Thursday, June 11, 2009

A Motion I Will Not Be Making in Louisville

In the light of the straitened financial circumstances at our International Mission Board, at this time it would be inappropriate for me to make my motion about professorial salaries. My concerns are just as relevant, but our emphasis as a convention should be upon the needs of all of our agencies and strengthened support of the Cooperative Program, not upon any individual component.

10 comments:

Dave Miller said...

You, of course, must follow your own conscience on this matter, but I am always a big fan of working in the daylight.

I think it would do us all good to know what denominational servants and professors make.

Wally said...

Bart so sad to see that the pressures of swbts got to you and the motion you were going to submit. satan doing his works again.
wally

Bart Barber said...

Thanks for the occasional invite into your world. If I ever need a break from reality, I'll give you a call.

Andrew said...

Bart:

I understand your desire not to "kick the Convention while they're down", but I fear that without a greater awareness of how deep the CP problems go, we might repeat 2004, with a huge LM offering to cover the gap and forget the systemic problem that caused it.

Thoughts?

bapticus hereticus said...

professorial salaries for, say, SWBTS, are public knowledge via the NCES IPEDS Data Center at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/

Andrew said...

Collected the data for four of the six seminaries for 2004-2007...if anyone wants to see, just comment on my blog with email

Chris Bonts said...

Bart,
When it comes time to make your motion, I will heartily support you. Please contact me when the time comes. I too think we need to take better care of our seminary professors.

Chris Bonts

Ben Macklin said...

Brother Bart -

Read this from our esteemed former professor, Dr. James Leo Garrett.

It's good for the soul: http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9683&Itemid=53


What think ye, Bart?

Ben Macklin

Anonymous said...

SBC pastors should preach about "Sunday School (or, small groups)" during down economic times, not "stewardship" primarily--as the financial condition of their churches (and thus of the SBC via the CP) is a DIRECT RESULT of attendance in Sunday School (which is a DIRECT RESULT of enrollment in Sunday School). Does anyone reading here NOT understand that? Cf. Andy Anderson's "Church Growth Spiral" materials of years gone by (folks attending Sunday School give at a rate of about $30 per person per week but those attending worship services only give at a rate of about 50 cents per person per week, as I recall).

And, to solve some of the funding issues on the national level, all megachurches should give at the same percentage rate--about 10% of undesignated reciepts--that small churches do, rather than only 1-2% due to mortgage payments owed or whatever. In a sense, it's the smaller churches in the SBC--at least, their greater sacrifice--which has been carrying the denomination financially.


David Troublefield
Minister of Education/Missions
Wichita Falls, TX

Anonymous said...

. . . And, Sunday School enrollment is a direct result of the motivation of senior pastors and the ministry of their congregations via small groups/Sunday School.


David

SUNDAY SCHOOL IS THIS:
1. Reach people for Bible study;
2. Teach people the Holy Bible;
3. Witness to people about Christ, and lead people into church membership;
4. Minister to people in need;
5. Lead people to worship;
6. Support/undergird the work of the church/denomination.

The tasks assigned to Sunday School in the typical SBC church are NOT assigned to any other ministry area, so if a congregation's Sunday School ministry fails to accomplish its tasks (the six listed above) no other ministry area will either and those critical assignments will go completely undone--and the church will suffer (does suffer; cf. ACP reports for how many years?!).