Proposed Change to SBC Messenger Formula

Baptist Press

Now: 1 per church plus 1 more for every $250 contribution to the Convention or every 250 church members

New: 2 per church plus 1 more for every $6,000 contribution to the Convention or every full percent of church offerings passed on to the Convention

 

Basing this on money amounts is just weird and awful.

I will be voting no.

 

I agree RM.....sort of. But should not the churches that contribute to the CP be the ones who have a "say so" in how those funds are expended?

 

It should never be proposed. This is manipulation of churches to get them to give more and it is shameful. I have not heard of any attempts to campaign this issue like they did the GCR. It most likely will not pass.

 

Under the current guidelines, we can send eight extra messengers per our registered membership -- one additional for every 250 members -- and a ridiculously high 300 additional messengers for the amount we send through the Cooperative Program and other SBC entities. Obviously we don't take advantage of the numbers available to us.

The sending of messengers from an individual SBC church has always been based on both membership and contributions to missions. It is somewhat disappointing that the membership rolls would no longer by a determining factor, but then again, Second Baptist of Houston could send 96 messengers on membership alone, and with the determining factor for SBC contributions at $250, they would be able to overwhelm the convention if they chose to do so.

It is reasonable to weigh church contributions in awarding seats at the convention. A church's commitment can easily be read in the amount of money in contributes to SBC entities and ministries. I have no problem with it.

 

Not the same thing.

 

There is a cap on total messengers per church (now:10, new:12).

 

Don't try to fix what ain't broke. No point in re-inventing the wheel.

 

What are you talking about