A record $38.67 million budget was approved for 2001 by the State Board of Missions (SBOM) of the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) during its Aug. 18 meeting at Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega.
Also during the meeting, board members learned that new Baptist campus ministers have been approved for the University of South Alabama (USA) and the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH).
The Cooperative Program (CP) section of the new budget — $38.295 million — represents a 3.5 percent increase over the current year. The new budget maintains the division between national and state causes of 42.3 percent for Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) causes and 57.7 percent for Alabama causes.
Alabama Baptist Executive Director Rick Lance told board members Alabama’s percentage of CP receipts going to SBC causes is higher than any major state Baptist convention. He said one state shows a higher percentage on paper but that the state in question subtracts 12 percent of its receipts for joint denominational causes before it applies the percentage breakdown.
“If we did that in Alabama, SBC causes would get less,” Lance declared.
Alabama also exceeds the longtime goal of 50 percent of receipts going to SBC causes, Lance explained. He said that in 1925 when the CP was adopted, the goal of 50 percent of receipts going to SBC causes included special offerings.
“Alabama has consistently been ahead of that goal,” he added, showing board members a chart indicating 54.4 percent of all funds received by the state convention go to SBC causes. “I’ve read the minutes of the meeting and done the research,” Lance explained. “Alabama exceeds the goal. Those people who think the 50-50 division applies only to Cooperative Program receipts are mistaken.”
Lance called the proposed budget “firmly conservative.” He said receipts are now running at about a 4 percent increase over last year. “This is a higher budget than I originally anticipated,” he said. “The giving levels of Alabama Baptists will allow us to do more than we first thought.”
The new CP budget provides a 2 percent program increase for the State Board of Missions and a 2 percent cost of living adjustment for board staff. Another 1 percent is to be divided among priority needs which Lance said included global partnerships, a new leadership center and collegiate ministries.
Alabama Baptist entities will receive a 3 percent increase in their allocations. The budget proposal stipulates another 0.5 percent will be used to fund partnership missions efforts by entities. To access the funds, entities will be required to submit partnership plans to Lance for approval.
A second portion of the budget, Alabama Cooperative Program Causes, is expected to provide $375,000 during the coming year. This is the same total as anticipated for the 2000 budget year. This section of the budget is for churches that designate funds just for Alabama Baptist causes.
Also approved by the SBOM was a challenge budget of $39.295 million. “I believe we will come near the challenge budget goal this year, and I believe we can come close to the challenge goal in 2001,” Lance said. “If we do, it will be a great help to our entities and to the special missions programs of the State Board of Missions.”
The proposed budget will be presented to messengers at the ABSC annual meeting Nov. 14-15 in Montgomery for final action.
Board members also learned that Jerrod W. Brown and Edwin Hocutt have been named senior campus ministers.
Brown will serve at USA where he has been an assistant campus minister since 1997. He succeeds Mike Nuss who became director of the state office of collegiate ministries. Brown, a native of Tuscaloosa, previously served as campus minister at Jefferson Community College, Shelton State Community College and The University of Alabama.
Hocutt succeeds Ben Hale at UAH. Hale resigned to become minister of missions and evangelism at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Homewood.
Currently Hocutt serves as an assistant Baptist campus minister at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Prior to that time, he served on the same campus as a Mission Service Corps Baptist campus minister.
Share with others: