North Carolina Baptists continue to make giving a priority even in a down economy.
A year-end report from the Baptist State Convention shows that N.C. Baptists increased giving to international missions by 7.19 percent – from $12,592,515 in 2011 to $13,498,147 in 2012 – and increased national missions giving by 2.7 percent – from $5,622,012 in 2011 to $5,773,530 in 2012. (All totals are rounded to the nearest dollar amount.)
The amount given to the N.C. Missions Offering was the exception. Giving dropped 3.14 percent – from $1,917,740 in 2011 to $1,857,548 in 2012.
The report showed the Baptist State Convention of N.C. (BSC) was below its $33.5 million budget receipts by 10.67 percent (or $3,573,975) with receipts received between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2012, totaling $29,026,025.
Unrestricted giving to the Cooperative Program rose 1.16 percent – from $27,905,656 in 2011 to $28,230,271 in 2012 – while restricted CP funds declined by 15.81 percent – from $1,444,811 in 2011 to $1,216,397 in 2012. N.C. Baptists who wanted to exclude the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from CP giving rose 3.25 percent – from $464,282 in 2011 to $479,357 in 2012.
Funds given specifically to the SBC and excluding the Cooperative Program declined 6.58 percent – from $236,837 in 2011 to $221,254 in 2012.
A one-time gift caused a jump in the funds given to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship through the convention. That 39.94 percent increase raised 2011’s $43,413 to $60,753 in 2012.
The 2013 BSC budget remains at $33.5 million, which is not an increase over the 2012 budget.
“We felt it would be unwise to increase the budget at this point,” said Stan Welch, chair of the BSC Board of Director’s budget committee, at the annual meeting in November 2012.
The budget did include another half percent increase allocation to the SBC raising the SBC total to 36 percent.