ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ABP) — Baptists in New Mexico approved the largest budget in convention history Oct. 24, which will require a substantial increase of Cooperative Program receipts from area churches.
“God's Purpose, Our Destiny” was the theme of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico's 96th annual meeting, held this year in Albuquerque, N.M.
More than 350 messengers from 124 churches attended the convention at Sandia Baptist Church, said Nancy Faucett, the convention's recording secretary. An additional 190 people attended as visitors.
The messengers approved the convention budget for 2008, which requires $4,391,157 in Cooperative Program receipts from state churches — an increase of $274,610, or 6.67 percent, over the amount in the current budget. The budget includes a 3.5 percent increase in salaries for state convention employees.
After applying an exception of $32,673 for exempt obligations, 30.5 percent of the Cooperative Program receipts — an estimated $1,329,338 — will be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for national and international missions. No increase in the percentage was proposed for next year.
The remaining 69.5 percent (or $3,029,146) — along with additional income of $1,886,751 from Baptist New Mexican subscriptions and advertising, Baptist Building rental income, and the SBC's North American Mission Board and LifeWay Christian Resources — will support a total operating budget of $4,948,570 for work in New Mexico.
Under the eye of president Rick Sullivan, pastor of First Baptist Church in Artesia, N.M., former president Jay McCollum also nominated the entire slate of officers for election to second one-year terms. Messengers approved the recommendation.
Also approved was an amendment to the articles of incorporation of Sivells Baptist Retreat and Conference Center that reduces from nine to six the number of consecutive years a board member may serve before rotating off for one year.
Messengers approved two resolutions in appreciation of the efforts of three Albuquerque churches that hosted convention events and for the ministries of B. Lee Black, who recently retired as president of the New Mexico Baptist Foundation and Church Finance Corporation, and Judith Edwards, the convention's missions mobilization team leader, who will retire at the end of this year.
The convention's executive director, Joseph Bunce, also expressed his strong desire that the group become a “church-planting, soul-winning” organization.
“What is God calling you to do?” Bunce asked, noting that the state's Hispanic population has become “the mainstream in New Mexico,” comprising 51 percent of the state's population.
The convention includes 310 churches and 21 missions with roughly 60,000 members. Next year's annual meeting will be Oct. 28-29 in Las Cruces, N.M.
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— John Loudat is editor of the Baptist New Mexican.