2. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) exists for one reason— to fulfill 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. During 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. STATE CONVENTIONS 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 5,300 missionaries who are committed to sharing Christ throughout the U.S., Canada, and the U.S. territories. * * Statistic taken from the 2010 SBC Book of Reports (page 68).

16. Plant 1,250 new churches in fast-growing cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural communities. * The North American Mission Board (NAMB) works with state conventions to: * Statistic taken from the 2010 SBC Book of Reports (page 71).

17. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) works with state conventions to: Endorse over 3,479 chaplains who reported sharing the gospel over 28,000 times through the first half of 2009. * * Statistic taken from the 2010 SBC Book of Reports (page 70).

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

19. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by: Starting 24,650 new churches with indigenous leadership. * * Statistic taken from the 2010 SBC Book of Reports (page 43).

20. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by: Supporting 5,296 field personnel around the world. ** ** Statistic taken from www.imb.org (August, 2010).

21. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by: Baptizing 506,019 people. * * Statistic taken from the 2010 SBC Book of Reports (page 43).

22. The International Mission Board (IMB) is impacting the landscape of the world by: Engaging 964 people groups with the Gospel. ** ** Statistic taken from www.imb.org (August, 2010).

23. But there’s much more to be done. There are still 2,134 unreached people groups with populations greater than 100,000. ** ** Statistic taken from www.imb.org (August, 2010).

24. If “two are better than one” (Eccl. 4:9), how much better are 16 MILLION+? * This is the current membership in over 45,000 Southern Baptist churches across the country. * * Statistics taken from the 2009 Annual Church Profile (ACP).

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.