So long, Tom Eliff

[William Thornton]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]

I'm working on a week-long project here in Pittsburgh this summer that will involve two NAMB appointed church planting personnel, four local church plants, and four church groups from out of town who will bring high school and college kids to work during the week. I'm sure they can fill me in on their reporting procedures, and the reliability of the numbers.

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...

Ed, Sandy, Flick, Fox and William, allow me to apologize for something that I do not like to see, I. e. a posting then the original poster goes away for a week or more...MY BAD.

Sandy asked for some indication that the statistics might not be accurate... looking at the IMB website, Fast Facts:
Number of Personnel on the field 4826 (not all are career missionaries, mind you).
Number of church starts in 2013: 6192
Number of Baptisms in 2013: 114571

Now, at any one time one fourth of the personnel (about 1200) are on state-side assignment, leaving 3626 on the field. This is not excluding those in support roles (treasurers, administrators, etc.) or missionaries in hospitals or schools. So by using these figures, each missionary started 1.75 churches last year and each missionary on the field baptized 31 persons. I just find that these statistics are a little over the top.

Now, as to accomplishments of Tom Eliff, I admit to being too judgmental. I was looking at his three predecessors and expecting like innovations, when maybe his mandate was to "Hold us together until we find someone else." If so, he did that. I still hop-e that someone who is a recognized missiologist is appointed as his successor.

[Sandy]

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...

Sandy said..."If you don't trust the stats, stop supporting the organization, and get out. Otherwise, you are supporting people you don't trust, who you think are liars." First, I do no longer give to Lottie Moon or to the cooperative program. There are some IMB missionaries who are doing very good work (but not baptizing 30 a year) to whom I make direct deposits to their state-side accounts. I do this because I can not always be sure that gifts I give always go to the right person.

Baker J. Cauthen inaugurated Bold Mission Thrust, Keith Parks started the non-resident missionaries and strategic planning, while Jerry Rankin concentrated efforts on unreached people groups, eliminating geopolitical mission organizations.

[Sandy]

If you're going to support just the missionaries you pick and choose, by giving to their individual stateside accounts, you might as well not support them at all, since they have agreed and are committed to serve under the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon offering. It seems disrespectful to be critical of the mission program that the missionaries you are selectively choosing to support are serving.

Basically, since the mid-80's, there's been a small but vocal group of ex'SBC'ers who have pointed fingers and made accusations about inaccuracy in statistical reports and "not knowing where the money is going." I call that sour grapes, especially since I've never seen any proof to substantiate those allegations.

I'd rather see my money go to a missions agency that is completely and fully accountable than to an organization that won't disclose how much donor money goes to help their coordinator support two homes and a weekly commute via commercial airline.

[William Thornton]

[Joseph Patrick]

From Joseph Patrick...


Joseph Patrick wrote: There are some IMB missionaries who are doing very good work (but not baptizing 30 a year) to whom I make direct deposits to their state-side accounts. I do this because I can not always be sure that gifts I give always go to the right

William wrote: "This needs some explaining, since there is some policy about IMB personnel not having side streams of income."

Anyone is able to donate to the IMB and designate a recipient but some have indicated that it might not all make it to the designated target. Also, by designating a gift through the IMB it helps the bottom line in reports (which have been rather anemic in the past). While the IMB may not encourage direct giving, how can they prevent me from giving directly? And if the individual missionary I donate to wants to share that with the IMB, I can accept that.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]