Updated Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007

Budget removes WMU-NC from missions offering

By Steve DeVane

BR Managing Editor

GREENSBORO Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU-NC) will get no funding from the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO) next year, according to a Baptist State Convention (BSC) budget adopted Wednesday.

The BSC Board of Directors voted in October to let WMU-NC have an offering to raise its own support.

Messengers to the BSC annual meeting approved the budget after defeating an amendment that would have increased the NCMO goal from $2 million to $2.5 million with the additional $500,000 going to WMU-NC.

Roy Smith, former BSC executive director-treasurer, made the motion to add the money for WMU-NC. He said the move would show unity within the BSC rather than being punitive.

Phil Addison, associate pastor of youth at Stony Point Baptist Church, spoke against the motion. He said it would set a dangerous precedent that might encourage other organizations without direct ties to the BSC to ask for money from the NCMO.

Addison said he thinks recent moves by WMU-NC were imposed on the group by a few select members.

Donice Harrod, a messenger from First Baptist Church in Wilmington, said she and thousands of other women have supported the NCMO in N.C. Baptist churches.

"Our financial base is being taken away from us," she said. "We would like to be in the NCMO for at least two years."

David MacEachern, pastor of Bat Cave Baptist Church, said he thinks the rift between the BSC and WMU-NC did not have to happen.

"They have messed up by not going through the bylaws of this Convention," he said.

Wendy Case, WMU director at Spencer Baptist Church in Spindale, said the BSC should allow WMU-NC to continue to support missions.

"We must think about the bottom line," she said. "The bottom line is missions education is critical."

Jeff Dawkins, pastor of Jewel Baptist Church in High Point, said he believes the WMU-NC board made a decision that does not follow the heart of WMU members in local churches.

The amendment failed on a show of ballots by a margin estimated by BSC officials as 80 percent to 20 percent. After the votes were announced, some messengers clapped and shouted, "Hallelujah!"

The vote on the full budget passed on a show of ballots by a similar margin.

Messengers approved a budget of $38.98 million for 2008 and $39.28 million in 2009. That represents a 3.13 percent increase the first year and.79 percent the next.

The bulk of the increase goes to church planting, which goes from $865,000 in 2007, to $1.3 million in 2008 to $1.43 million in 2009.

The budget retains the BSC's four giving plans with small adjustments in each.

Plans A and D, which account for more than 80 percent of BSC income, increase the amount forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) by one-half percent each year for two years. By 2009 the BSC-SBC division of North Carolina Cooperative Program receipts from churches will be 66-34. Plan B decreases money to SBC causes by one-half percent each year in favor of the BSC. Plan C decreases by one-half percent each year funds going to national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, in favor of BSC.

Plan D increases funds to both the SBC and BSC by one half percent each year and decreases special national and international projects by 1 percent each year.

A challenge budget would give half of receipts over the regular budget to the SBC's Lottie Moon Christmas offering for international missions and half to church planting in North Carolina.