[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Seven Southern Baptist Convention entities received nearly $5 million for capital needs as a result of Cooperative Program gifts exceeding the 1996-97 SBC Program Allocation Budget.
Eleven SBC entities received their pro-rata budget percentages from an additional $5 million over the regular budget.
Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee, said, “The Lord promised he would give ‘good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,’ and he has certainly done that through Southern Baptists!”
When CP gifts surpass the allocation budget, distribution of those extra undesignated CP funds is one-half to the funded entities according to the standard budget distribution and one-half to a special capital needs budget approved by the SBC. The SBC fiscal year ended Sept. 30 with a record $155,005,723 in Cooperative Program gifts, compared to a budget figure of $145,053,499. The Sunday School Board and Woman’s Missionary Union do not receive Cooperative Program funds.
The North American Mission Board received the largest amount, $960,887, in the capital needs distribution, which includes capital projects of the former Radio and Television Commission. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary received $890,226; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, $748,407; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, $691,181; Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, $610,568; Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, $573,248; and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, $501,592. The total capital needs distribution: $4,976,112.
Eleven SBC entities shared program advance funds totaling $4,976,112 according to the budget formula: International Mission Board, $2,488,077; North American Mission Board, $1,134,283; Southwestern Seminary, $285,173; Convention Operating Budget, $239,869; Southern Seminary, $215,815; New Orleans Seminary, $185,803; Southeastern Seminary, $137,961; Golden Gate Seminary, $96,435; Midwestern Seminary, $93,704; Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, $49,312; Annuity Board, $37,875; and Historical Library (Council of Seminary Presidents), $11,801.
“We give praise to the Lord and commend millions of faithful and generous Southern Baptists,” Chapman said. “Their increased giving makes possible essential missions and theological education projects in fulfillment of the Great Commission. It is an exciting time to be Southern Baptists!”
More missionaries overseas is one result of Southern Baptists’ generosity, said Don Kammerdiener, IMB executive vice president.
“We are a people-sending agency. We base our ministry on the assumption that if we understand God’s will about sending people, he will provide the support. This extra money — given by the dedication and generosity of Southern Baptists — confirms that God works in a coherent way in people’s lives,” Kammerdiener said.
“We are seeing extraordinarily high numbers of missionary candidates coming forward this year again, and we anticipate appointing this year the highest number of new missionaries in 10 years. That raises the question, can we afford to send them?
“But we believe that God doesn’t say one thing to one part of the family and say something else to another part. What God is saying to missionary candidates about giving their lives to mission service, he is also saying to Southern Baptists about providing support,” Kammerdiener said.
Bob Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board, said “this exciting growth in CP giving proves what history shows — that Southern Baptists have at the very center of their hearts missions and evangelism.”
It was the fourth year in a row that SBC agencies received funds for the Capital Needs Budget, which is scheduled over a 10-year period, 1990-91 to 1999-2000; $8,850,851 remains to be funded in the next three years.
R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary and chairman of the Council of Seminary Presidents, said the tremendous response by Southern Baptists is “another sign of the greatness and goodness of God and of the generosity of the churches. … Southern Baptist churches do have a Great Commission mentality. … I can assure Southern Baptists that their six theological seminaries will be good stewards of the funds which will come to our institutions. … (T)hese additional funds will make a critical difference in our programs and on our campuses.”
In all, the International Mission Board received more than $75 million in Cooperative Program gifts for the year while the North American Mission Board received more than $31 million. The IMB also received more than $97 million in designated gifts, mostly Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, while the North American Mission Board received more than $43 million in designated gifts, mostly Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions.
Undesignated Cooperative Program gifts received by the SBC, $155,005,723, plus the designated gifts received during the year, $141,547,992, means Southern Baptists gave nearly $300 million in 1996- 97 to fund the SBC’s missions and education enterprise.