Messengers to the 2001 annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention spoke clearly and overwhelmingly regarding the “stealing” of MBC agencies                                 

Messengers to the 2001 annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention in Cape Girardeau spoke clearly and overwhelmingly regarding the five MBC agencies that voted to amend the charters of their agencies without the required approval of the Missouri Baptist Convention, thus allowing them to become “self-perpetuating” boards.  In response to the trustee boards of The Baptist Home, Windermere,  Missouri Baptist College, The Missouri Baptist Foundation and Word and Way, the messengers responded in seven specific ways.  Each of the following convention actions passed by margins of 3-1.   

1. Voted to amend the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget to escrow all funds in the 2002 Cooperative Program Allocation Budget earmarked for The Baptist Home, Windermere Assembly, Missouri Baptist College, Missouri Baptist Foundation, Word & Way and any other institution which may become self-perpetuating, until such time as the trustees of these institutions rescind their actions and restate their former charters or upon further action by the Missouri Baptist Convention. 

2. Voted to amend the 2002 Missouri Mission Offering to escrow all funds to the five MBC agencies voting to become “self-perpetuating” boards, with the same stipulations as above. 

3.  Voted to reject a proposed “covenant agreement” between The Baptist Home and the Missouri Baptist Convention because the “agreement” gave approval of The Baptist Home’s decision to become a self-perpetuating board and called for continued financial support from the convention despite The Baptist Home’s action. 

4.  Passed the following motion:   “That the President working with the Executive Board be instructed and authorized to employ legal counsel to secure a legal opinion in reference to the actions taken by The Baptist Home, Windermere, Missouri Baptist College, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, the Word & Way and any other institution which may become self-perpetuating, and if the legal opinion indicates their actions were improper, then we further instruct the Executive Board to take any and all steps necessary to restore them to their former relationship with the Missouri Baptist Convention.” 

5. Adopted the following resolution in opposition to the trustee board’s decision to become self-perpetuating.  

Missouri Baptist Agencies with Self-Perpetuating Boards

Whereas, the effectiveness of the Cooperative Program depends on the mutual trust of Baptist agencies and the churches that support them; and

Whereas, the trustee system was designed to give local churches a voice in the operation of the institutions that receive their financial support; and

Whereas, the boards of trustees for The Baptist Home, Windermere, Missouri Baptist College, The Missouri Baptist Foundation and Word & Way have recently voted to become self-perpetuating; and

Whereas, the boards of all five institutions took these steps without the knowledge or approval of the Missouri Baptist Convention; and

Whereas, such actions appear to be in clear violation of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Business and Financial Plan of the Missouri Baptist Convention; be it therefore

Resolved, that we, the messengers to the 2001 Missouri Baptist Convention, representing the member churches thereof, hereby express our disapproval of the actions taken by the trustees of The Baptist Home, Windermere, Missouri Baptist College, the Missouri Baptist Foundation and Word & Way; be it further

Resolved, that we regard such conduct as inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative missions, and as a serious betrayal of trust; be it finally

Resolved, that we call upon the trustees of said agencies to rescind their actions and to take any necessary steps of reconciliation to rebuild broken trust.

6. Elected the trustees nominated by the MBC nominating committee as required by the MBC Constitution and Bylaws, thus rejecting the trustees elected by the self-perpetuating Trustee boards. 

7. Elected a slate of conservative, pro-SBC officers for the fourth consecutive year to continue the current direction of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Each of these votes and elections passed by 3-1 margins.