In 2012, the Boston Red Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, the oldest active Major League Baseball stadium in the United States. Fans wore birthday hats and special lanyards to commemorate the centennial. The celebration was packed with nostalgic tributes and the return of legendary players to the field. …
As beloved as Fenway Park is, in 2025, Southern Baptists have a 100th anniversary celebration of far greater importance. Adopted by Southern Baptists in 1925, the Cooperative Program has resulted in millions of people coming to know Christ over the last century. The 100th anniversary provides a powerful opportunity to share about the biblical principle of cooperation and celebrate the impact of what your church is doing in cooperation with 47,000 other Southern Baptist Churches.
Here are 10 ways your church can celebrate the centennial of the Cooperative Program in 2025:
1. Provide a mission moment in each service before the offering. Saying something like, “As we take up the offering today, know that a percentage of what you contribute is given in cooperation with other Southern Baptist churches to support 3,561 international missionaries around the world.”
2. Invite someone from your state convention to preach a sermon on cooperative missions.
3. Invite a Cooperative Program supported missionary to give a testimony of the work facilitated by your church’s partnership.
4. Adopt a resolution on cooperation in your church business/members meeting.
5. Increase your Cooperative Program Giving. The 100th Anniversary is an ideal time to lead your church to increase its giving. Some may move to 10% of undesignated receipts, while others may increase by 1% of their overall budget. What a celebration it would be to make your 2025 contribution to the Cooperative Program your church’s largest.
6. Schedule a state convention staff member to share with your church a presentation titled “Better Together: Understanding and Celebrating the Cooperative Program.” This presentation is excellent for Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, or small group meetings.
7. Each month, share a video during the worship service highlighting the impact of your cooperative giving. Abundant video resources are available here.
8. Utilize CP promotional items to use as bulletin inserts. You can order free copies of these resources here.
9. Invite a member of your state convention staff to share the history and impact of the Cooperative Program in your ministerial staff meeting or with your finance or missions committee.
10. Pass out cupcakes after the May 18th worship service to celebrate the Cooperative Program’s 100th birthday earlier that week.
To read full list of 25 reasons, click here.
What celebration ideas would you add to this list?
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Michael Cabell and originally published by Kentucky Today.
