Meanwhile, Cooperative Program in a deep slide...
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:56 am
Everyone acknowledges that the support by churches of the Cooperative Program has been slowly, slowly declining for decades, if not in total dollars then most notably and significantly in the percentage of undesignated receipts given by churches to the CP.
Economic times have this escalating - actual CP gifts are declining precipitously.
Those are fairly small percentages - less than 3% from last year, less than 2% off last year's budget; however, the dollars they represent are not small: about $3.8 million YTD less than same period last year.
It is no longer debatable that on the , which now has over 3,000 signers, discussion is now dominated by the single article in that document, Article IX, the one that deals with denominational bloat, bureaucracy, efficiency and structure.
We are all for revival and the Lordship of Christ. No pronouncement by SBC leaders can bring revival or establish the Lordship of Christ over even a single individual, but leaders can start rolling the ball towards a more effective convention structure.
Starving the CP beast may be the quickest way to force changes.
Economic times have this escalating - actual CP gifts are declining precipitously.
Those are fairly small percentages - less than 3% from last year, less than 2% off last year's budget; however, the dollars they represent are not small: about $3.8 million YTD less than same period last year.
It is no longer debatable that on the , which now has over 3,000 signers, discussion is now dominated by the single article in that document, Article IX, the one that deals with denominational bloat, bureaucracy, efficiency and structure.
We are all for revival and the Lordship of Christ. No pronouncement by SBC leaders can bring revival or establish the Lordship of Christ over even a single individual, but leaders can start rolling the ball towards a more effective convention structure.
Starving the CP beast may be the quickest way to force changes.