Ten Cooperative Program Facts

Thank you, Alabama Baptists, for supporting missions through the Cooperative Program. In doing so, you help spread the Gospel and minister in Christ’s name in Alabama, across the U.S. and around the world.

Many positive facts may be cited about the impact of Southern Baptists in general and Alabama Baptists specifically related to CP support and stewardship. Here are ten such points of information:

1. For the past six years, Alabama Baptists have ranked first in total dollars given by state conventions through the Cooperative Program. We are not the largest state convention or the wealthiest, but Alabama Baptists strongly support this God-given channel of missions support.
2. Alabama Baptists are likewise first in per capita giving through the Cooperative Program. This demonstrates CP support is strong both in congregations and individual Alabama Baptist church members.
3. Alabama Baptists give $1 of every $10 given through the SBC Cooperative Program. While there are 42 state conventions of various sizes, Alabama gives approximately 10 percent of CP dollars supporting the SBC’s national and international missions and ministries.
4. On average, for each 100 undesignated dollars (tithes and offerings) given in local Alabama Baptist congregations, $7.17 makes its way through the Cooperative Program. That is well above the national average.
5. Cooperative Program receipts for 2015 were $2,045,695.93 below budget (-5.1%).
6. In spite of this $2 million shortfall during 2015, the State Board of Missions (SBOM) still operated in the black with income exceeding our expenses. The shortfall is absorbed through internal management of personnel and other resources. (See #9 below.) No ministries have been eliminated that impact local associations and churches.
7. In 2015, Alabama Baptist churches gave 7 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. That is 26 percent more than the average of all SBC churches.
8. Of total receipts received by the SBOM in 2015, the SBC received 55.5 percent.
9. The number of full-time SBOM employees in 1998 was 121. Currently the SBOM has 70 full-time employees. This ranks among the smallest Deep South convention staffs.
10. So far in 2016, Alabama Baptists have given more than $1 million ahead of last year’s receipts.

Thanks again, Alabama Baptists, for your generous support of missions and ministries through the Cooperative Program.

If your Alabama Baptist congregation would like more information on the Cooperative Program or to arrange a guest speaker about CP, please contact State Missionary Jim Swedenburg, director of Cooperative Program & Stewardship Development, at 1-800-264-1225, ext. 283, or (334) 613-2283, jswedenburg@alsbom.org.