BGCT board recommends $34 million budget

DALLAS—The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board approved a decreased 2017 budget proposal at its fall meeting Sept. 27 in Dallas.

Messengers to the BGCT annual meeting Nov. 13-15 in Waco will vote on 2017 budget allocations of $34 million, down $1.42 million from the current spending plan.

The 2017 budget proposal depends on $29.6 million in Cooperative Program receipts from churches, compared to $31 million in the 2016 budget. The recommended budget anticipates $4.4 million in investment income.

In addition, the 2017 budget includes more than $2.6 million in additional revenue from the North American Mission Board, conference and booth fees, product sales and other miscellaneous sources.

So, the proposed 2017 operating budget will total $36,638,274, compared to this year’s goal of $37,996,806.

The proposed 2017 budget includes no salary increase for BGCT Executive Board staff. It does absorb a 13.4 percent increase in group medical insurance, rather than pass the increase to employees.

The recommended 2017 budget eliminates two positions in associational missions and assumes the church architecture office develops a new funding model over three years to reduce its reliance on the Cooperative Program.

Michael Evans, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, noted the importance of the BGCT church architecture office, particularly to small churches that may be least able to afford consulting fees.

Evans questioned the fairness of charging fees to churches that already give to the Texas Cooperative Program, saying the proposed model would mean those congregations are being “taxed twice” by the state convention.

BGCT Executive Director David Hardage noted the suggested model would provide a sliding scale based on church size, and he pledged the staff would take into consideration the concerns of small churches.

The board also approved continued division of undesignated receipts from affiliated churches, with 79 percent allocated for the BGCT and 21 percent for worldwide causes. Each church determines the recipient or recipients of its worldwide giving. The board proposal approves $1.3 million for Texas worldwide missions initiatives and partnerships, compared to $1.47 million in 2016.

Jill Larsen, treasurer and chief financial officer, reported Texas Cooperative Program giving at 91.5 percent of budget as of June 30—$14.9 million—and at 94.6 percent of the same six-month period in 2015. However, she noted, by the end of August, the giving level increased to about 95 percent of budget.

Governing document changes for HighGround and Baptist Health Foundation

In other business, after lengthy discussion the board approved a recommendation to amend the certificates of formation and bylaws for the Baptist Foundation of Texas­—now doing business as HighGround Advisors—and Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio. The action will require final approval by messengers to the BGCT annual meeting.

In both instances, the BGCT would cease to be the sole member of the corporation, and the entities would become no-member nonprofit organizations, like most other BGCT-related institutions. In part, the change would limit ascending and descending liability, both for the BGCT and the two organizations.

The amendments also will allow HighGround Advisors to serve non-Baptist charitable organizations whose mission and purpose are not inconsistent with Baptist faith and belief.

Currently, the investment and trust services company already handles some non-Baptist organizations—particularly universities and hospitals—through a subsidiary trust company. The amended documents allow HighGround to expand its service directly to non-Baptist organizations and make the organization stronger, said Jeff Smith, president and chief executive officer.

Questions regarding HighGround focused on two areas. The amended document essentially severs the company’s relationship with the BGCT if, within a 12-month period, more than 50 percent of the BGCT Executive Board’s members are removed or replaced.

Also, in the event of the trust services company’s dissolution, any residual assets not held in trust—such as operational expenses and office equipment—would not automatically revert to the BGCT.

However, Smith assured Executive Board members HighGround has retained governance provisions—such as BGCT election of a majority of the company’s board and required BGCT approval for changes in its articles of incorporation—to maintain its relationship to the convention essentially as it currently stands.

Concerns voiced about inadequate funding of student ministries

The board also voted on several recommendations from its finance committee regarding the use of income from trusts. In the process, some board members raised concerns the convention is notinvesting enough in Baptist Student Ministry.

The board voted to use one-half of the income produced by the J.K. Wadley Missions Fund for church starts—projected to be about $251,000—and to use $100,000 in income from the fund for campus missionary interns in 2017.

However, as noted by some board members, $100,000 will not fully fund the campus missionary interns program—a matter than factored into an amendment offered to another proposal.

The board considered—and eventually approved—a motion regarding a fund established from the sale of the Baptist Building to Baylor University. When the convention sold the building, the board used $1.92 million in cash proceeds to establish a building proceeds ministry fund.

As part of the sale, Baylor also agreed to provide facilities for the BGCT annual meeting in Waco four years. The annual meeting is a $250,000 budgeted expense, and that expense will remain part of the annual budget after the Baylor funding ends. So, the finance committee recommended adding $1 million from Baylor annual meeting funding to the building proceeds ministry fund, with income generated from the fund to be used to support BGCT ministries.

An amendment from the floor would have designated $100,000 of the $250,000 for 2017 toward the campus missionary intern program. That proposed amendment, in turn, prompted a motion to refer the matter back to the finance committee.

Both the motion to refer to the finance committee and the motion to designate funds for the campus missionary intern program failed, and the original motion passed.

In other business, the board:

• Granted authority to obtain bids and proceed with demolition of the now-vacated buildings on Baptist University of the Américas’ previous campus, at a cost not to exceed $400,000. Since BUA consolidated its operations into a nearby single building, the old buildings have been vandalized and are deteriorating rapidly, creating a liability hazard. Demolition of the vacated buildings will require asbestos remediation.
• Approved one-half of the income generated by the Charles R. Moore Foundation Fund be used for events on seminary campuses to engage students in BGCT work and one-half be used to engage Baptist Student Ministry directors better in BGCT work.
• Voted to use all income generated by the Henry and Annie Borchers Trust to benefit the Cooperative Program budget.
• Agreed to use $211,000 in available income from the Ella Bachman Jones Memorial Fund to set up a fund at HighGound Advisors that will support the budget of the BGCT counseling services office.
• Redesignated funds remaining from the Matryoshka Haus Project in San Antonio toward a Houston-area missionary.
• Approved the Weaver firm to conduct the BGCT independent financial audit for 2016.
• Eliminated the Hendrick Medical Development Corporation—which no longer serves any purpose—at the request of the Hendrick Medical Center board.
• Elected Donald Wills from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas to serve on the Baylor Health Care System board of trustees.
• Approved four individuals to the Christian Life Commission—Les Hollon from Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio and Moises Rodriguez from Life Church of San Antonio, both to second terms; and Emily Harden from Ash Creek Baptist Church in Azle and Myles Werntz from First Baptist Church in Abilene, both to first terms.
• Created a music and worship council as an advisory group to the Great Commission Committee and approved several policy changes related to the insititutional-review process, the business and financial plan, and the travel expense policy for volunteers.

The board also filled vacancies on multiple councils by approving:

• Micaela Camacho from Iglesia Bautista Genesis in Fort Worth, D.M. Edwards from First Baptist Church in Tyler, Bryan Finley from Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville, Mike Harwood from First Baptist Church in Corsicana, Bernie Spooner from Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving, Wayne Stevenson from First Baptist Church in Plano and Charles Whiteside from First Baptist Church in Kilgore for the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation Council.
• Sharon Darwin from First Baptist Church in Dallas and Bobbye Hill from First Baptist Church in Duncanville for the Baptist Distinctives Council.
• Kristen Boyd from First Baptist Church in Waco and Jeff Johnson, past BGCT president and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Commerce, for the Texas Baptist Historical Collection Council.
• Bob Garrett from First Baptist Church in Arlington and Randy Newberry from First Baptist Church in Forney for the Missions Mobilization Coordinating Council.
• Jerry Ashcraft from First Baptist Church in Corsicana, Dan Ho from Chinese Baptist Church in Houston and Bill Bevill from First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi for the Baptist Student Ministry Council.
• Robert Rodriguez from Primera Iglesia Bautista in Harlingen and Darell Horn from Alamo Community Church in San Antonio for the Cultural Engagement Council.
• Justin Lawrence from Faith First Baptist Church in Lubbock, Rafael Muñoz from Erez Church in Terrell, Jesse Rincones from Mighty Fortress Christian Fellowship in San Antonio and Sylvia Villareal from Cliff Temple Baptist Church in Dallas for the Hispanic Education Initiative Council.
• Judy Collins from The Crossing Church in Mesquite and Bobby Broyles from First Baptist Church in Ballinger for the Theological Education Council.
• Gina Biddle from Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Donald Lacy from Truelove Baptist Church in Humble and David Edmonds from South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa, Okla., for the Chaplaincy Endorsement Council.
• Golden Davis from Singing Hills Baptist Church in Dallas and Leigh Ann Powers from First Baptist Church in Winters for the BaptistWay Press Advisory Council.
• Dan Whitehurst from First Baptist Church in Longview, Harold Richardson from the Woods Church in Tyler and Clint Bateman from Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston for the Institutions Audit Council.