“Southern Baptists don’t give sacrificially so that we can leave money unspent.”
– Dr. Kevin Ezell, Baptist Press, November 13th, 2015.
Actual financial reports indicate, that massive amounts of money from Cooperative Program receipts have not been spent but instead stockpiled in reserve funds, investments, and property that could possibly be sold and converted back into cash.
Total Assets: $423 Million (Up $66.5 Million from 2010)
Reserves: $223 Million (up 415% since 2010)
Total Operating Budget: Down $16.5 Million (down 12% since 2010)
When church plants and baptisms are at record lows, why has NAMB’s leadership stockpiled funds rather than sending them out to the front lines?
When church plants and baptisms are at record lows, why has NAMB’s leadership stockpiled funds rather than sending them out to the front lines?
Despite Dr. Ezell’s statement above, hundreds of millions of Cooperative Program dollars have been stockpiled rather than going back into the field.
It has been reported that actual NAMB guidelines mandate a reserve fund in the neighborhood of $70 Million. Instead, reserves have swollen to $223 Million. Assets are up to $423 million, and investments are up $77 million from 2010. Even taking into account NAMB’s astronomical spending on church plants, it seems that a lower percentage of the funds NAMB receives is making it out to the field.
NAMB has purchased a lot of property for “infrastructure” recently.
In their 2017 reportNAMB stated that, “NAMB is providing 89 missionary residences scattered among the Send Cities to enable planters to settle into their assignment for the first six to twenty-four months of their ministry…”
In actuality although houses had been purchased in Send Cities, empty land and homes purchased not in or near Send Cities. In fact some of the homes purchased were luxury homes like the $415,000 condo purchased in Alpharetta, Georgia or the $475,000 home purchased in Tucson, Arizona that is listed below.
The Arizona Home
In 2016, your donations were used to purchase 5141 N Apache Hills Trail, Tucson, AZ 85750. Although NAMB now openly states that they purchase properties outside of SEND cities, at that time, that was not the case. That property was not in a Send City and cost $475,000 in a city where the average home price is $179,000. Even other homes in the same area of Tucson can be found for almost $200,000 less.
Check out on zillow what Annie Armstrong donations bought.
List of Properties
| Address | City | State | Purchased | Cost |
| SENECA PL | Mars | PA | 8/8/2019 | $350,000 |
| BAILEY AVE | Pittsburgh | PA | 9/24/2019 | $350,000 |
| BAILEY AVE | Pittsburgh | PA | 10/6/2017 | $500,000 |
| BAILEY AVE | Pittsburgh | PA | 10/7/2019 | $782,500 |
| BAILEY AVE | Pittsburgh | PA | 9/30/2019 | – |
| KAMBACH ST | Pittsburgh | PA | 9/30/2019 | – |
| BAILEY AVE | Pittsburgh | PA | 9/30/2019 | – |
| S JAMESTOWN RD | Corapolis | PA | 6/7/2018 | $260,000 |
| HASTINGS PARK DR | Bridgeville | PA | 6/4/2019 | $325,990 |
| CELEBRATION CIR | Bridgeville | PA | 2/2/2018 | $85,000 |
| W. Adam Ave | Peoria | AZ | 1/8/2016 | $227,000 |
| S Ash St. | Phoenix | AZ | 2/18/2016 | $227,000 |
| N Apache Hills Tr, | Tuscon | AZ | 10/27/2016 | $475,000 |
| N Clybourn Ave | Burbank | CA | 12/3/2014 | $752,507 |
| Chandler Blvd ??? | Burbank | CA | ||
| PACIFICA WAY #03 | Oceanside | CA | 8/17/2016 | $515,000 |
| Eagle Dr. #1001 | Santee | CA | 6/1/2017 | $510,500 |
| Escala Cir. | San Diego | CA | 6/30/2017 | $505,000 |
| W 83RD DR | Arvada | CO | $530,000 | |
| SW 46 ST | Miami | FL | 6/3/2015 | $299,000 |
| SW 46 ST | Miami | FL | 5/29/2015 | $299,000 |
| Park Place Unit A | West Palm Beach | FL | Jul-15 | $352,000 |
| Woodlands Trail Unit 13 | Alpharetta | GA | 1/17/2017 | $414,900 |
| Liberty Commons Dr. | Atlanta | GA | 9/17/2014 | $178,963 |
| Randolph St. NE | Atlanta | GA | 11/15/2016 | $440,500 |
| 24th St. | Des Moines | IA | 5/24/2017 | $210,000 |
| W Washburne Ave. | Chicago | IL | 7/6/1905 | $280,000 |
| Cameron Dr. | Elgin | IL | 6/1/2017 | $195,000 |
| Comstock Dr. | Elgin | IL | 11/30/2016 | $190,000 |
| Pine Valley Court | Elgin | IL | 12/14/2016 | $239,000 |
| COLFAX LN | Indianapolis | IN | 10/31/2014 | $131,000 |
| COLFAX LN | Indianapolis | IN | 11/25/2014 | $125,000 |
| Neponset Ct. Apt. 3 | Boston | MA | 12/9/2013 | $395,000 |
| Reni Lane | Framingham | MA | 11/9/2017 | $570,800 |
| Hudson St | Milton | MA | 10/27/2016 | $525,000 |
| Ryder Road | Weymouth | MA | 2/17/2011 | $250,000 |
| Fait Ave. | Baltimore | MD | Oct-14 | $305,000 |
| South Macon Street | Baltimore | MD | Oct-14 | $310,000 |
| Ironwood Ln, | Hanover | MD | 9/9/2016 | $360,000 |
| Necker Ave. | Nottingham | MD | 9/27/2016 | $376,000 |
| Donald St. | Livonia | MI | 7/6/2016 | $215,000 |
| Villagewood Dr | South Lyon | MI | 8/13/2015 | $427,500 |
| Lyncastle | Farmington Hills | MI | 9/16/2016 | $240,000 |
| Carrol Ave | Saint Paul | MN | 5/1/2016 | $290,000 |
| Mainline Station | Morrisville | NC | 7/5/2016 | $250,000 |
| Roundhouse Lane | Morrisville | NC | 5/10/2016 | $260,000 |
| ANCONA DR | Enterprise | NV | 5/15/2013 | $168,000 |
| Crescent Falls St., | Las Vegas | NV | 11/6/2015 | $271,801 |
| LUCIA DR | Las Vegas | NV | 6/21/2013 | $160,000 |
| ANCONA | Las Vegas | NV | May-13 | $140,000 |
| Brotherton Rd | Cincinnati | OH | 3/30/2016 | $249,000 |
| Cottingham Dr. | Cincinnati | OH | 5/12/2016 | $174,900 |
| Detriot Ave. NW2 | Clevland | OH | 1/21/2015 | $68,000 |
| Euclid Heights Blvd Unit 6 | Clevland | OH | 2/29/2016 | $123,500 |
| Kingston Rd., | Clevland | OH | $140,000 | |
| Detroit Ave. Unit EW1 | Clevland | OH | 10/30/2014 | $99,000 |
| Bluewing Ct. | Columbus | OH | 5/12/2016 | $270,000 |
| NW 161st St | OK City | OK | 2/28/2017 | $189,500 |
| NW 161st St. | OK City | OK | 2/28/2017 | $189,500 |
| NW 162nd St | OK City | OK | 10/27/2017 | $197,500 |
| N. 19th St. | Philadelphia | PA | 1/29/2014 | $174,000 |
NAMB is worth saving, but we cannot do that by ignoring what is currently wrong.
Mega Church Millions: When it comes to church planting there is almost no transparency from NAMB.
Unlike years past, we do not know how many planters are funded. Unlike years past Baptist conventions and associations are largely cut out from the church planting relationship, and know little of what really happens.
NAMB not only has the required six month ($60,000,000) operational contingency fund in cash reserves in the bank, they have an additional $178,750,000 in reserves
Here is a list of the properties, prices, taxes paid, and who they are supposedly connected to where we were able to find out.
$62 Million + $870K in Annual Property Taxes to help less than 15% of current Church Plants. Is this really the best strategy to turn around our 30 year low in church planting?