Updated Friday, May 23, 2008

Board lays groundwork for important fall session

By Norman Jameson

BR Editor

If the September board of directors meeting codifies changes in the Baptist State Convention (BSC), the May meeting will have laid the groundwork.

During their spring meetings May 20-21 at Caraway Conference Center the BSC Executive Committee and Board of Directors heard progress reports from each of four task forces; approved a fifth executive leader position on the BSC management team that will elevate church planting; learned Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute prefers to repay the "loan" from BSC reserves used to enlarge and remodel its chapel rather than have it forgiven and deflected a request from Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU-NC) to secure a seat on the Executive Committee when new Articles and Bylaws are adopted.

The Council on Christian Life and Public Affairs announced its intention to move from a committee that speaks "to" Baptists to a committee that engages policy makers in the public forum and speaks "for" Baptists.

WMU-NC President Sandra James presented a resolution from the WMU executive board asking to "continue to have be recognized as a member of (the) Board of Directors and the Executive Committee."

WMU-NC wants to "continue in friendly cooperation with the BSC," James said.

"We have continually said we want to continue doing what we have done with North Carolina Baptist churches and the Baptist State Convention and that is what we are still doing," she said. "We are continuing to serve our churches across the state, our associations across the state, plus adding a lot of new ventures which may bring people in to serve Christ who are not involved at this point."

"We want to stay on the Executive Committee to have a voice," she said.

Shannon Scott, pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Raleigh, is chairman of the Articles and Bylaws Committee. He was seated next to James and said he appreciated receiving the information. "It's what we wanted," he said, "and I'll take it to the committee."

Because the Executive Committee has no authority to determine its own membership, James' motion to adopt the WMU-NC resolution was amended to be simply information received and forwarded to the Articles and Bylaws Committee.

Task forces report

Board members heard from all four active task forces.

A new North Carolina Baptist ministry will be about "embracing women for Christ" according to Phyllis Foy, who chaired the task force to envision a Baptist State Convention women's ministry, which will be named Embrace.

Embrace, whose logo will be a stylized heart around the cross of the BSC logo, will be based on Prov. 31:17-20, with evangelism as its first goal, Foy said.

She said task force members constantly heard from women who want help in learning "how to effectively make a difference in people's lives."

Embrace will focus on three areas of ministry: evangelism, discipleship and missions.

"Our heart and goal is that we will meet the needs of our women and their children and their husbands," said Foy, who outlined early action plans that include family mission events, evangelism training, networking, resources and a mother-daughter event.

Foy said the task force received input from women who want not just to study evangelism, but to learn how to be intentional about it and to have opportunities to "be out on the field doing it.""

Ed Yount, pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Conover, chairs the Giving Plans Study Committee, comprised of 15 people representing churches that participate in all four giving plans.

He said they already have met together for 28 hours with "innumerable hours in subcommittees and individual research by committee members and BSC staff."

Much prayer by committee members has fostered "a spirit of unity, openness and trust in the midst of great diversity," Yount said.

He said the committee is "unified and we are making a great deal of progress."

"The committee wants to find a simple means for people to support missions as they choose while simultaneously respecting churches across the convention," said Yount, who expects to present the committee's final report in September.

"We realize the magnitude of the assignment you've given us and the impact it can have on North Carolina Baptists," he said. "We have one purpose...to magnify and honor Jesus Christ in our work."

Shannon Scott reported the Articles and Bylaws Committee is working and will be ready with a report in September, and then turned the floor over to Brian Davis, executive leader for administration and convention relations, and the staff liaison to the committee.

Davis feels by deleting duplication and redundancies the committee can reduce the 13 separate articles to just four areas: the Convention; the Board of Directors; the other BSC entities and miscellaneous.

Such a task requires more time than available, he said, so the committee will work to present changes in just two of the four areas this year: the board of directors and other entities.

The task force on aging ministries reported progress and a name: North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM).

The foundational scripture for such ministry will be Ruth 4:15, which says, in part, "he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age."

"It is overwhelming information to see the number of aging adults projected for North Carolina," said committee member Scott Eanes, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Statesville.

Committee member Michael Blackwell, president of Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, said the new ministry will be non-duplicative and non-residential.

With the massive movement of Baby Boomers through the aging pipeline the time to start such a ministry is now, he said. While this was just a progress report, he offered Baptist Children's Homes as the responsible "trusted source" to direct such a ministry.

Donna Elmore asked if BCH could handle the additional responsibility, given its already large task. Blackwell assured her his organization was up to the task.

When asked about accountability for the work and additional funds, Blackwell said BCH already is a trusted source that regularly reports to the Convention. He welcomed accountability and "also the prayers and support of this body."

Shift in Council perspective

Ron Varner, pastor of Falling Creek Baptist Church in Goldsboro, reported for the Council on Christian Life and Public Affairs and said he regretted that he is near the end of his term on the council, because "it's just starting to get good."

"We're talking about a shift from just talking 'to' North Carolina Baptists, to talking 'for' North Carolina Baptists in the public forum," he said.

The council discussed several hot issues, including global warming. While saying, "We've made a mess of our environment," the council wants the "world to know that we never stop worshipping the creator and start worshipping mother earth."

He called a recent California court decision allowing gay marriage "devastating" and said the council is "preparing a public statement that will be released where we will publicly define and defend marriage according to scripture." He said that is coming "very, very soon."

The council is sponsoring its first public forum event in October, date and location to be determined. Topics include racism in the Southern Baptist Convention, what Charles Spurgeon could teach 21st century Baptists on politics, and stem cell research.

Fifth group leader

A fifth executive leader position on the BSC management team will oversee a Church Planting and Missions Development group formed by the reassignment of various responsibilities from three of the four existing divisions, or groups.

Until a year ago there were five executive leaders supervising areas of ministry and working with an executive director-treasurer and an associate executive director-treasurer. Hollifield eliminated one executive leader spot and the associate executive director-treasurer spot in reorganizing the work of his staff.

He asked for one position back as he reorganizes responsibilities to emphasize church planting and missions.

The new group will include church planting, associational partnerships, stewardship, promotion of Cooperative Program and the North Carolina Missions Offering and the new women's ministry area which was unveiled at the meeting as Embrace.

"This is big," Hollifield said. He feels this move makes an important statement that will "help the younger generation of church leaders who believe passionately in the importance of church planting" see that the Baptist State Convention shares that commitment.