October 22, 2001
BGCT still ranks on top in total gifts to SBC causes
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___NASHVILLE, Tenn.-- Despite significant funding changes enacted by the Baptist General Convention of Texas this year, the BGCT retained its position as the largest single source of income for the SBC in the fiscal year just ended.
___Four other state conventions sent the SBC more undesignated Cooperative Program receipts, but no other state convention sent more total money to the SBC.
___Data released by the SBC Executive Committee show the national convention experienced a 0.75 percent decrease in undesignated Cooperative Program gifts for the year ended Sept. 30. However, that loss was more than made up by a 4.7 percent increase in designated giving nationwide.
See comparison of SBC receipts for fiscal year 2000-2001 here.
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___Morris Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, reported that Cooperative Program receipts for the year were over budget by 5.34 percent. "Consequently, no SBC entity was forced to scale back ministries that were included in its 2000-2001 budget," Baptist Press reported.
___Overall giving to the SBC from all sources during the fiscal year totaled $347.9 million, a $6.34 million or 1.9 percent increase.
___The SBC received $177 million in undesignated Cooperative Program gifts from all sources and $170.9 million in designated gifts. Designated gifts included $103.86 million to the Lottie Moon Offering for international missions and $48 million to the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American missions.
___While the BGCT sent 46.34 percent less money to the SBC through the undesignated Cooperative Program channel, the BGCT also sent 22.28 percent more money to the SBC through designated channels.
___This is due in large part to changes in the BGCT's Adopted Budget, one of several giving options available to Texas Baptist churches. The Adopted Budget limits funding to the six SBC seminaries and the Executive Committee itself and eliminates funding for the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
___Because of these changes, a significant amount of money now flowing through the BGCT to the SBC is counted as designated giving by the SBC.
___Designated giving from the BGCT to the SBC, apart from the Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong special missions offerings, increased $6.46 million for the year, to a total of $7.97 million.
___In the combined analysis of undesignated and designated gifts, the BGCT sent $5.7 million less to the SBC in the 2000-2001 fiscal year than in the previous fiscal year. That is a 12.7 percent overall drop.
___The SBC's six seminaries, which were targeted for funding reductions by a BGCT Seminary Study Committee last year, still received $2.66 million from the BGCT through regular Cooperative Program channels. This amount does not include additional funds sent to the SBC seminaries from the BGCT's Adopted Budget and other designated offerings. Because the BGCT and SBC operate on different fiscal years, a complete comparison of additional seminary funding data was not possible.
___Similarly, undesignated Cooperative Program funds from the BGCT to the SBC provided $183,463 for the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, despite that agency's targeting for total defunding in the BGCT Adopted Budget.
___Also, the SBC Executive Committee received $408,791 in Cooperative Program funding for the BGCT. The BGCT Adopted Budget provides only minimal funding for the Executive Committee, which administers the overall work of the convention and operates the Baptist Press news service.
___The $5.7 million less in funds sent to the SBC through the BGCT this year was nearly made up by increased giving through the new Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. For the fiscal year just ended, the SBTC sent the SBC $5.2 million in undesignated Cooperative Program funds and $2.9 million in designated funds. That totals $5.24 million more than the SBTC sent the SBC the previous year.
___Other state Baptist conventions also increased their giving to SBC causes this year, with some of the largest percentage increases coming from New England, New York, the District of Columbia and the Dakotas.
___Direct contributions from local churches to the SBC, bypassing any state convention, more than doubled this year, growing from $3.54 million to $7.23 million. Designated contributions sent directly to the SBC also increased 57 percent, from $927,790 to $1.46 million.
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