IMB-NAMB Merger

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...

I know that this has been discussed before, but in light of what Tom Eliff did at the SBC, are we soon to see a merger?

[Neil Heath]

What did he do at the SBC, for those of us who weren't there?

[Gene Scarborough]

I, too, would like to know the basis of the report.

Even without know more, it is a veiled attempt to cut back expenses and fail to meet the long-ago benefits of a separate HMB and FMB. They were BOTH doing a great job of ministry over just counting numbers of converts---real or imagined.

Is it in the same area as the merger of Brotherhood into whatever it was merged into? That whole deal led to the deminishment of what was before which was working very well. Same with Christian Social Ministries taking over the Juvenile Rehablitation Ministry pioneered by my father in Atlanta, and done by me with the Raleigh Baptist Association. When it was merged, it simply DIED!!!!!

[William Thornton]

So far as I am aware, the only move the IMB made was recommended by the Great Commisison Resurgence Task Force and that was to allow IMB to do work with people groups stateside, not just overseas. That is an expansion of mission but nowhere near a merger.

The SBC entities that could benefit by merging are the seminaries but the political infeasability of that far outweighs the practical benefits. You don't hear a syllable about any seminaries merging. What you do hear are how all of them are expanding their programs and geographic reach with sattelite locations etc.

At some point the funding will force some changes. Absent that we go merrily along the way we always have.

[Gene Scarborough]

Difficult financial times are not new. It is the most difficult I have witnessed since my birth in 1946. Although the "D" word hasn't been uttered yet, I see in this all the same events: it is world wide / it is engendered by greed and distortions of the worth of things / those who trusted corporate and bank reports were greatly deceived / measures put in after the Depression have helped a little, but it is still severe and many things put in place were not enforced.

The SBC managed to survive along with all the other major denominations then and they will now. There has to be an evaluation of what is important. Hard choices are being made. The difference between a corporate merger and religious one both involve getting rid of people who have made great contributions to the past success.

Some of the changes are window dressing and have nothing to do with keeping the basic thrusts which made past efforts attractive and constructive. "CYA" is often the motto of the day! If executive making the most will participate in the process, it is more real than just making the books balance.

Of course, ministry and faith aren't covered with facts and figures. In the early days of the faith, the majority won by losing their life, but keeping their soul.

Let's keep our souls, for God's sake!!!

[Sandy]

Over the years, as individuals have come and gone, a lot of duplication has gone on that competes among the same pool of churches for support and participation. I think the word isn't "merger," necessarily, but "partnership," and a real effort is being made at NAMB to shed some things that are either competing with other SBC agencies or duplicated by them. I understand that a lot of the hands-on missions programs from NAMB will become part of Lifeway, which has a growing budget and probably has a much larger marketing department to promote them. I think things like this are long overdue, along with some substantial executive salary cuts.

[Gene Scarborough]

Did your really say "partnership!!!"

That's a central CBF concept, my friend!

[Ed Pettibone]

[Gene Scarborough]

My dad's own pioneering ministry with the Juvenile Court under the HMB was an equal 3-way partnership between the HMB / Georgia Baptist Convention / Atlanta Baptist Association.

Those who are claiming the CP is fattening each state and they should be by-passed have no clue how the inspiration to minister was handled between SBC entities in the 50-60's!!!

The same was true on the "Pioneer Missions fields." When I was in the Southern Tier Association running the border of NY and PENN back in the 80's the same was true. Cooperation allowed each church in the area / each church in the SBC / each State Convention to share in evangelism rather than the idea floating now to start satellite churches from an established mega church.

This is throwing a local church into control rather than an entire group of churches simply giving to the CP.