WHEREAS, The Great Commission mandate of our Lord Jesus compels us to disciple the nations, and the Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1945 for the explicit purpose of fulfilling our missions task; and
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have supported missions faithfully and generously through giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which exceeded $100,000,000 in gifts in each of the last two years and to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering which exceeded $40,000,000 in gifts in each of the last two years; and
WHEREAS, The Cooperative Program which was created in 1925 to provide an effective unified method for the churches to support mission endeavors, received record gifts for the sixth consecutive year; and
WHEREAS, Last year signaled an unprecedented advance in global evangelization at home and abroad with record increases in appointments of missionaries, over 5,000 new churches starts around the world, and more than 750,000 baptisms; and
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists, recognizing the great opportunity for missions advance at the beginning of this new millennium, have reaffirmed the priority of the missions mandate by adopting the “Covenant for a New Century” in 1995 which dedicated resources and ministries of the denomination to fulfilling the Great Commission and reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Therefore be it RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, June 15-16, 1999, commend the churches for their commitment to missions and their faithful support of the Cooperative Program, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering; and
Be it further RESOLVED, that on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Cooperative Program, we encourage all of our churches to participate in the “Partners in the Harvest” celebration in 2000 and to support its goals of 1,000,000 baptisms, more volunteers on mission than ever before, and $750,000,000 in mission giving through the Cooperative Program and the missions offerings; and
Be it finally RESOLVED, that we challenge every church to lead its members in personal evangelism ministries, to participate in volunteer mission projects, to mobilize those God calls to missionary service, to pray faithfully, and to give sacrificially so that the gospel of Jesus Christ could be proclaimed to all the peoples of the world.