Seminary president indicts Southern Baptists for funding shortfalls at International Mission Board

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary president, Jeff Iorg, joins the chorus of high profile Southern Baptists (see here and here) who are publicly insisting the reason for the recent announcement of budgetary problems at the nation's largest and most prestigious missionary-sending agency in the United States, The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB), is that rank-and-file¹ Southern Baptists are "robbing God." In a short but pungent piece on the seminary president's blog entitled "Missionaries Are Coming Home," Dr. Iorg was anything but vague.

"The basic problem causing up to 800 IMB missionaries to be called home is the failure of rank-and-file Southern Baptists to discipline their finances and adequately steward the resources God has given them."

For Iorg, Southern Baptists are "undisciplined (at best) or selfish (at worst) with their money," since Southern Baptists give only "between 2.5-3.0% of their household income to Christian ministries." Alluding to Malachi 3:10, Southern Baptists are "robbing God." Nothing could be plainer Iorg insists. "As long as this many people continue to give a pittance… we will continue to experience funding shortfalls in our missionary programs, as well as all other ministry endeavors."

In addition to pouring all responsibility for IMB's deficit spending into the pan of rank-and-file Southern Baptists, Iorg also sprinkles on top a layer of confident denial that any IMB leader shoulders blame for IMB's deficit spending. "Some have put misplaced blame on IMB leaders for their decision, or past leaders for past leadership decisions." In fact, while Iorg insists the reduction in missionary personnel recently publicized and explained by the IMB was both "frustrating" and "disheartening" as well as "simply not acceptable," nonetheless the "decision to reduce the number of missionaries is prudent and responsible."

 

I'd like the reader to consider some comments in response to Dr. Iorg if I may.

First, to broad-brush all Southern Baptists (and by implication, SBC churches) as undisciplined, selfish, and therefore, "robbing God" because the IMB irresponsibly outspent any reasonably projected budgetary income is as misguided as it is absurd. The IMB had every available piece of reliable fiscal information it required beforehand to make responsible decisions as to whether or not to commission new missionaries, hire new personnel, expand gospel reach, program new ventures, etc. based upon clearly communicated, highly predictable patterns of both Cooperative Program giving and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO).

In what way is this the fault of Southern Baptists generally?

Yes, Southern Baptist churches could have sent more. Granted. But how is it blameworthy toward those who gave the monies that instead of spending according to what was actually given, the IMB consciously, deliberately, and knowingly far outspent Southern Baptist gifts by a whopping $210,000,000 since 2010? As one can easily observe in this chart of recorded SBC annual reports concerning the IMB (2007-2015), fiscal projections repeatedly included contingent income not only to balance the budget on paper, but also to substantiate spending much much more than predictable income could reasonably justify.

As one example, included in IMB's income/expense budget is the LMCO, the amount of which is invariably well beyond what could reasonably be projected. Though actual gifts to Lottie Moon capped out around $154 million, projections for budgetary purposes were consistently well beyond that amount, peaking in 2014 at $180,000,000, a goal of which no amount of rationalization could justify IMB to validly budget as projectable income to expect.

Someone might ask, "What's wrong with challenging people to meet the need?" Nothing. Thousands of churches have dream budgets and building goals existing far beyond what could reasonably be projected as "doable" for the congregation. I've served within similar fiscal models several times. Do it. Dream bigger!

But the problem is not the $175 million LMCO goal or even the larger $180 million goal per se. Rather fiscal irresponsibility appears when a person or organization spends as if the goal was and is met. How hard can this be to understand? To ignore reasonably predictable income and spend wildly as if desirable cash goals equate to definite revenue income is, plainly put, a nicely worded formula for fiscal bankruptcy and annihilation of an entity. No home, no church, no business, no organization...no matter either the sincerity or passion to honor our Lord, can long last impetuously driven decision-makers like this.       

Hence, from what I can tell, what the IMB essentially did was spend according to budgetary allowances rather than reasonably projected income, the budgetary allowances of which were grossly over-projected when gauged in light of easily observable fiscal income patterns. To complicate matters further, IMB leaders offset the grossly over-projected incomes by not only draining tens of millions from cash reserves, they sold off millions of dollars of real estate to soften the impact of the undisciplined deficit spending. 

I'm sorry.

So far as I am concerned, Dr. Iorg makes no sense whatsoever in his insistence the IMB should receive a free pass here. What's curious is, Iorg implies as much in his piece.

Consider.

In defense of David Platt's announcement to call for voluntary retirement of up to 800 field personnel,² Iorg flatly asserts, "The first rule of fiscal management is expenses must match revenue." Granted. But why Dr. Iorg would cite this principle in defense of the IMB I cannot understand. Anyone who examines the written record can surely but conclude the IMB disgracefully ignored the first rule that Iorg cites-- expenses must match revenue. Year after year after year the IMB overspent its revenue totaling into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And, the only reason it was not even more deficit spending, the IMB sold off tens of millions of dollars of real estate owned by Southern Baptists only to use the capital gains in its regular operating budget.

Nevertheless, Dr. Iorg lays the responsibility for IMB's money woes at the feet of rank-and-file Southern Baptists. On the other hand, IMB leadership which blatantly ignored Iorg's first principle of fiscal management--expenses must match revenue—holds no responsibility whatsoever.

I don't think so. Not today.

 

Do we nonetheless send missionaries when no reason exists we have sufficient funds to support the missionaries we formally commission?

Second, Dr. Iorg rightly laments the millions upon millions who have yet neither heard nor have had opportunity to respond to the gospel. All of us are deeply disturbed by the increasing number of people on this planet who will never hear the name of Jesus. Such stirring empathies about unreached people, coupled with the Great Commission our Lord gave, has for a century and three quarters now, driven Southern Baptists to keep sending gospel witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Nonetheless, while we together mourn with Dr. Iorg over the tragedy of an unreached hour for global evangelism, we find his solution grossly inadequate and entirely misguided. "Millions have not yet heard the gospel, yet we are shrinking our missionary force – not expanding it. This is simply not acceptable." Contrary to Dr. Iorg, it's not only acceptable, it may very well be the only responsible course of action. Indeed Dr. Iorg seems to agree when he stated, "The decision to reduce the number of missionaries is prudent and responsible." I'm unsure how Dr. Iorg plans to have it both ways.

Here's reality: while we all acknowledge and grieve the increasing number of unreached people, and the stark reality that if someone doesn't reach them with the gospel, hell will enlarge herself, the fact remains we cannot send missionaries out when we have no funding to support them. Period. It's neither fair to the missionaries, their families, nor to Southern Baptists. Neither do such irresponsible decisions complement the Great Commission but instead skews it. If we ought to send as many missionaries as we are capable, whether or not we presently have cash to do so, why don't we borrow a billion dollars or more against our collective assets so we can fund more missionaries?

One rightly scoffs at such a proposal. But unless I am mistaken, that's virtually the same or similar spending principle upon which our IMB has been operating! 

As Southern Baptists, we have what we have. We give to missions what we give. The agencies use what's given. They regularly ask for more. They routinely share what they believe are the needs. But we can only spend what we've got (or are responsibly capable of paying back). Recall again Iorg's first principle of fiscal management: expenses must match revenue.

Consequently, for either the IMB, NAMB, ERLC, GGBTS, SWBTS, SBTS, SEBTS, NOBTS, MWBTS, SBCExCm or any other entity or agency commissioned and owned by the Southern Baptist Convention to develop and maintain fiscally irresponsible patterns of spending outside their revenue income and even far beyond their revenue income, threatens the very existence of our entire cooperative missionary enterprise as Southern Baptists. We sacrifice the future of missions by running into fiscal and organizational bankruptcy our very means of cooperative missions all because we did not "count the cost" as our Lord indicated (Luke 14:28).

 

Conclusion

Dr. Iorg is spot on pertaining to our passion and goal as a convention of New Testament churches. Southern Baptists must stay on target in reaching the world for Christ. No argument.

But for churches to turn even more monies over to "bloated bureaucracies" (what another seminary president called Baptist state conventions a few years back), organizations whose leaders do not follow the first basic principle of fiscal responsibility—expenses must match revenue; not holding those organizations or persons accountable for responsible spending remains far too much to ask.

Now is the time for every entity and/or agency of both the Southern Baptist Convention and the state convention of which our individual churches are respectively a cooperating member to become fiscally transparent or risk losing support.

That's the bottom line.

Nor do I think I'm the only Southern Baptist who possesses similar reservations.

 

¹According to standard definitions, rank-and-file denotes "the members of a group or organization apart from its leaders or officers." As used in cultural contexts, rank-and-file points to people who form the major portion of any group or organization "excluding the leaders." This phrase comes from "military usage" referring to enlisted men marching in "ranks" and "files" whereas officers march outside the common formations. We'd like to give Dr. Iorg the benefit of doubt in using "rank-and-file" Southern Baptists as not meaning to imply that "leaders and officers" amongst Southern Baptists are exempt from responsibility. The way he deflected any blame for fiscal mismanagement from IMB leaders and instead blamed "rank-and-file" Southern Baptists for not giving unfortunately argues against it. 

²We must be clear about what Dr. Platt proposed. He proposes not, as Iorg seems to imply, reducing the missionary personnel by some 800 positions. Instead, the IMB wants to replace older missionaries with newer missionaries, a strategy few understand is going to significantly address IMB's pressing problem of funding. Thus while missionaries are coming home as Iorg suggested, they are succeeded by a similar number of newly appointed missionaries being sent.

 

Comments

[Scott Shaver]

Really helping their cause here, huh Pete?

Until recent days the greatest scandal emphasized in Southern Baptist seminary history classes was the embezzlement of 900,000 dollars by Clinton S. Carnes in 1928.

Even with inflation that in comparison looks like a tempest in the tea-pot compared to these modern religious ENRON types

So in short.....RASPBERRIES to Iorg at Golden Gate :) He, his ilk, his tribe and his academic mentors are all complicit in the PLUNDER.

Hhats worse....folks my age represent the upcoming generation of senior and retired senior adults still attending SBC churches.

Yeah right, we're shamed by the rehtoric and our memories are fading (NOT). We'll keep the purse strings open and pigs will fly away in the rapture.

Additonallly, we don't have to choose next pastor from SBC seminaries like Louisville, Southeastern, or Hollywood (aka California/Golden Gate). They're still putting us on search committees for some reason.

Shout out to Iorg. Stay COOL bro. Surfs Up?

[Max]

As a 60+ year Southern Baptist, the assorted struggles of this once-great evangelistic denomination has been painful to watch. We have truly lost our way in recent years. I spent a career in corporate America and witnessed several major companies fail. There are similarities with IMB's dilemma. Whether it's business or church, accountability floats up. Leaders are at fault, not stingy folks in the pew. As revenues declined, poor decisions were made by the powers-that-be to continue deficit spending. When humans reign, human emotions sometimes rule: ego, denial, and wishful thinking can lead to poor communication and failed oversight of fiscal condition. Are there any businessmen on IMB's trustee board or in the entity's executive leadership? If so, where have they been?!

[Scott Shaver]

Tell Iorg that his concerns over "rank and file Southern Baptists failing to discipline and steward their finances" is being addressed.

No more money to overextended and deceptive organizations without discipline.....Period. Beginning with Lottie Moon.

[Scott Shaver]

Additionally, if as Iorg has posted "the mission matters most", then JOB ONE will be to get the "mission" fiscally responsible.

Rank and file Southern Baptists have absolutely no control over that in this closed system, but they do still authorize the release of funds from their own personal checking and savings accounts.

Iorg is right....the mission matters most and THE MISSION STARTS AT HOME.

[Scott Shaver]

Rereading Jeff Iorg's explanation for why missionaries are coming home is a real eye-opener.

How did this guy wind up President of an SBC seminary?

He obviously could use some additional course-work in hermeneutics himself. For crying out loud, he goes so far as to state the percentages allocated by churches for "Christian Ministries" are as obligatory as the O.T. tithe.

Looks like this guy needs more time in the seat of learning and less in the saddle of pontification about Christian "giving".

[peter lumpkins]

For years, denominational employees have attempted to use 10% (i.e. the "tithe") as a promotional yardstick for CP giving. While I'm not a critic of tithing as a biblical principle for believers' stewardship, to somehow extend the principle into a church's obligation to give to either the CP or other ministries is hermeneutically absurd and grossly skewed. If the NT church were obligated to tithe, the recipient would definitively not be to the denomination or any of its programs. Genuine Biblical Recipients of a tithe possess a pay-grade much higher, I'm afraid.

Baptists generally and Southern Baptists particularly have forever been advocates and practitioners of the voluntarism principle. We are a convention of free churches voluntarily connected together ultimately owing obligation to no one but our Lord. All cooperation remains contingent and relative, including all gifts we forward to fund entities we might support. In short, what we give, we voluntarily give. Hence, to speak of official quotas for giving from churches and/or practice a must-give-more philosophy remains foreign to our sub-culture as Baptists. It also reveals what can only be called an ungrateful spirit for what has been given...voluntarily given.

Few people appear to fully understand the magic of the almost century-old success of our Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program is like a fine crystal glass, beautiful, purposeful, effective, praiseworthy, and highly desirable. Even for all this, it's delicate, fragile, and dangerous to handle. And it certainly cannot be found in the presence of those who horseplay around or who, as they say, is "all thumbs." It easily breaks. And, once it's shattered, it's gone forever. Get the dustpan, sweep it up, and pitch it in the trash.

Thus is the principle of voluntarism applicable to the CP, IMB, NAMB, SBTS, etc etc.

[Lydia]

Back in my org development days we had a saying to receive self interested leaders like Iorg:

Beatings will continue until morale improves.

[Scott Shaver]

Thanks for synopsis Pete.

Hey Lydia:

How bout fundings can decrease until sanity prevails?

[Lydia]

You know what is even more ignorant? Expecting a carte Blanche bail out in our present economy. These guys don't live in the real world.

Pete has it right. The key word in all of this is "voluntary".

[Max]

I would have preferred to see 600-800 executive cuts across all SBC entities and keep our veteran missionaries on the field.

[Scott Shaver]

Some of them have obviously earned a "dismissal" Max....but don't hold your breath.

[Scott Shaver]

How does this work anyway? Retired and pensioned former IMB/NAMB directors (some after overspending) retire and then 5013c their own private missions organizations on the coat-tails of their profile with the SBC?

[Lydia]

I just read the Godfather "deal you cannot refuse" over at Pravda. The over 50's are getting "more than they deserve" from the generous leaders, it seems.

WARNING: But if they turn it down it will be much worse.

So it is kinda sorta a voluntary retirement..... unless you REALLY want to suffer. (Just like Jesus, eh?)

Such Christian leaders really respecting the older field workers. But wait, we are told "labor laws" prevent them from doing anything similar to headquarter bureaucrats who are responsible for the problem. Oh, did I read right, the guy who has been there for a while is in charge of the solution? So we reward incompetence.

But Pravda sees this as great leadership. They are sounding more and more like Obama over there in their thinking. That or too much kool aid.

[Scott Shaver]

Thinking less and less minute by minute, of Platt's ability (or lack thereof) to be at the helm right now.

This next hit is going to leave a HUGE MARK.

[Scott Shaver]

Dave Miller still blaming the failure now, notice the switch in categories, from "Southern Baptists" to "American Christians".

White man speak with forked tongue...eh?

[Lydia]

Scott, You know it has reached bottom low when CJ Mahaney is doing a break out session at the upcoming T$G on "Creating Joy in Your Church".

Which is why he fled to Louisville to be near the seminary and Al Mohler? Because he created so much "joy" at SGM?

These people are surreal. They live in an alternative universe. Take the blue pill...wait, is it the red one?

[Scott Shaver]

Take em both.

[Lydia]

"I would have preferred to see 600-800 executive cuts across all SBC entities and keep our veteran missionaries on the field."

We could start at the top of entities with those over 50. Jesus would not want them to do to others what they are not willing to do to themselves

[Max]

Lydia writes "We could start at the top of entities with those over 50."

Exactly. Would SBC's proud elites be willingly to take the same buy-out as its humble missionaries? It's painful to watch a once-great evangelistic denomination in the throes of such great change.

[peter lumpkins]

Consider that when the new administration came on board, virtually all the 50+ folks in high-ranking positions suddenly began to disappear. So I'm afraid that strategy has already been implemented. ;^)

[Scott Shaver]

Platt says we have no other option than to cut vets and keep sending our would be straying from our "foundational purpose" of sending NEW MISSIONARIES. By the way, he also says this is "nonnegotiable"?

[Max]

Peter wrote "Consider that when the new administration came on board, virtually all the 50+ folks in high-ranking positions suddenly began to disappear."

Good Lord! SBC entity leaders in their 30s-40s, YRR pastors in their 20s-30s, "elders" barely out of college! The old folks went to sleep and the youth group is now running the church!

[Lydia]

"Consider that when the new administration came on board, virtually all the 50+ folks in high-ranking positions suddenly began to disappear. So I'm afraid that strategy has already been implemented. ;^"

Are you referring to the CR?

[Andrew Barker]

Max, I don't want to put words in your mouth but is the phrase you're looking for "the lunatics have taken over the asylum"? ;)

[Rick Patrick]

If SBC missionaries as young as 50 do not accept the current version of the Voluntary Retirement Incentive, they have been told in no uncertain terms that the next offer from the IMB will not be nearly as generous. What a compassionate gesture by IMB leadership to show our missionaries how much we appreciate them through our kindness and patience as they make this truly difficult decision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU

[Scott Shaver]

I don't know about Platt. Looks like predecessors and trustees were totally incompetent to be at the reigns now matter how much "Jesus was glorified".

[Scott Shaver]

Hey Rick:

You talked about the decreasing generosity of SBC if missionaries don't work swiftly in accepting severance.

Precisely the reason Lydia has called the "The Godfather Solution".

An offer they can't refuse.

[Max]

Rick writes "If SBC missionaries as young as 50 do not accept the current version of the Voluntary Retirement Incentive, they have been told in no uncertain terms that the next offer from the IMB will not be nearly as generous."

This is a down-sizing technique used commonly in corporate America ... it should not characterize how the Church deals with ambassadors for Christ. Control, manipulation, and intimidation are not fruit of the Spirit.

[Lydia]

"This is a down-sizing technique used commonly in corporate America ... it should not characterize how the Church deals with ambassadors for Christ. Control, manipulation, and intimidation are not fruit of the Spirit. "

yes, and when the vast majority of the 50+ take the "Godfather deal you can't refuse or it will be worse", the IMB will say, See--they agreed! They wanted to VOLUNTARILY resign.

So they will have their spin and cake, too. (I spent way too long in the world of the fake Jesus guru land)

[Scott Shaver]

Check out Akin's daily word of wisdom.

"In the military we were taught to die...to be expendable", missionaries must do the same.

Is "jerk" a Hebrew word?

[Lydia]

This is very typical for this crowd and frankly in most ofcult of personality Christianity.

People are told by the guru they must sacrifice and that they are pious to do so. They are told "God will protect you". But the guru telling them that has job security, big offices and high pay. (Not to mention the speaking circuit which is quite lucrative)

The problem is very few question the logic of this position from "men of God" or even look to see if Jesus did similar--expecting others to sacrifice while he had it cushy. The priests did, though. They were horribly corrupt, too.

[Scott Shaver]

Does anybody here know what Ronnie Floyd's church contributes to CP?

He's another on the bandwagon of blaming churches for the mess SBC Leaders have created over the last 20 years.

You would think that the "big cheese" SBC president would be willing to set the example huh?

Don't do as I do...do as I SAY do?

[Lydia]

There is no reasoning with people like this. If you look closely they are not that different from most of our political leaders both left and right and what they tell us to buy into. They pass laws micromanaging our lives they are not subject to themselves. Why people don't pay attention to this, I will never understand.

We have the most ridiculous idea of leadership in this country that totally eschews integrity, principles and character. Instead we lean toward the pseudo expert/charismatic. I use "expert" loosely because a qualification can be some specific ideology. "One of the team" so to speak. But charisma leads the way.

Look around the SBC blogosphere to see what is being hailed as "leadership". It is downright creepy and ignorance. And these are the Christians with some position! The "teachers/pastors"! In their view a great leader sacrifices nothing personally but implements a plan for the lower caste to sacrifice. The great leader does not have to suffer,,,indeed,,,the great leader gets praised and is seen as "courageous". Seriously, to them, that is great leadership! It is so opposite Jesus 101 that I can hardly breath thinking about it.

It is such a common wordly position that most people think this form of pragmatic thinking reflects Jesus Christ. There is nothing radical about it.

I have been studying the history of deterministic thinking for years and you can see the ravages of it throughout history. One place a bit of light shone was with the Jews and then later on when humans discovered what they could do when they threw off the shackles of the caste system. It was not that long ago...several hundred years....it was thought the word of a caste nobleman was automatically true over a peasant.

We might say that is not true anymore but we don't live like that. A leader with position/power will be believed (while hiding many facts) over those being sacrificed with no access to the "facts".

[Dee Parsons]

Did you all know that the Southern Baptist Conventions is now partnering with Sovereign Grace Church/Louisville and C J Mahaney?

http://sgclouisville.org/about

What happened to to Peter's resolution?

[Max]

Dee inquired "Did you all know that the Southern Baptist Convention is now partnering with Sovereign Grace Church/Louisville and C J Mahaney?"

Dee, Mr. Mahaney fled to Louisville a couple of years ago amidst the SGM child abuse scandal. Dr. Mohler, his T4G blood brother, has been sheltering him there. Southern Seminary taps Mr. Mahaney's church planting smarts to train future YRR pastors being prepared at Southern Seminary. SBC promotes his Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville: http://www.sbc.net/church/2015064333/sovereign-grace-church-of-louisville. Dr. Mohler swings a lot of power in SBC - he is untouchable. SBC "informally" partners with several reformed organizations these days - the most visible being Acts29. Such alliances enhance the Calvinization of SBC - SBC's New Calvinist leadership couldn't have pulled it off without such faithful partners.

[Scott Shaver]

I would imagine the same thing happened to the resolution that happened to budget planning at IMB the last 15 years...put on a back burner in order to address more "pressing" issues.

[Dee Parsons]

Well, on the SBC website, under the search for an SBC church SBC Louisville shows up.

http://www.sbc.net/churchsearch/

What is going on? That is not true or is it?

[Max]

Dee, I see that now. Can anyone confirm that Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville is a member of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and/or Long Run Baptist Association (Louisville)? Sovereign Grace Church of Lawrenceburg is an KBC/SBC member church: http://www.kybaptist.org/2012/11/13/messengers-welcome-new-churches-to-kbc/

[Lydia]

Well, on the SBC website, under the search for an SBC church SBC Louisville shows up.

http://www.sbc.net/churchsearch/

What is going on? That is not true or is it?"

When you got to the above link, type in 40222 and SG Louisville comes up. Mohler has some 'splainin to do.

As to Peter's resolution, I am afraid Mohler gets to decide who fits and who doesn't.

[Lydia]

So....SG pastors college guys can join SG Louisville and get the SBC member tuition discount and any other perks? Like Chad Mahaney's (just arrested for drunk driving) internship at SBTS?

Mohler covers all bases. Wonder why this was not publicized. Usually they make a big deal of such things.

I am amazed at how well they have taken care of Mahaney. Please tell me he is not receiving NAMB funds!

[Max]

Lydia writes "Wonder why this was not publicized."

Oh, but dear Lydia, you surely know that the New Calvinist modus operandi is by stealth and deception. And so the beat goes on ... Calvinization of the largest non-Calvinist Protestant denomination in America moves forward at break-neck speed, largely under the radar ... and the pew ain't got a clue.

[Lydia]

Max,

FYI, The 40222 zip code is East Louisville and is where the Marriott resides. If that is still the place they meet in after being asked to leave Christian Academy.

Not sure about the Lawrenceburg church which is in another county and if they are affiliated. But when you type in the above zip code on the link Dee gave us, you will see plain as day that Sovereign Grace Louisville is now SBC.

[Lydia]

Max, Yes, there is stealth but I doubt it is on Mahaney's end. His pattern is to rave and brag about his connections to Mohler and SBTS. My guess is Mohler would rather it go unnoticed if possible but that it be listed so he could not be accused of a cover up.

Exactly what goes into an existing church joining the SBC?

[Max]

Lydia writes "My guess is Mohler would rather it go unnoticed ..."

I don't know what he's worried about. SBC Calvinization is pretty much out in the open now. And the man never really seemed concerned about the concerns of SBC's millions of peons any way.

[Scott Shaver]

Now it looks like you've got Paige himself blasting against the "erroneous" missions philosophy of IMB and threatening to "fight another battle" against IMB.

Jeepers....Like he wasn't even involved in setting the platter both for the current methodology and the 210 million structural deficit.

My guess is he'll take both a hiding and far fewer forces into battle with HIMSELF this go around. :)

Reminds me of the regulator/moderator wars in NE Texas during the 1800s.

[Scott Shaver]

Even saw where J.D. Hall CRAWLED OUT FROM UNDER HIS ROCK last week to comment on this as a means of gaining leverage for taking shots at Pete Lumpkins.

Quickly regaining true form it appears.

Shout out to Bill Mac: Welcome back the Dark Side. We have cookies and recommend Reynolds aluminum foil :)

[Lydia]

Scott, You have to wonder about the intelligence of this group in charge of entities. When Iorg calls the pew peons, 'selfish' does he realize he has to include Platt's former church all those years he was in charge? Platt only saw the "beauty" of the CP when he was appointed President.

Does Iorg realize he is including our new IMB president in the "selfish" group? Or perhaps it is all those small churches tht have kept the CP afloat to so offend him. It sure wasn't Ezell's church, either. I saw the figures during his tenure there and Moores!!!

[Randy]

First not all the 600-800 are field missionaries. I have a good friend who is on staff in the Richmond office and have been with IMB for about 15-17 years. He does not know if he has a job past the end of the year.

My church is about to go bankrupt. I had to fight to keep it giving to the coop program. Many other churches are like the one I attend, struggling with declining attendance and finances. Platt inherited a mess, so do not blame him for the mismanagement at IMB,

Why is people so against new church plants by NAMB? We need them?
Randy

[Max]

Randy writes "Platt inherited a mess, so do not blame him for the mismanagement at IMB."

There is no doubt that Platt waded into a red financial stream when he assumed IMB leadership. No one really questions his involvement in that regard during his short tenure there, except perhaps the way he has chosen to balance the budget. It's increasingly clear that the budgets of these huge SBC entities need to be under the control of financial professionals, rather than pastors (it's a different calling). However, after a quarter billion dollar deficit-spending over the last 5 years, that consideration is a little late at IMB! As Randy, notes these are tough economic times for our churches - blaming the mess on deficit-giving by a selfish pew only distracts from the bigger problem of deficit-spending by poor money managers.

Randy also writes "Why are people so against new church plants by NAMB?"

Considering the plight of its sister entity, should NAMB be spending $60 million in 2015 to plant new churches when IMB is cutting called & anointed foreign missionaries? Non-Calvinists who comment on this and other blogs about SBC theo-politics are not anti-church planting but anti-theology planting by predominantly YRR church planters who gladly receive NAMB funds, while IMB missionaries sacrifice.

[Scott Shaver]

Max is absolutely right.

In many ways it's like trying to reconstruct a shattered egg.