Grace and Truth to You is not afraid to point out what we believe to be decisions that negatively affect the SBC mission efforts or reflect poorly on our desire to expand the kingdom of Christ. On the other hand, Grace and Truth to You desires to give credit to those SBC leaders who either by example or decision making set the standard for Christian leadership in the SBC. Southern Baptist agencies, particularly our seminaries, have recently announced budget cuts for 2009 in order to keep expenses in line with falling revenues. We have criticized some for sending the wrong message with the the wrong kind of budgetary cuts, cuts that affect morale and display no administrative leadership, but today we wish to congragulate a Southern Baptist seminary president for excellent decision making.Baptist Press reports that New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary must cut over $1,000,000 dollars from the budget next year. Dr. Chuck Kelley, President of NOBTS responded to the financial crisis at the seminary, according to BP, in the following manner:
Kelley's plan calls for a 5 percent salary reduction for all faculty and staff members except those who lose medical coverage. The salaries of senior administrators will be reduced by 7 percent. Kelley will receive a 10 percent reduction in salary.
Well done Dr. Kelley. Since your President's salary is the highest salary (as it ought to be), had you simply taken a 7 percent cut, which would have been in line with the cuts of other administrative salaries, you would have received the largest salary reduction in terms of dollar amount. But, you went further. You cut your salary by 3 percentage points more than any other person's salary on the payroll. Your dollar amount reduction will be quite large - significantly larger than anyone else at NOBTS.
We Southern Baptists commend you, Dr. Kelley, for the leadership you have exhibited and the character you have displayed in making such a tough decision.
Well done.
Here's hoping everyone's salaries at NOBTS are fully restored shortly. Were your kind of leadership to be displayed our Convention, our SBC churches would find it very hard to withhold any Cooperative Program funds during tough economic times.
May it be so.
In His Grace,
Wade
