The Cooperative Program is the unified funding tool for Southern Baptist ministry and missions all over the world. Through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists fund more than 3,500 gospel missionaries in 155 countries, plant churches across North America, train more than 20,000 men and women for ministry through our six seminaries and respond to natural disasters worldwide.
But CP also helps churches right here in Kentucky. Here are eight ways:
1. CP helps churches train future leaders: Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, Boyce College and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary partner with KBC churches in training the next generation of ministry leaders. Kentucky Baptists have excellent ministry training options without leaving the state.
2. CP helps churches reach young people: As a partner with the local church, Crossings Ministries hosted 23,818 students and children at camp in 2024. Eight hundred and seventy-five of those students professed faith in Christ.
3. CP helps churches address Kentucky’s foster care crisis: Each year, Sunrise Children’s Services partners with Kentucky Baptist churches to respond to the foster care crisis in Kentucky. More than 8,000 children are placed in out-of-home care by the state. In 2023, Sunrise served 1,228 children and adults across the commonwealth. Just recently we celebrated 687 children being adopted into permanent homes through Sunrise since 2009.
4. CP helps churches educate children: In 2023, Oneida Baptist Institute, Kentucky Baptists’ Appalachian private school, saw a 15% increase in enrollment over the previous year — and more than 25 students made professions of faith. Last year, every graduating senior professed faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
5. CP helps churches respond to disasters: KBC Disaster Relief volunteers, who are members of Kentucky Baptist churches, are helping hurting people in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton and have seen numerous professions of faith in Christ.
6. CP helps churches reach college students: Kentucky Baptist Campus Ministry partners with KBC churches and associations by having a gospel presence on 35 college campuses in Kentucky. This year, there were 5,573 gospel conversations on Kentucky’s college campuses and 671 students were trained in personal evangelism.
7. CP helps churches organize for regional gospel impact: The KBC, in partnership with local churches, will be hosting the Hope for West Kentucky Crusade in Paducah on Nov. 10, right before the Pastors’ Conference and Annual Meeting, in hopes of touching thousands of individuals with the gospel.
8. CP helps churches encourage their leaders: The KBC Mission Board staff logs hundreds of thousands of miles each year visiting and caring for each of the 2,350 churches and 66 associations in the state. We provide training for search teams, sexual abuse prevention, student and children’s ministry, church security, church finances, evangelism and so much more. This support to our churches makes the Kentucky Baptist Convention one of the premier state conventions in the SBC.
Measuring the full impact of Kentucky Baptist churches working together through their collective giving through the Cooperative Program to reach Kentucky and the world for Christ is impossible. Only heaven itself will reveal the full measure of our cooperative efforts.
Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for partnering together through the Cooperative Program to make a gospel-advancing difference around the world, but also right here in the commonwealth.
Dr. Todd Gray 