Final Report of Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee

Final Report
of
Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee

February 2006

Members of
Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee

Anthony Jordan, Chairman	Oklahoma
Steve Bass	Arizona
Morris Chapman	Executive Committee
Frank Cox	Georgia
Carlisle Driggers	South Carolina
Jim Futral	Mississippi
David Hankins	Louisiana
Bob Rodgers	Executive Committee
John Sullivan	Florida
Bob White	Georgia

Preface
to
Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee Report

Southern Baptists have always been a missional people. From the inception of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845 we have always rallied around the command of Christ to carry the Gospel to the entire world. At the heart of our local churches, and of all organizations and agencies beyond the local church, is the desire to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Cooperative Program was implemented to give each Southern Baptist a way to be a part of reaching the world for Christ through their local church. Sadly, we too often have allowed our focus to become ingrown and diverted from our evangelistic responsibility. Most of the strategies and initiatives in this report focus on telling the story of what we are currently doing through the Cooperative Program, but we must not fall into the trap of thinking we can reposition the Cooperative Program in the hearts of Southern Baptists by focusing only on what we are accomplishing.

It is vitally important that we also cast a new vision to Southern Baptists, a compelling vision that challenges them to use the immense resources God has placed in our hands to literally fulfill

Acts 1:8 in our generation. We must place before our people, our pastors and our churches a challenge that is so big that it will require us to give sacrificially, pray passionately and become personally involved in reaching the world for Christ.

As long as the vision our people see is to give more to continue to do what we are already doing we will only see incremental gains in Cooperative Program giving. However, when Southern Baptists are challenged to give to take missions to a whole new level, gains in Cooperative Program giving can become sacrificial and significant. Perhaps the theme to carry us into a new future of reaching people should be “Imagine What More We Could Do.”

If our 2003–04 Cooperative Program giving had averaged 10 percent rather than 6.68 percent, we could have invested an additional $250,000,000 in reaching the world. We must quantify this into goals for new missionaries on the field at state, national and international levels and into new people groups which could have a witness. We must set bold challenging goals that will grip the hearts, imaginations and pocketbooks of Southern Baptists with a bold attempt to carry the Gospel to the entire world in our generation. This bold vision must come from our SBC leaders at both state and national levels and cast in such a compelling way that it becomes a part of the heart and purpose of our members, pastors and churches throughout the convention.

For the sake of our Lord we must recapture an evangelistic fervor and let God work through us to bring revival. “Imagine What More We Could Do.”

Executive Summary
Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee Report

Scriptural Foundations for the Cooperative Program (CP):
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (HCSB)

You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, since they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we can be co-workers with the truth. III John 6b – 8 (HCSB)

Definition of the Cooperative Program:
The committee believes it imperative that a new working definition of the Cooperative Program be written. While we believe this to be beyond the scope of our work, we respectfully request that the Executive Committee leaders produce such a definition. It would be very helpful if the definition were approved by the Executive Committee and the SBC in annual session.

Key Foundational Values of the Cooperative Program:

Sacrifice: We are to sacrifice through prayer, giving and going.
Cooperation: We can accomplish more together than alone.
Missionary: We are committed to the Great Commission.
Kingdom Vision: We need to capture the hearts of everyone.
Kingdom Impact: We understand lives are changed because of our cooperation.
Kingdom Giving: We believe stewardship is essential for individuals and churches.

The Challenge:
To present the Cooperative Program story in such a unified and compelling way that it captures the hearts of Southern Baptists and compels them to give generously through the Cooperative Program. Our churches must see the Cooperative Program as a foundational way to implement an Acts 1:8 strategy in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Vision:
Demonstrate the effectiveness and value of the Cooperative Program resulting in celebration and support among Southern Baptists.

Ad Hoc Committee Objectives:

Challenge each local church to adopt an Acts 1:8 Kingdom strategy.
Demonstrate the proven value of the Cooperative Program as the best foundational delivery system upon which a church can build an Acts 1:8 Kingdom strategy.
Call on Southern Baptists to practice storehouse tithing as the beginning point for Kingdom giving.
Challenge every Southern Baptist church to give no less than 10 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program.
Establish dialogue between the state conventions and the SBC Executive Committee to increase the Cooperative Program percentage to SBC ministries. (See Appendix C)
Educate Southern Baptists about their heritage, beliefs and cooperative impact.

Five Strategies

Strategy 1: Develop Biblical financial stewards.

A renewed stewardship focus across the SBC is essential. We must assist our pastors and churches in continually and consistently teaching a lifestyle of financial freedom and Biblical financial stewardship marked by giving the tithe as a beginning point and offerings beyond the tithe as God leads.

Initiatives

1.1: Evaluate moving the stewardship assignment from LifeWay to the CP Office of the Executive Committee to maximize the synergy between these two critical areas.
Goal: To ensure that developing Biblical stewardship in our churches is understood as foundational in developing ongoing support and funding of the CP.

1.2: Challenge every church member to systematic giving of at least a tithe of their income through their local church.
Goal: To help Southern Baptists experience the freedom and joy of Biblical stewardship.

1.3: Provide teaching in our churches, universities and seminaries on principles of Biblical stewardship leading to financial freedom.
Goal: Help our people live by principles of Biblical stewardship and experience financial freedom so that they commit to generous giving through tithes and offerings as participants in advancing the Kingdom of God.

1.4: Develop stewardship materials for cultural groups.
Goal: To ensure that we adequately support the development of Biblical financial stewardship in our churches among various cultural groups.

1.5: Develop age-graded stewardship materials.
Goal: To train our children and youth in principles of Biblical stewardship.

1.6: Create an interactive Web site with stewardship and financial freedom information, best practices and resources.
Goal: To create readily available resources for pastors and church leaders to access.

1.7: Review state convention and SBC budgets to ensure that provision is made for quality stewardship promotional resources and education in our churches.
Goal: To ensure adequate funding for stewardship education and promotion.

1.8: Ensure that training in principles of Biblical stewardship is a part of church planting at all levels.
Goal: Plant the DNA of Biblical stewardship and storehouse tithing into the bloodstream of all new church plants.

Strategy 2: Reposition the Cooperative Program as Southern Baptists’ foundational strategy for fulfilling Acts 1:8 through our local churches.

We must recapture the vision and commitment of local pastors and congregations to the CP as the most effective and efficient way to lay a foundation for reaching the world with the Gospel of Christ. We must challenge them to lead their churches to give at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts to support world evangelization through the CP. This repositioning effort is intended to have immediate impact from now through the 2006 Annual and State Convention Meetings. The repositioning leverages well-known pastors and convention leaders to help recapture the hearts of Southern Baptists.

Initiatives

2.1: Develop a nationally recognized standard CP logo and slogan.
Goal: To gain brand name recognition of the CP across the SBC by consistent use of the same logo and slogan when promoting and communicating about the CP.

2.2: Plan State CP Summits to rally and mobilize high-profile pastors as CP Champions.
Goal: 1. Mobilize pastors as CP Champions who will lead the effort to reposition the CP in their state and use their influence to connect other pastors to the CP and the SBC.

2. Celebrate the impact Southern Baptists are having through the CP.

3. Answer the question: "How does the CP help my church?"

4. Demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the CP as opposed to a societal method of mission support.

2.3: Recruit pilot churches (pastors) who will implement a year-long Church CP Communications Plan.
Goal: 1. To demonstrate the impact their church has through the CP in fulfilling the Great Commission.

2. To help them see the importance of our cooperative efforts and imagine what more we can do as these efforts are multiplied.

3. To see how our CP participation expresses our love for people and our desire to see them come to Christ.

4. To see our CP giving, not as a line item in the church budget, but as an extension of the church's evangelistic and mission endeavors, as our foundational way of fulfilling Acts 1:8.

2.4: Education of all SBC leaders and future leaders in the history, function and Kingdom value of the Cooperative Program by providing and teaching the book by Chad Brand and David Hankins, One Sacred Effort.
Goal: For all leaders and future leaders to understand why Southern Baptists have chosen a cooperative method, rather than a societal method, of supporting the Kingdom work beyond the local church.

2.5: Utilize the 2006 SBC Annual Meeting to launch a convention-wide emphasis on and celebration of the impact Southern Baptists are having through the CP.
Goal: 1. Bring CP participation to top-of-the-mind awareness and challenge pastors to lead their churches to give at least 10 percent of their budget through the CP.

2. Launch a year of celebration about the role and impact of the CP in carrying the message of Christ to the world.

3. Reaffirm the Biblical base for the CP and the value of cooperative efforts rather than societal methods.

4. Provide a series of video presentations telling the story of CP missions and ministries. These videos should be customizable on a state level.

2.6: Utilize the 2006 state convention meetings to launch statewide emphases on and celebration of the CP.
Goal: 1. Bring the CP to top-of-the-mind awareness in each state and challenge pastors to lead their churches to give at least 10 percent of their budget through the CP.

2. Celebrate the role and impact of the CP in carrying the message of Christ to the world.

3. Reaffirm the Biblical basis for the CP and the value of cooperative efforts rather than societal methods.

2.7: Ensure that CP education is a part of church planting training at all levels.
Goal: Plant the DNA of missions and CP support into the bloodstream of new church plants.

2.8: CP vision tours and virtual tours should be organized throughout the SBC.
Goal: Provide inspirational and educational CP experiences for local church members that deepens and develops their understanding of and commitment to the CP. Virtual tours could be presented through PowerPoint, video or interactive Internet resources.

Strategy 3: Create, coordinate, implement and maintain consistency in Cooperative Program promotion.

Initiatives

The Executive Committee working with The Great Commission Council and state conventions should coordinate a consistent use of the CP brand in all SBC entities. A consistent message is necessary if we are to move the CP to top-of-the-mind awareness in the lives of our Southern Baptist members and keep it there.

3.1: Implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Cooperation to select and elect leaders at all levels of Southern Baptist life who champion the CP.
Goal: To elect leaders in Southern Baptist life who will demonstrate a strong support for the CP. This is also a recommendation from the Task Force on Cooperation.

3.2: Establish an ongoing dialogue between the CP office of the Executive Committee and the State Executive Directors to focus on CP communication, promotion, education and division.
Goal: 1. To ensure that the CP stays at top-of-the-mind awareness in Southern Baptist life at both state and national levels.

2. To maintain ongoing dialogue aimed at increasing the CP percentage to SBC missions.

3.3: Review state convention and SBC budgets to ensure that provision is made for quality CP promotional resources and education in our churches.
Goal: To ensure adequate funding for CP promotion and education.

Strategy 4: Develop an ongoing process that integrates Cooperative Program education in families and throughout the fiber of Southern Baptist life and grows the next generation of Cooperative Program advocates.

Teach and help our churches to think strategically about their Acts 1:8 responsibility. Thinking strategically will help churches rediscover that the CP is the most effective and efficient foundational way to reach the world. We want to inspire and inform via our educational materials.

Initiatives

4.1: Develop cutting-edge educational and promotional training materials and resources that demonstrate to our churches the practical value of the CP as a foundation for implementing the Acts 1:8 strategy in our churches.
Goal: To show churches the practical value and contribution the CP can play as they become an Acts 1:8 church.

4.2: Integrate CP education and training in our schools and seminaries so that it has daily visibility.
Goal: To capture the hearts, understanding and commitment to the CP from our emerging leaders. We want them to graduate from seminary committed to working together to reach people around the world through the CP.

4.3: Develop an e-mail database that can be used to provide regular CP updates.
Goal: To provide efficient and effective ways to deliver current timely updates about the impact of the CP.

4.4: Develop cutting-edge materials and resources to educate our children and youth about the CP.
Goal:1. Capture the hearts of future generations teaching them the awesome power of cooperation.

2. Develop an awareness and understanding of the CP in our children and youth by offering fun and interactive educational venues.

4.5: Develop Cooperative Program resources for cultural groups.
Goal: 1. We must train the increasing number of cultural churches about the value of their participation in the CP.

2. We must provide quality CP training and education in our churches among the various cultural groups.

4.6: Encourage all state and national publications to actively include CP stories and information as regular features in every issue.
Goal: 1. We must maximize the use of all ongoing publications to tell the CP story.

2. The CP connections must be clearly stated in each article; we cannot assume our people know all that is accomplished through their participation in the CP.

4.7: Create an interactive Web site to provide ideas and resources for state and local church CP promotion. All state and national SBC entities should prominently maintain CP educational and promotional information on their Web sites and a prominent link to this information should be displayed on the home page of each Web site. Links should also be provided to the national CP Web site.
Goal: To provide readily accessible resources for pastors and church leaders.

4.8: Develop materials and methods to teach Southern Baptist families about the impact their family is having through the CP.
Goal: To inspire and inform church members about the impact they are having through their church’s participation in the CP.

4.9: Develop effective and innovative ways to communicate the CP message through WMU and women’s ministries.
Goal: Recapture the impact our women have in supporting the mission work of CP.

Strategy 5: Use volunteer mission trips to demonstrate the impact of the Cooperative Program.

Initiatives

Partnership mission trips provide a way for pastors and churches of all sizes to engage in becoming Acts 1:8 churches and to connect directly with the people and ministries supported by their Cooperative Program giving. It connects the dots between Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Since an increasing number of churches participate in partnership missions, we must seize this platform to tell the CP story.

5.1: Encourage volunteer mission experiences focused on demonstrating the impact of the CP.
Goal: 1. To provide firsthand experience of the importance and impact of participation in the CP.

2. To help churches understand that volunteer missions should be built on the foundation of their giving through the CP, not in place of it.

Recommendations

The following recommendations were adopted by the Executive Directors of the state conventions during their meeting in Banff, Canada, February 16, 2006. This was a historic action since the directors see themselves as a fellowship not a voting body. However, the future of the Cooperative Program is fundamental to our unified work as Southern Baptists and it was felt these recommendations were worthy of our support and commitment.

That we commend the Ad Hoc Committee for their excellent work and affirm this report as an outstanding plan for advancing stewardship and the Cooperative Program in the Southern Baptist Convention.

That every segment of the SBC life be encouraged to reaffirm our commitment to Biblical stewardship and to our cooperation in the Great Commission/Acts 1:8 mission.

That we strongly encourage each believer to tithe of his financial resources to his local church and encourage all Southern Baptist churches to adopt a missional mindset as they contribute at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program to local and global missions.

That we encourage the election of state and national convention officers whose churches give at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program.

That each state convention have a plan for forwarding an increasing percentage of receipts to SBC mission causes through the Cooperative Program with the Cooperative Program Advance Plan being one possible model.

That the development of quality stewardship training materials with an emphasis on tithing should be given highest priority and we endorse the transfer of the stewardship ministry from LifeWay Christian Resources to the Executive Committee.

That the stewardship and Cooperative Program emphases be recognized as integral parts of the compelling SBC vision known as Empowering Kingdom Growth.

That the 2006 SBC and state convention annual meetings be used to launch a SBC wide celebration of and emphasis on the Cooperative Program.

That the Executive Committee in consultation with state convention executive directors develop a definition of what is meant by Cooperative Program monies which would be adopted by the SBC in annual session.

Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee
Strategies and Initiatives
with
Suggested Action Steps

Strategy 1: Develop Biblical financial stewards.

Initiatives

Target Completion Date: March 2006

Responsibility of: LifeWay, Executive Committee CP Office

Suggested Action Steps:

Leaders of the Executive Committee and LifeWay should evaluate the wisdom of combining the stewardship and Cooperative Program functions in one office.
Present findings and recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Target Completion Date: December 2007

Responsibility of: State Conventions, LifeWay, SBC Seminaries, Baptist Universities

Suggested Action Steps:

Issue a challenge to pastors at 2007 national and state conventions calling for a commitment to Biblical stewardship.
Challenge every pastor to practice, teach and preach on tithing.
Encourage the use of tithing testimonies in local churches on a regular basis (at least monthly).
Develop stewardship campaigns for churches.
Use tithing testimonies at state and national conventions.
Teach tithing in our seminaries and universities.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: State Conventions, LifeWay, SBC Seminaries, Baptist Universities

Suggested Action Steps:

All SBC and state convention leaders, staff and board members, as well as seminary and university faculties should be furnished a copy of Ken Hemphill’s book, Making Change, and requested to prioritize the study and teaching of this book.
Encourage states to coordinate development of stewardship education resources.
Encourage LifeWay to find archived stewardship material and release copyrights.
Develop inspirational stories of people telling how they have been blessed.
Facilitate conferences, seminars and workshops at state and associational levels.
Provide Personal Money Management seminars led by trained consultants.
Consider partnerships with national ministries such as Financial Peace, Crown Ministries or The Vibrant Group for implementation of financial freedom teaching in churches.
Teach principles of financial freedom in our seminaries and universities.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: State Conventions, LifeWay

Suggested Action Steps:

Launch a task force to investigate development of cultural stewardship materials with an initial focus on the largest cultural groups.
Evaluate sources of funding.
Evaluate partnership possibilities with LifeWay.
Consider both promotional and educational resources.
Resources should be downloadable.
Develop annual stewardship study for cultural groups.
Enlist quality writers.
Investigate partnerships with national ministries such as Financial Peace, Crown Ministries or The Vibrant Group to publish materials for various cultural groups.
Consider translation of Making Change for cultural groups.

1.5: Develop age-graded stewardship materials.
Goal: To train our children and youth in principles of Biblical stewardship.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: State Conventions, LifeWay

Suggested Action Steps:

Develop online downloadable resources.
Encourage LifeWay to carry a clear ongoing emphasis on stewardship education in all age-graded curriculum materials.
Encourage LifeWay to develop an annual emphasis on stewardship in Sunday School materials which includes age-graded curriculum materials.
Look for opportunities to make the stewardship connection with stories and illustrations from our mission work.
Develop an annual age appropriate stewardship study. Study should be available online and include:
- Member leaflets and leader guides for Preschool, Children, Youth, Adults and Senior Adults
- Sermon outlines and PowerPoint presentations
- Videos and Dramas
- Bulletin inserts and Posters
Investigate partnerships with national ministries such as Financial Peace, Crown Ministries or The Vibrant Group to publish age-graded stewardship materials.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: LifeWay

Suggested Action Steps:

Assign responsibility for developing a stewardship Web site.
State stewardship directors should develop links to this Web site.
Archive resource materials and files from Stewardship Commission should be located and placed on stewardship Web site.
All materials should also reference the impact of CP giving.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: LifeWay, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Review SBC budgets.
Review state convention budgets.
Consider ways the states could partner in stewardship education.
Allocate sufficient monies for stewardship education.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: NAMB, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

NAMB should include training in principles of Biblical stewardship as a part of all church planting training.
Consideration should be given to use of Hemphill’s book, Making Change.
State conventions should work with church plant pastors to help them develop a culture of stewardship in their churches.

Strategy 2: Reposition the Cooperative Program as Southern Baptists' foundational strategy for fulfilling Acts 1:8 through our local churches.

Initiatives

Target Completion Date: February 2006

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office

Suggested Action Steps:

Select marketing firm to design logo/brand.
Work with marketing firm to design logo and brand. It would be desirable to have a logo that provides a place for states or agencies to add their name and personalize. (Similar to convention Disaster Relief logo.)
Before finalizing, use a focus group of state Communication and CP Directors to give input about logo and its functionality in various media. Finalize logo and usage criteria.
Develop corporate guidelines and criteria for use of new logo.
Develop plans for introduction of new logo to SBC.
Introduce new logo to Executive Committee, state Executive Directors and state CP Directors.
All SBC agencies and state conventions should prominently display the CP logo in their offices, publications and on their Web sites.

2.2: Plan state CP Summits to rally and mobilize high-profile pastors as CP Champions.
Goal: 1. Mobilize pastors as CP Champions who will lead the effort to reposition the CP in their state and use their influence to connect other pastors to the CP and the SBC.

2. Celebrate the impact Southern Baptists are having through the CP.

3. Answer the question: “How does the CP help my church?”

4. Demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the CP as opposed to a societal method of mission support.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Develop an agenda for a state CP Summit and desired outcomes for attendees.

*Sample Agenda:
Current status of the CP
Why we need the CP to reach the world
How you can make a difference
Becoming a CP Champion
Becoming a CP mentor for pastors
Helping churches grow their CP giving to 10 percent
Reserve meeting space.
Identify and invite attendees.
Personal follow up on invitations.
Hold CP Summit.
Follow up with participants.

2.3: Recruit pilot churches (pastors) who will implement a year-long Church CP Communications Plan
Goal: 1. To demonstrate the impact their church has through the CP in fulfilling the Great Commission.

2. To help them see the importance of our cooperative efforts and imagine what more we can do as these efforts are multiplied.

3. To see how our CP participation expresses our love for people and our desire to see them come to Christ.

4. To see our CP giving, not as a line item in the church budget, but as an extension of the church’s evangelistic and mission endeavors, as our foundational way of fulfilling Acts 1:8.

Target Completion Date: November 2006

Responsibility of: State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Identify target churches.
Review and tailor plan to each church.
Test church for CP knowledge.
Implement plan.
Retest at end of plan.

A Sample Church CP Communications Plan
Weekly/Ongoing

Re-print one Missionary Moment (MM) in the church’s newsletter or church bulletin each week. These should be available to download from the Internet.
If the church uses PowerPoint, insert a CP PowerPoint (PP) slide into the loop that plays before the services begin or during the offering. These could be bullet points of information about CP or slides of CP posters.
Establish a mission bulletin board in the church with information on local church mission trips and CP information and promotion.

Monthly

Incorporate CP education into New Members classes. Possible resources include: Kids Speak (a light, fast-paced 90-second overview of CP told by children), The Difference Is You video feature and the HD Missions brochure.
Run 1 Missionary Moment (MM) video vignette each month during the offertory. Each state could develop videos personalized for their state. These could also be shown on Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings or during large group gatherings in Sunday School.
Bulletin inserts, posters, and bullet points/art work for use as fillers in newsletters/worship guides should be available for downloading on the CP Web site.

Other Opportunities

Include CP education in all missions’ emphases (state, Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon and church projects).
Guest speakers, displays, bulletin inserts, newsletter features, SS lessons, videos, etc. should all be used as a means of communication.
Bulletin inserts could contain CP information and be customized with church specific information. This could be done semi-annually or quarterly if desired.
Use annual budget promotion to tell the CP story.
Include options for SS classes to order the MM prayer guides for their classes. They could include the missionaries in their weekly prayer time and on their weekly prayer lists. Might give one to each class to get started and then they can reorder as desired.
Give MM as gifts to leadership.

Target Completion Date: December 2006

Responsibility of: Executive Committee, all SBC Agencies, State Conventions, Seminaries and Baptist Universities

Suggested Action Steps:

All SBC and state convention leaders, staff and board members, as well as seminary and university faculties, should be furnished a copy of One Sacred Effort and requested to prioritize the study of this book.
A request should be that all seminaries and Baptist universities teach the book One Sacred Effort as a requirement for graduation.
In the future all new SBC and state convention leaders, staff and board members, as well as seminary and university faculties, should be furnished a copy of One Sacred Effort and requested to prioritize the study of this book.

2. Launch a year of celebration about the role and impact of the CP in carrying the message of Christ to the world.

3. Reaffirm the Biblical base for the CP and the value of cooperative efforts rather than societal methods.

4. Provide a series of video presentations telling the story of CP missions and ministries. These videos should be customizable on a state level.

Target Completion Date: June 2006 SBC Annual Meeting

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office

Suggested Action Steps:

CP Champion pastors should be identified, invited and recognized.
Unveil new national CP logo and provide logo lapel pins for all attendees.
Tie SBC theme to the CP. Use the theme interpretation to celebrate the impact of the CP (perhaps humorous, i.e. “Life without the CP”).
Develop CP highlight videos that can be used by states and churches to tell the story of the CP.

Our people need to see the impact of CP missions and ministries.
Videos developed by the Executive Committee should be customizable on the state level. Smaller states may need help in customizing the CP videos.
Show videos at 2006 SBC Annual Meeting.
Each state should identify CP stories.
National CP leaders could introduce CP videos.

2. Celebrate the role and impact of the CP in carrying the message of Christ to the world.

3. Reaffirm the Biblical basis for the CP and the value of cooperative efforts rather than societal methods.

Target Completion Date: November 2006

Responsibility of: State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

CP Champion pastors should be identified, invited and recognized.
Introduce national CP logo at state conventions and provide logo lapel pins for all attendees.
Request associations and churches to prominently display the CP logo in their offices and on Web sites.
Tie state convention theme to the CP. Use the theme interpretation to celebrate the impact of the CP (perhaps humorous, i.e. “Life without the CP”).
Mobilize pastors at state convention annual meetings with a challenge to give at least 10 percent through the CP and to become CP mentors to their peers and to emerging leaders.
Assign CP churches giving less than 10 percent to CP Champion pastors and ask them to work to develop the pastors of these churches into CP Champions committed to give 10 percent to the CP.
Develop CP highlight videos for use by churches to promote the CP.

2.7: Ensure that CP education is a part of church planting training at all levels.
Goal: Plant the DNA of missions and CP support into the bloodstream of new church plants.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: State Conventions, NAMB

Suggested Action Steps:

NAMB and state conventions should establish required levels of CP participation for church plants that are supported by CP funds.
NAMB should include CP education as a part of all church planting training. A copy of One Sacred Effort should be included in all church planting resources and training.
Training should be provided on the effectiveness and efficiency of the CP as opposed to societal means of funding missions work.

Target Completion Date: Launch June 2006

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Develop or assemble a vision tour task force.
Booths should be set up and a strategy designed to reach the members of our churches.
Determine how many stops to make in each state.
Determine artists and tour personalities.
Secure commitment on state and national level.
Preview tour at the SBC in June 2006.
Launch state tours immediately after 2006 SBC Annual Meeting.
Have a CP tour trailer available for 2007 SBC Annual Meeting and for tours to churches following the 2007 meeting.

Strategy 3: Create, coordinate, implement and maintain consistency in CP promotion.

Initiatives

Target Completion Date: Ongoing

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, Great Commission Council, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Recommendation from Task Force on Cooperation.
State conventions and the SBC should pass resolutions that call for the election of officers who demonstrate a strong support for the CP (similar to the resolution below passed in Oklahoma).

2005 BGCO Resolution No. 7 On Being a Missional People

“We, the messengers to the 2005 Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, meeting at Henderson Hills Baptist Church of Edmond, Oklahoma, November 14-15, 2005, recognizing the Cooperative Program as the greatest means by which we can reach the world for Christ together, wish to affirm our belief in and commitment to the Cooperative Program. We strongly encourage each believer to tithe of his resources to his local church and encourage all Oklahoma Southern Baptist churches to adopt a missional mindset as they contribute at least 10 percent of their budget receipts to the Cooperative Program. Further, we encourage the election of state and national convention officers whose churches demonstrate this commitment.”

3.2: Establish an ongoing dialogue between the CP office of the Executive Committee and the state Executive Directors to focus on CP communication, promotion, education and division.
Goals: 1. To ensure that the CP stays at top-of-the-mind awareness in Southern Baptist life at both state and national levels.

2. To maintain ongoing dialogue aimed at moving forward to a more equitable division of CP receipts.

Target Completion Date: February 2006

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Executive Directors

Suggested Action Steps:

Set a recurring annual date for state Executive Directors to meet with the Executive Committee CP Office.
Develop an agenda of items to be covered at these annual meetings.
Present samples of Executive Committee CP promotional materials.
Present national CP strategies and plans.
Discuss ways state conventions and Executive Committee CP Office can partner.
Discuss and share best practices and ideas.
Encourage each state to adopt a systematic review of their CP division with a view to moving forward to a more equitable distribution of CP receipts for national Southern Baptist ministries. (See Appendix C for a sample plan.)

3.3: Review state convention and SBC budgets to ensure that provision is made for quality CP promotional resources and education in our churches.

Goal: To ensure adequate funding for CP promotion and education.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Review SBC budgets
Review state budgets.
Consider ways states could partner with national CP office in funding CP.
Allocate sufficient monies to reposition and maintain the prominence of the CP among our churches and in our convention.

Strategy 4: Develop an ongoing process that integrates CP education in families and throughout the fiber of Southern Baptist life and grows the next generation of CP advocates.

Initiatives

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Define an Acts 1:8 strategy for the local church.
Develop training materials that show how the CP relates along the entire Acts 1:8 continuum.
Show churches how to build on the foundation for Acts 1:8 laid by their participation in the CP.
Missionary Moments could be designed so that over the course of a month local, state, national and international missions and ministries are highlighted.
Consider a convention-wide customizable CP Resource Kit—including CD resources, DVD resources, PowerPoint, sermon outlines, SS lessons, posters.
Develop Virtual Missions Resource Kit Vol. 2 with options for states to customize.
Ongoing church programs and events should be seen as primary opportunities to educate and communicate about the CP. Resources should be developed to seize these opportunities.
Communicate quarterly with each church to keep before them the impact of their participation through the CP as a foundational Acts 1:8 strategy.
National materials should be customizable by states.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: States (colleges/universities), Executive Committee CP Office (seminaries)

Suggested Action Steps:

Show the CP contribution to seminary education on the tuition statement.
The CP should have daily visibility in seminaries.
Students could be employed to help maintain a CP presence on campuses through posters, bulletin boards, etc.
Assign each seminary student 3 churches with which they serve as a CP liaison.
Require a CP moment to be a part of every chapel, with a service focused on the CP once a semester.

Use CP videos and PowerPoints in chapel.
Put CP information on the school Web site.
Put CP ads in school papers.
A CP emphasis ought to be a part of graduation ceremonies at our seminaries.
Begin a CP Champion emphasis on each campus.
Ask college/seminary presidents to write a CP editorial once a semester.
Print CP articles in school newsletters.
Have a required CP class for seminary graduation using the book, One Sacred Effort.

4.3: Develop an e-mail database that can be used to provide regular CP updates.
Goal: To provide efficient and effective ways to deliver current timely updates about the impact of the CP.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Investigate the potential of creating an e-mail database shared by states and the Executive Committee.
Give churches and people opportunities to register e-mail address for updates on Baptist life.
Encourage state papers to provide opportunities to sign up for e-mail updates on Baptist life.
Make e-mail registration a part of the registration process for conferences with the option to subscribe as opposed to receiving Spam.
Provide e-mail content to states from Executive Committee.

4.4: Develop cutting-edge materials and resources to educate our children and youth about the CP.
Goal: 1. Capture the hearts of future generations teaching them the awesome power of cooperation.

2. Develop an awareness and understanding of the CP in our children and youth by offering fun and interactive educational venues.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Develop interactive web-based resources including Internet communities, chat rooms and games.
Consider a version of One Sacred Effort targeted at grades 7-12.
Develop materials and resources for children’s and youth camps.
Develop ways to incorporate CP education into RAs, GAs, Team Kids, Awanas, Sunday School and other children’s programs used by our churches.
Encourage LifeWay to carry a clear ongoing emphasis on CP education in all age-graded curriculum materials.
Encourage LifeWay to develop an annual emphasis on the CP in Sunday School materials including age-graded curriculum materials.
Seize opportunities to make the CP connection by using stories and illustrations from our mission work in all curriculum materials.
Develop online downloadable resources.

4.5: Develop Cooperative Program resources for cultural groups.
Goal: 1. We must train the increasing number of cultural churches about the value of their participation in the CP.

2. We must provide quality CP training and education in our churches among the various cultural groups.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Launch a task force to investigate development of cultural CP materials with an initial focus on the largest cultural groups.
Evaluate methods of funding.
Evaluate partnership with LifeWay.
Consider both promotional and educational materials.
Resources should be downloadable.
Enlist quality writers.
Consider translating One Sacred Effort for cultural groups.

2. The CP connections must be clearly stated in each article; we cannot assume our people know all that is accomplished through their participation in the CP.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Conduct an audit of the effectiveness of CP information in state papers in 2005. 1) How many articles relate directly to the CP and how many times the connection to the CP appears in the article; 2) how many articles where the CP connection could have been made but was not; 3) the number of CP ads and who paid for them.
Conduct an audit evaluating effectiveness of SBC materials in communicating the CP by the same criteria above.
Recommend that Executive Directors receive commitments from state paper editors to intentionally communicate the impact of our churches’ participation through the CP.
Using ACP data, each state convention should provide a copy of each issue of the state paper for every church in their state and for every staff member or leader in that church.
Every state paper should provide the equivalent of one page per issue for CP promotion and ads.
The editorial staff of state papers should be trained to make a direct connection to the CP in stories about people or ministries supported by CP funding.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office

Suggested Action Steps:

Review Web site under development by Executive Committee.
Provide feedback and resources to Executive Committee.
State conventions and SBC agencies should provide prominent CP presence on their Web sites and link their Web sites to the Executive Committee CP Web site.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: Executive Committee CP Office

Suggested Action Steps:

Produce a specialized CP study that can be used by pastors in the 2007 church year. This study should picture the impact of CP through stories of people supported by and ministered to by CP.
- Needs to show the CP impact from a Biblical perspective.
- Consideration should be given to 40-day format with family devotions, Bible study material, sermon outlines, illustrations and dramas.
- Ask CP Champion pastors to pilot this study in their churches.
- Part of the 40-day format could include stewardship.
- Family devotions could be stewardship driven.
- Sermon outlines and Bible study could be CP driven.
- The Challenge of Cooperation, an existing CP study, might serve as foundational material from which to develop this study.
- One Sacred Effort might also serve as foundational material.
Develop ways for our people to maintain connections with career missionaries, even if they are not able to go on a volunteer mission trip.
Develop a program that encourages each church in the SBC to adopt at least one IMB missionary, one NAMB missionary and one state missionary and to help keep the Acts 1:8 focus before their church.
Develop a program that encourages each family in each church in the SBC to adopt at least one IMB missionary, NAMB missionary or state missionary and to help keep the Acts 1:8 focus before their family.

4.9: Develop effective and innovative ways to communicate the CP message through WMU and women’s ministries.
Goal: Recapture the impact our women have in supporting the mission work of CP.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: WMU, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Women’s resources produced by LifeWay and the WMU should include CP education and information. Stories and illustrations should be drawn from our missionaries that are supported by the CP.
Promotional materials for our special missions offerings (State Missions, Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon) should also include information about the foundational role of the CP in missions support.
WMU should include a section in each Yearbook with an article about how we work in cooperation to accomplish a greater task. There could be one week of teaching about the CP each year for all grade-levels (Mission Friends, GAs, Acteens, WOM, etc.).
Mobilize women’s ministries and WMU groups to help lead Cooperative Program Missions Sundays in their churches.
At statewide and associational training events, educate women about the CP contribution to the event, i.e. “Funds from the Cooperative Program helped make this event possible.”

Strategy 5: Use volunteer mission trips to demonstrate the impact of CP.

Initiatives

5.1: Encourage volunteer mission experiences focused on demonstrating the impact of the CP.
Goal: 1. To provide firsthand experience of the importance and impact of participation in the CP.

2. To help churches understand that volunteer missions should be built on the foundation of their giving through the CP, not in place of it.

Target Completion Date:

Responsibility of: IMB, NAMB, State Conventions

Suggested Action Steps:

Develop a Web program that volunteers can use to organize their mission trip throughout the state convention. All the information for their trip is provided through the Web program and the state conventions have records of who is going on mission trips.
Encourage state conventions to organize and develop volunteer missions and/or partner with other states in cooperation with IMB and NAMB.
Encourage volunteer mission stories and testimonies to allow our churches to share their mission experiences and how they make the CP connection.
IMB and NAMB Web sites need to ensure that the promotion of CP is as prominent and accessible as promotion of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.
Develop materials and training that provide our people an understanding of the foundational role of the CP in missions. This training should be used in coordination with all mission trips.
Train all missionaries to educate volunteer mission teams about the vital role of the CP in missions.
Consider referring to our Southern Baptist missionaries as CP missionaries.

Future Timeline
February 2006	Report Presented to: State Executive Directors Executive Committee Great Commission Council State Stewardship/CP Directors
February–May 2006	States Develop State Strategies Executive Committee Develops National Strategies
June 2006	CP Focus at SBC Annual Meeting
June 2006 Forward	Implementation by State Strategies Implementation by Executive Committee
October–November 2006	CP Focus at State Conventions
February 2007	Review of Progress by Committee