May 20, 2002
Hall: BGCT still funds missions as churches direct
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___If anybody says Texas Baptists have quit giving to worldwide missions, don't believe it, according to Roger Hall, who recently retired after about 18 years as treasurer and chief financial officer of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___And if anyone has questions about how missions money is handled and distributed, rest assured that the books are carefully examined and financial safeguards are in place, he added.
___Several churches and associational directors of missions raised questions about Texas Baptist missions giving after a chart appeared in the April 2002 issue of the Southern Baptist Texan, published by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
___The chart purported to compare the proportionate Cooperative Program giving of all state Baptist conventions historically, showing the percentage of undesignated receipts staying in a state and the percentage going to Southern Baptist Convention causes.
___The Texan's chart indicated the BGCT kept 83 percent of Cooperative Program dollars in Texas and sent 17 percent to SBC causes in 2001. While that is close to the percentage division reflected in the BGCT's Adopted Budget, actually 30 percent of all Cooperative Program gifts received by the BGCT in 2001 went to SBC causes, as directed by churches. And when all missions giving is considered, only 53 percent of receipts stayed in Texas.
___"My first reaction is that someone must have gone to sleep with pen in hand. The Cooperative Program use of funds given by the churches affiliated with the BGCT did far more on a worldwide scale than the writer gave them credit," Hall said.
___In 2001, the BGCT financial management section staff handled and forwarded $61,353,350 in Cooperative Program funds. Of that total, 30 percent went to SBC causes, 66 percent to BGCT missions and ministries, and the remaining amount to other worldwide missions causes.
___"Of these sacrificially given dollars, we forwarded them for use as each church instructed us," Hall explained. "Remember that Cooperative Program gifts through the BGCT are church-directed, not convention-directed."
___In addition to Cooperative Program gifts, churches related to the BGCT gave $12.9 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions and $5.3 million to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions--both administered by SBC mission boards. And about $300,000 went to SBC-related world hunger projects.
___"This totals $36.7 million during the year given through the BGCT to SBC-related Cooperative Program and special missions offerings," Hall said. "That means that again the churches related to the BGCT gave 47 percent of all BGCT-administered missions offerings through their state convention to worldwide missions causes, leaving only 53 percent for all Texas causes," Hall said. "That is a far cry from the 17 percent, as was misquoted. I am very proud of this documented total and of my Texas Baptist family's record of sacrificial giving."
___Hall said he didn't know why the Southern Baptist Texan inaccurately reported Cooperative Program giving through the BGCT. But the error could have been easily avoided by contacting the BGCT treasurer's office, he suggested.
___"A very high level and strong sense of accountability is expected and provided to Texas Baptists," Hall said. "The financial management office has always welcomed that expectation and wanted to provide that accountability."
___Accountability is ensured through an intricate system of internal controls, with a variety of checks and balances, he noted. And those internal controls are verified each year by an independent financial audit.
___Throughout Hall's tenure, the BGCT treasurer's office consistently received the highest possible marks from auditors.
___The convention's business and audit committee reviews all the documentation. The committee then presents the information to the full Administrative Committee and to the BGCT Executive Board.
___The detailed audit report also is published in the BGCT Annual, and a copy is mailed each year to every church affiliated with the convention.
___ Since Hall had announced his plans to retire as treasurer and chief financial officer of the BGCT, a special audit was conducted to test transactions for a prolonged period to determine that proper internal controls were in place for the transitional period.
___The comprehensive audit proved that agreed-upon procedures had been followed, and it demonstrated the effectiveness of internal controls that protect the integrity of BGCT financial management.
___The BGCT provides as much financial information to churches as any Baptist convention, agency or institution, and more than most, Hall said.
___"We have shared our procedures and policies with other state conventions, and some of them have adopted similar practices," he said. "At the same time, we have learned from them, as well."
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