On Saturday, January 9th, the West Virginia Baptist Convention (WVBC) Executive Board met via Zoom to discuss and approve the 2021 budget and slate of officers. Each of the four commissions (Discipleship, Leadership, Outreach and Stewardship) also met earlier in the day to discuss vision and plans for the upcoming year.
Over the last couple of years, the WVBC has made intentional efforts to improve the budget by reducing expenses while simultaneously expanding ministries. They have also recently completed a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) conversion of their books to improve the transparency of finances by showing true ministry costs. Over the previous two years, the budget had been decreased by more than $41,000, and for 2021, the Executive Board approved a budget that further reduced the budget by another $26,000. Last year was the first time in over a decade that the WVBC finished financially in the black, thanks in large part to churches and individuals who followed through on their commitments despite a global pandemic. Newly launched in 2020, the Rope Holder initiative saw individuals give more than $80,000 through the Mountain State Mission Offering.
This was the first meeting led by newly-elected president, Ryan Stoner. Ryan’s installation service took place on Sunday, November 29th, at his home church of Pea Ridge Baptist Church. Other elected officers included Cari Pauley (1st Vice President), Don Biram (2nd Vice President), Lois Merritt (Secretary) and Todd McClure (Treasurer). We are grateful for the leadership of Lee Boso, who served as president during the unusual and historic 2020 ministry year.
As we move into 2021, please join us by praying for each of our commissions and these newly elected officers. Their leadership is vital to our mission of doing Christ’s work together.
