2. There’s one reason for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)— The Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

3. In 1925, the SBC brought its resources together under one banner— The Cooperative Program (CP). Since that time, CP has grown to be one of the most effective and efficient ways of propelling the Gospel.

4. So, where do you start to change the world? It really does begin with you (2 Cor. 8:5). 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.

5. This is commonly called a tithe and represents 10% of your income (Lev. 27:30, Mal. 3:10).

6. Your church decides the next step. The entire congregation prayerfully decides how much of these gifts will be committed to reaching people in your state and around the world through the Cooperative Program. This amount is forwarded to your state Baptist convention.

7. At every annual state convention meeting, the gifts from churches are allocated in order to achieve maximum impact for the Gospel in their state.

8. When the SBC meets each year, representatives (messengers) from churches decide how to divide the balance of the churches’ gifts to impact people at home and around the world.

9. See how it works? When resources from millions of people in thousands of churches are combined, the potential for maximum impact grows.

10. The Bottom Line— People who are lost hear the gospel and respond to God’s love.

11. God is busy working through a variety of channels to demonstrate His love and make a difference in the lives of people— around the clock and around the world. Channels such as:

12. The International Mission Board (IMB) The North American Mission Board (NAMB) Six Southern Baptist Seminaries The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC)

13. Evangelism Volunteer missions Mission education Church planting State Baptist Colleges and Universities Collegiate ministries State camps

14. For more information and to see how God is working, visit www.sbc.net/cp. To get a bigger picture, visit the sites of other SBC entities.

15. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) coordinates the efforts of more than 5,611 missionaries who are committed to sharing Christ throughout the U.S., Canada, and the U.S. territories.

16. Plant 1,578 new churches in fast-growing cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) works with state conventions to:

17. Endorse over 2,844 chaplains and produce evangelistic tracts, materials, and methods to help you share your faith. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) works with state conventions to:

18. Coordinate disaster relief efforts The North American Mission Board (NAMB) works with state conventions to:

19. Starting 26,970 new churches with indigenous leadership. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by:

20. Supporting over 5,500 missionaries across the world. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by:

21. Baptizing 565,967 people. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by:

22. Engaging 1,100 people groups with the Gospel. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by:

23. But there’s much more to be done. There are still 2,073 unreached people groups with populations greater than 100,000.

24. If “two are better than one” (Eccl. 4:9), how much better are 16.2 million ? This is the current membership in 44,848 Southern Baptist churches across the country.

25. With a global population approaching 7 billion, the only option is for “Me” to become “We.” How do we make this happen?

26. To help the Cooperative Program put love in action, please: PRAY Pray regularly for your Southern Baptist missionaries and their ministries.

27. To help the Cooperative Program put love in action, please: GO Be involved in some sort of missions endeavor.

28. To help the Cooperative Program put love in action, please: GIVE Give regularly to the Lord through your church. Encourage your church to increase its commitment to reaching people through the Cooperative Program.