Together: BGCT will honor churches’ decisions_30804

Posted: 3/05/04

TOGETHER:
BGCT will honor churches' decisions

Since New Testament times, churches have met human needs and responded to missions challenges through cooperation. This principle has been imbedded in the heart of churches since the Apostle Paul gathered offerings to help the Jerusalem church through days of persecution and hunger.

Baptist churches in America, however, were so committed to local-church autonomy that they were slow to see how they could combine resources to accomplish more for God than they could do alone. Slowly but surely, Baptists began to see how they could pool their mission offerings and do together something necessary and good for God's work.

The Cooperative Program came into existence as state conventions agreed to work with the Southern Baptist Convention in raising funds for missions, evangelism, Christian education and benevolence. Since 1925, the Baptist General Convention of Texas has been a generous contributor–often the most generous of any state convention–to Southern Baptist ministries across the nation and world.

Some have suggested the BGCT no longer “pass through” contributions from our churches to the SBC. This suggestion has been made often through the years, even before I became executive director, but it has never gained wide support from our leaders or our churches.

I would not be in favor of such a decision. I believe that how the local church wants to contribute its Cooperative Program mission dollars is up to the local church. If a Texas Baptist church wants to give through the Texas Adopted Budget plan, 79 percent of its Cooperative Program dollars will be used to fund BGCT ministries, missions and institutions, and 21 percent will be used for worldwide programs as the local church directs. The BGCT is bound to honor the local church's decision.

If a local church wants to direct Cooperative Program dollars by another percentage distribution between Texas Baptist causes and the SBC or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, or if it chooses to increase contributions to BGCT worldwide mission causes, it is free to make that determination, as well.

Some faithful Texas Baptists have suggested the BGCT stop processing worldwide missions gifts because they are distressed over decisions made by the SBC. They are hurt when the SBC dismisses seminary faculty and leaders without finding them guilty of heresy, releases missionaries because they will not sign a creed presented to them, refuses to endorse chaplains because they are women and falsely charges the Baptist World Alliance with “aberrant theology” and “anti-Americanism” as an excuse to pull away from the world Baptist family which we helped to found 99 years ago.

Increasing numbers of Texas Baptist churches are making the decision to channel their missions giving away from the SBC. But many churches want to continue supporting Southern Baptist ministries and missions. I doubt even Solomon could figure out a plan for cooperative giving that would satisfy all our Texas Baptist churches. Perhaps in the future we will again be able to gain a consensus that will satisfy almost all of our churches. Until then, the right thing to do is to give churches the freedom to find prayerfully and together the best way for them to give.

The BGCT has stood consistently on the side of local churches. We will honor your decisions. We will send your mission dollars exactly where you instruct us to send them. We will try to give you information and options so you can make the best decision possible, but we serve you and will help you do what you believe is right.

We are loved.