CP Reaches 'more souls,' says young pastor

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor

Andy Johnson Pastor Cross Roads Baptist Church FarmervilleFARMERVILLE (BP) – When Cross Roads Baptist Church realized they had more income than budgetary needs last fall, it didn’t take long to decide how to spend it.

They upped their giving to missions through the Cooperative Program from 10 percent to 12 percent.

Cross Roads Baptist Church is a congregation of 100 in Farmerville Louisiana“The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:2 that stewards are to be found faithful,” said Andy Johnson, pastor of the Farmerville, La. congregation. “Rather than roll those finances over into a CD or put them away in a rainy day or a building fund, we decided that they would be put to better use for the Kingdom’s sake in the Cooperative Program.

“The CP missionary force is, in my opinion, one of the most important arsenals that we as Christians have today,” the 30-year-old Johnson said of the national and international outreach supported by 45,000 Southern Baptist churches. The missionaries “are on the front lines ... think of it as a military operation: You wouldn’t send the military into battle without making doubly sure that they were properly funded, armed and taken care of, would you?”