“...the SBC is in no way a central authority. Each church is autonomous.”
Not autonomous if compared with a truly independent Baptist church. We were members of an SBC church for a few years. A big chunk of the offering went to the Convention and we never really knew how it was used there. Missions efforts were via Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. VBS programs were all standardized, like going to any McDonalds to get an identical hamburger.
An independent Baptist church IS autonomous. I grew up in one. Finances were all internal. We actually MET the missionaries we supported and hosted them in our homes. We chose Sunday School and VBS materials to best suit the attendees.
An SBC church is semi-autonomous (if that’s a word).
Any amount of the offering that went to the SBC was entirely voluntary. Each individual church decides whether and how much to donate to the SBC/Cooperative Program. I've been part of churches that do it by a decision of the Church Council (elected by the church membership), by a majority vote of the membership at a regularly scheduled business meeting, or by the deacons (chosen in various ways determined by each church's membership and/or constitution). I'm sure there are other ways, but the point is the same: each church determines how it will decide whether to participate and in what way.
Missions efforts were via Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.
There was likely a state offering, too. Again, all these are determined by each church individually. No church is required to take part in the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong or any other missions program.
VBS programs were all standardized, like going to any McDonalds to get an identical hamburger.
We chose Sunday School and VBS materials to best suit the attendees.
Lifeway does offer a number of VBS "in-a-box" curricula, but no church is obligated to use them. Churches decide on their own whether to have VBS and if so what materials to use. The same holds for the Sunday School/Bible School materials as well as materials for any mission programs.
Finances were all internal.
Each autonomous SBC church handles its own finances. Completely. The church owns its own land, building and fixtures. The church hires and pays its own staff, including pastor. Each church determines its own budget. I've been a member of finance committees. There was no involvement from the SBC.
We actually MET the missionaries we supported and hosted them in our homes.
Part of the theory of the Cooperative Program is pooling resources, so no the church doesn't necessarily meet each missionary it supports. That doesn't mean, however, that missionaries don't visit churches. The opposite is true. Missionaries on furlough are strongly encouraged (again, though, it is their personal decision) to visit churches and give presentations while on furlough.
Some churches are more active in hosting missionaries than others (because...they're autonomous and make this decision for themselves). Many SBC churches have, for lack of a better term special missionaries be they persons from that individual church or region or who participate in a given project, with whom they have a special relationship and participate in their ministry by special gifts or sending missionary teams. Again, this is determined by each church individually.
ANY involvement a SBC church has with the Convention itself is entirely voluntary and can change at any moment. There are no quotas. If a church, mid-year, decides it no longer wants to give money to SBC mission programs, then it just stops. The same with Sunday School literature, etc.
Any amount of the offering that went to the SBC was entirely voluntary. Each individual church decides whether and how much to donate to the SBC/Cooperative Program. I've been part of churches that do it by a decision of the Church Council (elected by the church membership), by a majority vote of the membership at a regularly scheduled business meeting, or by the deacons (chosen in various ways determined by each church's membership and/or constitution). I'm sure there are other ways, but the point is the same: each church determines how it will decide whether to participate and in what way.
Missions efforts were via Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.
There was likely a state offering, too. Again, all these are determined by each church individually. No church is required to take part in the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong or any other missions program.
VBS programs were all standardized, like going to any McDonalds to get an identical hamburger.
We chose Sunday School and VBS materials to best suit the attendees.
Lifeway does offer a number of VBS "in-a-box" curricula, but no church is obligated to use them. Churches decide on their own whether to have VBS and if so what materials to use. The same holds for the Sunday School/Bible School materials as well as materials for any mission programs.
Finances were all internal.
Each autonomous SBC church handles its own finances. Completely. The church owns its own land, building and fixtures. The church hires and pays its own staff, including pastor. Each church determines its own budget. I've been a member of finance committees. There was no involvement from the SBC.
We actually MET the missionaries we supported and hosted them in our homes.
Part of the theory of the Cooperative Program is pooling resources, so no the church doesn't necessarily meet each missionary it supports. That doesn't mean, however, that missionaries don't visit churches. The opposite is true. Missionaries on furlough are strongly encouraged (again, though, it is their personal decision) to visit churches and give presentations while on furlough.
Some churches are more active in hosting missionaries than others (because...they're autonomous and make this decision for themselves). Many SBC churches have, for lack of a better term special missionaries be they persons from that individual church or region or who participate in a given project, with whom they have a special relationship and participate in their ministry by special gifts or sending missionary teams. Again, this is determined by each church individually.
ANY involvement a SBC church has with the Convention itself is entirely voluntary and can change at any moment. There are no quotas. If a church, mid-year, decides it no longer wants to give money to SBC mission programs, then it just stops. The same with Sunday School literature, etc.
My apologies for the double post. Not sure if it’s on my side or FR’s.