D.C. convention looks ahead despite cuts_111003

Posted: 11/07/03

D.C. convention looks ahead despite cuts

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

SILVER SPRING, Md. (ABP)–Despite having nearly a third of its funding cut off by the Southern Baptist Convention, leaders of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention gave upbeat reports during the organization's 127th annual meeting Oct. 27-28.

Among other actions, messengers adopted a 2004 budget that reflected a slight reduction from the 2003 budget, approved a minimum annual contribution for participating churches, signed a covenant reflecting the re-organized convention's purpose and accepted 10 churches into the fellowship.

The meeting was held at Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Md.

The SBC's North American Mission Board announced last year that it would cut off nearly $500,000 in annual funding it sent to the DCBC because of perceived doctrinal differences between the two organizations.

The D.C. convention is unique among Southern Baptist-related state or regional conventions in that it also affiliates with two other national Baptist bodies–the American Baptist Churches in the USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

In addition, many D.C. churches are affiliated with two moderate splinter groups of the SBC–the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists.

About 150 churches belong to the D.C. convention, including many in Washington-area suburbs of Virginia and Maryland and beyond.

“Over the last year, we have endured much hardship as soldiers of Jesus Christ,” Jeffrey Haggray, the convention's executive director-minister, said. He especially noted that, two years ago, the convention employed 23 full- and part-time staff members. Now there are 10.

Despite the hardship, the de-funding and attendant reorganization plan created timely opportunities, Haggray said. “Our churches want hands-on ministry that is indigenous, contextual, staffed by their members and is driven by them as they feel led by the Holy Spirit.”

Another inadvertent benefit, he added, is that all convention staff members' salaries are now 100 percent underwritten by the D.C. convention itself.

And although leaders of at least two churches supportive of the SBC's conservative wing indicated they would withdraw support from the D.C. convention as a result of the controversy, Haggray noted several times as many congregations have affiliated with the body since the controversy began.

In an additional move to shore up finances, messengers adopted a motion to set an annual minimum contribution of $500 for cooperating churches. Previously, the convention's constitution required only that member churches be financially supportive of the convention without specifying any required amount.