Cooperative Program Giving Falls Below October Budget

Southern Baptist Cooperative Program receipts for October 2026 came in 2.52% under the monthly goal while designated giving rose.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Religion — General

Bold flat-color vector editorial illustration of a weathered oak collection box with an open slot and loose brass coins on a pale wooden table, in mustard, teal, cream, and oxblood. — Southern Baptist Cooperative Program giving totaled $14,689,663.55 in October 2026, 2.52% below the $15,070,000 monthly budget goal, the Biblical Recorder reported. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Southern Baptist Cooperative Program giving for October 2026 totaled $14,689,663.55, according to figures reported by the Biblical Recorder from Nashville. The total fell 2.52% short of the $15,070,000.00 monthly budget goal, though designated giving rose 5.88% over the previous year.

Why it matters

Cooperative Program receipts fund Southern Baptist missions and ministry entities, so a shortfall in the first month of the fiscal year affects the budget the convention adopted for 2026-2027. Designated giving's increase partly offset the shortfall, which left combined totals roughly even with October 2025.

The October 2026 Cooperative Program total of $14,689,663.55 was $380,336.45 below the monthly budget goal of $15,070,000.00. Designated giving rose $251,379.93 over the prior year to $4,529,440.16, though the report does not break down the sources of that increase.

The players

Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, operating the Cooperative Program to fund its missions and ministries.

International Mission Board

The International Mission Board is the Southern Baptist Convention's agency for overseas missions and receives 51% of Cooperative Program funds.

The details

The Executive Committee distributes all Cooperative Program and designated gifts it receives weekly to SBC ministry entities. Cooperative Program funds are disbursed 51% to international missions through the International Mission Board, and any year-end overage above budget projections is distributed according to approved percentages.

October 2026: Cooperative Program giving for the first month of the fiscal year falls below budget.
2026-2027: Convention-adopted budget of $186,000,000 governs the fiscal year.

Roadmap

The Cooperative Program has operated as the Southern Baptist Convention's unified giving mechanism since 1925, distributing receipts across national and international ministries. October 2026's shortfall against the adopted 2026-2027 budget is measured against that long-standing allocation structure.

Church members who give through Southern Baptist congregations contribute to the Cooperative Program, which funds missions and ministries across the country and abroad. Individual congregations' giving patterns determine how much flows into the national totals reported each month.

The takeaway

Monthly Cooperative Program totals are a useful early indicator of whether the convention's adopted budget will be met over the fiscal year. Readers tracking denominational finances can compare each month's receipts against the budget goal to spot trends as the year progresses.