Issuu

d ar Bo n r sio ye is Pra l M of 3 na k 2–1 io e at We es 1 g rn 8 te 01 Pa In 2

SBCLIFE JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

Published by the SBC Executive Committee

WINTER 2018 TWO DOLLARS FIFTY CENTS 

Encouraging Cooperation . . . for a Great Commission Advance!

Who’s Your One? Recovering the Primacy of Personal Evangelism for the SBC by J. D. Greear

PAID

Nashville, TN Permit No. 136

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

n 1953, the Southern Baptist Convention set a goal of enrolling one million new people in Sunday School the following year. They called it the “Million More in ’54” campaign. It was a crazy big goal, and even though they didn’t reach one million, they were able to get six hundred thousand people involved—way more than were previously going. Many of those people trusted Christ for the first time. That’s what happens when you paint a vision of the possible: People take ownership for it, and the Spirit starts to move in fresh ways. Recently, at The Summit Church, we tried something similar. We asked each member of our congregation to identify one person they

could pray for and seek to bring to Christ over the year. The phrase we kept repeating was, “Who’s your one?” It’s not an elaborate or complicated idea, but this simple idea led to our most evangelistically effective year to date. Because of this intentional push toward evangelism, we ended up baptizing seven hundred people last year. What an incredible joy it was to have people come up to me at church and say, “Pastor, this is my one.” Or to see them stand in the baptistery with them and tell me later, “That was her! She was my one!” Intentional evangelism has always been a defining characteristic of Southern Baptist mission. And rightly so, because evangelism is the primary tool by which we fulfill the Great Commission. Everything else Southern Baptists do is ultimately in support of evangelistic disciplemaking. The criteria upon which our churches should measure their success is by how many Christians are actively winning souls and training them to win the multitudes. Apart from that, all the money we raise, buildings we build, ministries we organize, sermons we preach, and songs we write don’t move the mission forward. Without this one thing, we fail. So, how can Southern Baptists make disciples again? 1. We need a spiritual awakening that leads to action. Historically, revivals have not begun with lost people getting saved, but with the church getting “re-converted” to the Gospel, which then leads to massive evangelism. 2. This has to start with us pastors. If we’re going to move the evangelism needle in our churches, we’ve got to be modeling what we’re preaching. That’s how I learned to share the Gospel—not by reading about it, but by going out with other leaders in the church and doing it with them.

Intentional evangelism has always been a defining characteristic of Southern Baptist mission. On any given weekend, more than five million Southern Baptists gather to worship around the country. Can you imagine the impact if every one of them asked God each day to let him or her lead one person to Christ next year? Who’s your one? photo courtesy of the summit church

3. We have to celebrate the right things. The proverbial wisdom is true: You replicate what you celebrate. That means if what we mainly celebrate are buildings and budgets, then that’s what everyone will aspire to as the marks of success. 4. We have to create a yearning for evangelism in the hearts of our people. Our problem is not that we haven’t found the right program that enables us to reach the world. Our problem is that we don’t yearn to see lost people saved for God’s glory to spread over the earth badly enough. 5. We have to do whatever it takes to reach the lost. Jesus summarized his ministry as seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). We should summarize and prioritize our ministries the same way.

On any given weekend, more than five million Southern Baptists gather to worship around the country. Can you imagine the impact if every one of them asked God each day to let him or her lead one person to Christ next year? Join me in 2019 as I ask every church and every member to pray for “their one.” The North American Mission Board, as well as many state conventions and associations, will provide resources to equip churches and individuals. Let’s kick off on January 1 praying for who God has laid on your heart and win souls through this revival of personal evangelism. Actually, don’t wait until January. Start praying today for who your one might be! J. D. Greear is pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and is president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Call to Prayer for SBC Entities

outhern Baptist Convention President J. D. Greear issued a call to prayer and fasting for the presidential search committees at five SBC entities via Twitter on October 2. He also sent letters to state convention executive directors and associational mission strategists, asking them to circulate the call to prayer among their constituent groups. The five entities currently seeking presidents are the SBC Executive Committee, the International Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“From the moment our 2018 Convention convened, I have sensed that God is doing something unprecedented in our midst,” Greear wrote in his letters. “With many of the changes we have seen in SBC leadership recently, that sense has only increased. . . . “I believe God is up to something that—if we are humble and faithful—can prepare us for greater days of effectiveness for the Great Commission,” Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, wrote. Greear requested prayer specifically for: • Wisdom “in assessing what is needed most for effective ministry” in the current century;

photo courtesy of baptist press

• Boldness in asking difficult questions; • Loving-kindness as search committee members “interact with one another”; and • That God’s face would “shine upon us” so that “Jesus’s name would be known to the ends of the earth.”

D. August Boto, interim president of the Executive Committee, responded, “President Greear’s call to prayer and fasting is entirely fitting, and I support it, for we can do nothing challenging, and certainly nothing worthy, without God’s blessing and direction.”

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 2

2019 SBC ANNUAL MEETING

2019 SBC Annual Meeting Theme T

he supremacy of the Gospel will motivate SBC President J. D. Greear as he leads Southern Baptists to evangelize, plant churches, and mobilize college students for the Kingdom, he said in announcing his theme for the 2019 SBC annual meeting. Greear stated his theme as “Gospel Above All” and expressed that he will reflect on the Gospel “again and again” during his term. “It is the Gospel that is the source of our renewal, and it is the Gospel that should be our defining characteristic as a people,” Greear said in his first presidential address to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee at its fall meeting. “[The Gospel] should be what people think about and talk about when they think and talk about us.” Empowering cultural diversity, engaging the next generation in cooperative missions,

by Diana Chandler encouraging churches to “take the next step” in church planting, and preventing sexual abuse are also among his goals, said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. As part of his focus on the Gospel, Greear will also launch the “Who’s Your One?” personal evangelism initiative in January 2019, he said. He will challenge churches to use their own style and personality in encouraging each church member intentionally to share the Gospel and build relationship with one person over the course of a year (see related article on page 1). He presented his pledge to appoint a Sexual Abuse Study Initiative as a Gospel issue rather than a reaction to current events and political whims. “Our churches really ought to be known as the safest places on the planet for the vulnerable.

Isn’t that at least the heart, the most basic thing of our Gospel?” Greear asked, referencing Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28, Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. “Practically speaking, clarity on this issue is critical to evangelism in the next era,” Greear said. “If the next generation does not believe that our churches are a safe place,” he said, paraphrasing EC member Bill Prince, “then they won’t come to our churches nor to what we do. . . . . If they don’t come to our churches, they will probably never learn to trust Jesus as their Savior.” Contentious debates that go beyond unifying characteristics of the Gospel will not direct his work, he told the Executive Committee members and staff, state convention executive directors and presidents, and SBC entity leaders.

“Our disagreement on finer points of theology should not tear apart our unity in the Gospel,” Greear said. “Calvinism is never an issue to me. . . . I can assure you that what is not biblical is sitting around bickering about finer points of theology when people are lost and going to hell. “I agree with (former SBC president) Johnny Hunt. I do not know all there is to know about the particulars of Calvinism,” Greear quipped, “but what I do know is that the more I go and share Christ, the more people seem to keep getting elected.” Diana Chandler is general assignment writer/editor for Baptist Press and is a member of First Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. This is an abridged copy of a news report that was previously published in Baptist Press.

SBCLIFE NAMB, Alabama Baptists Plan for SBC LIFE is published by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention 901 Commerce Street Nashville, Tennessee 37203 615-244-2355 E-mail: sbclife@SBC.net D. August Boto

Interim President and Executive Vice President

Roger S. (Sing) Oldham Executive Editor

Andy Beachum

Art Director/Designer

Rebecca Manry

Communications Specialist SBC LIFE is published three times per year: Pre-Convention, Special Convention Issue, and Winter. It is distributed to pastors, ministers of education, ministers of music, full-time denominational workers, chaplains, missionaries, and vocational evangelists of the Southern Baptist Convention. Workers retiring from any of these groups may continue to receive the magazine upon request. Subscriptions are free of charge. Bulk subscriptions are available at reduced prices. For SBC LIFE subscriptions, call 866-722-5433 (toll-free). * All Scripture is from the Christian Standard Bible unless noted otherwise. * Any article without attribution is by SBC LIFE staff.

Crossover in Birmingham by Tobin Perry

ith eight months until Crossover 2019, Birmingham-area Southern Baptists are looking to build upon a record number of faith commitments last year. Although specific plans have not been finalized, the North American Mission Board is partnering with seven Alabama Baptist associations in the effort. Door-to-door evangelism in the suburbs and a Send Relief outreach downtown are expected to be part of the Crossover plans prior to the June 11–12 SBC annual meeting. “We will be working closely with our state and local Baptist partners in Alabama to plan a Crossover that is a great fit for Birmingham and Alabama,” NAMB President Kevin Ezell said. “We always want Crossover to be something that local Baptists feel they can own and fully participate in. I hope everyone planning to attend SBC 2019 will make plans to arrive early and participate in this opportunity to share Jesus with those in and around Birmingham.” The Southern Baptist Convention started Crossover in 1989 as a way to engage the host city of the SBC’s annual meeting with the Gospel. North American Mission Board partners with the

local state convention and the local SBC associations in the area to coordinate the effort. For the last two years, NAMB, local Southern Baptist associations, and Harvest America have worked together to host evangelistic crusades the Sunday before the annual meeting. The crusades have followed door-to-door evangelistic efforts the proceeding week and street evangelism the day before. Though these crusades have been fruitful, logistical challenges make it impossible to repeat in Birmingham next June. “Originally, we planned to partner with Harvest again for a Birmingham crusade,” Joel Southerland of NAMB said. “However, the logistics didn’t allow that to happen. After much consideration with Harvest and local leaders, we decided to go a different direction. Harvest is a great partner, and we look forward to working with them again in the future.” Last year tens of thousands of people attended the 2018 Crossover Harvest America Crusade in Dallas, and more than one hundred thousand watched online. A record 4,229 people came to faith in Christ through last year’s Crossover activities, which includes salvation decisions

at the crusade, online, and through door-to-door and street evangelism in the preceding week. Alabama Baptists hope next year’s Crossover events will give them a similar opportunity to saturate the city of Birmingham with the Gospel. “The 2019 Crossover Birmingham will offer the SBC, and especially Alabama Baptists, the opportunity to make a significant impact on the greater Birmingham area as well as the inner city,” said Sammy Gilbreath, director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions office of evangelism. “It will be a joy to partner with Joel Southerland at NAMB in developing the strategy, and then implementing it to reach the city for Christ. Their expertise and passion for this ministry help motivate and train hundreds of volunteers for this incredible opportunity.” NAMB will communicate more details about Crossover events and opportunities in early 2019.

Tobin Perry writes for the North American Mission Board and is a member of Center of Hope Church in Evansville, Indiana.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 3 WINTER 2018 

SEXUAL ABUSE STUDY INITIATIVE “How we as a convention of churches care for abuse victims and protect against vile predators says something about what we believe about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” J. D. Greear SBC president and pastor The Summit Church Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

SBC President J. D. Greear’s Sexual Abuse Advisory Study is now “actively involved” in phase one of its two-year process, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission announced following appropriation of $250,000 for the study by the SBC Executive Committee. photo by morris abernathy

SBC Presidential Sexual Abuse Study Launched, Funded F

unding for an SBC presidential initiative to address sexual abuse in the church was approved by the SBC Executive Committee during its September 17–18 meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. In a July 26 press release announcing the sexual abuse study, SBC President J. D. Greear said the purpose of the study is ”to consider how Southern Baptists at every level can take discernible action to respond swiftly and compassionately to incidents of abuse, as well as to foster safe environments within churches and institutions.” Those involved in the initiative will examine how Southern Baptists are currently engaging these issues and likely “develop recommendations in consultation with relevant SBC entities on strategies and resources for ministering to victims and protecting people and churches from predators,” Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, said.

Funding for the Initiative

Acting on behalf of the SBC ad interim, the Executive Committee allocated up to $250,000 “to provide two years of funding . . . to study ways to address sexual abuse and related issues in a church or ministry context,” according to the recommendation approved by the EC. The funding was drawn from the overage in budgeted CP Allocation Budget gifts for the 2017–2018 SBC fiscal year which ended September 30. EC chairman Mike Stone said the study is “the next step in a trajectory we’ve been on for a while” to address sexual abuse. “There’s never, in my estimation, been a hesitancy about addressing these issues” in the SBC, Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia, told Baptist Press when the allocation was approved. “We see in the culture and in the media an increased emphasis on this issue of sexual abuse. So I think it’s time for us to take that next strategic step.” After the $250,000 appropriation was set aside for the study, the remainder of the $5.044 million overage was distributed among SBC entities according to the convention’s formula for overage distribution. At the conclusion of the presidential study, any unused funds also will be

distributed according to the 2017–2018 overage distribution formula. Expenditures up to $200,000 for the study will be administered by the Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a partner with Greear in the initiative, and reimbursed by the EC on a quarterly basis. The EC’s officers were authorized to approve additional funding for the sexual abuse study up to $50,000 if necessary. The initiative’s report and any proposed recommendations and resources must be presented to the EC no later than February 1, 2020, according to the recommendation. Greear said, “How we as a convention of churches care for abuse victims and protect against vile predators says something about what we believe about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our churches should be a refuge for the hurting and a safe haven for the oppressed. “Over the next year, I look forward to hearing from this group and partnering with our churches, state conventions, local associations, seminaries, and national entities to determine what we can do to equip churches to minister effectively and stand guard against any who would seek to prey on the vulnerable.” ERLC President Russell Moore told Baptist Press after the EC vote in September, “I am deeply thankful that the SBC Executive Committee showed their commitment to the Sexual Abuse Advisory Study by providing these resources. Southern Baptists have made it clear that we must address this crisis with the Gospel and for the sake of the Gospel.”

Structure of the Study

Unlike other appointed or elected task forces in SBC life, the Sexual Abuse Advisory Study will not be limited to a representative group of members, Greear noted in his July press release. Contributors to the study will be “fluid,” he said, and will include local church pastors, denominational leaders, and outside experts. In a September 19 update on the ERLC website, Phillip Bethancourt expanded on the fluid nature of the study’s participants. The study will comprise “a constellation of various work groups specializing in particular areas like

orbits in a solar system,” the ERLC executive vice president wrote. “As the study group progresses, various orbits will be identified and addressed such as resources, church-based strategies, seminary and higher education, state convention and association initiatives, and more.” One “orbit” in the study will involve “a collaborative effort among the [six SBC] seminaries in order to identify common principles and outcomes that can be appropriately implemented in each unique seminary context,” he wrote.

Context of the Initiative

The presidential initiative follows actions of messengers to this year’s SBC annual meeting in Dallas. Messengers adopted a resolution “On Abuse” which stated they “condemn all forms of abuse”; “urge abuse victims to contact civil authorities, separate from their abusers, and seek protection”; and “encourage leaders in our churches and Southern Baptist Convention entities to be faithful examples, through their words and actions, and to speak against the sin of all forms of abuse.” A motion by Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson that the ERLC study resources to help churches protect themselves from sexual predators also was referred to the ERLC. ERLC President Russell Moore affirmed the need for the sexual abuse study initiative. “Sexual assault and sexual abuse are Satanic to the core, and churches should be the ones leading the way when it comes to protecting the vulnerable from predators,” Moore said. “Thankfully, every Southern Baptist pastor I know cares deeply about these issues. We as a denomination, though, owe it to our pastors and churches to come together and provide the very best resources and recommendations possible to address this crisis. That’s exactly what an advisory council like this is able to do, and I am eager to work alongside this group in any way possible to serve our churches and minister to those in our pews who have suffered abuse.”

Phases of the Study

A budget proposal submitted to the EC by the ERLC projected the study will include three

phases. Bethancourt expanded on the description of the three phases in a September 19 update on the ERLC website. • Assessment of “existing organizations, strategies, experts, and resources,” including a proposed LifeWay Research survey on Protestant churchgoers’ views of sexual misconduct and abuse, in order “to better understand the landscape of needs and opportunities when it comes to sexual abuse”; • Development of “recommendations, resources, strategies, and partnerships” with seminaries, Baptist state conventions, and churches that will “address the needs and opportunities that were identified” through the survey and input from a variety of leaders and experts in the field; and • An implementation phase that will propose a “wide-scale, comprehensive effort to educate, saturate, and motivate Southern Baptist churches, entities, and leaders to embrace and incorporate the recommendations and findings of the study.”

Inclusive Participation

EC interim president D. August Boto thanked CPfunded Convention entities for sacrificing funds for the study and non-CP-funded entities for “offering to contribute needed support and resources.” “Of course, behind the national ministry demonstration of willingness is the fact that the funding originates at the local church level where believers contribute their tithes and offerings, and then vote to support ministry through the Cooperative Program,” Boto said in written comments to Baptist Press in September. “In other words, this effort is truly one supported by all Southern Baptists. “Joining together sacrificially, collaboratively, and voluntarily to address evil, human failure, and the consequences of sin is a Southern Baptist characteristic,” Boto said. “More importantly, it is biblical (as passages such as Matthew 22:36–40 and John 4:23–24 indicate) and as ‘people of the Book,’ Southern Baptists can do no less.” Questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the study can be emailed to StudyGroup@erlc.com. Compiled by SBC LIFE from numerous Baptist Press articles in July, August, and September 2018.

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 4

CHURCH HELPS

A Helpful Hint on Hiring The Importance of Vetting an Applicant’s Work History by D. August Boto

he church personnel or pastor search committee is the first line of defense against sexual predators and others bent on causing harm being employed in a church setting. Bad actors, including sexual predators, often intentionally target the church environment, seeing a grace-filled community as a soft target. Such persons have developed an ability to hide their true natures and past activities. Their success lies in deceit, often using a combination of truth and incomplete facts to mislead. The job of the search committee is to wade through the truth in a candidate’s resume to find the unstated things the candidate does not wish to be exposed. Inadequate review and inquiry concerning the work history of an applicant may be the single most frequent cause of “employer’s remorse.” Those responsible for reviewing applicants should take care to address each of the areas listed in this article. Failure to give adequate attention to a job candidate’s work history sets up a church to experience just that—a failure.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 5 WINTER 2018 

Avoid Emotional or Perceptual Bias

Many folks believe they can “tell just by looking” or that they “know quality when they see it.” If you are assigned to review a candidate for employment, you should be wary of the natural inclination to seek corroboration of perceptions and opinions you already possess. If you, as a personnel committee member, find a candidate particularly magnetic or appealing, you may unconsciously choose not to examine the background of that candidate as thoroughly as you might others. Consciously reversing that bias is helpful when examining background information. In other words, look for things that disprove the apparent worthiness of a candidate. What is not looked for will not be found. Yielding to such biases sets up the conditions for an unworthy candidate to slip through.

Thoroughly Investigate Previous Employment

Conducting a thorough investigation of an applicant’s past employment history is as important, if not more important, than other elements involved in examining the worthiness of a prospective employee. The natural tendency of reviewers is to ascertain whether the prior employments have provided the right type of experience or employment pedigree to equip the candidate for the job. If the experience and places of prior service seem to be adequate, reviewers sometimes go straight to the in-person interview stage, which may not be wise. A search committee should never depend solely on an applicant’s explanation about reasons

for leaving employment and accepting short-term employment between jobs. The committee should call previous places of employment and inquire further.

Examine Employment Gaps

When it comes to employment gaps or rounded numbers in employment history—periods of time for which no employment is shown on a resume—reviewers should not concentrate only on what is stated, but also what is unstated. If there are employment gaps, or years of previous employment are listed in rounded numbers, the candidate should be asked for inclusive dates and the cause for any gaps in employment. Even if the candidate gives a reasonable answer, it is always a good practice to probe a bit. For instance, if the candidate says, “I went back to school during those months,” the interviewer should follow up by asking whether he also had a part-time job, or how she supported herself during that time, or whether they volunteered in ministry. Those answers may yield important information.

Check References and Expand the Search

Church committees should check the references that are listed by the applicant. We may inaccurately assume that ministers who have worked at successful churches or for godly ministries are themselves successful and godly, and any church or person they list as a reference will give them a good report. Those things are very often true—but not always. On occasion a member of a search committee will contact a listed reference who

expresses surprise that his or her name was listed on an individual’s resume. Occasionally, references will even distance themselves from the candidate, sending signals with phrases such as “I really can’t discuss a previous employee’s history.” In such instances, I suggest replying, “I understand you may not want to discuss any specific details with me. All I want to know is, would you hire them again?” If there is any hesitation, or if a reference answers that question with an outright “no,” it is time to move to another candidate. Search committees should not limit themselves to the references given by the applicant on his or her resume. A good step to take is to ask each listed reference to suggest two or three other individuals who know the candidate. Ranging out more widely to check with members of a congregation or other staffers at the applicant’s former ministry will often produce additional and very useful information and may even raise serious concerns about the suitability of the candidate.

Review the Whole Person

Making sure the applicant’s resume includes relevant work history is not where the task of determining a candidate’s qualifications ends—it is where it begins. As a committee begins to settle on a particular candidate, it should solicit permission to conduct background, criminal history, and credit checks. These are good-faith efforts to examine a wider set of competencies of a candidate. If the candidate has anything to hide, this is often the place where they become uncooperative or evasive. Resistance to grant

permission for these routine checks should end the process, no matter how qualified the candidate may otherwise appear to be.

Interview the Spouse

How things are at home will affect how things are at work, and this is especially true in ministry. Family and ministry are areas especially targeted by the devil, and search committees need to understand the family dynamic as well as the health of the relationships any applicant has left behind in former ministry positions. Sexual predators may go undetected in the darkness of deceit for many years, but spouses are often the first to be aware that things are not right. When search committees include interviews with a spouse, it is often the case that responses, posture, and other indications of hidden issues will be telegraphed. Following these procedures will not prevent every situation of abuse or crime. Sexual abuse is not a crime of passion, but one of premeditation, calculation, and manipulation. There may be no initial outcry, no perception of wrongdoing by proximate coworkers, and lengthy periods before discovery of the crime is made and during which many people suffer. We must strive at the outset—at the point of employment—to exercise our best efforts of investigative discovery and other preventative measures. These efforts are necessary to make our churches not only more fruitful, but also as safe and secure as we can possibly make them. D. August Boto is interim president of the SBC Executive Committee and executive vice president for Convention policy. He is a member of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 6

CHURCH PLANT MINISTRY “We mainly use social media to get a pulse on our community. People will put what they care about, what they’re going through, how they’re hurting, on Facebook. So we’ve used it to connect personally to people.” Ali Clayton, pastor’s wife Living Stone Community Church Mesa, Arizona

The Claytons organize a block party for their neighborhood, assisted by a mission team from First Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. photo by whitney clayton

Online Connections, Offline Relationships

by Rebecca Manry

veryone craves connections. This truth has remained constant, even as technology and social media have transformed the way people relate to each other. Members of Living Stone Community Church have embraced this as they minister to their community in Mesa, Arizona. According to Ali Clayton, wife of church planter Whitney Clayton, Facebook is an important tool in getting to know their neighbors and pointing them to Christ. “We mainly use social media to get a pulse on our community,” said Clayton. “People will put what they care about, what they’re going through, how they’re hurting, on Facebook. So we’ve used it to connect personally to people.” Sometimes, Facebook helps enhance existing relationships and opens up new opportunities for ministry. Clayton’s husband, Whitney, met a man in their area and made it a point to add him as a friend on Facebook. Later, he learned through Facebook that the man was going through a series of traumatic events—a death in the family, a car accident—all at the same time. The Claytons were able to take the family a meal, and as Whitney helped the man process his grief, he was able to share the Gospel on three different occasions. “I don’t know that he would have known about all that was going on in that guy’s life, had he not been friends with him on Facebook,” Clayton said. And sometimes, Facebook can help start new relationships. Church members have used neighborhood pages and interest-based clubs on Facebook, such as fitness groups or book clubs, to meet new people in their community. Clayton joined a local mom’s group through Facebook when her family first moved to the area about three years ago. She built friendships with the women during their weekly gatherings while their children played together. She became especially close to one of the women in the group. One day, the woman told Clayton that her father had died, and her son was asking questions

about heaven that she wasn’t prepared to answer. Knowing that Clayton was a Christian, she asked if she could attend church with her. Now, Clayton shared, the woman is a follower of Christ and remains active in their church. Of course, using Facebook is not always a positive experience, as anyone who has used it can affirm. It has the potential to bring out some of the worst aspects of a person’s character, like selfpromotion, narcissism, deception, and jealousy. Rather than using it as a platform for selfpromotion or broadcasting your own feelings and opinions, Clayton said, “I think that as believers on mission for God, Facebook can be used best when we have a posture of listening, and hearing from the lost people in our lives.” Also, don’t just listen and be a “passive observer,” she said—if someone is struggling, reach out and offer Christ’s love to the person in need. The members of Living Stone have oriented their ministry around that posture of identifying and meeting needs. For example, Clayton said, the church members are always ready to deliver meals; whenever they hear about a family with a new baby, a death in the family, or another life event, they are willing to step in and serve. The Claytons make it a priority to open their home in order to build community with their neighbors and care for them. She and her husband host a weekly dinner that they regularly invite neighbors to attend. They also host a community Bible study that is open to anyone, which began after a suggestion on their neighborhood’s Facebook group. Clayton said that maintaining a strong walk with the Lord is essential when ministering through hospitality. “I have four young kids—the oldest is seven—so even keeping our house picked up and thinking about feeding our own family can be overwhelming at times,” she said. “To think of inviting other people into that on a regular basis can be draining if I’m not

Whitney and Ali Clayton with their four children. photo courtesy of ali clayton

connected to the Lord and really having Him fill me, so I can continue to pour out.” Usually when a church is looking to establish a Facebook presence, or build up their existing presence, the advice centers around a few best practices: Maintain a page with up-to-date information. Post content frequently that informs, inspires, and encourages members in their walk with Christ. Promote major church events. These are all good strategies, and Living Stone does them too. But Facebook has even more to offer to individuals who are interested in connecting more deeply with the people around them. A good way to start making those connections, Clayton said, is to see if your neighborhood

has a Facebook group or page already established. If it does, join. If it doesn’t, start one. But don’t let your involvement stop there; keep in contact with the people in your community and if someone is in need, try to meet that need. “I think we are all craving meaningful, deep relationships,” she said. “Taking [Facebook connections] a step further and meeting those people in person, and becoming friends with your neighbors, is the next step to bringing them into the family of God.” Rebecca Manry is communications specialist for the SBC Executive Committee and is a member of Harvest Fields Baptist Church in Pegram, Tennessee.

“I think we are all craving meaningful, deep relationships. Taking [Facebook connections] a step further and meeting those people in person, and becoming friends with your neighbors, is the next step to bringing them into the family of God.” Ali Clayton

YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE ON CAMPUS • ONLINE • GRADUATE

TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT US AT 800-468-6642 | NGU.EDU

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 8

PRAYER MINISTRY “Our Sunday prayer efforts have further amplified our quest to create a culture of prayer within God’s First Baptist family. We constantly remind each other that prayer is not a part of our strategy, it is the heart of our strategy.” Jay Wolf, pastor First Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama The prayer ministry at First Baptist Church of Montgomery has been going strong for the past three years as groups like this one meet to pray for the lost during worship services. Pastor Jay Wolf says the added emphasis on prayer is transforming the church. photos courtesy of first baptist church, montgomery, alabama

‘War Room’ Prayer Ministry Changes Culture of Montgomery Church A by Grace Thornton

s the sermon begins at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, a group of fifteen men and women sit huddled in a room nearby. Around the circle, hands go up and people voice prayers with deep passion. A man prays for God to meet with that person “who is closest to hell this morning.” An older man’s voice cracks with emotion as he asks God to raise up workers from the congregation, to call out young men and women for the mission field. A young father in the room responds to that call—he asks God to send him and his family anywhere. The room falls silent. Then with fervor and lifted hands, Phyllis Ingram asks God to lay their hearts bare. “Without repentance, brokenness, and clean hearts, we won’t experience God’s presence and power,” she said. “God, please call us to repentance.” This is the War Room. For the past two years, it has happened every week during both Sunday morning services and on the first Wednesday of the month. And Ingram, a member of First Baptist and the SBC Executive Committee, said she and her church haven’t been the same since it began. “We just feel the weight of the importance of standing in the gap and interceding on behalf of our pastor and the lost and others,” she said. “We’ve looked at the stats before we started and the stats after (of decisions being made), and the numbers have really increased significantly. I have to believe it’s the power of prayer moving some of those people.” Pastor Jay Wolf agrees. In the early 1990s when the church began to ramp up its missions efforts, it ramped up its prayer ministry too. Dozens of intercessors signed up to staff a prayer room faithfully over the years. For the past five years, Ingram has been a part of that prayer ministry. And a few years ago, while she was out for a walk, she felt the Holy Spirit tell her it was time to expand it even more. Church member Donna McClinton had the same burden, as did Jo Hancock. And the War Room was born. The church has around fifty Sunday School classes, and each class takes one week per year to pray during Sunday services. A deacon from that class leads prayer in the sanctuary and then

crosses the hall to the War Room to join the rest of the class in intercession. And when the church holds special events like evangelistic outreaches or seasonal programs, groups will meet to keep the War Room going then too. “Our prayer ministry was strong, but it tripled in strength when God aligned Phyllis Ingram, Jo Hancock, and Donna McClinton as the leaders of our intercessory endeavors,” Wolf said. “Our Sunday prayer efforts have further amplified our quest to create a culture of prayer within God’s First Baptist family. We constantly remind each other that prayer is not a part of our strategy, it is the heart of our strategy.” Ingram said it’s been incredible to see how even long-time church members have been moved by their time in the War Room. “It’s amazing,” she said. “We have people join us who have been in church forever, and they will just start weeping and say they didn’t know we were in here praying like this. It’s really changing people’s hearts to see the power of prayer.” Ingram says that’s the way her own experience with intercessory prayer started—by getting a taste of what it looked like to intercede for others. “I didn’t know how to get in God’s presence until nine years ago,” she said. “That year, I started to experience the power of prayer and spent weeks and months just cleaning out my heart.” That’s what she prayed that day in the War Room too—for God to clean out hearts all over the church, starting with hers. “I want the fire and power to catch on with all Christians,” she said. McClinton said the prayer ministry only gets better as more and more people get involved. “We’re all called to pray,” she said. “This is where things happen. When people come to the War Room, we give them a plan of how they can pray through the Word while they are in here, but they are free to pray however the Holy Spirit leads.” Wolf said the ministry has helped to transform First Baptist into even more of what Jesus wants the church to be—a house of prayer. “The current of prayer, like electricity, is running strong through our church and enhances our ministries of worship, evangelism, disciple-making, restoration, and missions,” he said.

Phyllis Ingram (left) and others pray silently as Jo Hancock (second from left) asks God to move in their midst as they gather to pray during the 8:30 a.m. Sunday service at First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. Ingram and Hancock were instrumental in starting the prayer ministry, which meets during every worship service and at other special times during the month.

“It’s amazing. We have people join us who have been in church forever, and they will just start weeping and say they didn’t know we were in here praying like this. It’s really changing people’s hearts to see the power of prayer.” Phyllis Ingram, member SBC Executive Committee and First Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama Neal Hughes, director of missions for Montgomery Baptist Association, said that has spilled over into the greater Montgomery area too. “You can look at First Baptist Church and what they are doing there and around the world and see that they are leading from their knees,” he said. “As Montgomery Baptists, we owe a debt of gratitude to them for the way they are leading out in prayer and modeling that for us. It’s nothing but wonderful for First Baptist Church and for the Kingdom at large.” Hughes said Kingdom churches that are Spirit filled have one thing in common—they’re also filled with prayer warriors. Ingram is one of those, he said.

“The leadership that she brings to that prayer ministry is phenomenal,” he said. “I celebrate what the Lord is doing in and through it.” Ingram says she just wants one thing—for more people to get into God’s presence. “I’m convinced pride, busyness, and other sin has snatched the Church’s power because we have become prayerless in a lot of cases,” she said. “I’m praying that He shakes us up and wakes us up. Can you imagine if this multiplied and every church started praying?” Grace Thornton is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a member of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 9 WINTER 2018 

COOPERATING FOR THE GOSPEL

Q&A with Mosaic Church Meeting in SBC Building

As about eighty worshipers gather to celebrate, Bobby Reed, an elder at Mosaic Church, baptizes a new believer in Jesus Christ at the church’s September 30, 2018, Sunday worship service in the courtyard in front of the SBC Building in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. photo courtesy of mosaic church nashville

What is Mosaic Church Nashville?

Mosaic Nashville is a church that began in the founding pastor’s home in East Nashville about fifteen years ago. It grew from there, going through several significant phases of growth and demographics being reached. We are very blessed to meet in the Southern Baptist Convention Building, where we began meeting in October 2009. The building staff has been generous and accommodating. We are thankful for the opportunity to expand the stewardship of this resource in providing a Gospel witness to the community. We look forward to continuing in this partnership and even expanding it as we work together to reach Nashville with the hope of the Gospel.

Does meeting in the SBC Building pose unique challenges?

While there are some obstacles to meeting in a denominational office building—like not being able to have signage throughout the week—most people who attend for the first time just see the building as a downtown office building. The auditorium is a fantastic room, and having clean, adequate spaces for the kids is a real blessing.

Who attends Mosaic Church Nashville?

Mosaic Nashville is a predominantly young congregation, composed mostly of couples in their twenties and thirties with children, young married couples without children, and single adults. The folks who attend are from all over Nashville, with downtown Nashville being a convenient location for our weekly corporate gatherings. Most of our weekday “Body life” takes place in community groups that meet at a variety of locations across the city.

What does leadership look like at Mosaic Nashville? Has the rapid growth in downtown Nashville, coupled with the projected construc- For a number of years Mosaic Nashville has been led by biblically qualified elders who are appointed tion on the former LifeWay campus, affected your church’s composition and primary by the church. We currently have three elders, spanning three decades in age diversity, who serve the church in a variety of ways. outreach initiatives? Mosaic Nashville’s composition has not yet been affected greatly by the current growth in the downtown area. But, with so much new construction taking place, we see that changing. We seek to minister to people in the downtown area who come from a broad array of spiritual perspectives and have a wide range of spiritual and physical needs. We hope to develop creative partnerships with others who serve this diverse city to connect more fully with our growing community.

As she looks to the future, what are the long-term goals for the church?

Mosaic Nashville seeks to be faithful to the Scriptures and desires to model an authentic example of New Testament church life outlined in Acts 2:42–47 as we reach our community with the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

F E B R U A RY 2 7 - M A R C H 1 , 2 0 1 9 | M E T R O AT L A N TA A missions conference designed to move leaders to equip the church, engage the lost and embrace the nations.

moveconference.org

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 10

COOPERATING FOR THE GOSPEL

Appalachian Church Boosted by Zion’s Cause Baptist Church in Western Kentucky by Kentucky Today staff

small church outside the Appalachian town of Booneville in eastern Kentucky has received a huge boost from a fellow Kentucky congregation five hours away in the far western part of the state. Lerose Community Church, which serves one of the most impoverished communities in the United States, needed a church bus to get local residents to and from services. Pastor Adam Stall and his congregation had been praying, asking God to meet that need. Zion’s Cause Baptist Church in Benton, Kentucky, west of the region’s Land Between the Lakes, ended up being the answer to prayer. When Pastor Charles Frazier first learned of the need at Lerose from a fellow minister, he “began to think about the situation.” “At Zion’s Cause, we had a bus that we did not use that much,” he said. “I felt that it could have a great kingdom use for Lerose Community Church.” When he shared his idea with the membership at Zion’s Cause, the church voted to partner in meeting this ministry need. Frazier, who is completing a one-year term as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention in November, and Jim Oswalt, a licensed bus driver in his church, drove the bus and a car to Lerose on October 11—one vehicle to leave, the other for the return trip home. Frazier, who also serves on the SBC Executive Committee, said his church didn’t want to deliver the shiny new bus empty. So, his congregation filled it with supplies, plus gave the church $1,000 to help with other needs. KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood said Frazier and Zion’s Cause are serving as examples of what it means to work together for the cause of Christ. “Like all of our KBC leaders, President Charles Frazier models cooperative missions and comes from a church that models cooperative missions,” Chitwood said. “Zion’s Cause not only gives sacrificially through the Cooperative Program to support each and every one of the fifty-two new churches

being planted across the state of Kentucky right now; the church is finding new and creative ways to bless church planters and church plants,” Chitwood noted. “And though Zion’s Cause is literally on the other side of the state than our church plants in the mountains, Dr. Frazier has instilled within the hearts of his congregants a vision for sharing the Gospel in Kentucky’s most unchurched region,” he said. Upon their return home, Frazier and Oswalt made a presentation to the church during the evening service on October 14. Members asked them to tell the story the following Sunday morning, October 21, during which church members contributed another $1,000. The following Sunday, October 28, an individual in the church made a $500 gift to purchase turkeys and challenged the church to contribute canned good and other non-perishable items to help feed families at Thanksgiving that Lerose is ministering to. Zion’s Cause is considering other ways to assist the church in the future, having set-up a “donation station” where people can give financial gifts each week to be forwarded to Lerose on a monthly basis. “I hear the words of our Savior in Luke 12:48, to whom much is given, from him much will be required,” Frazier said. “I feel we have a responsibility to use our resources for God’s work. Zion’s Cause had a bus that could be used for a church plant. We felt the need to give to this new church plant. God blessed us so that we could be a blessing to someone else. Pastor Charles Frazier said he and his congregation are “so blessed” to be able to help the new church. “We’re thankful for this partnership in the Gospel,” Frazier said. “This has been a great experience for us.” This story was first posted on the Kentucky Today website (kentuckytoday.com), an online news resource of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. SBC LIFE contributed to this story.

Top: Pastor Adam Stall and his wife Frannie (left) receive a bus from Zion’s Cause Baptist Church Pastor Charles Frazier (second from right) and church member Jim Oswalt (right) on October 11, 2018. Bottom: The new Lerose Community Church bus is parked beside the church’s worship center. photos courtesy of zion’s cause baptist church

Resources to Help You Tell the Southern Baptist Story Meet Southern Baptists

introduces newcomers to the common convictions and farreaching ministries of Southern Baptists. It explains: • Who Southern Baptists Are • What Southern Baptists Believe • What Southern Baptists Do • How Southern Baptists Advance the Gospel • Why Southern Baptists Do What They Do

The Southern Baptist Convention: A Closer Look

is a wonderful resource to help your church members better understand the organization, structure, and activity of Southern Baptists at the local, state, and national (SBC) levels, as well as how autonomous local Southern Baptist churches partner together in ministries and missions.

How to Use These Resources

• New member classes • Distribution at your church • Budget planning • Associational meetings • Conventional emphases on the SBC Event Calendar Meet Southern Baptists is available for download in seven languages at www.SBC.net/aboutus.

The Cooperative Program Like a Mighty River Churches

send a percentage for the Cooperative Program to their states.

Churches

(targeted goal of 7-10%)

States

fund state ministries and forward a portion of their gifts from the churches to the SBC

Leadership

Benevolence

Children’s Homes

State Missions

(ranges from an average of 35%, up to 55%)

Church Plants

Evangelism

Christian Higher Education

(100%)

Church Health

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

100%

50.41 % 22.79 % 1.65 %

Ethics & Religious Liberty

International Missions

also send annual missions offerings to the mission boards through their states in a virtual pipeline to supplement regular CP support.

2.99 % 22.16 %

SBC Operating Budget

Theological Education

For more information visit www.sbc.net/cp

North American Missions

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018

яБо

PAGE 12

PAGE 13 WINTER 2018 яБо

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 14

LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING “It’s just such an amazing opportunity. There’s such a loneliness and a longing among the Syrians. They need Jesus. They’re ready for the Gospel.” Katherine Benderman* IMB Missionary

A young Syrian refugee holds a newborn baby girl, the first of her family born in Europe. They and other refugees are part of a huge population worldwide—more refugees than ever before in recorded history are fighting to build new lives around the globe. photos courtesy of imb

Arkansas Church Sees Lottie Moon Dollars at Work Among Syrian Refugees by Grace Thornton

atherine,* a member of a Baptist church in Arkansas, is no stranger to missions. Kenya is familiar to her—she and her husband, John,* have been going there long enough to know what to expect. But what’s unfamiliar is the dust she’s shaking from her shoes these days, shoes that have taken her from house to house in some of the most tragedy-riddled areas of the Middle East. They’re shoes that have spent time tucked underneath her as she sat on the floor of Syrian refugee families’ homes, listening to their stories. It’s a place she never thought she would be—in fact, she had turned down the opportunity at first when another church member asked if she and John could go. “We said no,” Katherine said. “But within two weeks, we said to each other, ‘I think that’s where we need to be.’” Two weeks later, the couple was on a plane. And now growing more familiar all the time is the sight of Syrians with light in their eyes— Syrians who previously had no hope. “It’s just such an amazing opportunity,” Katherine said. “There’s such a loneliness and a longing among the Syrians. They need Jesus. They’re ready for the Gospel.” John and Katherine travel back regularly to partner with IMB field personnel whose lives are spent sharing Jesus with those who have little to nothing.

Miracles in the Midst of Tragedy

While John and Katherine come and go, the Bendermans* provide a long-term presence on the ground amidst the transient refugee community. “There are thousands upon thousands of them here, and God is showing up in miraculous ways among them,” said Lauren Benderman, who serves with the IMB there alongside her husband, Joshua Mark. One woman the Bendermans met had fled from ISIS with her five small children after her husband was murdered in front of them. After she made it to safety, another IMB worker invited her to a Bible study. She came, and kept coming. And one day while she was there at the study, she got word that her brother was about to be hanged in Syria. “She was really distraught,” Lauren said. “Our teammate just stopped and prayed for her brother in Jesus’s name.”

That afternoon, her brother was released from prison. “Before that, she saw God as not personal and not wanting a relationship with her,” Lauren said. “That’s the point where she came to know Christ.” The woman’s testimony is that her family’s trauma brought her to the place where she could hear the Gospel. “Her story is that she knows Jesus because of the horrible tragedy that has happened in her life,” Lauren said. “She’s actively sharing with her neighbors, ‘Yes, we’re in trauma, but our hope is in Christ.’ Her neighbors are fearful, but she keeps on sharing.”

Embracing Costly Discipleship

Disciples like that woman are what Joshua Mark and Lauren are hoping and praying for and working toward. When they first arrived in the country where they serve, they found that there were already some believers there among the Syrians—but they had been taught from the beginning to be fearful about sharing their faith. “The people who had brought them to faith had told them to be careful and keep quiet, because it could cost them their life,” Lauren said. “They were almost parental in the way that they were afraid for them.” So the Bendermans knew there had to be a change—even if it was a costly one. “We’re busting that paradigm,” Joshua Mark said. “We’re starting to see our partners realize that if they want the Gospel to advance, they have to train believers to share the Gospel because Jesus is worth it. He isn’t just worth them putting their lives on the line for their disciples, as they were doing—He is also worth their disciples laying down their lives too.” Since they started training those disciples to train their disciples to share boldly from the beginning, another 150 have come to faith among the Syrians in their area. “We’re jumping up and down and praising the Lord because they are starting to catch a vision for Gospel advance,” Joshua Mark said. “We’re really excited about that change.” His vision is to see the Gospel advance this way across the entire Middle East. “They are beginning to work in a completely different way, and they are multiplying laborers for the harvest. They’re teaching new disciples

The world has more refugees today than ever before in recorded history. All over the world, they are fighting harsh conditions to escape numerous threats to their lives and well-being and start a new life. IMB workers say they have seen this tragedy open doors to share the hope of the Gospel.

that they can share their faith from the very beginning,” he said. “They want to begin to replace us as the primary trainers, and that’s exactly what we want too. God is waking up the church here.” And Lauren says He is using Syrians to do it, as well as the churches back in the US who are partnering with them. “Syrians are just everywhere,” she said. “We knew God had a bigger purpose for them. And we’re grateful for the partners He brings us to help encourage them and share with them.”

A Deepening Partnership

As Katherine and John’s church has partnered more and more with the Bendermans, they have seen more and more Syrians take that step of faith, even when it comes at a great price. They have also seen their church get more involved—they regularly take trips back to the area, and they have sent two church members there to serve two-year terms with the IMB. And as they give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, they see exactly where it’s going—to support the work the Bendermans are leading. It’s a work they say has changed them too. On their last trip to the Middle East, Katherine sat on the floor of one home they visited, talking with the grandmother of the house while the men chatted nearby. In recent months, that

grandmother and her family had fled the violence in Syria with nothing but what they could pack into their pockets—and all the pain they could pack into their hearts. They had tried to make a life in this new country, and that too had been rife with trauma. Days were hard—sometimes unbearable. But that day, as Katherine shared the hope of Jesus with her, she listened. Her twelve-year-old granddaughter also, sitting nearby on the floor, inching closer and closer to the conversation. “That day, the whole family came to faith. It was an amazing experience to get to be a part of that,” Katherine said. “They may not be grounded right now in earthly things, but that’s where the Gospel comes in and offers a hope and a future.” Her husband, John, agreed. “God, through a terrible situation, has opened the door to their hearts.” The work of the Bendermans and thousands of other IMB missionaries is supported by the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering taken up by Southern Baptist churches in December. * Names changed. Grace Thornton is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a member of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 15 WINTER 2018 

INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD

photos courtesy of imb

Coworkers in Mission:

Every Church Reaching Every Nation by Edgar R. Aponte

ne Sunday morning, Pete Hypes, pastor of Mission Community Church in Chester, Virginia, told his congregation that the size of their congregation should not hold them back from mission involvement. The church averages fifty-five people in Sunday morning worship attendance. “I don’t think about the size of our church,” Hypes said. “I think about God, and I think about what God is able to do with us.” In the last few years, Hypes has led his congregation to become a faithful and fruitful partner with IMB missionary teams in South Africa. The eternal impact of this small congregation in Virginia is not an exception. It is a picture of what the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention represents: churches of all sizes and diverse backgrounds partnering together for the sake of the Glory of God among the nations. Our cooperation allows churches like Mission Community Church to accomplish far more than what they could ever accomplish alone. It is this kind of cooperation through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ® that supports Southern Baptist missionaries to plant churches across Africa, South America, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. One of those churches planted last year in a European city recently baptized six people. Of the six new believers, two were of European descent, one was Chinese, and the other three were Iranian. God is reaching the nations through these new local churches. These churches and their stories are a beautiful representation of IMB’s heart: Every Church. Every Nation. At the IMB, we believe that every church, regardless of its location, size, or resources, has a part to play in reaching the nations with the Gospel. And the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is one way—a vital way—your church can engage and reach the unreached. In fact, Lottie Moon herself gave voice to this more than one hundred years ago.

“Should we not press it home upon our consciences that the sole object of our conversion was not the salvation of our own souls,” she wrote, “but that we might become coworkers with our Lord and Master in the conversion of the world?” Together with you, every member of your congregation, and IMB missionaries around the world, we are those coworkers Lottie Moon envisioned. And God is doing a great thing in and through hearts and lives surrendered to Him and His command to make disciples. • In just the last year, IMB missionaries and local believers have engaged 811 people groups with the Gospel. That includes an unreached people group in South Asia that historically has been inaccessible. God opened doors, and people are hearing the Good News for the first time. • IMB missionaries and local leaders trained 160 national pastors and missionaries to reach thirty-two people in the Democratic Republic of Congo who did not have access to the Bible. These trainees are a part of the 14,817 pastors trained in the past year. • A Yezidi refugee fleeing ISIS found rescue and redemption in Jesus Christ, and then publicly professed faith through baptism. That individual is one of the 108,714 who gave their lives to Christ. Thanks to your gifts through the Lottie Moon offering, Southern Baptists were on site to partner with national believers introducing refugees to eternal hope found in Christ. Every church, including yours, can play a part in continuing this good work. The size of your mission budget or your membership doesn’t matter. Every contribution makes a difference. You have a role in reaching every nation. What does that look like?

Pray. The key to the missionary’s difficult task is prayer. Ask God to inspire and send laborers willing to go to unreached peoples and places. Ask God to open doors in difficult places and the hearts of people who need to hear His Gospel. Ask Him to sustain believers already serving Him on mission. You can join thousands of others in concerted prayer during the Week of Prayer for International Missions, December 2–9. Give. Every dollar you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering makes a difference to Southern Baptist missionaries around the world. Every gift is part of reaching the nations with the Gospel. Go. Start right where you are. Reach out to the nations in your own community. That’s what Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, is doing among Syrian Muslim refugees who have resettled in their area. That work has led to a partnership with IMB workers serving in refugee camps and centers throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Other ideas? Get in touch with IMB at info@imb.org to see how your church can serve an IMB missionary team. Plan a trip with members of your church. The opportunities are many. The Lottie Moon season offers each of us a chance to discover how we can get involved in global missions. Bolstered by the Great Commission, let’s take on Lottie Moon’s challenge and become coworkers in helping every church reach every nation. Learn more about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Week of Prayer for International Missions at imb.org/lmco. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ® is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union. Edgar R. Aponte is vice president of mobilization for the International Mission Board, is a visiting professor of theology and hermeneutics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is a member of Salem Baptist Church in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.

“At the IMB, we believe that every church, regardless of its location, size, or resources, has a part to play in reaching the nations with the Gospel. And the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is one way—a vital way—your church can engage and reach the unreached.” Edgar Aponte vice president for mobilization International Mission Board

“Should we not press it home upon our consciences that the sole object of our conversion was not the salvation of our own souls, but that we might become coworkers with our Lord and Master in the conversion of the world?”

Lottie Moon

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 16

CONVENTION ADVANCEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

Members of the Convention Advancement Advisory Council gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 2–3, 2018, for their semi-annual meeting. Ken Weathersby, EC vice president for Convention advancement, chairs the Council which is charged to work with SBC entity leaders to develop ways to implement the findings of the seven advisory councils appointed by the Executive Committee between 2011 and 2017. Members of the Young Leaders Advisory Council were not included in this photo since that Council had not yet finalized its report at the time this Council was convened. photos by roger s. oldham

EC Convention Advancement Advisory Council Welcomes New Members, Receives Reports, Strategizes for Further Implementation

he Convention Advancement Advisory Council (CAAC) welcomed five new members, reviewed the group’s database dashboard presented by the council’s subcommittee on research, prayed for the presidential search committees of five SBC entities, and set 2019 goals and action plans during its August 2–3 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The CAAC was created to help implement strategic findings and recommendations of seven advisory councils appointed by the Executive Committee between 2011 and 2017. The council welcomed five representatives from the Women’s Advisory Council who joined the larger group for the first time. Four representatives from the Young Leaders Advisory Council, which completed its work in June, had not been assigned at the time of the meeting, but have since joined the Council. The advisory council members represent various demographic sets of Southern Baptists and have been asked to help the SBC Executive

Committee and SBC entity heads better understand each group’s unique perspectives and needs. “The advisory councils from which the CAAC members have been selected represented more than ten thousand ethnic and language churches and congregations and over thirty thousand bivocational and smaller membership congregations,” said Ken Weathersby, vice president for Convention advancement with the Executive Committee. “The addition of the women on the council represent the unique perspectives of more than one-half of the total membership of the Convention’s cooperating churches.” The “dashboard” is an ethnic-specific database designed to help more than thirty ethnic fellowship leaders gain a more complete perspective of their respective churches’ efforts in evangelism, discipleship, missions, and cooperative giving. The dashboard also provides a “ministry progress indicator,” which monitors

From left to right, Women’s Advisory Council representatives Davee Ly, Ana Melendez, and Jackie Anderson pray together during the August 2–3, 2018, meeting of the Executive Committee’s Convention Advancement Advisory Council.

progress in such areas as ethnic representation on SBC boards and committees and staffing at SBC entities in executive, non-executive, and field personnel categories. Among the findings of the subcommittee on research is that many qualified leaders from predominantly ethnic churches are often overlooked for SBC service on committees and boards due to the lack of consistent reporting by the churches through the Convention’s Annual Church Profile (ACP). One initiative growing out the August meeting was developing ethnic-specific strategies to help all cooperating churches understand the value and importance of completing the ACP. The group also assigned subcommittees to visit with three SBC entities prior to the March 2019 meeting. The CAAC is chaired by Weathersby. Paul Kim, EC Asian American relations consultant, and Bobby Sena, EC Hispanic relations consultant, assist him in the Council’s work.

EC Convention Advancement Advisory Council Composition • Six members from the Hispanic Advisory Council, appointed in 2011. • Six members from the African American Advisory Council, appointed in 2012. • Four members from the Asian American Advisory Council, appointed in 2013. • Four members from the Multi-Ethnic Advisory Council, appointed in 2014. • Three members from the Bivocational and Small Church Advisory Council, appointed in 2014. • Five members from the Women’s Advisory Council, appointed in 2015. • Four members from the Young Leaders Advisory Council, appointed in 2017.

A. B. Vines, Sr., right, pastor of New Seasons Church in San Diego and first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, addresses the Convention Advancement Advisory Council meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, as Mark Croston from LifeWay Christian Resources looks on.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 17 WINTER 2018 

PRAYERLINK ANNUAL MEETING

Lorna Bius, Send Relief missionary with the North American Mission Board, led a panel discussion on “Biblical Oneness, Reconciliation, and Prayer for Revival and Spiritual Awakening” during the October 4, 2018, session of the annual PrayerLink gathering at First Baptist Church in Keller, Texas. photos by roger s. oldham

PrayerLink Addresses Biblical Oneness Testimonies, Break-Outs, Panel, Concert of Prayer Mark Annual Gathering

t different times in history, reconciliation between estranged persons and revival have “fed off of each other,” according to Kie Bowman, pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. “But we must remember that revival does not come to a cleansed and perfected people,” he said. “Revival comes to cleanse and perfect people. “Ultimately, revival is not a reward for our sanctification; it is a process that brings us into closeness with God,” he said in response to a question during a panel discussion at the October 4–5 meeting of PrayerLink. Bowman, one of three pastors on the panel who are part of what has been identified as the Unceasing Prayer Movement in Austin, Texas, challenged participants to seek God above all.

PrayerLink Panel

This year’s PrayerLink participants heard from seven leaders from across Texas in a panel discussion that addressed a wide range of topics, from Biblical “oneness” (a reference to John 17) to resources to strengthen one’s prayer life. Each panelist addressed a specific moment or event in their lives when God brought them

by Roger S. Oldham into a more intentional prayer life. They also lifted up corporate prayer as a biblical model that “tears down strongholds” and contributes to reconciliation.

Testimonies of God’s Faithfulness

Two men who suffered significant physical harm, one from gunshot wounds received in the Sutherland Springs church shooting in 2017, the other from a propane gas explosion that seared 80 percent of his body with third degree burns in 2016, shared testimonies of God’s faithfulness. David Colbath from Sutherland Springs, Texas, and Jimmy Stewart from Anchorage, Alaska, both underwent numerous surgeries as a result of their injuries. They gave testimony to God’s faithfulness and miraculous healing in their lives. While both men acknowledged they continue to struggle with pain on a daily basis, they testified that their experiences have opened numerous doors to share the Gospel with many who do not know Christ.

Concert of Prayer

The Thursday sessions concluded with a ninetyminute Concert of Prayer at First Baptist Church

in Keller, Texas, which hosted the meeting. Ted Elmore, prayer strategist with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, used Jesus’s model prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 to give structure to the prayer gathering. He assigned eighteen individuals, including host pastor Keith Sanders, to lead in focused prayer. The church’s praise team led the congregation in times of worship and praise, closing the solemn assembly by focusing on the glory of God.

Networking and Prayerwalking

The 2018 PrayerLink gathering provided several opportunities for local church prayer leaders, associational prayer leaders, SBC entity, state, and ethnic fellowship prayer leaders, and those involved in prayer ministry networks to meet in small groups to share ideas, strengthen partnerships, and pray together. The annual meeting closed with a prayer vision tour for prayer leaders to prayerwalk selected sites in the greater Dallas area. Roger S. Oldham is vice president for Convention communications and relations of the SBC Executive Committee and is a member of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Left to right: Richard Taylor, evangelism associate, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC); Kie Bowman, senior pastor, Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas; Pierre Bitar, senior pastor, Arabic Community Church in Allen, Texas; Jim Richards, executive director, SBTC; Shane Pruitt, director of evangelism, SBTC; Trey Kent, senior pastor, Northwest Fellowship in Austin, Texas; and David Smith, director of missions, Austin Baptist Association led in a panel discussion on “Biblical Oneness, Reconciliation, and Prayer for Revival and Spiritual Awakening” during the October 4, 2018 session of the annual PrayerLink gathering at First Baptist Church in Keller, Texas.

David Colbath, from First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, gave testimony of God’s faithfulness through numerous surgeries as he recovered from eight gunshot wounds he received during the church shooting on November 5, 2018, during which twenty-six worshipers were killed and twenty others were wounded.

Jimmy Stewart, director of evangelism and church development with the Alaska Baptist Convention, told the story of his physical recovery and return to active ministry following numerous skin-grafts and other surgeries following a propane tank explosion at a cabin in Alaska on July 23, 2016, that left him with third degree burns over 80 percent of his body.

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 18

2019 SBC ANNUAL MEETING

Birmingham SBC Annual Meeting Travel Challenges Addressed

ngoing infrastructure upgrades in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, coupled with major water damage to one of the two convention hotels for the 2019 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, have added a layer of complexity to parking, transportation, and lodging options for convention attendees, according to Bill Townes, SBC Executive Committee vice president for Convention finance. “While each host city offers unique opportunities and challenges, we recognize that recently announced ongoing infrastructure upgrades in the city of Birmingham will enhance the need to diligently examine additional parking and transportation options for attendees, including the use of shuttle buses,” Townes said. The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) is helping the EC negotiate parking and ground transportation issues for the annual meeting and has provided a grant to the SBC to help off-set the cost of transportation for overflow hotels, Townes said. “We continue to work with the GBCVB team to facilitate these issues,” he said, “and are very appreciative of their dedication and service. “We [are also] working with our local arrangements committee in Birmingham, representing Alabama Baptist church, association, and state board of mission leaders to continue to address these issues and come up with creative solutions to assist our attendees.”

Hotel Challenges

Responding to concerns posted on the SBC Voices blog by some who were “wait-listed” when the online reservations portal opened on October 12, Townes provided a written explanation.

The Birmingham-Jeffererson Convention Complex is in the center of the map above the highway construction, shown in pink. map courtesy of alabama department of transportation

“In September, we were notified that the Sheraton experienced catastrophic water damage that resulted in a loss of over four hundred rooms to our contracted room block at the Sheraton,” Townes wrote, “resulting in a nearly 60 percent drop in available rooms at the Sheraton.” Within four minutes of online reservation availability on October 12, all available rooms were booked at the two main convention hotels connected to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Townes said. The Executive Committee has lodging contracts with thirty-seven Birmingham hotels (see chart on page 19); but the two convention hotels were immediately sold out, he said. “The Sheraton has been extremely helpful in securing additional hotel rooms throughout

the city and is also going to provide shuttle assistance,” Townes said. “With all of the inconvenience to us, we need to [keep] the staff of the Sheraton in our prayers as they are experiencing these same conversations over and over with multiple groups.” In addition to helping those who had difficulty registering find alternative lodging, Experient, which manages the reservation process for the Executive Committee, made a contribution of $2,500 to SBC ministries through the SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget.

Highway Challenges

In May the Alabama Department of Transportation announced that the Interstate 59 and 20 bridges in downtown Birmingham

will be closed for an estimated eighteen months beginning in September 2018. The construction was originally scheduled for completion earlier this year. Despite these challenges, Birmingham, a central southern hub, remains an optimal location for Southern Baptist participation, Townes said. “The location of Birmingham in close proximity to many Southern Baptist churches should result in excellent attendance,” he said. Southern and southeastern states historically have drawn the highest messenger attendance, according to EC data. SBC messengers in 2014 approved Birmingham as the 2019 meeting site, the first time the SBC will convene there since 1941.

2019 SBC ANNUAL MEETING reminders To ensure the orderly flow of attendees and enhance security of the convention hall, each MESSENGER, EXHIBITOR, and GUEST must be registered and properly badged for entrance into the general sessions on TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11–12.

Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) photo courtesy of bjcc

PRESCHOOL CHILDCARE for children birth through five years will

once again be provided by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Childcare teams Sunday through Wednesday. Registration for all children/youth events will open on Friday, February 1, 2019, at www.sbcannualmeeting.net. Registration will close on Friday, May 17, 2019. Space is limited to 100 children and pre-registration is REQUIRED—there will be NO on-site registration.

GIANT COW MINISTRIES will again provide activities for children ages

6–12 Sunday through Wednesday—registration will open on Friday, February 1, 2019, at www.sbcannualmeeting.net. A special thanks to WMU for providing missions education as part of the curriculum.

Youth on Mission for those children who have completed grades 7–12

“SBC ANNUAL MEETINGS” APP—updates will be made as information

becomes available—stay connected by downloading the 2019 “SBC Annual Meetings” app from the Play Store or App Store.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS can be secured by going to www.sbcannualmeeting.net.

will be provided again by WMU Tuesday and Wednesday—registration will open on Friday, February 1, 2019, at www.sbcannualmeeting.net. Registration will close on Friday, May 17, 2019. Space is limited to 100 youth and pre-registration is REQUIRED—there will be NO on-site registration.

MESSENGER PRE-REGISTRATION will open on Friday, February 1, 2019, at www.sbcannualmeeting.net.

For more information and to register for these activities, visit www.sbcannualmeeting.net.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 19 WINTER 2018 

Baptist Convention Birmingham, Alabama Southern June 11–12, 2019

OFFICIAL HOTEL LIST AND RATES Hotel & Address

1-2 Guests

3-4 Guests

aLoft Birmingham Soho Square 4.2Mi

$169

$7-9

Cmp

Birmingham Marriott

9.4Mi

$125

$10

Cmp

Courtyard - Homewood

5.9Mi

$129

Cmp

Courtyard Birmingham Trussville 12Mi

$125

Cmp

7Mi

$110

Cmp

6 Courtyard Downtown/UAB

1.6Mi

$172

Cmp

7 DoubleTree by Hilton

1.8Mi

$149

$8-13

Cmp

8 DoubleTree Perimeter Park

8.8Mi

$135

Cmp

9 Drury Inn & Suites Grandview

9.7Mi

$130

Cmp

10 Drury Inn & Suites Lakeshore Drive 160 State Farm Parkway 11 Elyton Hotel Autograph Collection 1928 1st Avenue N 12 Embassy Suites–Birmingham

7Mi

$135

Cmp

.8Mi

$189

Cmp

3.4Mi

$175

Cmp

13 Embassy Suites–Hoover

14.1Mi

$159

Cmp

14 Fairfield Inn & Suites Fultondale 8.1Mi

$129

Cmp

15 Hampton Inn & Suites–Hoover

14Mi

$145

Cmp

16 Hampton Inn & Suites DT Tutwiler 2021 Park Place 17 Hampton Inn Colonnade

2.5Blks

$139

Cmp

9Mi

$135

Cmp

18 Hilton Garden Inn DT

1.1Mi

$169

$10.95

Cmp

$10

19 Hilton Garden Inn Lakeshore

7.2Mi

$125

Cmp

20 Hilton Garden Inn SE Liberty Park 2090 Urban Center Parkway 21 Hilton Garden Inn Trussville

10.4Mi

$135

Cmp

12.6Mi

$130

Cmp

4Mi

$110

Cmp

8.2Mi

$103

Cmp

24 Holiday Inn Homewood

7Mi

$135

Cmp

25 Home2Suites Colonnade

8Mi

$134

Cmp

2.2Mi

$185

Cmp

$10

27 Hyatt Place Birmingham 8Mi $125 Inverness 4686 US-280 28 Hyatt Place Birmingham/Hoover 14.1Mi $125

$125 $135

Cmp

$20

Cmp

1 2 3 4

Distance to Conv Ctr

1903 29th Avenue South

3590 Grandview Parkway 500 Shades Creek Parkway

3665 Roosevelt Boulevard

5 Courtyard Colonnade Grandview

4300 Colonnade Parkway 1820 5th Avenue South 808 South 20th Street

8 Perimeter Park South

3510 Grandview Parkway

2300 Woodcrest Place

2960 John Hawkins Parkway 1795 Morris Avenue 4520 Galleria Blvd

3400 Colonnade Parkway 250 18th Street South

520 Wildwood Circle N.

3230 Edwards Lake Parkway

22 Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport

5000 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd

23 Holiday Inn Express Irondale

811 Old Grants Mill Road 492 Wildwood Circle N

3920 Colonnade Parkway

26 Homewood Suites Downtown

1016 20th Street, South

29 Hyatt Regency– The Wynfrey Hotel 1000 Riverchase Galleria 30 Redmont Hotel

13.9Mi

$129

$125 $135 $129

4Blks

$179

2980 John Hawkins Parkway

2101 5th Avenue North

Self Breakfast Internet Parking

31 Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort 12.8Mi $159 $159 20% 4000 Grand Avenue Disc 32 Residence Inn Birmingham 7Mi $109 $109 Cmp Homewood

1.9Mi

$134

Cmp

821 20th Street, South

34 Sheraton Birmingham Adj $139 $139 $ Cmp (Co-Convention)

50% Disc

35 SpringHill Suites Colonnade

9.3Mi

$109

Cmp

36 SpringHill Suites Downtown

1.5Mi

$164

Cmp

37 Westin Birmingham Adj $159 $159 $ Cmp (Co-Convention)

50% Disc

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW. INTERNET (Preferred) SBCAnnualMeeting.net Registration opened October 12 at 8:00am CST

TELEPHONE 1-800-967-8852 (toll free) Mon-Fri 8:00am to 4:00pm CST

DEADLINE Reservations must be made by May 14, 2019, in order to be guaranteed Convention rate. DEPOSIT REQUIRED The hotel holding your reservation may charge the credit card for a deposit on or after May 14, 2019. CANCELLATION POLICY Reservations cancelled on or after May 14, 2019, and prior to 72 hours before arrival date may result in forfeiture of one night’s room and tax. SPECIAL REQUESTS Special requests cannot be guaranteed, however, hotels will do their best to honor all requests. Hotel will assign specific room types upon check-in, based on availability.

50 State Farm Parkway

33 Residence Inn Downtown UAB

Birmingham–Jefferson Convention complex

2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd North 3950 Colonnade Pkwy 2024 4th Avenue S

2221 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd North

TAX RATE: All rates are per room/per night plus tax of up to 20% (subject to change).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments will be sent via email from “2019 Southern Baptist Convention” after each reservation booking, modification, or cancellation. Please review each acknowledgment for accuracy. If you do not receive an acknowledgment or have questions, please call or email the housing bureau at 1-800-967-8852 or sbc@experient-inc.com. Your housing acknowledgment will serve as your hotel verification as the hotel is not required to send a confirmation.

Shuttle service will be offered.

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 20

SBC PROGRAMFOR THE GOSPEL COOPERATING

Exterior of First Southern Baptist Church

Exterior of Desert Ridge Baptist Church

photo courtesy of first southern baptist church

photo by zack wilson

St. George Churches Link Ministries by Karen L. Willoughby

utnumbered and under-membered, two Southern Baptist churches in St. George and neighboring Washington, Utah, incorporating members from a third church, work together in Kingdom-building to bring living water to the people who live in the parched and starkly beautiful southwestern corner of the state near the Utah-Arizona-Nevada state lines. This includes the sacrificial sale of First Southern Baptist Church’s St. George facility to Desert Ridge Baptist Church; membership transfers from The Narrows to Desert Ridge; the churches’ joining forces to minister in various joint ventures; and the support of each other in church-distinct ministries. The Narrows closed in August following the bivocational pastor’s need to devote his energies for primary care of his wife and seventeen-year old son, both of whom were recently diagnosed with cancer. “We talked when we first got here that we wanted to be Kingdom pastors and not empirebuilding pastors,” John Fields, First Southern’s pastor, told SBC LIFE about Michael Waldrop, Desert Ridge’s pastor. “What has been accomplished in the churches working together is of the Lord, and we boast only in Him and in His work.” Each church has its unique identity. First Southern Baptist in Washington is mature and traditional while Desert Ridge Baptist is young and exuberant. The Narrows Church had focused on its target audience: Mormons. John Fields was called from Maryland as First Southern’s pastor in April 2011. Michael Waldrop was called from Mississippi to start Desert Ridge in May 2011. James Hazelton, from Washington state, had been in the area since 1995 as a bivocational and self-taught missionary to Mormons. He connected with Southern Baptists in 2005 and in October 2011 had started The Narrows Church. “These seven years have been challenging,” said Waldrop, primary preaching pastor at Desert Ridge. “We’re located in the third-most unreached metro area in the United States, and it’s not a population that is unattached. A large portion of Washington County residents are members of the LDS [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormon] system, and a lot of them are not looking to move. “But a lot are,” the Desert Ridge pastor continued. “The challenge has been in establishing unity in the purity of God’s word. That’s what a church does to establish God and His Word, His purposes, and the way He wants things done. It’s always a blessing to see God doing that.”

“We talked when we first got here that we wanted to be Kingdom pastors and not empire-building pastors. What has been accomplished in the churches working together is of the Lord, and we boast only in Him and in His work.” John Fields, pastor First Southern Baptist Church St. George, Utah

Kingdom Advance

First Southern was given an oversized former restaurant last year—albeit with the need to make more than a half-million dollars in renovations. Rather than selling for top dollar its old property a block from Dixie State University, First Southern sold it to Desert Ridge for less than a third of its value, interest-free, with a $5,500 down payment and a monthly mortgage the new church could afford. “Just as we were growing, so was Desert Ridge,” Fields said. “Our attendance was the highest-ever for three years. We had begun to plateau and Desert Ridge, too. We were all praying.” Desert Ridge, meeting in a storefront, had room for worship for about eighty people, but virtually no Sunday School space. One class was meeting in a former storage closet. Financially, however, the seven-year-old church—though selfsupporting since its fourth year as a church plant— wasn’t ready to dive into a building program. “Becoming aware of First Southern’s and Desert Ridge’s need for space, a Southern Baptist businessman from Texas, who had visited our area briefly, sent a sizeable donation as seed money to help fulfill our vision for growth,” Fields said. “The Lord put it on my heart that our building had been used by Him for more than forty years,” the First Southern pastor added. “I didn’t want to sell it to a secular organization, and Desert Ridge needed more space but didn’t have the financial resources they needed. God worked out the details.” First Southern used its available funds and the sacrificial giving of its congregation for renovations, and both churches moved into their new facilities last winter. Since then, both have experienced record attendance and sizable growth: First Southern, to about two hundred, up from 140 last year, and Desert Ridge, to about

eighty-five, up from sixty-eight last year. “It’s a Kingdom mindset they had,” Waldrop said about First Southern. “They wanted to see the Gospel continue to be proclaimed from this location, right in front of Dixie State University’s new student center.”

Joint Ventures

While talking in monthly get-togethers about six years ago, the three St. George pastors developed a plan to better reach the needs of the ten thousand students at Dixie State University. The “Ignite Young Adult Christian Fellowship” takes place the second and fourth Sunday nights of each month at Desert Ridge, located a block from the school’s main campus. With supportive leadership of the churches, the evening starts with a home-cooked meal prepared by women from First Southern. Fellowship, a team-building game, worship, a Bible lesson taught by Fields, and prayer all are part of the evening that draws up to forty college students and other young adults. The pastors also started “Connect 180,” a ministry to area teens. “A couple of years ago we were seeing a need for our youth to be encouraged,” Fields said. “We had two youth, and wanted them to realize they’re not the only young Christians out there.” The “Connect 180” group has grown to include about twenty teens, who meet the first and third Sundays of each month at Desert Ridge, with each evening’s leadership passing among the pastors. Time is allocated for fellowship, Bible study, snacks, games, and music. A third joint venture, the Mormon Evangelism Training Conference, which took place September 7–8, was a two-day event designed “to increase the awareness of the need to evangelize as well as to increase the effectiveness of

our witness to Mormons,” Waldrop said. Desert Ridge was the lead church in this, with support from First Southern and The Narrows Church as a final act of ministry before closing its doors and merging its congregation with Desert Ridge. This followed three years of the churches working together in The Narrows’ “Reasonable Questions Conference,” an effort to invite Mormon neighbors to hear biblical teaching on spiritual issues.

Distinct Personalities

First Southern, established in 1969, provides ageand gender-appropriate ministries for every group in the church, including ESL classes, the new Red Rock Boys Club, Girls Route 66 group, Mexico mission trips, and local community outreach. Desert Ridge offers multiple backyard Bible clubs throughout the summer led by mission teams from Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, has a growing ministry to the nearby Paiute Indian reservation, has started a Hispanic ministry in St. George, and takes mission trips to Honduras. Though the Narrows Church closed its doors, Hazelton continues to maintain his 2ndTimothy215.com website while working at a call center to support his family. This website offers “A Closer Look,” 35-minute episodes that examine Scripture to explain the disparity between LDS teaching and the Bible. Hazelton does the research, teaching, videotaping, and uploading of each monthly video. The Cooperative Program is an essential component of Kingdom-building, the pastors said. More than 15 percent of First Southern’s regular budget is allocated for Great Commission missions, the Cooperative Program and Color Country Baptist Association. Desert Ridge gives 4 percent through the Cooperative Program, 5 percent to Color Country Baptist Association and 1 percent for local missions. The Narrows had given 10 percent through the CP its last two years. “One of the reasons we’re big in the Cooperative Program is that I’ve never felt called to foreign missions,” Hazelton told SBC LIFE. “Utah is my mission field. I trust the Cooperative Program to take care of the rest of the world.” “One of the things we have to realize is that we are on the mission field,” Waldrop said. “We recognize we [church members] are the missionaries . . . and we instruct our people to look for Gospel opportunities in their daily lives. That’s our number one way of outreach.” Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for SBC LIFE and is a member of First Baptist Church in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

SBCLIFE

PAGE 21 WINTER 2018 

MENTAL HEALTH

Pastors and Depression by Tony Rose

Editor’s note: This article is the first of a two-part series about pastors and depression. See sbclife.net and the Pre-Convention print issue for the next installment. istockphoto

epression is an invisible sickness. It cannot be seen. A broken leg is obvious. But a broken soul—is there such a thing? Many seem to think that our depressed friends just need to get up, quit feeling sorry for themselves, and get going. Right? This attitude reflects a misunderstanding of what depression is, what causes it, and how to deal with it. Each of us interprets life through our own accumulated experiences and expectations of how life should be. Our conceptions can blind us to life as it is. One of those strange “life as it should be” definitions is: pastors should not get depressed. I held that view for some time, but then God sent depression my way (with free shipping!). Depression has been a harsh but effective teacher. Through both experience and biblical and historical research, my definition changed. Writing an article concerning pastors facing depression feels a bit like walking across a mine field. Both are hard to do without causing an explosion. It is possible that along the way I may step on a mine and say something with which some may disagree. I have no intention of being disagreeable. My aim is not to cause an explosion but to open a door of learning about the realities of being depressed.

Do Pastors Get Depressed?

What if your pastor told your Sunday morning congregation, “I have been experiencing some deep personal difficulties and decided to see my physician. He suggested that I see a counselor. I was diagnosed with major depression and the doctors agreed that I need to take six weeks off for rest and therapy.” What would you think? If you are a pastor, would you feel safe saying something like that to your congregation? I have been a pastor for thirty-one years, the last twenty-five of which have been at the same

“I often feel very grateful to God that I have undergone fearful depression of spirits. I know the borders of despair, and the horrible brink of that gulf of darkness into which my feet have almost gone; but hundreds of times I have been able to give a helpful grip to brethren and sisters who have come into that same condition, which grip I could never have given if I had not known their deep despondency.” Charles Spurgeon

church. The suffocating darkness of depression has been my unruly traveling companion off and on for twenty-eight years. I know the torturous havoc it creates in one’s mind and emotions. These words of Charles Spurgeon, who himself fought crippling depression throughout his life, have helped me see God’s purposes in my suffering: “I often feel very grateful to God that I have undergone fearful depression of spirits. I know the borders of despair, and the horrible brink of that gulf of darkness into which my feet have almost gone; but hundreds of times I have been able to give a helpful grip to brethren and sisters who have come into that same condition, which grip I could never have given if I had not known their deep despondency.” 1

Understanding Depression

Depression may be triggered by a traumatic event. It may be rooted in a genetic or biological predisposition. It may be caused by a specific diagnosable physical problem. And there

are those bewildering times we face what seems to be a “causeless” depression. Once again Spurgeon is helpful: “Causeless depression is not to be reasoned with, nor can David’s harp charm it away by sweet discoursings. [You might] as well fight with the mist as with this shapeless, undefinable, yet all-beclouding hopelessness. One affords himself no pity when in this case, because it seems so unreasonable, and even sinful to be troubled without manifest cause; and yet troubled the man is, even in the very depths of his spirit. If those who laugh at such melancholy did but feel the grief of it for one hour, their laughter would be sobered into compassion.” 2 Depression seldom travels alone. It has many cousins. Depression can breed ill conceptions of God in the mind, ignite the draining experience of obsessive thinking, and awaken the sleeping master of an over-sensitive, selfcondemning conscience. A depressed mind does not see God or life in their true sense. Our darkened understandings are

at the core of our misery. Richard Baxter said, “If you conceive God as one that is glad of all advantages against you, and delighteth in his creatures’ misery, it is impossible you should love him. . . . [T]roubled souls represent God to themselves in an ugly, odious shape. To think of God as one that seeks and delighteth in man’s ruin, is to make him as the devil.” 3 Such depression assaults a pastor with fearful doubts about his most deeply held beliefs and steals his spiritual stability. If I have stepped on any mines I will address my misstep with the words of John Bunyan: “God did not play in convincing of me; the devil did not play in tempting of me; neither did I play when I sunk as into a bottomless pit, when the pangs of hell caught hold upon me: wherefore I may not play in my relating of them, but be plain and simple, and lay down the thing as it was: he that liketh it, let him receive it; and he that does not, let him produce a better.” Some of you, like I once did, may hide your depression out of shame. There is no shame in being like Martin Luther, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, and countless others in ministry who suffer this affliction. Depression is never kind, but in God’s hand it can give the pastor a keen sense of human nature and a skillfully compassionate vocabulary that is audible in the depths of the human soul. Tony Rose is pastor of LaGrange Baptist Church in LaGrange, Kentucky, and served as chairman of the Executive Committee’s Mental Health Advisory Group, 2014–2015.

1 Skoglund, Elizabeth, Bright Days, Dark Nights. Baker Books, 2000. P. 63 2 Spurgeon, Charles, Lectures to My Students, Zondervan, 1954. pp. 162-163 3 Baxter, Richard, The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, Soli Deo Gloria Publications, Vol. 2, 2000. p. 890

Some of you, like I once did, may hide your depression out of shame. There is no shame in being like Martin Luther, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, and countless others in ministry who suffer this affliction.

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 22

SBC PROGRAM FAST FACTS ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Updated 10/25/18 This information is updated regularly at sbc.net/fastfacts.

GENERAL INFORMATION The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of over 47,000 Baptist churches scattered across the United States and its territories. These congregations, comprised of numerous racial, ethnic, language, and socioeconomic people groups, are called “cooperating churches.” They have organized themselves to accomplish a specific set of missions and ministry initiatives, all for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere.

Cooperating churches

47,544

Total membership in the SBC network of churches

15,005,638

Weekly worship attendance in the SBC network

5,320,488

Total baptisms (reported by Southern Baptist churches)

254,122

Cooperating state conventions

Cooperating local associations

1,131 from 2017 Annual Church Profile report

MISSION BOARD REPORTS The International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) assist churches in evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches in our nation and around the world in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STATE CONVENTIONS

Overseas missionaries

3,667

DISASTER RELIEF

Unengaged Unreached People Groups

3,200

Domestic missionaries

5,262

The North American Mission Board and state convention partners organize Southern Baptists’ response to disasters. They contribute manpower, ministry, and financial help during floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and urban disasters.

New churches planted

691

reported by IMB, 10/2018 reported by IMB, 6/2018

reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports

Existing churches joining with the SBC

284

reported by NAMB in the 2018 Book of Reports

SEMINARY STUDENTS TRAINED

Volunteer days

65,401

Work hours

673,319

Ministry contacts

26,481

Chaplaincy contacts

22,887

Gospel presentations

3,157

Professions of faith

The Convention operates six seminaries and a Seminary Extension program to train its ministers and Christian workers.

1,948

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

3,079

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

3,788

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

3,624

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

5,513

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

4,076 22,028

Seminary Extension Division, Nashville

2,952,613 from NAMB ministry report in 2018 Book of Reports

Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention

TOTAL

603

Meals served

CHILDREN’S AND FAMILY MINISTRIES The Baptist Coalition for Children and Families represents twenty-one ministries established by state Baptist conventions to serve at-risk children and their families through residential care, counseling, foster care enlistment, and adoption assistance.

Number of children in residential care Number of others served

654,964

Spiritual decisions reported

1,174 from Baptist Coalition for Children and Families 2017 data

608

from 2016–2017 academic year as reported in 2018 Book of Reports

MISSION:DIGNITY

Number of Baptist Collegiate Ministries 1,723

Distributed in 2017

BAPTIST COLLEGIATE MINISTRIES LifeWay Christian Resources and state conventions collaborate to make disciples on college campuses across the nation through Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM).

Mission:Dignity, a ministry of GuideStone Financial Resources, provides financial assistance to retired ministers, denominational workers, their spouses, and widows.

Individuals or couples receiving financial assistance

7,866

$7,014,765

794

Total number of students involved

78,367

Total number of reported salvations through BCM

from GuideStone Financial Resources ministry report in 2018 Book of Reports

9,766

from National Collegiate Ministries 2016–2017 Annual Statistics

RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY Dominant Ethnic Composition

Churches

Anglo churches

Congregations* Dominant Ethnic Composition

39,094

40,621 Haitian churches

Churches

Congregations*

357

514

African American churches

3,228

3,828 Chinese churches

197

251

Hispanic churches

2,103

3,453 Filipino churches

140

191

Korean churches

734

884 Multi-ethnic churches

169

278

Native American churches

399

440 20+ other ethnic and language groups

829

1,276

*Includes churches and church-type missions provided by NAMB Center for Missional Research from 2016 Annual Church Profile data

REGULAR CHURCH GIVING Total reported undesignated receipts given in Southern Baptist churches in 2016–2017 as reported by the churches on the 2017 Annual Church Profile, June 2018

$9,518,257,051.00

Total Cooperative Program dollars given by Southern Baptist churches in fiscal 2016–2017

$462,662,332.00

Cooperative Program Allocation Budget gifts received for SBC causes

$197,044,828.14

as reported to the Executive Committee by the cooperating state Baptist conventions, April 2018 as reported by the Executive Committee, October 2018

Average percentage of undesignated receipts churches gave through the Cooperative Program in 2017 as reported by the SBC Executive Committee, 2016–2017 fiscal year

4.86 percent

DESIGNATED INDIVIDUAL GIVING Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions—100% goes to support overseas missionaries updated by IMB as of October 2018

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions—100% goes to support North American missionaries updated by NAMB as of October 2018

Global Hunger Relief—100% goes to fight hunger in North America and around the world

amount received through the SBC Executive Committee, 2016–2017 fiscal year; does not include direct gifts to IMB and NAMB for GHR

$158,890,638.47 $61,185,207.25 $3,077,696.00

2019 SBC CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

January January 6-13 January 20

January Bible Study Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

February

“True Love Waits” Emphasis Month

February 10 February 11-17 February 16

March

March 3–9 March 3–10 March 17

April April 7 April 21

May

May 2 May 5 May 12–18

June

June 11-12 June 16 June 23 June 30

July July 14

August

August 4 August 11 August 18–24

Racial Reconciliation Sunday Focus on WMU Children’s Missions Day

Youth Week Week of Prayer and Mission Study for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Church Planting Emphasis Sunday Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday Baptist Doctrine Study Emphasis Month

Cooperative Program Sunday SBC Seminaries Sunday

National Day of Prayer Senior Adult Sunday Christian Home Week

“Growth in Christ is never going beyond, but deeper into the

Southern Baptist Convention Baptist Men’s Emphasis Mission:Dignity Sunday Citizenship & Religious Liberty Sunday Send Relief Sunday

Social Issues Sunday Student Evangelism Day Worship Music Week

September September 1 September 15

October

October 13 October 20-26

Single Adult Sunday Anti-Gambling Sunday

Cooperative Program Emphasis Month

Global Hunger Sunday Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations

The purest waters from the spring of life are found by digging deeper, not wider, into the gospel well.” - J.D. Greear

SBC President

November November 3

Orphans and Widows Sunday

November 10

Disaster Relief Appreciation Day

December December 1-8

Week of Prayer and Mission Study for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

SBCLIFE

WINTER 2018



PAGE 24

WOMAN TO WOMAN—FOR THE PASTOR’S WIFE

by Veronica Greear

t is unquestioned among the women I know: Being in the ministry is hard. And let me say up front, clearly, that I am not here to dispute that. However, I find myself unsure why I don’t

often think in negative terms—that is, feeling resentful toward what my husband and I have been given to do—while others struggle to think of the ministry in positive ways.

Surely, I can say the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places (Psalm 16:6) as David did; but I think there is more to it, because that has not been true of every moment. As I have wondered about this over the years, I have come to believe there are things J. D. and I practice that help us love what we do. We generally love being in the ministry because of the rich, meaningful relationships we have found. From the beginning, we have pursued close friendships, both with people on staff and in the congregation. I have heard people say to pastors that you can’t or shouldn’t do either of those, and I always feel so sad when I hear that. I wonder, What must that person’s life be like? How carefully guarded and walled off and lonely? It is obvious that you should choose wisely, and take your time to discern people who are godly and mature—and who know you before you have to demonstrate for them, in all its harshest light, that just because you and your spouse are in ministry does not mean you are not sinners! But find and choose those people you must, because of that very same fact—that you are sinners! Being in close relationships with people is how God has done His best work in me, even

By choosing to build relationships that support us, by spending most of our mental time thinking about the privileges we have as ministers of the Gospel, and by recognizing that what we do for the body of Christ is only and always just an extension of following Him, may we find unforeseen joy in our ministry. though I sometimes hate to have to admit that. It keeps me from feeling isolated and lonely and taken for granted. It is how I have found the wisdom I need in hard situations that are more than I can figure out on my own. And those relationships are how God has provided for us in so many different, tangible ways, from meals after babies, to information I needed but didn’t have in parenting my teens, to even a place to go when our family needed a vacation! We know these things at some level, but if we are in ministry, Satan has convinced us we are taking a greater risk in these relationships than others somehow. To that I would ask, Why? Relationships are always a risk for anyone! Are we worried that the ministry will be affected if our relationship fails us? This, I would say, is where we have to #sendit—if you are not a Millennial, that means to put your money where your mouth is and trust God with your ministry and your friendships, since it is He who called you to both in the first place. It is hypocritical to do otherwise. Second, J. D. and I make a habit of thinking and talking about the things we wouldn’t get to be a part of if we were not in the ministry. Even the simplest things, like being part of worship planning, can be a delight that most people never get to do! Being there with your very best people setting up and closing down for the Christmas service is an honor and privilege I would be sad to miss. And absolutely best among all the privileges is having a front row seat to the life changes of the people in my church. This is something that gives me the greatest joys of my life—and many people simply don’t know about those things if they aren’t directly involved. I love that people consider me a safe place to come to when they are trying to figure something out or discern what the Lord is telling them. It is a privilege so many do not get! Finally, we do not require of ourselves (or our children) anything simply because we are in the ministry. The things we require, we require because we love and follow Jesus Christ. We often evaluate, particularly with our teens, the “why” behind something, and if it is ever just because they’re the pastor’s kids, then it’s dropped. We tell our kids this regularly, as well as their teachers and student ministry leaders. Our kids should have the same expectations on them as all the other kids, and truly, as friends and fellow church members, expectations should be the same of us. Ministry is actually hard, but it doesn’t have to be bad! By choosing to build relationships that support us, by spending most of our mental time thinking about the privileges we have as ministers of the Gospel, and by recognizing that what we do for the body of Christ is only and always just an extension of following Him, may we find unforeseen joy in our ministry.

Veronica Greear is a wife and mother of four. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serves and worships at The Summit Church where her husband, SBC President J. D. Greear, is pastor.