Missions and Stewardship
By David R. Currie,
Executive Director

The Missions Study Committee report has been released. It raises serious questions about the missions programs of the Southern Baptist Convention although it does not recommend significant changes. We have printed details of this committee report on page 13 of this newsletter.

Texas Baptists believe in missions. We believe God has commissioned us to tell the world about Jesus Christ. We give sacrificially to support missionaries. Last year Texas Baptists gave $13,814,104 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, $6,117,112 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and $1,188,034 to CBF Global Missions. Texas Baptists believe in and support missions.

Now, I want to raise some hard questions. I will be attacked for raising them, however, that is okay. Someone needs to raise them. I have no evil intent in mind. I just think we need to ask some stewardship questions.

One: Do our gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter offering help hurting missionaries, specifically traditional Baptist missionaries who do not support the Fundamentalist movement controlling the SBC?

How many missionaries now serving with the SBC International Mission Board and the SBC North American Mission Board would serve with these agencies if CBF had the money to appoint them or Texas Baptists asked them if they had rather serve as Texas Baptist missionaries?

I do not know the answer to the above questions, but I wish I did. I also wish I knew the answers to the following questions.

How many missionaries have resigned because they could not work under a Fundamentalist agenda?

How many would like to leave but cannot because there is no where else to go?

Is the money we are giving keeping these missionaries locked in with the SBC when they had rather work for someone else?

We need answers. Would it have been better if the money given by Texas Baptists to SBC mission causes last year been given to a "free the missionaries" fund started by the BGCT that would hire SBC missionaries who want out from under the current system? Is there a way to find out?

Are we really supporting the current missionaries or hurting them by funding a system that no longer works or is not supported by those on the field?

Two: Is the money given to Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong supporting missionaries or keeping missionaries from being sent to serve?

Both SBC mission boards have huge financial reserves. Reserves are important. I do not deny that fact. Nevertheless, if Texas Baptists did not give a dime to these mission programs, I wonder if any SBC missionary would be hurt financially? The money is there to support SBC mission programs without any Texas Baptist money. That is an obvious fact.

Are there hundreds of persons who feel called by God to be missionaries but who CANNOT serve because we gave our money to Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong? These are Bible-believing traditional Baptists who do not agree with the revised 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and thus cannot serve as an SBC missionary, but also cannot be appointed by CBF because CBF does not have the money, or cannot be appointed by Texas Baptists because we do not appoint missionaries. What are these people to do? Where are they to go?

Would we as Texas Baptists be better stewards if we sent our gifts to CBF or started our own mission program and used our mission dollars to appoint these missionaries whom the SBC will not appoint? Would there be more missionaries in the world telling people about Jesus if we gave our dollars differently?

Is it good stewardship to give our mission gifts to SBC mission boards that have plenty of money and will not appoint traditional Baptist missionaries, or would it be better stewardship, and better for the spread of God's Kingdom, if we gave our gifts to CBF or started our own missions sending agency?

This Christmas, when you get ready to write that check to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, reflect on these questions. Ask yourself, is this really what God wants me to do?

I am not trying to be mean. I simply think these are some hard questions we all need to deal with. A part of stewardship is asking hard questions and finding the right answers. After all, the entire purpose of missions is to tell people about Jesus and we should always be asking what is the most effective way to achieve this goal.

A final word. May God bless all our missionaries, with the SBC and CBF, wherever they serve him.

August 2001