"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over..." (Luke 6:38 KJV)

The first disciples considered their common fellowship and their common mission to be more important than anything else, and were willing to surrender their possessions and their lives to meet the need.

Chad was an excited Christian with a vision to help plant a new church. Some of his friends who had done the same had chosen to establish a "community church," believing that denomination" would limit them. Chad was uncertain. He fell into conversation with Katy, who wasn't uncertain at all.

Non-denominational churches meet a need, I'm sure," said Katy, "but I wouldn't trade one day of the fifteen years I've been a Southern Baptist. One reason is that they take seriously the Great Commission: 'Go ye therefore and teach all nations.'"

"I believe in that, too," Chad said.

"Then the Cooperative Program is the way to go," she answered. "I'll give you three benefits of the Cooperative Program." "First, it focuses on the priority of missions and evangelism. It's the reason we exist."

"A second benefit," Katy continued, "is that CP provides for teaching, training, and sending. Some of our CP funds support our seminaries and even pay the tuition of their students - that's most of our missionaries and pastors. We know when we train them and then send them that they believe the Bible and share a crystal clear gospel."

"And third, Cooperative Program works with maximum effectiveness and minimum overhead. Unlike many organizations that spend a lot on fund raising and administration, Southern Baptists use very little on pushing paper and the very most on doing what we were commissioned to do: teach and preach the gospel.

"Let me guess," said Chad. "You had all that prepared."

"yep," said Katy. "I gave a talk to the Mission's group at our church last week. But it looks like the real reason the Lord had, was for me to share it with you."

CP: the choice of the mission-minded Christian for spreading the kingdom of God.

"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Acts 2:44-45 (KJV)

For more information or to order this tract, contact the Cooperative Program Office, South Carolina Baptist Convention, (803)765-0030 or (800-723-7242 in state). This tract is free to South Carolina Baptist churches while quantities last. To download a copy of this tract, click on the following link: Benefits