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GRAPEVINE?The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board held its first meeting on the SBTC’s new Grapevine campus April 20, electing three new staff members and unanimously approving an affiliation with Jacksonville College, an associate degree-granting school in east Texas.
In other action, the board:
• received a financial report that cited 2003 Cooperative Program receipts of $15.3 million?$2 million above budget, a debt-free SBTC, including the new campus facility, completed within a construction budget of $3.7 million;
?adopted a financial audit report conducted by an independent accounting firm that showed favorable reviews of the convention finances and accounting procedures;
?approved $50,000 in surplus funds for additional improvements to the SBTC campus and facilities;
?amended bylaws to give the board’s Executive Committee freedom to “act for the board ad interim;”
?witnessed the signing of an agreement clarifying the working “fraternal relationship” between the SBTC’s Texas Baptist Builders and Texas Baptist Men;
?approved a resolution affirming the working relationship between the SBTC and Southern Baptist associations in Texas;
?approved extended leave, as needed, to Executive Director Jim Richards to care for his elderly mother, who is terminally ill in Louisiana.
The board’s decision to approve affiliation with Jacksonville College came after several months of discussions between the school’s leaders and the SBTC.
Miles Seaborn, a member of the Committee on Affiliated and Fraternally Related Ministries, told the board the agreement with Jacksonville is patterned after the SBTC’s affiliated relationship with The Criswell College, which receives budgeted SBTC funding. Houston Baptist University has a fraternal relationship with the SBTC but receives no budgeted funding.
Jacksonville, which grants associate degrees and which Richards said he hoped could be a “feeder school” for four-year institutions such as The Criswell College and HBU, has affirmed the SBTC’s doctrinal positions. Seaborn said the agreement maintains the SBTC’s commitment to “supporting but not sustaining institutional ministries” and will help introduce the Southern Baptist’s Cooperative Program (CP) missions funding channel to 450 BMA congregations.
The SBTC will have three members represented on the Jacksonville College board of 15 trustees. The affiliation will be reviewed after 18 months.
The Criswell College, an affiliated four-year college, has raised $875,000 in several months and holds the deed on a house valued at $170,000, new President Jerry Johnson reported to the board. Amid financial struggles, Johnson told Criswell leaders at his election in November he would work quickly to change the school’s financial picture.
He also reported the school will steadfastly proclaim biblical inerrancy, a biblical worldview and evangelism. “(Students) are not just going to be educated for ministry, they’re going to be experienced in ministry,” said Johnson, a Criswell graduate.
The school has provided public transportation passes for the students to facilitate witnessing in public places around Dallas, Johnson said.SBTC Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis said CP receipts for March were “incredible”?a record $1,836,117, above a forecasted budget of $1.35 million. During the 2004 first quarter CP receipts have totaled $5.8 million?nearly $700,000 above budget.
Davis also reported gains in missions offering gifts. Giving through the Reach Texas Offering is running $105,000 higher than last year, a 17 percent gain. Giving through the Lottie Moon international missions offering through March was $5.8 million, double that of last year. Through March, Annie Armstrong giving from SBTC churches for North American missions was $505,000?up 52 percent from last year.
After Davis’ report, board Chairman Steve Cochran led the board in singing “Great Things He Has Done.” Several times during the meeting, the board sang praise songs for God’s blessing toward the convention.
The board elected Craig Beall of Fort Worth as church ministry support associate, Tiffany D. Smith of Fort Worth as missions mobilization associate, and T.C. Melton of Abilene as SBTC area ministry coordinator for West Texas.
Beall, minister of education and administration at Ridglea 1st Place.
