As a baby boomer, I had the privilege of experiencing childhood and adolescence in the Bible Belt. Circlewood Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa played a massive role in providing a good foundation in faith and service. My parents, Luther and Mattie, modeled the Christian life for their family, served in the church and gave of their [...]
Eastern Shore Baptist Church supports the Cooperative Program because we believe in the Great Commission. The Cooperative Program provides an avenue for an ordinary church member to actively partner with missionaries at home and abroad. Our CP giving unites our church to all other generous churches around the globe as we seek to make disciples [...]
On a shelf, right behind my desk, is a Bible given to me by my parents on my seventh birthday. On the front page of the Bible are several names of international missionaries who came through our house when my dad was stationed at Clark Air Force Base. I was just a child, but I [...]
Guest post by Dr. Paul Chitwood, Executive Director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention At our dinner table last night, our 13-year-old guest turned to me and asked abruptly, “Do you know why I’m glad my sister is here?” Our guest comes to visit once a week. She is working her way through a residential treatment program, trying [...]
The Cooperative Program: An Answer to The Prayer and The Mission The Prayer: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world [...]
I was called to ministry in a Southern Baptist church. I finished college at Oklahoma Baptist University, and it was made affordable to me because of the Cooperative Program. I graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Seminaries from groups other than Southern Baptists are very expensive. My seminary degree probably cost 50 percent because [...]
“I believe in the Cooperative Program, because it is one of the most effective tools to help churches fulfill the mission mandate of Acts 1:8. When we give through the Cooperative Program, we are able to reach people and places with the Gospel message that we as individuals could never reach. Our gifts have a multiplied effect when [...]
We have been talking about this change for years now. However, like most of the legal and financial challenges facing churches, the real focus does not gain attention until the law is applied. Well, it is here and it becomes effective December 1, 2016. Now the question is “What does this mean for churches, associations [...]
I had the blessing of growing up in a Southern Baptist church that taught and supported the Cooperative Program. These lessons came alive when missionaries visited and spoke at our church, telling us the results of giving. The greatest impact for me personally was with our seminaries that made education and training possible for me as I pursued [...]
Church offerings are becoming a frequent target for thieves. In recent years a safe containing church offerings was stolen from a Mobile church. Two armed men robbed offerings from a Montgomery church. Thieves broke into a Shelby County church and stole church offerings. “Would-be thieves find easy pickings in most churches and it starts with [...]