The Great Commission Initiative received nearly unanimous approval from the SCBC Executive Board during its fall meeting, Oct. 10-11, at White Oak. It has, however, raised concerns among institutional leaders over the loss in CP funding for their respective state ministries.
The board of trustees at North Greenville University, for example, adopted a statement of its concern. North Greenville president Jimmy Epting told The Baptist Courier, “I certainly feel that this plan will ultimately harm North Greenville University and the other institutions.”
Based on the convention’s current Cooperative Program budget, Epting pointed out that the CP funding for North Greenville and Anderson universities would each be reduced by $300,000 annually, and Charleston Southern University would be affected by $400,000 annually, in 2012.
Steve Williams, chairman of trustees for South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging, said, “While we’re in support of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention, we do not view this as being beneficial to our ministry, simply because we are already in perilous times, and we can’t handle the $250,000 they’re going to cut out of our budget over the next five years. We can’t handle losing any more money or support, whether it’s short-term or long-term. This ministry is vital to South Carolina Baptists, and they have demonstrated that they want to keep it.”
Ben Davis, president of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, said that the 20 percent reduction of Cooperative Program allocations could be as much as $220,000 a year by 2012. He added, “I trust that this proposal, if adopted, would help us recover this money at some future point if contributions to the Cooperative Program increase.”
Weldon Fallaw, president of the South Carolina Baptist Foundation, issued the following statement: “The approach by the task force of the Executive Committee appears to cause some divisiveness in its preparation and presentation to the institutions and agencies of the convention. The Foundation has dedicated its ministry to raising funds for the Cooperative Program and its institutions since its inception in 1950. We have strengthened this action by requesting no additional funds through the Cooperative Program – freeing up more money for world missions. I personally see this (initiative) as doing the greatest harm to the South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging, as well as having a negative impact on the other convention institutions. I hope we can all work together for the best solutions for God’s work.”