May 6, 2024
SUWANEE, Ga. — Georgia Baptist churches have been posting some impressive numbers when it comes to baptisms and Cooperative Program giving.
W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said Cooperative Program giving was up 10.6% in January and February compared to the same two months last year, and that the baptism count was up more than 40% in the past year.
“These numbers represent two critical areas of Kingdom work,” Hammond said. “To see this increase is extremely encouraging to all Georgia Baptists. I am grateful for all the hard work and faithfulness shown by our pastors and churches. Their commitment and generosity to do Kingdom work through partnerships is a fine example for everyone to emulate!”
The Cooperative Program, the primary means through which Southern Baptists fund missionaries at the state, national and international levels, allows local churches to have a gospel impact around the world.
Hammond said he’s seeing widespread enthusiasm among Georgia Baptist churches to reach the estimated 7 million people in the state who don’t go to church. That enthusiasm shows, he said, in the more than 21,000 baptisms over the past year — the most since 2016.
That number also represents a more than 106% increase in baptisms since 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when many churches closed temporarily in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.
“These numbers confirm the high-level of commitment Georgia Baptists maintain to reach their communities and world with the Gospel,” Hammond said. “My prayer is that we will remain faithful and united to the task. The days ahead are filled with unlimited possibilities as we move forward together.
