Our Missions World, Spring, 2000

Week of Prayer for North American Missions

North American missionary Freddie Mae Bason says that "Because of Annie Armstrong my dreams have been realized. For 40 years Annie has been the wind beneath my missions. Without Annie and Cooperative Program, missions would be weak and sick. Because of Annie and the Cooperative Program the lives of many have been helped and won to Christ."

God has blessed Southern Baptist’s stewardship with many new converts, changed lives and new congregations. This article teaches On Mission Christians how the SBC raises money for evangelistic missions work.

The Bible teaches a lot about the believer’s use of time, money and talent. In Luke 12:48 Jesus said "If God has been generous with you He will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous he will expect you to serve Him better (CEV)."

In Luke 8:3 it was the good stewardship of "Joanna, Susanna, and many others" that allowed them to use "what they owned to help Jesus and His disciples…. (CEV)"

In Malachi 3:8 God warns people that to keep the tithe is to rob God. I do not think any believer would want to rob God.

On Mission believers need to tithe to the church. The On Mission church needs to tithe to evangelistic missions. There are two major ways that Southern Baptists raise money for missions work: The Cooperative Program (CP) and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions (AAEO).

CP is the way Southern Baptists fund our work. Baptist Churches who wish to work with other On Mission churches will join CP.

A church joins CP by voting to give a set amount in the budget. Most churches "tithe" to missions by giving 7 percent to CP and 3 percent to the Association. Some churches give 25 percent of their total budget to missions. Pray about the amount to give and work every year to increase it.

CP money is sent by the church treasurer to the state convention. The state convention votes in its yearly meeting on how much to keep for state missions. Most states keep 50 percent or more for local missions work.

The remaining money is sent to the Executive Committee in Nashville Tennessee. The Executive Committee manages the budget set by the messengers in the yearly Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) meeting.

The SBC budget supplies almost half of the entire budget for the NAMB and IMB. It also pays for many other ministries.

It should be a blessing to On Mission believers to know that their tithes and offerings are used to accomplish so much for God’s Kingdom.

Southern Baptists also have a special offering to support missions work in North America. The Week of Prayer helps challenge people to give sacrificially to missions. The special offering for North American Missions is named after the first corresponding secretary of the WMU-Annie Armstrong.

The AAEO provides almost half of the NAMB budget for missions work. One hundred percent of the money given to AAEO goes to the missionaries.

You can help support NAMB by giving sacrificially to AAEO. Help your church be On Mission by making missions giving a high priority.

Every North American missionary depends on CP and AAEO. They rely in faith on God to provide through believers the resources needed to be on God’s mission.

Freddie Mae has seen many lives changed by reaching out to homeless and struggling. She says "Over the years I’ve come to believe that cooperative and surrendered Christians support and want to be part of ministry. The Cooperative Program is a ministry that sustains and expands the Kingdom of God. The Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong offering are making a big difference in the world today."

Conclusion

Faithful believers are On Mission by giving their tithe. Faithful congregations and state conventions sacrifice their own interests to tithe into part of the national mission work. It is exciting to be able to be On Mission in North America by supporting CP and AAEO.

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