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What is the Cooperative Program?
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention mis- sions and ministries.
It begins with you! You give yourself first to God (2 Cor. 8:5). 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 10 percent of your income (Lev. 27:30, Mal. 3:10).
Your church decides the next step. Every sions and ministries is also determined at this year your church prayerfully decides how time.
Church
Members
Church members give back to God a percentage of their income. This is traditionally called a tithe and represents 10 percent of what God has provided.
Local
Churches
Churches receive tithes and offerings from church members and commit a percentage of undesignated receipts for missions and ministries beyond the church walls.
State Missions
and Ministries
Messengers from local congregations vote to retain a specific percentage for state missions and ministries and forward the balance to the SBC. State missions and ministries can include evangelism, church planting, children’s homes, Christian higher education, compassion ministries, disaster relief, church health, age group ministries, and missions education.
Southern Baptist
Missions and Ministries
The SBC compiles the gifts forwarded from state conventions for missions and ministries across the United States and around the world. Southern Baptist missions and ministries include North American and international missions, theological education, ethics and religious liberty, and general operating expenses.
This is a special edition publication by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
W. Thomas Hammond, Jr. | Executive Director
John Courtney | Lead Strategist
Linda Wilkins | Editor
gabaptist.org
2021 CHURCH FACTS
GEORGIA BAPTIST CHURCH DIVERSITY
CHURCH
Anglo - White Non-Hispanic African-American - Black Hispanic
Korean
Other Vietnamese
Asian Indian Haitian
Russian
Chinese
Arabic
Ethiopian Romanian
Hmong
Ghanaian
Kenyan
1,290,199
TOTAL GBC MEMBERS
much of its undesignated gifts will be com- mitted to reaching people in your state and around the world through the Cooperative Program. This amount is then forwarded to your State Baptist Convention.
Messengers at the State Convention An- nual Meetings – from your church and other churches across the state – decide what per- centage of Cooperative Program gifts con- tributed by local congregations stay in your state to support local missions and ministries. The percentage to be forwarded to the SBC for North American and international mis-
Messengers at the Southern Baptist Con- vention Annual Meeting from across the country decide how the gifts received from the states will be distributed among SBC en- tities. These gifts are used by SBC entities to send and support missionaries; train pastors and other ministry leaders; provide relief for retired ministers and widows; and address social, moral and ethical concerns relating to our faith and families.
The bottom line – people around the world
hear the gospel and receive Christ!
– sbc.net
The Financial Fuel for Reaching Every Person in Every Town, Every City, Every State, and Every Nation.
NO. CHURCHES
3012 236 96 63 18 17 15 14 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3
CHURCH
Filipino
Laotian Cambodian Zomi Japanese Liberian Chin Myanmar Sudanese Caribbean Messianic Jewish Brazilian Deaf Burmese Karen
NO. CHURCHES
34
3,523 TOTAL CHURCHES
85% ANGLO
15% OTHERS Source: GBMB Research and Development
Reaching the World
3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
TOTAL LANGUAGES
GEORGIA BAPTIST MISSION BOARD SPECIAL EDITION