At its spring meeting, the Executive Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention celebrated a supplemental gift from South Carolina Baptists to the International Mission Board and heard reports from the state’s ministry partners.
Executive Board members conducted the state convention’s business April 8-9 at the SCBC’s White Oak Conference Center in Winnsboro.
Board members presented a $415,724 supplemental gift from the 2012 SCBC budget to the International Mission Board. The supplement was approved by messengers in 2011 when they adopted the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report. IMB representative Dave Clippard thanked board members for “financial gifts like this that turn the tide” in the mission board’s work.
Convention ministries
SCBC executive director-treasurer Jim Austin gave an update on the work of convention staff. “We are getting back to the basics of discipleship across the board, in all of our ministries,” he said. “If we don’t get back to discipleship, there is no hope, there will be no revival.”
Austin spotlighted some of the Cooperative Program-funded ministries of the convention over the past year, including multihousing partnerships that exist between 140 churches and couples intentionally placed in local apartment complexes, current North American and international partnerships, and church plants.
He shared 2012 data reflecting increased participation in Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Summersalt and disaster relief ministries. Focus initiatives in 2013 will include discipleship-modeled church plants, youth missions emphasis and pastor-centered rallies.
In other business, administrative committee chairman David Dinkins announced upcoming safety measures at the Baptist building in Columbia, which will include photo-identification badges for staff and a new visitor check-in procedure.
Frank Jones, chairman of the properties committee, reported on the construction of the new Baptist Collegiate Ministries facility at Clemson University.
The Executive Board directed the convention staff to implement a comprehensive screening process for overnight events in which children or youth are in attendance at one of the convention’s properties.
Institutions
Tom Turner, president of South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging, announced that the agency is debt-free, having paid off the roughly $5 million it owed four years ago. “This enables us to grow our services to seniors within Martha Franks and Bethea and beyond,” he said, “and we are looking for new ways to partner with associations and churches to better meet the needs of the aging in South Carolina.”
Baptist Foundation of South Carolina president Barry Edwards reported increases in all areas of the foundation’s 2012 returns, calling it “one of the best years in our history.” Since its inception, the foundation has paid out more than $6 for every $1 of Cooperative Program funding it has received and distributed almost $58 million.
Rudy Gray, editor of The Baptist Courier, shared expansion plans that include digital versions of the monthly paper and an enhanced daily website starting in June. He also announced the addition of a book-publishing division that will highlight South Carolina Baptist writers.
Tim Duncan, of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, announced a family care plan it began in April that allows single mothers and their children to remain together while receiving assistance and that costs one-third of the amount required to care for children alone. The plan has helped seven families so far. Connie Maxwell has seen 100 professions of faith over the last year.
Pastoral health
A board-appointed Pastors’ Health Initiative Subcommittee reported its recommendations for additional convention support of church staff in the midst of stressful and emotional church situations. Citing a nationwide rise in depression and suicide attempts, chairman Kent Smith said churches and pastors need to be open and realistic about leadership expectations.
The committee recommended a thorough communications campaign about available resources and for the SCBC to offer additional methods of support. The committee requested training for directors of missions and SCBC staff in identifying early signs of stress in church staff members.
The next Executive Board meeting will be Oct. 7-8 at White Oak. — SCBC