The Executive Committee of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's board of directors heard a series of ministry reports and took action on some administrative items during a regularly scheduled meeting held Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Caraway Conference Center.

Financial report

N.C. Baptist officials reported that Cooperative Program (CP) giving for 2026 continues to outpace last year’s giving. Through July 31, CP receipts totaled more than $16.5 million, which is more than $546,000 or 3.42% higher than the same time period as last year. 

Gifts from N.C. Baptist churches to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions and the Lottie Moon Easter Offering for international missions are also up. Through July 31, gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering totaled more than $6.1 million, which is nearly $105,000 or 1.74% higher than the same time frame in 2025. Gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totaled more than $11.1 million, which is about $738,000 or 7.08% more than the same time period as last year.

Gifts to the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO) totaled more than $683,000 through July 31 as the offering enters its emphasis month in September. The NCMO supports disaster response and the other ministries of N.C. Baptists on Mission, as well as church planting and associational missions projects throughout the state. This year’s offering goal is $2.8 million.

Ongoing Helene work

Representatives with N.C. Baptists on Mission reported that more than 1,100 homes have been rebuilt in western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Work on nearly 200 other homes is also in process.

Five newly constructed homes have also been completed for storm survivors, and two additional homes are expected to be completed by the end of the month. About 20 other new home constructions are in process as the two-year anniversary of the storm approaches. 

Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented damage and devastation to western North Carolina in late September 2024. Baptists on Mission officials anticipate serving in the region for the next few years.

Baptists on Mission leaders also said disaster response volunteers are deploying to Muncie, Indiana, later this week to assist with recovery efforts there after deadly storms brought torrential rain, catastrophic flooding and damaging winds to much of the state last week. The storms killed at least seven people and caused widespread damage.

The deployment to Indiana comes as North Carolina volunteers are wrapping up recovery work in West Virginia, where severe storms and devastating flooding hit in late July.

Business items

In other business, the Executive Committee voted to ratify a completed land transaction that had previously been approved by the full N.C. Baptist board of directors.

In January 2025, the board approved a motion from the Operations Special Committee to sell a small piece of property at Baptists on Mission’s recently acquired rebuild center in Spruce Pine to an adjacent homeowner because of an awning that extended past the property line. The transaction involved approximately 100 square feet of a property that spans more than 9.6 acres.

Following the board’s initial approval, additional steps were taken to finalize the transaction, prompting the Executive Committee to revisit the matter and formally ratify the completed sale.

After the transaction was ratified, the Executive Committee approved a motion requesting the Operations Special Committee to draft a formal policy related to future land transactions.

State convention bylaws authorize the Operations Special Committee to counsel and guide the convention’s director of operations on a variety of business matters, which includes “acquiring or disposing of Convention real or personal property.” All convention real estate transactions are initially brought before the Operations Special Committee to determine whether they will be referred to the board of directors for consideration. 

Any recommendations made by the Operations Special Committee must be approved by the full board, but the bylaws do not specify a process for carrying out recommendations once they are approved. Convention leaders and Executive Committee members said a policy would provide more clarity and guidance when engaging in property transactions in the future. 

Next meeting

The next Executive Committee meeting will take place as part of an upcoming regularly scheduled meeting of the full N.C. Baptist board of directors, which is set for Sept. 28-29 at Caraway.

By Chad Austin, BR Managing Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared on brnow.org.