Alabama Baptists will remember the Children’s Homes and its ministries in their prayers and gifts as the year comes to a close.

But even here there is a victory. It should not be forgotten that the financial support of Baptists in days gone by make it possible for the Children’s Homes to tap financial reserves to keep its budget balanced while officials address this new financial challenge.

Churches are experiencing similar challenges. A few churches are ahead of their budgets. Most are trailing. Many hope the financial faithfulness of their members will help the churches meet their budgets as the year ends.

Churches, conventions, entity ministries — all depend on the financial faithfulness of God’s people and, among Alabama Baptists, God’s people are indeed financially faithful. That is why Alabama Baptists can celebrate the victories won rather than lament what had to be left undone.

May God grant that we continue to be financially faithful as this year comes to a close and a new year begins.