budget summary
Dear
Texas Baptists It is a pleasure to serve as the new director of Cooperative Program for Texas Baptists. I have been a lifelong Texas Baptists and I am passionate about the ministry we do together. In my first few months on staff, I have been so inspired by the work God is doing through Texas Baptists churches. I’ve enjoyed traveling around the state and meeting pastors from different regions and hearing the stories of why you choose to give through the Cooperative Program. Each story is unique and it takes all of us. The Cooperative Program is a unique way churches express their generosity that has provided for collaborative missions and ministries for more than 100 years. We are so grateful for the sacrificial gifts that so many across Texas give to help strengthen churches, strengthen ministers and strengthen mission partnerships. In the following pages, you will find stories of lives impacted by gifts through the Cooperative Program. These provide just a glimpse of the countless lives impacted through new churches planted, ministry on college campuses across Texas, pastors receiving holistic care and connection through Pastor Strong Cohorts, revitalization happening through PAVE, disciplemaking and training, missions mobilization and so much more. The local church is central to all we do as Texas Baptists. Our desperate desire is to address the problem of lostness in our state and beyond. Our focus is on living out the Great Commandment and
Great Commission, and helping to equip churches to that end. As I write, GC2 Navigators located all across the state are being prepared to walk alongside pastors and church leaders, guiding them towards pathways of greater faithfulness. Through our recent ministry staff realignment, our work has been organized into three new focus areas: Church Strong, Minister Strong and Missions Strong. You will see this new structure reflected in the 2027 proposed budget. This budget reflects months of prayer and careful decisions by our convention staff to be good stewards of the resources God has provided through churches like yours. While some reductions were necessary this year, the proposed budget still has the potential to make a significant impact. Thank you for making this work possible. As we consider the 2027 budget, I ask that you join me in prayer for God to be glorified by the missions and ministries of this convention of churches. Would you prayerfully consider increasing your support to the Cooperative Program so that we may be able to do even more to see a saved state in the years to come? With gratitude,
Jeff Donnell Director, Cooperative Program
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2027 budget summary
UTA BSM Coordinator accepted Jesus through the ministry as a student, continues to make disciples on staff
W
hen Jenna Leatherman transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in fall 2021, she was invited to a Philippians Bible study at the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) where she read scripture for the first time. From there, she connected with a staff member who began reading the Bible with her every week.
“It was odd [to me] that people cared so much about me, and not because of things that I had done to make them like me… I didn’t know it at the time, but it was all because of Christ,” Leatherman said. In January 2022, Leatherman accepted Jesus at BSM’s Abide Prayer Retreat. She said she recognized her need for salvation after reading through a list of struggles that might prevent her from applying for a Go Now mission trip. “I remember [reading through the list and] feeling like this is just who I am. I actually can’t escape this… I was reminded of the gospel, and I prayed [to receive Christ] and repented for the first time,” Leatherman said. “I know this isn’t everybody’s story, but
for me, the Lord healed me of 99.9% of those things that night. I repented, and I decided, ‘No more.’” Leatherman shared this with the staff member who had been disciplining her, and she completed her Go Now application. She was sent to serve in Northern Africa for the summer, where she sensed a call to vocational ministry. Upon returning to UTA for her senior year, Leatherman got her first taste of making disciples when she began meeting with biochemistry student Bailey after connecting at an involvement fair. “We were reading the Bible, and she was asking good questions, and it was at our annual fall retreat that she prayed to receive Christ,” Leatherman said. “She began sharing the gospel with people in her department, and within two months of being a believer herself, she was leading people to the Lord. So [I experienced first-hand] the pipeline of [being a] disciple-maker who makes disciples who make disciples.”
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Since graduating from UTA in spring 2023, Leatherman has served on staff at UTA BSM as a campus missionary.
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2027 budget summary
This fall, Leatherman is stepping into the BSM coordinator role, where, in addition to leading and disciplining students, she will focus her ministry on her specific gifts and abilities. She said she is excited about focusing on mobilizing students for missions and working closely with Go Now to send them.
“So much of my [spiritual] growth has happened as a staff member,” Leatherman said. “[Discipleship is] all to deepen in knowledge and love and obedience for God, and so with that end goal in mind, it’s been a learning “It’s something I’m very passionate about, and curve, just like it would for anybody. But there I’m excited for that to continue to grow and be was a lot along the way while I’ve been on staff cultivated in our students’ hearts, just the Lord that has really shaped the way that I underrevealing his heart for the nations and how we stand discipleship and how to go about it.” can be a part of that,” Leatherman said. Learn more about Texas BSM at txbsm.org.
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2025 budget summary
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2027 budget summary
U.S. Army Chaplain equips other chaplains on base
U
.S. Army Chaplain Drew Alterman was called to chaplaincy at his previous Oklahoma Baptist church, where he was mentored by deacons who were military veterans.
“I had always had a love in my heart for the military. So, after serving at church for about four years with so many members of the military and discovering chaplains even existed, I started looking into it. I just felt a strong call to serve in this way,” Alterman said. Alterman began serving as an Army chaplain in 2016. He connected with Texas Baptists Chaplaincy Relations, now part of the Missions Strong Team, while searching for an endorser at the beginning of his service.
has grown from 30 to 70 people, with 121 in attendance at their Easter service in April. He said his team of chaplains, whom he mobilized to do outreach, contributed to that growth. “I was able to mobilize a very talented team of chaplains who love the Lord and are passionate about the gospel. They were able to provide some leadership and direction and mobilization for the [congregation] to do some [outreaches] that were effective,” Alterman said. “We started a running group in the neighborhood [and] ran a half marathon together as a team. We started giving out visitor gifts when people came [for the first time]. We started actually having some follow-up with our guests.”
He said this summer, Linden Oaks Chapel “I started doing a Google search, researching has grown to offer two worship services, with endorsers, and I stumbled across Texas more families attending. Baptists, and I loved everything I read… I love the relational approach that [the endorsers] Alterman said Texas Baptist Chaplaincy Relahave with their chaplains, that you can pick tions have been supportive and instrumental up the phone and talk to someone at any time. in his development and training as a minister. That’s been huge throughout my last ten years,” “One of the roles of the endorser is to stand Alterman said. with chaplains as they serve in a pluralistic Alterman has served as the lead chaplain of environment and to uphold the convictions Linden Oaks Chapel, held at Gordon Elementhat they hold. Because the political climates tary School on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, can change, [ministry] can be difficult at times,” since July 2025, taking on administrative and Alterman said. “The way that Texas Baptists budgetary duties, organizing chapel programs have supported and stood by us and modeled and preaching, training and equipping a team Christ’s love by being relational, available and of eight chaplains to serve in the chapel. praying for us has been the biggest example of what I want to repeat in my ministry.” He said in the year that he has served at Linden Oaks Chapel, the average attendance Learn more at txb.org/chaplaincy.
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2027 budget summary
GC2 Strong launches this fall with pilot program, navigators
T
exas Baptists launched the GC2 Strong initiative in September 2026 with a pilot program of churches across the state. GC2 Strong is a process through which Texas Baptists will equip a multiplying movement of churches to live out the Great Commandment and Great Commission by strengthening churches, ministers and missions. Sergio Ramos, senior director of Relational Development/GC2 Strong, said the heart behind this strategy is for churches to experience a GC2 Awakening—a spiritual renewal that calls churches back to loving God wholeheartedly, loving their neighbors tangibly and making disciples faithfully.
Since April 2025, a team of five Texas Baptists staff members have gathered regularly to develop the GC2 Discovery Process. The team has received guidance and feedback from pastors, professors, seminary leaders, associational leaders, nationally known church health experts and additional Texas Baptist staff members. The 3-step discovery process will help churches refocus on the Great Commission by developing a customized pathway for the church to
strengthen their GC2 practice while working alongside a GC2 navigator. Ramos said GC2 Strong is unique because it is not about asking churches to fit into a convention strategy; it is about coming alongside each church to help them faithfully pursue God’s calling within their own community. “GC2 Strong provides a relational framework that helps churches prayerfully assess where they are, discern where God is leading them and develop contextual pathways toward greater health, disciple-making and missional engagement,” Ramos said. In July, the GC2 Strong team held the inaugural GC2 Navigator Training with three facilitators and more than 30 Navigators, which include Texas Baptists staff, pastors and ministry leaders from around the state. Navigators learned the three elements of their role including collecting data from the discovery process assessment, relationship building and discernment. “The Navigators themselves must be in a place where they’re ready to commit
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CHURCH STRONG
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2027 budget summary
MINISTER STRONG
spiritually to the work of intercession on behalf of the church as they seek to serve,” said Joshua Minatrea, senior director of Resource Development, who served on the GC2 Strong design team. “This is not a mechanical process. This is a spiritual process.” The pilot program marks the launch of the GC2 Strong process and will continue to the end of the year. Twenty churches are part of the pilot group to go through the GC2 Discovery Process, to learn and make final revisions. With the implementation of GC2 Strong, the convention has realigned and right-sized Convention ministries with the creation
MISSIONS STRONG
of three new focus teams – Church Strong, Minister Strong and Missions Strong. Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists, said the GC2 Strong process addresses our greatest challenge, lostness in Texas and around the world, and mobilizes our greatest asset, the local church. “It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit would bring about a Great Commandment and Great Commission awakening among our churches, resulting in a multiplying gospel movement in Texas and from Texas to the rest of the world,” Guarneri said. Learn more at txb.org/gc2.
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2027 budget summary
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2027 budget summary
Brownwood church plant sees over 100 baptized, engages community with Pave tools
E
ric Jordan pastored his first church plant, A Breath of Praise Community Church Round Rock for 15 years until he felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting to plant another church. In December 2022, he began praying for a specific location.
“God led me to this one low economical community [in Brownwood]… and I began to feel his heart, and he told me, ‘My people in this community have been spiritually neglected and abused.’ Out of all my years in walking with the Lord, I’ve never felt his heart like that.” Preparing to move to Brownwood, Jordan spoke with his cousin, who attends a church there, about his church plant. His cousin connected him with a Methodist pastor in the community whose church was dying and he began hosting a Wednesday night Bible study in their building. The Bible study grew from two to 25, and six months in, he launched A Breath of Praise Community Church Brownwood with that group using the Methodist church sanctuary. Eventually, the pastor came to Jordan with a lease contract stating that he just had to handle maintenance and utilities. One year later, he bought the building for one dollar. Seeking support through the William Baptist Association, Jordan met Lee Williams, Central Texas church planting mobilizer for Texas Baptists, who told him about Pave, Texas Baptists’ church revitalization strategy. Jordan said Pave’s demographic analysis has been a helpful tool in engaging the community. He said it helped the church
get a pulse on community needs and establish recurring ways to serve, including providing food for the homeless, haircuts and shoes for families and more. “All these things that we’re doing to engage our community are not just about trying to get them to join our church. That’s great if they do, but even if they don’t, they can see the light of Christ,” Jordan said. “I really compliment my leadership team for all of the sacrifice and hard work because that takes time… but they dedicate it to the Lord.” Jordan said Bobby Hicks, church health strategist at Texas Baptists, came to A Breath of Praise to lead a training for the leadership team on empowering leaders to take charge of different ministry areas, support those serving with them and follow up. Jordan said he sees his leaders beginning to invest in making disciples for Christ. Since its launch, A Breath of Praise has grown to have an average attendance of 75 and has seen over 100 people accept Jesus and be baptized. Jordan said people are just waiting to be invited to have a relationship with Jesus. “[Pastors] can try and come up with [different strategies but] just ask them. [Our neighboring churches] were not asking people if they wanted to be baptized. They were waiting for people to come up and say, ‘I want to be baptized.’ So we ask them every week, ‘Is there anybody who wants to be baptized?’” Jordan said. Learn more about the Church Planting Network at txb.org/churchplanting.
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2027 budget summary
Budget Summary
of the Baptist General Convention of Texas The 2027 Budget was approved by the Executive Board on Sept. 22, 2026. Preparing the budget involves months of prayer, projections, research and planning to arrive at the resource plan for the coming year. The detailed budget is published annually and is provided to the Executive Board and committees involved in the budget preparation process. The Executive Board is authorized, on a contingency basis, to adjust spending based on actual receipts. The Budget Summary and the Detail Budget Book are available online at txb.org/budgetsummary.
12 TEXAS BAPTISTS
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texas baptists
2027 budget summary
Baptist General Convention of Texas
2027 Budget Reorganization
2027
CHURCH STRONG TEAM $
Administration & Oversight
TOTAL BUDGET
COOPERATIVE PROGRAM*
151,838
$
DONOR DESIGNATED
$
151,838
SALES, FEES & SPONSORSHIPS
MARY HILL DAVIS GRANTS
$
0
0
$
$
0
326,076
673,222
664,822
8,400
GC2 Strong
1,531,776
1,447,776
84,000
0
0
552,201
Discipleship
713,983
595,288
31,855
36,200
50,640
790,799
Evangelism
530,581
306,331
8,950
70,000
145,300
1,310,799
Music & Worship
265,261
221,436
3,700
0
40,125
273,209
Church Architecture
219,240
39,240
40,000
140,000
0
189,996
Church Health Strategy (PAVE)
Subtotal
$
4,085,901
$
$
$
0
2026 TOTAL BUDGET
$
3,426,731
0
$
176,905
919,936
$
246,200
$
236,065
4,363,016
MINISTER STRONG TEAM Administration & Oversight
103,646
103,646
$
$
0
0
$
373,622
0
$
335,928
Pastoral Health Networks
587,732
537,732
0
0
50,000
Pastor’s Common
153,046
148,046
5,000
0
0
153,546
Area Representatives
0
0
0
0
0
1,051,162
Financial Health
0
0
0
0
0
14,200
Interim Pastors & Pastorless Churches
149,272
149,272
0
0
0
123,397
Counseling Services & Ministry Safe
196,659
195,659
1,000
0
0
181,846
Women in Ministry
154,976
129,976
0
10,000
15,000
180,026
122,198
51,500
52,500
$
$
Bivocational Pastors
230,198 $
Subtotal
1,575,529
$
1,321,744
$
1,386,529
57,500
62,500
4,000 $
192,302
69,000
$
$
$
2,606,029
MISSIONS STRONG TEAM Administration & Oversight
$
403,744
$
760,000
Church Planting
3,314,618
887,618
1,837,000
River Ministry
270,000
0
270,000
$
158,000 590,000
4,280,146
0
0
342,595
0
0
17,400
318,048
527,526
0
527,526
0
Chaplaincy
375,350
109,950
228,000
20,000
21,000
Subtotal
COLLEGIATE MINISTRY
CHRISTIAN LIFE COMMISSION
$
5,830,238
1,401,312
$
10,048,585
$
$
$
$
1,388,459
4,372,470
$
679,459
21,000
0
0 $
3,622,526
$
789,000 $
520,000
0 $
319,360
17,400
$
6,539,363
38,750
$
17,860
$
9,051,107
155,000
$
34,000
$
1,573,800
5,619,505
$
1,279,214
0
MAP - Missionary Adoption Program
BOUNCE - Student Disaster Relief
0
$
14
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TOTAL BUDGET
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPPORT Administration & Oversight
$
2027 budget summary
COOPERATIVE
DONOR DESIGNATED
PROGRAM*
$
488,356
$
488,356
MARY HILL DAVIS GRANTS
$
0
SALES, FEES & SPONSORSHIPS
0
$
2026 TOTAL BUDGET
$
0
523,626
1,200,927
117,927
1,080,000
0
3,000
1,141,393
African American
523,994
297,494
24,000
105,000
97,500
465,341
Texas Baptists en Espanol
466,936
300,436
10,000
67,500
89,000
457,021
Intercultural
519,547
226,080
160,000
72,000
61,467
493,464
Western Heritage
125,325
50,925
64,400
10,000
0
66,190
Texas Baptist Missions Foundation
AFFINITY MINISTRIES
0
Special Projects
24,000
24,000
0
0
0
155,360
Human Resources
442,386
442,386
0
0
0
471,924
Texans on Mission
225,000
225,000 $
Subtotal
4,016,471
$
1,336,384
$
0
2,172,604
$
777,892
$
0
0
$
1,338,400
275,000
$
254,500
$
250,967
4,049,319
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPPORT Admin, Annual Meeting & Exec Board
$
Committees
33,876
33,876
0
Conference & Events
364,012
364,012
0
Subtotal
$
$
300,000
1,734,272
$
$
Administration & Oversight
$
$
Finance & Accounting
1,336,512
1,336,512
0
IT - Information Technology
2,007,478
2,007,478
Building Support & Operations
1,122,330 373,748
1,175,780
$
0
258,492
$
1,399,264
0
0
264,207
0
0
305,580
300,000
$
0
50,000
$
0
$
$
258,492
1,969,051
CFO SUPPORT
Historical Collection Minister Benefits & Retiree’s Insurance
500,201
970,000
Subtotal
0
$
0
0
1,754,565
0
0
0
2,242,529
272,330
850,000
0
0
790,982
313,748
60,000
0
0
398,759
$
450,201
6,310,269
$
$
$
0
0
970,000
$
$
5,350,269
$
$
960,000
0
0
$
0
0
$
0
560,518
1,050,000 $
6,797,353
RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Administration & Oversight
INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Subtotal
338,006
$
338,006
6,791,303
6,690,223
101,080
7,129,309
$
$
$
$
$
$
0
0
0
101,080
$
0
$
0
294,474
$
$
0
$
0
331,351
318,751
12,600
1,129,330
1,109,330
7,028,229
$
0
8,311,286 $
8,311,286
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Administration & Oversight Cooperative Program Communications
294,474
0
0
211,151
0
0
20,000
1,334,818
170,000
0
340,989
0
0
36,046
280,746
110,746
0
Ambassadors
36,204
36,204
0
453,774
Subtotal
$
2,525,879
25,000
0
6,770
$
$
1,876,275
196,194
0
Associational Relationship
GC2 Press
$
$
12,600
422,004 $
195,000
442,004
536,074 $
2,655,272
1,325,788 $
47,915,596
TOTAL BUDGET Endowment Income Designated for CP Net CP Partnership Giving Needed * Includes CP Investment Income
$
44,644,912
$ 28,869,658 (4,662,000) $
24,207,658
$
12,708,516
$
1,740,950
$
15
texas baptists
2027 budget summary
Baptist General Convention of Texas
2027 Budget Reorg Detail of Theological Education & Institutional Support 2027 BASE SUPPORT
PASSTHROUGH STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
2026
MINISTERIAL FINANCIAL AID
TOTAL BUDGETED CP SUPPORT
TOTAL BUDGETED SUPPORT
PASSTHROUGH STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
BASE SUPPORT
MINISTERIAL FINANCIAL AID
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Baptist University of the Américas
$
400,000
Baylor University
$
$
$
27,975
427,975
$
524,500
$
$
500,000
0
439,900
439,900
649,575
0
Dallas Baptist University
200,000
241,725
441,725
533,475
250,000
283,475
East Texas Baptist University
400,000
108,250
508,250
594,025
500,000
94,025
Hardin-Simmons University
400,000
14,025
414,025
507,575
500,000
7,575
Houston Christian University
200,000
44,475
244,475
285,200
250,000
35,200
Howard Payne University
400,000
46,500
446,500
558,475
500,000
58,475
Truett Seminary
250,000
24,500 399,575
0
493,650
493,650
452,750
0
452,750
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
400,000
16,000
416,000
522,550
500,000
22,550
Wayland Baptist University
400,000
21,025
421,025
555,700
500,000
55,700
San Marcos Academy
150,000
0
150,000
165,000
165,000
0
0
88,125
88,125
103,775
0
103,775
20,000
0
20,000
20,000
20,000
0
Stark College Valley Baptist Missions Education Center Ministerial Scholarships
0
Admin/Other Related Expenses
250,000
170,560 $
3,140,560
$
250,000
250,000
250,000
0
170,560
307,508
307,508
$
$
4,932,210
$
1,541,650
6,030,108
$
3,992,508
250,000
$
500,000
HEALTH & HUMAN CARE INSTITUTIONS Admin/Other Related Expenses
$
$
193,013
193,013
$
196,178
Buckner Children and Family Services
200,000
200,000
250,000
Children at Heart Ministries
400,000
400,000
500,000
South Texas Children’s Home Ministries
400,000
400,000
500,000
Baylor Health Care System
125,000
125,000
150,000
Hendrick Health System
125,000
125,000
150,000
Hillcrest Baptist Health System
125,000
125,000
150,000
Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas
125,000
125,000
150,000
Baptist Community Services, Amarillo
25,000
Baptist Memorials Ministry
100,000
Breckenridge Village Scholarships
Total Health & Human Care Total Institutional Support
(100,000)
40,000 $
1,858,013
25,000
25,000
0
100,000
40,000
85,000
$
1,758,013
$
$
6,690,223
$
2,256,178
8,286,286
This budget summary and the detail budget book are available online at txb.org/budgetsummary. 888.244.9400
0
$
1,537,600
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