2. Crisis Leads to CP
Early 1900’s were a financial
struggle for the SBC
• US in post-WWI recession
• Churches & Agencies in Debt
• Societal approach with
“special appeals” hurting
overall mission efforts
3. The Drawback of Societal
Missions
• Imbalance in the pulpit
– Fund-raising guest speakers
took up to 20 Sundays per year
• Poor strategic impact
– Pathos determined level of
support
– Skill in appeal overshadowed
strategic importance
4. Reshaping SBC Giving
• The year is 1919 and the players:
– J.B. Gambrell – President of SBC
– Louie Newton – influential pastor
– L.R. Scarborough – President of
SWBTS
• The plan – “75 Million Campaign”
– Pledges of 92 million dollars in five
years
– Receipts of 58 million dollars
– Near the total giving of the entire
previous history of the SBC
5. Historic Success
• Growth
– 1941 – 4 million dollars
– 1961 – 50 million dollars
– 1996 – 409 million dollars
– 2005 – 522 million dollars
6. How CP is Spent
Each state convention determines a percentage of
CP receipts that will be sent to the SBC
Executive Committee for distribution to SBC
entities.
• In 2005 the average amount of CP used for state
convention ministries was 62.5 percent of total
CP receipts.
• The remainder, roughly 37.5 percent, was
forwarded to the SBC for national and worldwide
ministries.
• Messengers to the 2006 meeting of the Southern
Baptist Convention held in Greensboro, NC
approved the SBC CP Allocation Budget for
2006-2007 of $195,948,423
• The long-hoped-for, never realized goal is a
50-50 split
7. Today’s Challenges
• Generational fragmentation
• Rising church debt
• Church-driven local/global missions
• National organizational complacency
• Lack of compelling NA vision
• Rise of special offerings for SBC
agencies
• Competing visions from influential
leaders
To our shame, money and power still drive much of
what we say and do rather than a prayerfully derived
consensus concerning the will of God
