Over 1,100 missionaries accept buyout

Platt says financial position ‘much healthier’

Richmond, Va. | David Platt’s report to the International Mission Board (IMB) trustees was the culmination of six month’s worth of efforts to undo six year’s worth of overspending.

The IMB president told trustees 1,132 total IMB personnel had accepted the Voluntary Retirement Incentive (VRI) or Hand Raising Opportunity (HRO). The numbers broke down to 702 missionaries and 109 staff personnel accepting the VRI, and 281 missionaries and 40 staff accepting the HRO. The positions of 30 personnel in IMB’s Richmond communications office were eliminated in its mobilization restructure.

The total was nearly twice the minimum number the mission board needed to depart in order to balance its budget. As a result, the number of missionaries on the field is down to around 3,800, a number not seen since 1992 when, according to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual reports, the year ended with 3,893 international missionaries serving.

Platt told reporters in a telephone news conference Feb. 24, “The numbers surprised me, for which I don’t have an explanation. We’ve put it in the hands of missionaries as much as possible…This is a larger number than I or anyone else was anticipating. We called on people to pray so we’re going to trust in the Lord and his decision.”

SBC President Ronnie Floyd told Baptist Press, “This reset is not regress or retreat. Southern Baptist churches must see this as a fresh calling to reaching the world for Christ. Now is the time to go forward with a clear vision and an aggressive strategy to make disciples of all the nations for Christ.”

IMB reported it had “consistently spent more money than it has received—a combined $210 million more since 2010.” Because 80% of IMB’s budget is devoted to personnel salary, benefits and support expenses, leaders determined a need to reduce the total number of personnel by by up to 800 positions. Missionaries were given until December to take the voluntary buyouts.

The Illinois Baptist asked what his reaction was to receiving almost double the number of resignations needed. “My heart is heavy but hopeful,” he answered. “Heavy in a sense that my heart is not to see less people on the field. My heart is heavy seeing the effects…It’s a hopeful confidence mingled with that heaviness.”

“What does this say about the confidence the missions force has in the new leadership?” the IB asked in a follow-up. Platt replied, “I’m very encouraged to see God working in the middle of all this. I have a hopeful confidence in what the IMB will be able to do in the future.

“I hope Southern Baptists see a serious desire to love and lead the IMB well…This is in no way a commentary on past leadership. Past leadership made a bold decision to put people on the field.”

After discussing the departures, Platt said, “I want to talk about the number of missionaries who are left. Thousands of missionaries remain on the field, with thousands of years of collective experience. Everyone of them on the field has been placed there by God.”

When one reporter expressed concerns from churches about the departure of so many missionaries leaving a “brain drain” on the field, Platt said, “We encouraged missionaries returning to take their last days on the field to pour into our national partners and other IMB missionaries that were still there.”

“Surely God’s calling tens of thousands more people to the field.”

As part of the mission agency’s board meetings, 26 new missionaries were commissioned in a ceremony in Richmond. Platt anticipates sending “thousands” to serve abroad, possibly as self-funded missionaries. His answer focused on what some would describe as marketplace missions, “limitless opportunities for people to work overseas and retire overseas.” In turn they would be funded by their paychecks and pensions. He also noted mission opportunities for students studying abroad who would not be IMB-funded career missionaries.

“I can’t pray Matthew 7:9 and then tell people who want to serve with the IMB ‘no.’ God’s created these other avenues.”

As for response to the staff cuts from people in the pews, Platt said, “People aren’t happy about it. I’m not happy about it. It’s a hard reality for Southern Baptists to face that we don’t have the resources to keep more people on the field…but God’s leading us to greater financial stewardship.”

upcoming Events Family ministry conference

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will host a free conference on Family Ministry April 2930 at the Journey Church of St. Louis. Timothy Paul Jones will teach from the material in his book, “Field Guide to Family Ministry.”

The course unpacks how churches can narrow the gap between present reality and the biblical ideal of faith-nurturing families. Jones will provide a plan for equipping parents to be the primary faith trainers in their children’s lives, moving beyond programming into genuine spiritual transformation. Go to sbts.edu/ alumniacademyspring for more information.

Bikers plan ‘Executive Ride’

The Illinois chapters of the F.A.I.T.H. Riders motorcycle ministry are planning their second-annual “Executive Ride” to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee in Nashville, Tenn.

The ride, scheduled for May 26-28, will start in Mt. Vernon at 9 a.m. The group will tour the Executive Committee building in downtown Nashville Thursday afternoon. Last year, the tour included a viewing of the SBC’s original handwritten charter, a more than 200-yearold Bible, and the Broadus gavel, which is used to call to order every SBC annual meeting.

The group will stay in Nashville Thursday evening and start the trip back to Illinois on Friday, arriving back in Mt. Vernon on Saturday. For more information, contact Cliff Woodman at cliffwoodman@ me.com.

Bivocational pastors to meet in Missouri

The annual meeting of the SBC’s Bivocational & Small Church Leadership Network is May 12-14 at HannibalLaGrange University in Hannibal, Mo. Cliff Woodman, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville, is currently serving as president of the network.

SBC Executive Committee

President Frank Page and Micah Fries of LifeWay Christian Resources will speak during the national celebration, which will base its theme—“You are not alone”—on 1 Kings 19. Baptist leaders, including IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams, also will lead breakout sessions during the meeting.

SBC data shows small churches and those led by bivocational pastors make up a large share of the denomination. The network exists to support those who lead churches with fewer than 200 worship attenders. Lodging for the May 12-14 meeting is available at Hannibal-LaGrange or area hotels. Go to http://bscln. net/bscln-2016-national-celebration.

reporter’s notebook

Scalia’s absence

“The implications of Scalia’s death for the court in the near future are big. Scalia’s absence is significant for cases in the pipeline; cases need four votes to win a Supreme Court hearing. With Kennedy as a wild card, there are now only three conservative justices on the court.”

–

Emily Blez

at WorldMag.com

“Scalia denied that there was any such thing as a Catholic, or a Christian, judge. His job, he emphasized, was merely to ascertain the meaning of the legal text at the time of enactment, using contemporaneous dictionaries and other evidence, and apply it without regard to policy considerations or moral values, including religious values.”

– Thomas Berg, University of St. Thomas School of Law, at ChristianityToday.com

“Scalia is famous (or infamous, depending on one’s view) for his dissent. They were always punchy, often sarcastic, and very often they predicted the future. He could see how decisions made now would have implications for other decisions later on.”

– Russell Moore, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

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