BSC giving plans face scrutiny

By Steve DeVane

BR Managing Editor

GREENSBORO - Despite a disappointing turnout, the Baptist State Convention (BSC) Budget Committee heard a variety of opinions regarding the BSC's four giving plans during a series if meetings on the subject, the head of the committee said.

Throughout those varied opinions was a similar desire, said LeRoy Burke, pastor of East Lumberton Baptist Church and chair of the BSC Budget Committee

"People said, 'Let's get this thing settled so we can get on with the business of reaching people for Christ," he said.

BSC officials held six "listening sessions" across the state to get feedback the giving plans.

Most participating BSC churches use Plan A, which sends 32 percent to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and keeps 68 percent for BSC causes.

Plans B and C are similar. Both keep 68 percent for BSC causes and send about 10.9 percent to theological education in N.C. Baptist schools, 10.6 percent to special mission projects and .5 percent to help retired N.C. ministers in the SBC's adopt-an-annuitant program. The remaining 10 percent is sent to the SBC in Plan B and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Plan C.

Plan D keeps 50 percent for BSC causes and sends 32 percent to the SBC. Five percent is forwarded to Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute, 12.5 percent is used for special missions and .5 percent goes to the adopt-an-annuitant program.

Burke said the listening sessions were planned after he met with BSC officials to discuss the budget.

The meetings were a response to a request by the General Board for the budget committee to consider an alternative to the giving plans.

At the General Board meeting in October, Cherryville pastor Wayne Key made a motion to replace the four giving plans with one standard plan and an optional plan that each church could tailor for itself.

Key suggested that Plan A be retained as it is, and that it be called "Cooperative Program Giving." An alternative plan called "Cooperative Missions Giving" would allow churches to designate any amount to any Baptist entity in the current plans, as long as the BSC receives a minimum of 50 percent, the amount currently designated in Plan D.

Giving to both plans would be considered in determining the number of messengers a church can send to the annual convention.

Key's motion was referred the budget committee working on the 2005 budget. His proposal was not discussed at any of the listening sessions.

At the first session April 15 in Rocky Mount, Bruce Martin, pastor of Village Baptist Church in Fayetteville, proposed eliminating the four plans in favor of a new plan. Martin's proposed plan is similar to the BSC's existing Plan A, but also allows churches a "positive designation" of up to five percent for any cause approved by messengers to the BSC annual meeting.

The Executive Committee of Conservative Carolina Baptists (CCB) affirmed going back to a single plan "in the spirit" of Martin's proposal. Martin presented his plan at the CCB rally April 29.

Most of those present seemed to support the Executive Committee action when they were asked to affirm it by saying, "Amen."

After Martin presented his plan at the first BSC listening session, it was discussed in three of the five remaining meetings.

Allan Blume, a well-known conservative and pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Boone, spoke about Martin's plan at the Greensboro meeting. He seemed to favor a unified plan over the existing four plans.

"It seems to me that we've said, 'Let's find a way to unite us,' and we've found a way to divide us," he said.

Martin's proposal would instead give the BSC a single plan while still allowing churches to decide where to send part of their money, Blume said.

John Butler, pastor of First Baptist Church in Matthews and president of the BSC General Board, said that he favors one plan, but appreciates the need for the existing plans. He said he thinks Martin's plan could take BSC controversy into churches by forcing them to decide where to send the five percent designation.

Blume said most churches might not choose to use those designations.

Ron Cava, who attended the meeting in Jacksonville on April 16, said he thought those attending the sessions were there to discuss the current giving plans, not talk about a new plan.

"I just felt like I was blindsided," he said.

Cava, pastor of First Baptist Church in Clinton, said he thinks more people would have attended the meeting if they would have known a new proposal was going to be discussed. Eight people, including BSC officials, were at the Jacksonville meeting.

Cava said he opposes Martin's plan.

"It's a direct affront and attack on our divinity schools as I see it," he said.

Cava said he thinks the proposal takes away choices churches now have.

"It threatens our stability," he said.

Cava said he felt worse about the BSC after the meeting.

"I left the meeting angry," he said.

Burke said he understands that some people were surprised that a new proposal was discussed.

"But you want to know what's out there," he said.

Burke, who described himself as a conservative, said he had heard from other conservatives that there was consideration to challenge the giving plans at last year's BSC meeting.

"I don't want to be blindsided by anything," he said.

David Horton, president of the BSC, said at the Greensboro meeting that a move to do away with Plan C at the meeting last year was headed off.

BSC officials said there's no way to know the potential impact of changing the BSC's giving plans. Robert Simons, the BSC's comptroller said there might be positive and negative implications of doing away with the current four giving plans and adopting a single plan.

"There's so many variables, it would just be playing a guessing game," he said.

Jim Royston, BSC executive director-treasurer, said at that meeting that more than 900 of the BSC's nearly 4,000 churches send at least some money through plans B, C or D. Those gifts make up about $9 million, he said.

"The highest risk to us, income-wise, in my opinion is the Plan C churches, if you did away with the giving plans," he said. About $2.8 million came to the BSC through Plan C in 2003, according to BSC documents.

George Bullard, BSC associate executive director, said in an interview that BSC officials have detected no "groundswell" of opinion supporting Martin's plan. He said the BSC already has a tentative budget for 2005, though messengers could change it at this year's annual meeting.

Changing the giving plans could create "an internal nightmare" for BSC workers who deal with financial matters, Bullard said. If the budget committee recommends changing the plans, the 2005 budget would have to be re-written before the meeting in November. If messengers adopt a motion from the floor to change the plans, the General Board would have to re-write the budget shortly after the meeting, he said.

Bullard said some of the money in Plans B, C and D are budgeted for specific areas, such as theological education, partnership missions and Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute. If the plans were eliminated, there would be no way to predict the income for those items.

"Fruitland could be flush or Fruitland could have financial scarcity depending on what happens," Bullard said.

Ken Massey, a well-known moderate and pastor of First Baptist Church in Greensboro, said he would be in favor of one plan if all the money went to the BSC. Churches could then decide how to send money to other groups, he said.

Burke asked Massey to submit his plan to the committee.

Massey's proposal, which he also provided to the Recorder, calls for all money to go to the BSC, while providing money for the divinity schools at Campbell University and Gardner-Webb University.

Massey said in a written statement supporting his plan that multiple giving plans or a single plan that can be "gerrymandered" to work like multiple plans cannot solve the BSC's challenges.

"While multiple giving plans enabled many churches to stay supportive of the BSC during years of denominational fragmentation (some would say they delayed the inevitable), once you begin devising plans, there is no healthy end to it," he said.

Burke said he has also received other suggestions. Some people want to keep the existing plans except Plan C. Others want to keep all the plans but Plan D.

Ted Stone, a well-known anti-alcohol speaker from Durham, said he was not able to attend any of the listening sessions, but sent a plan to Burke and other BSC leaders. He called for eliminating all plans except Plan A.

Stone said in an interview that he thinks the giving plans had led to weaker giving.

"I think if you rebuild the trust people have in the system, they'll give more," he said.

Stone distributed copies of his plan at the CCB meeting on April 29 and said he had gotten favorable responses.

Burke said that during the listening sessions he had met some "folks from the other side of the table."

"I appreciate you," he said. "It's been good for me and hopefully it will be good for North Carolina Baptists.

"When we come out on the other end of it all, we'll have something God has laid on our hearts and you'll be able to live with it."

The budget committee is scheduled to meet June 7. Its recommendation would be considered by the BSC Executive Committee and General Board before being presented to messengers for approval in November.