Richmond layman Carl Johnson was elected president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia Nov. 14 during its annual meeting in Roanoke. Johnson, a retired denominational financial officer and a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond, answered a range of questions the Religious Herald put to him by email as he begins a year in his new position.
Q: You bring a great deal of experience to your new role. Not only have you held the position before, but you have been at the heart of decision making in both the BGAV and the wider Baptist community for many years. How will that experience serve you this year, and how do you anticipate putting it to use as you take on these responsibilities?
A: I was on the staff of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign/Interna-tional Mission Board for 22 years. That gave me an understanding of how staff members can work well with trustees. I was also the primary staff member for any questions any Southern Baptist (church, individual, state convention, SBC Executive Committee, etc.) might have about IMB finances.
I enjoyed those contacts, the opportunity to provide immediate answers and explanations. I look forward to supporting the sharing with Virginia Baptists the information about the work of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and how churches and church members can be a part of these mission opportunities.
‘Listen. Ask questions. Be fair. Be honest. Be supportive of those at all levels of staff and leadership. Be equally attentive to all churches irrespective of size.’
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Q: Are there models of leadership — in Baptist life or elsewhere — that you find compelling and have tried to integrate into your own leadership style?
A: Yes. Listen. Ask questions. Be fair. Be honest. Be supportive of those at all levels of staff and leadership. Be equally attentive to all churches irrespective of size.
Q: It’s been 25 years since you served as president the first time. How has the BGAV changed in those years? What characteristics have remained un-changed?
A: Both Reggie McDonough, as executive director, and I, as president, were elected at the November 1986 BGAV meeting. Thus both of us were on a simultaneous learning curve. This time I will be working with John Upton and Eddie Stratton, each with 10 years of superb experience in their leadership positions.
Another difference is financial. The budget now is much tighter (than in 1987), which has led not only to significant staff reductions, but also reduced funding for Virginia Baptist entities.
Yet another difference is that it has become more difficult to communicate directly to church members. For example, 8,800 people now subscribe to the Religious Herald compared to 38,000 in 1987. Thus the BGAV/VBMB don’t enjoy the same relationship with those in the pew. These days people want more information about how their contributions are being used, and are less likely to give based on faith or trust. How many church members would support the church budget if they had no access to what was in the budget?
Q: What trends in BGAV life which you’ve observed over the past quarter century would you expect to continue? Are there trends which you believe have played out and may no longer be relevant?
A: A significant trend is the decrease in participation (in Virginia Baptist work) by dedicated laypeople with proven leadership skills or leadership potential. Virginia Baptists are blessed with ordained ministers who are qualified and active in BGAV/VBMB positions of significant responsibilities. But their lay counterparts, particularly those middle-age and below, are not as visible.
Another trend is increased competition for families’ time. A quarter century ago, many Baptist families went on vacation to Ridgecrest, Glorieta, Eagle Eyrie, etc. Now the beach, the river, Busch Gardens, Orlando, etc., offer attractions to children that are difficult to match. This past year Glorieta was put on the market due to insufficient attendance. This trend may very well continue as families stop considering a Christian-related vacation.
Q: The BGAV’s 2013 budget was widely discussed in the weeks leading up to the BGAV annual meeting, and of course that discussion was part of a much bigger context in which financial contributions from churches have declined over the past 10 years. Is this a short-term problem that will eventually “right” itself or does it suggest a more entrenched shift that may require systemic changes in BGAV procedures and assumptions?
A: The BGAV, its churches and the members of those churches are all in uncharted waters concerning financial support. This is exactly opposite of what was happening in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Inflation was double digit. Because it was double digit, many employers gave double-digit salary increases to their employees. Those employees (all of whom were tithers, of course) followed through with double-digit increases to church budgets and to special offerings (such as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering). The churches then followed with double-digit increases through the Cooperative Program. At the IMB, we used these substantial increases for much needed support for missionaries.
Thus I’m optimistic that once the economy gets straightened out, then family income, church income and BGAV income may increase. But we still have to be able to communicate with Virginia Baptists and how to do that is still a work in process.
Q: A recurring question which received new attention in the budget discussion was the definition of the BGAV community. What do you see as the roles of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the other institutions and agencies? Has the BGAV extended its funding ability too far? Are there other church networks which would be valuable models for the BGAV?
A: Attention is being focused on what should be the relationship and expectation of entities being funded by the BGAV budget and also by funds generated by the entities. I use the word entity because there may be lack of agreement on terms such as agency, partner, institution, etc. When a church reduces its financial support of the BGAV budget because its own budget has been reduced, the church may not be aware of the consequent reduction in support of entities. The BGAV can only allocate what it receives.
In prior years the BGAV may not have extended its funding ability too far. It may have been very much in line with BGAV receipts at that time. But once BGAV receipts began to decrease, the BGAV budget committee had to reduce the BGAV budget expenditures. Those reductions continue into 2013.
Q: Another issue widely discussed, of course, was a church which took action seen as at odds with the majority opinion held by other BGAV churches. What should be the basis for a church’s inclusion in the BGAV community? Is the congregational autonomy principle at stake in this discussion, as some have said, or is it being misapplied, as others believe?
A: I applaud and agree with the Oct. 26 editorial of Jim White in the Religious Herald. The Virginia Baptist Mission Board and its executive committee had a responsibility to uphold the action taken in 1993 by the BGAV.
Q: What kind of vision for the BGAV do you think churches would find compelling and would deepen their involvement in BGAV life? What can you do in the (admittedly limited) time you will serve as president to further that vision?
A: The BGAV and the VBMB are intentional in seeking ways to stop the loss of young people’s church involvement when they reach their 20s. What can be done with the disconnect when high school graduates begin college? Results are showing up already. Baptist Collegiate Min-istries at Vir-ginia colleges and universities are showing in-creasing growth.
Just one example: VBMB budget funds are not available to fund campus ministers at additional schools. The president of Lynchburg College took the initiative recently to contact the VBMB to ask about establishing a BCM there, saying that a significant number of students there were Baptists, and that Lynchburg would provide $20,000 to help fund the position. The Lynchburg Bap-tist Association voted to provide $10,000, and the position is now funded. This is quite an endorsement of Virginia Baptist work, in this case BCMs.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to communicate to the BGAV community as you embark on this year of responsibility?
A: Thank you for the opportunity to serve. When I was elected in 1986, a reporter asked me right after the BGAV meeting what I expected or planned to do in the year that I would be president. I told him I intended to support the executive director and the VBMB staff. They provide the permanency. The president serves one year. You can appreciate the problems that could be caused by each president coming into office with a new plan for mission work in Virginia. That being said, there is a vital role played by the VBMB board members in working with the executive director and staff.