The 2022 Ministry Report containing information related to the finances and operations of all Southern Baptist entities is now available online at sbc.net.
The Ministry Report serves to aid the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) in planning, evaluating and implementing the Cooperative Program (CP) Allocation Budget that will be presented for adoption by messengers at the June 2022 SBC annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Contained in the report is a compilation of each entity’s updated reports, responses to questions asked by the EC and other related reports.
In an effort to increase transparency and accessibility, the Ministry Report has been made available online for the past several years.
Willie McLaurin, newly named interim EC president and CEO, said the availability of the Ministry Report provides clarity to Southern Baptists about the status of their missions giving and fulfills a long-held responsibility of the EC.
“Since 1949, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has been given the responsibility to receive from the various entities financial, budget, program information, goals and accomplishments,” McLaurin said. “The Ministry Reports contain a summary of the stewardship of each SBC entity, and many of the questions that are often asked in convention life are answered in these reports. The reports include details on how Cooperative Program dollars are spent and the Great Commission impact of those dollars.”
The content of the report is presented in four separate categories: President’s Letter, Ministry Goals and Accomplishments, Ministry Inquiries and Financial Statements (excluding seminaries). Seminary reports include seminary formula tables and the Association of Theological Seminaries (ATS) reports. Additional, extra documents and attachments may be included in individual reports.
The reports provided a variety of positive updates related to the execution of ministry assignments.
The International Mission Board (IMB) reported a variety of financial and ministry success, highlighted by the concerted effort to establish relationships between IMB missionaries and Southern Baptist churches through the Church Connection initiative.
The North American Mission Board described a variety of ministry successes in the past year, including a continued emphasis of the Who’s Your One Tour.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission navigated a season of transition while still standing for Southern Baptist values in the public square, including maintaining several pro-life initiatives such as the Psalm 139 Project.
GuideStone Financial Resources reported a record year of giving toward Mission:Dignity with more than $10.4 million dollars raised.
Lifeway Christian Resources continued its efforts to provide churches with helpful Bible teaching and study resources, including the launch of the new streaming platform Lifeway On Demand.
Each of the Southern Baptist seminaries reported information about allocation of CP funds, and included information on enrollment and other detailed information.
McLaurin said the updates in the report are a reminder of the cooperative nature that binds the SBC.
“Churches in the Southern Baptist Convention can be confident that the information presented in the ministry reports are trustworthy and represents the heartbeat of Southern Baptists,” McLaurin said.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Timothy Cockes is a Baptist Press staff writer.)
