A Needed Source Book for a Rich Heritage About a Wounded Mission Funding Vehicle. (To be followed the first week of June by my life testimony about the Cooperative Program.)
Email comment received from SGH: Thank you, George, for your candid review. Thanks for celebrating what should be while also enumerating needed perspectives for an even stronger, clearer look at CP. As a debtor to CP through all three of my degrees (BA, MDiv, DMin), I will always promote CP as the best tool I know to fund missions and participate in missions, especially through the local church. Godspeed as you continue serving the LORD and his kingdom!
Thank you for your comment. I too am a debtor to CP. It paid my father's salary during @17 years of his @45 year ministry. Paid mine during @25 of my 54 years of ministry before retirement. You mentioned college/university and seminary degrees. It support my BA, MDiv, ThM, and DMin degrees. My first year at Southern Seminary in Louisville there was no tuition to attend. There was a matriculation fee of @$100 per semester, and a student activities fee of @10-15 per semester. It did go up a little bit each year, but was still a tremendous blessing. Basically, CP allowed seminary to be free to SBC students. Compare that to now.
I haven't read the book. I may pick up a copy at the SBC Annual meeting in Dallas. I've been an SBC pastor since 1981, always leading the church I serve to give at least 10% to the Coop Program AND an additional 1-3% to the association. No matter how often I describe the way CP works I'm left with glassy eyed audiences - INCLUDING SBC SEMINARY TRAINED PASTORS! I recently asked a couple of professors of an SBC Seminary how much they teach about associations. The answer: 45 minutes or so. Ever since the 'Great Commission Resurgence' that 'redefines' missional giving I have observed more and more churches reducing their support to the CP (and thus the State Conventions) and eliminating support for associations. When I have asked denominational officials about associations I'm told how important they are...but in reality -at least in the Pacific Northwest - associations have died or are dying. No one seems to remember that associations predate denominations! Since NAMB no longer actively supports associational ministries here in the west and other places as well, I don't see much of a future for the SBC. Connectionalism is not effective at a national or even regional level. The unraveling of the CP is also damaging regional groups such as the Northwest Baptist Convention. I don't see much change coming.
Steve, a decreasing number of people are "all in" to fulfilling the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment. For Southern Baptists to do our part the standard of a minimum of 10% through CP and 3% to associations must be restored. But, it is highly unlikely this may happen. These days it appears more emphasis is placed on SBC being a confessing denomination rather than a missional denomination. Confessing denominations are more likely to decline and lessen their missional efforts. We are following that pattern. George
George, I was deeply impressed by stories of missions and had the opportunity to equip churches internationally to increase their in country missions. My dissertation was on equipping Lay Ministers so I developed materials to make EPH 4 possible here and internationally. Leaders in nearly 100 nations are using our materials. Our current training has nearly 50 Christians from several countries meeting on zoom to learn the basic skills of peaceful evangelism.
Email comment received from SGH: Thank you, George, for your candid review. Thanks for celebrating what should be while also enumerating needed perspectives for an even stronger, clearer look at CP. As a debtor to CP through all three of my degrees (BA, MDiv, DMin), I will always promote CP as the best tool I know to fund missions and participate in missions, especially through the local church. Godspeed as you continue serving the LORD and his kingdom!
Thank you for your comment. I too am a debtor to CP. It paid my father's salary during @17 years of his @45 year ministry. Paid mine during @25 of my 54 years of ministry before retirement. You mentioned college/university and seminary degrees. It support my BA, MDiv, ThM, and DMin degrees. My first year at Southern Seminary in Louisville there was no tuition to attend. There was a matriculation fee of @$100 per semester, and a student activities fee of @10-15 per semester. It did go up a little bit each year, but was still a tremendous blessing. Basically, CP allowed seminary to be free to SBC students. Compare that to now.
I haven't read the book. I may pick up a copy at the SBC Annual meeting in Dallas. I've been an SBC pastor since 1981, always leading the church I serve to give at least 10% to the Coop Program AND an additional 1-3% to the association. No matter how often I describe the way CP works I'm left with glassy eyed audiences - INCLUDING SBC SEMINARY TRAINED PASTORS! I recently asked a couple of professors of an SBC Seminary how much they teach about associations. The answer: 45 minutes or so. Ever since the 'Great Commission Resurgence' that 'redefines' missional giving I have observed more and more churches reducing their support to the CP (and thus the State Conventions) and eliminating support for associations. When I have asked denominational officials about associations I'm told how important they are...but in reality -at least in the Pacific Northwest - associations have died or are dying. No one seems to remember that associations predate denominations! Since NAMB no longer actively supports associational ministries here in the west and other places as well, I don't see much of a future for the SBC. Connectionalism is not effective at a national or even regional level. The unraveling of the CP is also damaging regional groups such as the Northwest Baptist Convention. I don't see much change coming.
Steve, a decreasing number of people are "all in" to fulfilling the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment. For Southern Baptists to do our part the standard of a minimum of 10% through CP and 3% to associations must be restored. But, it is highly unlikely this may happen. These days it appears more emphasis is placed on SBC being a confessing denomination rather than a missional denomination. Confessing denominations are more likely to decline and lessen their missional efforts. We are following that pattern. George
The cooperative Program was a strong force for missions in my life.
And mine. It has been tough to see how it has diminish over the past 45 years.
George, I was deeply impressed by stories of missions and had the opportunity to equip churches internationally to increase their in country missions. My dissertation was on equipping Lay Ministers so I developed materials to make EPH 4 possible here and internationally. Leaders in nearly 100 nations are using our materials. Our current training has nearly 50 Christians from several countries meeting on zoom to learn the basic skills of peaceful evangelism.