The North American Mission Board (NAMB) is asking missionaries who receive 100 percent of their funding directly from that Southern Baptist missions entity to sign a statement affirming the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.
However, the request of the 59 missionary positions (52 are currently filled) is not being made of the larger force of NAMB missionaries who are jointly funded by NAMB and state Baptist conventions, associations or churches.
The request, said Robert E. Reccord, NAMB president, is the “last step in a process we started 18 months ago to provide our employees with the opportunity for affirming the current Baptist Faith and Message.”
Reccord said NAMB, like the former Home Mission Board, “asks all missionary candidates, those who are directly funded and those who are jointly funded, during their appointment process to affirm the Baptist Faith and Message and to carry out their ministries in a manner consistent with the current edition of this confession of faith.
“In addition, last year we asked NAMB’s management and professional staff to affirm their support of the confession as well as their intent to carry out their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message,” Reccord explained. “Asking our national missionaries to do the same is the logical final step.”
However, Reccord said, “We are not asking this of jointly funded missionaries who are already in the field and were appointed prior to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.” Jointly funded missionaries are legally employees of state conventions, associations or churches. The 59 national missionaries are NAMB employees.
(BP)
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