By Editor Bob Terry
Southern Baptists achieved a milestone in giving during the 2005–2006 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. For the first time in history, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) portion of Cooperative Program (CP) receipts topped $200 million.
SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman called the accomplishment “the abundant outpouring of God’s blessings on our Convention.” He added, “We are blessed and proud of our Southern Baptist family for their commitment to the purpose and work of this Convention.”
The official total for SBC CP receipts announced Oct. 9 was $200,601,536. That amounts to a 2.37 percent increase over the 2004–2005 total of $195,948,423.
Alabama Baptists played a significant role in accomplishing this giving record. Alabama Baptists gave almost one-third more to SBC causes on a per capita basis than Baptists from all the other cooperating state conventions combined.
According to official reports, Alabama Baptists make up 6.96 percent of the 16,270,315 members of the SBC. Alabama Baptists reported 1,132,404 members at the end of 2005. If Alabama Baptists had given 6.96 percent of the record CP offering, then we would have given $13,961,867.
But Alabama Baptists did more than that — more than $4 million more than that. By adding up the CP receipts reported by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) in the months covered by the SBC fiscal year and figuring the SBC portion of 42.3 percent of all undesignated receipts, one learns that Alabama Baptists gave $18,090,620 to SBC CP causes during the SBC budget year just completed. That figure means Alabama Baptists, with 6.96 percent of the members, gave 9 percent of the total. That is a wonderful giving record.
Figured another way, Alabama Baptists gave $15.97 on a per capita basis to SBC CP causes during the last SBC budget year. The rest of the SBC members gave $12.06 on a per capita basis. That means Alabama Baptists gave 32.4 percent more than other Southern Baptists. Again, Alabama Baptists are leading the way.
A news story released by Baptist Press Oct. 19 reinforced Alabama Baptist leadership in CP giving. The story praised efforts by some state conventions to raise the portion of CP funds given to support SBC causes. One of the oldest state conventions reported it hopes to reach 37.4 percent of undesignated receipts going to SBC causes within four years.
Another “old line state convention” is recommending increasing its 33 percent to SBC causes by one-half of 1 percent this year. One state reported giving 40 percent of undesignated receipts to SBC causes after subtracting 1 percent to cover CP promotion costs.
None of the states mentioned reaches the giving level of Alabama Baptists with 42.3 percent of all undesignated receipts going to support SBC causes. That is one of the reasons Alabama Baptists continue to lead the way in financial support for SBC causes whether it is figured in percentage giving, per capita giving or total dollars given.
Alabama Baptist SBOM Executive Director Rick Lance is fond of reminding Baptists that only one state Baptist convention supports work in Alabama, and that is the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC). He quickly adds that 42 other state Baptist conventions join with Alabama Baptists to support SBC causes.
Only Alabama Baptists carry the primary responsibilities for the missions and ministries that go on within the boundaries of this state. Only Alabama Baptists support the three colleges associated with the ABSC and the other convention entities.
Yet, despite this commitment to reach Alabama for Christ, Alabama Baptists lead the way in financially underwriting the worldwide efforts carried on in the name of Southern Baptists. For Alabama Baptists, it is not a choice between state work and national work. Alabama Baptists lead the way in both.
Congratulations to Alabama Baptists for their financial faithfulness and for setting an example in CP giving to support missions and ministries in Alabama and around the world. May God continue to bless this commitment.
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