Recently, I was working on my calendar and scheduling in my time with the Worldwide Church of God at their denominational annual meeting. (If you're not familiar with them, they have a fascinating history from theological error to evangelicalism.) And, it started me thinking about how I decide where and to whom I will speak.

I will consider and pray about any invitation to speak. But I do have criteria for accepting. I always ask the question: "Will what I say advance the work of the Gospel?" Of course, that's not always a controversy-free decision.

Jim Belcher is the founding and lead pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California. He is co-producer of the docudrama "From Earth to Heaven: The Life and Art of Vincent Van Gogh." He is also the cofounder of the Restoring Community Conference: Integrating Social Interaction, Sacred Space and Beauty in the 21st Century, an annual conference for city officials, planners, builders and architects.

Jim's new book, Deep Church is getting a lot of attention as he works to make sense of the conflict between the emerging and traditional ends of the church while offering a "third way." Read the interview and then jump into the comments below. Jim will be with us today and will interact with your questions.

Well, this "Saturday is for Seminars" includes my SBC predictions. It's all going down June 23-24 and is sure to be a crazy party!

I'm hoping. ;-)

I've been writing a bit about the value of cooperation lately, including an entry on about denominations. I believe in cooperation and want to encourage it on many levels. As I have said before, I think we can accomplish more together than we can apart.

The Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention is a great case in point. The CP is a means of Southern Baptist churches pooling their monetary resources to continue the mission of the church including different kinds of international and North American church planting, theological education, mercy ministries and more. Whereas one church can only do so much in any one of these areas, together SBC churches accomplish great things in all of them.

Lifeway Research conducted a survey of pastors to examine Southern Baptist "churches' thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about the Cooperative Program."

Here are some of the interesting finds:

The description chosen by the most pastors (44 percent) was "mostly positive" stating, "We believe the CP perhaps could be improved in some ways, but is doing a very good job at present of supporting worldwide missions."

The second largest group of pastors (36 percent) describes the Cooperative Program as "overwhelmingly positive," stating, "we believe the CP is not only satisfactory, but is essential to the continued existence of the SBC, and the fulfillment of its mission of worldwide evangelism."

Thirteen percent of pastors have a "mixed" view agreeing that the CP "could be improved in many ways." The remaining responses were spread across "mostly negative" (2 percent) and "overwhelmingly negative" (1 percent). Three percent of pastors describe their church as "unaware" of the Cooperative Program.

When most Southern Baptists think about the CP they think: missions and church planting. Though the CP funds many different ministries, these are widely considered to be the most critical work of the Convention.

Pastors feel strongly that the most important objectives of the CP are to send and support missionaries (83 percent) and to provide resources to plant churches (74 percent) in North America and around the world.

As I explained in the story, "Since many churches equate 'missions' with the Cooperative Program, we should not be surprised that 'missionaries' are at the top of the agenda for pastors."

While most SBC pastors have a high view of the CP, most also believe there is room for improvement. 65 percent of the pastors surveyed "strongly agree it is important for SBC entities supported by the Cooperative Program to use the contributions efficiently, only half that number (34 percent) strongly agree efficiency is present today."

Again I explained, "Although the vast majority have a positive view of the Cooperative Program and a majority believe the funds are used efficiently, it is important to note that there is noticeable drop between those who 'strongly agree' that it is important the Cooperative Program "be" efficient and those who "strongly agree" it actually "is" efficient."

The CP is a strong example of cooperation that most of our pastors value. There is also a number that would like to see improvement in the efficiency of the CP and the precise way monies are allocated, "more than two-thirds of pastors strongly agree that the CP currently 'supports SBC entities, ministries, and missions that my church values.'"

I have already received many comments about the research. That is good, but I would like to ask you to share them here, publicly. I will encourage some denominational leaders to read your thoughts. So, let me here from you.

What do you think about the research, the Cooperative Program, and how we can make cooperation more effective?

Networks have grown in prominence over the last decade. Actually, few national networks are more than a decade old. However, it is not a secret that they are growing in participation and in influence.

This has not been free of controversy. Many in denominations are concerned and some are critical at the rise of networks. They have some valid concerns: networks often have less racial and economic diversity, they tend to be often less involved in global missions, and they are often driven by one methodology.

This is the longest time I have gone without posting to the blog.

I have been super busy, speaking this weekend at The Summit Church and C3 Church, both in Raleigh Durham. I was there with my daughter Jaclyn so I did not have time to post. I will make up for it this week.

The last time I wrote, I mentioned that my denomination has a statement of faith that includes an article on cooperation:

I have been doing lots of denominational meetings lately and church-to-church cooperation has been on my mind. So, I am feeling a series coming on... not sure how long it will be, but I can feel it!

I am pleased to see what looks like a renewed confidence in the church of God as the means of carrying out the mission of God. When Jesus commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations" he was not commanding individuals, but his church. While I hear more and more about the importance of the local church (thank God), I fear that some are losing sight of the need to cooperate with other churches for the spread of the gospel and the glory of God.

Now, some churches have strong theological cooperation, but not a missional cooperation. There are some great theological networks out there that highlight the gospel, and we need them. But the gospel leads us to preach, work, and start churches, and such work demands greater cooperation. Both denominations and networks can be a great means of cooperating and fulfilling the Great Commission.

Most churches are under 200 in size, and even our larger churches are limited in their ability to reach far with the gospel on their own. To put it more plainly, we cannot do all that God calls us to do on our own. The planting of churches and the continuation of all gospel work across North America and throughout the world requires churches to link up with others for training, support, accountability, and funding. Certainly, they can do more than these things, but these are a good start and I think they should be a primary focus:

Training
Networks and denominations allow for a pooling of training resources that most churches greatly need and from which they can benefit. That can include seminary, college, training for ministry, and so many other things. Planting a church, for example, is no small or easy task. Assessing church planters, the development of a strategy, and church planter training are often areas in which local churches need help.

Support
One of the most important benefits of cooperation is support. Within a family of churches you can find real affection that emerges out of a shared mission. Some networks think of this support as a kind of "family" that amounts to the mutual encouragement and counsel between churches and church leadership. It is common for churches to feel isolated in their particular context of ministry, but through our networks and the internet cooperating churches can connect and find the support they need as they continue the hard work of ministry. How do I handle this popular false teaching? What is the best approach for dealing with a particular barrier to our church's growth? Has anyone else ever encountered this situation in a church plant? I am depressed, feel like a failure - anyone have any words for me?! Cooperation allows for support that would otherwise be out of reach for many.

Accountability
When churches cooperate together for the mission of God accountability becomes a very healthy and necessary component to ensure that the gospel remains central, that false doctrine is avoided, and that the mission continues to move forward.

Funding
In some denominational and network contexts there is the potential for financial support. This is a great help to carrying out the Great Commission. In my own denomination, the International Mission Board can support over 5,000 missionaries across the globe, while its North American Mission Board also helps 5,000 missionaries/church planters.

We are drawing a lot of theological lines in the sand these days. We often do this through statements of faith or confessions. Although it is easy to criticize such statements, I tend to affirm them--it is a good thing to know where you stand and have boundaries, when rightly understood.

So, we can work within our denominational community and without. There are different levels of cooperation (as I have already written elsewhere). Oddly enough, my denomination (not known for palling around with others), has even penned the value of cooperation within our statement of faith:

Article 14 on Cooperation

Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

More on that tomorrow...