‘Tis the Season to Give
Steve Scudder
Director of Missions
In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention devised a plan to partner churches together for support of missionaries serving at home and abroad and to provide opportunity for pastors and other ministers to get an education. This partnership is called the Cooperative Program (CP). Because of this pooling of resources and partnering of efforts, our denomination has put together one of the largest and effective missionary forces.
Yet, the amount of money given by SC churches to the CP has decreased over the past 10 years from 8.95% to 7.74%. This decrease is not a result of people giving less to our churches. In fact, giving to the local church has increased on average 4.68% each year, but giving through the Cooperative Program has increased only 2.73% per year.
If every church in SC increased their giving to the CP by 1%, an additional $2.1 million would be available to assist with the work and support of missionaries around the world and at home and to help men and women be better educated for the work to which God has called them.
Likewise, Savannah River Baptist Association is a partnership of local Southern Baptist churches, united to be used by God to transform our communities, country and world. If every SRBA church gave 4% of its undesignated funds to this partnership effort, SRBA’s budget would exceed $384,000.00. The additional funds could be used to empower our churches, in partnership, to do things like:
- Christian Women/Men Job Corp, an intentional ministry to combat local poverty through mentoring men and women in job and life development;
- Provide youth events that will reach a population where less than 4% attend church on a regular basis;
- Train and empower lay leaders to be missionaries in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools.
I am so grateful to our churches who give more than 4% and encourage those who don’t to increase their commitment to our partnership.
In this season of giving, I hope you will prayerfully consider how much you support financially your congregation. I also hope that you will prayerfully consider how much your congregation supports financially the partnership with other congregations through its giving to the Cooperative Program and SRBA. Together, we can make a difference in the world for the Kingdom’s sake.
