An Open Letter to Our Missions Partner: the International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention

Dr. Jerry Rankin and Trustees of the IMB,

Inasmuch as it is the responsibility of the church—not a denominational entity or parachurch ministry—to set the boundaries of its relationships and stewardship of Kingdom resources, the Elders of Broadview Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, provide this update regarding our partnership with the IMB for 2026.

A few years ago, as good stewards of all the Lord has given us, Broadview Baptist Church established ten biblical values we expect our missions partners to embrace and practice (click HERE for a fuller description of each value):

• Scripture as God’s Word

• Christian doctrine

• Biblical distinctives

• Sanctity of human life

• Sacredness of sexuality

• Multi-ethnic brotherhood in Christ

• Regenerate church membership

• Godly, male pastors

• Priority of disciple-making

• Financial transparency

We also established a Missions Council which, among other responsibilities, brings annual recommendations to the church regarding support for our missions partners.

We remain deeply grateful for the incredible work of IMB missionaries across the globe and for our long history of support for the IMB. However, it has become clear that the IMB does not share one of the biblical values listed above: financial transparency.

Financial transparency in Scripture means direct accountability to the supporting churches—not merely to a select few trustees who withhold financial details from those churches. A biblical model appears in Acts 20:4, 1 Corinthians 16:3–4, and 2 Corinthians 8:18–21 with respect to the Jerusalem offering: the partnering churches sent trusted men to oversee the collection and delivery, and those men returned home to report directly to the supporting congregations that the funds were used properly.

We believe churches today have both the right and responsibility to ensure their Kingdom offerings are used wisely and appropriately, and that our missions partners bear the biblical duty to be financially transparent to us.

We therefore humbly ask you, Dr. Rankin and the IMB Trustees, to publish the equivalent of IRS Form 990 for the churches of the SBC. We do not accept the argument that missionaries would be endangered by doing so, nor that publishing top executive salaries would hinder missions giving. Neither consequence has occurred for Wycliffe Bible Translators or Samaritan’s Purse, both of which publicly post their Form 990s on their websites with no adverse effects.

Because IMB leaders have recently rejected calls for this level of transparency, our Missions Council recommended—and our church unanimously approved—a 2026 budget that reduces the percentage of missions offerings allocated to the IMB. (To ensure the Lord’s missionaries continue their vital work, we have simultaneously tripled the percentage allocated to Wycliffe Bible Translators.)

It is our steadfast desire that IMB leaders soon affirm all ten biblical values we require of missions partners, fully restoring our faith and trust.

In Christ,
The Elders of Broadview Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX