BGAV Meeting Report 

                                                                                                                     Vol. IX, No. 10, Nov/Dec 1996

           Meeting 12-13 November, messengers to the 173rd annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia enjoyed a remarkably quiet convention. Because conservatives have formed a separate state convention and in large part were not present, there was little opposition to most motions.

           One of the striking changes was elimination of Americans United for Separation of Church and State from the next budget, ending a 45-year relationship. While the amount of money was not great, only some $2,100, the symbolism of a major Southern Baptist state convention supporting ultra-liberal AU has been significant. For details of AU’s stance see the October 1996 Baptist Banner. The BGAV is to be sincerely congratulated for taking this monetarily small but nevertheless important step.

           The bad news about that decision is that the money was added to the amount that will go to the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, another liberal Washington lobbying group from which the Southern Baptist Convention withdrew several years ago. A future Banner will present information about the BJCPA.

           In action on the overall budget, messengers approved the recommendation of the Budget Committee to increase the total from 1996's $15,400,000 to $15,500,000 in 1997. But more important than the minor increase was a change in the way receipts in the WM 2 and WM 3 tracks are divided between state and out-of-state expenditures. Previously all three budget tracks retained 64% for state-determined causes and 36% for other ministries. The new budget keeps the same percentages in WM 1 but in WM 2 & 3 increases the state portion to 70% and reduces the out-of-state section to 30%. If the budget is met, the SBC will receive $360,000 less from WM 2 and CBF will receive $135,000 less from WM 3.

           Two motions attempting to (1) keep the existing percentages in all tracks and (2) to change percentages in WM 1 in line with WM 2& 3, failed.

           BGAV leaders have admitted they left the percentages in WM 1 untouched because those are the more conservative churches who strongly support the Southern Baptist Convention. It seems likely that a related consideration was the possibility that changing the WM 1 track might cause a number of those churches to shift their giving from the BGAV to the new state convention, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, which strongly supports the SBC as evidenced by the fact that the SBCV is the only state convention to divide receipts 50/50 between the state and the SBC.

           Messengers approved a General Board motion to change the name of the Virginia Baptist General Board to the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.

           Elected as president was Mary Wilson, member of Columbia BC, Falls Church; as 1VP Keith Harris, pastor of Tabernacle BC, Richmond; and as 2VP James Baucom, pastor of Rivermont Avenue BC, Lynchburg. All officers were endorsed by moderates.

           Resolutions included one to pray for American leaders elected in November. Another expressed regret over the recent formation of the SBCV as a state convention and promised to “remain in relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

           Finally, the meeting voted to add the CBF’s Global Missions Offering to the list of approved annual offerings to be taken in BGAV-affiliated churches.

[Editorial Comment: The increase in percentage of funds kept by the BGAV will be used to pay for seven “regional coordinators” to be located in various parts of the state. The coordinators will be charged with working closely with churches and local associations to increase responsiveness to church needs. This is a new and interesting development which may help or hinder the operation of Baptist polity, though that will be determined in the future. Right now one must wonder about the wisdom of an organization whose receipts for the first ten months of 1996 were 3.66% less than budget establishing a new level of bureaucrats at a cost of some $500,000 and taking that money from missions. Are Virginia Baptists so uncaring about the lost that they will endorse without reaction this “protect my turf” action at the expense of saving souls in North America and around the world?

           Increasing the budget while suffering a shortfall is also questionable. If giving for the next two months is at the same rate at the first ten, total receipts will come to $14,149,520 for the year, $1,250,520 under budget! Hardly a record to encourage a budget increase or the addition of a new layer of bureaucrats.

           The cutting off of funds from Americans United is laudable. The funding of the Baptist Joint Committee is not.

           Endorsing the CBF offering is an unnecessary slap at the Southern Baptist Convention. After all, churches could independently support that offering if they wished. The approval simply evidences the direction being followed by the BGAV away from the SBC as fast as its leadership dares. TCP]         [Composed from accounts by Baptist Press and A. C. Smith.]