Southern Baptist Convention messengers overwhelmingly adopted the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report Tuesday afternoon after it was amended twice to strengthen the language regarding the Cooperative Program.
Much of the debate focused on Component 3, which adds a new giving category – Great Commission Giving – to the Annual Church Profile to encompass Cooperative Program giving and designated giving to Southern Baptist causes.
After a motion that would have struck the Great Commission Giving language appeared too close to call, the task force recommended two compromise amendments, each of which passed overwhelmingly via a show of ballots. Each time, the messenger who made the motion – John Waters of First Baptist Church in Statesboro, Ga. – agreed to the compromise.
The first amendment says Southern Baptists “continue to honor and affirm the Cooperative Program as the most effective means of mobilizing our churches and extending our outreach.” The second amendment adds the following sentence: “We affirm that designated giving to special causes is to be given as a supplement to the Cooperative Program and not as a substitute for Cooperative Program giving.”
The language regarding Great Commission Giving remained in the recommendation. – BP