NC Baptist board affirms Fruitland recommendations, hears ministry reports at meeting

The N.C. Baptist board of directors affirmed a series of recommendations for Fruitland Baptist Bible College, celebrated how God moved across the state in 2025, and heard a series of ministry reports during its first meeting of 2026, which was held Feb. 9-10 at Caraway Conference Center.

The meeting had been previously scheduled for late January but had to be postponed and rescheduled due to winter weather across the state.

During the meeting, board members also took action on a number of business items and approved a number of individuals to serve on various committees.

Fruitland recommendations

The board overwhelmingly affirmed a series of recommendations for Fruitland Baptist Bible College that were outlined in a final report presented by an advisory team that had been tasked with helping the school navigate the changing landscape of higher education.

The recommendations outlined in the final report were revised and updated from those previously shared in the advisory team’s preliminary report released last fall. The recommendations call for the continuation of Fruitland’s associate degree program amid an ongoing review, an expansion of nondegree ministry training, and increased communication and transparency on enrollment, finances and progress toward sustainability. The recommendations also highlighted the need for a comprehensive budget review while reaffirming that the campus should be preserved for ministry use regardless of any future academic changes.

Fruitland’s board of directors had previously affirmed the final report and recommendations in January. With the N.C. Baptist board’s endorsement, state convention and school officials will now begin work on implementing the recommendations.

Highlights from 2025

In his report to board members, N.C. Baptist Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Unzicker shared a number of ministry highlights from 2025. Those updates, provided through a video and anecdotes, included the launch of N.C. Baptists’ missions engagement initiative last fall, more than 50 new churches planted, more than 80 churches committing to become a sending church, and more than 1,800 baptisms reported during the spring “Fill the Tank” emphasis, among other highlights.

“These numbers represent real work that affects real life change,” Unzicker said. “Everything we celebrated here tonight is the fruit of your faithful missions giving dollars.”

Unzicker described those dollars as “fuel” for the local church.

“Your missions dollars have a multiplying effect,” Unzicker said. “Because when you pour into the work, you are pouring into the local church, which is God’s ‘Plan A.’ Your missions dollars fuel the local church, and the local church fuels the Great Commission.”

While thanking N.C. Baptist churches for their faithful and sacrificial giving, Unzicker acknowledged that factors like giving trends, economic challenges, donor behavior and more have resulted in Cooperative Program (CP) giving that is relatively flat. Unzicker challenged board members to prayerfully consider investing more in missions giving while state convention leaders explore innovative ways to maximize financial gifts from N.C. Baptists.

“If our numbers are flat, we look at it as less resources to reach an ever-growing mission field,” Unzicker said. “When you hear these reports and when we talk about money, I want you to hear that in terms of fueling the mission.”

Financial report

N.C. Baptist officials reported that CP receipts and giving to special offerings were flat in 2025 when compared to 2024. Cooperative Program giving from N.C. Baptist churches totaled a little more than $28 million in 2025, which was only about $66,000 or 0.25% less than the approximately $28.1 million received in 2024.

Although the $28 million received in 2025 represented about a $3 million or 9.56% shortfall from the $31 million budget approved by messengers, the state convention only finished the year with an operating deficit of about $860,000, which was covered using interest and investment income.

N.C. Baptist leaders reminded board members that the state convention does not include interest and investment income in its budget calculations as some other Baptist entities do.

“God has blessed us greatly,” said John Butler, N.C. Baptists’ director of operations. “We’re not in a panic mode as far as our cash flow is concerned.”

For 2025, N.C. Baptist giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions totaled a little more than $7 million, and giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions totaled slightly more than $13.3 million, which reflected similar totals from 2024. Still, N.C. Baptists led all state conventions in giving to the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon offerings last year.

Gifts to the North Carolina Missions Offering totaled a little more than $2.64 million in 2025. While that figure was about $486,000 or 16.5% below year-over-year giving, it still marked the second-highest total in the offering’s history, behind only the record $2.9 million given in 2024 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Through the first month of 2026, CP receipts totaled more than $2.57 million, which is about $72,500 or 2.9% ahead of budget. N.C. Baptists’ Cooperative Program budget for 2026 is $30 million.

Other business

In other business, the board acted on several measures presented by the Operations Special Committee. The board affirmed a new approach to insuring the convention-owned property at Fort Caswell on Oak Island through a blend of self-insurance using a special reserve fund in conjunction with a windstorm and hurricane policy. The board also approved a pair of motions that call for Bradley Norris to be named the state convention’s authorized agent for legal and business matters and for Norris to be named as an authorized signatory on all state convention bank and investment accounts. Norris will become N.C. Baptists’ director of operations following Butler’s previously announced retirement this spring.

Retirement recognitions

Board members recognized Butler and Angela Kilby, who were both attending their final board meeting as N.C. Baptist staffers due to pending retirements.

Butler will have served on the state convention staff for nearly 20 years when he retires this April. Throughout his tenure with N.C. Baptists, Butler has led day-to-day business operations of the state convention and its various facilities, which includes camps and conference centers. Before coming to the state convention in August 2006, Butler served as senior pastor of three different N.C. Baptist churches for a combined total of 17 years. During his time as pastor, he was active in Baptist life at the associational and state levels, which included serving two terms as president of the state convention’s board of directors.

Kilby is retiring after serving for six years as the N.C. Baptist board secretary. Before assuming the role as board secretary in January 2020, she served for one year as assistant board secretary. Kilby’s husband, Pat, serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Cary. The Kilbys have also served other churches in Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina. Angela has also served in a variety of roles in children’s ministry, women’s ministry and worship ministry.

Elections & appointments approved

The board elected a new board secretary, four new at-large members to the board’s Executive Committee and approved several other committee appointments.

The board nominated and approved Evette Orcutt as the new board secretary. Orcutt began serving as the business manager with the Biblical Recorder last May and will continue in that role while assuming board secretary responsibilities. Prior to joining the Biblical Recorder, Orcutt served for 30 years in a number of ministry and church administration roles across North Carolina.

The four board members elected as at-large members of the Executive Committee were: Jonathan Barbee; Betsy Bolick; Twinkle Poindexter; and Jacob Reed.

In addition, board committees elected new chairs, who also serve on the Executive Committee. Individuals elected as committee chairs were: Justin Deeter (Christian Life & Public Affairs Committee); Jacob Hall (Communications Committee); Dave Heller (Convention Relations Special Committee); Jerry Lewis (Ministry Strategies Committee); Jared Richard (Operations Special Committee); and Will Toburen (Mission Catalysts Committee).

The board also approved nominations made by the state convention’s elected officers to serve on the 2026 Committee on Nominations and the 2026 Committee on Convention Meetings, as well as the respective chairs of those committees.

Those approved to serve on the Committee on Nominations were: Ben Harrell of Burgaw Baptist Church; Zach Kennedy of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Hudson; Gene McCourt, North Wake Church in Wake Forest; Ken Smith, associational mission strategist with the South Roanoke Baptist Association; John Thompson of Rich Square Baptist Church (unexpired term); and Neal Thornton of Coram Deo Baptist Church in Angier. Andrew Clark of Arran Lake Baptist Church in Fayetteville will serve as the committee chair.

Those approved to serve on the Committee on Convention Meetings were: Ivy Brickhouse of Adaville Baptist Church in Spindale; Megan Chadwick of Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville; Lauren Rayfield of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Newland; and Matthew Sorrells of Dutch Cove Baptist Church in Canton (unexpired term). Ron Skinner of River of Life Baptist Church in Sunset Beach will serve as the committee chair.