Cooperative, regular and proportionate giving

I hope you had a blessed Resurrection Sunday and that the hope of the Risen Savior continues to fill your heart. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow! Because He lives, all fear is gone!

In less than three weeks, I will be traveling to Memphis, Tennessee. I will join 71 leaders (SBC entities, state convention executive directors, pastors and others from across the country) in signing a declaration of cooperation on the occasion of the Cooperative Program’s 100th anniversary.

This worship service and signing ceremony will take place in the city and on the date and time that the Southern Baptist Convention adopted the Cooperative Program at its annual meeting in 1925 as “a comprehensive funding mechanism for like-minded Baptist churches to support missions in all the world, all the time, at the same time.”

During the past 100 years, Southern Baptists have contributed more than $20 billion through the Cooperative Program for missions and other kingdom causes. One hundred years later, I believe the Cooperative Program remains the lifeline of Baptist cooperation. It is for Texas Baptists.

When Paul writes to the church in Corinth about contributing financially to a kingdom cause beyond Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), he sets forth a few principles for this kind of giving: cooperative, regular and proportionate.

Cooperative Giving: “The collection for the Lord’s people” was an offering to which multiple churches contributed. Regular Giving: Every week, they should set aside an amount. Proportionate Giving: “in keeping with your income.” We also call this percentage giving.

During my 39 years of pastoring or being on church staff, I strived to teach this to the congregations I served. Church members were encouraged to give cooperatively, regularly and proportionately to the church approved budget. And the congregation as a whole was led to give cooperatively, regularly and proportionately through the Cooperative Program.

I practiced this as a church planter in Corpus Christi in the late 1980s when all of our missions giving was a percentage of our income through the local association, the BGCT and the SBC. “Give locally. Impact Globally.”

Later, when I pastored churches that invested a portion of their budget in direct mission engagement and support, I still advocated giving to Baptist causes through the Cooperative Program as a percentage of our income. It was never a duty but a privilege.

The state of lostness in our state and around the world continues to be challenging. The needs are many. Inflation and a fluctuating economy challenge our churches and our convention work. But just like the small, struggling churches that Paul wrote to in Corinth, Macedonia and Ephesus, when God’s people step out in faith locally and globally, His mission advances.

As we step into the second century of the Cooperative Program, I’d like to invite you and your church leadership to consider increasing your giving through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program. Your church may be able to consider a 100% increase, or perhaps a 10% increase is more in keeping with your situation. Even adding 1% point to your current giving can make an impact.

Because of your support through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program this past year (2024):

• 23 new chaplains were endorsed

• 2,009 new believers came into the family of God through our missional engagement 

• 99 new churches were planted internationally through MAP and River Ministry

• 54 pastor/minister families were served by Texas Baptists Counseling Services

• 1,769 baptisms were celebrated by churches involved in PAVE

• 17,700 college students were involved in our Baptist Student Ministry (137 campuses)

• 32 churches were started in Texas/the U.S. (we are on track to double this in 2025)

• And much more we could tell

You are making a difference in the kingdom and in eternity. Thank you for giving through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program. Pray about increased involvement. Imagine how much more we can do together for the glory of God!

For more information, you can visit our budget summary, downloadable giving form and online giving link. If you have questions about the budget, contact our Treasurer/CFO, Ward Hayes, at  (214) 828-5310 or ward.hayes@texasbaptists.org. For church giving questions, contact our Controller/Assistant Treasurer, Kristen Ray, at (214) 828-5334 or kristen.ray@texasbaptists.org. They would be happy to talk with you and answer any questions you have.