The California Southern Baptist Convention Executive Board met Sept. 10–11 to conduct business, celebrate milestones and take decisive steps toward the future — which included approving the sale of its main office building.
New churches
The Membership Committee, chaired by Kevin James, presented seven churches for affiliation with the Convention. The Board unanimously welcomed:
- CityLightLA West Valley, Burbank
- ConAct Church, Santa Clara
- Grace Baptist Church of Orange County, Westminster
- Grace Church San Diego, San Diego
- Grace City Church San Diego, San Diego
- Iglesia Bautista Renacer, Stockton
- LoveAgain Church, Anaheim
The 2% Vision
Executive Director Pete Ramirez updated the Board on progress toward the “Reaching California” initiative. Building on statewide listening sessions, Ramirez is now returning with part two of the Hear the Heart listening sessions to report back to local church leaders, region by region. The full rollout of the strategic plan will take place at the CSBC Annual Meeting, Oct. 24–25, in Milpitas. (Upcoming Hear the Heart listening sessions can be found on the events page of the CSBC website.)
Major motion: Sale of Shaw Avenue property
A significant recommendation from the executive committee was presented to the full Board. The recommendation reads as follows:
“(To) Authorize the corporate officers of the California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC) to sell the real property located at 678 East Shaw Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710, and upon the sale, relocate the CSBC headquarters to the Gateway Seminary campus in Ontario, California. This strategic relocation is designed to place leadership near the ministry partners and to strengthen CSBC’s capacity to reach, serve, and support all regions of California with greater effectiveness.”
Ramirez clarified the vision behind the decision, saying, “The Executive Board voted to begin the process of selling the building that has housed our offices since 1967 and to decentralize from a single central California location. This strategic move will allow us to expand our presence across the state, positioning our ministries to serve churches and communities more effectively for years to come.”
Presently, the plan is to decentralize CSBC staff, capitalizing on proximity to help bring focus to strategic kingdom partnerships with other California Southern Baptist entities. Business services and Disaster Relief will remain in Fresno. Most team leads will work out of Ontario alongside Gateway Seminary and the Baptist Foundation of California, while also being closer to California Baptist University. Regional ambassadors will also be appointed to focus on serving churches across Northern California.
The recommendation passed without opposition.
2026 Budget and CP allocations
The Board considered two major financial recommendations for 2026:
- California Mission Offering Goal: Set at $400,000, consistent with recent years.
- Executive Board Ministries Budget: Proposed at$6,090,807, including a Cooperative Program objective of $5.1 million.
Marc Tempesta, CSBC CFO and Business Services Team Leader, reported to the board that, “Our financial position is steady and sound, with CP on track to meet budget and our investment returns being strong. We have a great partner in BFCal, where our Kingdom-minded investments have produced excellent returns.”
Tempesta further emphasized that in the 2026 budget, the CP allocation to the SBC is 31%, representing an increase from 30% in the amended 2025 budget. Any funds received above the $5.1 million objective will be directed entirely to the SBC Executive Committee.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sarah M. Graham and originally published by the California Southern Baptist Convention.
