Leaders from the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the North American Mission Board agreed in principle to a clear path forward for providing church-starting resources and support for BGCT churches desiring access to NAMB resources during a two-hour meeting hosted at the BGCT’s Dallas office on Wednesday (Jan. 8).
The gathering was the culmination of numerous meetings and discussions between pastors and organizational leaders since Julio Guarneri, Texas Baptists executive director, initially reported on NAMB support for BGCT-sponsored church starts in Texas during his address to the BGCT executive board in May of 2024. Representatives from NAMB and the BGCT previously came together on Aug. 15 in Dallas.
NAMB’s trustees and the BGCT’s executive board will review the arrangement at their respective February meetings.
4 areas of agreement
The revised agreement emphasizes four areas: the use of “white label” Send Network church starting resources for BGCT churches who desire them, the disposition of NAMB’s church starting grant for BGCT-sponsored church starts, access to church planter training events for BGCT churches and improved communications with pastors, churches and associations who relate to the BGCT.
The agreement clarified Send Network planting, training and coaching materials will continue to be made available to BGCT churches who desire to use them, bolstering the resources already on offer through the existing BGCT church starting process. These resources will afford BGCT churches that support the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (BFM 2000) and want to start BGCT churches in Texas with additional tools and assessment opportunities.
While the BGCT will continue to receive an annual grant of $300,000 from NAMB, moving forward, the dollars will be allocated exclusively for church starting and will be requested by the BGCT on an as-needed basis for each church start in accordance with BGCT’s and NAMB’s church starting funding policies and procedures.
The NAMB funds will be made available through the BGCT to church planters who complete either the Send Network or a similar church starting assessment. Only BGCT churches that align with the BFM 2000 and have given to the SBC Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering the previous year will be eligible for the NAMB funding. Churches planted through these funds will affirm the BFM 2000.
Churches that do not meet NAMB’s criteria but do meet the BGCT’s criteria will continue to have access to the same BGCT funding they’ve previously received.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
