If cordiality is the standard by which Baptist General Association of Virginia annual meetings are measured, the meeting just ended was one of the best. Newly-elected BGAV president Carl Johnson thanked the messengers at the close of the final session for their civility.
In addition to other action, messengers did not challenge from the floor the budget committee’s revised budget. Questions were asked, however, in a breakout session on Tuesday afternoon.
Jim White
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Although I was attending a breakout session sponsored by the Religious Herald on faith and the arts, and was not present for a discussion about the budget, I was gratified by a report that concern was expressed about the Herald and how it (we) will be affected by the 2013 budget which reduces by 50 percent support from the BGAV’s budget.
Many of you have to be asking the same question. I know I am! Contrary to the impression some were left with, the Herald does not have money in reserve apart from a modest endowment that provides a small income stream ($15,000 per year). Even if we could use all of that fund, which we can’t, for on-going expenses it would compensate for the reduction for only about four years before it ran out. This is a time when we need to be adding to our endowment, not using it for survival! What kind of short-sightedness would advocate eating the goose that lays golden eggs (even very small golden eggs!).
So, what’s going on at the Religious Herald? We at the Religious Herald believe that our best days are ahead of us and that we will not only survive, but thrive! Here’s why.
Reasons for our optimism
We see a future in which the Herald continues as the leading voice of journalistic excellence. Although this may sound like bragging, it is the opinion of many that the Herald has historically set the standard in Baptist journalism. But times are changing! And the Herald is changing with them.
Although “The Herald” has always been synonymous with newsprint, our primary means of sharing the news these days is digital. To keep Baptists in our times informed, the Herald sends news alerts through instant messages. On our Facebook page readers not only find current information, but can read what other readers have to say about the topics. We need to develop apps for use with smart phones and iPads which will give us even greater potential.
But our use of new technology is only one reason for our optimism. To stay ahead of the pack, the Herald has enlisted a bevy of writers who will keep Baptists informed about happenings in the Mid-Atlantic region. Having a number of writers is essential to achieve our goals of providing new stories daily on our webpage and of informing our readers as news happens in the Baptist world.
We are optimistic also because we have discovered that having a source of news they can trust to be truthful and balanced is important to many Virginia Baptists. This was vividly illustrated to me at the BGAV meeting. A messenger attending the meeting tweeted, “BGAV Disaster Relief teams served 75,000 meals to people affected by Hurricane Sandy.” Within a few minutes a tweet was sent from a different messenger: “95,000 meals served to Sandy victims.”
We live in a time of instant messaging. But information that is not accurate is sometimes worse than no information at all. In their words of personal support and in their financial contributions Baptists have said, “We want information, but we want it to be balanced and accurate! The Herald does that with integrity!”
If the Herald didn’t currently exist, we would have to create some means of making sure that the news we get and share is accurate. The Religious Herald is needed!
A silver lining
We can’t pretend that the 2013 proposed Baptist General Association of Virginia budget didn’t shock us. Learning that 22 percent of your expected income has just vanished has a tendency to do that. For a time our staff of four was discouraged. Given the razor-thin margins of our bottom line, our first impulse was to wonder if, after 184 years of faithful and respected journalism, the Religious Herald might not survive. We do not believe this is God’s plan for us!
For the past few years we have seen the downward trend of Cooperative Missions support and we decided to do what we could to prepare ourselves for less financial support. We imagined that at some point in the distant future two things would happen. First, the Herald would need to find a way to generate income through more targeted donations from our Baptist family. And, second, BGAV support could conceivably continue to dwindle. Therefore, earlier this year we secured the services of the Brakeley-Briscoe Fundraising Consulting firm to help us become more familiar with the “how to’s” of asking for money.
This is a new experience for us, so we may do it badly at first. We hope you will bear with us as we learn. Taking stock of what is happening with non-profit journalism in several cities in the U.S., we envision a time when the Herald will be supported by “members” who understand the necessity for and are committed to the free flow of information guided by professional journalistic standards.
We will be asking thousands of Virginia and other Mid-Atlantic Baptists to become members of the Religious Herald family of supporters. We are still finalizing these plans, but early enthusiasm for this concept has caused us to be optimistic.
Until then, to insure sound financial footing, we need to make up for the $107,000 loss of support. The simplest way would be for 107 of us to give $1,000. My wife and I have signed up to be the first two of the 107. A few others of you have already volunteered! This is the silver lining. It was not good for the Herald to be so dependent on the BGAV for 44 percent of its budget. Half that is perfect!
But in all fairness, remember this: the other BGAV partners are feeling the loss of financial support, too. As you have been blessed by their ministries, or believe their ministries are a strategic part of advancing the Redeemer’s Kingdom, give to them also, directly or through Cooperative Missions. As you have prospered, bless these partners with your gifts.
As you think ahead about what you will leave to the cause of Christ after you go to be with him in Glory, make provision for the Herald and other ministries in your wills and bequests. The Virginia Baptist Foundation will be happy to help you make your plans without obligation.
Jim White ([email protected]) is executive editor of the Religious Herald.