Day 3 - Report B
9:15 AM (cont.):
The meeting was very calm with no missionary brought up for a separate vote. (The questions concerning Bro. Jeremiah were answered yesterday and not brought up again.) Bro. Randy Cloud was re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. The amendment proposed by Heritage MBC was taken off the table and will be referred to the churches of the ABA for the next year. At the meeting in Springfield, Missouri, this item of business will then be debated and voted on. (I have a copy and will discuss it later.) The second amendment to the Missions Policy of the ABA proposed by Pine Crest in Georgia was voted down and not taken off the table. (I have a copy and will discuss it later.) Later, a motion was made and seconded to report in the mission booklet the number of professions, baptisms, and amount of sponsoring church's support sent through Texarkana for each missionary. This motion failed. The session adjourned after a few other items were handled. After the session, we walked to Chili's for a quick lunch and then headed back for the afternoon session.
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5 comments:
Have you made it home?
"The questions concerning Bro. Jeremiah..."
Is this reference to Jeremiah Carson? What were they questioning?
Melissa,
We're not home yet. We'll be home Saturday.
Robert,
Yes it was a reference to Jeremiah Carson. They were questioning him concerning two things: 1) His reports were not received in Texarkana as deemed necessary. However, he was on designated funds and these reports aren't usually turned in as those who are on salary and receive monthly funds. This was addressed by Bro. Culley at the Pre-Association Mission Committee Meeting and this issue was addressed (and should have been considered as taken care of). Also, they questioned Bro. Jeremiah concerning some of his numbers - 120 professions of faith and 4 baptisms. They did not like the disparity between the two (which I don't either). However, I addressed the assembly and spoke to them giving them the percentages (salvation/baptism ratio) for Bro. Joel Cobbs 87%, Bro. Jeremiah 3%, and the rest of the missionaries on average 0.9%. I wanted them to consider these numbers for the sake of consistency.
Mainly, Bro. Jeremiah was questioned because of his recommending church, Bethel MBC. They are being questioned because of the number of missionaries they recommend and because they do not send the 20% to Texarkana but rather to their own missionaries.
I think the numbers overall are a cause for concern. Someone on the Landmark Baptist Discussion Board said there might be several reasons for the difference in the numbers, but named only two -- missionaries losing count, and that people get saved and for various reasons are not baptized by the missionary. But I don't really think these two things go very far in explaining why the missionaries, on average, except for one, are baptizing less that 1% of the people who are professing faith in Christ.
But concerning Jeremiah in particular; if the Missionary Committee singles him out to question him on why he is only baptizing 3% when many are evidently baptizing less than 1%, the questioners are opening themselves up to their motives being questioned. IOW, did they question anyone else about this?
Not in the Missions Committee meeting here at Spokane...well, at least not to my knowledge (or remembrance!).
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