The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s (BSC) Board of Directors voted to approve the proposed 2016 Cooperative Program (CP) budget and three amendments to the convention’s bylaws during its meeting Sept. 29-30 at Caraway Camp and Conference Center near Asheboro.
Messengers from N.C. Baptist churches will consider and vote on the proposed budget and bylaws changes at this year’s BSC annual meeting at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro on Nov. 2-3.
The proposed 2016 CP budget totals $29.5 million, which represents an increase of $500,000 over the 2015 budget. The increase marks the first increase to the state’s CP budget since 2007, when messengers approved a two-year budget for 2008-09. The increase also means more funding will be allocated to each of the BSC’s institutions and agencies.
Additionally, changes within the proposed budget result in increases to the state’s allocation to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) by three percent to support missions and ministries in North America and around the world. The three percent increase moves North Carolina’s allocation to the SBC from 37 percent to 40 percent.
The proposed budget also:
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Increases the allocation to Fruitland Baptist Bible College by $20,000.
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Reduces the allocation of scholarships as the transfer of scholarship administration moves from the convention to the N.C. Baptist Foundation.
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Eliminates the allocation for the matching GuideStone retirement benefit for pastors and other church employees.
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Maintains the allocation for protection benefits for pastors and other church employees participating in the Church Retirement Program through Guidestone.
In recommending the budget to the board, Tony Honeycutt, chair of the BSC Budget Special Committee, said the committee sought to develop a budget that aligned with the convention’s strategy of “impacting lostness through disciple-making.”
“We viewed the budget through the lens of how we can maximize our ability to impact lostness,” Honeycutt said.
Bartley Wooten, chair of the Articles and Bylaws Committee, presented three amendments to the convention’s bylaws. Two of the amendments provide clarity to the terms of service for individuals elected or appointed to serve on the board and convention committees. The third amendment addresses the duties of the Committee on Convention Meetings.
The first proposed amendment sets forth expectations for board members regarding their attendance at board meetings. The second amendment establishes criteria for the termination of committee membership if minimal standards are not met.
The third proposed amendment allows members of the Committee on Convention Meetings to secure preachers to deliver the convention sermon at the annual meeting two years in advance, rather than one year. The amendment would give the committee greater flexibility in securing speakers for the convention sermon. In recent years, many of the individuals contacted by the committee are already committed for other speaking engagements one year in advance.
In other business, the board approved the following motions:
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Authorized Fruitland Baptist Bible College to construct a second family housing unit consisting of four apartments once funds for the project have been raised. Estimated cost for the project is $215,000.
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Authorized the sale of the former Baptist Campus Ministry property at N.C. State University to Blue Sky Services Development for $860,000. Proceeds from the sale will be placed in a special account to support the collegiate partnerships ministry.
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Approved three individuals to serve on Fruitland Baptist Bible College’s Board of Directors: Buddy Freeman, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marshall; Douglas Goforth, pastor of Asheville Street Baptist in Morganton; and Michael Waters, pastor of Parkwood Baptist Church in Concord.
During the committee reports, Jonathan Yarboro, team leader for Collegiate Partnerships, shared the results of research his team conducted over the past six months that assessed the levels of “gospel presence” that currently exist on 148 college campuses within North Carolina.
The research revealed that more than 120 schools had no gospel presence on their campuses. Of those 120 schools, Yarboro and his team also identified the top 20 campuses on which a strategic focus is needed to develop a gospel presence.
Those schools are: Cape Fear Community College; Central Piedmont Community College (Cato Campus); Central Piedmont Community College (Central Campus); Central Piedmont Community College (Harris Campus); Central Piedmont Community College (Levine Campus); Central Piedmont Community College (Merancas Campus); Coastal Carolina Community College; Durham Technical Community College; Fayetteville State University; Haywood Community College; N.C. A&T State University; Surry Community College; Queens University; Randolph Community College; Tri-County Community College; the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Vance-Granville Community College; Wake Technical Community College (Main Campus); and Warren Wilson College.
Yarboro called attention to the number of community colleges on this list and explained that of the 1.2 million college students in North Carolina, 840,000 students are on community college campuses. This means that 70 percent of all college students in the state are on community college campuses.
Although these 20 schools will be the primary campuses that the Collegiate Partnerships Team will focus on, Yarboro said his team will continue to work with churches to reach every campus in North Carolina in keeping with his team’s vision to have “no campus left” without a gospel presence in the state.