LifeWay Research is constantly releasing new data and helpful insights. But the most interesting part of their latest study was the purpose of the research. This new study was “conducted on behalf of the SBC’s Executive Committee.” I would like to address the purpose of this research. Here is the stated purpose of the XComm in their official description.
The Executive Committee initiated the survey of all Southern Baptist churches to collect data that would provide an empirical baseline of our churches’ thoughts, feelings and perceptions about the Cooperative Program and stewardship, and to give us insights for developing a more focused strategy in the promotion of the Cooperative Program and stewardship across the Convention.
In other words, the Xcomm wanted to see what you were thinking so they could better market the CP. This survey was about quantifying the strength of their brand identity. Perhaps a worthy goal, but I would like to suggest a better way.
Forget Marketing, Build Trust Through Transparency
The best way to earn trust is through increasing transparency. Our whole system of giving is confusing to many regular church members. It’s just too complicated. While in Seminary, I was required to sit for a half day seminary just to learn about the Cooperative Program.
Either find a better way to educate people about the CP, or simplify the system. We should not rely on marketing to cover up the plain fact: people just don’t understand the system. Mom and Pop Baptist Churches know better than to trust complicated bureaucracy, especially when it comes to doing God’s work.
We should insist that no money flow should be more complicated than absolutely necessary, and not to simple to be most effective. Above all, those who give should understand where and to whom the money goes.
Why not make transparency the goal rather than brand perception?
(see also Ed Stetzer’s post on this research)
I updated the first paragraph of this post because I was unclear. Thanks for the reader feedback!
Interesting… I have never taken a seminary course (where the CP was explained), but I know what the CP does. I read my state baptist newspaper on a semi-infrequent basis and I don’t think it is complicated at all. The CP pools the resources of smaller churches so that their money can help send and train more missionaries.
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Since I’m an auditor and a geek I was curious whether the SBC gets an external audit and if that includes the cooperative program.
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Sirs: The cp and all of the churches, assns., state conventions, mission groups that support it, has provided for the greatest bible-believing mission force in history. True! It has its problems. Where ever humans are, sinners are, even born-again believers still sin, so it follows there will be trials, disappointments, defeats. But, there are those who would like to see the cp fail in order to get that great mission force done it. The great structure of the SBC with all of its diversities, divisions, and tare hairs is still necessary for us to preserve some presence of a protestant type of Christianity on the public scene in this nation. I have often thought it would be good for it to break upt, but then I realize wat a folly that would be. There would be a great vacuum in the public arena left by our free departure, and that vacuum would be filled immediately by the group that already has the majority on the supreme court. And while they today seem to favor republican democracy, Southern Baptists definitely need to be around to ensure that every one sticks to it as much as possible. The support of those missionaries must be the number one priority after the faithful preaching of the Gospel. Both the moderates and the conservatives need to look at mediation processes to learn to work together; ther is truth to some degree on both sides. If they fail, the whole world might well hang separately…as certainly the moderates and conservatives shall unless one or both sell out to post modern forces. We do have the basis in our background for dealing with such problems in the success of Regular Baptists in getting the great mission program going and of the success of Regular and Separate Baptists in uniting. If we had had some sharper thinkers, we might have avoided the primitive-missionary split, the landmark problems, and even the modernist-fundamentalist controversy. Mediation and understanding of how theological and ideological processes really work need to be addressed and means instituted to obviate and even resolve differences for a better situation. John Leland said he felt like he had been the gainer by making a few compromises with the Regulars (he was a Separate Baptist). WE NEED TEAMS OF PEOPLE TRAINED TO TAKE US THROUGH A PROCESS THAT BRINGS ABOUT RECONCILIATION AND BRINGS THE INDIVIDUAL TO FEEL THAT HE… Read more »
@ James: Please break your comments into shorter paragraphs.