Since 1925, gifts to the Cooperative Program have supported missions and ministries locally, nationally, and internationally. The Cooperative Program has allowed local churches — big or small — to partner together financially to support missionaries, plant churches, train future ministry leaders, and more.

 If we want the next generation to value biblical partnership as generations before us have, we have to teach them how it works today.

I can speak directly from my own experience as a child. Through Southern Baptists’ faithful giving and God’s providence, I was blessed in multiple ways by the Cooperative Program over the course of my life. The most pivotal moment was when it provided my family the opportunity to serve as missionaries overseas. At 10 years old, I watched the Great Commission lived out before my eyes — changing my heart and perspective forever.

Lessons for the Next Generation

Here are three core truths I learned as a child that easily translate into teaching the Cooperative Program to children in your classroom:

1. God’s work isn’t a competition. When we are on God’s team, we all work toward the same goal: sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone, everywhere.

2. Gifts can multiply when we work together. A small gift might provide a few meals for a missionary, but thousands of gifts joined together can support an entire missionary family living full time overseas.

3. Generosity is worship. Giving toward the furtherance of the kingdom is an act of worship to God, just like praying and singing. By giving to the Cooperative Program, we join hands in worship with believers across the globe.

Equipping You for the Classroom

Our desire at WMU is to help you influence everyone — from preschoolers to adults — to learn about missions, pray for missions, give to missions, and do missions and tell others about Jesus.

For children, we have created a downloadable resource called The Cooperative Program: How Southern Baptists Work Together to help you guide children through simple stories and engaging activities that show how our shared gifts reach the world for the gospel. We even offer a Cooperative Program Badge/Patch you can award to celebrate what they’ve learned!

We also have a downloadable teaching resource for students called An Experience in Cooperation: Helping Students Understand the Cooperative Program.

Fueling the Next Generation

Keeping the conversation of the Cooperative Program alive in our churches, classrooms, and everyday conversations is vital. Why? So that God continues to be glorified in and through the generations that come after us — the future pastors, church planters, and missionaries sitting in your classrooms week after week.

Allison Young is the design editor of children’s resources at WMU.