News Open Letter From IM's CFO

January 11th, 2012

Dear IM Partner:

If you follow news from Free Will Baptist International Missions, you have likely heard about the board’s decision to postpone missionary deployments. Let me assure you, this decision was reached only after much anguish and prayer. International Missions is facing a true crisis. Our cash reserves are simply too low to continue to absorb the short-term and periodic losses inherent within our cyclical yet unpredictable flow of income.

The board issued specific statements concerning their decision. The full news release is available on our website (www.fwbgo.com), but the statement concerning cash reserves says, “cash reserves [must] reach a sustainable level of 10% of the operational budget.” During this same meeting, the board adopted a 2012 operational working budget of $6,100,000. Ten percent of this operational budget equals $610,000. The Mission’s cash reserves low point in early December 2011 was about $350,000. With the financial shortfalls of recent years, this balance is simply insufficient for the Mission’s operation. We need to increase the cash reserves balance in excess of $610,000—and sustain it. That is $260,000 more than where we were the first week of December 2011.

Over the last month or so, we’ve received numerous phone calls as well as inquiries through our website asking for these specific dollar amounts. Office staff and missionaries have repeatedly been asked, “What does sustainable mean?” In our minds, sustainable takes on two meanings. First, the benchmark of $610,000 has been achieved. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, cash reserves remain undiminished by operational, budgeted expenditures and begin to grow through identifiable monthly/annual increments. Simply stated, we need to see cash reserves in excess of $610,000 AND we need to see this balance has been reached with ongoing and identifiable increases—not a one-time surge in cash gifts. Don’t get me wrong, a cash gift surge would be deeply appreciated, provide a tremendous financial boost, and send an encouraging message to our missionaries.

However, over the long-term, we must see increased giving that offsets the financial shortfalls of the last few years. Bottom line: for missionaries to return to their fields we must see operational income exceed operational expenses by $260,000, and have a high level of confidence this increased support is ongoing. This is achievable when individuals and churches consistently support the overseas church planting efforts of International Missions through monthly faith-promise giving, church budget giving/tithing, and continued giving through existing channels and programs.

Please consider what you or your church can do to help send our workers back to their mission fields to reach those who have yet to hear a clear presentation of the gospel.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or wish to talk through this further.

For His Glory,

Robert Conley
Director of Financial Operations/CFO
rob@fwbgo.com