Texas Baptists to consider launching missions network
By Bob Allen

DALLAS (ABP) — Texas Baptist leaders are proposing creation of a world missions network to help churches and individuals sponsor missionary work across the United States and around the world.

The network, which would be established as a not-for-profit affiliate of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, does not replace existing relationships with mission boards of the Southern Baptist Convention, but augments them with “fluid and flexible structures” that are church-driven and responsive to changing needs.

“Texas Baptists are interested in a bold new vision, not recreating what already exists through traditional missions-sending agencies,” said Charles Wade, BGCT executive director. “This world missions network would create a way to connect churches and institutions with needs, opportunities and resources.”

The world missions network is the centerpiece of a 25-page report by a 24-member missions review and initiatives committee. The BGCT administrative committee gave its preliminary approval at an Aug. 29-30 meeting in Dallas.

The BGCT executive board will vote on the proposal Sept. 24. If approved, it will go forward for final approval by messengers to the state convention, scheduled Nov. 10-11 in Waco.

Sharp disagreements between leaders of the BGCT and SBC in recent years have led some to speculate that the state organization might begin appointing its own national and international missionaries. The report stops short of that, but it does suggest Texas Baptists will take more initiative in setting their own worldwide missions agenda.

“Anybody who wants to come to the table can do so, but they can’t set the menu for everyone else,” said Clyde Glazener, pastor of Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth and chairman of the missions review and initiatives committee.

The report faults the SBC International Mission Board for asking its missionaries to affirm the 2000 “Baptist Faith and Message” and for its “New Directions” missions strategy that some complain diminishes cooperation with national Baptist conventions and de-emphasizes support for institutions and meeting human needs.

It calls upon the BGCT to “find ways to enable missionaries” who refuse to affirm the “Baptist Faith and Message” as a matter of conscience.

The report also takes aim at the SBC North American Mission Board for its decision to no longer appoint ordained women as chaplains and for attempting to control the spending of funds it gives to the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.

It urges Texas Baptists to adopt a new cooperative agreement with NAMB that recognizes the state convention’s right to reallocate funds to accommodate jointly funded state missionaries who object to signing the “Baptist Faith and Message.”

The report doesn’t call for severing ties with those agencies, however. It instead pledges to “work closely with existing Baptist agencies,” including the two SBC mission boards, the Baptist World Alliance and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and also with BGCT-affiliated ministries and institutions involved in missions.

The study committee affirms relationships that exist between the Atlanta-based CBF and various groups, associations, churches and individuals in Texas. Citing “certain political facets of the relationship of the CBF with various Baptist bodies,” however, the committee recommends that the BGCT continue to work with CBF on projects but not enter into a formal relationship.

CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal said he had several discussions with subcommittees of the task force, which he described as “cordial.”

“I never expected this committee to recommend a connectional relationship with CBF like they’ve had in the past with the SBC,” Vestal said. “I had hoped for and am pleased with their recommendation that BGCT find ways to partner with CBF. We look forward to that. We already partner with Texas Baptists in a number of ways.”

Jerry Rankin, president of the SBC International Mission Board, questioned the need for the new network. “Southern Baptists in Texas already have — in the International Mission Board — an excellent network for personalized involvement,” Rankin said in a statement.

“Rather than diverting missions gifts to create and maintain a new institution that duplicates work already being done by other entities, we encourage Southern Baptists in Texas to stand by their missionaries and press forward with them in taking the good news of salvation to a lost world.”

The missions-review-and-initiatives report cites scholars who point “to hands-on involvement as the future of missions.” Many churches already sponsor volunteer mission opportunities, the report said. As a result, the distinction between local and worldwide missions is “blurring rapidly.”“Texas Baptists need a mission vision that recognizes missions as the responsibility of every church and every Christian,” the report says. “Churches increasingly want to own that vision, but they also want a collective vision of what Texas Baptist churches can do together. They see any vision that views missions exclusively in the context of institutions or boards that they only pray for and pay for as an incomplete vision. For many, the question is not only, ‘How do we support missions?’ It is also, ‘How do we do missions?’”

The proposed network would be responsible for facilitation and support of missions efforts; training; screening of personnel; establishing a database of missions opportunities, resources and activities; research; education; and helping churches develop missions strategies.

Partial funding for the new network would come through Texas Baptists’ unified budget, the Cooperative Program, along with direct gifts. Some work done through the network would be funded directly by churches.

It would be structured as an independent non-profit, similar to other free-standing agencies like Buckner Baptist Benevolences and the Baptist Standard, to maintain a close working relationship to the BGCT while allowing quick response to developing global situations. Not-for-profit status would qualify it for recognition as a non-governmental organization, which in some cases gives credibility and better access.

In a separate action at the same meeting, the administrative committee approved changes to a form it sends to churches to record the amounts they contribute to the BGCT.

The new form removes a controversial cap on the amount of BGCT funding for SBC seminaries. It also ends negative designations against the SBC Executive Committee and Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

Wade said the change is intended both to simplify the form and to promote peace with the SBC. Texas Baptists will no longer comment on how the SBC spends the money it receives from the BGCT.

The new form increases the percentage of church gifts remaining in Texas in the BGCT Cooperative Giving Budget from 67 percent to 79 percent. Churches may channel their 21 percent earmarked “worldwide endeavors” to the SBC, CBF or BGCT world missions, including the new missions network. As before, churches can instead choose a designated giving option, in which they set their own percentage distributions between BGCT and global missions.

Ken Camp and Marv Knox contributed to this story.

Reprinted with permission: Associated Baptist Press

September 2002