Throughout Scripture, we see that the local church is the primary means by which God’s providential mission is carried out in the world. In 1 Timothy 3:15, the Apostle Paul refers to the church of the living God as “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” In Ephesians 3:10, he explains that it is “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
The church is given shepherds and teachers to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12). In Acts 13:2–3, Luke records that it is the local church who, “after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” And, of course, it is Christ Himself who commissions His followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).
Therefore, it is both evident and logical to conclude that God has ordained and established the local church as the primary means by which His redemptive mission – the carrying of the Gospel to the nations – is accomplished in the world. Christ’s Church is not a passive institution sitting on the sidelines of God’s redemptive story; it is a living and active, Spirit-filled body of believers, brought near by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:13) and set apart for His glory (1 Peter 2:9). The Church has been entrusted with the truth of the Gospel (1 Timothy 3:15), equipped for Kingdom ministry (Ephesians 4:11–12), and commissioned to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20), every tribe, language, people and tongue (Revelation 7:9).
As the Gospel of Jesus Christ is faithfully proclaimed (Romans 10:14–15), as the saints are equipped for the work that God has prepared in advance (Ephesians 2:10), and as workers are sent into the harvest (Luke10:2), the Church fulfills its calling as an outpost of the Kingdom of God on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Accordingly, supporting global Gospel missions within the context of the local church, in obedience to the Great Commission, is not optional – it is deeply Biblical. It is a practical, joy-filled working out of what Christ has worked in us by the power of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12–13), as the truth of Scripture is applied to our hearts and lived out in unity (James 1:22, Romans 12:4–5).
Gracious, faith-filled giving to support global missions through the local church, when carried out with Biblical wisdom and in accordance with the Scriptures, is a remarkable act of grace-enabled stewardship (2 Corinthians 8:1–3; Matthew 6:21). It highlights the unity and Spirit-filled cooperation that Christ desires for His Church (Ephesians 4:3–6; Acts 2:44–47).
This type of unified approach to giving is one that God will richly bless (2 Corinthians 9:6–8), as it aligns with His revealed will and with Scripture’s repeated teaching on how the Church of God ought to function – as His people labor together to fulfill His mission in the world (Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13). In doing so, the Church actively participates in the prayer of Christ Himself: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
When writing his first letter to the church in Corinth, a local church struggling with division, sexual immorality, pride, misuse of spiritual gifts, and a failure to live out the unity and holiness expected of God’s people, Paul clarifies to the Corinthians that Christ’s church is, quite literally, a unified body with many members, each with different giftings (according to the wisdom of God), and all very essential for the mission of the church.
We read the following exhortation in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12), we see the vital importance of grace-filled, enduring cooperation and unity of purpose in the work of the Church – particularly within the local congregation. Giving together, within the context of the local Church, ensures that every member – regardless of status, means or individual circumstance – participates meaningfully in the global mission of the Kingdom of God (Romans 12:4–6; 2 Corinthians 8:13–15). This kind of cooperative effort builds up the Church in love and unity (Ephesians4:15–16), enabling her, by His matchless grace, to fulfill the Great Commission both locally and globally (Matthew 28:18–20) – for His glory and for the good of His people (Ephesians 3:20–21).
Here enters the Cooperative Program – the Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving within the context of the local Church, as it reflects the principle of unified, faith-filled and grace-enabled Biblical stewardship that lies at the very heart of our theology (2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Acts 2:44–45).
In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), Jesus teaches that the responsibility has been given to His servants – namely, His Church – to be faithful stewards of the grace and resources entrusted to them. Just as the master in the parable entrusted his servants with talents to manage on his behalf, so we have been entrusted with finances, time and opportunities to be used for the advancement of God’s Kingdom (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:1–2). We do this not for earthly gain, but in joyful, faith-filled obedience to Christ, storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:20-21. This is a practical working out of the hope of the Gospel within the believer, expanded to the local Church gathering.
Giving within the context of the local Church, through tithes and special offerings, is an immensely practical outworking of this Biblical principle, allowing every believer to contribute to Gospel missions in grace-enabled obedience to God’s command (Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 12:13). Understanding that the Church is His appointed and chosen means of spreading the Gospel (1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 3:10), we are reminded that, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). United giving through the Cooperative Program allows the local Church to join with the global Church and wisely distribute its pooled resources according to real needs, financially supporting Gospel initiatives around the world (Acts 4:32–35; Philippians 4:15–17).
Not only does the Cooperative Program, as the name suggests, foster unity and cooperation, but it also highlights the centrality of the local Church in God’s great design (Ephesians 4:3–6; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13). The local Church is the epicenter of Christian life and mission, an embassy of the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20).
From the local Church, the saints of God are encouraged, trained in sound doctrine and sent to the nations (Ephesians 4:11–12; Acts 13:2–3). Moreover, in many cases, its pews are also home to the greatest mission field in the West (Romans 10:14–15). Therefore, how vital it is that the Church body be living the very Gospel that is preached from its pulpits (James 1:22; Titus 2:7–8).
In light of these Kingdom realities, made known to us by the grace of God through His Word, unified giving to support Gospel missions through the Cooperative Program is not merely a financial endeavor – it is an act of discipleship and obedience to Christ’s command (Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 1:5). It looks like fathers teaching their children to follow Christ in faith and obedience (Deuteronomy 6:6–7), families learning to steward their finances for the Kingdom of God (Proverbs 3:9; 1 Timothy 6:18–19), and believers sacrificing their means for God’s glory instead of personal gain – pressing on for the joy set before them (Hebrews 12:1–2), so the nations may know, whether across the world or across the street (Acts 1:8). This is the Biblical model, and this is what the Cooperative Program is designed to support.
When Alabama Baptists give together, they are helping ensure that the local Church remains both mindful of and actively engaged in the global mission of God, in accordance with the Scriptures (Philippians 1:3–5; 3 John 6–8).
Finally, giving together through the Cooperative Program reflects the global scope and scale of God’s redemptive purposes, decreed before the foundation of time (Ephesians 1:4–5; Acts 15:18). God’s plan calls sinners from every corner of the earth and across all generations to follow Him by faith, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23–24; Romans 10:13–15).
In Revelation 7:9, we catch a glimpse of what God is accomplishing through His Church – even through mechanisms like the Cooperative Program – when we read: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” What a glorious Kingdom reality to behold.
When you joyfully give of your means through the Cooperative Program, and especially when your local Church gives through the Cooperative Program, you are actively participating in the global mission of God’s Kingdom, supporting missionaries and Gospel-centered organizations in Alabama and around the world who are laboring day and night to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every people, tribe, nation and tongue (Matthew 28:19–20; Revelation 7:9) – aligning yourself with God’s eternal purpose to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, in accordance with the Scriptures (Acts 1:8; Isaiah 49:6). What a truly worthwhile endeavor. May God be glorified all the more as His people build His Church. Hallelujah – Amen.
All Scripture references: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Jake Rogers serves as a Cooperative Program ambassador for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and is a member of Harvestfield Baptist Church, Rainbow City
