Shaped by the Cooperative Program

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. – Galatians 6:9-10

I may be a young Southern Baptist, but my life has been shaped by the Cooperative Program – an initiative begun by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1925 to help support missions and ministries locally, nationally, and internationally.  When people, through their churches, give to the Cooperative Program, the money doesn’t just go to one specific area or place, the money is sent to state convention missions and ministries and then a certain remainder of that (depending on the state) is sent on to the national level.  Once that money reaches the national level, it is then portioned out to five different areas of Southern Baptist life.  See the chart at the end of this blog post to understand exactly what these five areas include.  It is in some of these different areas where I see the story of my life and realize just how much the Cooperative Program has shaped me. 

Theological Education: Without the Cooperative Program, my dad would have been unable to attend seminary.  When I was six years old, my family moved from western North Carolina to Louisville, Kentucky so that my dad could pursue a Master of Divinity degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; something he had dreamed of since he was a teenager.  It was there he was able to learn and develop a passion for ministry; later passing that knowledge and passion on to me.  The Cooperative Program made it possible for tuition costs to be reduced for him so that he could attend and have a solid education at a seminary, and still be able to support and provide for me, my sisters, and my mom.

My family at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary ('97)

International Missions: Without the Cooperative Program, my family would have been unable to go to the mission field.  When I was ten years old, my family was called to Hong Kong as missionaries; a calling that my parents had since childhood.  At the time, many people questioned my parents as to why they would move themselves and their three daughters to a completely different country, away from family and friends.  Their response – “It’s the best thing we could do for them.”  They were so right.  Living overseas and watching the Great Commission being literally lived out before my eyes changed my mindset and my heart most definitely for the better.  The Cooperative Program made it possible for the International Mission Board to send us overseas and provide for us halfway around the world.

My family as missionaries in East Asia ('99)

SBC Operating Budget: Without the Cooperative Program, I would not have the opportunity to be in the job in which I currently work.  I am employed by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention as the Publications Specialist, a job that I regularly call my “dream job” because of how much I love this denomination.  When I was a younger adult, I didn’t really know about the Executive Committee, but came to learn about it through attending the SBC Annual Meetings and volunteering as a Page.  The Annual Meetings helped develop my knowledge of the Southern Baptist Convention and invoke an even greater passion for it.  The Cooperative Program makes it possible not only for me to have a job here, but it also makes it possible for events like the Annual Meeting to happen so that the denomination can continue to grow and flourish.

Volunteering as a SBC Page at the 2012 Annual Meeting in New Orleans

It’s so humbling to sit back and look at the short story of my life and see how the Cooperative Program has shaped it.  Without the Cooperative Program, so much of what my life is today would have never been possible – I wouldn’t know the things I know, love the things I love, or dream the way I dream without it. 

We young people may not say it enough, but thank you Southern Baptists for believing in and giving to an initiative where you may be unable to see the fruits of your gifts.  Still today, your gifts are making dreams for theological education, international missions, operations of the denomination, as well as national missions and representation in the political arena, possible and able to continue. 

What kind of legacy will you leave behind? One where God is a close second or where He is number one? One where you go to church whenever you feel like it or one where you invest yourself in His work in His house? One where you keep to yourself or one where you shine His light in your words and actions? Let’s be resolute in continuing to support and uphold a legacy of giving so that the Cooperative Program has the chance to do and shape even more lives for the furtherance of the Kingdom.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”  Your gifts to the Cooperative Program allow good to happen all across this world.  Don’t grow weary in your giving; you are making a difference, you are impacting lives for the Gospel, you are shaping lives – just like you have shaped mine – and one day we will all reap the gift of gathering together in heaven to worship the God we serve as one body, united in Him.  What a day that will be!