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Editor’s note: In celebration of the Cooperative Program’s 100th anniversary, each issue of the Texan this year will include a testimony from a pastor explaining why his church gives through and believes in CP.
I believe church-planting churches sustain the health of a God-centered church.
Having stepped into the role of leading one of the biggest Korean immigrant churches in the U.S. in my mid-30s, the Lord inspired me that His desire was not in the size of the local congregation, but the scope of which the church reaches with the gospel locally, nationally, and globally. Therefore, early on in my role as senior pastor at Semihan Church in Carrollton, I proclaimed to our congregation that my desire was not to fill every seat, but once the church hits a certain capacity, to multiply it.
Through much time in God’s Word, I examined the ministries of Peter, a local pastor, and Paul, a traveling evangelist. As I did this, I couldn’t help but wonder how I, a senior pastor of a local church with a desire of sharing the gospel with the lost world, could be used locally and globally at the same time. Through much prayer, I came to believe that God’s heart is for His church to encourage and engage its members in furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
It is up to the local church to prioritize the Great Commission. The church accomplishes this priority by being intentional and mindful about encouraging the congregation to plant more churches.
Therefore, for healthy churches to equip their congregations well, we need to equip doctrinally and theologically sound pastors. To equip doctrinally and theologically sound pastors, we need to invest in theological education. We genuinely believe the best way to make these investments is to invest through the Cooperative Program.
“The Cooperative Program reflects the commitment of all the affiliated churches of the SBC to be obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.”
Semihan Church is proud to be a part of the Southern Baptist Convention and its Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program reflects the commitment of all the affiliated churches of the SBC to be obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
As of late, we have heard sad news of great seminaries in the U.S. dissolving due to a lack of funding and investments. This saddens us, as many of these seminaries have equipped and educated some of the greatest leaders in evangelical Christianity.
As a healthy church committed to the Great Commission through investment in healthy leaders, we are committed to both invest and call others to invest in the Cooperative Program. We pray that by these efforts, the future of my children and their children after that through the generations will be secure with healthy, Bible-loving protectors of the church that our Lord and Savior has paid for with His own precious blood.
Until He comes again, we at Semihan Church are committed to invest in our next generation of leaders as we desire for Korea, America, and the world to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
