The Cooperative Program (CP) is "big picture" and yet "tight focus," the pastors say of how CP extends their churches' witness globally and, at the same time, needs every church to do its part for maximum effectiveness.

ROBERT TIMS, LEXINGTON, S.C. -- Lake Murray Baptist Church was launched 27 years ago with the help of the Cooperative Program and several local churches in a growing area a few miles outside of Lexington, S.C. The town has since grown out to the church and past it, and the church has grown with it.

"The Cooperative Program was there at the start of this church, and it's a gift we're paying forward," said Robert Tims, who leads the church as pastor for preaching and leadership.

During the 15 years in student ministry preceding his call to the pastorate and during his preparation for the ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School, Tims saw firsthand the fruit of the Cooperative Program.

He saw churches, church-planting pastors and ministries empowered by Cooperative Program gifts. He saw the limitations when CP support was not available. He saw students able to take low- or no-pay ministry positions while in seminary because their expenses were kept low because Southern Baptists churches were committed to theological education through the Cooperative Program. He saw students graduating without major educational debt because of the assistance they received from the Cooperative Program -- students equipped for ministry anywhere in the world where God might call them.

"What makes Southern Baptists different or distinct from other Baptists? Southern Baptists cooperate with other Southern Baptist churches in evangelism -- telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ -- and in missions -- making disciples of all nations of the world," Tims wrote on the church's website, www.lakemurraybaptist.org. Lake Murray, together with other Southern Baptist churches, supports nearly 5,600 missionaries internationally and more than 5,500 missionaries on the North American continent. "Through our method called the Cooperative Program," Tims explained, "we add a percentage of our undesignated receipts to the percentage given by other Southern Baptist churches to begin new churches, to win others to Christ, and to make committed followers of Jesus Christ."

The Cooperative Program helps correct the "disconnect" between many churchgoers and their gifts to missions, Tims said. "The more missionaries we host and allow to share, the better, and the more trips we take, the better. If we make the connections between our giving and how it is spent, giving to missions through the Cooperative Program helps our congregation understand the importance of Lake Murray Baptist Church to God's global plan."

The church has a home for missionaries returning for stateside assignments and actively pursues opportunities for church planters and international missionaries to speak to various groups within the church. And, so far this year, church members have participated in short-term mission trips in Alaska, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru, Thailand, Nova Scotia (twice) and Cherokee, N.C. In 2010, missions plans include Peru, Seattle and San Diego.

While Lake Murray Baptist provides a full complement of Bible and discipleship studies, Tims noted, "More and more we are trying to equip our people to depend less on church programs and more on themselves to enter into the community with the Gospel," resonating with missional ideas challenging churches to serve locally, plant churches nationally and adopt a people group globally.

"Therefore, our focus at this time is to fall in love all over again with Jesus, not the church or its programs," Tims said. "We want to make much of Christ in worship and discipleship, and see that overflow into evangelism and missions and ministry, circling back again to worship."

This shift in focus for the church has led Lake Murray Baptist to reconsider the impact some programs have, while reinforcing the significant impact of others. Open arms to the community include a preschool, weekday kindergarten, Upward Basketball, Upward Cheerleading, AWANAs and an annual Christmas drama, "This Man Called Jesus." The Women on Mission group also is involved in several local ministries, while middle and high school students serve in regional mission organizations on a monthly basis.

Lake Murray's 33-acre campus includes a multi-purpose building that seats 650 for worship but also can be used for recreation, fellowship and conferences; a building designed for 200 children up to age 11; an adult education facility, with room for about 275 people; and, the newest, a 33,000-square-foot building that houses the youth ministry.

"Going forward, we know that the CP will play a significant role in calling our people to be missional," Tims said. "We're prayerful and excited for the future of ministry through the people of Lake Murray Baptist Church."

MICHAEL NERGER, HAZLETON, PA. -- For Michael Nerger, it's comforting to know that he's not alone as he plants a church in northeast Pennsylvania.

The Cooperative Program is a key reason "why I call myself Southern Baptist," the 34-year-old pastor of Hazleton Community Church said. "Not only is it a wonderful concept of churches throughout the world pulling our resources together to make a greater impact for Christ, but it is an opportunity for our church in northeast Pennsylvania to help reach people throughout the entire world for Christ.

"The Cooperative Program has helped us in a variety of ways," the pastor continued. "First, it has helped us with pastoral support so that the church was not drained financially because of my salary, but they could use more money to provide ministry opportunities to build relationships with people."

Southern Baptists' Cooperative Program gifts also helped fix the building they're in, to make it more energy-efficient so more of the church's tithes and offerings could be used for ministry rather than utilities, Nerger said. Because of the spirit of cooperation that goes with being a part of the Cooperative Program, mission groups from several Southern Baptist churches have helped Hazleton minister in the community, start a second church and prepare for a third, the pastor added.

"The Cooperative Program has helped our people be a part of something bigger than them," Nerger said. "And they can see God use all different types of people to help accomplish a God-sized task of sharing the Gospel to the world." Since its inception in 2006, Hazleton Community Church has committed 10 percent of its undesignated offerings to missions through the Cooperative Program and its local association.

In its third church start, Hazleton members are looking toward McAdoo, an old coal-mining town that has 15 other small towns within a five-mile radius -- none of them with a Gospel witness.

"Our culture is not conducive to a very large or mega-church where people will drive far to come," Nerger said. He should know. He's a Hazleton native. He helped build the church when he was 15 that set dormant for several years, until he returned to start a new church that in time was able to move into the building.

"It takes a good six to eight months to develop a relationship with an individual and be able to explain and live out what it means to have a relationship with Jesus," the pastor said. "One of our goals is to encourage them to read the Bible and find out what it really says about Jesus. Usually after that amount of time they actually ask us to come over to share with them how to finally have a relationship with Jesus. We have found that when that happens, they invite their family members to witness what they are about to do. So you are sitting there leading someone to Christ and being able to share the Gospel with their lost family and friends."

Hazleton ministers in its community with "Clothe it Forward," in which up to 10 items of gently used children's clothing and shoes can be exchanged for an equal number of other items. A Thanksgiving dinner is to be delivered by church members to people who are working Thanksgiving Day. Christmas and Easter also are times when the church makes special efforts to reach out to the Hazleton area. Local "mission trips" have resulted in water-sealing a basement, new bathroom, new kitchen floor and "a lot of painting" for several area residents in need, Nerger said.

"We try to be true to our name and make a difference in the community," the pastor said.

This includes asking town leaders what tasks they would like done beyond their budget, and the church coordinating Baptist volunteer teams to accomplish the task, such as a group from Virginia who helped paint the local little league ball field bleachers and dugouts. Mission teams also help with Bible clubs that take place in city parks -- perhaps 10 in a summer -- leaving Hazleton members free to talk with the parents of the children who attend the clubs. Continued...