AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — The Baptist General Convention of Texas approved a flat $33.85 million budget for 2012, while rejecting an attempt to restore more than $890,000 Baylor University loses next year.
Meanwhile, messengers to the Oct. 24-26 annual meeting in Amarillo approved a renegotiated agreement with Baylor University that gives Baylor greater influence in determining the composition of its governing board.
They also approved a constitutional amendment reducing the percentage of governing board trustees for affiliated institutions elected by the BGCT from 75 percent to a simple majority.
After several messengers questioned the need for the move and asked to hear from institution presidents, both Lanny Hall, president of Hardin-Simmons University, and Gary Cook, president of Dallas Baptist University, spoke in favor of the amendment.
Based on a new way of determining financial support for educational institutions related to the BGCT, the 2012 budget reduces total BGCT financial support for Baylor from about $2.8 million to $1.9 million. Excluding funding for Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary — which remains at about $1.1 million — BGCT support for Baylor decreases from more than $1.72 million in 2011 to $831,175 in 2012.
The new funding approach provides a $625,000 base amount of support to all BGCT educational institutions, and it provides funding to all schools for ministerial education. However, a prorated grant based on student enrollment — an approach that particularly benefited Baylor as the largest school related to the BGCT — now is limited to affiliated institutions. It does not provide those funds to schools that relate to the convention by special agreement, namely Baylor and Houston Baptist University.
Bruce Webb, pastor of First Baptist Church in The Woodlands, introduced a motion to amend the budget recommendation by restoring Baylor to its 2011 funding level, using investment funds to make up the difference.
Webb noted his support for the way the new funding approach provides additional money for other institutions, but he called a nearly $900,000 cut in funding for Baylor “drastic” and predicted a backlash.
“This is going to affect us negatively,” he said. “We’re going to lose far more money than we would gain.”
Charlotte Young from First Baptist Church in Dimmitt, chair of the Executive Board’s institutional relations committee, spoke against the amendment.
“In no way was this intended to be a punitive measure” toward Baylor, Young insisted. Rather, it was a “fair and equitable way” of dealing with all institutions that relate to the BGCT.
Kyle Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Port Arthur, asserted the funding cut should not happen at the same time as a change in the BGCT and Baylor relationship agreement, nor should a new executive director have to deal with the public relations fallout from decreasing financial support for Baylor.
“This may be a good idea, but the timing stinks,” he said.
Steve Wells, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston, reminded messengers the BGCT is not “defunding Baylor,” contrary to public perception.
“If anybody wants to defund me by giving me $2 million, I will welcome the gift,” he quipped.
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Ken Camp is managing editor of the Baptist Standard.