October 22, 2001

NAMB clarifies on new conventions
___ALPHARETTA, Ga.--The North American Mission Board will not encourage the creation of new state Baptist conventions that compete with existing state conventions but will work with new conventions as they arise, trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention mission board said Oct. 3.
___NAMB trustees adopted formal guidelines for creating cooperative agreements with new state conventions within geographic boundaries of existing state conventions.
___The guidelines do not apply to NAMB's relationships with existing state conventions, said Harry Lewis, director of NAMB's strategy coordination team.
___General provisions of the guidelines include that conventions should be representative of all ethnic groups, defined by a geographical boundary, "compatible with current policies of NAMB and doctrinal positions of the SBC" and singularly aligned with the SBC.
___Also, "all jointly funded staff, missionaries and endorsed chaplains must conform with and agree to minister consistent with and not contrary to" the current Baptist Faith & Message statement adopted by the SBC.
___The document does not address issues such as how NAMB will handle concerns of existing state conventions about the possible duplication of work by new state conventions serving the same geographical area.
___Earlier this year, a Baptist General Convention of Texas missions study committee expressed concern about NAMB's relationship with a new and competing state convention in Texas. BGCT and NAMB officials currently are negotiating a new cooperative agreement.

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