For the week of February 27, 2003
Executive Committee
An added focus on the Cooperative Program has been incorporated
into the proposed Southern Baptist Convention budget for the 2003-04 fiscal
year. During its recent meeting, the SBC Executive Committee approved a recommendation
that $250,000 be utilized “to fund the enhancement of (Cooperative Program)
education at the six (Southern Baptist) seminaries” – if receipts
from churches exceed the budget goal of $182 million next year. The total budget
of more than $182 million still must be approved by messengers to this summers
Southern Baptist Convention. The overall budget maintains percentage allocations
the same as this year, including 50 percent to the Southern Baptist International
Mission Board and 22.79 percent to the Southern Baptist North American Mission
Board.
LifeWay news
Despite tough economic times, LifeWay Christian Resources of
the Southern Baptist Convention stands to see an overall increase in revenue
for 2003, officials said. In a recent meeting of LifeWay trustees, agency officials
said they predict a 3.4 percent increase in overall revenue. However, that means
that revenues still would fall more than $18 million short of the budget for
the fiscal year of Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, they noted. Revenues are down across
the board within LifeWays business units due to the sluggish national
economy, officials said. They also reported the market value of LifeWays
retirement trust fund has dipped below its future payout obligation. However,
leaders plan to designate reserve funds to make up the current deficit. The
deficit is due to the significant decline in the stock market during the last
three years. However, the retirement trust fund still is 96 percent funded and
remains in a solid position compared with many others, officials said.
Seminary preview
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has scheduled a Preview
Weekend for prospective seminary students on March 6-8. Student preview weekends
are held two times through the year and provide interested students the opportunity
to experience seminary life first-hand. Prospective students will have the opportunity
to tour the campus, meet faculty and staff, and learn more about admission requirements,
degree programs, cost of attendance, financial aid, scholarships, housing, student
organizations, and other important information about life at New Orleans Seminary.
Various activities are scheduled. Students must pre-register by February 28.
The cost for the weekend is $25 per person, which includes two nights lodging
and meals on Thursday night, all day Friday and Saturday morning. For information,
call (800) 662-8701, ext. 3303.
Texas decision
The executive board of Texas Baptist Men has adopted a resolution
reaffirming the groups relationship with the Baptist General Convention
of Texas and agreeing to work with the fundamental/conservative Southern Baptists
of Texas Convention. “This permits us to go into every single (Baptist)
church in Texas to do the ministry we are called to do,” a group spokesperson
said. “We want to be able to do what God wants, whenever he wants and wherever
he wants.” Although Texas Baptist Men is a self-governing missions affiliate
of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, it is housed in convention facilities
and depends heavily on the denomination for funding ($926,888 in 2003). The
new document affirms the “unique affiliation and partnership” with
the Baptist General Convention of Texas but also confirms partnerships with
other state conventions and the two Southern Baptist mission boards. The statement
also says Texas Baptist Men “will officially work” with the Southern
Baptists of Texas Convention, its churches and associations in a “mutually
supportive relationship.” The resolution follows more than two years of
negotiations and several unsuccessful attempts to define a working relationship
between the three bodies.
Voucher proposals
President George Bushs proposed federal budget for 2004
includes a pair of voucher programs that would allow use of public funds for
social services performed by religious entities. One is a $756 million plan
that would allow children in underperforming District of Columbia schools to
use federal vouchers to pay for tuition at area private schools, including parochial
ones. The other is a $600 million plan to provide treatment funds to as many
as 300,000 drug and alcohol addicts in the next three years. Clients would use
the funds to pay for treatment and rehabilitation at the program of their choice
– including religious ones. The school voucher program reportedly caught
District of Columbia public school officials by surprise – and they have
voiced opposition to the idea. Strict church-state separationists also are opposed
to the voucher plans, decrying the idea of using public funds for religious
purposes. However, the use of vouchers has been endorsed by many evangelical
groups, including the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an Ohio school-voucher program,
even though the majority of participating students went to religious schools.
FamilyNet action
Southern Baptist North American Mission Board trustees have
approved a plan to put FamilyNet programming in an additional 7 million households
on the DISH Network direct broadcast satellite system. The decision puts plans
to make the Christian television network an independent for-profit subsidiary
on hold at this time. By retaining its non-profit status at this time, FamilyNet
qualifies as a provider of non-commercial, public-service programming for DISH
Network. FamilyNet is operated by the North American Mission Board and currently
is available in about 8 million homes 24 hours a day through cable outlets,
local affiliate stations and a limited number of direct broadcast satellite
customers. Under the new agreement, the current FamilyNet feed – supported
largely by commercial sponsorship – would continue to be provided to the
cable and affiliate outlets. But the DISH Network also would be provided similar
FamilyNet programming on a second non-commercial feed. The move will increase
the number of homes receiving FamilyNet programming 24 hours a day to about
15 million, officials said. “We see this as a tremendous opportunity to
further penetrate the culture with a balanced network of family friendly programming
and some of the best biblical teaching available anywhere,” a board official
noted.
Fellowship figures
Midway through the moderate/conservative Cooperative Baptist
Fellowships fiscal year, contributions from churches and individuals are
down 6 percent from the same period last year. Contributions from churches and
individuals totaled $6.3 million during the six-month period, which is 16 percent
behind the budget projection. The fellowships fiscal year runs from July
1 to June 30. Meanwhile, the fellowships offering for global missions
has increased. The offering has brought in $1.35 million, a 9.4 percent increase
from the same period last year. The number of churches contributing directly
to the fellowship declined slightly for the first six months, from 1,409 last
year to 1,385 this year, a drop of 1.7 percent. The number of individuals giving
has grown from 2,168 last year to 2,238 this year, a rise of 3.2 percent. The
fellowship also received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. Without
that, its overall revenue would be down 4.7 percent for the year. With it, total
revenue is up 24.5 percent.
Telly awards
The Southern Baptist “TruthQuest: California” teenage reality series
earned three honors at the 24th Annual Telly Awards. The awards include two
silver Tellys for the “Blind Faith” and “Impact Zone” episodes
and a bronze Telly for the “Like Night and Day” episode. The Telly
Awards recognize outstanding non-network and cable commercials, film and video
productions. The 13-week TruthQuest series premiered in October and now is in
its second run on FamilyNet Television, the cable/broadcast arm of the Southern
Baptist North American Mission Board. The series also received the Peoples
Choice Award at the National Religious Broadcasters convention.