A CP conundrum?
Steve McCoy, over at Missional Baptist, has posed an interesting question about the value of the Cooperative Program (CP). The CP is a method whereby Southern Baptist’s pool their resources to fund missionary enterprise, as well as a few other minor funding organizations. Baptist Press reported about a recent press release from the Executvie Committee making specific recommendations about the future of the CP. In all this the question must be raised, is there still benefit in the CP?
I maintain that there still is enormous value in the CP. Is it infallible? No. Is it flawed? At times, yes. Is it still valuable? Absolutely. Remember back to why CP was started in the first place. Every Baptist entity was circulating through the churches trying to raise money individually. As a result the organizations with the best speakers, in the largest churches were raising the most support to the detriment of the other agencies. The CP was formulated to stop this problem and adequately fund our agencies. Let’s fast forward now and think about the result, so far. We finance the largest protestant missionary organization in the history of the world, the IMB. We significantly underwrite the theological education of our pastors, through the seminaries. We finance, in part, the work of some 5500 North American missionaries. We have a presence in Washington D.C. that the president (of the U.S.) listens to on an almost weekly basis, through the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. I maintain that none of this, at least on this level, would be possible apart from the CP. The CP is the single greatest administrative tool for the advancement of the gospel known to evangelical circles. Beyond that it is a tremendous picture of independent churches partnering together because we know that our pooled resources are more effective than our individual resources.
The final question that has been discussed is the statement that we should only allow pastors/laypeople to serve in SBC life if their church gives a minimum of 10% to the CP. While many dislike this opinion, and even see it as narrowing the parameters of cooperation, I personally think it only makes sense. If one wants to be a member in good standing of an organization it only makes reasonable sense that one would support that organization. How could I stand and extoll the virtues of something, and exhort you to be involved, when I support that entity on a surface level only? It’s only right that we encourage support of our denomination if you’re serving in leadership.
In conclusion, you can call me old fashioned (though I haven’t met many people who would call me old fashioned) but you can if you want, but I will still love, value and appreciate the Cooperative Program and I will attempt to support it, and encourage support for it as long as I’m in SBC life.
