CP giving posts three-year increase
Feb 27, 2017
Arizona Southern Baptists’ giving through the Cooperative Program increased for the third straight year, and the Arizona Mission Offering goal was surpassed in 2016.
“Arizona Southern Baptists continue to demonstrate generous giving and a heart for missions through the Cooperative Program,” said David Johnson, Arizona Southern Baptist Convention executive director. “Our churches have given more each year for three years in a row, surpassing giving levels since 2009. It is a great testimony to working together in the Centennial Vision God has given us.”
Cooperative Program gifts in 2016 totaled $3,156,685, which was $18,354, or .6 percent, more than the 2015 amount. However, Cooperative Program giving was $73,315 below the budget requirement of $3,230,000.
With an operating budget of $4,754,860 for 2016, the AZSBC ended the year with income of $4,590,228. However, with expenditures of $4,543,624, the state convention ended 2016 in the black by $46,604.
In 2017, a total of 30.5 percent of the Cooperative Program receipts — an increase of 1.5 percentage points from 2016 — will be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Executive Committee for distribution to national and international ministries.
The Centennial Vision calls for the AZSBC to give 50 percent of its Coopera-tive Program receipts to missions outside Arizona through the Southern Baptist Convention by 2028. The vision also calls for Arizona Southern Baptist churches to give an average of 10 percent or more of their undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program by then.
In 2016, Arizona Mission Offering gifts were $151,107, which was $14,540 (10.6 percent) above the previous year’s total and $1,107 above the $150,000 goal.
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering gifts were $396,791, up $20,235 (5.4 percent) from 2015.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering gifts were $782,688, up $60,283 (8.3 percent) from 2015.
Learn more about the Cooperative Program and order resources to share with your church at http://iamcp.azsbc.org. Videos and other materials can be used to celebrate Cooperative Program Day, which is April 9 on the Southern Baptist Convention calendar.