Messengers to the Baptist General Association of Virginia kicked off their Tuesday morning session (Nov. 12), which included a proposed missions budget increase and an update from the task force on women in ministry.

This year’s meeting, held at First Baptist Church, Alexandria, highlights the theme “Free Indeed,” based on John 8:36. More business will be handled during the Wednesday morning session.

Women in ministry report

Messengers heard an update on the work of a task force focused on women in ministry. During last year’s meeting, messengers approved a motion from the floor which requested that the BGAV executive board appoint a 7-member task force to “explore programs, resources, policies, initiatives and relationships which further support and advocate for women in pastoral, ministerial and leadership roles among Virginia Baptists.”

During the Tuesday report, the task force recommended that women in BGAV leadership be recognized and offered training and that BGAV works with churches/ministry partners to provide assistance for churches navigating the process of employing female as clergy. The report also offered suggestions related to how human resources might function at BGAV institutionally. The report recognized church autonomy and that churches are not required to take action.

No action was taken by messengers at this time, and future action would be left to the executive board, and they will report back to messengers during next year’s meeting. The full report can be found in the book of reports or online at meeting.bgav.org.

Budget

Next year’s proposed budget total is $7,193,750. David Washburn, BGAV treasurer, noted it was a budget increase of 1.86% overall increase from the 2024 budget of $7,061,860. Messengers are expected to vote on the proposed budget during Wednesday’s morning business session.

“I don’t know if my 11 years that I’ve brought you a budget that had an increase over the previous year,” Washburn noted. “It’s reflective of your generosity.”

The BGAV will continue to offer the four distinct giving plans that were piloted in 2024. Overall, estimated receipts for 2025 in this budget are more than $18.1 million. The first plan is BGAV only, where all money given will support BGAV and its ministries. For churches that want to connect with missional opportunities beyond BGAV, they began to offer in 2024 three “BGAV plus” options. Those options split churches’ gifts between BGAV and other ministry partners, allocating 72% for BGAV ministries and 28% for the other groups as specified in each plan.

He did point out in “BGAV plus partner ministries” that there is “something new” this year. “It’s BGAV news and resources, and this is funding for internal production of original news and resources for BGAV churches. That will be distributed via traditional and emerging platforms.”

During the business session, messengers heard one motion from the floor regarding more transparency to the budgeting process, but that motion did not pass.

‘Freedom in Community’

The morning session opened with a message from Miriam Swanson, executive director of Fusion, a ministry that focuses on helping equip churches to minister to college students in their community.

Reflecting on Luke 2, Swanson looked at Christ’s life as a young boy and how his parents and family didn’t realize he was missing from their group until a day into their return journey from Jerusalem.

“They trusted he was with the family,” she said. “Here’s a wonderful example of freedom in community for us. … What if we actually saw others as family, as children, as extensions of our own children when they move into your towns to go to college?”

Swanson said she struggles with that trust in many churches these days.

“I don’t actually trust at the moment that if we sent our 18 year old off to university somewhere else that the local church is ready to receive them really well,” she said. “I don’t actually trust that they’re making the jump. The stats would say they’re not.”

Many churches must continue to work to receive one another’s children with open arms.

“We’ve got some work to do. We’re still seeing a lot of the youth group go missing,” she said. “Where are they? The low bar is we just pray they come back if they want their kids in Sunday School when they’re in their 30s — and that’s really low bar. It’s really low bar to take a decade off of discipleship.”

She asked “How are we installing a homing device in the next generation. … Do they know how to get home? Do they know Who home is?”

To watch this year’s meeting via livestream, click here. The Tuesday evening session begins at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This report was compiled by The Baptist Paper, with reporting from Baptist General Association of Virginia.

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