These days, the word together means more than ever. As a group of churches dispersed across North America, the Cooperative Program (CP) is central to our heart of ministry and mission.

Through the generous support of churches across the nation, baptists combine their resources to greatly increase the ministry and missions work they can do together.

Here are three ways the CP enables churches to fulfill their mission:

Prioritize purpose
Every Sunday, congregations across our state and North America need to be reminded of their central purpose – to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Elevating the Cooperative Program reminds churches that we are a part of a bigger story, a bigger picture and mission than our smaller gathering.

Prior to the offering, consider leading your church in prayer for church plants across our nation, missionaries across our world, and other churches in our communities. If our hearts aren’t oriented and burdened toward the lost, we will not take the steps necessary to reach them through our words, actions or wallets.

Every church, no matter the size of the gathering, can make a global and comprehensive missional impact through the Cooperative Program.

Elevate mission
Through generously affirming and supporting the CP, we are opening ourselves corporately and individually to the mission set before us — to create a culture of disciple-making disciples.

The CP provides an opportunity for our church members to turn their eyes outward to the community and world, seeing the lostness and lack of access to gospel witness, and respond in both word and deed.

Every church, no matter the size of the gathering, can make a global and comprehensive missional impact through the Cooperative Program.

Accelerate impact
Many new members and folks occupying our gatherings on Sunday mornings did not grow up as Southern Baptists. Explaining how the Cooperative Program enables specific ministries and missions across the world can add fuel to the fire of missions activity.

Sure, the CP requires funding, but more importantly, the CP requires likeminded people. In order for there to be a likemindedness in terms of mission, we have to take the time to slow down and educate our people on what mission is. The CP is a great instrument to do just that.

For more information and resources on the Cooperative Program in North Carolina, visit ncbaptist.org/cp.

The Southern Baptist Convention has been hard at work to promote and strengthen the voice of the CP through new branding and messaging. You can find those newly developed resources here.