WHY COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME IS IMPORTANT FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF NIGERIAN BAPTIST CONVENTION

ALLEN T. OLATUNDE

MICHAEL ADEGBOLA

OLUSEGUN ADEGBOYE

FEBRUARY 2011

 INTRODUCTION

The idea of denominational integration system whereby churches of the same belief, goals and doctrine agree to contribute their resources together to pursue common goal led Nigerian Baptist Convention to develop Baptist Cooperative Programme in which the system is desperately seeking for sustenance from the members. Agreement by membership of the convention binds them to achieve the aim if the purpose of the Cooperative Programme is well spelled out. However, when the purpose of a project is unknown, abuse is inevitable. The general performance of, and the attitude of some pastors and churches towards the Nigerian Baptist Convention Cooperative Programme has been a source of concern to many. Admittedly, there had never been a year where the income is less than that of the preceding year, the increase in recent times had been somewhat inconsequential, at a pace that was far below the rate of inflation. Apart from this, there is a growing list of churches, viable churches that contribute little or do not even contribute anything at all to the Cooperative Programme. Many a times, even the little contribution is made at the end of the year when they know that the Financial Report and the Honour Roll is about to be published.

In this paper, the importance of Cooperative Programme in the Baptist World and in general and Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) in specific will be discussed. The history and the strategic significance placed on the Programme by the Mother Convention as a catalyst to the revival of Cooperative Programme in Nigerian Baptist Convention at large will be discussed.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF BAPTIST COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME

Definition

From the Southern Baptist Convention Online Archives (http://www.sbc.net), Cooperative Program is defined as 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 missions and ministries. Cooperative Programme involves three things, all related to the question of money: the soliciting, the securing, and the dividing of funds (Cox 119).

 The Original Intent

Barnes (230-231) observes that the Cooperative Programme arose out of the desires and efforts of pastors and churches to find a plan whereby all worthy denominational causes might be cared for fully and fairly without conflicting with the necessary programme and work in the churches themselves. It is sane, scriptural, comprehensive, unifying, equitable, economical, and thoroughly workable. It is based upon the assumption that all denominational causes will be included, that all agencies and institutions will cooperate in its promotion. It should be looked upon as the budget plan for using the contributions of people in financing the affairs of the denomination.

Boto, D. August (http://www.bpnews.net) states that prior to 1925 Southern Baptist churches were attempting to send direct support to Southern Baptist agencies and institutions.  It was not uncommon for churches to be visited by entity leaders appealing for increased giving to that particular agency or institution.  This societal method of giving was becoming less and less productive and the witness of the Southern Baptist Convention was beginning to suffer for the lack of funds necessary to fulfill the gigantic task of spreading the Gospel throughout the world in obedience to the Great Commission.   During this time of uncertainty in the Convention, God, in His infinite grace, answered the prayers of Convention leaders by giving them an innovative plan of unified giving that was and is compatible with God’s Word.  Since its inception, the plan and its consistency, dependability, and productivity have become objects of admiration among other gospel-spreading denominations.  The plan was named the Cooperative Programme, a perfectly suited name to be utilized in a Convention of churches pledging to work together for the cause of world missions, yet with each church and the Convention maintaining a strong commitment to the biblical principle of autonomy of the local church.  Through the years, most Southern Baptist leaders have been careful to note that churches give through, rather than to, the Cooperative Programme.  This distinction is important because although Southern Baptists give through the Cooperative Programme, they give to world missions.

The Cooperative Program, the primary mechanism for the support of missions in the denomination, enables Southern Baptists to work together to spread God’s Word globally on a scale that is impossible for churches to accomplish by working independently of each other.  While urging the churches to give priority to undesignated giving through the Cooperative Programme, the Convention recognizes and commends churches that are supporting direct mission causes through their local church budgets in addition to the Cooperative Program.

Ray, Cecil (23) in his 1985 history of the Cooperative Program entitled, ‘Cooperation: The Baptist Way to a Lost World’, corroborates that there existed a continuing variance in viewpoints about the Cooperative Program by commenting, “Was the Cooperative Program meant to be one among Baptists’ several systems of support, or an umbrella covering all systems?  Gradually, Baptists have come to understand the Cooperative Programme as the main line of support for most Baptist work, with the special mission offerings and other sources of support as supplements to it.”  From the SBC Online Archives, it was stated that “The Cooperative Programme is a financial channel of cooperation between the State Conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention which makes it possible for all persons making undesignated gifts through their church to support the missionary, education, and benevolent work in their own state convention and also the work of the Southern Baptist Convention.”

However, the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) is a derivative and result of the nurturing of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), USA as it was expressed online (www.nigerianbaptist.org). It (NBC) is the umbrella body for the Baptist Churches in Nigeria and represents the interests of the denomination with governments, national and international ecumenical associations, the Baptist World Alliance and its regional body known as the All Africa Baptist Fellowship.
Furthermore, the intent was stated that

The Convention exists primarily in obedience to the Great Commission, and is made up of Churches. Churches themselves are made up of individual members. Therefore, the Convention is owned by the churches. The NBC also exists to assist and encourage churches in their ministries of outreach, training and development of members, church planting and church growth, training and relief of ministers and other workers etc. If the churches actually established and own the Convention, then, who should fund the Convention? Obviously when you set up a thing, you have to pay for its maintenance. This is why it is imperative that churches should pay and contribute jointly to maintain the body set up by them. If they don't, nobody else will. If they won't, then they are saying that the body is unnecessary. But is that what we are saying? The Baptist churches thus pool resources and work together cooperatively to achieve and accomplish “far more than they could ever do alone.

Nigerian Baptist Convention (http://nigerianbaptist.org) also emphasizes that the Cooperative Program has been called “a means to an end,” not an end in itself - a channel through which Baptist world outreach needs are financed and goals are reached in a unified effort which enables churches to accomplish more together than individually.

SIGNIFICANCE OF COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME

History of Cooperative Programme from the source adds values to the significance of the Programme when the effects and results are displayed on walls of fame. Southern Baptist Convention had the chance to start and review the programme to revitalize the purpose and the benefits of Cooperative Programme to the body at large. Cooperative Programme helps the church to fulfill the mandate of its founder and to embrace the pattern of early church sharing and giving for mission purposes.   Rush, Thomas (http://www.christianindex.org/) emphasizes on the significance of Cooperative Programme. He questions the relaxed mood of his convention that this is no time for us to bicker. We do not need to reinvent ourselves. We need to take a proven and effective strategy for taking the Gospel to the nations, the Cooperative Program, and make it work better. We might also remember that the United States is a nation desperately in need of the Gospel. Toalston, Art (http://www.bpnews.net/) adds that Baptist leaders who launched the Cooperative Program 75 years ago “would be totally amazed at what has occurred during the ensuing years. … I have no doubt but that the Cooperative Programme concept was a gift from God in 1925 and continues to be at this time in our Baptist history.”

The Cooperative Programme ensures that Baptist churches pool resources together to do things that they can best do together – home and international missions, theological training, provision of a credible retirement scheme for ministers and other workers of NBC and its entities, production of wholesale literature, ministries that nurture and develop members, benevolent ministries, University and ancillary ministries etc. The importance of Cooperative Programme is less than the way it is rated because the indispensability of the strategy in mission is yet broadcast. Let’s consider few reasons for the acceptance, development and continuation of CP in our convention. With respect to the significance of the Cooperative Programme, the following areas of importance are discussed below.

Missions and Evangelism

The mandate of the church is to evangelize the world and a local church cannot success in the project unless and until, she partners with others pulling resources together to make the task a reality. CP helps the convention to raise financial competence of the denomination to go for mission in both home and foreign. The NBC has the arm that controls the mission work, Global Mission Board, to call, send and finance missionaries and the fields. Such money contributed is used for the task. SBC Online  Archive adds that Partnership mission trips provide a way for pastors and churches of all sizes to engage in becoming Acts 1:8 churches and to connect directly with the people and ministries supported by their Cooperative Program giving. It connects the dots between Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Veneman, Justin (http://www.christianindex.org) quotes IMB President Jerry Rankin as he lamented in his blog that some Baptist leaders and entities are of the opinion “that the purpose of our denomination is not the Great Commission but cooperation.” However, Great Commission plus cooperation brings success. World evangelization is financial tasking and CP has the tendency to solve the challenges when it is totally allowed. Chapman, Morris H. (http://www.baptist2baptist.net) in support of cooperative program remarks that the number of missionaries was declining because they were unable to raise sufficient financial support. None of them has a unified plan of giving like the Cooperative Program. However, the mission department of NBC, Global Mission Board online supports Cooperative Programme as the best mission funding strategy by prompt commitment to cooperative partnership of the NBC.

Support and Welfare Programme

Hinson, Keith (http://www.gofbw.com/) notes that Southern Baptists who wonder if their contributions through the Cooperative Program really have an impact should visit a site of disaster relief operations, suggested Bob Oldham, a spokesman for Oklahoma Baptist Men and a member of the HodgenBaptistChurch in Heavener, Okla. In NigerianBaptistChurch, CP has been a means to restore hope to places where religious crisis happened. In Jos, Nigeria where many Baptist members lost their loved ones and houses burnt, were cared for and supported in cash and kind. New church buildings were built and pews replaced. Many relief programmes are in place for the less privilege in the mission fields. Missionaries on the field also enjoy the benefits of CP in support of their children and also in building schools, clinics and church buildings where needed. Therefore, Cooperative Programme is very significance in making life better for the less privilege around us.

Chapman, Morris H. (http://www.baptist2baptist.net) promotes the importance of Cooperative Programme as he emphasizes the values of the programme that:

The Cooperative Program is an alliance and partnership with state Baptist conventions. It is a matter of "all for one and one for all." The Cooperative Program has no inherently geographical, economical, or racial prejudice. It is money given for state missions, North American missions, world missions, for all peoples throughout the earth who need a Savior. The Cooperative Program is doing together what we cannot do separately. The Cooperative Program is, without dispute, the greatest voluntary funding program in the history of Christendom. The Cooperative Program supports more than 9,000 foreign and domestic missionaries. The Cooperative Program assists financially in the theological education of more than 10,000 students through six Southern Baptist seminaries. The Cooperative Program provides ethical challenge and moral leadership to this nation through the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. The Cooperative Program provides relief funds to pastors and their wives whose retirement income is so meager it just won't stretch far enough for an existence with dignity.

Theological Training and Development

Cooperative Programme helps in training and developing ministerial resources for the convention for the continuity in leadership system according to the doctrinal heritage of the denomination. Baptist has leadership virtue in which the honour goes to the seminary education supported by the collections from Cooperative Programme. The promotion of scholarship in theological education in our institutions enhances better chances for glorious future. Internet source (www.sbc.net/cp) also affirms that Cooperative Program provides resources for training future missionaries, pastors, and church leaders in seminaries.

Administrative and Retirement Provision

The Convention represents the interest of all the Baptist churches as one body, as already mentioned. Provision of platform for joint action in missions and land projects, legal representation makes Cooperative Programme significant. Cooperative Programme enhances smooth payment of 10% of the Pastor's salary as pension premium on behalf of the church, provision of a sound retirement scheme for the church Pastor and other Workers, and provision of training facilities and subsidized or free publications or materials, in the areas of Sunday School, Church Training, WMU, MMU, Literacy, Prison Ministry, Youth & Students Ministries, Music, Media etc. Cooperative Programme also makes interest-free Church Building Revolving Loans available to churches.

 PAST AND PRESENT IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME ON NIGERIAN BAPTIST CONVENTION

According to Ilupeju (http://goodnewsbaptistchurchlagos.org) on his reaction paper, he states the ideal position of Cooperative Programme in Nigerian Baptist Convention that these cooperative bodies are to spend these monies to carry out mission work that the churches agree to do. Because of the forum that they create for local Baptist churches to have fellowship and interaction with one another, these bodies are given additional responsibilities to carry out on behalf of local churches. They set up theological institutions in order to provide trained pastors and other Christian workers for the local churches. They set up educational and health institutions in order to complement their mission and evangelism work. They constitute ministerial board to deal with matters affecting the welfare and discipline of pastors. They set up departments that spearhead the production of Christian education materials for the use of local churches. They are supposed to have a mission agency through whom they can use the resources received from local churches for local, national and international missions. 

ANTICIPATIVE RESULT: THE FUTURE OF NBC THROUGH

COOPERATIVE PROGRAMME

The sustenance of Nigerian Baptist Convention dwells so much on the cooperative attitude of the member churches. We can see and admire the growth and development of Southern Baptist Convention, Mother Convention as they agreed to foster a unified body pulling their resources together to raise, help, develop  and reach the world of unbelieving of this age.  However, if we Nigerian Baptist Convention can emulate our predecessor in their anticipated vision of duties and service as James Tanimola Ayorinde, the first indigenous Convention General Secretary upheld the goal of Cooperative Programme in which African Journal Online Archives (http://www.dacb.org) affirms that his duties as Associate General Secretary included the promotion of the convention cooperative program and stewardship education, directing the activities of the field workers, and performing any other duties assigned to him by the general secretary. Also in anticipation, the Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive made a statement of hope that, “As we move into the year 2000 and celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Cooperative Program, my prayer is that Southern Baptists, standing upon the shoulders of our forefathers, will be Partners in the Harvest , telling Baptists to keep it going!”

We need a leader that will promote Cooperative Programme with all his leadership abilities and skills. Thomas E. Rush (http://www.christianindex.org/) gladly writes that the Cooperative Programme has been the great genius of the Southern Baptist missionary endeavor. It has served them extremely well for 85 years. It is not time to dismantle the system; it is time to increase giving to the Cooperative Programme and get each of our entities and agencies to talk to one another in the hopes of improving everything we do to win the lost to Christ at home and abroad. We need a convention president who shares these convictions. As Nigerian Baptist Convention, we anticipate to have leaders that will jointly uphold the programme without sentiments.

Seeing the future from today will increase the cooperation among the members by giving their correct and constant contribution to the Cooperative Programme without prejudice and bitterness. In assumption, these are the anticipative result for the future of Nigerian Baptist Convention through cooperative programme as listed below.

1. There will be increase in mission endeavours; more areas to cover, more souls to win, and more harvesters to sustain.
2. The Convention will generate more funds to help the weak and growing churches in both rural and urban centers within the nations and abroad.
3. The process will provide more opportunities for the training of pastors, missionaries, evangelists and educationists that will continue with the denominational mandate.
4. Relief programme will increase and welfare of the rejected believers in the non-Christian zones will emaciate.
5. Cooperation as a body will trigger up as we profess love and unity in practical sense.

Adedoyin, I. A. (1998), a Baptist Historian expressly states the position of the past and the future of our Convention that if the early Nigerian Baptists do not value the Cooperative Programme of the Baptist Convention in their own time as to be making personal sacrificial contributions to ensure the propagation of the Gospel through the Programmes it is very possible that our own generation would have little or nothing to inherit as an heritage. Therefore, the percentage giving which is the backbone of our Cooperative Programmes should be faithfully done if this present generation will sustain the efforts of our fathers and even break new ground for the upcoming generations.

CONCLUSION

         In the binocular of hope, Cooperative Programme shall be a tool to win West Africa countries for Christ through mission and evangelism that are fully supported with funds. Nigeria is not only a giant of African politically, but also the center of gravity of Christianity in Africa.  Perhaps the member churches embrace the importance of Cooperative Programme with all consciousness and contribute fully to the purse, and then we shall realize the sustainable corporate body that possibility is just a reality just done.

  

WORKS CITED

Adedoyin, I. A. A Short History of the Nigerian Baptist: 1850-1978, Ibadan: Nigerian Baptist Bookstore Limited, 1998.

Barnes, W. W. The Southern Baptist Convention 1845 - 1953. Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1954.

 Boto, D. August. http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=32680, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.55pm.

 Ray, Cecil and Ray, Susan. Cooperation: The Baptist Way to a Lost World. Nashville: Stewardship Commission, 1985.

 Chapman, Morris H. The Cooperative Program: Keep It Going! The President's report by Morris H. Chapman, delivered to the SBC Executive Committee on February 22, 1999, http://www.baptist2baptist.net, accessed on 15th February 2011 by 3.11pm.

 Cox, N. W. We Southern Baptists. Tennessee: Convention Press, 1961.

 Hinson, Keith. Missions Trip to Assist Tsunami Victims with Pensacola Church Inspires Alabama Mayor to Get Involved.  Alabama Baptist Convention http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp? Posted July 19, 2005, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.59pm.

 http://nigerianbaptist.org/index.php/about-us/cooperative-programmes accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.55pm.

 http://www.sbc.net/ accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.57pm.

 Ilupeju, O. A.  Reaction to the Proposed Plan for the Restructuring of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, http://goodnewsbaptistchurchlagos.org/media-resources/restructuring-of-the-nigerian-baptist-convention/, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 3.23pm.

 n.a. Ayorinde, James Tanimola 1907 to 1977, Nigerian Baptist Convention, Nigeria http://www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/ayorinde_james_tanimola.html, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 3.09pm.

n.a. Cooperative Program, Love In Action. http://www.sbc.net/cp, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 3.10pm.

 Rush, Thomas E. Untutored Courage in Warfare: The Importance of the Cooperative Program, published April 8, 2010, http://www.christianindex.org/6348.article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.55pm.

 Toalston, Art. Cooperative Program celebration draws Baptist leaders’ involvementNashville, Tennessee, posted on December 4, 1998 by http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=1692

Veneman, Justin. http://www.christianindex.org/6348, article accessed on 15th February 2011 by 2.57pm.