I don’t catch every misspelled word and an important one got past me recently. While skimming through a meeting I noticed the spelling of cooperation as “co-operation.”
The dash in the word highlighted the “operation” part of cooperation.
Operation, as defined by Cambridge dictionary, is “an activity planned to achieve something.” When you add the letters C and O to the front of it, you see that we are doing an operation together.
Since 1837 Kentucky Baptists have been fulfilling the operation of advancing the Great Commission together. We call that “cooperation” in Kentucky.
Our cooperation involves nearly 2,400 churches with 66 associations, six agencies and institutions, and one Mission Board staff cooperating to advance the Great Commission in Kentucky and around the world. In fact, our mission statement says we were created by churches for churches to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
Kentucky Baptists have many values that drive our work together. We value respect in that every church matters and there are no insignificant churches. We value leader care and want to see every Kentucky Baptist leader be a cared-for leader and to thrive in carrying out their calling. We value cooperation in that we have one mission — the Great Commission, and one primary funding program —the Cooperative Program. We envision every Kentucky Baptist church becoming fully engaged — cooperating to advance the gospel together.
How do Kentucky Baptists cooperate to advance the gospel? Here are five primary ways:
1. Through Cooperating Partners: These partners include the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, six Southern Baptist seminaries and more. They also include Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, Oneida Baptist Institute, Sunrise Children’s Services, Crossings Camps as well as the Kentucky Baptist Foundation and Kentucky WMU. These cooperating partners receive 59 percent of all Cooperative Program funds sent by Kentucky Baptist churches and help us advance the gospel.
2. Through Church Planting: With nearly 85 percent of Kentuckians, nearly four million people, not in any church anywhere on Sunday morning, we know we need healthy churches striving to win the lost. We also need more churches to help reach Kentuckians for Christ. Kentucky Baptists work together to plant and replant healthy gospel advancing Kentucky Baptist churches.
3. Through Campus Ministry: The best estimate is that 95 percent of the more than 200,000 college and university students in Kentucky are not part of a local church. Through Baptist Campus Ministry we are currently on 29 campuses in the commonwealth and plan to be on more for the purpose of reaching students with the gospel and helping them connect with and serve in local churches.
4. Through Church Health: Most of the day-in and day-out work of the Kentucky Baptist Mission Board staff is focused on church health and serving the leaders of Kentucky Baptist churches. Whether it is conflict resolution, sexual abuse prevention, deacon training, personal evangelism or mobilizing churches for missions, we strive to help Kentucky Baptist churches reach Kentucky and the world for Jesus.
5. Through Convention Priorities: Each year we identify areas where Kentucky Baptists desire to work together in ways we cannot accomplish alone. These priorities include Gospel to Every Home, Calling Out the Called, Every Church On Mission and more.
Kentucky Baptists value cooperation, whether I spell it right or not, because we are convinced it is the best way to reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
Here is my ask for you. If your church has slowed or paused your Cooperative Program giving, would you prayerfully consider restarting it? If your church gives through CP but gives more to direct missions, would you consider increasing your Cooperative Program giving? If your church is one of many Cooperative Program champion churches in Kentucky — the backbone of our convention of churches — will you continue doing exactly what you are doing and ring the bell for our cooperative partnership every chance you get and bring others along with you?
Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for modeling and living out cooperation in a way that honors Jesus and advances His gospel. Together we are working toward the day when every Kentucky Baptist church will be a gospel-advancing church.
Dr. Todd Gray 