Missions + Ministry—ABSC Newsletter—April 2021

APRIL

2021 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ARKANSAS BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION

INSIDE:

Arkansas Baptist Global Giving Excels—Even in a Year of Extreme Adversity

/// IN A YEAR

OVERWHELMED BY THE SPREAD OF COVID, ARKANSAS BAPTISTS OVERCAME BY GIVING GENEROUSLY TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL

/// ARKANSAS B

GLOBAL GOS

“In a year marked with hardships, loss, separation, and isolation, it is my honor and privilege to inform Arkansas Baptists of the incredible outcomes of our partnership and cooperation to support missions at every level. Despite

the challenges of 2020, Arkansas Baptists increased their giving through the Cooperative Program (CP), surpassing the budgeted amount of $21 million dollars and reaching a total of $21,374,103. This surpasses CP giving in previous years and illustrates the heart and passion of

Arkansas Baptist churches to see the Gospel spread across the state, nation, and world.” —Dr. J.D. “Sonny” Tucker, ABSC Executive Director

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

$21,374,103 $374,103 over 2020 budget

zz50% sent directly to the IMB

zz50% remains in Arkansas to be distributed to ABSC teams, agencies, and institutions

DIXIE JACKSON ARKANSAS MISSIONS OFFERING

$1,554,332

GOSPEL PASSION

BAPTIST 2020 SPEL GIVING

ARKANSAS ANNIE ARMSTRONG EASTER OFFERING

$1,591,802

ARKANSAS LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING

$5,363,083

zzIn 2020, Arkansas Baptists sent over $10 million to the IMB

COMING SOON!...THE NEW

CP Share is how we share life-changing stories about Arkansas Baptists investing in missions through the Cooperative Program.

Now, we’re taking CP Share to a whole new level, providing your church with weekly bulletin stuffers and other resources that encourage engagement in missions and promote giving.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Before you call a new pastor, call the ABSC.

When the time comes for your church to find and call a new pastor, make your very first call to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. We have invaluable ministries to help resource your church during this critical time:

SmartStart Interim Ministry helps provide your church with a plan for your first eight weeks between pastors.

Intentional Interim Ministry helps your church build a bridge between your heritage and your future.

A Word from Our Executive Director The pastor search process is one of the greatest opportunities in the life of a church as it firmly establishes a foundation for God’s future blessings. This is one of the most advantageous times to dream, rethink, pull the fellowship together, and pray for God’s incredible hand on the life and future of the congregation. For this to be one of the greatest times in the life of the congregation, several things must be in place.

The congregation, current staff, and search committee must all be equally aware of what is involved in the process. You must realize this is a critical moment of opportunity and calls for great spiritual intensity and preparation. In addition, a congregation must protect and care for its existing staff in a special way during the interim process.

The Pastor Search Committee must fully understand and embrace that they have been given one of the greatest roles of trust from the congregation. The search committee must accurately and fairly represent the wishes, desires, and DNA of the church. The search committee has no right or authority to set a new vision or try to establish new DNA for the church. They are only given the right to represent the wishes and desires of the church body.

When search committees work with a hidden agenda of establishing new DNA for the church, it almost always results in serious conflict within the congregation. It can also result in the new pastor’s ministry dreams being dashed and the new pastor’s family being wounded.

The church and the search committee must trust that God’s timing is perfect! If the search process goes quickly or it takes a long time—God’s timing is still perfect.

The Pastor Search Committee must understand that the church must go through a “grieving process” for the past pastor before the congregation can embrace a new pastor, especially if the previous pastor was deeply loved or long-term. This process usually takes 6 to 12 months. To call a pastor during the interim transition time usually results in the new pastor being the “unintentional interim” and his difficult departure within two years.

The ABSC welcomes hearing from your church as you enter the pastor search process. We want to pray for you, and we can assist with finding an interim pastor.

My prayer is that God will help Arkansas Baptists—the greatest folks in the world—have highly effective pastor search processes.

Dr. J.D. “Sonny” Tucker stucker@absc.org

Discover more at absc.org/interim-ministry

church planting

Prayer for Planters Calendar There’s always time for prayer, especially for church planters.

The Church Planting team

church HEALTH

at the ABSC is inviting you to join us in praying for our local

Vacation Bible School & Kids Ministry Training No matter what direction you’re heading

MinistrySafe Webinar: Reducing the Risk April 20

with VBS this year, join us for one of the

Join the ABSC Church Health Team on

upcoming two-part VBS and Kids Ministry

April 20 at 10:00 a.m. for a Sexual Abuse

training events in April. Make an impact

Awareness Training Webinar Online

today and

presented by MinistrySafe. Greg Love,

experience how you

MinistrySafe Director and attorney, will

can use VBS and

address safeguarding children from abuse

Kids Ministry tools to

as ministries prepare for summer activities

reach children and

and changes to insurance policies that

families this summer.

every ministry should know and understand.

 absc.org/vbs

 absc.org/security

church planters. If you’d like a resource as a reminder, each month they release a prayer calendar that includes a planter or church for each day. Join us as we pray!

 absc.org/churchplanting college + young leaders

ARgo2 Summer/Fall 2021 Summer is right around the corner! Need help thinking through your missions trip decisions? ARgo2 has you

Summer Camps Announcement

covered—look for local, national,

Super Summer Arkansas, Super Kids, PraiseWorks and JoyWorks

opportunities right in one place.

camps are cancelled for 2021. Our Summer Camp teams are working

Better look quick, though, spots

to develop resources, training, and alternatives to summer camp to

are filling up, and deadlines are

serve Arkansas Baptist churches. More info: absc.org/camps

looming, so check it out today!

and international mission

 ARgo2.org

Missions

Critical Incident Stress Management Training (CISM) April 30–May 1

Online Disaster Relief Training Ongoing Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disaster Relief training

The 2021 CISM training event will provide training and

continues to be provided online. Become credentialed in

certification in two important areas: Emotional and Spiritual

areas like chainsaw, feeding, flood recovery, and more. You

Care in Disasters as well as Group Crisis Intervention.

must be 18 years or older to participate, and cost is $20.

 absc.org/cism2021

 abscdisasterrelief.org/about-training/

Connect: Gospel Share April 10

Engage Missions Camp July 19–23

CONNECT Gospel Share is an opportunity for students to learn

Last year, we made the difficult decision to cancel camp;

and use resources provided to share their faith on April 10 with

however, this year we’re in full force! Make plans to join us at

someone they know who is lost.

Camp Paron on July 19–23 for Engage Missions Camp!

 absc.org/connectgospelshare

 absc.org/engagecamp

1,662

MEMBERS SERVING

1,269

GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS

1 AMAZING DAY OF SERVING GOD AND SERVING OTHERS

267 MINISTRY SITES

72

SALVATIONS RECORDED

ONE DAY OF SERVICE. ONE MESSAGE OF GOD’S LOVE. COUNTLESS LIVES CHANGED. ETERNAL IMPACT. The first One Day: Serve Local in October 2020 was such a success you asked, “When can we do this again?” So we’re planning on

making One Day: Serve Local an annual Spring missions emphasis.

One Day: Serve Local is a local missions movement where churches plan and participate in missions projects to make Kingdom

impact in their local community. Make plans with your church to join with churches across the state on May 15 to minister in your own backyard!

REGISTER NOW: ABSC.ORG/SERVELOCAL

MAY 15, 2021

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ABSC.ORG/UPDATES

April 10 State Bible Drill

April 12 VBS & Kids Ministry Training, FBC Fayetteville

April 15 Women’s Ministry Roundtables

April 19 VBS & Kids Ministry Training, Nettleton BC, Jonesboro

April 20 MinistrySafe Webinar

April 24 VBS & Kids Ministry Training, Indian Springs BC, Bryant

April 26–27 Church Planter Trainer Map May 15 One Day: Serve Local

September 5–12 Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering/Week of Prayer September 16 Women’s Ministry Roundtables September 24–26 Camp-O-Rama September 25 Going Beyond Live with Priscilla Shirer

October 1–2 “WMU On Board” with One Day October 2 One Day Russellville

10 Remington Drive | Little Rock, AR 72204

Visit ABSC.org/calendar for complete event info.

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID LITTLE ROCK AR PERMIT # 1615