JACKSONVILLE–Florida Baptists are celebrating God’s many blessings in 2021 as reflected in significant growth in church planting, cooperative giving and mission giving among their churches.
“The unity of our churches to reach Florida and beyond for Christ is clearly reflected in these reported dynamic increases,” said Tommy Green, Florida Baptist Convention’s executive director-treasurer. “We celebrate all that God is doing in Florida through His church.”
During the past year, Florida Baptists saw 72* churches planted in the state, representing a 19% increase over the number of churches planted in 2020.
“We are blessed to have churches in our state with a heart for planting churches,” said Green, reiterating a message he has shared often since taking the helm of the state convention in 2015.
“The Convention does not plant churches, churches plant churches,” he said. In response to the churches’ commitment, Green has led the Convention to walk beside these congregations with support, resources, and training.
The generosity of Florida Baptists was seen in 2021 as they gave $30,775,364 through the Cooperative Program, a 9.78% increase over the $28.2 million given in 2020. These funds were distributed 51 percent to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program and 49 percent to Florida Baptist programs of missions and ministry.
“The churches of the Florida Baptist Convention have demonstrated kingdom generosity through their increased mission giving,” Green said. “God multiplies this generosity in lives being changed through Christ.”
The sacrifices of Florida Baptist churches in 2021 were also reflected within the state as their gifts made it possible for the Convention to provide hundreds of churches with critical revitalization funds as they sought to overcome setbacks encountered during the past two years.
The kingdom commitment of Florida Baptists was evidenced by gifts to the Maguire State Mission Offering, which totaled $637,113 in 2021 and represented a 14.2% increase over the previous year. A hundred percent of the offering will be used to fund church planting initiatives in the state.
Green predicted Florida Baptists will have even more to celebrate in days ahead as churches complete the Annual Church Profiles that are expected to reflect increases in baptisms–a number that demonstrates lives changed by the good news of Christ–and mission involvements.
The increases also reflect Florida Baptists’ embracing of statewide goals for 2025, said Green. “The Florida family of churches have made commitments to Challenge 2025 through church planting, church revitalization, baptisms, mission engagements, Cooperative Program and Maguire State Mission Offering giving.”
*Subsequent to original publication, the new church plants number has been updated.