In reviewing the proposed 2013 Baptist General Association of Virginia budget I have once again become painfully aware of the budget woes we face as an association. The years I served on the budget committee, and then as first vice president and president of the General Association provided me with insight as to how the budget process works.
Each year as revenue decreased we were faced with how to fund the priorities of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the General Association. It became increasingly apparent to me that every partner, agency and institution had value and purpose in our overall work together. As a budget committee and as president we worked diligently with decreasing revenue to fund what we felt were the priorities of the BGAV.
The budget this year as presented appears to me to have prioritized a new philosophy of ministry within the General Association. Many ministry partners have seen significant decreases in their funding for the coming year. Funds have been shifted to other priorities as identified by the budget committee for 2013.
Although these new priorities may be well thought out and done with the best of intentions in mind it does raise a bigger question. Have the priorities of the General Association changed so as to de-crease funding to our ministry partners while at the same time funding new strategies and priorities deemed important by the budget committee and Mission Board?
If so this is a philosophical change from the past as we have defined the BGAV.
If the strategies of doing our work together have changed so significantly from 2012 to 2013 this discussion should be the focus of our time together in Roanoke in November. When the funds are limited does this necessarily change how we view our partners in the BGAV?
Making such huge cuts in funding to our partners without a broader discussion of the consequences to our partners is fundamentally unfair to the BGAV and to our partners. If this is the direction the BGAV wants for the future then let us endorse this new philosophy and direction where our goals of Kingdom work are more fully realized with more funds to the Mission Board and less to our partnering agencies and institutions. However, if the BGAV sees value in funding our partners on a level of any significance in helping carry out the Kingdom work as partners then the BGAV should be willing to stand and say so.
When such significant cuts are being proposed to our BGAV partners it should be done only after a majority of the messengers agree with this philosophical change in funding.
Economic realities over the last several years have certainly caused all of us to rethink how we prioritize our spending. The value we have placed as a General Association on those who have partnered with us for theological education, ministry support, a free press, care for our children and elderly and those who have kept us in touch with our past so we can make informed decisions about our future should not face such significant cuts without first having the opportunity to be heard.
I trust the process Virginia Baptists have in place to deal with this issue. I would only hope with such a philosophical shift taking place in only one year we would weigh the significance of its impact on our work in the BGAV.
Timothy Madison, pastor, Mechanicsville (Va.) Baptist Church and former BGAV president