Belmont University announced (today/yesterday) it has reached a settlement with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, which picked the school’s board until 2005. Belmont trustees voted at that time to bring in non-Baptist board members which resulted in a lawsuit from the convention to recoup all of its donations since 1951.
The 11-million dollar settlement, spread out over 40 years, isn’t nearly the amount Tennessee Baptist’s were wanting. They sued for more than 50-million dollars because of a 1951 document – signed by both parties – that said convention funds would be returned if the school ever parted ways. Belmont attorneys argued that was merely a historical document.
Belmont board chairman Marty Dickens says the school offered the convention a 5-million dollar cash payment in 2006, which was turned down.
“When it was clear they just wanted cash, we offered 5-million dollars. If you look at this settlement agreement, the net settlement value on that is right around 5-million dollars. We could have saved everybody a lot of conflict.”
Mediation talks broke down last month and the high-stakes trial was scheduled for May. It’s unclear why Baptist officials rejected previous settlement offers.
Belmont has seen explosive growth on campus in recent years. Though the settlement indicates an official parting with the Baptist Convention, Dickens says the school will continue to offer a Christian education based on its Baptist heritage.
Belmont isn’t alone. Baptist universities in Missouri and Georgia have made similar moves to get out from under Baptist control.
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