FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will be recommended for full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, the group's membership committee reported March 9.
British Baptist Alistair Brown, who sits on the membership committee, said it is “the committee's unanimous view that both be recommended” to the BWA General Council to become full member bodies of the worldwide umbrella group for Baptists. Brown's report came during the BWA's semi-annual Executive Committee meeting March 9 at BWA's suburban Washington headquarters.
Both state groups relate to the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and other nationwide missions organizations.
The BGAV and BGCT are already major financial contributors to the Baptist World Alliance and both already joined the North American Baptist Fellowship, one of BWA's six regional groups. But the recommendation, if approved by the BWA's General Council during its meeting in July, would mean the two state conventions would become members on the same level as CBF, the American Baptist Churches, or any of the 200-plus other national or regional Baptist groups that make up BWA's membership. They would be the first U.S. state conventions to join.
The moves by the two conventions come after the SBC voted last year to leave the global fellowship. “Both bodies express sadness at the withdrawal from membership from the BWA of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Brown told the assembled BWA leaders. “And they said that the withdrawal from the BWA had removed from them a means of fellowship with Baptists from around the world.”
BWA rules require that member bodies not be an integral part of any other Baptist denomination in their countries. However, Brown said the committee felt both BGAV and BGCT meet that requirement. ” In each case, they were founded before the establishing of the SBC, and neither has ever seen themselves as part of the SBC,” he said. “Both grant freedom to churches to apportion giving to a variety of causes for missions work overseas.”
But Virginia Baptist chief executive John Upton, who was present for the vote, told Associated Baptist Press that Brown's statement reflected a slight misunderstanding of their application. “We see ourselves as a partner of the SBC and always have seen ourselves as a partner of the SBC…. But we're an autonomous body,” Upton said. “We're very excited about being a part of BWA and we value our partnership with the SBC, and we don't see a conflict between the two.”
Likewise, Charles Wade, Texas Baptist executive director, attempted to clarify that group's relationship to the SBC in a statement released through a spokesperson. “While it is true that every state convention is free and autonomous — as is every Baptist entity — we have had and continue to have a relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said.
In other news, BWA leaders heard a positive financial report. Despite large reductions in the group's budget over recent years — including a $425,000 annual loss as a result of the SBC withdrawal — the group's revenue in 2004 was more than $500,000 greater than in 2003. And BWA came in more than $561,000 over budget for 2004.
Ellen Teague, BWA's finance director, attributed much of that increase to generous giving by local churches. Last year, BWA began allowing local churches to become “associate members,” and more than 300 local churches — including SBC congregations — have sent contributions directly to BWA.