August 19, 2002
IMB trustees appoint 79, receive 53 resignations; 12 cite BF&M
___RIDGECREST, N.C.--Trustees of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board appointed 79 missionaries and accepted the resignations of 53 others during an Aug. 1-3 meeting at Ridgecrest Conference Center.
___Twelve of the resigning missionaries cited a Jan. 31 request by IMB President Jerry Rankin to affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message as a factor in their decision to resign, said Avery Willis, the board's senior vice president of overseas operations. Ten other missionaries previously had resigned over the request.
___An annual study of changes in missionary deployment prior to Rankin's January letter to missionaries showed long-term personnel numbers continued a pattern of growth while losses by attrition remained within the range typical of the past decade, trustees were told.
___An increase in the total number of missionaries continued in 2001 with a year-end total of 5,057, a net gain of 152, the report said. A net increase of 108 among long-term personnel--which includes career, associate and apprentice missionaries--represented a one-year growth rate of 2.9 percent, the largest percentage increase in the category in a decade. A net increase of 44 among short-term personnel represented a one-year growth rate of 3.6 percent, the lowest percentage increase in the category in a decade.
___The 10-year average annual growth rate for the combined categories was 2.6 percent. A total of 5,364 missionaries of all classifications currently serve under IMB appointment.
___In 2001, the board lost 270 missionaries by attrition, a rate of 5.1 percent, the report noted. Since 1990, attrition rates have fluctuated between 3.6 percent and 5.3 percent annually. The average rate for the period is 4.4 percent.
___On the financial front, with the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering falling $6.3 million short of its 2001 goal, the board must reduce spending and manage its finances prudently, Rankin told trustees.
___The shortfall will be made up by canceling $3 million designated for overseas capital needs and cutting the remainder from the board's operating budget, Rankin said. Those cuts will not affect missionary support or strategic needs overseas, he added.
___"Yes, the stock market is in decline. Yes, charitable giving is diminishing," Rankin said. "But last year Southern Baptists took $8.9 billion into their offering plates. Less than 2.5 percent of that found its way to international missions.
___"God has blessed Southern Baptists, and the resources are there. But our churches must realign their priorities, create a passion for reaching a lost world and join God on mission," Rankin said.
___Based on reporting by Mark Kelly of the SBC International Mission Board distributed through Baptist Press
___Twelve of the resigning missionaries cited a Jan. 31 request by IMB President Jerry Rankin to affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message as a factor in their decision to resign.
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