SALEM, Ore. (BP) – What Capital Baptist Church’s pastor saw firsthand made him a believer.
By Karen L. Willoughby
Managing editor
SALEM, Ore. (BP) – What Capital Baptist Church’s pastor saw firsthand made him a believer.
“It was my privilege to serve on the executive board
of the Northwest Baptist Convention for a term on the Finance
Committee,” John Lipton said. “In so doing I observed our convention’s
absolute commitment to sound principles of stewardship, accountability
and integrity.
“An increase in Cooperative Program giving is a good
step in the direction of Kingdom-building,” the pastor said. “God’s
Kingdom is the most worthwhile investment that any church can make.”
In January, Capital Baptist voted to increase their
Cooperative Program giving to 10 percent. This despite the fact that
the church, where about 180 people attend Sunday morning worship,
anticipates hiring a second staff member this year, is involved in a
major evangelistic outreach locally, and didn’t make its $263,389
budget last year.
“The way I look at the Cooperative Program and have
for a kazillion years is that the Scripture commands us to tithe and,
in my way of thinking, the Cooperative Program is like the church’s
tithe,” said Virginia Barker, a stewardship committee member. “If we
are encouraging our people to give no less than a tithe, it’s my belief
the church should give no less than a tithe to the Cooperative Program.”
Everyone had an opportunity to state his or her
opinion when the budget was discussed and, in the end, the church’s
unity remained strong.
So, during the budget discussion, Barker made a
motion that the Capital’s Cooperative Program gifts be increased from 9
percent to 10 percent of the church’s undesignated receipts.
The Cooperative Program is the Southern Baptist
Convention’s method of pooling mission dollars for global
evangelization, Kingdom growth and theological education.
Capital had resisted giving a full tithe through the
Cooperative Program for several years because some members thought the
church was giving enough to missions. Capital allocates 5.5 percent of
its offerings to the multiple collegiate ministry programs of the
Willamette Valley Baptist Association, which are not covered by the
Cooperative Program, retired pastor Carlton Butler noted.
“Ten percent? I commend it,” Butler said. “And when we can go up, we need to do so.”
In the end, the groundswell of support for the
Cooperative Program carried the day, and the unity in the church
remains strong because, as Lipton noted, Capital Baptist members are
committed to missions.
Barker said she was in a church once that decreased
its Cooperative Program giving, and income declined. When the CP
missions percentage was increased, so did offerings.
“Those experiences taught me some valuable lessons,”
Barker said. “God blesses the churches that are faithful in their
giving through the Cooperative Program…. God will supply the needs
you have within your church as you reach out to the needs of others.”