As executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Dr. Paul Chitwood identified the need to move more Cooperative Program (CP) funds from state mission budgets to the Southern Baptist Convention budget and, ultimately, to the IMB budget. CP gifts from the Kentucky convention churches grew this year by just over 4.5 percent. Under Chitwood’s leadership, the Kentucky convention has increased the amount of their CP budget giving to Southern Baptist Convention causes by 8.5 percent. Prior to his role at the Kentucky convention, Chitwood served as a pastor of local churches of various sizes for 18 years. During his pastorates, he served eight years on the IMB’s board of trustees, including two years as chairman of the board (2008-2010). The churches Chitwood led gave an average of 18.5 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program.