Arkansas Baptist State Convention FAQ’s
Executive Board and Teams
Association FAQ’s
Arkansas Baptist News, Camp Paron, and Disaster Relief
Camp Siloam
Arkansas Baptist Foundation
Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries
Ouachita Baptist University
Williams Baptist University
Southern Baptist Convention FAQ’s
Seminaries
North American Mission Board
International Mission Board
Lifeway, ERLC, and WMU
GuideStone and Mission:Dignity
The goal and purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the ministries and entities of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. These ministries and entities are here to serve Arkansas Baptists and each of these do so in unique ways. This document does not serve as an in-depth informational piece on each of them, but rather an overview of their purpose and the resources available to you as an Arkansas Baptist. To learn more about each of these ministries and entities follow the links at the bottom of their individual pages. As always, we are here for Arkansas Baptists, and we hope this document will be a great resource to you, your church, or ministry.
The Arkansas Baptist Foundation’s mission is to serve, advise, and encourage Arkansas Baptists and we hope this guide serves as a reminder that we are stronger together. This guide will help us better understand what it means to be an Arkansas Baptist, how to be involved in Kingdom work within Arkansas, nationally, and internationally and the impact that our cooperative giving and service have in the advancement of the Gospel.
Bobby Thomas President/CEO, Arkansas Baptist Foundation
Trust and cooperation are hallmarks of our work together as Arkansas Baptists. The convention staff is called to assist churches as they complete their mission. We also endeavor to encourage cooperative support and involvement in mission endeavors at home and around the world. We have a rich legacy as we continue to build a relationship of trust and cooperative efforts to expand our Lord’s kingdom.
Dr. Rex Horne Executive Director, Arkansas Baptist State Convention
The ABSC is best known as the family and network of Arkansas Baptist churches, agencies, and institutions around the state that have chosen to advance the Kingdom of Jesus through cooperation. At present, this includes approximately 1400+ churches, Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries, the Arkansas Baptist Foundation, Camp Siloam, the Executive Board, Ouachita Baptist University, and Williams Baptist University. These six agencies/institutions are funded by the Cooperative Program giving of Arkansas Baptist churches. For more information on the Cooperative Program, please see page 20
The purpose of the ABSC is to assist the churches of the ABSC in fulfilling their mission, and to encourage cooperative support of and involvement in our worldwide mission enterprise. The ABSC exists to fulfill the Great Commission by assisting local churches in evangelism, discipleship, missions, and other church related specialty ministries.
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is our mandate and guide for ministry and missions. The church is God’s primary agent for accomplishing His purpose in the world. Our staff’s call, commitment,
and competence are the most important resources we offer churches. In light of this calling, we aim to act with responsiveness, respect, integrity, efficiency, and cooperation.
We value our ministry relationships and consider every inquiry to be important and time sensitive. Our responsiveness matches each need with all available means, both individually and as a team effort to fulfill every request.
We will love and serve all people with dignity and respect, as we believe that each person has inherent worth and needs to know Jesus Christ.
Integrity
Integrity is foundational to our ministry and service. We are accountable to those we serve and to each other, therefore it guides all our interactions, strategies, and actions as we serve Arkansas Baptists.
Efficiency
We value efficiency to maximize the use of time, resources, and energy by prioritizing, planning, preparing, implementing, and evaluating for the future to fulfill the Great Commission.
Cooperation
Cooperation is essential to significant kingdom impact. We value the Cooperative Program as the primary means through which Arkansas Baptists fund missions in our state, our nation, and around the world. We also value partnerships with local associations, the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board, and other ABSC and SBC agencies and institutions.
As Arkansas Baptists we are a part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and therefore align our beliefs with theirs. For more information on what we believe and the SBC, see page 12.
The Executive Board is a body of trustees from local Arkansas churches. These trustees are nominated by a committee of Arkansas Baptists and approved by messengers to the Annual Meeting.
The Executive Board oversees the work of Executive Board employees the four ministry teams that exist to serve alongside Arkansas Baptist churches and connect them to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) missions and missions strategies. The four teams of the Executive Board include: Church Planting, Evangelism + Church Health, Missions, and Executive + Administrative.
The Evangelism + Church Health Team serves existing Arkansas Baptist churches, seeking to gain greater levels of church health through quality events, trainings, and consultations that equip church leaders and members to evangelize the lost, participate in worship and small groups, and give generously to ministries and missions. This team also focuses on reaching next generation leaders with the Gospel. This is done by emphasizing children’s ministry, youth ministry, and college and young adult ministry. Over 30 Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) across the state minister to students on the most strategic mission field in the world college campuses. Events like Lead Defend, PraiseWorks, JoyWorks, and Super Summer also aim to disciple the next generation of Arkansas Baptists. All of this is done to strengthen Arkansas Baptist churches. This team is guided by 4 objectives:
1. Evangelism
2. Leadership and Discipleship Development
3. Mobilization of the Next Generation
4. Networking to Strengthen Churches
The ABSC Church Planting Team and Send Network Arkansas have an enhanced partnership between the ABSC and the North American Mission Board. Churches plant churches. The role of this team is to serve and assist Arkansas Baptist churches to identify church planters, train, coach, and provide funding and other resources for assessed church planters who plant anywhere in the state of Arkansas.
The Missions Team partners with churches and associations to honor and obey Jesus’ command found in Acts 1:8. This team has a wide variety of ways for you and your church to serve in local, state, national, or international missions opportunities. Disaster Relief, One Day, Pregnancy Care Centers, Jail and Prison Ministry, and Block Party Ministry are just a few of the ways to get involved in serving for Kingdom impact.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” —Acts 1:8
An association is made up of churches who hold to a common faith, generally understood to be reflected in the current Baptist Faith and Message. “The association was created by the churches for the churches.”1 They function in partnership with the state and national conventions, but are autonomous, meaning they are not under the authority of either. Associations are composed of churches who are motivated to work together on mission. Like churches, associations are not all the same in their structure or culture, but all serve with the same goal in mind: growing the Kingdom of God.
How do associations help churches?
Associations are a community of local churches, and in the New Testament, churches lived in community together, sharing all their resources. Three primary ways that associations aim to serve in light of this New Testament community is through emphases on church planting, church health, and doctrinal integrity.
“Today, Baptist associations allow and encourage churches to work together in church planting by assisting them to find a church planter, locate a facility, partner in funding, coach, and even provide members to launch a new church plant. Many associations provide opportunities for church members to assist in disaster response through purchasing equipment, gathering relief aid, and training,”1. Healthy churches are churches that focus on community and do not try to grow alone. “Many Southern Baptist churches today find the association to be a place where trusted relationships can be built,”1 and the community found there is necessary. “Associations today are strategically positioned to address doctrinal issues in local churches,“ and Acts 10-11 and 15 showcase the church “associating together to ensure this doctrinal integrity.”1
Why be a part of an association?
Churches better serve the total geographical area of their community in partnership with the association. Working cooperatively as a group of churches to reach the lost and accomplish common missions outreach are ways that associations try to encourage community.
How do associations assist church leaders?
Most associations have someone on staff available to train, develop, and encourage church leaders as they serve the church. Each association differs, but many have conferences, workshops, and seminars annually to help church leaders be more effective in their roles.
How does the ABSC partner with associations?
The ABSC partners with associations by providing training for ministries led by the Executive Board Teams for every area where they help churches. The Missions Team partners with associations by involving them in Disaster Relief and stewarding partnerships with missionaries and mission opportunities. The Church Planting Team helps associations with churches looking to plant churches and supporting and encouraging those sending churches and church planters. The Evangelism + Church Health Team along with campus ministers assist with outreach and discipleship for those associations in proximity to universities and colleges. Each of these teams works in step with each other to aid churches to do ministry well just as associations work diligently to serve and support churches in their region. Almost every ministry the ABSC does on a large scale can be implemented on the association and church level.
How did associations get started? Are they structured similarly to when they first began?
Associations started in the early 1600’s, but the first American association did not start until 1707 when the Philadelphia Baptist Association was founded. They emphasized starting new churches, maintaining sound doctrine, and doing ministry.
Associations were founded with the goal of being a place for pastors, leaders, and evangelists to develop partnerships and relationships so they could serve the churches and the surrounding community and share the gospel. Now, as we look at the 21st century, associations continue to emphasize these same goals that associations were founded on as they serve Southern Baptists.
“As Baptists, we believe the local church is ground zero for fulfilling the Great Commission. Because of their close proximity to the churches, associations should be the most important denominational partner for assisting churches with kingdom advancement.”1
The ABN has been proud to be the premier resource to inform, involve, and inspire Arkansas Baptists in our partnership together. The Communications Team operates the ABN and is guided by two important tasks: to communicate the ministries and work of the ABSC and to celebrate God’s work across the state among Arkansas Baptists and local churches. God is using His church across Arkansas to make a Kingdom impact.
Telling the good news of God’s work among Arkansas Baptists is carried out through a variety of communication sources: websites (absc.org and arkansasbaptist.org), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), Arkansas Baptist Life (quarterly print newsletter), monthly email newsletter, and a bi-weekly Arkansas Baptist News (ABN) digital news magazine.
arkansasbaptist.org
Arkansas Baptist State Convention Disaster Relief extends the love of Christ to disaster survivors by preparing hot meals, removing damaged trees and debris, tarping roofs, shoveling mud, providing emergency communications, and coordinating the response through incident command leadership. Following a common ministry pattern of Jesus Christ, volunteers seek to share God’s grace, hope, and Truth while meeting physical needs.
Become a Disaster Relief volunteer & join the ranks of those who strive to bring help, healing & hope to those in crisis.
abscdisasterrelief.org
Camp Paron is a perfect place to get away from it all and experience adventure in a serene setting with camps, conferences, and retreats for churches and church-based organizations.
In every season, Camp Paron captures the natural calm and beauty of central Arkansas. Just 25 miles west of Little Rock, the camp sits adjacent to the Ouachita National Forest among 263 acres of forested hills and open grassy fields. For more than 50 years they have provided the backdrop for camps, conferences, and retreats, and would love to host your groups. As a ministry of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, they are here to serve you.
Your giving funds Arkansas Missions. Every dollar given to the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering helps resource and mobilize Arkansas Baptists to serve and reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We utilize experienced leadership to enable Arkansas Baptists to respond to needs across our state in Jesus’ name.
We equip Arkansas Baptists for Strategic Great Commission engagement.
We provide opportunities for Arkansas Baptists to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities and across our state.
We prepare Arkansas Baptists to share the hope of Jesus and His saving grace with everyone.
absc.org/dj
Camp Siloam is a non-profit Southern Baptist camp and retreat center in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Since 1923 God’s name has been honored there and people have been encountering the Father on its holy grounds. In the summertime, the camp hosts multiple weeks of summer camp during which gifted evangelists share the Gospel of Jesus with thousands of campers. During the fall, winter, and spring, the camp staff hosts youth retreats and rents the camp to groups for retreats.
Camp Siloam was started in 1923 by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention under the name Arkansas Baptist Assembly. The camp was run solely by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) until 2006 when it was given its own non-profit status. Camp Siloam remains an entity of the ABSC, whose primary purpose is to assist the churches of the ABSC in fulfilling their mission through the operation of a year-round camp and retreat ministry to reach all the people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and their conversion to faith in Him, while maintaining a special emphasis on reaching students and children. In 2011, the camp changed its name to Camp Siloam for marketing purposes because Arkansas Baptist Assembly was known throughout the state simply as “Siloam”.
Camp Siloam sits on 200 acres on the western edge of the Ozark Mountains. The main part of the camp has been developed along a valley that has been carved out by Little Beaver Creek.
Since 1923, thousands of people have heard the Gospel of Jesus and have been saved. Many have been called to global missions or full-time ministry at Camp Siloam. Campers still refer to the camp simply as, “Siloam” which is a Hebrew word meaning sent. The idea of sending permeates much of what we do at Siloam. We believe God is sending people to be a part of camp.
Features: Pool with 300 swimmer capacity (10ft greatest depth), 18-hole disc-golf course, 4 half basketball courts, 2 sand volleyball courts, a wiffle ball field, and 2 rec fields
Activities: 9 Square in the Air, Archery, Arts and Craft, Basketball, Bazooka Ball, BB Guns, Beach Volleyball, Bouldering, Carpetball, Cornhole, Frisbee Golf, Gaga Ball, Hatchet Throwing, Horseshoes, Kajabi Kan Kan, KanJam, Kayaking, Little Beaver Creek, Paintball, Pickle Ball, Ping Pong/Jungle Pong, Snookball, Soccer, Spikeball, Swimming, Water Slide, and Ultimate Frisbee campsiloam.com
The main mission of the Arkansas Baptist Foundation is to serve, advise, and encourage the over 1,400 Southern Baptist Churches in Arkansas. The Foundation includes staff members who are gifted in various ways. Daily conversations cover anything from governing documents, estate planning, financial securities, and ministry accounting.
The Foundation’s staff works daily to encourage ministry leaders across the state of Arkansas. The ability to help individuals and churches with administrative opportunities is the purpose of the Foundation. The Foundation is grateful for open conversations with church leaders and for each opportunity to SERVE, ADVISE, and ENCOURAGE. What can we do for you?
3,589,566
2,036,479
620,530
1,305,844
1,119,434
For more resources please visit: abf.org/resources or scan the QR code.
We are changing the way families foster by equipping missional families with a better option to foster. As a private foster care provider, we partner with families at every step for every challenge, providing the professional services needed to welcome vulnerable children. Our professional services are Christ-centered, trauma-informed, and family-focused.
For Connected foster families who want to take the next step in welcoming vulnerable children, we provide the pathway for private, infant adoption. Our missional approach to adoption prioritizes the needs of the expectant mother and her baby and equips waiting families to provide a healthy future for a child.
Living Well provides professional counseling you can trust in locations across Arkansas. We serve individuals of all ages, couples, and families with Christ-centered mental health services that are affordable and accessible. With multiple counselors who hold various specializations, we are able to meet a wide range of mental health needs.
Desired Haven helps guide at-risk families to healthy futures through stability, skills, and a healthy support system. As families find stability in one of our four family care homes, our program equips families in seven areas of skills.
We are meeting the vital need for brothers and sisters to stay together while in foster care. Located in the Ozark mountains, offering 400 acres and stunning views and a true ranch life experience, the Arkansas Baptist Ranch provides a peaceful setting that allows foster families to welcome large sibling groups. Campus foster care provides real homes and a real family environment to siblings in foster care.
We are meeting the vital need for brothers and sisters to stay together while in foster care. Located on 80 acres offering fishing ponds, farm animals, and horseback riding, our flagship ministry, Arkansas Baptist Homes for Children in Monticello, provides a unique setting that allows foster families to welcome large sibling groups. Campus foster care provides real homes and a real family environment to siblings in foster care.
arkansasfamilies.org
Located in the foothills of the beautiful Ouachita Mountains (just an hour south of Little Rock), Ouachita Baptist University has been a rigorous, Christ-centered learning community focused on providing outstanding academic training and career preparation in the liberal arts tradition since our founding by Arkansas Baptists more than 135 years ago.
We take a highly personalized approach to Christian higher education, fostering a love of God and a love of learning within a close-knit community. There are no gigantic, crowded lecture halls at Ouachita. Professors know their students’ names, invest personally in their success, encourage them to find their calling and prepare them for reasoned engagement with the world—a key factor in our high graduation and placement rates.
Our comprehensive catalog includes courses in more than 70 undergraduate degree programs and
We’ve developed a variety of academic resources to help students thrive and a competitive financial aid program that provides merit scholarships to all Ouachita freshmen and assistance to 99 percent of the total student body.
Nearly all of our undergrads live in campus housing, which is a big part of what makes Ouachita unique. Between our nine residence halls and six university apartment complexes, there’s housing available to every Ouachita student regardless of their classification —from move-in day freshman year until they pack up after graduation.
Whether students are interested in music, sports, ministry, languages, social life, science, travel, theatre, business, philosophy or all of the above, the offices of Student Life and Rec Life sponsor more than 60 clubs and organizations that offer opportunities for leadership, connection and a whole lot of fun. Campus Ministries has a calendar full of programs, trips and retreats where students can turn their faith into action. We’re also minutes away from some of the best hiking, biking, fishing, floating, camping and climbing in Arkansas. And Tiger Nation is full of pride for our 18 NCAA Division II athletic teams! We’ve been creating a transformational college experience for Ouachita students since 1886. Learn more about what we can offer at obu.edu
Williams Baptist University was founded in 1941 by a group of dedicated Arkansas Baptists led by pastor and visionary Dr. H. E. Williams. The vision of these founders was to create a school that equipped graduates to be transformative leaders, men and women who exemplified “salt and light” leaders for challenging times and situations.
Throughout the university’s history, the faculty and staff have sought to instill in students certain biblical characteristics that we call the Williams Way. We believe these traits reflect the way of Christ as revealed in the Bible and define the way we identify transformative leaders. The five traits of the Williams Way are: Christcentered purpose; unwavering tenacity; courageous faith; selfless sacrifice, and work as a mission.
The Williams Works initiative offers students a real opportunity to forge a path to graduate owing little to no debt and instills the value of work in students, giving them a strong “leg up” upon graduation when they enter the job market. Williams is not only helping shape the future workforce, it is helping mold the leaders of tomorrow through a Christ-centered focus.
WBU consistently ranks among the nation’s top colleges by U.S. News and our top-notch faculty earn national recognition for their outstanding work in their fields. Our students are recognized at the state and national levels for their research in the natural sciences and history departments, while our business department has garnered numerous awards at competitions. Our fine arts programs, which includes the Williams Singers, WBU Band, Worship Team, Americana Band, The Cast drama team, and the WBU Theatre program, are invited yearly to perform across the state and region and host many events on campus throughout the year for all to enjoy.
Take a moment to discover why you #BelongHere at Williams Baptist University. Our students get to know their professors on a personal level through events like Christmas in the Cove, where students are invited into the faculty’s homes and get to meet their families and see them on a much more personal level. Campus life is always buzzing with events like Follies, and students also become involved in social clubs or intramurals or campus ministries. You’ll find your place at WBU!
Organized in 1845 in Augusta, GA, the Southern Baptist Convention is a network of autonomous (selfgoverning, self-supporting) churches as well as an annual gathering of representatives (messengers) from cooperating churches who (1) have organized a specific set of cooperating ministries with a defined set of ministry assignments, (2) annually select trustees to govern those entities, and (3) adopt a budget to help fund those entities through a cooperative giving model called the Cooperative Program.
Is it a convention or denomination?
The term “Southern Baptist Convention” refers to both its annual meeting and denomination. There is a distinction that should be made between the words, “convention” and “denomination.” The annual meetings consist of messengers from every eligible Southern Baptist church. It can be seen as an alliance of churches working in friendly cooperation under the heading “Southern Baptist.” A Southern Baptist church is about as independent as you can get and still be counted as part of a denomination.
“The Southern Baptist Convention does not ordain ministers, assign staff to churches, levy contributions to denominational causes, dictate literature and calendar, or assign persons to churches according to place of residence. These are local church matters.
The Southern Baptist Convention gives churches a way to collectively express their convictions and realize their vision. Denominations allow churches to be a part of a larger enterprise, pooling their resources to establish and advance Great Commission work. A denomination can have an impact larger than the sum of the impacts of the individual churches.
The Bible pictures financial and operational cooperation among New Testament churches and virtually all churches cooperate with other churches in some fashion or other. Southern Baptists have merely formalized that spiritually natural phenomenon, and God has blessed their blend of freedom and cooperation.”
Southern Baptists represent a broad range in: size, culture, age, ministry setting, race/ethnicity, language, worship style, and theological perspective.
2,900 domestic missionaries [United States Canada Guam Caribbean
50,000 churches & congregations in the U.S. state conventions 41 million+ members 13
11 entities
247
3,500 international missionaries people groups & urban centers
1,100+ local associations
Within the Body of Christ, there is a great diversity of gifts, temperament, taste, and experience. Churches benefit from this range of qualities within their own fellowship and across the SBC. Churches learn from and complement each other. This is not a matter of moral or doctrinal compromise. You cannot believe and do just anything and remain a part of the Southern Baptist fellowship. All Baptist bodies have limits. But within those limits, there is room for significant cooperative diversity.
The purpose of the SBC is to “elicit, combine, and direct the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians… for the propagation of the Gospel.” The missional vision of the SBC is “to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations.” Southern Baptists share a common bond of basic Biblical beliefs and a commitment to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, with His ultimate revelation being the Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ. For that reason, Southern Baptists have summarized their biblical convictions in a statement of faith called The Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M). Southern Baptists are not a creedal people, requiring churches or individuals to embrace a standardized set of beliefs; but we are a confessional people. The BF&M represents the confessional consensus of “certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified.”
You can obtain an online copy of the Baptist Faith and Message at bfm.sbc.net. or scan the QR code.
This diagram shows the true structure of the SBC. It is not top down. It is often said that the headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention is the local church.
MESSENGERS
NOMINATES & VOTES FOR NOMINATES & VOTES FOR NOMINATES & VOTES FOR NOMINATES & VOTES FOR
& VOTES FOR NOMINATES & VOTES FOR
& VOTES FOR
The SBC Executive Committee exists to minister to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention by acting for the SBC ad interim in all matters not otherwise provided for in a manner that encourages the cooperation and confidence of the churches, associations, and state conventions and facilitates maximum support for worldwide missions and ministries. The Executive Committee partners with associations, state conventions, entities, and ethnic fellowship networks to aid in evangelism, discipleship, ministries, and missions. The Executive Committee provides resources for the Cooperative Program, free stewardship and personal finance discipleship, SBC orientation presentations, convention news, and podcasts.
The SBC assigns and conducts its work through eleven ministry entities—two mission boards, six seminaries, an ethics and religious liberty commission, a publishing ministry, and a financial resources services ministry— and its Executive Committee. It also works closely with an auxiliary organization, Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU).
While some of these ministries are self-sustaining, the majority are supported by churches with financial contributions through the Cooperative Program. Of the contributions received from churches, 73.2 percent funds missions and church planting and another 22 percent provides ministerial training through our seminaries.
For more information about the SBC, ways you can be involved, and the resources available to Southern Baptists visit: sbc.net. or scan the QR code.
The six Southern Baptist theological seminaries exist to prepare God-called men and women for vocational service in Baptist churches and in other Christian ministries throughout programs of spiritual development, theological studies, and practical preparation in ministry. This is achieved through Gateway, Midwestern, New Orleans, Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries.
The six seminaries are funded in part by the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program helps fund ministries and missions through cooperating state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. A percentage of all Cooperative Program contributions received by the SBC are directed to the six theological seminaries and the SBC Historical Library and
Archives. In addition, the seminaries are supported by endowments, donations, tuition, and fees.
Collectively the six seminaries have been given a challenging mission: “to prepare God-called men and women for vocational service in Baptist churches and in other Christian ministries throughout the world through programs of spiritual development, theological studies, and practical preparation in ministry.”
Seminary-trained students are trained to go and evangelize, baptize, disciple, and teach individuals across the nation and around the world (Matthew 28:1820). The SBC has committed itself to provide seminary education and training at the lowest cost possible so graduates are not burdened with debt as they embark on this noble quest.
Vancouver, WA
Fremont, CA
Denver, CO
Ontario, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Louisville, KY
NC
For more information on the Southern Baptist Seminaries and links to their websites please visit: sbc.net/theological-seminaries or scan the QR code.
At the North American Mission Board (NAMB), we are grateful to have the privilege of helping Southern Baptists move the mission forward in North America every single day. In everything we do, we strive to make pastors (and the churches they lead) our number one “customer.” It’s churches that send missionaries. It’s churches that plant churches. And it is churches that baptize new believers.
NAMB’s Evangelism Team is seeing great engagement from churches. In 2023, more than 10,000 copies of NAMB’s new Evangelism Kit were distributed to churches to help those congregations create a culture of evangelism among their people that will endure even as programs and emphases come and go.
Two coaching networks, the Youth Leader Coaching Network and the Collegiate Coaching Network, facilitated training for ministry leaders tasked with reaching the next generation. Since their inception, these groups have equipped nearly 2,000 ministry leaders to help them minister to students.
NAMB’s church planting arm is Send Network, and it helps Southern Baptists start new churches everywhere for everyone. In 2023, we celebrated as Southern Baptists surpassed more than 10,000 new churches started since 2010, an incredible testimony to God’s faithfulness and the Great Commission commitment our churches have. More than 400 church planters attended Send Network Orientation events in 2023 as they prepared to launch out as church planting missionaries all across North America.
Send Relief is the collaborative compassion ministry effort between NAMB and the International Mission Board that meets immediate needs for thousands of people while also pointing them to salvation through Jesus Christ. In North America, Send Relief engaged more than 33,000 volunteers from more than 3,300 churches in 2023. Send Relief also added new resources to help churches start and sustain Gospel-centered compassion ministries in their local communities.
None of this ministry would be possible without the faithful giving of Southern Baptists, who gave a record $70.2 million to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® in 2023. This, combined with support from the Cooperative Program, enables more than 3,000 missionaries to have Gospel-driven ministries in North America. It also allows NAMB to support the work of more than 3,300 chaplains that serve in North America and around the world.
Plant churches everywhere for everyone and engage communities with the gospel.
Since 1845, when the Foreign Mission Board, now the International Mission Board (IMB), was formed, almost 25,000 Southern Baptist missionaries have shared the Gospel, made disciples, planted churches and planted their lives in 185 countries around the world.
The mission of the IMB is to serve Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. As they do this, their vision and end goal is: “A multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rev. 7:9.) The IMB continues to serve Southern Baptists as they send and fund missionaries, mobilize missionary partners, make disciples, plant churches, and pray for the nations. A way you can be involved with the IMB is by following their strategy to pray, give, go, and send.
Pray for missions.
A church praying for international missionaries sets the stage for a mission’s culture in your church. The “pray” tab of the imb.org/pray website features a daily list of missionaries and places your church can pray for.
Give to missions.
When your church gives to international missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas program, it joins other churches in the slogan, “Together, we transform lives.”
Go on mission.
A third step in developing an international mission’s culture is going. There are short-term, midterm, and long-term options available for your church. Nehemiah Teams is one of the short-term options for students to serve with the IMB. Missionaries see the long-term value of these short-term commitments made by students.
Send on mission.
A final step in developing an international missions culture is sending. For those interested in long-term service, there’s a seven-step process that equips the local church to prepare the candidate in cooperation with IMB.
102
67
21,231 new churches formed
3,180 unengaged & unreached people groups
50,618
178,177 new believers
102,417 baptisms
27,169
3,505 total field personnel
68,239 received church planting training
12,019 people groups globally
The ministry assignment of Lifeway Christian Resources is to honor God and serve churches by designing trustworthy experiences that fuel ministry. Lifeway’s goal is to disciple everyone. From babies to senior adults, their passion is to place every person in your church on the lifelong path of discipleship. They provide the following resources:
• A broad range related to Bibles, Bible studies, books, and digital media
• Ministries to pastors, men, and women as well as age-specific ministries
• Camps and events
• Church resources related to curriculum, VBS, supplies and services.
For more resources please visit: lifeway.com or scan the QR code.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention that is dedicated to engaging the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ and speaking to issues in the public square for the protection of religious liberty and human flourishing. Since its beginnings, the ERLC has been defined around a holistic vision of the kingdom of God, leading the culture to change within the church itself and then as the church addresses the world.
The ERLC exists to assist the churches by helping them understand the moral demands of the gospel, apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy, and to promote religious liberty in cooperation with the churches and other Southern Baptist entities.
They provide resources that inform and equip churches for active moral witness in their communities and give counsel to denominational entities, churches, and individuals regarding appropriate responses to religious liberty concerns. They also have the following resources:
• Articles related to marriage, parenting, substance abuse, ministry, etc.
• Podcasts and videos on today’s culture
• Psalm 139 Project, Caring Well Initiative, and Global Hunger Relief
For more resources please visit: erlc.com or scan the QR code.
The Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) is the sole auxiliary of the SBC. It cooperates very closely with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board to encourage churches to give generously to support missions with contributions through the Cooperative Program and two annual mission offerings.
Why Missions Discipleship?
Through missions discipleship, we are continually being transformed to be more and more like Jesus. WMU helps Christ followers to be radically involved in missions in obedience to the Great Commission. Missions Discipleship is a non-negotiable part of what it means to be a Christ follower. Through missions discipleship, we embrace God’s heart for missions.
What is Missions Discipleship?
Missions discipleship is learning about and doing missions. The church is the equipping station and WMU is a provider of resources for missions discipleship so that the church can be faithful in equipping Christ followers to embrace the heart of God—a heart of missions!
WMU Objectives:
• Pray for Missions
• Engage in Mission Action and Witnessing
• Learn About Missions
• Support Missions
• Develop Spiritually Toward a Missions Lifestyle
• Participate in the Work of the Church and Denomination
For more resources please visit: absc.org/wmu or scan the QR code.
At GuideStone®, their vision is that every servant of Christ finishes well. GuideStone provides churches, ministries, faith-aligned institutions and Christian households with financial solutions that support our shared biblical values—equipping believers to lead resilient lives and advance the Kingdom of God. They understand that pastors and ministry staff have unique challenges and circumstances when it comes
to retirement, health plans, insurance, investments and other financial responsibilities. With their decades of experience helping ministers, they have refined a distinct expertise in helping you achieve financial security and resilience.
To learn more about exclusive state convention benefits and enroll in a retirement plan, visit: GuideStone.org/SBCChurchBenefits or scan the QR code.
Founded to serve retired Southern Baptist pastors, Mission:Dignity® currently serves more than 2,800 retirement-aged ministers, workers and widows as they face advancing age, illness, infirmity, the death of a spouse and even natural disasters. Through it all, we provide constant care, prayer and financial assistance directly at the point of need.
Mission:Dignity:
• Gives 100% of all donations to Mission:Dignity recipients
• Welcomes at least 350 new applicants every year
• Distributes more than $11 million annually to worthy recipients
Applicants must:
• Have 10 years of paid Southern Baptist service
• Be 65 years of age or older
• Meet monthly income and asset limits
Get involved:
• Give at MissionDignity.org
• Participate in Mission:Dignity Sunday
• Refer potential recipients or help them apply online
• Add an annual gift to Mission:Dignity to your church budget
Mission:Dignity is a ministry of GuideStone®, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (federal tax ID #75-0939949).
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.
—James 1:27
Brenda Collins and her late husband, Jim, served in ministry together for more than 50 years before he went home to be with the Lord.
“Since Jim passed, Mission:Dignity has financially provided security and peace of mind. But more importantly, Mission:Dignity feels like a friend,” says Brenda.
“I know I could pick up the phone at any time and call someone just to talk—not about needing more funds, but to someone who understands the ministry that my late husband and I loved for so many years. I can’t tell you how many days when I’m alone that I think of Mission:Dignity and how they have been a friend to me.”
To learn more visit: MissionDignity.org or scan the QR code.
Email: MissionDignity@GuideStone.org Call: 1-877-888-9409.
The Cooperative Program (CP) is the financial fuel for reaching every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. The program was formulated in 1925 as a unified giving plan for Southern Baptists, designed to be the financial fuel that funds the advancement of the Gospel regionally, statewide, nationally, and globally. It allows churches everywhere to participate in a collective mission.
Churches support the CP by submitting contributions through a network of state and regional Baptist conventions. Those conventions use a portion of these funds to fuel the ministry and mission goals established by their churches. Each state convention then forwards a percentage of those funds to the Southern Baptist
Convention, supporting Convention entities sending missionaries, training pastors and ministry leaders, planting churches, and addressing ethical and religious liberty concerns related to our faith.
While the very nature of Arkansas Baptist churches, agencies, and institutions is to partner with one another to do Kingdom work, the tangible element that connects us all is known as the Cooperative Program (CP). The Cooperative Program is how more than 45,000 Southern Baptist churches collectively give to and support missions work.
The local church decides what percentage of their overall tithes and offerings will go to these cooperative missions, and that percentage is then sent to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention to be distributed to Arkansas Baptist agencies, institutions, ministries, and missions. The distribution of Cooperative Program giving is voted on by messengers from the local church at the Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
ABSC CHRISTIAN
HIGHER EDUCATION
$3,750,600 (17.86%)
ARKANSAS BAPTISTS TEAM MINISTRIES
$6,356,700 (30.27%)
ADDITIONAL SBC MINISTRIES
$2,580,679 (12.29%)
ARKANSAS BAPTIST
CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES
$535,500 (2.55%)
ARKANSAS BAPTIST FOUNDATION
$499,800 (2.38%)
CAMP SILOAM
$231,000 (1.10%)
INTERNATIONAL & NORTH AMERICAN MISSIONS
$7,045,721 (33.55%)
As noted in the CP distribution chart above, nearly 46 percent of your giving leaves Arkansas to cooperatively impact this country and our world. You play a part in sending missionaries to countries where the Gospel is desperately needed. You help plant churches across the United States in regions where there is not a church on every corner. You provide Bibles in different languages and help resource the people transporting God’s word.
The rest of your financial gift stays here in Arkansas. Here, you provide the environments of Camp Siloam and Camp Paron, where students’ lives are changed forever. You equip pastors to share the Gospel with precision. You support Christian higher education at Ouachita Baptist University and Williams Baptist University. You minister on college campuses. You give to the orphan and the widow.
YOU are making a difference. When you are obedient to give generously from what the Lord has blessed you with, He uses you to further His Kingdom. On the following spread, you will see just a fraction of the impact you have in Arkansas.
For more information about the Cooperative Program visit: absc.org/cooperative-program or scan the QR code.
CELEBRATING THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ARKANSAS BAPTISTS WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH THE Cooperative Program
2023
355 SUMMER MISSIONARIES SERVED LOCALLY AND AROUND THE WORLD
Summer JULY 2023
190 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH
2,357 IN ATTENDANCE
83 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH
38,416 VOLUNTEER HOURS
40,024 MEALS SERVED
15 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH
827 STUDENTS TRAINED IN WORSHIP DISCIPLESHIP
RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCE AT MARCH 4
1,296
HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS ATTENDED LEAD>DEFEND
750 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND LEADERS ATTENDED FOUNDATIONS
One Day ACTS 1:8 MISSIONS EXPERIENCE OCTOBER 7
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
210 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH
1,400 REGISTERED AND SERVED AT APPROXIMATELY
130 MINISTRY PROJECT SITES
$21.1 million GIVEN THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM * $1.87 million GIVEN THROUGH THE DIXIE JACKSON ARKANSAS MISSIONS OFFERING * Giving IN 2023 *Preliminary unaudited totals
8 Church Plants LAUNCHED THROUGH SEND NETWORK ARKANSAS
As Arkansas Baptists, we aim to shine His light in everything we do. Every ministry, program, institution, and entity of the Southern Baptist Convention exists to glorify His name. Here in Arkansas, we participate in local missions, as well as plant churches through Send Network Arkansas and the North American Mission Board. We also take the Gospel abroad through the International Mission Board. By teaching a biblical worldview in our universities and seminaries, we train up the next generation of preachers and teachers to share the hope of Christ with a lost world. As Arkansas Baptists, we aspire to seek His Kingdom here on earth.
Our goal as we serve Arkansas Baptists is to lead lives aligned with God’s word, showcasing his love to our neighbors. We hope this guide serves as a refresher and resource for how you can be involved in the ministry and mission of spreading the Gospel in Arkansas, the United States, and around the world. Again, to learn more about each of these ministries and entities, follow the links at the bottom of their individual pages. As always, we are here for Arkansas Baptists and we hope this document will be a great resource to you, your church, or your ministry.
abf.org absc.org arkansasbaptist.org arkansasfamilies.org campparon.com campsiloam.com erlc.com gs.edu
guidestone.org imb.org lifeway.com mbts.edu namb.net nobts.edu obu.edu pexels.com
sbc.net sbts.edu sebts.edu
SendNetwork.com swbts.edu williamsbu.edu wmu.com
Navigating the SBC: A Closer Look at the Southern Baptist Convention sbc.net/navigate
Baptist Faith and Message 2000 bfm.sbc.net
1 The Baptist Association, Ray Gentry, Editor
The Arkansas Baptist Foundation’s primary goal is to serve, advise, and encourage Arkansas Baptists. It has been a privilege to create this guide as a resource for you to have an overview of the ministries and entities of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and their missions to serve the people and churches of Arkansas.
This project would not have been possible without the help of the following people. First, I would like to thank Jonathan Howe, Vice President for Communications, SBC Executive Committee, who gave the Foundation permission to use portions of the “Navigating the SBC Guide” in this resource. Their guide was also what inspired us to create a similar resource for the ABSC. Thank you to Craig Jenkins, Director of Convention Advancement & News, ABSC Executive + Administrative Team, for providing input on the project and liaising with the SBC. Special thanks to Ethan Dial, Digital Media Manager, ABSC Executive + Administrative Team, for being a sounding board for design, layout, and providing content and images for the ABSC. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Bobby Thomas, President/CEO, Arkansas Baptist Foundation, for trusting me with this project. I am grateful for his guidance on content direction and the constructive criticism that made this resource immensely better.
Joy Estes, Executive Assistant, Arkansas Baptist Foundation, Designer/Compiler
To request free copies of the ABSC Guide contact us at: info@abf.org
501-376-4791, ext. 5909
To view a digital PDF of the ABSC Guide visit: abf.org/guide or scan the QR code.
Arkansas Baptist State Convention 10 Remington Drive | Little Rock, AR 72204
501-376-4791 | ABF.ORG
The ABSC Guide: An Overview of the Ministries and Entities of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is a publication of the Arkansas Baptist Foundation.
All photos, copy, and logos used with permission. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. This guide is intended only for general, informational purposes and does not constitute legal or investment advice and nothing written in this document constitutes a binding relationship between the reader and the Foundation in any form. The reader should consult qualified legal and/or tax counsel to determine how laws apply to specific situations.
Pursuant to the rules of professional conduct set forth in Circular 230, as promulgated by the United States Department of the Treasury, nothing contained in this communication was intended or written to be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer by the Internal Revenue Service, and it cannot be used by any taxpayer for such purpose. No one, without our express prior written permission, may use or refer to any tax advice in this communication in promoting, marketing, or recommending a partnership or other entity, investment plan or arrangement to any other party.
