Some of the most conservative media outlets covering Christianity in America are skewering the Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board for its policy of communication by obfuscation.
Protestia represents the far-far right of American evangelicalism. The latest headline at the online publication screams, “NAMB Disputes Johnny Hunt’s $610K/Year Salary Claim In the Most Secretive, Stupid Way Possible.”
The Baptist Report is an anonymously sourced online journal reporting on the inner workings of the SBC. Its headline is comparatively toned down: “NAMB Responds to Reports It Allegedly Paid Johnny Hunt a $610K Salary — Sort Of.”
And Church Leaders took a more understated approach with its headline: “NAMB Responds to ‘Some Speculation Online’ About Executives’ Salaries Following Johnny Hunt’s Claim of $610K in Annual Earnings.”
As BNG previously reported, the former executive vice president at NAMB — who was felled by a sexual abuse scandal — claims in court filings to have been paid $610,000 annually at NAMB. The 71-year-old says that’s $6.7 million in future income he claims he lost when he was forced to resign.
He also claims he lost $3.96 million in future book sales and $3.85 million in future speaking fees. And he seeks $880,000 in other lost income, along with $45 million for reputational harm and $45 million for emotional distress. Tallied up, that’s a $100 million ask.
People in the pew and even megachurch pastors can’t comprehend a denominational executive being paid that much in offering money.
Crazy as that sounds, it’s the $610,000 in compensation from NAMB that has turned heads in the SBC. People in the pew and even megachurch pastors can’t comprehend a denominational executive being paid that much in offering money.
Eventually, NAMB released a statement about the Hunt situation without saying it was about the Hunt situation:
While NAMB can’t share confidential salary information about any current or former employee or comment specifically on active litigation, no one at NAMB — now or at any time — has ever been paid anywhere near as much as the salary amount that is being speculated online.
The court filing which appears to have given rise to this online speculation is publicly available, and it does not mention NAMB by name. There is no way to factually conclude from that document what the plaintiff or any other employee was being paid by NAMB. It is regrettable that some parties have drawn conclusions and spread them around the Internet. Unfortunately, none of these parties contacted NAMB first for confirmation or denial.
At NAMB we are grateful for every dollar Southern Baptists have entrusted to us, and we strive to be the very best stewards of those resources.
Here’s Protestia’s response: “This is a childish, deceptively worded statement from an organization that is infamously NOT transparent and who’d just as soon excommunicate you than share their financials with you. Speaking on X, John Kaleo notes: ‘Every single trustee for @NAMB_SBC should be ashamed they allowed this statement to be made by their organization.’”
“This is a childish, deceptively worded statement from an organization that is infamously NOT transparent and who’d just as soon excommunicate you than share their financials with you.”
Here’s the Baptist Report’s comment: “Notable in the NAMB statement: ‘Unfortunately, none of these parties contacted NAMB first for confirmation or denial’ is interesting as the entity is widely known for not responding or responding with ‘no comment’ to media inquiries regarding its budget and other practices.”
Church Leaders again took a low-key approach, noting this in its final paragraph: “The statement concluded by directing readers to a page on NAMB’s website outlining its commitment to financial transparency.”
East Texas SBC pastor Tom Buck — who considers himself a card-carrying conservative — leaned on NAMB via X: “NAMB said they wished people, rather than speculating, would contact them to get clarification on what they paid Johnny Hunt. So, I invite you to join me in publicly asking @NAMB_SBC how much they paid Johnny Hunt so all speculation can end.”
John Kaleo, cited by Protestia, is a Southern Baptist layman who critically examines the transparency and accountability within the SBC, questioning the actions of its leadership and institutions. He has also been dissecting NAMB’s financial ties, from lobbying to refugee resettlement funds.
Of NAMB’s incomplete response to the question of whether Hunt was being paid $610,000 or not, he made three points:
- “You can absolutely share the salary structure … the one you have been refusing to share for the past few years since around the time of Hunt’s employment (coincidence?). Business and Financial Plan Article XIV: ‘Members of cooperating Southern Baptist churches shall have access to information from the records of Southern Baptist Convention entities regarding income, expenditures, debts, reserves, operating balances, and salary structures.’
- “It’s misleading to call this a ‘rumor.’ Hunt claims in court his annual compensation from NAMB was $610K. Places like @baptist_news and @BaptistMessage both reported on the court documents where Hunt made this claim.
- “NAMB is actively trying to confuse salary and compensation. Sure, people online at first were wondering is that salary, but what’s in the documents is compensation … which is more than salary, and NAMB’s response did NOT address that.”
Related articles:
New date set for Johnny Hunt trial
Still no external review of North American Mission Board finances
Where are the trustees? | Opinion by Maina Mwaura
More Baptist leaders cite pattern of bullying from Ezell and NAMB