CBF council proposes doubling BWA financial support next year_30804

Posted: 3/05/04

CBF council proposes doubling BWA financial support next year

By John Pierce

Baptists Today

ATLANTA (ABP)–Cooperative Baptist Fellowship support for the Baptist World Alliance will double to $40,000 next year if the Fellowship's general assembly adopts the $16 million budget approved by its Coordinating Council.

The additional funds would make a slight dent in an anticipated funding gap for the BWA. Southern Baptist Convention messengers in June are expected to cut the final $300,000 in SBC funding for the worldwide Baptist organization.

The Fellowship's entrance into the BWA last year has been cited as a primary reason for the SBC's planned departure from the BWA.

The Fellowship also will attempt to narrow the funding gap by collecting a BWA offering at the general assembly, to be held in Birmingham, Ala., June 24-26.

The Fellowship council recommended that African-American pastor Emmanuel McCall of Atlanta join CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal as the Fellowship's representatives to the BWA.

“Our acceptance into the BWA wasn't in our strategic plan,” Vestal told the council. “But it seemed to be the right thing to do.”

CBF Moderator-elect Bob Setzer of Macon, Ga., is studying how the Fellowship can relate most effectively to the BWA, Vestal said. He also announced BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz will host a breakfast and breakout session during the general assembly.

The Fellowship's proposed 2004-05 budget is equal to its modified spending plan in place for 2003-04, reduced because of a shortfall last year.

Finance committee member Nelson Rodriguez of Fort Worth said revenues for the current year are expected to come in at $348,000 under the revised plan. He described the proposed 2004-05 budget as “conservative.”

Jim Strawn, CBF coordinator for finance, said an additional $3.7 million in designated funds will be spent during the next budget year, bringing total expenditures for 2004-05 to nearly $20 million.

In addition to doubling the funds to BWA, the 2004-05 budget calls for creating the position of associate coordinator in faith formation, plus increases of $150,000 for staff medical insurance, $100,000 for worker's compensation insurance and $100,000 in across-the-board salary upgrades–2 percent for professional staff; 3 percent for support staff.

The council also revised the position vacated when Reba Cobb resigned as resource center coordinator last year. The council approved a new job title–coordinator of administration–and a job description that removes some supervisory responsibilities.

The new job description calls for “overseeing the daily operations of the staff” and providing “direct supervision of administrative operations.” Coordinators who do not specifically relate to administrative services will report directly to Vestal.

Personnel committee Chair Elizabeth Barnes of Raleigh, N.C., described the position as “first among equals,” in that the new staff person would represent CBF in the absence of Vestal.

The proposed budget contains some additional changes from the current one, such as another reduction of funds for partner organizations–including Associated Baptist Press, Baptist Center for Ethics, Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, Baptists Today newsjournal and about a dozen institutions for theological education.

Missouri layman Charles Cantrell, chair of a committee studying relations with those partners, reported the committee's early work has been significant but “hard to quantify.” The committee has tried to define the broad use of the term “partner” in CBF life, he said.

The study committee held its third meeting in conjunction with the Feb. 19-20 council meeting and interviewed representatives of four partner organizations. The coordinating council, which proposed a 20 percent reduction in funding for Fellowship partners, created the study committee.

The council also affirmed a proposal to collaborate with state and regional Fellowship groups to increase support for the CBF Offering for Global Missions.

The plan uses the 2002-03 offering receipts as a numerical baseline. States or regions showing an increase over 2002-03 receipts would be entitled to use 10 percent of the increased amount to fund approved mission endeavors conducted by that state or regional Fellowship body.

The council also approved a recommendation to participate in a new ecumenical effort called Christian Churches Together.

Vestal, who participated in a related meeting in Texas earlier this year, called Christian Churches Together a noble and most ambitious ecumenical effort. The group includes evangelical denominations that have been reluctant to participate in the National Council of Churches.

The council affirmed efforts to continue discussions with leaders of the American Baptist Churches, USA, for an overlapping meeting in 2007 in Washington, D.C.