February 5, 2001
BGCT treasurer stands by statements
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___Roger Hall, treasurer and chief financial officer of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, responded to a Baptist Press article challenging statements he made, both in a Jan. 29 Baptist Standard article and in a mailing to Texas Baptist churches, by reaffirming his comments.
___"I stand by my original statements in the letter to Texas Baptist churches leaders, as reported in the Baptist Standard," Hall said. "The purpose of the mailing was to provide Texas Baptist churches with accurate and helpful information. I believe it achieved that purpose."
___The Baptist Standard article about the mailing led to a number of calls and e-mails to the paper, as well as prompting the alternative state convention in Texas to generate an article for Baptist Press. Hall said, "I am pleased to see that people are reading the Baptist Standard and finding valuable information there."
___Hall reiterated his original statements but disputed the inferences drawn in the Baptist Press article.
___"Regarding the statements about matching funding and protection benefits provided by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the group tax-exempt exemption offered to BGCT-affiliated churches and associations, at no time did I make any reference either to a competing state convention or to a national convention. The focus was upon services provided by the BGCT to supporting churches," he said.
___Hall pointed out that he was not contacted by Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee or the alternative state convention before the Baptist Press article appeared.
___"I would have been pleased to talk and answer any questions," he said. "I never got a call."
___Hall noted that the BGCT has a longstanding policy of providing matching funds to the Church Annuity and Protection Plan for ministers and many other employees of BGCT-supporting churches.
___The 2001 BGCT Cooperative Program budget earmarks $1.6 million for the Ministers Protection Plan, which helps provide life and disability insurance for church workers and helps build benefits for their retirement through matching funds.
___"It does not seem fair for the Cooperative Program giving of other churches to be used to contribute to the plan for those churches that do not give," Hall explained.
___"Therefore, the established BGCT policy is that a church must give at least as much through the Cooperative Program as the matching funds paid by the convention on behalf of that church's employees. This is a service provided by the BGCT to cooperating churches."
___The BGCT makes the service available to all churches that meet the giving criteria, regardless whether a church is affiliated with any other convention, he added.
___The other issue raised in the Baptist Press article concerned Hall's statement that if a church totally disassociates itself from the BGCT, it no longer qualifies for the state convention's group tax exemption.
___"Since at least the 1940s, the BGCT has had a group ruling for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service for its affiliated churches and associations. This allows churches not to file an annual report. We file for them. A church does not have to request this. It is automatically provided as a service by the BGCT to cooperating churches. As I stated earlier, if a church chose to no longer affiliate with the BGCT, it would need to make other arrangements."
___Concerning Cooperative Program giving by Texas Baptist churches, Hall reported that receipts for January totaled $7,498,593, more than 32 percent above the $5.6 million monthly giving goal required by budget. The January Cooperative Program gifts were 7.7 percent greater than in the same month last year.
___"This is evidence of the continuing faithfulness of Texas Baptist churches and their commitment to the missions and ministries of the Baptist General Convention of Texas," he said.
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