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Meet David Melber,
Chief Operating Officer
David Melber serves as the chief operating officer, and among his duties is the responsibility of ensuring that all financial resources received through the Cooperative Program and other offerings are gratefully received, responsibility managed and correctly disbursed. Dr. Gerald Harris conducted the interview.
Question: How does your background qualify you to assist in planning budgets, keeping financial records and appropriately disbursing funds?
My professional career includes serving as the vice president of operations and acquisi- tions for a large national company with over $100 million in annual revenue. The oversight was for approximately 30 locations across the eastern half of the U.S. We started the process of taking the company public through an ini- tial public offering (IPO) but ended up selling the company to another public company for approximately $200 million.
Following that experience, I began to sense that God was calling me into ministry, and I served for 13 years as the CEO of Crossings Ministries (CM), a gospel-focused camping ministry in Kentucky. When CM acquired the Baptist Haiti Mission with a 100-bed hospi- tal, 360 schools, a network of 350 churches, a trade school, camps and a self-help retail op- eration, I became the chairman of that min- istry as well. It was a multifaceted ministry that gave me great experience in managing mission dollars given from the U. S., Canada and the Netherlands. Prior to coming to the GBMB, I served as president of Send Relief with the North American Mission Board for four years. All along the way God has given me the privilege of providing oversight and leadership of budgets of varying sizes and all
with certain complexities. I have also dealt with property construction and management, business acquisitions, and budget develop- ment and management of various-size enti- ties that were both revenue-generating and donor-supported.
Q: Individuals are to be good stewards of their finances. How important is it for the GBMB to prove itself a good steward of the monies received from our churches?
This cannot be overstated. As an entity that is fully funded by revenue coming through the Cooperative Program and Mission Geor- gia offerings, the biblical accountability and the accountability to thousands of donors (churches) is top priority. We want to take a step toward a normal audit each year. While an audit is good and necessary, we can demon- strate good stewardship by even going a step further. Transparency is the key; transparency in detail must be our goal. We should always provide more specific detail to our Executive Committee, Administration Committee and Budget Committee than is requested. We are serving in a day and time that skepticism is rampant towards religious entities, and for us to create trust and transparency our systems, reporting and practices have to be above re- proach in every way.
Q: What steps, processes and protocol are in place to ensure that the money is properly allocated and distributed?
David Melber
Audits and the approval of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountabil- ity is commendable; there is more we can do prove our accountability. Capin- Crouse is helping us build a system of internal policies and practices which will
Providing gospel-centered care in every Georgia community
By Lorna Bius | Mission Georgia Mobilizer lbius@gabaptist.org, 770-936-5326
Mission Georgia is an initiative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to bring gos- pel-centered care through local churches to the most vulnerable in Georgia. Compelled to love our neighbors as Christ commands, Mission Georgia strengthens efforts to send Georgia Baptist churches into our own com- munities with His transforming message.
For many years Mission Georgia has sup- ported Georgia Baptist programs through an annual offering and prayer emphasis. GBMB Executive Director Thomas Hammond ini- tiated an expanded role for the state mis- sions offering in 2019 to mobilize churches throughout the year to serve individuals who are often in the most difficult circumstances.
Mission Georgia is bringing concentrated attention to five specific needs, each of which are well documented in every county of our
Foster Care & Adoption Human Trafficking Childhood Literacy Pre/Post Natal Care Refugees & Internationals
Courtesy | Beth Ann Williams Lorna Bius shares with over 40 attendees at the first in-person
Mission Georgia Roundtable, which took place April 1 at Bethle- hem Church in Bethlehem, Ga.
state. Individuals facing these issues are often far from church activities. Many are children and youth. The needs of neighbors provide an opportunity for churches to share help and hope. But we must go to them where they are. As Psalm 4:6 says, “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’” As we serve tangi- ble needs, we have the opportunity to address their greatest need – life in Christ.
2021 Initiatives Featuring Foster Care and Childhood Literacy
Mission Georgia has two primary initia- tives this year.
4 Foster Kids helps churches find ways to serve foster care families. If each church com- mits to serving four children, we will cover
the entire foster care system of Georgia with the love of Christ.
21 in 21 highlights Read Georgia, a pro- gram connecting churches with schools to help kids with sight words. Church volunteers can help change the trajectory of a child’s life by simply helping them become better read- ers.
Mission Georgia is also working with exist- ing ministries to “model and multiply” com- munity missions. Some ministries meet wom- en in a crisis pregnancy with compassionate and proactive help. Others work to prevent children from being trafficked and bring restoration to those who have been victims. Churches with internationals and refugees help us see the opportunity to live Acts 1:8 in our own zip code as we reach the nations who are now our neighbors.
A love offering to Georgia, from Georgia
As the Georgia Baptist family, we have a unique opportunity to make a greater impact in our state through Mission Georgia. Praying together, giving together and serving togeth- er, we are advancing the gospel together in significant ways.
Connecting with Mission Georgia is sim- ple. Email info@missiongeorgia.org or vis- it missiongeorgi.org and fill out an interest form. You can also call Lorna Bius.
become a part of our financial department. These practices put in place the appropri- ate financial controls and reporting that give our Executive Committee members a deeper, comprehensive view into our finances.
This process will demonstrate to our churches a level of visibility that is necessary. Our future process of educating and equip- ping our Executive Committee members will include educating them on understanding financial statements and internal controls so they are enabled to understand all the infor- mation they are receiving through our re- ports.
Our current plans are to build a new ac- counting/financial system (software) that will facilitate even greater accountability and hopefully inspire trust. Our target is to have the new system in place and operational during June 2021. The new systems will cre- ate simplicity of structure with depth of de- tail to provide real-time reports at any level required.
GEORGIA BAPTIST MISSION BOARD SPECIAL EDITION