By Staff, LBC Communications
ALEXANDRIA – The Cooperative Program still possesses the same potential as it did when it was started in 1925, Louisiana pastors say.
Likewise, according to multiple national surveys, the majority of Southern Baptists still believe the Cooperative Program is the most efficient and effective funding method to carry on the work of missions and ministry.
“Why then, since 1990, has the percentage of the Cooperative Program receipts from SBC churches steadily declined?”
That question, posed by Michael Stewart, Cooperative Program Strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, was asked May 24 of a group of LBC pastors. Stewart brought them to the Baptist Building to discuss the current and future state of cooperative missions and ministry in Louisiana and around the world.
One of his main goals was to give these pastors a safe and friendly forum for honest discussion, Stewart said.
“I was also really blessed by our time together,” said Neil Everett, pastor of First Baptist Church of Calhoun. Michael “created an atmosphere that enabled us all to share personal struggles and ask honest questions without hesitation. I believe God was in the midst of our time together, and that it will produce valuable Kingdom results.”
Stewart said he hoped their time together would be more than “just another meeting.”
One of the sessions gave the pastors a forum to share their views about Cooperative Program education and promotion.
“It was an opportunity for them to tell me what has worked, what is not working and what will work,” Stewart said, adding that the pastors gave him several great ideas about future Cooperative Program resources.
LBC Executive Director David E. Hankins led a Q&A with the pastors that “was so engaging that it exceeded the allotted time,” Stewart said. “I see that as a healthy sign. Our pastors have the confidence that they have an executive director who will not just stand and share information, but who makes himself available for questions that are tough, open and honest.”
Philip Robertson, pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Deville, said about the Q&A, “Southern Baptists and Louisiana Baptists are living in a critical time in the history of God’s church, and we must put everything on the table pertaining to our motives and methods.”
One topic that involved lengthly discussion concerned the distribution, or “allocation,” of Cooperative Program funds between the LBC and the SBC.
The current allocation of funds is divided on a 63.49 percent to LBC causes and a 36.51 percent to SBC causes. For some, the allocation is about right. Others would like the LBC/SBC allocation to get closer to 50/50.
Stuart Sumrall, pastor of First Baptist Church of Slidell, said he is one of the pastors who would like the LBC to move more quickly to the 50/50 allocation.
However, after hearing Stewart explain the Conservative Budget Plan and the 50/50 Advance Plan, and seeing a ten-year review of the LBC, Sumrall said, “I am encouraged that our state convention leadership recognizes the global size of our Great Commission task and is committing to continuing to increase Louisiana’s support for missions beyond our own borders.
“I believe the Cooperative Program still holds the most potential as a means through which Southern Baptists can partner together for the gospel,” Sumrall said, “but every church from the largest to the smallest must participate if it is going to be as effective and efficient as it could be.”
The topics discussed were much broader than the Cooperative Program. However, by the end of their time together, pastors agreed that the Cooperative Program still possesses the same potential as it did in 1925.
“This group understands that the same truth our Baptist forefathers discovered is still relevant today: We can accomplish much more together than we can by ourselves,” said Joe Wiggins, pastor of Old Zion Hill Baptist Church in Independence. “After hearing from Dr. Hankins, Michael Stewart, and pastors from around our state, I am convinced that the Cooperative Program is the best method for supporting and promoting missions, education, and evangelism throughout the world.”
Stewart and the pastors are in the process of forging a continuing partnership called Great Commission Partners. They said they plan to keep the doors of communication open and hope to meet again in the future for additional dialogue, interaction and prayer.
For additional information and resources about the Cooperative Program and the state and global ministries Louisiana Baptist churches support, call Stewart at 318.623.5466 or email Michael.Stewart@LBC.org.