In November, with less than 600 messengers voting, a small majority affirmed the 2010 South Carolina Baptist Convention budget. The adoption of that budget resulted in a 6 percent decrease that will have lasting impact on the work of our convention and institutions.
During the Executive Board report, I rose to amend the proposed budget to restore 6 percent to each line item. My motion also stated that if 2010 contributions did not rebound, then the convention’s contingency reserve fund should be utilized to meet our obligations.
I felt compelled to share with those 600 voting messengers why this amendment was needed. I feel equally compelled to share with the 558,000 resident members of our 2,100 churches how this decision will impact our future.
First, let me say I agree with the Executive Board’s assertion that these are difficult times. Cooperative Program contributions are running significantly behind last year, and we will possibly end the year as much as $2 million behind budget.
Our institutions have suffered through this economic downturn with a negative return on their investments. Some institutions feel they are on life support.
Since our universities primarily use the money they receive from the convention for scholarships, it will be the Baptist students from our churches who will suffer from diminished scholarship monies. Our future pastors, teachers, missionaries and leaders will be directly affected by this action.
It is the children at Connie Maxwell Children’s Home who will bear the burden of this budget cut. You can’t raise tuition on them, because they don’t pay tuition. And they are certainly not there by choice; they are there because of necessity or crisis.
For a number of years, we didn’t know the fate of our two Baptist retirement homes. We heard loudly from people across this state that selling these homes was not an option, and people generously gave a great Mother’s Day offering. Combining that with new management and good business practices, we were able to lift these homes out of a sea of red ink into the black. Now we are asking them to take a cut in convention support. Some of our former pastors, missionaries, and their spouses will feel the effects of our diminished support.
Most of the financial support received comes from rank-and-file, faithful Cooperative Program-giving churches, which mostly are smaller-membership churches. I believe South Carolina Baptists love their institutions and our Baptist work and have given generously of their Cooperative Program dollars in support.
On the floor of the convention I stated, in light of our existing contingency reserve fund of approximately $7.5 million, that this budget cut was unnecessary. One messenger raised the question, “If the economy rebounds and giving rebounds, would this 6 percent cut to our Baptist work and institutions be restored?” The Executive Board’s reply was no.
As a former convention president and pastor of a wonderful church that faithfully contributes 13 percent to the Cooperative Program, I do not support this cut to our South Carolina Baptist work and institutions in light of the fact that we have a contingency reserve fund designed to meet our needs during an economic downturn.
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