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FORT WORTH—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board met at the Riley Center on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary April 20, marking the first regular board meeting held entirely face to face since November 2019. Members approved grants and a resolution to honor Jim Richards, SBTC executive director who is stepping down from that role in 2021.
In his report, Richards announced that the Woman’s Missionary Union had approached the SBTC to formalize a relationship between the two organizations. The WMU, an SBC auxiliary, joins the 11 national Southern Baptist Convention entities in recognizing the SBTC.
Richards will work with staff to determine “what, when and how” the relationship with the WMU will proceed.
July 1 will complete Richards’ service as executive director of the SBTC and will mark the start of Nathan Lorick’s official assumption of duties, Richards said.
“It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to serve God through this opportunity,” Richards told the board of his tenure at the convention.
Lorick addressed the board, calling for the SBTC to continue to have a “prophetic voice” and “servant’s heart,” noting Richards’ announcement that the SBTC had planted more churches in 2020 than in 2019, despite the pandemic.
Regarding the future of the SBTC, Lorick expressed commitment to doing “everything we can to be who we have been,” and also “to take even greater steps in the gospel’s impact across Texas” with a view to the future.
“I wake up thinking that God is bringing the world to Texas,” Lorick said. “We’re going to do what it takes to be ready to reach them.”
New endowment
The board approved motions to give $2,400,000 of the convention’s reserve funds to a variety of projects, including $1,000,000 to support the work of Southern Baptist state conventions located outside the South. Part of the million dollars will fund a grant of $800,000 for the creation of the revocable State Convention Ministry Endowment to be invested and managed by the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation.
A $200,000 reserve funding grant was also approved for non-South SBC ministries to provide immediate direct ministry grants to sister conventions to be used for the same purposes as future endowment grants.
Other grants approved
The executive board further approved a $500,000 grant to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention for the SBC allocation budget, with more than 50 percent going to the International Mission Board and 45 percent to support North American missions and theological education.
Also approved were grants of $300,000 to Jacksonville College for campus renovations, $100,000 to the Montana Southern Baptist Convention for Yellowstone Christian College, and $500,000 to cover possible costs of air conditioning and roof repair at the SBTC building.
Joe Davis, chief financial officer, reported that at the close of February 2021, the SBTC had $10,343,186 in operating reserve, 10.4 months of in-state operating expenses, $4,374,731 above the six-month reserve goal threshold in the convention’s business plan. Grants were issued from this reserve.
Convention finances
Regarding the convention’s overall budget and finances, Davis noted the convention was $2.3 million under budget in receipts for 2020 but underspent the budget by $3 million for that year with ministry events held online rather than in-person.
Davis also said that the SBTC building has been listed for sale at $9.2 million.
Marie Bosillo of PSK Accountants & Advisors presented results of the 2020 audit of the SBTC, resulting in a “clean opinion” affirming the sound financial condition of the convention and the strength of its “internal control structure.”
Other business
The board declined to pursue the implementation of the DBA “Great Commission Baptists,” a motion introduced at the 2020 annual meeting and referred to the board for consideration. However, the Executive Committee stated it recognized that future review of the convention’s title may be beneficial and encouraged the executive director to explore DBA options for the future.
The board received an update on a motion approved in early March by the Executive Committee and Administrative Committee by email ballot in response to the unprecedented winter storms which hit Texas in February. The committees authorized a reserve funding grant of up to $100,000 to assist with damage to affiliated churches and pastors’ homes caused by the storms. In addition, the convention has received $105,000 in winter storm grants from Baptist state conventions in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and Georgia. A committee of three SBTC board members reviews grant requests; to date, the SBTC has assisted 12 churches, five pastors and three associations with funds totaling approximately $115,000. Additional requests for funds are expected.
Sixteen churches were approved for affiliation with the SBTC while 10 were removed: two had merged with other churches; five disbanded and three expressed the desire to no longer affiliate. As of April 2021, the SBTC has 2,682 affiliated churches.
Wittman appointed Church Health and Leadership associate
In other business, Calvin Wittman of Duncanville was elected as ministry associate for Church Health and Leadership. He will fill the vacancy created by Jeff Lynn’s move to senior strategist of that department, following Tony Wolfe’s becoming SBTC associate executive director and senior strategist for Cooperative Ministries as of May 1.
Wittman pastored Baptist churches in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. Before pastoring Applewood Baptist Church in Denver, he served with the IMB in Spain from 1995-1998.
Jim and June Richards honored
Finally, the board approved a resolution of its “deepest appreciation and gratitude” to Jim and June Richards, designating the convention’s founding executive director as Executive Director Emeritus.
The resolution, read aloud by board vice chairman Caleb Turner, recognized Richards’ 22 years at the helm of the SBTC, honoring the outgoing director for “for his fidelity to the inerrant Word of God, his capable and godly leadership, and his service to the kingdom of God and to the churches of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention,” and June Richards for “the vital role she has played in supporting, praying for and participating in the ministry of her husband,” and for her own ministry of encouragement.
This was the final board meeting at which Richards made the executive director’s report.
