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Cooperative Program
The Cooperative Program is an agreement among Southern Baptists churches, Baptist state conventions and fellowships, and the Southern Baptist Convention to work together in Great Commission ministries.
It is a way of working together and a financial channel of cooperation through which mission dollars are combined into a unified budget supporting the Southern Baptist missionary, education, and benevolent ministries in each state, the nation, and throughout the world.
Through the Cooperative Program, the mission of a single church is extended to ministries for the needy, the sick, the aged, and the lost, as well as the support of about 10,000 North American and International missionaries.
- About
- Free Materials
- Allocations
- History
- Mission Offerings
How Does the Cooperative Program Work?
- Church congregation members give their tithes and offerings through their church.
- Kentucky Baptist Convention churches designate a portion of their church budgets for the Cooperative Program. Click here to check out the 2010-2011 annual report, which lists all churches by association. You can also view a list of the top 100 churches (total dollar amount and per capita) in total giving and Cooperative Program giving for 2010-2011.
- Money set aside for the Cooperative Program is forwarded to the Kentucky Baptist Convention, where a portion of the funds are used for missions and ministries throughout Kentucky. Click here to see a breakdown of CP budget allocations.
- A portion of the money is also forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for missions and ministries in the nation and around the world.
Submitting Cooperative Program Gifts
In Kentucky, CP gifts other mission offerings may be sent to the following address:
Kentucky Baptist Convention
P O Box 856300
Dept 124
Louisville, KY 40285-9900
All contributions from churches should be accompanied by a contribution form. You can download a form here.
Legacy Giving
Kentucky Baptists and others who wish to ensure the future Southern Baptist work close to home and around the world can make a legacy gift specifically for the Cooperative Program. Discover the many giving options available by contacting the Kentucky Baptist Foundation at (502) 489-3533 or (866) 489-3533 (toll-free in Kentucky).
Free Cooperative Program Educational and Promotional Materials
Click here for a list of free brochures, posters and other educational tools that will help you teach your congregation about the Cooperative Program.
How Are Cooperative Program Gifts Used?
Cooperative Program dollars support Southern Baptist causes here at home and around the world. Funds support ministries as varied as care for abused and neglected children, disaster relief, church planting, education, church leadership training, missionary support and more. Click here to see a breakdown of CP budget allocations.
How Should I Give and How Much Should I Give?
The best way to support the Cooperative Program is by giving through your church. This way you are strengthening the work to reach your neighbors and support God's work right where you live.
The Bible tells us to tithe at least 10% of our income as an act of worship and to acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God. Once you give to your church, the church then sends a portion of its undesignated gifts to the Kentucky Baptist Convention, which distributes these gifts for use in missions and ministry across the globe. Every church is encouraged to budget a minimum of 10% of its undesignated receipts to support the Cooperative Program. Those churches that give an even greater percentage -- some even to the point of sacrificial giving -- are tremendously vital and deeply appreciated by all of the ministries that receive Cooperative Program funding.
How Did The Cooperative Program Begin?
Harvey Boyce Taylor
The idea of the Cooperative Program originated in Kentucky. On Nov. 16, 1915, Kentucky Baptists adopted a budget plan for the support of all denominational projects throughout the state and convention.
A leader in this plan was Harvey Boyce Taylor who developed the idea as"the box plan"at the First Baptist Church of Murray beginning about 1900.
About Missions Offerings
Kentucky Baptist are also encouraged to make gifts to other church-approved offerings, including
- Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions
- Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions
- Eliza Broadus Offering for Kentucky State Missions
Because the Cooperative Program undergirds the day-to-day work of the organization that put those offerings to work, 100% of the funds collected through these offerings can be sent directly to the mission field.
Total Missions Giving
SBC causes (49.8%) include:
- Cooperative Program
- Lottie Moon Offering
- Annie Armstrong Offering
- World Hunger Relief funds
- other SBC-related gifts
KBC causes (50.2%) include:
- Cooperative Program
- Eliza Broadus Offering
- Restricted Kentucky Only gifts
- Sunrise Children's Services Thanksgiving Offering
- Baptist Healthcare System Mother's Day gifts
- Oneida Batpist Institute Barkley Moore Offering
- gifts designated for Christian education institutions and other KBC-related gifts
