Messengers to the annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina voted Nov. 16 to keep the convention's four giving plans. But a move to eliminate the plan favored by moderates still looms as a possibility.

Ted Stone, an anti-drug and anti-alcohol activist from Durham, N.C., made a motion to abolish the alternate plans, which let churches pick which organizations to support. His motion called for the state convention to go back to a single plan, with money being divided between North Carolina and the Southern Baptist Convention, deleting money for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and other moderate causes.

Stone's motion, which would have gone into effect with the 2006-07 budget, failed by at least a two-to-one margin on a show of ballots, according to convention officials.

Currently churches giving to the state convention can choose one of four giving plans. In Plan A, the state convention keeps 68 percent of the money and sends 32 percent to the Southern Baptist Convention.

In Plan B, the state convention retains 68 percent and sends 10 percent to the SBC, with the remaining money going to missions partnerships, theological education and other causes. Plan C is similar to Plan B except the 10 percent is sent to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship rather than the SBC. Plans B and C also fund four independent Baptist ministries popular with moderates-the Baptist World Alliance, Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty, Associated Baptist Press and Baptist Center for Ethics.

Under Plan D, the state convention keeps 50 percent and sends 32 percent to the SBC. The other 18 percent goes to the conservative Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute, church-planting efforts and missions partnerships.

In other business, conservative David Horton, pastor of Gate City Baptist Church in Greensboro, was re-elected convention president without opposition for a second one-year term.

Associated Baptist Press

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