As the Cooperative Program turns 100 in 2025, now is a good time to consider our plans for passing the baton. The generations that grew up with unified, systematic missions giving are aging and passing from the scene. The people coming into positions of leadership in many churches may not know as much about CP or the value of the commitment to missions giving that has united Southern Baptists across the decades.
In many places, there is evidence of a return to the “societal method” of missions giving that was prevalent from the early 1700s until CP was created in 1925 to end the endless appeals for individual projects.
Recently, earmarking funds for favorite missions and missionaries has returned in some congregations, often at the expense of CP giving.
It’s time to teach the next generation the value of cooperative missions—again.
Here are a few ideas for increasing awareness and encouraging commitment to missions through the Cooperative Program.
1. Highlight missions stories in worship services. “52 Sundays” is a series of short reports about SBC missionaries and their mission fields. The slides can be projected on screen in an announcement loop, and they can be printed in the bulletin or distributed separately. The impact of CP missions giving becomes real when the congregation meets the missionaries.
2. Observe CP Sunday during October (or anytime). Show church members where their CP giving goes with downloadable cards highlighting ministries they support through the Illinois Baptist State Association. Share testimonies from students who have attended IBSA camps, leaders trained at IBSA events, or people who have engaged with state missions.
3. Go digital. Go social. The IBSA website has a new CP page. At IBSA.org, look for the Cooperative Program tab at the top of the page. There are videos and downloads of all kinds to share the story online, social media, and at your church’s website. And SBC.net has a CP page too with a digital package with images and logos and elements for your use.
4. Publish the chart. Make your church’s version by taking the annual CP offering amount and multiplying it by each of these percentages or contact IBSA and we’ll send you a custom report. The congregation will see how their giving supports a wide range of missions work. Show how offerings from almost 48,000 SBC churches add up to nearly $200 million in missions and ministry.
5. Plan a class. Tell our story. New members and young Baptists should know our story. Resources such as Meet Southern Baptists are available at SBC.net and IBSA.org.
Then, pass the plate — and the baton!