NASHVILLE (BP) — As the 2023 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, giving to the National Cooperative Program Allocation Budget was slightly under expectations for the year, even though totals for the month of September were 1.6 percent above the targeted amount.
Gifts reported in September, which were collected in local churches in July, totaled nearly $16.28 million, bringing the annual total to $191.85 million, or 0.22 percent behind budget for the year.
“Because of the faithfulness of Southern Baptists giving through the Cooperative Program, we are able to support thousands of missionaries and church planters, train and educate the next generation of church leaders, and respond quickly and effectively when disaster strikes,” said Jonathan Howe, SBC EC interim president and CEO. “I am so thankful for every church that chooses to give sacrificially through the Cooperative Program to fund Southern Baptist ministries around the globe.”
Compared to the 2021-2022 fiscal year, total CP gifts were down 4.29 percent, and designated giving through state conventions was down 2.9 percent.
“The past year has been economically challenging for many Southern Baptists,” Howe said. “But to reach nearly $192 million in national Cooperative Program giving in such a challenging economic environment shows the dedication and commitment Southern Baptists have to the mission we have been tasked with as believers – taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.”
September National Cooperative Program giving:
- Monthly budgeted amount: $16,022,500.00
- September 2023 giving: $16,279,320.51
- Above/below budget: $256,820.51 (1.6 percent) above budget
Total National Cooperative Program giving:
- Total yearly budgeted amount: $192,270,000.00
- Total yearly giving: $191,851,947.02
- Above/under budget: $418,052.98 (0.22 percent) under budget
Designated giving:
- September giving: $4,423,505.41
- Total yearly giving: $200,728,333.31
- Previous year total: $206,725,673.34
- Above/below previous year: $5,997,340.03 (2.9 percent) below the previous year
The Convention-adopted budget for 2022-2023 was $192,270,000 and included an initial $200,000 special priority allocation for the SBC Vision 2025 initiative. Cooperative Program funds are then disbursed as follows: 50.41 percent to international missions through the International Mission Board, 22.79 percent to North American missions through the North American Mission Board, 22.16 percent to theological education through the six SBC seminaries and the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives, 2.99 percent to the SBC operating budget and 1.65 percent to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. If national CP gifts exceed the budget projection at the end of the fiscal year, the balance of the overage is distributed according to the percentages approved for budgetary distribution. The SBC Executive Committee distributes all CP and designated gifts it receives on a weekly basis to the SBC ministry entities.
CP allocation budget gifts received by the Executive Committee are reported monthly to the executives of the entities of the convention, to the state convention offices, to the state Baptist papers and are posted online at sbc.net/cp.
