The Georgia Baptist Convention experienced its most dramatic staff reduction ever Jan. 27 and Jan. 30 as 16 employees and two vacant positions were eliminated in the latest round of downsizing.
Staffing has now been cut 26 percent since the 2008 recession.
The fourth round of staff cuts since 2009 has now reduced the state missionary staffing level from a high of 202 to 150. Staffing at the convention’s Atlanta-area headquarters has now fallen from 133 to 103, and field personnel has declined from 69 to 47.
The convention’s financial struggles were never more evident than in the days leading up to the November annual meeting when the GBC Executive Committee had to rework the 2012 budget, cutting $1.7 million on top of a $1-million reduction that the committee had approved in September.
GBC executive director J. Robert White said the late-January downsizing, in both staff and operational expenses, hopefully will put the state convention ahead of any revenue shortfall in 2012 and provide a cushion against any further reductions.
But, he added, there are no guarantees as the economy continues to right itself and as churches struggle to pay their bills without cutting ministry.
“I am very sorry that this is where we are, but this is our reality for now,” White said. “I pray that God will send a revival in our state that will provide the necessary spiritual and financial resources to reach Georgia and the world for Christ.”
– Westbury is managing editor of The Christian Index, newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention.