October 2025 | 7
The Cooperative Program Makes a Difference In Ohio
By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
CP Impacts the College Campus/Church Planting In the Southeast Region, Church Planters Caleb Burlile and Joe Kaloger minister to the next generation at Ohio University through H2O Church Athens. Their ministry context is ripe for the harvest as college-aged individu- als are among the most under-reached groups in Amer- ica today. “In Acts, Jesus said you will be my witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. And for me, the Co- operative Program and the Southern Baptist Convention are an opportunity to be a part of that and cast a vision for our church – we are part of what God is doing in Ohio, what God is doing in the Midwest, or America,” Kaloger said. “We’ve had some IMB missionaries come and share about the exciting things God is doing in their locations, and that could not happen if not for the Cooperative Pro- gram. For me, it’s fulfilling what Jesus called us to do, and the Cooperative Program is a great way to do that.” CP Impacts SBC Culture In the Northeast Region, Pastor Gary Frost, The Open Door Church, Girard, has served at nearly every level of Southern Baptist life. He’s been a pastor, Association- al Mission Strategist (AMS), and Vice President of the North American Mission Board. (NAMB) He has seen how CP impacts Southern Baptist culture. “We call it a program. It’s a cooperative culture. What I’ve found is that oftentimes, some have thought that the Cooperative Program is like a membership in a club. It’s not a membership in a club. You know, like ‘What are my benefits if I give to the Cooperative Program?’ The issue is it’s not what you get out; it’s what you are joining together with others to do in advancing the kingdom,” Frost said. “I talk to friends in other denominations, particularly church planting and mission work around the globe, and the Cooperative Program is the envy of denominations. Our missionaries aren’t coming back to raise funds. They’re coming back to tell the story.” CP Impacts the Nations in Ohio In the Southwest Region, Travis Smalley, NAMB Send City missionary, Cincinnati and pastor, Lakota Hills Bap- tist Church, and Amer Safadi, Arabic church planter and pastor, Kingdom Family Arabic Church, Cincinnati, have a passion to reach the nations moving into southwest Ohio. The Cooperative Program is an integral part of their mission. “I think we can do more together than we can apart
At 100 years old, the Cooperative Program (CP) is still making a difference in Ohio, impacting multiple ministry contexts. “It is clear that Southern Baptists see our cooperative effort as something essential to what it means to be Southern Baptist,” said Buzz Kocher, SCBO director of strategic initiatives. “Our giving to the Cooperative Program spurs on mission, church planting, mission- ary sending, theological education, and much more. It’s crucial to understand what it means to be a convention working together.” CP Impacts the Small Church In the Northwest Region, Pastor Darrell Deer, College Heights Baptist Church, Elyria, is a big believer in the Cooperative Program. When people ask him why his church supports CP, he is ready with an answer. “I point them to two things,” he said. “I point to our sem- inaries, and I point to the International Mission Board, and the Cooperative Program is essential to both of those things.” Deer also appreciates the partnerships created through CP giving. “CP enables us as a small church in northern Ohio to be part of so much more. Because of the Cooperative Pro- gram, we are able to prayerfully and financially support mission work around the world and be part of the next generation of pastors, seminary teachers and Sunday school teachers.”
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