Foreign Mission Board Rooms
January 12, 1956
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 300 p.m. on
Thursday, January 12, 1956, with Dr. Cousins presiding.
Present: Solon B. Cousins, W. Rush Loving, Perry Mitchell, Mrs. Clyde V.
Hickerson, Mrs. EarlBrown, John M. Lewis, Howard L. Arthur, Elton Phillips,
Mrs. Kenneth Burke, J. E. Boyles, E.
г
. Buxton, C. Bailey Jones, P. Earle
Wood, H. B. Tillman, Neal Ellis, Baker J. Cauthen, Frank K. Means, Eugene
L. Hill, Fon H. Scofield, Elmer S. West, E. L. Wright, E. L. Deane.
Mr. Ellis led in prayer.
Dr. Cauthen gave the following report:
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
We come to this meeting of the Board impressed by evidences that Southern
Baptists are definitely determining to have a world ministry on a greater
scale.
First of all, we are encouraged because of the Advance Section of the Coopera¬
tive Program. After the Southwide Budget of the Cooperative Program is
reached, 75 per cent of all receipts come to the Foreign Mission Board and
25 per cent to the Home Mission Board. In 1955 the Southwide Budget was
reached in the first week of October. By the close of December we received
from the Advance Section of the Cooperative Program the total of $1,836,630.83.
The significance of this large sum of money is seen in the fact that in 1953
we received from these funds $998,520.73, in 195b we received $1,297,123.11;.
The remarkable increase from $998,520.73 to $1,836,630.83 in tv» years' time
indicates the determination of Southern Baptists to support the Cooperative
Program, and make rossible a greater world ministry.
Every dollar of this money will go for advance in world missions. The amount
of $800,000 has already been appropriated, $600,000 of which was applied to
the 1956 budget, thereby making possible advance, and $200,000 has been appro¬
priated for the headquarters building of the Foreign Mission Board. Recommen¬
dations will be brought for $300,000 for each of the three areas of work.
Recommendations will be presented today for a part of these quotas as follows:
Latin America, $23b,l66.1|2; Africa, Europe and the Near East, $235,267.10;
The Orient, $250,000.00. Later appropriations bringing the full amount up
to $300,000 per area will be presented.
All of these recommendations have been carefully studied. Requests originated
in the missions through their committees and were approved by mission action.
The area secretaries and the executive secretary have given study to these
items and they are being recommended to you with confidence that they repre¬
sent vitally needed steps which should be taken at this time.
The sum of $35,000 will be recommended to make possible production and dis¬
tribution of a missionary education and promotion motion picture film as a
sequel to "Recruits for Christ." The emphasis of this film will be that
increased giving will be essential to a greater world mission effort.
The remainder of the money totaling $101,630.83 will be earmarked for recom¬
mendations making possible advance steps in evangelism and church development.
We h- ve observed in the last eight or ten years that it has been possible to
implement certain special measures which have accelerated the work on the
fields to a great degree.
We remember the two preaching missions conducted in Japan. During the first
preaching mission there were four ministers from this country, and in the
second preaching mission there were eight. It would be conservative to say
that the work in Japan was advanced at least five years by the accomplishments
of those two preaching missions. Entry was made into cities where a hearing
was obtained and a nucleus was gathered whereby missionaries and Japanese
leaders found themselves several years ahead of anything that would have been
otherwise possible.
