How is all this possible?
Simply put, it begins with you. You give yourself first to God (2 Cor. 5:8). Next, out of gratitude and obedience to God for what He has done for you, you commit to give back to Him, through your church, a portion of what He provides. This is commonly called a tithe and represents ten percent of your income (Lev. 27:30, Mal. 3:10).
Your church decides the next step. Every year your church prayerfully decides how much of its undesignated gifts will be committed to reaching people in your state and around the world through Cooperative Program (CP) Missions. This amount is then forwarded to your state Baptist convention.
During the annual meeting of your BCM/D, messengers from your church and other churches across the state decide what percentage of CP Missions gifts contributed by local congregations stays in your state to support state and local missions and ministries and how much is given to the SBC.
More specifically, the Cooperative Program money you give not only supports local initiatives but also supports the International Mission Board, which supports approximately 5,375 missionaries around the world; and the North American Mission Board, which supports nearly 5,200 national missionaries. According to recent research, the two mission groups currently assist in 22,448 new church plants worldwide.
The Cooperative Program also supports the six Southern Baptist seminaries, which are training our next generation of leaders; and the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, which gives a “voice” for Southern Baptists in political arenas.
The bottom line is – people around the world hear the gospel and receive Christ because of your generosity.