BGCT reduces Dallas workforce by 10 percent_72803

Posted: 7/25/03

BGCT reduces Dallas workforce by 10 percent

DALLAS–Twenty positions have been eliminated from the 220-member workforce of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

The 10 percent reduction in full-time workers is the first step in a plan to bring expenditures in line with anticipated receipts. The convention has been operating at about 90 percent of budget this year, on the heels of an unmet budget the previous year.

The second phase of cutbacks, a reorganization of ministry priorities and cuts in ministry budgets, will be considered by the BGCT Administrative Committee when it meets Sept. 4-5.

BGCT Treasurer David Nabors said he could not predict the total amount to be cut from ministry budgets until the Administrative Committee meets. The cuts in ministry funds will be proposed for the 2004 budget, he said, and will be included in proposals sent to the BGCT annual session in Lubbock in November.

The staff cuts, however, will take effect Aug. 31. The workforce reduction will save the convention about $1.15 million in budgeted funds, Nabors said. Because several of the eliminated positions had been vacant in this budget year, the actual net decrease in personnel expenditures will be $822,500, he said.

Eight of the eliminated positions came from the BGCT's 106 ministry assistants, and 12 came from the 114 program personnel.

The action directly affected 13 current staff–seven ministry assistants and six program staff. Seven positions were vacant.

The BGCT Leadership Council met July 16-17 to set priorities, consider the staff reduction and discuss budget recommendations for the Administrative Committee.

The Leadership Council outlined nine priorities for the future, and each program area is making adjustments according to that list of priorities. Priorities identified were:

Starting missional churches.

Building relationships with churches.

Improving technology strategies.

Finding the best customized resources for churches.

Targeting funds to provide leadership development for clergy and laity.

Providing opportunities for churches in missions and ministries involvement.

Finding strategies to increase involvement with key cultures in Texas.

Leading churches to greater health.

Facilitating greater institutional involvement in ministry and missions.

“Although many companies do this kind of position reduction regularly, it is a new experience for us. Our goal is to approach this with the greatest care, compassion and generosity,” BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade wrote in a memo to all Executive Board staff.

“All reductions were decided based on position, not person. Performance was not the guiding criteria in these decisions.”

That was echoed by Chris Liebrum, human resources director. “These cuts were made strategically, based on priorities,” he said.

“Declining receipts, coupled with a lower level of investment returns, have caused us to cut back in several areas of expenditure, including personnel,” Nabors said.

One factor has been that BGCT-related churches have been slow to embrace the Adopted Budget in recent years. Currently, about one-third of the Cooperative Program giving receipts come through the BGCT Adopted Budget, the option most likely to send the largest amount of money for Texas causes.

Individuals directly affected by the staff reduction were notified by July 22, and sectional meetings were held at the Baptist Building to discuss changes related to specific program areas.

Employees who are losing their jobs are being provided severance packages, including salary and medical insurance, based on tenure.

“We are also making available to each person affected the resources of a transition company. This group will help each person deal with all aspects of transition to a new area of work,” Wade said.

"This is a painful process. We recognize that these individuals came to the BGCT out of a clear sense of calling. We will miss them and their giftedness. Our prayer is that doors for ministry will open quickly for each of these people.”

The seven ministry assistants who posts are being eliminated are Stacy Rice in the Center for Strategic Evangelism, Lori Perkins in the office of prayer and spiritual development, Connie Coulter in the Center for Community Ministries, Kay Clark in Texas Partnerships Resource Center, Lisa Davis in the Bible Study/Discipleship Center, Omega Abaunza in the Church Stewardship Center and Ken Parks with the Texas Baptist Historical Collection and Archives.

Two program staff are losing their jobs as a result of the cutbacks: Gary Crouch, director of building and support services, and Debbie Sheppard, a designer with the Communications Center.

In addition, two graphic designers in the Communications Center, Looie Biffar and Lynda Kokel, are taking early retirement since their positions are being eliminated.

Two longtime Baptist Building employees in the Bible Study/Discipleship Center announced their retirement from positions that will be eliminated–Eric Williams, discipleship coordinator, and Chuck Padilla, ethnic consultant.

Each member of the Leadership Council was expected to cut the budget in his or her area by about 18 percent, although not all unit leaders chose to make those cuts in personnel. In the case of the associate executive director's office, this meant reducing full-time staff with the Historical Collection and Archives from three staff members to two.

The Communications Center lost about one-fourth of its workforce, with all three graphic design positions being eliminated. Those services will continue to be coordinated through the Communications Center, but they will be provided on a contract basis only.

“Our designers are known as the highest quality in Baptist life and all have won national awards. Their combined 80-plus years experience does not go without notice. This is an incredibly painful transition for our staff. However, the BGCT will not lose access to their gifts, and we will seek to assign as much contract work to them as possible,” said Becky Bridges, director of the Communications Center.

Vacant positions being eliminated are a consultant in the Church Starting Center, a ministry assistant in church facilities, an accounts payable clerk and a cashier in the controller's office, the associate director of Texas Baptist Men, the associate director for family life with the Christian Life Commission, and the associate director for preaching and proclamation in the Church Health and Growth Section, a position that had been approved by the Administrative Committee but never filled.

Mike Lundy, the CLC family life associate director, already had made his retirement plans prior to the reduction in force.

The church health and growth section is consolidating counseling and psychological services, the Texas Baptist Leadership Center and the minister/church relations office into a new Center for Christian Leadership. It also is combining Church Personnel Information Services and ChurchLife Resources into a new church/membership resourcing area.

The church missions and evangelism section is merging the Center for Community Ministries and the Mission Service Corps Center into a new Missions Equipping Center, and it is moving the prayer and spiritual development office into the Missional Church Strategy Center.

Reported by Ken Camp with additional reporting by John Hall, Becky Bridges and Mark Wingfield

Breakdown of BGCT staff and cuts
Section/Office		Program	Ministry	Positions
		Personnel	Assistants	Cut
Christian
Life Comm.		5	5	1
Financial		11	30	3
Management
Associational		7	6	0
Missions
Church Health		29	17	6
& Growth
Church Missions		28	26	5
& Evangelism
Institutional		7	7	0
Ministries
Executive		2	1	0
Director
	Associate E/D	8	7	1
	Human Res.	2	1	0
	Communications	11	2	3
Texas Baptist Men		4	4	1
TOTALS		114	106	20
The executive director's office is not a section within the Baptist Building structure, but three unique offices relate directly to the executive director–the associate executive director, human resources and the Communications Center. Texas Baptist Men operates independently but is funded by the BGCT Cooperative Program. Texas WMU is not included on this chart because its funding comes through the Mary Hill Davis Offering.