
The annual update from Operations and Finance Director Wayne Schache for 2024.
Tēnā koutou katoa
The 2024 reporting year has been a very significant one for the Baptist Union. It has been dominated by the sale of our properties at Great South Road, Penrose at the end of 2023 and the purchase of the Marewa Road, Greenlane site in July 2024. These are probably two of the most significant transactions in a generation or two. While it is a very exciting time, there is still a lot of work to happen over 2025 to ensure that the premises are ready for our move at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. The investment in the new property is truly a family affair, with Carey Baptist College taking the large proportion of ownership in the property and the Northern Baptist Association, the National Support Centre and Arotahi all taking smaller ownership interests. The building is designed not only to house us but also to create passive income in the future for all investors.
The annual national hui (Assembly) hosted by Manukau City Baptist Church in November 2023, “Baptists – Shaping our Future”, was a great time for the whānau to come together and engage in some really big conversations. These “Big Bite” conversations were thought-provoking, confronting and challenging. They served as introductions into what has subsequently been a big year of consultation around constitutional change and discussions around how we, as a movement, deal with serious misconduct. The November 2024 hui in Rangiora, “Justice, Mercy, Humility”, was the next step in shaping our movement into the future. We expect this process to continue for at least another year – at regional hui and the 2025 national hui. We are a group of wide-thinking people, and we need to consider this as we discuss the big issues and prepare our movement for the next 20–30 years.
Regional hui were great times for connecting and consulting. For the second year in a row, the number of our people engaging in the regional hui increased to the previous year. One of our regions hosted a women’s event double the size of their regional hui. What a fantastic example of talking, collaborating, and associating – being Baptist.
A highlight of the year was developing a Child Protection Policy for churches to use with the assistance of Child Matters. The development of this policy and the training of 300 of our leaders in association with the Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning was funded by a legacy.
On an operational basis, 2024 has been another financially challenging year for the movement. The financial pressures of the cost-of-living crisis have meant that our Committed Church Giving dropped a further 6% on last year’s drop of 7%. Over two years, this has had a $100,000 impact. Interest rates have had a mixed effect on our investment income – term deposits positive, property investments and Christian Savings Ltd dividend negative. Net drop in investment income accounts for $60,000.
Non-operational impacts of the non-refundable deposit received on-site at Great South Road and the building of net revenue from Hillside property, which we set aside for end-of-lease liabilities in 2026, offset the operational deficits of our other entities.
We are very grateful for the Christian Savings Ltd dividend, which, along with Committed Church Giving, is the movement’s most critical source of income. When both are reduced, this impacts our ability to resource and support churches as we would wish to.
The Baptist Children’s Trust still supports Iosis Ltd but has also seen some pressure concerning historical abuse claims for the Manurewa Children’s Home.
2025 will be another very busy one as we seek to fit out and then relocate into our new building in Greenlane. The movement will also determine our response to the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care and how that looks at a local church level. There are things we can start doing now and things we will need to wait for government guidance on before we can practically respond.
I continue to see a very bright future for the Baptists of New Zealand. Confirming good governance structures and allocating resources effectively for gospel renewal will continue to be our priority. I look forward to continuing to work with you as we shape the Baptist movement for the generations to whom we will pass on the baton.
This update is from the 2024 Annual Report of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, which you can view here.
Photo: Baptist National Hui 2023. By Morgan Dews.