Guarneri: Future of NAMB funding of BGCT evangelism and church plants in doubt
According to Julio Guarneri, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), evangelism and church planting funds provided through the North American Mission Board (NAMB) could end soon.
The Baptist Standard reported that Guarneri told the BGCT Executive Board on May 20 during a report: “I have learned that NAMB will no longer fund any church starts of singly aligned BGCT churches in Texas. They will only fund churches in Texas who are affiliated with SBTC (the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention), either singly or dually.”
The BGCT, which has received $300,000 annually for the last four years from NAMB – with $200,000 earmarked for evangelism and $100,000 for church starting – is one of two Southern Baptist-affiliated conventions in Texas along with SBTC.
A spokesperson for NAMB stated “nothing has changed, and nothing is new” regarding its policy to grant church-starting funds only to state conventions that have affirmed the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M), the Baptist Standard reported.
Ward Hayes, BGCT treasurer and chief financial officer, added, “NAMB has told us that these funds have no restrictions beyond those designations; however, we have only utilized the church-starting funds in support of Texas Baptist church sponsors that have adopted the 2000 BF&M.”
The BGCT is one of 40 state conventions affiliated with the SBC, and only one of two states with more than one SBC-affiliated convention, the other being Virginia. It is not known if other affiliated state conventions have not officially endorsed the 2000 BF&M, the latest revision of the denomination’s statement of faith.