NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – An in-depth look at state and regional conventions across the Southern Baptist Convention shows a deliberate intent by state/regional leaders to work together and promote unity of purpose.
California’s theme for its 2023 annual meeting perhaps said it best: “Better Together … For What’s Next,” though several other state convention annual meeting themes reflected similar thoughts of the benefit of partnering for the Gospel.
(For state reports from each Baptist state and regional convention’s annual meeting, go here.)
Anniversaries
South Carolina continued its first-in-the-nation status. This year was its 203rd annual meeting. The state convention with 2,015 churches and a $26.5 million budget for 2024 has for about 10 years given 50 percent of its Cooperative Program receipts for national SBC causes. It budgets 46.5 percent, and makes up the difference through a line item for the IMB, CFO Bryan Holley told Baptist Press.
It was Georgia’s 201st anniversary. They increased budget by 4.5 percent, and the amount forwarded to national CP remained the same at 40 percent. Alabama Baptists (50 percent CP split) and the Baptist General Association of Virginia (28 percent to “other ministry partners”) celebrated their 200th anniversary.
Three state conventions – Dakota (85 churches, 25 percent), Minnesota-Wisconsin (202 churches, 20 percent) and Wyoming (95 churches, 10 percent) all celebrated their 40th annual meetings, but the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (55 percent) at 26 years with 2,749 churches, and the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (51 percent) with 27 years and 831 churches, are the newest state conventions in the SBC.
The smallest state convention – Puerto Rico – which organized in 1985 and now has 52 congregations, meets in February because the fall is hurricane season, the convention’s longtime administrative assistant Beatrice Castillo told Baptist Press. Puerto Rico’s 2024 budget is $812,720, with 20 percent of gifts from churches forwarded to national SBC for dispersal globally.
Budgets
Comparing the budgets of the various state Baptist conventions is not without challenges. To be sure, all of them rely most heavily on Cooperative Program giving from churches. But the landscape varies greatly based on the number of churches, the geographic location, additional sources of income and other considerations.
The Georgia Baptist Convention’s 3,300 churches approved a budget that includes $33.3 million anticipated from churches’ Cooperative Program giving. Georgia’s budget helps provide for two conference centers, three colleges, retirement communities, children’s homes and a plethora of ministries related to pastors’ wellness, church strengthening and several more, including “Mission Georgia,” the state convention’s retinue of mercy and compassion ministries.
The Dakota Baptist Convention, which includes both North Dakota and South Dakota, approved a much smaller 2024 budget: $530,000. That’s up from $495,860 last year. They will allocate 25 percent for national SBC. Other state conventions with budgets under $1 million: Baptist Convention of New York ($757,854 including 30 percent to global CP), Puerto Rico ($812,720, forwarding 20 percent) Alaska ($922,267, forwarding 20 percent), Wyoming ($949,500, forwarding 10 percent) and Montana ($975,000, forwarding 25 percent.)
These smaller state and regional conventions work with minimal staffs and maximum areas – New York ministers in five states; Montana is the fourth largest state in the nation – and yet show impressive results, such as the 1,099 baptisms in New York last year and Montana’s increase of 10 churches this year bringing their total to 131.
New York’s one paid vocational staff, plus one full-time and one part-time support staff, minister with the help of three volunteer team leaders connected in some way to New York’s 519 congregations spread across an area 500 miles from east to west and 500 miles from north to south. Across that expanse, 52 Send Network church planters are at work, Executive Director Terry Robertson told Baptist Press. Ten churches were planted in 2022, and 11 have been planted so far in 2023.
At the other end of the spectrum is Alabama, with more than 3,200 churches, $37 million budget, 50/50 CP split, and a dozen major ministries, including a children’s home, retirement center and The Alabama Baptist newspaper. This state convention employs 30 vocational staff plus 16 collegiate ministers.
Somewhere in the middle is the California Southern Baptist Convention, with its 2,300 churches ministering with a $6.1 million budget (35 percent allocated for national CP) among the state’s 39 million residents, the nation’s largest, followed by Texas and then Florida.
Giving, CP allocation down in some states
Several state conventions reported a loss of churches. Among the reasons stated by leaders: the lingering effects of the pandemic, strife in the SBC, churches calling pastors not well-grounded in the SBC and pastors feeling neglected and unconnected without an associational director.
California was one of four states that decreased the allocation of churches’ Cooperative Program giving to national and international SBC missions and ministries. It went from 36 percent to 35 percent, and it reduced the state convention’s budget by $200,000.
Colorado, Minnesota-Wisconsin and New Mexico also decreased their national CP giving. Colorado from 36 to 30 percent, to enable it to pay salaries for regional directors.
Minnesota-Wisconsin, which had been sending 36 percent of its CP dollars from churches to SBC missions and ministries outside the state, dropped its percentage to 22 percent earlier this year, and at the annual meeting dropped it to 20 percent. At the same time, they decreased the budget by $51,351 for 2024.
New Mexico’s 2024 budget – $4,236,448 – is just $3,417 less than last year’s budget. It dropped its CP percentage split from 29 percent to 25 percent for national CP.
Increases in other states
Seven state or regional conventions increased their CP percentages: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania-South Jersey and West Virginia.
North Carolina increased by two points, to 50 percent. Its budget increased by $1.5 million, to $31 million. It was North Carolina’s 193rd annual meeting. The state convention has 2,800 affiliated churches.
At its 170th annual meeting, Arkansas maintained its $21 million budget yet increased its percentage leaving the state from 45.62 percent to 45.84 percent.
Louisiana’s messengers from its 1,541 churches increased the state convention’s percentage from 36.74 to 37.13. Its budget increased 2.86 percent, to $18.08 million.
Mississippi, which met for its 187th annual meeting, bumped its CP percentage a quarter-point, to 39.25 percent. Its budget increased 0.7 percent, to $30.89 million.
At Missouri’s 189th annual meeting, the CP percentage increased by 2 points, to 40 percent. Its $15 million budget stayed the same. Missouri reported 1,767 churches in 2021.
At its 53rd annual meeting, the Baptist Resource Network, (Pennsylvania-South Jersey), which includes 330 churches, increased its national CP giving by 1 point, to 33 percent. Its budget increased by about $800,000, to $2.2 million.
“What God is doing within our convention, that’s because of your giving, your Cooperative Program giving, your prayers and your faithfulness to God,” said Brian King Sr., president of the BRN Board, according to a recent Baptist Press article. “God is honoring that.”
West Virginia is a more recent addition to the SBC’s state conventions. This was its 53rd annual meeting. Its budget increased by $106,558, to a bit more than $1.56 million.
“That’s a 7 percent increase,” Executive Director Eric Ramsey told Baptist Press. “We’re trending 9 percent higher.” West Virginia’s CP percentage increased by 1 point, to 43 percent allocated for national CP.
More than half of the 41 state conventions maintained their 2023 CP percentage splits. Seven state conventions allocate 50 percent of the offerings sent from churches for SBC missions and ministries: Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia.
Florida has given 51 percent since 2016, when Tommy Green became the state convention’s executive director. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention allocates 55 percent to national CP.
Iowa has given 75 percent since 2022, from an income that has grown 130 percent since 2013. “The BCI gives 75 percent because of our state convention as led by our Executive Board has decided this is the best allocation for us,” Iowa’s executive director Tim Lubinus told Baptist Press.
Other states that had no change in CP allocation include (state/national):
- Arizona (60/40)
- Hawaii Pacific (80/20)
- Illinois (56.5/43.5)
- Kansas-Nebraska (69/31)
- Maryland-Delaware (63/37)
- Michigan (65/35)
- New England (80/20)
- Northwest (80/20)
- Oklahoma (57/43)
- Tennessee (52.5/47.5)
- Baptist General Convention of Texas (79/21)
- Utah-Idaho (70/30)
Final word
A recent Baptist Press article quotes Ryan Strother, executive director of the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana (36 percent to national CP), host convention of the upcoming 2024 SBC Annual Meeting.
“The SCBI relies on the Cooperative Program gifts of its churches,” Strother said in his report to annual meeting messengers. “If your church cuts your CP giving, the SCBI is the most affected. … Your church is part of a massive family who might not always agree on every little thing but it is committed to your church’s success in Great Commission work,” Strother said.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press. This story was edited after its initial publication to correct information about the national CP allocations for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.)
