A special seminary offering being proposed for Southern Baptist Convention
seminaries runs counter to a recent report regarding the state and future of
denominational finances.
A special seminary offering being proposed for Southern Baptist Convention
seminaries runs counter to a recent report regarding the state and future of
denominational finances.
Just last month, an SBC Funding Study Committee recommended that the entire
convention would be better served by educating Southern Baptists about the Cooperative
Program and challenging them to follow the biblical model of tithing.
The report pointed to a steady decline in recent years in both individual giving
and in the percentage of a churchs offerings passed on to Cooperative
Program.
Its seven recommendations included one that said “creating any additional
special annual offering be discouraged in favor of making Christian stewardship
and the Cooperative Program a top priority in Southern Baptist life over the
next several years.”
The report found that the proliferation of special offerings weakens the unified
approach of funding missions and detracts from the Cooperative Program and the
existing mission offerings. “(It) would be ineffective and cumbersome for
the churches,” the report stated. “The convention and its entities
will be better served by an aggressive stewardship education emphasis … and
a re-invigoration of the Cooperative Program.”
Members of the Funding Study Committee met with each seminary president at
least once in drafting their report. The report noted that the seminary leaders
are concerned that rising tuition costs will result in graduates leaving school
with too much debt. “These debts could hinder the graduates ability
to survive financially in entry-level ministry positions,” it noted.
SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman echoed the thrust of the report,
adding that it is “imperative to remember that we are all on the same team
with the same overarching goals.”
The funding report identified two very real dangers of an annual offering for
seminaries, Chapman noted.
“One is the further erosion of our unified giving plan, the Cooperative
Program, and the move toward societal giving, a system that gutted the convention
coffers in the early 20th century,” he said.
“The other danger is the confusion and complication in the local churches.
Over 30 percent of our churches now collect one missions offering annually for
association, state, (North American) and (international) initiatives. This trend
is growing. The promotion of a designated seminary offering most likely would
be added to the one missions offering, resulting in a decrease for the current
recipients.”
Chapman praised the work of the seminary presidents. “There is no doubt
they will continue to find innovative ways for lowering expenses and creatively
continue to advance the cause of Christ, …” he said.
Chapman also noted the Funding Study Committee has been studying the most effective
and efficient methods for providing quality theological education for Southern
Baptist ministers.
“These discussions include a number of factors that have a direct correlation
to costs for the students and the seminary,” he said. “They include
location, accessibility, degree programs and student demographics.”
Chapman said the Executive Committee is committed to consider seriously the