Cooperation is a hallmark of Baptist life. For North Carolina Baptists, “on mission together” is more than a slogan. We act on the firm belief that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. We are independent but not isolated.

Now more than ever, cooperation is vital to our mission of making Christ’s name known among the nations. As autonomous churches, we each function in our own context, style and strengths, but we link arms for the sake of the gospel. Our shared identity as God’s people means He calls us to go on mission together, bringing the hope of Jesus to all people.

You don’t hear a lot about cooperation these days. We live in a world where people are known more by what divides them than what unites them. But as Great Commission Baptists, we unite around the gospel and make Christ’s name and fame known to the ends of the earth.

On the night before our Savior gave His life for us, Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one. That prayer recorded in John 17 was not just for Jesus’ disciples in His day, but also for His followers in our day. I pray that this continues to be true of us. 

Consider the many ways N.C. Baptists meaningfully cooperate, particularly in the areas of reaching, training, sending and serving. We are reaching both our neighbors and the nations for Christ. We are training and equipping pastors and church leaders through relationships, resources and events. We are seeing local churches send out their best to plant churches and go to the mission field. And we are serving our communities by being the hands and feet of Jesus as we minister to others in tangible ways through efforts like ServeNC.

All of what we do together is made possible through your generosity to support missions and ministry through the Cooperative Program, the funding mechanism that Baptists unite around to fund, fuel and fulfill the Great Commission. 

Thanks to the generosity of N.C. Baptists, the Cooperative Program has fueled the advancement of the gospel locally and globally. It supports church planting, sending missionaries and providing theological education through our global ministry partners like the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board and our six Baptist seminaries.

In God’s providence, this year marks the 100th anniversary of both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith & Message, two ties that link and sync our cooperation and shared gospel commitment as Baptists. While we pause to recognize and celebrate this historic occasion and reflect upon what God has done in the past, we look forward to what He is going to do in the future.

Churches across North Carolina and beyond are engaging with us for the first time or reengaging with us for the first time in a long time. There is a real sense of excitement and anticipation of what God is doing and is going to do in and through N.C. Baptists. God certainly doesn’t need us, but we are thankful that He chooses to use us in kingdom advancement. 

In these days when cooperation seems to be at an all-time low within the greater culture, we are reminded that it is a privilege for us to partner together in our gospel mission. Our partnership and cooperation also remind us of the urgency of our mission to reach the lost.

So N.C. Baptists, thank you for your cooperative engagement in our gospel mission and for your generosity in joining together in God’s redemptive work.

Finally, I hope to see many of you in Dallas for this year’s national convention in June. Come by the N.C. Baptist booth in the exhibit hall. Your N.C. Baptist leaders and staff would love to hear and celebrate how God is moving in and through your church.

When I talk to my counterparts from other states, people are taking notice of what God is doing here in North Carolina. By God’s grace, let’s continue to lead the way and show others what meaningful cooperation and partnership can look like.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Todd Unzicker serves as the executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. This article originally appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of the Biblical Recorder magazine.)