[1]EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the manuscript of Jeff Iorg’s address to the SBC Executive Committee Sept. 22. The full speech can be seen here [2].
One of the Executive Committee’s core responsibilities is managing and distributing Cooperative Program funds to SBC entities. This is becoming more challenging because of how churches and state conventions are changing the definition of Cooperative Program giving. For example, so far in 2025, the Executive Committee has received gifts in 33 different alternate “Cooperative Program” configurations. These include all kinds of delineations omitting certain entities and directing gifts to other entities. This is more than an accounting challenge. It is redefining the Cooperative Program as a catch-all phrase masking a return to the old approach of societal giving. This approach has been rejected by generations of previous SBC leaders as inadequate to fund a vast, global mission enterprise.
While there are programmatic and political reasons for these current changes, a more important factor is the philosophical commitment underlining these developments. Changes in the Cooperative Program are rooted in a worldview shift that has marked Western culture and unfortunately, bled into SBC life. The problem is the fracturing influence of expressive individualism – the dominant worldview of our time. Expressive individualism is the root of cultural developments ranging from obsessive sharing on social media to convincing children they can choose their gender. It is the worldview which demands mass customization and, at the same time, fuels aggressive tribalism. Southern Baptists live in this cultural milieu and are being influenced by it. This is troubling because expressive individualism is antithetical to cooperation – the theological and philosophical foundation of our combined efforts.
Cooperation means working willingly with people who do not agree with you on everything. Expressive individualism insists you have your way and only work with people who agree with you or, better, will reward you for your individual choices. Cooperation means you sacrifice to achieve common goals, not leverage gifts to enforce your personal preferences. Cooperation means you surrender control to fellow Baptists which is anathema to expressive individualists. The current tribalism and continual reshuffling of sectarian loyalties in the SBC is a byproduct of this worldview shift. People demand their positions prevail, continually realign with others who share their perspective, and will only fund what they find amenable. This creates an ever-changing kaleidoscope of collaborations demanding new funding channels.
While we often encourage increased, unified Cooperative Program giving, it is not likely to happen until a deeper commitment is addressed that will determine our future. Southern Baptists must first recommit to cooperation – rejecting expressive individualism and the inroads it has made. We must reaffirm cooperation – not conformity – as the best biblical methodology for working together. We must reaffirm what I call the messiness of cooperation – particularly as we become more geographically, racially, economically, and politically diverse. We must reaffirm cooperation and then see funding it through one channel – the Cooperative Program – as its natural outflow.
Our current conflicts might cause us to believe a call for renewed cooperation is futile. But that ignores an amazing historical reality. It was when our denominational situation was bleak in the 1920’s that an all-out commitment to cooperation produced the Cooperative Program and propelled us to remarkable growth. My dream tonight is that Southern Baptists will recommit to cooperation – in all its messy splendor – and focus on our overarching mission of getting the Gospel to the nations rather than being preoccupied with lesser issues.
In almost 50 years as a Southern Baptist ministry leader, there has never been a time I have been happy with everything we were doing in every SBC entity, state convention, local association, or church. And yet, despite my concerns – and, yes, my occasional opposition to some program or agenda – my commitment to cooperation has remained. Yes, I am willing to cooperate with some churches I would not join as a member. I am willing to support SBC entities even when I have reservations about some of their initiatives. Yes, I am willing to remain in the SBC when we make unwise decisions at our annual meeting. And yes, I am willing to commit these years of my life to challenging Southern Baptist to focus more on God’s eternal mission than minor denominational divisions. My choices eclipse other matters because of our greater vision of sharing the Gospel with the whole world. Our overarching impact as Southern Baptists is so amazing, and so positive, it compels me to work together with as many Southern Baptists to be a force for good.
A Force for Good
The phrase “a force for good” echoes one my earlier message and motivates me in my work on your behalf. Our critics and detractors continually decry our efforts and point out our shortcomings. But they seem oblivious to reality. They ignore millions of volunteer ministry hours Southern Baptists devote each year to impacting communities, tens of thousands of students enrolled in our universities and seminaries, thousands of missionaries sharing the Gospel in hard-to-reach places around the world, and hundreds of church planters starting new churches across our country. Yes, we have some problems, but they must be kept in proper perspective. We will always be an imperfect people – marred by sin and marked by sinful behavior. But even that admission defines us as a force for good – living examples of God’s forgiveness and grace which we offer to people in desperate need of that good news.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you in this capacity – which gives me a front-row seat to the impact Southern Baptists are making as a force for good around the world. May God sustain us on the journey and bless us with wisdom, insight, and courage as we serve Southern Baptists. May God stir a revival of cooperation leading to sacrificial giving to advance his kingdom in every community and in every country. May God make it so for his glory and for our good.
Related posts:
SBC 2018: Executive Committee Report Part 1 
Pressley points Southern Baptists to unity, doctrinal stability 
10-year-old advances SBC ministry day 
SBC EC legal expenses surpass $12M in three years 
Flat Rock clings to the Cooperative Program 
Ethnic leaders express concerns over Executive Committee staff cuts 
‘I have everything,’ God says to pastor 
COOPERATIVE PROGRAM: A matter of love