Cooperative Program up 1.86 percent
Year-to-date contributions through the SBC Cooperative Program are 1.86 percent above the same time frame in 2005. As of March 31, the year-to-date total of $100,444,191 for CP missions is $1,838,074 above the $98,606,116 received at the same point in 2005. For the month, receipts of $18,328,037 were 17.5 percent, or $2,729,959, above the $15,598,078 received in March 2005. Designated giving of $114,901,352 for the same year-to-date period is 1.4 percent, or $1,655,808, below gifts of $116,557,160 received at this point last year. The $35,167,038 in designated gifts received last month is $8,388,597 above the $26,778,440 received in March 2005, an increase of 31.3 percent. The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ method of supporting missions and ministry efforts of state and regional conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention.
Midwestern to offer Ph.D. program
Amid a record-breaking 25 percent increase this semester in student headcount, Midwestern Baptist Seminary’s trustees approved the addition of a new Ph.D. program. The proposed 60-hour Ph.D. program will complement Midwestern’s current doctoral studies programs that include both doctor of ministry and doctor of educational ministry degrees. The action allows seminary administrators to petition its accrediting agency – the Association of Theological Schools – in April for program accreditation. The proposed program will include concentrations in both New Testament and Old Testament, and will give students the flexibility to live off-campus. If accreditation is approved, the program is slated for fall 2007.
Page appointed to Resolutions Committee
SBC President Bobby Welch has named the members of the Resolutions Committee, who will serve during the June 13-14 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. Welch appointed T.C. French, pastor of Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., as committee chairman. Among the other nine appointees is Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church, Taylors, S.C. Proposed resolutions may be submitted no later than 15 days prior to the SBC annual meeting, and preferably should be submitted by e-mail or mailed to the Resolutions Committee in care of the SBC Executive Committee. Drafts must be typewritten, titled, dated and include complete contact information for the person and his or her church.
More reading Bible at least weekly
A survey shows that the percentage of Americans who say they regularly read the Bible continues to increase. The survey, conducted by the Barna Group, found that 47 percent of respondents said they open the Bible on a weekly basis, up from just 31 percent in 1995 and 40 percent six years ago. The survey also polled respondents on six other “religious behaviors,” including church attendance and attending small groups such as Bible studies. Forty-seven percent said they attend church on a weekly basis, up from 37 percent a decade ago, while 23 percent said they attend small group functions affiliated with church. Twenty-seven percent of those asked said that they volunteer through church, while 24 percent said that they attend Sunday school, up from 17 percent in 1996. – RNS
Tenn. Baptists to address Belmont ties
A special meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, called primarily to deal with the convention’s relationship to Belmont University, has been set for May 9 at Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville. The meeting was called by the TBC executive board, which met March 28 in a special session. A statement provided by the Belmont study committee revealed Belmont “filed an Amended and Revised Charter with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office on Nov. 10, 2005, prior to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.” As stated by the study committee, “Reading of the restated charter clearly indicates that Belmont University has removed the provision which provided for the election of members of its board by the Tennessee Baptist Convention. This action has not been approved by the Tennessee Baptist Convention.”