SBTC Exec. Board elects officers, renews agreements

LUBBOCK–The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board, meeting Oct. 28 in Lubbock following the SBTC annual meeting, elected a new slate of board officers and renewed affiliation agreements with Criswell College in Dallas and Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas.

The new board officers, all elected by acclamation, were: John Meador, pastor of First Baptist Church of Euless, chairman; Hal Kinkeade, pastor of First Baptist Church of Springtown, vice chairman; and Barbara Smith, member of First Baptist Church of Lindale, secretary.

Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis reported that Cooperating Program receipts through the SBTC were $18,028,596 through September, which was a .49 percent increase over the prior year but significantly less than prorated gains made in 2007 ( 14.95 percent) and 2008 ( 9.54 percent). The total CP budget for 2009 is $23,919,054.

Davis reported that giving through the SBTC toward the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions was $66,686 short when prorated through nine months; Lottie Moon giving was $588,546 ahead of projections due mostly to one large gift; and Reach Texas State Missions Offering giving was $1,716 ahead through one month.

In other business, the board:

>Approved the use of 1.16 million in surplus funds to be disbursed to 14 different ministry areas, including $300,000 for the new SBTC Foundation as it grows its reserve funds; $220,000 for the SBTC Disaster Relief ministry to develop a feeding unit in the Rio Grande Valley; $125,000 for the “God’s Plan for Sharing” statewide evangelism effort; and $100,000 to the International Mission Board for missionary deployment. The $100,000 is in addition to $100,000  given throught the IMB in June to offset shortfalls in the Lottie Moon Offering form International Missions.

>Established the Ina Smith Reach Texas Endowment honoring the first gift of its kind to the SBTC Foundation from Ina Smith, who included the SBTC in her will. Thus far, the convention has received $127,000 following the probate of Smith’s estate. Rather than contributing the gift into the new endowment, the board voted to make those funds available to pay for a portion of the preparation costs of estate documents for a limited number of SBTC church members.

The convention would cover costs of preparation of estate documents for SBTC church members who bequeath gifts to the local church and to either the Ina Smith Reach Texas Endowment or the SBTC.

“By making these funds available in this way we believe that Ms. Smith’s gift will multiply into millions of dollars for kingdom work,” the board motion read.

CRISWELL & JACKSONVILLE

The affiliation agreement with Criswell College provides the equivalent dollar amount of 3.25 percent of undesignated CP receipts given through the SBTC with a review of the agreement due before Dec. 31, 2010. Criswell is amid changes in its ownership, moving from operating as a ministry of First Baptist Church of Dallas to independent status.

Under the agreement with Jacksonville College, an associate degree-granting school owned by the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas, the school will receive the equivalent dollar amount of .75 percent of undesignated SBTC CP receipts.

HYMN SINGING

The night before the meeting, board members witnessed a closing convention session with an evangelistic outreach that drew more than 500 people to make salvation decisions with SBC President Johnny Hunt preaching in the Civic Center theater and Team Impact performing and preaching in the exhibit hall.

After hearing a report on the evangelistic event from the SBTC staff, board member Steve Cochran of Longview led the board in a prayer of thanksgiving for the souls saved and in singing the hymn “To God Be the Glory.”

RECOGNITION

The board also honored with Scripture plaques two outgoing board members, Ron Garcia of Pecos, who served from 2000-09, and Andy Jackson of Malakoff, who served from 2003-09. They also honored outgoing board chairman Dale Perry of Tyler.