CO-CHAIR THOUGHTS FROM BILLY RAY PARMER

The Baptist General Convention adopted the following motion: THAT A SPECIAL COMMITTEE BE APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONVENTION—TO STUDY HOW TO ENHANCE COOPERATIVE MISSIONS GIVING AMONG ALL TEXAS BAPTIST; AND REPORT THEIR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE 1994 BAPTIST GENERAL CONVENTION OF TEXAS MEETING IN AMARILLO.

Texas Baptist have historically been committed to cooperation in MISSIONS, EVANGELISM, CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, and BENEVOLENCE MINISTRIES. The nature of this cooperation is expressed in Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution of the Baptist General Convention of Texas which states, “THIS BODY IS AND ALWAYS SHALL REMAIN, ONLY AND SOLELY A MEDIUM THROUGH WHICH BAPTIST CHURCHES MAY WORK HARMONIOUSLY IN COOPERATION WITH EACH OTHER, PROMOTING THE WORK AND OBJECTS SET FORTH IN THE CONSTITUTION. IT HAS NOT, TO ANY DEGREE, AND SHALL NEVER ATTEMPT TO EXERCISE A SINGLE ATTRIBUTE OF POWER OR AUTHORITY OVER ANY CHURCH, OR OVER THE MESSENGERS OF THE CHURCHES IN SUCH WISE AS TO LIMIT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE CHURCHES, BUT SHALL RECOGNIZE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE CHURCHES UNDER THE ONE SOVEREIGN, JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.”

Most churches affiliated with the BGCT are also affiliated with an association of churches and the Southern Baptist Convention—each being autonomous and the affiliation being voluntary in relation to finances and all other matters.

Many Churches have also voluntarily chosen to relate to other Baptist entities in addition to the BGCT, SBC and associations and have been considered cooperating Baptist churches by the BGCT. Examples are:

American Bible Society—TANE—River Ministry—Rural Work Committee of the BGCT—WMU—Texans Against Gambling etc.

TEXAS BAPTIST have been faithful to the cooperative missions and ministries efforts. Texas Baptist continue a strong support to the thousands of Baptist Missionaries who serve “to the uttermost part of the earth.”

TEXAS BAPTIST need to realize there is no such thing as THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM EXCEPT in a PROMOTIONAL SENSE. There are at present 35 different STATE CONVENTIONS/ SBC Cooperative arrangements.

Cooperative Program relationships between the SBC and state conventions have always been fraternal and functional. These relationships have been subject to alteration by either at any time.

After establishing the Cooperative Program in 1925, messengers came back to emphasize the dynamic nature of the relationship between the national SBC and the State Conventions. In 1927, the SBC instructed its Executive Committee to prepare a statement on the basics of cooperation between the SBC and the state bodies. In 1928, the SBC Executive Committee presented a detailed statement on relations between the SBC and state bodies that has become the basis of their relationship until 1993—1994 actions by the SBC and some of it’s agencies and boards.

THE REPORT NOTED THAT ALL COOPERATION IS VOLUNTARY AND THAT CHURCHES, ASSOCIATIONS, UNIONS, AND CONVENTIONS, ARE SELF DETERMINING IN THEIR OWN SPHERES AND ACTIVITIES. THE REPORT FURTHER STATED THAT THE RELATIONSHIP,… “where the state boards are collecting agencies for the Southwide as well as state funds, …(was) simply a matter of convenience and economy and could be changed at any time.” (SBC Annual, 1928, pp. 32-33.)

TEXAS BAPTIST HAVE NEVER ADOPTED AN OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM. Along with other state conventions and the SBC, they have adapted the CP from time to time to BETTER SERVE THE CHURCHES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT BAPTIST MISSIONS AND MINISTRIES.

For Example:

In 1925 the CP was first adopted and understood to INCLUDE ALL designated and undesignated gifts made by Baptists to Baptist causes. (Austin Crouch, First Executive Secretary of the SBC Executive Committee. SBC Encyclopedia, Volume I, Page 323.)

In 1927-1928, The SBC adopted a report from the Executive Committee which included: “This Convention is not an ecclesiastical body composed of churches, nor a federal body composed of state conventions. Churches may seek to fulfill their obligation to extend Christ’s kingdom by cooperating with these general organizations, but always on a purely voluntary basis, and without surrendering in any way or degree their right of self determination.”

(SBC Annual, 1928, page 32.)

In 1940, the CP began showing signs of increased effectiveness. An increasing number of Baptists participated in its support with both designated and undesignated gifts.

In the Mid ’60s, the Texas Cooperative Program came to be considered only undesignated gifts by the decision of only 3 men. This decision was made by R.A. Springer, T.A. Patterson, and O.D. Martin at the suggestion of Cecil Ray. It was made purely as a bookkeeping and reporting measure. Over the next, two decades this method of reporting became the model of the COOPERATIVE PROGRAM. This was never voted on by the Administrative Committee, the Executive Board of the BGCT, nor the convention.

In 1978, the SBC adopted its first definition of the Cooperative Program and declared that it only included undesignated gifts. Several state bodies continued to recognize the rights of churches to exclude LINE ITEMS FROM THE CP.

In 1991, the Texas Convention Administrative Committee and the Executive Board voted to recognize as Cooperative Program, gifts with up to 5 line item deletions from the CP, (both BGCT and SBC Cooperative Programs.)

In 1993, the SBC Executive Committee approved recommendations which recognize the following:

1. “Funds received from churches or individuals for distribution only to Southern Baptist Convention entities, without designations or restrictions, shall be recorded and reported as Cooperative—SBC causes and shall be distributed according to the percentage formula of the SBC Program Allocation Budget.”

2. “Funds received from state conventions and state fellowships, identified by them as CP funds, shall be recorded and reported by the SBC Executive Committee as Cooperative Program funds and identified with the state convention from which they are received, SO LONG AS THESE FUNDS ARE TO BE DISTRIBUTED ONLY TO SBC ENTITIES”;… (Executive Committee, SBC Minutes, June 14,1993, Page 10.)

Some of Texas Baptist strongest missions giving churches feel the current system of Texas Cooperative Program needs modification in order to fairly report the cooperative contributions to God’s Kingdom work. It is felt that such a modification will help perpetuate the historic strengths of fairness and diversity by more accurately reflecting every church’s intentions in its cooperative missions reporting.

I PERSONALLY FEEL THE BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL ISSUES OF:

THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE, THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS, THE AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH—THE ASSOCIATION— AND THE STATE CONVENTIONS TO BE TOO IMPORTANT TO COMPROMISE. The Cooperative Program is a missions and ministry money delivery system. It is for convenience and for efficiency.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. THE SBC HAS VOTED TO CAUSE THE DIVISION BY REFUSING TO ACCEPT GIFTS from churches sending to the Boards and agencies of the CBF.

2. The Home Mission Board now has a study underway to warn state conventions to not be UNCOOPERATIVE or the SBC will start making direct appeals to the Texas churches. The PRESIDENT OF THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE threatened our Giving Committee with this tactic when he spoke to us.

3. The Convention—AS SERVANT OF THE CHURCHES AND MEMBERS OF THE CHURCHES—should find ways to unify—encourage— and enhance the giving through the churches and convention… ways to unify, not divide; ways to include, not exclude.

4. Since 1931 and in 1978 and 1994, actions were taken giving representation into SBC decisions on a basis not BIBLICAL NOR TRADITIONAL, but in response to demand.

5. The doctrines at stake are far older and more important than either the SBC or the BGCT.

6. The GIVING COMMITTEE REPORT DOES NOT PULL THE PLUG ON MISSIONARIES nor “Leave them stranded on the fields.”

7. This does not force any church to do anything. It does provide a plan whereby ALL TEXAS BAPTIST CHURCHES can be recognized as part of the Cooperative family. Some cry that RECOGNITION SHOULD NOT BE A CONCERN. It should not. It has not been for the church I pastor. We gave 22% of our budget last year to missions. Only 8% of it was counted as Cooperative Missions yet ALL OF IT WENT TO CAUSES RELATED TO TEXAS BAPTIST MINISTRY PROGRAMS. (River Ministry etc.)

8. The Minority Report recorded in The Standard is DECEPTIVE and DELIBERATELY DIVISIVE. The group making it have that right but TEXAS BAPTIST NEED TO KNOW it is an effort to clamp the DICTATORSHIP OF THE SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE around an autonomous State Convention in the CONTINUING DRIVE TO CAPTURE AND CONTROL the Institutions and agencies of the BGCT.

I urge you to be in Amarillo, and support the future of Texas Baptists.

September 1994