The $319.8 million budget approved by trustees marks a $15 million increase over 2008 expenditures, $10 million of which will be used to offset the rising cost of support for missionaries already on the field.

On Tuesday evening, trustees appointed 105 new missionaries at Houston’s First Baptist Church, bringing the current number of field personnel to 5,541. The Houston group is the third-largest number appointed since at least 1980. Trustee chairman Paul Chitwood of First Baptist Church in Mt. Washington, Ky., acknowledged that this feat, in spite of a tough economy, is much to the credit of Southern Baptists and God’s eternal glory.

“The question facing us now as we look to the future is: Will we again experience a setback?” Chitwood asked. “Southern Baptists will decide the answer to that question as they give their gifts through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year.”

SUPPORTING MISSIONARIES

Southern Baptists gave a record $150.4 million to the Lottie Moon offering in 2007; the goal for 2008 is $170 million — about a 16 percent increase.

“You can’t get more for your money than sending a missionary,” said David Steverson, IMB treasurer and vice president for finance.

“That’s an investment — not an investment that you put in your portfolio — it’s an investment in the lives of people around the world.”

Despite a gloomy economic forecast, there is some good news.

The percentage of the budget used for stateside administration and promotion dropped nearly 1 percent, from 15.44 to 14.56 percent.
FROM:
BP article on IMB budget http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=29323

State Convention data on CP

How much more could get to IMB if states went back to 50/50?

Truth in advertising

In 2006, these churches sent over $526 million through the Cooperative Program to their state conventions to support work within the state and the Southern Baptist Convention. As determined by messengers to the annual session of each state convention, a percentage of these Cooperative Program receipts is sent to the SBC Executive Committee for distribution to SBC entities. In 2007, an average of 64 percent of total Cooperative Program receipts was used for state convention ministries, and roughly 36 percent was forwarded to the SBC for national and worldwide ministries. Messengers to the 2008 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention held in Indianapolis, IN approved the SBC CP Allocation Budget for 2008-2009 of $205,716,834.
FROM:
http://www.cpmissions.net/2003/cp%20missions%20in%20action.asp