November 27, 2000
EDITORIAL:
Form respects BGCT, church freedom
___The much-anticipated form for indicating how your church's Cooperative Program contributions should be distributed will arrive soon. Fear not. Rather than a document of division, as direly predicted, it will be an instrument of instruction, enabling the Baptist General Convention of Texas to keep faith with our churches.
___The new Cooperative Program remittance form accomplishes at least three vital functions:
___First, it truthfully and accurately reflects the wishes of the BGCT, as expressed by an overwhelming majority of messengers to the convention's annual session this fall. By about a 3-to-1 majority, messengers adopted a 2001 BGCT budget that allocates 72.3 percent of receipts to Texas Baptist causes and 27.7 percent to worldwide missions and ministries. This proposal received criticism because it reduces some funding to selected Southern Baptist Convention causes and redirects that money to BGCT seminaries, Hispanic ministry, human welfare needs and moral concerns. Despite this opposition, the proposal received a clear and strong mandate from messengers to the annual session. The convention spoke, and the remittance form-- which highlights a giving plan for support of the 2001 BGCT Adopted Budget--provides our churches with a clear, easy-to-mark choice for sending church contributions to that budget.
___Second, the new contribution form honors the freedom and wishes of our churches. In addition to the space for contributing to the 2001 BGCT Adopted Budget, the form also offers churches two other giving plans. One plan indicates that a church wishes to divide its contributions, with two-thirds allocated to BGCT causes and one-third allocated to church-directed worldwide causes, and the church chooses to distribute that one-third segment to the SBC, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or other Baptist ministries. The other plan allows a church to state the percentages of its contribution that will go to the BGCT and to other causes and asks the church to list those other causes and the percentage each is to receive.
___These two plans provide our churches with amazing freedom to express their convictions and to fund exactly the Baptist causes they wish to support. The various plans belie lingering assertions that the BGCT is forcing our churches to choose between the state and national conventions or is restricting their freedom to affiliate with or contribute to any Baptist ministries or missions endeavors. To do so would violate Texas Baptists' beloved principles of the priesthood of all believers and the autonomy of the local church. We believe in, advocate for and fight to preserve the freedom of all Baptists to follow the dictates of their consciences as guided by the Holy Spirit. Any church that is considering leaving the BGCT because it fears infringement upon its rights and freedom ought to think again, because these fears are unfounded.
___Third, the new contribution form simplifies the giving process. The current form lists five separate giving plans, some with multiple sub-options. Beginning in January, our churches will choose from among the three plans (see illustration, page 6). The plans will be defined simply and easy to mark. The new form should reduce confusion experienced by churches as they seek to follow God's leadership and to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to them.
___Speaking of good stewardship, Texas Baptists owe a debt of gratitude to the BGCT Administrative Committee and staff leaders Charles Wade, Roger Hall and Dick Maples for working through this situation and developing a fair and faithful document that will serve churches well.
___Finally, please remember to pray and think carefully as your church decides how to allocate its Cooperative Program gifts.
___If your church wishes to follow the recent developments within the state convention, then the first giving plan, the 2001 BGCT Adopted Budget, will be an easy choice. If your church wishes to provide support for other causes, then the second and third plans offer ample opportunity for doing so. And if your church cannot come to consensus, even then the wishes of members may be honored by directing their portions of the CP contributions to the causes they can support; the church does not have to take an either/or approach to funding Baptist causes. Just as the wishes of churches can be honored, so can the wishes of members be respected.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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