I appreciate your comments and interaction with mine and Alan’s posts. It is important that pastors and church leaders stay informed about all that we do as Southern Baptists. Your resounding support both financially and through prayer of missions is to be commended. You bring up an interesting point though, by way of inference on my part.

You state that your CP contribution is the way that your church supports missions (IMB or NAMB or both? not sure which you pray for specifically) and relief. You also go on to indicate that you do not support through special offerings or much concern seminary presidents who shoot blanks or the XComm. A real tension occurs when we consider that the vast majority of CP dollars do NOT support NAMB/IMB missions or relief, yet this is the way that S. Baptists ‘fund’ missions.

Please hear me. I am not saying that churches should not support associations, state conventions or other institutions, but we need to be clear as to what it is we believe in and support. You support missions/relief primarily from your comment. Most of your CP dollars support those causes only indirectly. Not wrong mind you…many would not call what I do missions either (as a DOM) but you illustrate the question that Alan was raising very well in your post.

Thanks for taking time to interact here at missioscapes.

Maybe it’s the institution itself that engenders either support or skepticism. Our church understands that, at this point in our history, we simply cannot afford to support active missionary or relief efforts on our own; we need the Cooperative Program to enhance our participation in the Great Commission. I wouldn’t ask my congregation to make a special offering for, say, the Executive Committee or for certain seminaries led by blank-shooting presidents (http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=31277&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0917). However, I’ll actively support our upcoming Lottie Moon offering, both by participating and by encouraging my congregation to participate as well.