BGCT board approves decreased 2014 budget

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DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board approved a slightly decreased budget for 2014 after three years in which total budget requirements remained essentially unchanged.

While the board normally recommends a budget approved by messengers to the BGCT annual meeting, this year the state convention authorized the board to approve the budget.

The BGCT held its annual meeting—traditionally scheduled in the fall—in July in conjunction with the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, the African-American Fellowship of Texas and other affinity groups as part of the Texas Baptist Family Gathering in San Antonio.

The 2014 BGCT budget depends on $33.85 million in Cooperative Program receipts from churches, along with $2.29 million in investment income and an additional $1 million from nonchurch donors, an overall $2.3 million reduction.

Counting revenue from the North American Mission Board, conference and booth fees, product sales and other miscellaneous sources, the BGCT anticipates $40,404,528—down $943,330 from anticipated 2012 revenue.

Staff salaries increased

The budget includes a 1.5 percent increase in BGCT Executive Board staff salaries.

The board also approved the allotment of the adopted budget remain at 79 percent for BGCT and 21 percent for worldwide causes. Each church determines the recipient or recipients of its worldwide giving.

The board approved $1.8 million for Texas worldwide missions initiatives and partnerships, down from $2.1 million in 2013 and comparable to the 2012 level. Recipients include missions mobilization, River Ministry and Mexico missions, Texas Partnerships, the Baptist World Alliance, Go Now Missions and intercultural international initiatives.


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Jill Larsen, BGCT treasurer and chief financial officer, reported at mid-year, Texas Cooperative Program receipts stood at 95.4 percent of budget, compared to 99.7 percent at the same point in 2012. As of June 30, expenses were 94 percent of budget.

Defeated Baptist University of the Américas motion

In other business, the board voted to:

• Follow a finance committee recommendation to defeat a motion referred from the May 21 meeting that would have directed all undesignated memorial gifts in 2014 to Baptist University of the Américas.

The committee noted when a donor leaves an undesignated estate gift, the BGCT treasurer’s office as a matter of policy has consulted with the executor of the estate, a family member or pastor of the deceased to determine the donor’s special ministry interests. When possible, gifts are applied toward causes consistent with the donor’s interests.

“It seems inequitable to benefit BUA with these future gifts when other institutions may have needs and may have ministries more in line with the donor’s ministry interests,” the committee stated in its recommendation.

Randy Wallace, pastor of First Baptist Church in Killeen, made the original motion and spoke against the committee’s recommendation, noting what he had observed from service on the board’s institutional relations committee.

“Not all institutions are equal in strength and in the base of donors,” he said. “Not all are in the same place in terms of development of their facilities.”

He pointed to the growing Hispanic population of Texas as reason to give BUA special consideration.

Postponed foundation motion

• Postpone indefinitely a motion to make the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation a nonprofit corporation. The matter had been introduced at the May 21 board meeting and postponed until the September meeting for further consideration. The board’s executive committee in turn recommended the matter be postponed to an undefined later date.

“There may come a time for it, but now is not the time,” BGCT Executive Director David Hardage said. “I am just not comfortable with it.”

• Use presidents of ethnic and cultural affinity groups as part of the planning team for BGCT annual meetings, to reflect greater diversity among speakers and musicians and provide equal opportunity for all ethnic groups to participate.

• Add cross-cultural training to the orientation for members of all BGCT officer-appointed committees.

• Authorize $3,286,205 for the 2013 New Church Fund, with $1,575,914 from budget receipts, $1 million from the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, and the remainder from interest income, a designated mission fund, the North American Mission Board and donor-designated gifts.

Gift to ABP

• Approve an annual $25,000 gift to Associated Baptist Press from nonendowment investments.

• Accept several recommendations from the finance committee regarding estate gifts and creation of the BGCT Evangelism Fund, using unspent money from the Hope 2010 evangelistic outreach initiative.

• Create a BGCT Medical Missions Fund, redirecting funds previously designated to the Baylor College of Dentistry for charitable work. The college, which was affiliated with Baylor University from 1918 to 1971, has been part of the Texas A&M University system since 1996 and a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center since 1999.

• Accept several recommendations from the administration support committee regarding administrative and personnel policies.


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