Have Southern Baptists said, “Enough!”?
Have they reached their potential in reaching a lost world for Christ? Is their work done?
“I will not accept that Southern Baptists have said, ‘Enough!’?” said Paul Chitwood, chairman of the International Mission Board’s trustees. During the March 17-18 trustee meeting in Greenville, the Kentucky pastor challenged fellow trustees to encourage Southern Baptists to dig deeper and give sacrificially to missions during difficult economic times.
Until giving increases, the IMB’s missionary count will remain in the mid-5,000s, said Chitwood. More will be needed to help reach 1.6 billion people who have little to no access to the gospel, he said.
“We must shout from the rooftops and the mountaintops the news that we cannot grow our missionary force because we do not have the money to do so – the possibility has now become a reality.”
IMB treasurer David Steverson cautioned trustees to be ready for a sobering financial report later this year, as Cooperative Program giving remains down by about 3 percent and the economy and financial markets continue to struggle.
Steverson also remained cautious in making projections for the 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.
The goal for the 2008 offering is $170 million. The 2007 annual offering totaled $150,409,653, but fell short of the $165 million goal.