Baptist Press staff
RICHMOND, Va. — During a virtual meeting May 13-14, trustees of the International Mission Board approved the appointment of 59 new missionaries and received an update on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which has contributed directly to a shortfall of about $4 million in the IMB’s budget and necessitated spending cuts and a hiring freeze.
Trustees also elected Christy Roberson as vice president of human resources and Price Jett, vice president of finance, logistics and technology, as IMB treasurer. As a result of the pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting, they re-elected 2019-2020 trustee officers to serve an additional year.
In a statement, IMB Paul Chitwood noted that increased giving through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering had the IMB strongly positioned when the pandemic began, but said the impact on local churches (and from there the IMB) “is quickly becoming evident.” Chitwood said revenue for March and April was $2 million below budget. Meanwhile, the IMB has incurred approximately $2 million in unbudgeted expenses while “evacuating and relocating IMB personnel” because of the pandemic. [Read more…]