CBF mid-year contributions down 6% from last year

by ABP staff                                                                                                  Vol. XVI, No. 3, March 2003

Midway through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s fiscal year [at the end of December], contributions from churches and individuals are down 6% from the same period last year. Contributions from churches and individuals, the largest portion of CBF's budget, totaled $6.3 million during the six-month period, which is 16% behind the budget projection. The CBF's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

There was some good news in the revenue report, however. Total revenue during the period reached $8.5 million, an increase of 24.5 percent compared to the same period last year. The boost came from an increase in designated giving, most notably a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. [Editorial Note: Without the Lilly grant total revenue would have decreased by 4.8%.]

The CBF's Offering for Global Missions also increased. So far this year, the offering has brought in $1.35 million, a 9.4 percent increase over the $1.23 million collected during the same period last year. In total, designated contributions are up 78% over 2001-02.

The number of churches contributing directly to CBF declined slightly for the first six months, while the number of individuals contributing increased. More than 1,385 churches made contributions by mid-year, compared to 1,409 churches during the same period in fiscal 2001-02. [See footnote.] Church counts are approximate because CBF does not receive the names of churches that contribute through the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. A total of 2,238 individuals made contributions during the period, compared to 2,168 individuals a year ago.

 The $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment is funding the new Initiative for Ministerial Excellence. According to CBF, the grant indicates that respected funding agencies are finding CBF to be a worthy ministry partner for their resources.

Subtracting the Lilly grant, total CBF revenue for the period is down 4.7 percent. That discrepancy, CBF leaders said, is explained in part by an increase in 2001-02 designated giving in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

[ Editor’s Footnote: During its first several years CBF enjoyed substantial annual increases in the number of churches contributing, reaching a high of 1,806 in 1999. Recently, however, the number of churches has been decreasing. In CBF’s 2000 fiscal year there was a drop of 9, and in 2001 a further decrease of 31. The reduction of 24 churches in the first six months of their current fiscal year appears to continue that trend, although some churches may send checks only once a year, and the second half numbers could grow. TCP]