Churches that give through the Cooperative Program are making a difference. Why do I know that? I have the unique opportunity to see the handiwork of God though so many areas touched by your church’s support of the Cooperative Program.
Just this last weekend I attended the Minister’s Juggling Act, a ministry of the MBC funded by the Cooperative Program. This year, 92 ministry couples of various ages and demographics participated in the event that is designed to strengthen the marriage relational skills of the pastor and his wife. It is also a time to refresh the heart of busy pastors and their wives.
This year, 18 couples were church planting couples. The Church Planting team recognized the value of combining energy with MBC Family Ministries to bring the church planters into an event that could help “front line” ministers balance their priorities. We were able to cover all of their costs because of your faithful giving.
While we would love to underwrite the total cost of the event for everyone through CP dollars, we are able to absorb a majority of the costs. We recommend that churches send their pastors to this special weekend. I spoke to so many who expressed deep gratitude for their church’s support.
This year, one of the speakers was our MBC president, Dr. Neil Franks. He spoke about the purpose of marriage and how God provided biblical marriage to counteract our “aloneness.” It was “spot on.”
Too many pastors and their families struggle with isolation and aloneness. One of the symptoms of emotional overload is a deep sense of isolation. The enemy knows that if he can get a pastor or his wife out of synch with one another, he can create havoc. He does the same thing with people within the church. Truth is we need the Lord and we need each other on so many levels.
One of the most powerful things that occurs at an event like this is the personal interaction time that takes place with conference leaders and the participants. Some times the best encouragement is a cup of coffee and a listening ear.
I listened to some of our pastors and was saddened in my heart that so many had been through the “meat grinder” in the past few months. To a person, these pastors love their churches and they are burdened for what the people in their churches are experiencing in life. In recent months, some of the pastors had experienced such personal pain, Sharon and I wept in our hearts for these men and women of God.
I was grateful for the opportunity to hear their story and grateful to you for your generosity through the Cooperative Program to make a difference in the lives of these precious leaders.
Of course that is not all. Cooperative Program is more comprehensive than we could ever imagine. I was at a smaller in attendance rural church last week that gives 10% of their budget receipts to the CP. I marveled at their vision and understanding about how they were doing so much in God’s kingdom because of the Cooperative Program.
They support thousands of missionaries who share the gospel in places some of us could not pronounce. They support thousands of seminary students. They support work on university campuses and compassion ministries. They understand that they are part of the major gospel and church planting initiatives going on in the population centers of our state and the heartland. They are part of that because of the Cooperative Program. They have the vision of doing much more together than they could ever do alone.
Then I attended a major symposium on the campus of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The presentations and conversations were about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. Paige Patterson, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, gave superb presentations that sparked lively conversations. To view all the main sessions of the Symposium, visit “mbts.edu/SBC21.”
Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, asked some great structure questions in his presentation with a hope for civil conversations and research in the near future. By the way, his church is now the largest dollar giver to the CP in the state of Arkansas. His message and his passion should prepare the way for an amazing message to conclude our Missouri Baptist Convention, Oct. 28.
I stepped away from this week and looked at it in retrospect. Did we make a difference in the lives of people? Absolutely! And it’s because of your faithfulness to the Cooperative Program. Can we do more? Wrong question. Are we confident with our obedience to Christ in all things? We don’t have the luxury to do any less than obedience to the Lord. Celebrate what the Lord is doing through you and your church this month through the Cooperative Program.