The 1,155 registered messengers to the annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention at the Florence Civic Center, Nov. 13-14, adopted a $33.95 million Empowering Kingdom Growth budget and approved a five-year plan for increasing the percentage of Cooperative Program funding allocated for the work of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Dennis Wilkins, chairman of the budget, audit and finance committee, recommends the budget.Dennis Wilkins, chairman of the Executive Board’s budget, audit and finance committee, recommended the adoption of the Cooperative Program Advance Plan for budget years 2008-2012, which will allocate 50 percent of all new Cooperative Program money to the Southern Baptist Convention. The plan thereby increases the percentage going to the SBC each year that the state convention increases its budget.
In 2008, the proposed budget will send 40.35 percent to the Southern Baptist Convention, or $13,645,000, and retain 59.65 percent, or $20,305,000, for South Carolina Baptist Convention ministries. The proposed budget represents an increase of $1.2 million over the 2007 amount.
Also, messengers approved any budget gifts that exceed the EKG budget requirements will be distributed at 55 percent for the International Mission Board, 25 percent for the North American Mission Board, and 20 percent for scholarships for South Carolina participants in mission trips.
The recommendation of the CP Advance Plan came in response to a motion by Hans Wunch, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, at last year’s convention meeting. Wunch’s motion that the convention move toward a 50-50 CP division between the state and national convention was referred to the SCBC Executive Board for study. Then, 40 percent of CP funding was going to the SBC.
In a lengthy report to the convention, Wilkins shared results from his committee’s detailed analysis of Cooperative Program giving by churches during the past decade. He cited two trends that gave them considerable concern:
? Dollar gifts received by churches from their members have grown annually at nearly double (4.68 percent) the rate that local churches have increased their Cooperative Program giving (2.73 percent).
? The percentage of undesignated receipts given by South Carolina churches through the Cooperative Program has declined every year, from 8.95 in 1997 to 7.74 in 2006.
SCBC president Mike Moody, center, flanked by parliamentarians Wayne Dickard, left, and Rudy Gray, entertains a motion during discussion of the Cooperative Program Advance Plan.In a comparative study with 11 other state conventions, Wilkins noted that South Carolina had the seventh largest budget and that the 40 percent which it gives to the SBC places it behind three other states ? Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia ? in percentage giving. In total dollars, South Carolina ranked fifth among the other conventions, he added.
“We are very pleased with the work done by our state convention ministries, and realize that it is important to continue this work and make it even better,” Wilkins said. “All of our research and meeting with leadership of our state convention led us to one very important conclusion: Whatever changes we make in the percentage given to the Southern Baptist Convention must not damage the excellent work being done in our state.
“As we discussed this matter, we believe that in the coming decade the missions and ministries of our state convention and institutions will only grow more important in building a strong home base for ministry in our state and to equip South Carolina Baptists to reach the world,” Wilkins continued.
In exploring its options, the committee decided to pursue the recommendation of the CP Advance Plan presented by the SBC’s Cooperative Program Task Force during its report to the 2006 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C.
“As we studied this plan, we began to get excited about the potential that it offered,” Wilkins said, highlighting the fact that of the $1.2 million increase in South Carolina’s 2008 budget, $600,000 will go to the SBC. And, since the plan affects only future increases in budgets, the current level of funding for South Carolina Baptist institutions or the work of the state convention is not adversely affected, Wilkins explained.
Messengers to the South Carolina Baptist Convention cast their ballots.“Another exciting aspect of this plan is that the percentage of dollars to the Southern Baptist Convention will increase as rapidly as our churches increase their gifts through the Cooperative Program,” Wilkins said. “This approach places the future percentage given to the Southern Baptist Convention in the hands of our churches as they choose to send more in Cooperative Program gifts.”
Wilkins observed that if each church would increase by 1 percent the amount its gives through the Cooperative Program, then the SCBC’s budget would increase by $4.2 million, resulting in $2.1 million more for the SBC. “The key to sending more to the Southern Baptist Convention and having more for the work of the state convention ministries and our institutions is for churches to give more dollars through the Cooperative Program,” he emphasized.
In discussion following the committee’s recommendation, Kirby Winstead, director of missions for Pickens-Twelve Mile Baptist Association and messenger of First Baptist Church, Pickens, offered a motion to increase the CP allocation for the SBC by 1 percent annually, beginning in 2009, until a 50 percent split between the national and state conventions is reached. The motion failed after extensive discussion.
Another motion offered would have changed the 55/25 percent split of budget gifts exceeding the budget requirements to a 40/40 split between the IMB and NAMB. The motion, offered by Bill Curtis, chairman of the NAMB trustees and pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Florence, also failed.
Ryan Goodroe, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hartsville, unsuccessfully attempted to change new monies being sent to the SBC from 50 to 51 percent, with 49 percent remaining for the SCBC.
Quinn Hooks, pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church, Effingham, then offered a motion encouraging churches that are able to increase their giving to the Cooperative Program. Hook’s motion passed.