Texas megachurch resumes financial contributions to SBC's Cooperative Program

A Texas megachurch that threatened to withhold funds from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) earlier this year has announced that it will resume its financial contributions to the convention's Cooperative Program.

Prestonwood Baptist Church, a 40,000-member congregation in Plano, Texas, was one of the congregations that threatened to escrow its contributions to the SBC over significant disagreements with Russell Moore, the president of SBC's policy wing, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Last week, the megachurch announced that it will resume its contributions to the SBC through the Cooperative Program after two months of evaluating its support of the convention's missions and ministries, Baptist Press reported.

"For more than 40 years, Prestonwood has been a steadfast supporter of the Cooperative Program and its mission to advance the Gospel through this vital giving program. We are grateful for the Southern Baptist Convention and our longtime ministry partnership and look forward to fulfilling the Great Commission together in the days ahead," Prestonwood executive pastor Mike Buster said in a statement.

Tensions within the SBC emerged during the 2016 presidential election when Moore criticized then-candidate Donald Trump and alleged that those who were supporting his candidacy cared more about having political influence than the furtherance of the Gospel.

In December 2016, Prestonwood pastor Jack Graham, a former SBC president, accused Moore of being disrespectful toward Trump's evangelical supporters.

In March, Moore apologized in a statement, saying he had been "overly broad or unnecessarily harsh," adding that he failed to make important distinctions during the tumultuous political year. Shortly after Moore released the statement, Graham said that his apology was "gracious and unifying."

In a statement to Baptist Press on April 26, Moore commended Prestonwood for its decision to resume its contributions to the SBC. "I'm grateful to God to partner with them as we seek to reach our world for Jesus Christ," Moore said about the megachurch.

SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page also expressed gratefulness about Prestonwood's decision.

"I am so delighted to hear of this news," Page told Baptist Press. "In an earlier conversation with Dr. Graham, he promised that Prestonwood would be back in to CP sooner than later, and he is a man of his word," he added.

Prestonwood's decision to escrow prompted the Executive Committee to form an ad hoc panel to study and find solutions to the issue of Southern Baptist churches either escrowing or discontinuing Cooperative funds. A report is expected to be presented at the September 2017 Executive Committee meeting.

The Executive Committee had also received reports of other churches taking actions similar to Prestonwood's, according to Baptist Press.