Our $20 billion vision

It may seem hard to believe, but Southern Baptists have given $20 billion to missions since the Cooperative Program was created almost 100 years ago. Here, after the pandemic, yearly giving has rebounded. Together our nearly 50,000 SBC churches are supporting global missions, church planting, discipleship and leader development, preparation of pastors and missionaries, and a voice for religious liberty in Washington, D.C.

That we can do more together than any one church can do individually is well proven. But for this dynamic system of missions work to continue, the next generation must take up the cause. That will require intentional education about CP. Nobody gets CP through osmosis.

At one time, the average CP gift from churches was 10% or more of undesignated offerings. Many churches, realizing the importance of their global missions support give above that even today. The average church’s CP offering in Illinois is 6.1% today, which is still a bit above the average across the denomination. Every church of every size contributes meaningfully at its own level, choosing to send a percentage of their undesignated offerings to IBSA.