reformNAMBnow

NAMB needs REFORM. From abuses of power, hording cash, and a growing grip of control over state conventions, we are going to bring these issues to light.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

1/ After a more than a decade of consistently missing targets, removing transparency, & spending hundreds of millions more on church planting NAMB says they need MORE MONEY to reach goals. With the performance charted below, the SBC & EC would be insane to approve. Here is why 🧵

[Baptist Press @BaptistPress]

Capping two days of meetings with NAMB’s Board of Trustees, president Kevin Ezell emphasized the urgent need to advance with greater strides and avoid settling for only incremental progress in taking the gospel to North America.

https://t.co/Bid2wxCdz9

[Church Reform Initiative @Church_R_I]

🎞️Watch Defending Faith Baptist: Episode 2 The Fight for Faith

In Episode 2 of the Defending Faith Baptist documentary, church members in Knightdale, NC expose a calculated effort to dissolve their congregation and transfer its assets to Summit Church under JD Greear’s leadership. From backroom deals to bylaw violations, firsthand accounts and courtroom evidence reveal how the voices of lifelong members were ignored—and how a faithful few rose to fight back.
https://t.co/ygS7Jn7QCc

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

And if you were not sure, here is their Lead Pastor leading a NAMB Send Network Training. This is shaping up to be an Echo Church 2.0 situation. Will @NAMB_SBC and its trustees refuse to hold Ezell accountable again if he lies to the whole convention from the platform again?

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

@NateSchlomann it’s not any better: here is a send Network Training at that church as they are a Send Network multiplier

[Nate Schlomann @NateSchlomann]

In the latest Baptist Review podcast, @kevezell states that he will give $10,000 to anyone who can show a current NAMB/SEND church plant with female pastors.

I don't want the money personally, but please make it out to "Village Church RVA." You can DM for our address, or visit our website. We're a SBC church (planted in 2009) that currently has over 350 kids and desperately needs to build more kids space, so this money will go to that.

Here is The Hills Novato Church, which is listed as a current NAMB / SEND Church. https://t.co/DkAKg1xVfg

This church lists 3 different female pastors on their website, in clear violation of our shared doctrinal commitments.

Any Southern Baptist should now agree that we need the Law Amendment, and that there are in fact NAMB churches with female pastors. And I only looked for 10 minutes.

[Nate Schlomann @NateSchlomann]

In the latest Baptist Review podcast, @kevezell states that he will give $10,000 to anyone who can show a current NAMB/SEND church plant with female pastors.

I don't want the money personally, but please make it out to "Village Church RVA." You can DM for our address, or visit our website. We're a SBC church (planted in 2009) that currently has over 350 kids and desperately needs to build more kids space, so this money will go to that.

Here is The Hills Novato Church, which is listed as a current NAMB / SEND Church. https://t.co/DkAKg1xVfg

This church lists 3 different female pastors on their website, in clear violation of our shared doctrinal commitments.

Any Southern Baptist should now agree that we need the Law Amendment, and that there are in fact NAMB churches with female pastors. And I only looked for 10 minutes.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

This is the #weekofprayer for church planters and North American missionaries. We encourage everyone in the SBC to pray for them and to pray for reforms in NAMB.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

And they need to show how much of Annie is spent on normative church plants versus mega-church plants. We shouldn’t give to Annie to for them to turn around and give it to cash rich Mega-Churches for their next campus.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

Saying 100% goes DIRECTLY to the missionaries and planters is a BIG statement, and one they should prove to donors because the math raises some questions.
1. From our calculations, roughly $31.6M goes directly to plants. You can read the breakdown here:
https://t.co/wEjdjJZMzD

[Send Network @sendnetwork]

100% of every dollar given to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering goes directly to missionaries and church planters who are spreading the hope of the gospel to a lost world.

Share your story with us using #FueledByAnnie. We’d love to celebrate the impact you’re making together!

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

But again, NAMB doesn’t actually share where all the money goes. They give ideas of events, but we don’t know how much was actually spent on them. They say they fund 3,000+ missionaries and planters but have now hidden that. NAMB needs to show how it goes DIRECTLY to planters.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

@Luke3_17 @williamwolfe NAMB put out a statement saying Hunt’s claims of a $610K “salary” were false, but then they refused to clarify when asked about his compensation… which is what Hunt seems to be claiming in court.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

NAMB spends almost $40M on personnel annually. Hunt’s possible $610K compensation raises concerns, but we also should be asking how much we are paying to seemingly part-time, well connected, leaders such as a NAMB Director that is also a full time, 40hr per week, Univeristy VP

[CivEcclyMinded (Cory Wing) @CivEcclyMinded]

SBC Financial Transparency & Abuse w/Tom Ascol, William Wolfe, Tom Buck & Jeff Wright https://t.co/PKRJvJsVdo

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

But if it is similar to what we witnessed with Hunt, who spent much time on his own projects and was possibly compensated $610K a year by NAMB, then Southern Baptists should require transparency from NAMB and that NAMB finally share the Salary Structure they have been hiding.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

So how much time is Akin really spending on NAMB projects and how much are our mission dollars paying him? And how many other VPs and leaders have other similar arrangements? If it’s part time pay for part time work that’s one thing…

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

If you have to change the rules to match the current actions of the entities, then you are admitting the entities are currently out of line.
@SBCExecComm this is not transparency. This is secular corporate covering of assets with total disregard of the ethics.

[Rhett Burns @rhett_burns]

The NAMB/IMB redefinition of article 14 is being codified. Changed from members of SBC churches “shall have access to information” to *entities will describe their processes.*

Somehow the EC took all the calls for transparency as a signal for LESS transparency.

Unreal.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

What we do know is that likely $20M out of the ~$50M of AAEO designated for church planting is likely not going directly to the plants.
But a little transparency from NAMB would clear that all up.
So be generous with Church planters and missionaries and give directly.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

Are we opposed to the AAEO? No. Do we think the AAEO may not all be going to planters and missionaries? Not likely when you look at the math.
If you want your AAEO this year to go 100% to the field give it directly to the missionaries and church plants.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

1/ 🧵 Following up on yesterday’s thread about NAMB’s church planting budget. Here is a deeper dive into how the numbers are calculated for what is going directly to church plants. (Thanks @jrwhitehead for the question)

Here’s how it is calculated and some new red flags 🚩

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

Otherwise it may go towards “support” which is not well defined. Is that for a fat check for a part VP of church planting staff member? Or a subscription to one of their own or buddies service for the church? Or to gift cards and games?
They don’t specify.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

If you haven’t looked at old SBC Annuals, take some time to do that and compare what we know about how our money is used today versus back then.

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

Did you know that The Home Board (now NAMB) used to report how much cash they had at different banks?

[reformNAMBnow @ReformNambNow]

The Home Mission Board would even would list home many people worked for each section of what they did.