A year ago this summer, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship not only had to hurriedly move its annual General Assembly to a virtual space due to threat of COVID-19, but faced difficult decisions about cutting its annual budget down to a realistic level. One year later, the meeting still will be virtual, but the budget has stabilized, leaders said Aug. 20.
Unlike the Southern Baptist Convention, from which CBF was birthed 30 years ago, CBF annual meetings are not dominated by controversial business sessions. While attendees do vote on a few key things — including the budget — most of the group’s business gets handled by councils and teams that meet throughout the year. That allows the General Assembly to focus on inspiration and education, as well as worship.
Adopting a flat and balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be the most notable item of business conducted at the virtual meeting to be held the end of this week.
That is a welcome change for CBF leaders from one year ago, when they put forward a 10% reduction in budgeted expenditures that included a loss of 10 staff positions and additional savings from normal attrition of missions personnel due to retirement.
Adopting a flat and balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be the most notable item of business conducted at the virtual meeting to be held the end of this week.
The group’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Leaders reported Aug. 20 that through the first nine months of the current fiscal year, revenue has matched what was expected. With that good news, the new year’s budget will look much like the current year. Total projected income this year is $14,698,822, and total projected income for next year is $14,575,891.
The new budget maintains the current level of support for Global Missions field personnel, envisions new appointments to the short-term Global Service Corps and longer-term career missions team. It also includes an expansion of Together for Hope, CBF’s rural development coalition that addresses persistent rural poverty in the United States.
Further, the budget allocates more resources for addressing racial and ethnic diversity; expansion of resources for a Dawnings, a process to invigorate local congregations on mission; and funding for a staff person to coordinate the Ministerial Transitions program that assists local congregations during times of pastoral transitions.
The biggest areas of reductions are for Fellowship Southwest, which has become a self-supported missions enterprise serving the Southwestern states from California to Texas; reductions in budgeted expenditures for a financial wellness initiative that is funded largely by grants; and a reduction in funds allocated for church starting, which was paused last year to allow a thorough rethinking of CBF’s approach.
The full budget proposal is available at www.cbf.net/budget, along with a narrative version that gives more detail.
Jason Callahan
“When the budget was approved last year, no one had any insight into what the next 12 months would bring,” said Jason Callahan of Memphis, who serves as chair of the Finance Committee. “However, despite these uncertainties, CBF leadership created as much of a realistic budget as possible. And they have delivered on that budget for both revenue and expenses.”
Based on the first nine months of the current fiscal year, “overall revenue is up slightly over the prior year,” he said. “Expenses are flat compared to the prior year. The budget includes a slight salary increase for staff and field personnel and increased funding for staff insurance costs and expenses for staff travel and in-person meetings.”
This year’s General Assembly runs mainly on Aug. 26 and 27, with virtual sessions offered during the daytime both days. Three keynote speakers will anchor the sessions: Emily Hull McGee, pastor of First Baptist Church on Fifth in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Daniel Martino, senior pastor of Church of the City, in New London, Conn.; and Antonio Vargas Jr., associate pastor of Church of the City.
Assembly information and registration are available on CBF’s website.
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CBF Governing Board adopts strategic plan along with budget reduction for 2021