IMB president's open letter and his "limitless" number of missionaries

Today, David Platt released an open letter to Southern Baptists. In it he described the process which led him to his "painful decision" announced this week about balancing the budget and the dismal spending patterns of the International Mission Board.

"This is certainly not an announcement that I, in any way, wanted to make. At the most recent meeting of the SBC in Columbus, I shared with messengers how IMB spent tens of millions more dollars than we received last year. In our budgeting process over the last couple of months, other leaders and I have recognized that we will have a similar shortfall this year, and we are projecting another shortfall of like magnitude next year. In fact, when we stepped back and looked at IMB finances since 2010, we realized that IMB has spent a combined $210 million more than people have given to us. By God’s grace, we have been able to cover these costs through reserves and global property sales. But we don’t have an endless supply of global property to sell, and our cash reserves are no longer at a desirable level for good stewardship going forward."

Platt goes on to record that during the budgeting process over the last couple of months, he and his staff leadership "realized the severity of our financial situation," and consequently, "significant action" became the sole solution. "We inevitably realized that any effort to balance our budget would require major adjustments in the number of our personnel." According to Platt, personnel salary, benefits, and support expenses account for 80% of the budget.

Platt makes it clear that IMB's financial difficulties have been no secret by citing public statements to that effect for the last seven consecutive years (2007-2014). Furthermore, Platt cites himself telling the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus, Ohio how "IMB spent tens of millions more dollars than we received last year." 

Granted.

Platt also knew of the same $21 million shortfall in February of this year during the same time trustees approved a $301 million Fiscal Resources Strategy Plan for 2015. However, in neither of the instances when the shortfall was mentioned does there seem to be the crisis alarm Platt now reveals. In fact, when Platt stood before the 2015 convention, he minimized the shortfall by suggesting it wouldn't matter if Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon gifts increased dramatically, we would still "keep a cap" on global missions as he sees it.

Note carefully the following section from Platt's address to the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention as recorded by Baptist Press (embolden added):

"In 2009, IMB had a record-high 5,600 missionaries overseas. Today, the number has dropped to 4,700 and is fast on its way to 4,200, primarily because IMB is not financially able to support their missionary force on the field. Last year, IMB operated with expenses nearly $21 million more than income. 

The decreasing number of missionaries "is not tolerable when two billion people still haven't heard the name of Jesus," Platt said. "Consequently, we are evaluating all of our structures and systems in order to discern how we can more efficiently and effectively use the resources Southern Baptists churches have entrusted to us." 

As long as fully financially supported missionaries are the only way IMB can send Southern Baptists, Platt said -- even if the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering both increase dramatically -- "we will keep a cap" on Southern Baptists' missions involvement. 

"I want to lead the IMB to blow open that funnel to create as many pathways as possible for Southern Baptists to get the Gospel to unreached people," Platt said. 

God is divinely opening the doors to take the Gospel around the world not just through traditional missionary routes, he said, but also through nontraditional roles including the globalization of the marketplace. He challenged messengers to imagine a team led by a traditional missionary and surrounded by students, professionals and retirees -- potentially supporting themselves financially -- working alongside him or her, all focused on making disciples and multiplying churches among the unreached."

If I am understanding what Platt was suggesting, the way to blow the lid off our limited involvement in global missions is to create an army of nontraditional roles in global missions.

Consider.

Is this visionary impetus the driving mechanism behind pulling 600-800 traditional missionaries fully supported by IMB only to replace them with 600-800 nontraditional missionaries "potentially supporting themselves financially" rather than taxing the IMB?

I've been a Southern Baptist since I was saved and baptized in 1977. For my part, the last five to ten years has been hands down the most confusing era trying to figure out who or what being a Southern Baptist means. The more I read of this the more Advil I'm beginning to take.

Why or why did I start reading about my denomination again?

 

Here's a searchable PDF for all of Platt's citations in his open letter

 

Comments

[Lydia]

My guess is that Platt uses the talking points about finances he is given by insiders who knew how drastic the problem was and thought selling off property and beating on churches to give more would go toward fixing the huge horror they have been playing down. Platt is the celebrity there for rah rah.

Where is Eliff? What did he know?

[Lydia]

"Is this visionary impetus the driving mechanism behind pulling 600-800 traditional missionaries fully supported by IMB only to replace them with 600-800 nontraditional missionaries "potentially supporting themselves financially" rather than taxing the IMB?"

The family I had in missions left when they were required to sign the BFM after 18 years on the field. It did become "micro management" and a lot of money being spent on that micromanagement down to a regional muckety muck flying in to check their cabinets for alcohol because that was the focus for that time. Assuming guilt for no reason.

Other family are in missions like Platt describes. They have to come home for months and travel to raise funds in various churches across the US. They spend a lot of time thinking about and raising money. If we go this route, why would we need Platt?

Think about it. If missionaries have to raise their own funds then why in the world would the IMB think they can enforce SBC mission policies? The missionaries would be sort of self employed non profits.

It could become sort of interesting, though. Think of how well known the Neo Cal problem is becoming out there. Churches might have more questions before they give than Platt and his movement would like.

[Andrew Barker]

Lydia: What you describe above may not be perfect but it reminds me of how Brethren Assemblies (where I come from) in the UK used to work re missionary funding. Most if not all would go through Echoes of Service, still running, but although there was support and guidance from Echoes, funds were very much home grown. Each missionary had to be supported by local Assemblies and some were 'sent' from more than one. We had missionary conferences each year where missionaries on furlough would come home and give, some long and boring :), talks on what they were doing. At least they were boring when you were 7 going on 8 years old and spending your Sat in a church of 'oldies'. The meringues were good at tea time though. If we were lucky we had a slide show :-O
I can see the attraction of central funding and all being well and good, it should be more efficient in that missionaries can focus on their main task. But it certainly weeded out those who were not 'called'. You needed to be committed to go through that. :)

[Lydia]

Andrew,

What is interesting is that some of my extended family who are in other missions organizations seek support that goes to the mission organization for them to manage. My older SBC family membere were appalled. They would not give them money in that manner. However, they would give to them personally as there are a million ways to do that.

In fact, one family member actually set up a non profit for donations that would bypass the mission organization.

So one can see the problems with what Platt is suggesting. If he thinks the IMB can manage the donations to individual missionaries, he might have not thought through how it can play out in real life. Unless he thinks they can micromanage the self employed non profit missionaries?

[Scott Shaver]

Look for Mohler to put in a fast track degree for "non traditional" SBC "missionaries, probably joined by Aikin.

[Scott Shaver]

Advil Pete.....really?

I don't think anything short of Mescaline will help you to make sense of this.

[Lydia]

One of the hardest lessons in life is to learn that "if they would do it to them, they will do it to me...perhaps even worse". The new "limitless" crop of missionaries should take this into consideration.

I am curious as to why people would trust the IMB at this point with money or their missions career. We are talking about the defrauding of millions of people out of money who trusted it was being stewarded in an honest and judicious way. Now the same bureaucrats who caused the problem are being trusted to fix it? That is where I think Platt is implicated. Talk about unwise. How could he go along with such illogical nonsense?

[Scott Shaver]

Maybe the throne was positioned to obsure the sight of the treasury during Platt's courtship by the IMB.

Naw.......I don't believe that. He admitted to walking in with eyes wide open.

After they reduced their "cooperative" base by vilifying those who would not goose-step to Rogers, Patterson and Mohler, leaders obviously thought the old "selfish churches need to be more world mission minded and give sacrificially" schtick would continue to keep the money pouring in at previous levels and all would be well in Zion.

Surprise, surprise. Actually, it's not a surprise that multi-million dollar overexpenditures will accumulate to astronomical amounts in a few short years.

Way to play heads-up ball IMB.......NOT!

[Max]

"... replace them with 600-800 nontraditional missionaries "potentially supporting themselves financially" rather than taxing the IMB?"

SBC YRR church plants in my neck of the woods have been doing just this for some time. They directly take on an "unreached people group" and raise funds within the church to support mission efforts to them. They given minimal or nothing to the CP. Sounds like a good alternative to CP that even non-Calvinist traditional churches might consider, in light of SBC theological and ecclesiological drift, but I doubt the majority would be willing to kiss the CP goodbye. Platt knows that the replacement "nontraditional" missionaries would be predominantly in the 20-40 age group coming from the 1,000 new NAMB church plants each year, which are predominantly reformed.

[Scott Shaver]

Mary:

For some reason your post re-conjures some haunting memories of pastoral ministry that four of us friends (ages 57-60, 3 still active as vocational pastors) discussed earlier today by phone. All four graduates of Southern Baptist seminaries (2 PhDs, 2 D.Mins).

The positions we took in the 80s and 9Os left us all with...shall we say "scars".

SBC and seminary were totally off limits for theology students who studied under the likes of Fisher Humphreys or Paul Robertson. In the 80's and early 90's we took our shots, entertained CBF, but egos and turf-protecting became central for all groups.

Watched people switch sides like rats from sinking ships, once again for position. The CR came and went, the winners took the spoils, but they did not know how to lead (NAMB, IMB as cases in point).

An old Roy Honeycutt analogy for the CR went approximately: "This is a day when the ravaging hordes will terrorize like the Dark Ages, and we will move to the safety of our bunkers and protected areas to wait out the onslaught."

We are now "reaping the whirlwind" of poor, ego-driven leadership PLUS the social dynamics that have removed theology and The Bible from even mattering.

Being faithful as Christians and "finishing the course" is important, but that "rope of sand" did indeed loose its "strength of steel" on the pyre of political, greedy, self-inflated altars.

It was washed over by the tide of the CR and back-washed with the ratification of 2000BFM.

[Scott Shaver]

Meant to address Lydia, not Mary.

[Lydia]

An old Roy Honeycutt analogy for the CR went approximately: "This is a day when the ravaging hordes will terrorize like the Dark Ages, and we will move to the safety of our bunkers and protected areas to wait out the onslaught."

Yes! And it really has become a return to the dark ages which is how I view determinism. But you know, one would think a belief in inerrancy would have produced more character and integrity. But instead, it became the thought Reform tactic of doctrine over people.

[Scott Shaver]

For that matter, you would have thought the Conservative Insurgence would have produced practical, applicable, biblical THEOLOGY.