IMB trustees celebrate record offering

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)—International Mission Board trustees celebrated the largest Lottie Moon Christmas Offering on record, earmarked $5 million to fund an additional 200 new missionaries and adopted guidelines on baptism and the practice of tongues and prayer languages among prospective missionaries during their May 7-9 meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

They also appointed 35 new missionaries, re-elected trustee officers for 2007-08 and heard reports on the board's finances and mission personnel.

David Steverson, IMB treasurer and vice president for finance, presented the board's financial statements for 2006 and reported that the mission board ended the year in good fiscal condition. Steverson also brought good news about the projected total for the 2006 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which will be counted May 31.

"I'm glad to say that we now have over $144 million in hand and continue to believe that in the next three weeks enough will come in so that the 2006 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will not only be the largest offering in our history, but we will also meet the goal of $150 million," he said. "That is really something to celebrate. You will see a recommendation from the finance committee that we allocate the first $5.2 million received beyond the $141.2 million we have [budgeted from anticipated Lottie Moon receipts] in the 2007 operating budget to sending additional missionaries."

The operating budget already provides funding for new missionaries. The anticipated Lottie Moon funds could result in a net gain of an additional 200 missionaries in 2007-08.

"This is the most important thing we do as a board—send and support missionaries," Steverson said. "Thank you, Southern Baptists, for your generosity in showing your concern for a lost world by giving this tremendous Lottie Moon Christmas Offering."

Officers re-elected, missionaries appointed

In other actions, trustees re-elected their current slate of officers for second one-year terms. Floyd, administrative vice president at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tenn., will serve another year as chairman. Floyd is a member of Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Germantown, Tenn.

John Russell, senior associate pastor of First Baptist Church at The Mall in Lakeland, continues as first vice chairman. Sam Morgan, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Creswell, Ore., was re-elected second vice chairman.

Sharon Tillery, a nurse from Artesia, N.M., and member of First Baptist Church there, will continue as recording secretary.

Following their business sessions, the trustees traveled May 9 to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo., where they were joined by hundreds of area Baptists and missionary family members for the appointment of 35 new missionaries.

In upcoming training for mission service, "You will be exposed to a broad spectrum of strategies and methodologies," IMB President Jerry Rankin told the new workers. "While all that is valuable, it is important to recognize that Jesus is the heart of your mission."

Jesus is the message of the mission, Rankin said, and He is the only way to salvation.

"A postmodern world resents such a narrow, absolute perspective," he admitted. "They would have us believe it really doesn't matter what one believes, that all religions, and even good works, eventually lead to God. It appears to be arrogant and condescending to say that Jesus is the only way. But that is your message."

Missionary personnel trends

Clyde Meador, IMB executive vice president, summarized the board's annual field personnel report.

"We had a total of 5,108 missionary personnel at the end of 2006," he reported. "Fifty-four percent of those were women and 46 percent were men; 84.8 percent were married and 15.2 percent were single. That's actually an increase in the percentage of married personnel over the last year.

"I would point out, though, that 592 of our single personnel are women and 182 of our single personnel are men. That is a ratio of 3.3 women to one man. Of course, this difference is primarily in our (two-year) journeymen and other younger personnel. Nevertheless, this remains a tremendous challenge to us. Where are the young men? Pray with us as we find the right ways to draw young men to hear the Lord's call and to enter missionary service."

Other personnel highlights and challenges:

• More than half (51.4 percent) of Southern Baptist workers now serve in high-security assignments, where public identification can lead to loss of presence, loss of ministry witness or even physical danger. "This is a continuing trend I would expect will only increase in the world in which we live," Meador predicted.

• More than 4,100 missionaries worked in long-term categories at year's end. Nearly 1,000 served as short-termers. "We expect the number of short-term personnel to be increasing at a greater rate in coming years as we continue recovery from the downturn in 2003-2004 after we had a financial crunch," Meador said.

• The board marked a net gain of 72 workers during the year, but that's not enough. "We are prepared financially to support a significant increase in the number of missionaries on the field," he emphasized. "Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will call out those people."

• 712 missionaries left the field in 2006. More than 400 completed short-term service; 74 retired. Attrition resignations, terminations, medical disability and death accounted for 228 of the total.

"For the last seven or eight years our attrition has been slightly over 5 percent," Meador reported. "We recognize 5 to 5.3 percent as an excellent attrition rate. But in 2006, we had a rate of 4.3 percent. That's the best rate since 1998. That's only one out of every 23 people. We praise the Lord for that."

During the overseas report, trustees applauded Bill Fudge, regional leader for East Asia, who is retiring this summer after a 34-year missionary career.

The next IMB trustee meeting will be July 16-18 in Richmond, Va., with a missionary appointment service July 17 at Grove Avenue Baptist Church in the city.