Statesville pastor will propose study of four giving plans

From staff reports

Tim Rogers, pastor of Yadkin Baptist Church in Statesville, will ask that the Baptist State Convention (BSC) president name a committee "to study the possibility of moving to a single giving plan."

Rogers, who blogs as "Southern Baptist in NC," will bring his proposal for a committee "to work collaboratively with the budget committee" during the BSC annual session Nov. 12-14.

Since 1993 North Carolina Baptists have had more than one giving plan - and currently have four - through which churches cooperatively support the work of the Convention and Baptist work beyond state borders.

Some say the alternate giving plans, which distribute gifts by differing formulas, has enabled churches disaffected by some developments in Baptist life to remain supportive of the BSC's overall ministry. Rogers feels unity would be better achieved through a single plan.

"I want this to accomplish once and for all whether or not we can be united as a Convention," Rogers said. "I do not believe we are united with all the alternate giving plans we have."

"I don't want to see churches leave the BSC," he said. "My intention in this motion is to unite us in a common cause for reaching the world for Christ through missions and evangelism and doing that through the Southern Baptist Convention, which is who we are.

"We began before the SBC, but we still joined the SBC and the SBC is who we have named in our incorporating documents. If we're a Convention that gives and partners with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, let's put their name in our documents. If not, then let's give to who we say we are."

Rogers said nothing in his motion would prevent individual churches from contributing to CBF or any other ministry.

He also expressed concern that no budgeted BSC ministry be negatively affected by a return to a single giving plan.