Whatever Happened to Baptist Missions?
By Becky Matheny

The heartbeat of Baptists has always been missions. We were formed because of a concern for freedom and a love of missions, education and evangelism. Baptists have not changed. We are still a missions-minded people.

I grew up in a church that was missions-minded. Actually we participated in mission endeavors and talked about missions in mission groups. We all knew about Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong and were proud to participate with a group of Baptists who sent missionaries all over the world to share the gospel.

In college, I was a summer missionary to Maryland and worked in churches and campuses all over the state to help establish ministries to college students. I was a missionary. Baptists wanted to send their own to minister – to have the experience of being a missionary. That was the Baptist way.

Since that time in the 70s, Southern Baptists have sent thousands of missionaries and have supported the missions endeavor with people and money. It was a system we all applauded because we knew the ministry was effective. However, there has been a shift. The system we all knew is not in place any longer. It has been replaced with a new system—one that is driven by fear and intimidation. It is one that uses “the bottom line” as the criteria by which decisions are made.

In the past four months I have talked to several SBC missionaries, both on the field and retired. The following are some of their concerns. I have not given specific names or countries because of fear of reprisal. Also some of this information has come from the missions study committee of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Their findings came after studying the IMB (International Mission Board) and NAMB (North American Mission Board) for two years. The entire document can be found on the Baptist Standard web site at www.baptiststandard.com.

International Mission Board

Finances All over the world, the IMB is liquidating their assets and returning funds to the United States. They are closing ministries and in many places the nationals are not financially capable of taking over the ministries, some of which have been there for years.

The IMB is amassing millions of dollars in their storehouses. One estimate on the holdings is $1 Billion. The IMB bought enormous amounts of property around the world in post-WW II and is beginning to sell off the assets and return the funds to the states. While the assets of the ministries may not have accrued in value from the early days (seminaries, hospitals, publishing houses, etc.), the land in many cases has skyrocketed. Where is this money going? We are constantly being told that we need to give to support the missionaries. One missionary estimated that it would take 20 years for the IMB to run out of money if no additional money was given.

Some missionaries are being asked to solicit funds from non-SBC sources to fund projects. One missionary predicted that in a few years, they would be raising their ministry budget and perhaps their salary also. Even with 20 year’s worth of longevity raises, they made less this year(in their country’s currency) than they made 15 years ago.

According to the IMB’s Annual Report, in 1999 they received $83 million from Cooperative Program and $105 million through Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The 1999 budget was $230 million, $33 million was spent stateside; $146 million on missionary support; $35 million in overseas operating expenses and $16 million in capital expenses. Total investments equal $387 million, not including property and other holdings around the world.

Personnel

The IMB has reduced “career” personnel. They have placed “short-term” personnel where career personnel have been. From 1989 to 1998 the increase in short-term personnel went from 40% to 62% of all the newly appointed missionaries. There has been a change in the profile of IMB personnel on the field from a career appointment to a short-term appointment base. We need missionaries who invest themselves in a country, who learn the language and understand the culture, and commit themselves to long-term relationships.

Some missionaries have said that the IMB sees them differently now than when they were called. Formerly, they were seen as God-called missionaries, who would carry out the Great Commission. Now they feel there is a corporate mentality in which they are considered employees of IMB, rather than called by God to do what God called them to do in their country? They are being asked to carry out the tasks of the organization rather than carry out the call of God.

New Directions

New Directions, a reorganization of the IMB, has taken decision-making power away from the individual in the field. The focus used to be an incarnational ministry, whereby those who lived and worked in the country knew best how God was working there. The New Directions now emphasizes team structures, focuses on people groups and population segments and the goal is “to do whatever it takes to begin and nurture a church-planting movement among the people.”

The concern is that missionaries who trained and have served as doctors, administrators, teachers, and specialists are being required to redirect their work into church starting at the expense of their training and calling.

This redirection means that the IMB is withdrawing personnel and financial support on an accelerated basis from institutions; hospitals, schools, seminaries and retreat centers. National leaders have said that this withdrawal is occurring before they have had time to make necessary arrangements to assume full responsibility for these ministries. For example, when missionary administrators, doctors or teachers are withdrawn quickly, there is often no national replacement available. These ministry facilities were made possible by Lottie Moon Christmas Offering funds. They have been used of God across the years in a marvelous way. Losing these relationships at institutions through a sudden shift in funding and personnel assignment raises some concern.

This abrupt change in strategy, when applied, also becomes frustrating to career missionaries who prepared to work in specific ministries and who have trained in those careers(medical missions, theological education and agricultural missions). Some are now being told such work is no longer necessary and will not be funded. Their alternatives are to accept assignment to a ministry to which they do not feel called by God, or resign.

Morale

Many of the missionaries we talked to are frustrated. There is a shift from a holistic ministry to “soul winning.” They do not know what the next directive will be. Most of the decisions are now being made from Richmond or a new regional director assigned to make the decisions. Experience is unappreciated and unwelcome and many feel that they are only pawns being moved around the game board.

WMU

The role of WMU in the new administration is being decreased. Traditionally the WMU has been our primary vehicle for involvement by women, teens, children and preschoolers in missions education, mission action and mission support. However, many churches are moving away from this group and distancing themselves.

North American Mission Board (NAMB)

Finances NAMB is financially strong. In 1999, revenues were $119.2 million, with $38.7 coming through the Cooperative Program and $43.5 million through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. In 1999, the budget for gifts to NAMB from the Georgia Baptist Convention was $3,855.122.

Personnel

NAMB reports 5000-plus missionaries. This figure is deceiving. While there may be 5000 missionaries, the majority of these are part-time or Mission Service Corps. They are not full-time missionaries.

For 2000, the figures are:

NOTE: There seems to be some difficulty in determining the number of fully funded missionaries related to NAMB. One study reports that there are only about 40 fully funded missionaries. A representative from NAMB did not report on the number of missionaries which NAMB funds alone, the following are the three categories of missionaries that NAMB and its partners fund.

a. 1519 - Appointed personnel - Missionary, associate, church planter intern, and US/C2. These are full-time and qualify for health care and personnel benefits.

b. 1684 – Approved Personnel - Field personnel assistances, state administrative personnel, and seminary student interns and missions pastors. (NAMB provides a financial supplement).

c. 1878 – Mission Service Corps Personnel. Works 20 hours a week with two years or more commitment. These people raise their own support.

Baptist Faith and Message 2000

The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message is applied to all missionaries processed, although the executive vice president of NAMB said in a letter to the Texas committee that candidates are not required to sign the document. The statement was “We will therefore continue to seek and deploy those who can agree to minister and lead consistent with and not contrary to the current BF&M.”

Some of us disagree in principle with this document. We are supporting a system to send missionaries who have had to adopt this document. If you remember, the document takes Christ out of the criteria for interpreting scripture, takes away the autonomy of the local church, and destroys the priesthood of the believer. Is this who we want our missionaries to be?

Social Ministries

NAMB cut five social ministries positions to allow for five new positions involving “more direct evangelism.” However, Southern Baptist leaders have applauded President Bush’s commitment to faith-based initiatives.

“NAMB will no longer have any staff member solely devoted to immigration ministries and will be left with only one national missionary assigned to work nationwide training literacy missions workers. In the current year, NAMB allocated $3.69 million – less than 3% of its $119 million budget to Christian social ministries, which it now calls ‘ministry evangelism.’ By comparison, $17.3 million is budgeted this year for evangelism, and $25.3 million is budgeted for church starting.” (Baptist Standard, Sept.18, 2000).

There seems to have been a shift away from a holistic ministry to “soul winning.”

What happened to “give a cup of water in my name?”

Do I believe in missions? Yes. However, something has happened. What we used to love and cherish as our SBC missions endeavor has been severely changed. I must ask myself, as you must, do we continue to give to a system that is so out of sink with our values and ideas of the incarnation? If you have eyes to see and ear to hear, I pray that we will.

Becky Matheny Executive Director Baptist Heritage Council (A Mainstream Organization) Athens, GA Email: baptistheritage@msn.com

October 2002