In a show of support for International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries returning home as part of the IMB’s plans to address revenue shortfalls, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) has announced that 10 campus housing units will be available to returning missionaries rent-free.
The seminary also announced a campus-wide special IMB offering set for Nov. 3 during the annual Global Missions Week at NOBTS. David Platt, IMB president and an NOBTS alumnus, will speak in chapel that day.
“We have been saddened to hear of the financial crisis at the IMB and have been praying daily for the IMB and our missionaries who are faced with difficult decisions,” NOBTS Provost Steve Lemke said. “But we wanted also to do something tangible to be of help, and taking this offering and providing this housing are some things we can add to our prayers to help our missionaries in this time of transition.”
Platt announced on Aug. 27 that a reduction of 600-800 IMB staff and field personnel is necessary to reach a balanced budget. The mission board projects a $21 million shortfall this year, adding to several consecutive years of shortfalls totaling $210 million.
Details of a voluntary retirement incentive were announced in September for eligible IMB staff and active career missionaries age 50 and older with five or more years of service.
“The fiscal challenge facing the IMB is a challenge for every Southern Baptist,” NOBTS President Chuck Kelley said. “Each of us must examine our lifestyles and ask if our giving to our churches and SBC ministries truly reflects Great Commission priorities. The missionaries being affected are our students, our alumni, our colleagues and our friends, and therefore as a seminary family we must participate in responding to the needs of those who have sacrificed so much.”
Mike Edens, NOBTS dean of graduate studies and a 26-year IMB veteran, said the offer of temporary housing will benefit the missionary families.
“They’re asked to make a decision by the first of November taking effect the first of December that relocates their family in obedience to the Lord,” Edens said. “This gives them a place to land.”
The temporary NOBTS housing will be in addition to the Grey Missionary Housing complex, a residence long used for furloughing missionaries. Returning missionaries who accept the rent-free temporary housing offer will only be responsible for utility costs.
Returning IMB missionaries will be afforded the same status as traditional missionaries in residence at NOBTS. This includes eligibility for educational scholarships and opportunities to speak in NOBTS classes and meet with student mission volunteers as well as access to all campus facilities.
Edens said the missionaries will be welcomed into the NOBTS family.
“We benefit in that we have people joining us on campus who are obeying Christ’s command at significant cost, even if that command is a return to the States,” Edens said. “We get to be a part of their lives at this crucial time.”
Also, Edens said, walking alongside the missionary families as they discern God’s will for the future benefits the NOBTS community. “We get to be with them as they’re making decisions about how to be obedient in an ongoing way,” he said. “Some will go back to the field without IMB support; some will be going to churches and to other ministries in the United States.”
Platt emphasized Aug. 27 that the retirement incentive offer is strictly voluntary and for those who feel God’s leading to a new avenue of service, Baptist Press reported. “We must get to a healthy place in the present in order to be in a healthy position for the future,” Platt told personnel in a town hall-type meeting.
Returning missionaries interested in coming to NOBTS may contact the seminary’s financial aid office at 504-282-4455, ext. 3348, or [email protected].
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Two Baptist seminaries – New Orleans and Mid-America – are among numerous organizations relaying housing offers to the International Mission Board for missionaries returning stateside as part of the IMB budget drawdown.)