Update on First Baptist Decatur and Scott Boulevard Baptist Merger
The following is the latest update on the Scott Boulevard Baptist and First Baptist Decatur merger. To see the previous update, click here. FBCD members will be receiving the following update both electronically (if opted in) and via mail.
Dear Members and Friends of First Baptist Decatur:
The following is the proposed merger of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church (SBBC) with First Baptist Church of Decatur (FBCD):
For the past five years, SBBC has been called to the mission of serving older adults, focusing on those who are homebound or alone. With the merger of the two churches, both churches’ leaderships feel God’s hand is leading to the development of a unique, comprehensive ministry to senior adults to be called the Legacy Ministry. It is vitally important to honor and maintain the legacy of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church. Promoting this goal will be achieved through the Legacy Ministry.
It is hoped that the Legacy Ministry will become a model that other churches and religious organizations will want to emulate as they address the needs of their senior citizens. The SBBC Pastor and Associate Pastor will focus on developing and administering the Legacy Ministry to include pastoral care to active and in-active senior adults of both current churches.
The Legacy Ministry will be guided and directed by a Legacy Ministry Advisory Team to be comprised of current SBBC and FBCD members and outside experienced and willing resources. It is hoped and prayed that this Legacy Ministry will become a growth avenue for church membership.
Dr. Bill Neal of FBCD who has provided extraordinary pastoral care and leadership services to FBCD, at no cost to the church throughout 2019, will return to full church membership as of January 1, 2020. Much of his pastoral care duties will become the responsibility of SBBC’s Associate Pastor.
SBBC’s membership, programs, and operations will be merged into these same functions of FBCD. The name following the merger will be the First Baptist Church of Decatur. All church members from children to senior adults will benefit from the expanded church membership resources and the expanded ministerial staff.
Timeline
A Celebration Service, with a suggested date of March 29, 2020, is being planned when the SBBC members will become members of FBCD through FBCD’s normal membership inclusion practices as outlined in FBCD’s by-laws. Naturally, SBBC members will have the opportunity to make their own decisions as to becoming members of FBCD or some other church. The administrative & financial consolidation of the two churches is planned for an April 1, 2020 commencement.
Each church will present the proposed merger to its respective congregation for approval prior to the effective date of the merger. Per the by-laws of each church, an announcement with the appropriate informational/resolution documents will be distributed to each congregation at least two weeks prior to the congregational votes. FBCD is planning to vote on the merger at its March 1, 2020 Congregational Meeting and SBBC’s vote is being planned for its March 22, 2020 Business Meeting.
The Proposed Process
The joint merger committee comprised of Crawford Jenkins, Bob Peterman, Norma Rushing, and Angie Stuckey of SBBC and Gwen Cottrell, Ronnie Jowers, Jim Manley, and Jenny McCurdy of FBCD, with Greg Smith and David Jordan serving as co-chairs, are actively working on the merger details.
The merger committee is comprised of three (3) subcommittees focusing on: 1) Membership and Assimilation; 2) Personnel; and 3) Legal and Financial. Key focus areas of each sub-committee are as follows:
1) Membership and Assimilation:
This sub-committee is developing recommendations on how best to incorporate SBBC and its membership into the full and welcoming fellowship of FBCD.
During the altar call on Celebration Sunday, Dr. Jordan will invite all SBBC members present to come forward to transfer their SBBC membership to FBCD. Then the FBCD congregation will be asked to affirm these transfers by saying “Welcome” or “Amen.” As per FBCD policy, at the next FBCD congregational meeting, the church will vote these SBBC members’ requests officially into FBCD membership. SBBC members not present on Celebration Sunday may join FBCD’s membership as per FBCD’s normal practices.
After the Celebration Sunday service, a covered dish luncheon in Carreker Hall will be held for all members to meet, greet, and celebrate the merger.
The current SBBC Sunday School class members will be apprised of FBCD Sunday School classes that each may want to join.
This subcommittee will work with FBCD leadership to incorporate current SBBC members into the FBCD Deaconate, Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, and other key, relevant leadership committees/teams of FBCD through FBCD’s election processes. To date, FBCD has sent all SBBC members a listing of all FBCD committees and teams seeking to find SBBC members’ interest in serving their new church. On November 24, 2019 at its congregational meeting, FBCD appointed several current SBBC members to the FBCD Deaconate, Finance Committee, and Personnel Committee to become effective upon the merger’s approval.
2) Personnel:
SBBC’s Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Administrative Assistant (part-time) will physically remain in their current FBCD office location. These SBBC positions will be fully funded (salary, benefits, administrative, and developmental costs) from the SBBC Legacy Operating Fund (see below). The SBBC Pastor and Associate Pastor will become full and active members of the FBCD Ministerial Staff.
As per the Personnel Committee’s current roles, it will oversee the administrative and fiscal aspects of all FBCD employee relations (to include the SBBC employees) such as job titles and descriptions; remuneration and benefit levels; and other human resource policies and procedures.
3) Legal and Financial:
A Legacy Ministry Operating Fund will be established to fund the Legacy Ministry. This Operating Fund will receive grants from SBBC’s Legacy Fund (a SBBC endowment-type account). The Legacy Ministry Operating Fund will fully fund the SBBC employees’ salary, benefits, administrative, and developmental costs. The startup phase of the Legacy Ministry will be three years, allowing each program to be incrementally, and fully implemented.
After the startup phase, the Legacy Fund will provide funding for at least one staff member to continue the goals and mission of the Legacy Ministry. Said program’s expenses, starting in year four, will be set at levels to be fully covered by the income/growth of the Legacy Fund. Stated differently, from the date of the merger, resources from SBBC will sufficiently cover the costs it brings to the merger. Adjustments to the plan can and will be made accordingly to ensure that the Legacy Ministry’s funding is fully covered by the Legacy Fund.
Commencing with the Celebration Sunday, all tithes and offerings will flow to FBCD and its M.A.P.
The by-laws of both churches are being studied to determine if changes are needed to ensure full compliance throughout this merger process. On the planned April 1, 2020 effective date of the merger, the financial accounting will become a function of FBCD. Issues related to the Endowment/Foundation aspects of both churches to include oversight, spending rate/income issues, governance, etc. are being studied.
Finally, on behalf of both congregations, prayers for all who love FBCD and SBBC! If you have any questions, please send them to Matt Snyder at msnyder@fbcdecatur.com or at 308 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030. Matt will compile the questions for the merger committee to address and then communicate the committee’s responses to both churches.
Sincerely,
The Scott Boulevard Baptist and First Baptist Decatur Merger Committee
Crawford Jenkins, Bob Peterman, Norma Rushing, and Angie Stuckey (SBBC);
Gwen Cottrell, Ronnie Jowers, Jim Manley, and Jenny McCurdy (FBCD); and
David Jordan and Greg Smith, co-chairs