Almost lost amid the more gaudy news out of Dallas this week is something that is assuredly more important to the SBC’s future: news on the Cooperative Program.
Average percentage of undesignated receipts given to CP: 4.86% down from 5.16%.
Although the decline is just a fraction, 3/10 of one percent, it’s a pretty steep one year drop, about 6%. Think what it would mean if we had five consecutive years of the same. We would be looking at a CP that is down to 3.5% of church receipts. Weeping and gnashing of teeth everywhere.
Churches have been giving on average around five percent (5.16%) of their undesignated offering plate dollars. Now we’re under five percent.
The combination of an increase of total undesignated gifts to churches, $9.52 billion, up about $300 million, and a decline in CP giving of about $14 million caused the percentage reduction.
As Augie Boto pointed out in his Executive Committee report, the national share of CP dollars actually increased by about $1.5 million while the state convention share dropped by $14 million. The states continued to cut the proportion of CP revenues that they keep in-state for their various ministries.
The state/national CP “split” is now 58.51 for states and 41.49 for national SBC.
This is pretty serious business. Look for state conventions to speak to the matter. They had $14 million less to work with last year (the reporting period ended with the 2016-2017 fiscal year, September 30th).
More later on this.
