Book of Reports Prepared for 2020 SBC Advance
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Book of Reports prepared for 2020 SBC Advance in its One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Year 2020 CONVENTION OFFICERS President J. D. Greear First Vice President Marshal Ausberry Second Vice President Noe Garcia Recording Secretary John L. Yeats Registration Secretary Kathy Litton Treasurer Ronnie W. Floyd FUTURE SBC ANNUAL MEETING SITES Nashville, Tennessee – June 15–16, 2021 Anaheim, California – June 14–15, 2022 Charlotte, North Carolina – June 13–14, 2023 Indianapolis, Indiana – June 11–12, 2024 Salt Lake City, Utah – June 24–25, 2025 Orlando, Florida – June 9–10, 2026 Foreword In 1945, the Southern Baptist Convention stepped away from its Annual Meeting, the United States was at war with the Axis powers. Thousands lost their lives in battles against totalitarian regimes. Yet the gospel witness continued with international mission personnel keeping their focus on their strategies for reaching the pockets of global lostness. At the same time, state conventions/associations were strategically resourced by national partners to “sow down” this nation with the gospel. SBC local churches and church leaders were biblically engaged by faith and action in cooperative efforts for gospel advance. The faithful did not let the war deter them from keeping “the gospel above all.” Some were led to surrender to Christ in a foxhole. Others were storming a beach in the South Pacific. Still others were hearing the gospel for the first time in the factories, farms, and firms. In every area of our culture and economy, there was a gospel witness. There was also an overwhelming sense that if we were to prevail, we had to work together—we had to cooperate. Within a decade, the result was a huge influx of: prayer warriors who cried out for the souls of lost people; new post-war, born-again disciples for Christ; and a passion for the church to permeate the culture with a biblical worldview. New seminaries were birthed with a vision of equipping a new generation of church leaders in the Midwest and the West. New churches were launched in cities and communities in areas where Southern Baptists had not previously worked. And SBC global outreach expanded beyond anything our Baptist fore-bearers ever imagined. In 2020, the Southern Baptist Convention has again stepped away from its Annual Meeting. A “humbling” has come in the form of a microbe. In a very real sense, Western culture is confronted by death and the frailty of mankind. There is a sense that life is broken and fear raises its ugly head to create a cloud of anxiety and aloneness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, new paradigms of ministry are employed. While secure- at-home orders restrict large gatherings for worship, church leaders and churches have taken to the internet to pronounce gospel truths to every nation, every ethnolinguistic group, and every home. God’s people are creative and have embraced social media methods to off-set social distancing. Instead of face to face or a handshake, more meetings and visits are made by phone, email, text, FaceTime, or Zoom. Creative giving methods are replacing passing the plate for tithes and offerings. Churches are utilizing online giving, electronic fund transfers, and/or hand written checks delivered via a drop box and/or the United States Postal Service. While the economies succumb to restricted travel, business transactions, and social interaction, Southern Baptists continue to hold the rope for those who are called and commissioned to go out into the world to share the gospel and to equip the next generation of church leaders in authentic biblical gospel witness. The churches of the Southern Baptist Convention continue to primarily use the Cooperative Program as their preferred method for cooperative missionary support beyond their local church. Within the 2020 Book of Reports are the 2019 measurables of the cooperative ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention’s institutions and commissions. As you read the reports, diligently pray for these powerful ministries as their leaders grapple with new normals. American culture will not return to the “good ole days.” However, advance of the gospel was never bound by culture. In some ways, the pandemic has set Southern Baptists free to make “the gospel above all” in every context. John L. Yeats Recording Secretary Copyright 2020 by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. All rights reserved. The contents of this book may not be reproduced in any form in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright holder except for uses which are permitted under federal copyright law. Prepared and distributed by: Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, 901 Commerce Street; Nashville, TN 37203 Reviewed by: John L. Yeats, Recording Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention, assisted by Sharon Yeats Book of Reports prepared for 2020 SBC Advance TABLE OF CONTENTS 2020 ANNUAL MEETING CANCELLATION .....................................................................4 A WORD FROM THE SBC PRESIDENT ............................................................................6 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ..................................................................................................8 Southern Baptist Foundation .........................................................................................52 GENERAL BOARDS GuideStone Financial Resources ...................................................................................54 International Mission Board ..........................................................................................59 LifeWay Christian Resources ........................................................................................68 North American Mission Board ....................................................................................88 SEMINARY COMPARATIVE DATA ................................................................................101 INSTITUTIONS Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention ..........................................104 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ................................................................ 111 New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary ...............................................................120 Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ..............................................................127 Southern Baptist Theological Seminary .....................................................................132 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary..............................................................140 Seminary Extension (supplement to report of seminaries) ......................................145 Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives ...................................................146 COMMISSION Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission .................................................................151 AUXILIARY Woman’s Missionary Union .........................................................................................165 ADDENDA Charter ...........................................................................................................................170 Constitution .................................................................................................................. 170 Bylaws ............................................................................................................................174 Business and Financial Plan ........................................................................................189 Organization Manual ...................................................................................................196 Legal Names and Current Addresses of Corporations Related to the SBC ...........207 The Baptist Faith and Message .....................................................................................208 4 2020 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION BOOK OF REPORTS ANNUAL MEETING CANCELLATION CANCELLATION OF THE 2020 SBC ANNUAL MEETING In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting and all ancillary meetings were cancelled for the first time in 75 years. Following is the statement released in Baptist Press on March 24, 2020: Statement on the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting After prayer deliberation, the Southern Baptist Convention officers, the SBC Executive Committee, and the executive heads of the Convention’s boards and institutions, acting in a body according to Article XI.4 of the SBC Constitution, have made the unanimous decision to cancel the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting, scheduled for June 9-10 in Orlando. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic which we believe constitutes a grave emergency, it is in the best interest of the SBC to cancel the Annual Meeting—for the first time in 75 years—out of a deep concern for the health and safety of messengers and attendees. We are calling on all Southern Baptists to pray for an end to this global pandemic and that God will bring His Church together at this time to sharpen our focus like never before. This is not a time for Southern Baptists to shrink back in timidity and fearfulness of be paralyzed with uncertainty. This is not the time to retreat. This is a time for us to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. Southern Baptist Convention Officers J. D. Greear, President Marshal Ausberry, First President Noe Garcia, Second Vice President John Yeats, Recording Secretary Kathy Litton, Registration Secretary