Alabama Baptists Set a Worthy Example

Alabama Baptists Set a Worthy Example

In mid-October the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) confirmed what many people already anticipated. Alabama Baptists once again led the nation in giving to SBC missions and ministries through the Cooperative Program (CP). 

The SBC Executive Committee reported that for the 2014–2015 fiscal year which ended Sept. 30, Alabama Baptists gave $17,375,698 to SBC missions and ministries through CP. That was about $850,000 more than the state giving the second largest amount.

Being the largest giver to SBC causes through CP is a wonderful accomplishment that Alabama Baptists have achieved several times in recent years. But when the giving is placed in perspective, it is an even greater accomplishment than first recognized. 

Membership numbers

For example six other state conventions have more members than Alabama’s 1.011 million members. Georgia Baptists form the largest state convention with 1.406 million. North Carolina has 1.244 million members. Both Baptist conventions in Texas and the conventions in Florida and Tennessee also have more members than Alabama, according to SBC statistics.

Churches in several state conventions also had total receipts ahead of the $711,449,330 reported by Alabama Baptist churches during the last year of record. Georgia and the two Texas conventions each reported receipts
north of $1 billion. North Carolina reported $894 million while Florida and Tennessee reported $782 million and $760 million respectively. 

State income statistics

To further place Alabama Baptists’ accomplishment in perspective one must remember that these other state conventions are wealthier than Alabama. According to the United States Census Bureau, the states mentioned previously all have higher median incomes and higher per capita incomes than Alabama. 

That means that with fewer people who earn less money and with less total receipts by the churches, Alabama Baptists again provided more support for SBC missions and ministries than any other state convention. 

In fact, of the money contributed by all 42 cooperating state conventions, Alabama Baptists gave 9.455 percent of every CP dollar. That is a wonderful accomplishment for Alabama Baptists. It shows most Alabama Baptists believe in cooperative giving to support all Baptists do together in our state, our nation and to the ends of the earth. 

SBC special offerings

Recognition of Alabama Baptists’ support for CP giving sometimes creates the impression that support for SBC special offerings like the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions is lacking among Alabama Baptists. Not so. 

Again, according to SBC statistics released in mid-October, Alabama Baptists were second among all state Baptist conventions in designated giving to SBC causes. Alabama Baptists gave $18,155,157 during the last fiscal year. North Carolina Baptists were first in designated giving to SBC causes with $19.343 million. 

Through CP and designated offerings together, Southern Baptists gave a total of a little more than $375 million to SBC missions and ministries during the just completed fiscal year. Alabama Baptists gave $35,530,855 of that amount which is 9.47 percent of the total. 

Combined giving rankings

Do not miss that Alabama Baptists gave a higher percentage of CP and designated giving combined than it gave through CP alone. The difference may be slight — 9.45 percent for CP and 9.47 percent combined — but it is still more.

Dollarwise Alabama Baptists’ combined total of CP and SBC special offerings was more than $2 million ahead of the second place state convention and more than $5 million ahead of all others. Combining the two channels of giving actually increased the dollar lead of Alabama Baptists over Baptists from every other state convention than considering CP alone.  

Where individual offerings are concerned, Alabama totals placed the state convention second in gifts to Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong and Global Hunger Relief. No other state demonstrated such consistency. 

Also worthy of notice is that Alabama Baptist giving to CP and to designated offerings grew at a higher rate than did SBC as a whole. Alabama’s CP total was 2.32 percent above the same time frame last year. SBC growth in CP giving was 1.39 percent. The percentage growth in designated giving for Alabama was 1.08 percent. For SBC it was 0.17 percent.

Compared to other states

And this was done by a state convention with fewer members who earn less money and with churches receiving less total giving than other top giving states. 

These numbers will not match figures reported by Alabama’s State Board of Missions because Alabama keeps records on a calendar year basis which is different from the SBC’s fiscal year. But these numbers compare SBC totals from the recently completed fiscal year to the previous year so the picture is clear.

Alabama Baptists believe in CP and Alabama Baptists believe in supporting special offerings. Both are important. Each plays a distinct role from the other. To sacrifice support for one in order to support the other is to destroy both. 

The foundation

Just as a local church cannot exist if the majority of its giving goes for the youth program or the music program, Southern Baptist missions and ministries cannot exist unless Baptists support all we do together through our churches, associations, state conventions and SBC. As we have written before, CP provides the foundation. Special offerings provide avenues to support personal passions. 

So congratulations again to Alabama Baptists for a faithful demonstration of financial stewardship through CP giving and support of SBC special offerings. Your members make up only 6.4 percent of SBC total membership but your giving accounts for 9.47 percent of the total given through state conventions. That is a worthy example. May God bless you as you continue to help underwrite missions and
ministries in our state and to the ends of the earth.