SBCV Progress

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                   Vol. XVI, No. 2, February 2003   

We Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia declared ourselves a state convention at our 16 September 1996 meeting. Prior to that meeting some churches had been making Cooperative Program donations through the SBCV while it was still a fellowship, beginning in 1993 when ten churches sent in such gifts. It is interesting to track the increased number of churches participating year by year. Of course, we were not a state convention until September 1996, so before that time churches were not, strictly speaking, “members”. Here are the number of contributing churches (1993-1996) and affiliated churches (1997-2002), and the annual change:

Contributing Churches           Member Churches

1993        10                                     1997  158    +43

1994        52    +42                          1998  212    +54

1995        85    +33                          1999  253    +41

1996      115    +30                          2000  292    +39

                                                           2001  334    +42

                                                           2002  372    +38

These increases fall into one of three types: Baptist General Association of Virginia churches who choose to affiliate with the SBCV, new churches planted by the SBCV, and formerly independent Baptist churches which join the SBCV and SBC. Interestingly, from 1999 to 2002 the average annual increase has been exactly 40 churches. And for the entire nine year period beginning with the 1994 increase, the average has been 40.2 churches per year.

Not surprisingly, Cooperative Program gifts have also shown remarkable annual increases (dollars in thousands):

1993         $32                                   1997  $2,072   +$1,384

1994         $84   +$ 52                      1998  $3,068     +$ 996

1995       $151   +$ 67                      1999  $3,709     +$ 641

1996       $688  +$537                      2000  $4,055     +$ 346

                                                            2001  $4,561     +$ 506

                                                            2002  $5,425     +$ 864

Why does the SBCV exist? What caused it to come into being? For much more complete background, visit The Baptist Banner website (www.thebaptistbanner.com) and on the homepage click on the link to the article “Some Differences in Southern Baptist Life”. Read that three-page article and its backup items and you will have a much more complete answer than we have space here to provide. However, in brief, biblically conservative Virginia Southern Baptists gradually became convinced that the Baptist General Association of Virginia was becoming increasingly liberal even as the SBC was returning to its biblical roots. And that judgment has been confirmed with each passing year. We did not want to be part of a liberal state convention. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

The positive side of the issue was that we heartily approved of the biblically sound changes taking place in the SBC and wanted to increase support for our evangelistic national convention. The SBCV provides a wonderful channel for that increased support. Since before we were an official state convention we have sent 50% of all undesignated receipts to the SBC, keeping just 50% for the SBCV. Through about 1998 NO other state convention gave that high a percentage to the SBC. (The second and conservative state convention in Texas, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, is now giving 52% to the SBC.) In contrast, the BGAV in its preferred (“default”) budget plan – in which your church participates unless you have made a conscious decision and voted to give by other percentages – this year gives only 7.85% to the SBC ... less than one-sixth what the SBCV gives!

Dollars and numbers of churches are important, but they are not the essence of a state Baptist convention. The true essence is what the state does with the funds and cooperation of its member churches. So, what is the SBCV about?

The SBCV’s strategic objectives are: 1. Strengthen existing churches. 2. Support pastors, staff, and their families. 3. Start new churches. 4. Educate and mobilize church volunteers. [Note: It is impossible to quantify the other strategic objectives, but not difficult with starting new churches. To date the SBCV has planted 49 new churches.]

The SBCV purpose statement reads: “The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia is a fellowship of Southern Baptist churches cooperating to assist local congregations in their task of fulfilling the Great Commission as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And the SBCV core values are: “Our foundation is the Word of God. Our fellowship is built on healthy relationships. Our focus is strengthening the local church. Our function is to assist churches to be on mission. Our future includes church planting.”

We praise the Lord for the blessings with which He has anointed the SBCV. And we are convinced that as long as we remain true to His commands; as long as we center on ministry, evangelism, church planting, and missions in Virginia, North America, and around the world; as long as we resist the prideful temptation to build bureaucratic towers of Babel and focus instead on the above strategic objectives, purposes, and core values, as long as we glorify the Lord and not ourselves, He will continue to bless us.

May it be so until Jesus returns.