Amendment Cuts Messengers

by T.C. Pinckney                                                                                       Vol. IV, No. 8, November 1991

Messengers at Salem will vote Wednesday on an amendment to Article III of the BGAV constitution recommended by the General Board which drastically changes the way messengers are chosen. This amendment represents a MAJOR CHANGE in the functioning of the Cooperative Program, the conceptual engine which has been the genius behind domestic and world-wide Southern Baptist missions ever since the 1920's.

The proposed amendment would do four things: two of them appear to present no problem, but the other two spell disaster for relationships within Virginia Baptist life.

First, the maximum number of messengers from any church would be reduced from fifteen to ten. You will recall that the limit at the SBC level is also ten. This change appears to be all right.

Second, churches which make only a token donation, even $1.00, will receive two messenger slots rather than the present one. The Banner sees no objection to this provision, although its actual impact will probably be somewhere between minimal and nonexistent. Such small contributions evidence either lack of interest in BGAV affairs or extremely limited financial resources (in many cases a bi-vocational church), or both. It is doubtful whether such churches would be able to send messengers no matter how many they were authorized.

Third, the "cost" of messengers would be doubled. Currently, a church receives a third messenger if it contributes $500, and each messenger above three costs an additional $1,000. Under the amendment messenger # 3 would require $1,000, and #4 and above would each cost $2,000. Thus the price of 10 messengers would rise from the present $7,500 to $15,000. According to the 1990 state annual only 17.5% (271) churches contributed $15,000 or more in 1990. However, because of the fourth change the cost of messengers would actually be far above $15,000.

A little background on the budget is necessary to understand the fourth change. The budget is in three parts: Part A is contributions to . the pastor/staff annuity/protection plan, currently a total of $660,000. Part B is Cooperative Missions in Virginia, $10,087,800. Part C is World Mission Causes (which prior to the current year was called SBC Mission Budget), $5,552,200. In the present and every past year all gifts to any one, any two, or all three parts (A, B, & C) of the budget counted toward qualifying messengers. The proposed amendment would disqualify donations to parts A and C, so the money your church sends to our foreign missionaries, to our home missionaries, to our six seminaries, to your pastor's retirement, and to other SBC activities would NO LONGER COUNT to qualify your church's messengers. Only the money going to Virginia causes would count.

Make no mistake. This is a definite and dramatic change of direction. The Cooperative Program has always been mutual cooperation for mutual benefit. This change would move Virginia from a cooperative stance to a stand alone posture. There is inherent in this change an unspoken incentive for churches to give to Virginia rather than the Southern Baptist Convention. The proposed amendment is a definite break from the Cooperative Program as we have known it for some 70 years.

The leaders in control of the Baptist General Association of Virginia are fond of speaking of Virginia's devotion to inclusiveness and diversity. But consider the impact on each local church of what they propose: Today any church that contributes $7,500 gets ten messengers. Under the amendment even a church giving through the Virginia Plan would have to contribute $23,255.81 for ten messengers. A church choosing last year's 62/38 plan would have to give $24,193.55. And a conservative church donating under the reverse of the Virginia Plan (the 17/83 plan) would have to come up with $88,235.29! Some way to demonstrate commitment to inclusiveness and diversity! If passed, this amendment can only increase centrifugal forces within the BGAV, increase divisiveness and dissension, and retard efforts to reach the lost for Christ.

Come to Salem and vote against this destructive proposal. Remember amendments must be voted on Wednesday. So be there at 8:45 Wednesday morning when the doors open and STAY TILL ADJOURNMENT that afternoon.

Note: The above discussion applies to the proposed amendment to Article III of the state constitution. There will also be an amendment proposed to Article III of the bylaws. The bylaws amendment is unobjectionable and should be supported. Just don't get confused as to which is under consideration.