Standard circulation numbers add up to BGCT support

April 1, 2002

EDITORIAL:
Standard circulation numbers add up to BGCT support
___If you want to see the Baptist General Convention of Texas thrive, make sure the members of your church receive the Baptist Standard.
___This isn't feel-good rhetoric or mere marketing boosterism. It's fact based on the BGCT's latest giving records: On average, churches that provided a higher percentage of their members with Standard subscriptions experienced an increasing level of financial support for the BGCT last year.
___The Standard's development director, Michael Morgan, examined the two-year contribution records for all 815 churches that contributed at least $10,000 to the BGCT Cooperative Program unified budget in 2001. The study showed a direct correlation between giving trends and Standard subscriptions.
___The study placed the churches in four categories--those that provided the Standard to 0 percent to 25 percent of average Sunday School attendance (525 churches); 26 percent to 50 percent of average attendance (150 churches); 51 percent to 75 percent of average attendance (49 churches); and 76 and greater percent of average attendance (91 churches). Each category included churches of all sizes, a wide variety of worship styles and geographic distribution across the state.
___The study examined the percentage of churches in each category that increased or decreased BGCT Cooperative Program giving from 2000 to 2001. The larger the distribution of Standards, the greater the likelihood the churches would increase financial support for the convention.
___Of churches in the bottom category (0-25 percent of average Sunday School attendance receiving the Standard), 47 percent increased their Cooperative Program gifts from 2000 to 2001, while 53 percent decreased.
___Meanwhile, churches in all three other categories showed escalating majorities of churches increasing their Cooperative Program contributions: 57 percent of churches in the 26-50 percent subscription category increased their gifts, as did 60 percent of churches in the 51-75 percent subscription group and 65 percent in the 76-and-up percent subscription category.
___ The study also examined the per capita Cooperative Program giving trends of churches in each category. Again, individual church members increased their giving to the BGCT in direct relation to Standard subscriptions in their churches.
___In the bottom subscription category, the average Cooperative Program gift per member decreased by $5.26. In the next category, giving still decreased, but not by as much--$1.65. In the third category, members increased their giving to the Cooperative Program by an average of $8.74 per person. And in the top subscription category, individual support for the Cooperative Program grew by an average of $9.55 per person.
___These figures point to a correlation between knowledge, affection and support.
___The more people know about the Baptist General Convention of Texas' ministries, challenges and opportunities, the more likely they are to love the convention and its ministries, including its many agencies and institutions. And the more they love these ministries and convention institutions, the more likely they are to support them--even when the economy is down and when adversaries attack the convention.
___Some people call or write to say they think the Baptist Standard should be for "all" Texas Baptists. They mean the newspaper should equally endorse both the BGCT and the 3-year-old spin-off competitor, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. To these people, both conventions have equal merit and deserve equal support. They ignore the fact the new convention was created to compete with the BGCT, and its supporters have sought to build the new convention at the expense of the BGCT--often through distortions and misrepresentations.
___The Baptist Standard's charter mandates a close relationship with the BGCT. It stipulates the purpose of the Standard is "transaction of a printing and/or publishing business to aid and support the Baptist General Convention of Texas and to interpret events and movements that affect the welfare of the people of God."
___That doesn't mean the content of the Standard is controlled by the BGCT's Executive Board, officers or other officials. Since the Standard directly affiliated with the convention in 1914, the Standard has had a close but separate relationship with the BGCT. The convention elects the Standard's 15-member board, as it does the trustees of other BGCT institutions. The editor reports to this board of directors, not the BGCT executive director or Executive Board. The Standard is the only Baptist state paper that does not receive Cooperative Program funds. The paper pays its own way. These steps ensure a degree of freedom and autonomy unparalleled in Baptist life. The Standard does not engage in so-called "advocacy journalism" in its news reporting, but rather seeks to provide balanced coverage of issues important to Baptists.
___Some would like for the Standard to be controlled by the the convention and its contents determined by convention officials. Fortunately, this is not the case. The Standard's management and financial structure enables the paper to report all the significant news of events, developments and people that impact the convention. Such freedom is accepted in a spirit of responsibility. For ultimately, the Standard is accountable to the readers, who expect fairness and accuracy.
___Thankfully, this is a reciprocal relationship. Just as the Standard board and staff endeavor to remain trustworthy, we also trust our readers to receive the information we provide responsibly and to respond accordingly.
___Our readers also take that relationship seriously, and last year's Cooperative Program figures indicate our trust is well-placed.
___ —Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Get printer-friendly version of this story

Send this story to a friend

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook