When people visit my office, they are often amazed at the number of Bibles that I keep on my “Bible shelf.” There was a time when Cindy and I were needing to tighten up financially that she asked me not to purchase another Bible for a while. Can you imagine a wife asking her husband to stop purchasing Bibles? I would imagine that there are other pastors’ wives who feel her pain. Cindy sees Bibles like she sees shotguns; you can only use one at a time. I see Bibles like I see shotguns; you need a different one for every occasion.
There are three Bibles on my shelf that we both agree hold great sentimental value. One belonged to my grandparents. A second was given to me by my mother on my 14th birthday. The third is a blue-bound King James Bible that was given to me on May 15, 1977, to celebrate my believer’s baptism. That blue-bound Bible takes my mind back to my childlike faith and my early understanding of the value of togetherness among SCBaptists.
My history of cooperation with SCBaptists goes back 54 years. Back in the 1970s, my view of togetherness was shaped by RA field days, Bring a Child day to football games, Camp McCall, friends that lived at Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries, stories of missionaries that we prayed for and supported financially, and reports from pastors who attended annual meetings of our local association and the state and national conventions. That young boy with blue-bound Bible in hand attended a local SCBaptist church knowing that I was a part of a much larger family and that we are better together. There was a healthy mixture of pride, trust and passion instilled into my life that gave me confidence that our prayers, service and Cooperative Program dollars were used by God to accomplish more than any one church could do on their own.
A childhood friend recently told me that she remembered our pastor giving reports from the state convention, and now in November I will be the one presiding over the SCBaptist Annual Meeting. That conversation led me to think through my understanding of the value of SCBaptist cooperation today.
How has having been in the room through meetings, executive sessions, audits, planning sessions, Advance rallies, worship and prayer times impacted my view of the value of working together with SCBaptists? Today, I am more confident than ever that giving through the Cooperative Program and working together with other SCBaptists is worth the sacrifice. I have seen firsthand that we can trust our leaders, our board and the trustees that we elect to guide and govern our ministry partners. Like each of our churches, there are always areas where we need to work to get better. As culture transitions, there are strategic shifts that we must always be willing to make.
While we often address our shortcomings, it is also good to stop and celebrate the global good that SCBaptists are accomplishing. We are better together. We are better when each part of our SCBaptist family has confidence in and a strong commitment to our shared mission.
Perhaps you and your church are asking how does partnering with, cooperating with, giving to, attending and serving through the local association and state convention help with Kingdom Advance as 2026 is on the horizon. Is it still true that together we can do more? Is it worth the sacrifice to give to the Cooperative Program? Is it worth the investment of time to stay informed and involved? I invite you to see and celebrate in person what God is accomplishing through SCBaptist cooperation Nov. 10–11 at Taylors First Baptist Church.
When we pray fervently, give sacrificially and make being informed and involved a priority, we quickly realize that we are still better together and that there are many reasons to celebrate the Kingdom Advance taking place through SCBaptists. I hope to see you at Taylors First Baptist; I will be there, ready to lead, with blue-bound Bible in hand.