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	Home GGBTS Story CP Story CP History CP Purpose CP Scope CP Effectiveness CP Giving CP Demo		The purpose of the Cooperative Program is to fund Convention ministries by securing, coordinating, and apportioning financial offerings from multiple churches. The twin ideas of missions and cooperation are thus central. Missions in this sense, is a broader idea than just sending money and/or individuals overseas. The CP assumes a definition of missions as any Kingdom work done outside the local church. This can include mission work domestic (NAMB) and international (IMB) as well as religious education at the regional (Baptist colleges, via state convention support) and national levels (six SBC seminaries) and financial relief for retired ministers and their families (via GuideStone Financial Resources, six seminaries and Seminary Extension). "Cooperative" is more than just the first word of the Cooperative Program's name. While cooperation makes good financial and business sense it is also a very biblical concept. Throughout the book of Acts, the story of the first-century church features cooperative efforts among believers. The Jerusalem church sent Peter and John to cooperate with Philip and the Samaritan church (Acts 8). They also cooperated with the church in Cyprus in sending Barnabas to minister to them (Acts 11). The so-called Jerusalem Council involved, again, the cooperating efforts of that church body, ultimately encouraging the church at Antioch (Acts 15). Examples of Christians contributing financially to churches other than their own are found throughout Paul's letters (e.g., Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 8-9). Even Jesus' Great Commission implies the need for Christians to cooperate in order to achieve its goals (Mt. 18:19-20; Acts 1:8). Thus, the CP draws upon biblical antecedents as well as good stewardship practices to enable local churches to do missions - that Kingdom-building work beyond their respective walls and communities.