Randy C. Davis
When something happens that people don’t understand, the first thing they ask is, “Why?”
I am there with them. By definition, “why” means “a question seeking the cause, reason, or purpose for which something has happened.” I’m not one for arbitrary decisions, so when an action is taken, I want to understand the why. I believe that goes for Tennessee Baptists as well.
The Board of Directors of your Tennessee Baptist Mission Board two weeks ago overwhelmingly adopted for recommendation in November to the convention messengers a Cooperative Program allocation of 40 percent to SBC entities, 5 percent to the International Mission Board, and 55 percent to Tennessee Baptist Convention ministries. The proposal expresses an urgency in reaching the nations with the gospel and is forward-thinking in its allocations.
But why this action and why now?
Short answer: Because that is what Tennessee Baptists have wanted for nearly two decades.
The goal for nearly 20 years has been for state conventions to move toward a 50/50 allocation of Cooperative Program funds: 50 percent for SBC entities and 50 percent for state ministries.
For Tennessee Baptists, reaching the nations with the gospel was the intent of moving toward 50/50 from the beginning, They made that clear in a 2007 motion adopted by the Executive Board of the TBC, which stated it wanted more allocation going to missions “… for the sake of the 1.8 billion people of the world who still have little or no access to the gospel, and as a model for other state conventions to follow our lead.”
In 2010, messengers overwhelmingly adopted a resolution and a motion that each respectively addressed their desire to move to equal distribution, with language that emphasized “world missions,” “reach the world,” and “that all people may hear the gospel.”
One former TBC president referred to moving to 50/50 as “a step toward world missions.” A TBC messenger in 2011 made a motion to reallocate matching retirement gifts earmarked for pastors and other ministry leaders “to reach the Turks in Central Asia, Pod in India, or any of the world’s 3,600 unreached, unengaged people groups.”
The intent of Tennessee Baptists for moving toward 50/50 has been crystal clear: Get the gospel to the ends of the earth.
And that is a key “cause, reason, and purpose” of the 2024-2025 budget proposed for your consideration in November. It provides a 5 percent allocation from TBC CP receipts to the International Mission Board. This 5 percent would be in addition to the nearly 51 percent the IMB receives from total SBC Cooperative Program receipts. It would also be the financial equivalent IMB would receive if TBC were at a 50/50 distribution.
But why do it this way?
Short answer: Cooperative Program giving is presently not sufficient to support a 50/50 allocation.
Increasing Tennessee’s CP allocation to 50/50 was always contingent upon Tennessee Baptist churches increasing their CP giving. The 2010 resolution and motion adopted by messengers included affirmations to “commit ourselves to continuing and increasing support for cooperative missions so that all people might hear the gospel.”
The documents also stated that “We strongly encourage all Tennessee Baptists to consider increasing their support for world evangelization through gifts to the Cooperative Program,” and urgently encouraged “TBC churches to give sacrificially through the Cooperative Program in a manner sufficient to achieve a 50/50 allocation.”
Allocations to SBC causes would incrementally increase as church giving increased, but those allocation increases would be made “in a manner to enhance, not inhibit the ministry of the TBC as well as the SBC.”
Unfortunately, CP giving in Tennessee has been flat for a decade, so steps toward 50/50 gained little momentum. Frankly, Tennessee has fared better than most Southern states, where decline over the past decade has been between 10 to 15 percent. That speaks a mighty word regarding the generosity of Tennessee Baptists, to which I add a hearty, “thank you!”
Unfortunately, while money received in church offering plates is up by approximately $100 million over the past 10 years, the 24 percent inflation rate during that same period has had a crippling effect on your church’s local ministry, affecting every mission organization to which you relate. As a result, we simply cannot continue moving toward a 50/50 CP distribution until churches sustain a long-term increase in CP giving.
But why can’t we make the 50/50 move anyway?
Short answer: Because Tennessee Baptists have clearly communicated that any way you slice it, Tennessee is a mission field.
For nearly two years, Tennessee Baptists from churches of all sizes between Memphis and Mountain City have shared what they believe is God’s preferable future for Tennessee Baptists, and then fellow Tennessee Baptists have brought shape to their amazingly similar thoughts in tangible, gospel-centered ministry opportunities. This massive undertaking is the Acts 2:17 initiative.
The motivation of these grassroots Baptists is that they want “more:” More people saved, more people discipled, and more discipled people mobilized to reach Tennessee and the nations for Christ. They recognize our state desperately needs Jesus.
If TBC messengers vote in November to adopt the budget that supports the vision of their fellow Tennessee Baptists, the TBMB will align our ministry structure around the new priorities focused on strengthening and multiplying gospel leaders, evangelistic disciples and healthy churches.
The TBMB staff will be reduced by 10 to 15 percent to get more resources into the field and closer to the local church. The current TBC CP allocation is 52.5 percent. The proposed 2.5 percent increase to support TBC ministries (bringing the total to 55 percent) will be invested in Acts 2:17 Initiatives as we transition in 2025 toward these new priorities.
Let’s get real. This is not an exercise in rearranging deck chairs. The situation in Tennessee is critical. More than 4 million Tennesseans are spiritually lost and/or unchurched. We have 400 TBC churches every Sunday that have no pastoral leadership. We have a foster care crisis in our state. We have a growing mental health crisis, including from among our pastors and ministers. We have families disintegrating, and our children are growing up and walking away from Jesus and the church.
My friend and Alabama State Board of Missions executive director Rick Lance says, “Leadership is defining reality and offering hope.” The present situation in our state is our reality, and the Acts 2:17 Initiative offers us hope for doing something about it.
The status quo isn’t going to cut it. Difficult days require different decisions, which is why the TBMB board of directors overwhelmingly voted to bring this proposed budget with its 40/5/55 allocation before TBC messengers in November. It accomplishes the vision of Tennessee Baptists to support global missions, it overcomes the impediment of long-term level CP giving, and it prioritizes Tennessee as a mission field.
Together, we as Tennessee Baptists have sought God’s vision for our future, and I believe our Heavenly Father has revealed it to us. It is time for us to move forward together in faith and in confidence. I’m excited for the days ahead, which is why it is my joy to be with you on this journey.
