PORTLAND, Ore. (BP)–Messengers to the 61st annual meeting of the Northwest Baptist Convention elected Oregon pastor Keith Evans to a second year-long term as president, approved a $5.8 million budget for ministry needs in 2009 and affirmed a reorganization of convention staff structures.
With the theme “Greater Things Have Yet to Come,” the gathering drew more than 540 messengers and 70 visitors to the Red Lion Hotel on the River in Portland, Ore.
Messengers approved by acclamation Evans, pastor of Great Gresham (Ore.) Baptist Church, for a second term as president. Mark Bradley, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pullman, Wash., was elected first vice president.
The change in the convention staff structure was proposed to focus on revitalizing churches and starting new work in six regions. The NWBC executive board approved the “Strategy for Renewal” at its Nov. 10 meeting prior to convention and brought it to the full convention for affirmation. Executive Director Bill Crews had proposed providing staff help closer to local churches as part of an attempt to reverse a 20-year decline in key ministry trends such as baptisms and church growth.
“The only reason for proposing this is to reach people in the Northwest,” Crews told messengers. “Strategy alone will not do that, but strategy can help if we let it. We need to be more intentional, more focused than what we’ve been doing.”
As part of the change, personnel who have been serving as directors of mission in the convention’s 14 Baptist associations will become convention staff members assigned to one of six regional teams. The teams, which also will include collegiate ministers and other field personnel, will work with church leaders in the regions to develop local ministry strategies.
“We do need to do something different and I’m strongly in favor of moving forward with this,” said Bill Moffitt, a member of Richland (Wash.) Baptist Church, during discussion on the proposal. “If we need to adjust it in a couple of years, we can do that. I see it as a change that has the hope of making a difference in Northwest.”
Pastor Mike Smith of Valley Baptist Church in Sedro Woolley, Wash., moved to table the recommendation as debate on the issue began, but messengers overwhelmingly rejected that motion on a show of ballots.
Oregon pastor Don Reeves noted the proposal reflected the convention’s emphasis on local churches, the commitment to field-driven strategies and the desire for greater ministry impact.
“This is the right thing for us to do,” stated Reeves, pastor of Grant Avenue Baptist Church in Corvallis, Ore. “Is it going to be easy? No, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Janet Hull, a member of First Baptist Church in Clearlake, Wash., spoke against the recommendation and cautioned against rigidity in the plan if it doesn’t achieve it stated purpose.
“My concern is that when we have the capacity to adjust as needed,” Hull said, noting the importance of spiritual foundations in any convention ministry effort. “Strategy is great but our hearts have to be right. I hope this group of people doesn’t stop praying for each other, even for those who disagree.”
While acknowledging the need for different approaches to the convention’s overall work, Travis McIntosh said the plan warranted more details before approval.
“We’re all in agreement that something needs to be done, but change for the sake of change is not going to accomplish anything,” said McIntosh, pastor of First Baptist Church of Beverly Park in Seattle. He likened it to building “a car without a steering system.”
Other messengers spoke in favor of the recommendation.
“We’re not reaching the lost, so I have to agree with Dr. Crews that we have to do something,” said Patrick Tapia, a member of Tucker Road Baptist Church in Hood River, Ore.
After further debate, messengers affirmed the change on a secret ballot vote of 345-112.
2009 BUDGET
Without discussion, messengers unanimously approved a $5.8 million budget for NWBC ministries in 2009. The spending plan represents a 1.75 percent increase over the 2008 budget. The 2009 budget anticipates $3.2 million in Cooperative Program gifts from Northwest churches. Those gifts comprise 55.2 percent of the spending plan.
The budget reflects a 0.25 percent increase in the amount of Cooperative Program funds forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for national and international missions and ministries. With the increase, the SBC now receives 25.5 percent of Northwest Convention Cooperative Program funds. An additional 6 percent of the CP-portion of the budget will support operating expenses for the Pacific Northwest Campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, Wash.
Additional revenue sources for the overall 2009 NWBC budget include nearly $2 million (34.5 percent) from the North American Mission Board and another $600,900 (10.3 percent) from LifeWay Christian Resources, the Sylvia Wilson Mission Offering and other revenue sources.
The new spending plan could be considered a “split-year budget,” according to Steve Langston, NWBC business manager. The spending plan provides for existing operations of the convention for the first half of 2009, but for the remainder of the year covers operations of the new staff structure approved by the convention.
CALENDAR, RESOLUTIONS
The executive board’s program committee presented a series of changes to the convention calendar of training events and ministry activities. Most notable was cancellation of the convention’s evangelism conferences for 2009 and 2010.
“I grew up in ministry going to the evangelism conference and enjoyed that,” reported Richard Burson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Madras, Ore., and chairman of the program committee. “But one of the things that has happened in recent years has been the decline in attendance at the evangelism conference so the executive board determined to cancel the event and use these monies elsewhere. It was a difficult decision but it needed to be done for our convention.”
The funds previously used to support the conference could be used for more direct evangelism training, Burson noted.
Messengers also approved a recommendation to continue a three-fold emphasis on church planting, evangelism and leadership training for the convention’s regional missions offering through 2011. The 2009 goal for the Sylva Wilson Mission Offering, named in memory of one of the early Woman’s Missionary Union leaders in the Northwest, is $150,000, with half going toward evangelism and the other half supporting leadership ministries.
Resolutions committee chairwoman Nancy VanLandingham, a member of Ronald (Wash.) Community Baptist Church, presented for approval six resolutions on a range of topics. Among them: support for men and women who serve in uniform and others who defend the United States against the threat of terrorism; encouragement to pray for the nation’s elected political leaders; expressing sympathy to Bill and Jo Ann Crews for the recent death of their son, Ron; challenging churches to “not to be bound by methods, traditions, fears, culture or selfish desires but to be led by the Lord Jesus Christ in reaching our communities.”
In other business, convention messengers also approved 21 churches for affiliation with the Northwest Convention.
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Cameron Crabtree is editor of the Northwest Baptist Witness (nwbaptist.org), newsjournal of the Northwest Baptist Convention.
