Parham Raps Southern Baptists for Lack of Fiscal Accountability

Ethics Daily has published a story about the recent SBC Executive Committee recommendation for tighter financial controls.

This recommendation is about fifteen years overdue. Robert Parham raps the Executive Committee for their laxity on financial matters:

"Discerning Southern Baptist laity will understand the SBC Executive Committee's action is an admission of the lack of fiscal responsibility, no genuine transparency and the abandonment of faithful biblical stewardship," Parham said. "When church members give sacrificially, they expect agency heads to live modest lifestyles, not those of the current SBC agency heads with Cooperative Program funded cars, first-class airline tickets, memberships in private clubs, four-star hotels, and salaries that provide for tailor-made suits and manicures."

"When agency trustees approve compensation packages at the levels of for-profit companies, they've long since left the carpenter who had no place to call home," Parham said. "Adopting new business procedures will accomplish little if trustees fail to exercise fiduciary responsibility and guard sacrificially given funds. If the SBC Executive Committee is serious, it should be the first to engage in public disclosure.