SBCLIFE JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Published by the SBC Executive Committee
WINTER 2019 TWO DOLLARS FIFTY CENTS
Encouraging Cooperation . . . for a Great Commission Advance!
Who’s Your One Tour Equips Believers for Evangelism
by Brandon Elrod
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ark Hoover, pastor of First Baptist Church in Hayti, Missouri, is looking for a new “one.” After witnessing long distance to his brother, Dusty, who lives in their home state of Mississippi, Hoover saw him come to Christ. Inspired by what God had done in his life, Dusty drove several hours to Hayti where Hoover baptized him on Baptism Sunday (September 8). All across the United States, the evangelism team at the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has heard similar stories during the Who’s Your One Tour of how the movement has led to life change. Those stories can serve as a hopeful sign for Southern Baptist churches that are working to reverse a decades-long decline.
Johnny Hunt, NAMB’s senior vice president of evangelism and leadership, shared the reality facing the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention during a Sunday night Who’s Your One rally on September 29 at Christ Place Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia: baptism numbers hit a seven-decade low in 2018. “You go back, we had half the number of churches, we had one-eighteenth the amount of money then that we invest now,” Hunt shared with the crowd of more than 750. “So, we’re doing less with so very much more.” Though Hunt does not shy away from reality, he refuses to allow the negative trend line to breed negativity in his message to Southern Baptists. Who’s Your One, an evangelism effort that encourages believers to focus on reaching one lost friend or family member, provides an attainable approach. “If indeed one in ten that attend our churches on Sunday morning were to win their one to Christ,” Hunt said, “we would not only double baptisms, we’d have the single greatest year in the history of our denomination.” Every Who’s Your One Tour stop includes a Sunday evening rally followed by Monday morning training sessions with practitioners who are seeing success in evangelism in their contexts. They have made progress despite the cultural challenges affecting North America. “The largest growing ‘religion’ now is the ‘nones,’” said Jeff Crook, pastor of Christ Place Church. “They’re nothing. They don’t claim to be a Southern Baptist, a Protestant or anything.” Crook shared with more than two hundred church leaders gathered for the Monday morning session on September 30 how his church revolutionized its approach to evangelism. They removed obstacles and created opportunities for church members by preaching practical sermons on evangelism and finding ways to serve the community. “Don’t make it complicated,” Crook said. “Isn’t it crazy how we make evangelism complicated? Jesus never did. . . . When He ascended into Heaven, He did not make it complicated. He said, ‘Go into the world and preach the Gospel.’”
The Value of Small Groups
Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis and immediate past president of the SBC, concluded the Monday morning training time during the Who’s Your One Tour stop at Christ Place Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia, September 30.
While casting a large vision is the place to start, Allan Taylor, executive pastor of ministries at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tennessee, shared about the strategic importance and value small groups have in evangelism. “I want to challenge you that your strategy should be your small group ministry,” Taylor said. “Mission is best accomplished in the context of small groups.” Taylor, former director of Sunday school and church education ministry at LifeWay, cited a LifeWay study that illustrated the important role small groups played in evangelistically effective churches. Most churches have small groups, Taylor said, but few churches use them to reach their communities.
Catherine Renfro, a marketing consultant in evangelism at the North American Mission Board (NAMB), shares practical evangelism experience at Who’s Your One Tour locations. Here, she addresses the audience during the stop at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. photos courtesy of namb
“It’s time we turned our small groups into mission teams,” he said. “The mission is everything.” Taylor and Catherine Renfro, a marketing consultant in evangelism at NAMB, have been regular speakers during the tour while other regional pastors and leaders provide useful evangelism instruction at the various locations. Renfro shared her story of overcoming spiritual and emotional hurdles that arise when sharing the Gospel. Christians often fear rejection or feel that the only success in evangelism is when someone comes to Christ, she said. “Success isn’t seeing someone saved. Success is simply sharing the Gospel,” Renfro said. “Anytime we’re faithful to share Jesus with someone, we are successful and make Him proud.” When someone rejects the Gospel, they reject Jesus and not those who share their faith, Renfro said, referencing Luke 10:16. Steve Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church and past president of the SBC, concluded the morning’s training session by walking through the steps Bellevue takes to reach their city.
While the church can and should do a lot of good things, Gaines said, the goal of everything Bellevue does centers on sharing the Gospel with their community. “We at Bellevue want to make disciples,” Gaines said. “Making disciples is not just getting some existing Christians and having a Bible study. If ‘make disciples’ does not include winning people to Jesus, sharing the Gospel with lost people, then there is no evangelism in the Great Commission. . . . It is ‘make disciples’ then baptize disciples then teach disciples all that Christ has given us.” The Who’s Your One Tour has traveled to Fayetteville, North Carolina; Orlando; Dallas; Memphis; Flowery Branch, Georgia; Pensacola, Florida; and Fayetteville, Arkansas. An additional stop in Denver is slated for 2019, and twelve more tour stops are on the Spring 2020 calendar with more to come across North America. For more information, visit whosyourone.com. Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board and is a member of First Redeemer Church in Cumming, Georgia. This article was previously published in Baptist Press.
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2020 SBC ANNUAL MEETING
Crossover Florida to Saturate Entire State with Who’s Your One by Barbara Denman
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Greear: ‘Gospel Above All’ SBC Theme Worth Repeating by Diana Chandler
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he Gospel stands in 2020 as the focus of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting June 9–10 in Orlando, Florida, with the theme, “Gospel Above All. Always.” SBC President J. D. Greear announced the 2020 theme and unveiled an accompanying logo August 21 during a planning meeting in Orlando with Florida pastors and SBC Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd. “Gospel Above All” was the 2019 theme as well. “I know it is unusual for us to have the same theme two years in a row,” Greear told Baptist Press after the meeting, “but I believe this is what the Spirit of God is saying to this generation of Southern Baptists. With regards to our identity, our mission, and our priorities, the Gospel must be above all.” Repetition can be beneficial, said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church, a multisite
SBCLIFE SBC LIFE is published by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee 901 Commerce Street Nashville, Tennessee 37203 615-244-2355 E-mail: sbclife@SBC.net Ronnie Floyd
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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.
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congregation in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. “Most pastors know that when we are sick of saying something,” Greear said, “our leaders have ‘just heard’ it, and when they are sick of hearing it, the congregation usually is ‘hearing it’ for the first time!” The annual meeting Scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, also remains from 2019. The Scripture and theme will hopefully influence Southern Baptist culture, Greear said, echoing a principle Floyd has also promoted. “We also need a ‘Gospel above all’ culture,” Greear told BP, “a disposition that allows us to have strong, differing opinions on secondary and tertiary concepts while maintaining enthusiastic unity on the essentials. We need to let the Gospel shape our interactions with each other, loving each other as He has loved us.”
Floyd has promoted a Gospel culture among Southern Baptists since his election as SBC EC president in April. As Floyd told a group of Southern Baptist pastors and leaders in Atlanta August 1–2, “I believe one of the greatest issues we’ve had in the last decade of Southern Baptist life is our culture; the way we talk with one another, the way we treat one another, the way we respect one another. . . . Quite honestly, we need to develop a deep, spiritual culture.” The 2020 annual meeting will mark the 175th anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Diana Chandler is general assignment writer/ editor for Baptist Press and is a member of First Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. This article was originally published in Baptist Press.
lorida Baptist churches from Pensacola to Key West will be challenged to participate in Crossover 2020 to advance Who’s Your One prior to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando June 9–10. Crossover Florida will begin on the I-4 corridor intersecting Orlando and saturate the entire state, said Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. The suggestion to expand the June 6 Crossover emphasis as a massive, unified event originated from Florida Baptist pastors who expressed a desire to have their churches involved in the Crossover weekend, said Green. “We are encouraging churches to host Who’s Your One events in their communities on Saturday and then on Sunday give an intentional call for salvations and baptisms,” he said. Churches will determine their own community outreach, “because they know their own strengths” and what is most effective in their neighborhoods. This represents the first time the annual Crossover will be implemented on a “massive statewide” level, according to Joel Southerland, NAMB national evangelism strategist. “I think this has tremendous potential and will be a good model we can carry forward,” said Southerland. “I believe thousands will come to faith in Christ—all with the same goal on the same day.” To create awareness for Crossover Florida and the Who’s Your One emphasis, Johnny Hunt, NAMB’s senior vice president of evangelism and leadership, spoke at the annual Pastors’ Conference held in conjunction with the Florida Baptist State Convention meeting in November. Resources for churches to implement the strategy are available at namb.net/crossover. Barbara Denman is communications editor for the Florida Baptist Convention and is a member of MissionWay Church in Jacksonville, Florida.
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2020 SBC ANNUAL MEETING
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he 2019 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention saw thousands of Southern Baptists gather in Birmingham. As we did, and as God worked through and among us, I couldn’t help but remember that the Gospel truly is what unites us and brings us together. As we look forward to our 2020 annual meeting in Orlando, June 9–10, I want to share several areas I’m particularly excited about:
1. Gospel Above All
Last year, our theme for the annual meeting was simple: Gospel Above All. This year’s theme is equally simple: Gospel Above All. Of course, this is a continuation of our theme from 2019. I’m not sure that an annual meeting theme has ever been repeated before, but my prayer is that repeating the theme will emphasize even more that the Gospel really is to be above everything else. I often tell our staff that it’s only when I’m sick of saying something that people really begin to hear it. After all, the basis of our unity in the SBC is the Gospel. Above our commitment to a method of ministry, a cultural or racial distinctive, or a political affiliation, we are to be a Gospel people. Like the apostle Paul said, the Gospel is to be of first importance to us (1 Corinthians 15:3). The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message is narrow enough to unite us on the essentials and broad enough to allow freedom in the peripherals.
2. Diversity in the SBC
We know that the United States is changing. Already, nearly 20 percent of our membership in the SBC is non-Anglo. Beyond that, 63 percent of all churches planted in our Convention were planted by people of color. Last year, our committee appointments tried to reflect this. Forty-eight percent of our appointments were non-white, 40 percent were females and only 32 percent were white males. Nearly 80 percent had never served before, and nearly half of all appointments were from churches with an attendance of less than 250. Let me be clear: this is not tokenism or a quota system. We genuinely need the perspective,
I want to see fifteen thousand messengers in Orlando, a new wave of evangelism that turns the tide on declining baptism numbers, and a wave of sending in the SBC that leads us to those days of multiplication and growth that characterized the first centuries of the church, when a group of Jewish fishermen—without resources, Conventions, money, or public platforms— turned the world upside down. insight, and wisdom of our brothers and sisters from every culture and ethnicity. This also involves thinking about our sisters in Christ and how to steward and develop their ministry gifts. Yes, we are convictionally and unapologetically complementarian. But we also realize that God has given women a crucial role in the church. While it’s true that the Scripture clearly delineates roles and responsibilities for men and women in the church and home, the emphasis of Scripture is not on what women can’t do but on what they can and must do. I believe in order for the SBC to thrive, both our sons and daughters must thrive.
3. Who’s Your One
I have been incredibly encouraged to see how Who’s Your One has taken off across the Convention. Through Who’s Your One, thousands upon thousands of Southern Baptist believers are taking ownership for evangelism and asking who the one person God has placed in their lives to pray for, invite to church, share the Gospel with, and display the love of God to. Nearly thirty thousand Who’s Your One kits have been mailed out to churches all over the country in order to enable them to emphasize this phenomenal initiative. Several state conventions have even adopted this as their theme this fall, or as a prominent part of their annual meetings.
As we continue to prioritize the Gospel above all by sharing it intentionally with our friends and neighbors, ask yourself: Who’s Your One?
4. Send Every Member
In the book The Churching of America, Roger Finke and Rodney Stark wrote that in the history of the church, the rise and fall of every major movement, denomination, or association was directly correlated with the number of pastors, planters, and missionaries being raised up. Right now, both NAMB and IMB say they have more money than planters and missionaries. We want to change that. I’ve been encouraged to see the Go2 initiative gain traction during my time as president. With Go2, we are asking every college graduate in every Southern Baptist church or ministry to consider giving their first two years out of college to the mission of God. Both NAMB and IMB say that the majority of their career planters/missionaries started out in two-year roles. College graduates have to get a job somewhere, so let’s help them see that the mission of God ought to be the first and primary factor in that.
5. Caring Well for the Abused
I’m encouraged to report to you that churches from all over the country have voluntarily begun the Caring Well Challenge. There was a large
response and fantastic attendance at the Caring Well Conference the ERLC hosted in October. Churches from all over the country have formed care teams to demonstrate the love of Christ to the hurting. The action that the Convention took last year was not a one-time planting of a flag or virtue-signaling and moving on. We knew we wanted to help change the culture in the SBC, and that doesn’t happen merely through resolutions, constitutional changes, or public statements on this topic. This is a Gospel issue. It’s not a distraction from the mission, it is the mission. Because, at the core of the Gospel, we see a God who has compassion on the vulnerable and offers them safe refuge. We know that a watching world will not listen to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ if they do not believe our churches are safe places for the vulnerable. I believe that in this last year, thanks to your leadership, things are changing.
6. Engaging the Next Generation in Cooperative Mission
Southern Baptists continue to produce more church planters, more missionaries, and more seminary graduates than any other group in America, and we need to do everything we can to get the next generation engaged in cooperative mission. This is why we gather for the annual meeting each year! It may be a two-day business meeting, but this business meeting is the vehicle that drives our Convention’s action. I want to see fifteen thousand messengers in Orlando, a new wave of evangelism that turns the tide on declining baptism numbers, and a wave of sending in the SBC that leads us to those days of multiplication and growth that characterized the first centuries of the church, when a group of Jewish fishermen—without resources, Conventions, money, or public platforms— turned the world upside down. I’ll see you in Orlando! J. D. Greear is pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and is president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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2019 SEPTEMBER EC MEETING WRAP UP “Now more than ever, churches are rediscovering that the most effective and most sustainable growth happens through multiplication. The future belongs to those who send.” J. D. Greear, president Southern Baptist Convention Church planting and Gospel unity anchored much of the dialogue during the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s September meeting, spotlighting a new mission emphasis and encouraging civility and understanding during the upcoming US election cycle. photo by morris abernathy
Church Planting, Gospel Anchor EC Meeting by Baptist Press Staff
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hurch planting and Gospel unity anchored much of the dialogue during the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s September meeting, spotlighting a new mission emphasis and encouraging civility and understanding during the upcoming US election cycle. SBC President J. D. Greear launched the “Send Every Member” challenge encouraging churches to send more missionaries and plant more churches. Both Greear and SBC EC President Ronnie Floyd encouraged Southern Baptist leaders to embrace Gospel unity. Four new entity presidents delivered their first reports to the EC, noting some of the challenges they face and thanking churches for supporting their work through the Cooperative Program. Reporting were Ben Mandrell of LifeWay Christian Resources, Jamie Dew of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Adam Greenway of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Paul Chitwood of the International Mission Board. Among other action, the EC approved a referral to modernize the nomination process for SBC committees and boards, added a day of prayer for the persecuted church to the SBC Calendar, and approved a detailed EC and SBC operating budget.
Send Every Member
Church planting, not megachurches, remains the most effective way of multiplying the body of Christ, Greear told the EC, referencing the growth of the early church. “We have seen the limitations of the megachurch and large-audience evangelism. Even while some megachurches have grown larger and larger, the percentage of the population actively involved in church has steadily decreased,” Greear said. “Now more than ever, churches are rediscovering that the most effective and most sustainable growth happens through multiplication. The future belongs to those who send.” Both the North American Mission Board and IMB have more money than planters and missionaries, Greear said. “We want to change that.” Greear commended the Go2 challenge for young adults to spend the first two years of their career working in a place where they can assist with a new church plant, NAMB’s Send City emphasis, and IMB’s journeymen program.
Gospel Unity
Gospel unity should encourage Christ-like love and mutual respect during the upcoming US
election cycle, Greear and Floyd indicated in their EC addresses. Southern Baptists must not allow politics to displace the Gospel, Greear said. While most evangelical Christians agree on the issues, he said, they sometimes disagree on the priority of each concern. The Gospel remains too great a concern, he said, to allow differing priorities to interfere with the church’s mission. It’s undeniable that much is at stake in every US election, Floyd said, but the unity of the Spirit is more important. “We can disagree over various matters, but let’s be careful how we do that. Let’s do it in a way that would honor Christ,” he said. “Even as important as our elections are, let’s remember that there is coming a day when all the kings and the kingdoms of this world will pass away, and the greatest need we have in this country is the Gospel of Jesus Christ going to everyone’s life.”
Other Action
The EC: • approved a referral to modernize the nomination process for SBC committees and boards, agreeing to post appropriate information and nomination forms at SBC.net “for use by any Southern Baptist who is a member of a church in friendly cooperation with the Convention, and will continue to take steps to promote wider participation in the nomination of committee persons and trustees among Southern Baptists”; • approved a referral to recommend that messengers add “A Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church” to the SBC Calendar of Activities on a date provided by IMB; • approved a Dishonesty, Fraud, and Whistleblower Protection Policy. The EC designated as its chief compliance officer William “Bill” Townes, vice president for Convention finance. Townes will investigate any reports and advise the EC president and/or chair of the EC audit workgroup as necessary; • declined a referral to study the biblical position of a woman serving as SBC president, affirming that SBC messengers “are capable of expressing their collective opinion on the topic . . . through the nominating and voting process for SBC officers at each SBC annual meeting”; • declined a referral to study the feasibility of distance voting and remote participation in SBC annual meetings; • declined to establish a plan to help churches conduct or procure their own investigations of
reported sexual abuse, leaving such investigations to appropriate law enforcement officers. Additionally, the EC recommended churches use resources already provided through SBC.net, state conventions, local associations, individual insurance providers, GuideStone Financial Resources at GuideStonePropertyCasualty.org, and the recently resourced Caring Well Initiative at caringwell.com; • approved a detailed 2019–20 EC and SBC operating budget of $7.866 million, an increase over the current budget of $7.575 million.
Resolutions of Appreciation
Resolutions of appreciation were approved celebrating the retirements of three Baptist leaders: D. August “Augie” Boto, the EC’s executive vice president and general counsel, on September 30; Jim Futral, executive director-treasurer of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, on October 31; and Garvon Golden, executive director-treasurer of the Dakota Baptist Convention, on December 31. Boto served twenty-one years with the EC—in his most recent role since 2007 and as vice president for Convention policy from 1998 to 2007. He served as the EC’s only interim president in its one-hundred-year history from April 2018 to May 2019. Prior to joining the EC staff, he had been an EC member from Texas for three years. In his work with the Executive Committee, Boto was involved in the creation and content of the SBC.net web pages and in the framing of scores of SBC policy documents, including amendments to the Convention’s constitution and bylaws; SBC entity ministry assignments; motions by messengers referred from the annual meeting; and each year’s SBC Annual. Boto was elected as a deacon under the ministry of the late W. A. Criswell at First Baptist Church in Dallas and served as a Sunday School teacher in the young married division. As a lawyer, he was elected as county attorney in Gainesville, Texas, serving for six years, and was administrative counsel for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association for three years, helping start the Texas Fellowship of Christian Prosecutors. He and his wife Cindy have been married forty years and have three adult children. Futral had led Mississippi Baptists since 1998; by 2001, the state’s churches had deployed ten thousand mission volunteers to twenty-six countries and forty-seven states. The convention raised its budgeted Cooperative Program giving to SBC missions and ministries from 34 percent to a goal of 37.9 percent in the current fiscal year.
After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which included more than 250 of the convention’s churches that were destroyed or damaged, Futral led Adopt-a-Church, Church Rebuild, and Community Rebuild initiatives that hosted more than one hundred thousand workers and distributed nearly $20 million to church and home rebuild efforts. Another key initiative: Futral led Mississippi Baptists in gathering fifty million pennies as a memorial to the fifty million children whose lives had been ended by abortion as of 2007 since its legalization in 1973. The pennies subsequently were cashed in to provide support for pregnancy care centers across the state. Before becoming the convention’s executive director, Futral had been pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Jackson since 1985 and had served as the convention’s president from 1987 to 1989. In nearly thirty-five years of pastoral ministry, he led seven churches in Mississippi and two in Texas. Futral and his wife Shirley have three adult children and eight grandchildren. Golden has led Dakota Baptists since 2012 after serving in an interim role 2011–2012 and as the two-state convention’s first evangelism director since 2005, with added associate executive director duties from 2008 through 2011. He also served as director of missions for the Black Hills Area Baptist Association in Rapid City, South Dakota, 2000–2005; senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Williston, North Dakota, 1992–2000; and pastor of three other churches in North Dakota, Montana, and Texas, 1980–1992. Golden led Dakota Baptists to increase their Cooperative Program giving from 16.6 percent in 2011 to 38.7 percent in 2018, from a commitment that “we are going to give more and keep less.” The number of churches in the convention grew by more than 15 percent, from seventy-two to eighty-three. He also was a key leader in the annual evangelistic outreach at South Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in which volunteers used threeminute testimonies in a motorcycle giveaway, resulting in sixty-thousand-plus Gospel presentations over thirteen years. Golden and wife Cindy have four adult children and ten grandchildren. This article was originally published in Baptist Press. Compiled by former Baptist Press senior editor Art Toalston and BP general assignment writer/editor Diana Chandler, with additional reporting by Erin Roach of Nashville, Tennessee, and Grace Thornton of Birmingham, Alabama.
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GOSPEL URGENCY
‘Rise Up’ Floyd Urges Churches at Inauguration by Grace Thornton
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t more than forty-seven thousand churches strong, Southern Baptists can have a massive spiritual footprint—they just have to harness the power of prayer and their resources for the sake of the Gospel, Ronnie Floyd said. “God has blessed us greatly,” said the new president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. “We must rise up.” Floyd sounded that clarion call September 16 at the end of his inauguration service. He told the crowd of several hundred Southern Baptist leaders gathered at First Baptist Church, Nashville, that prayer, unity, and a hyper-focus on missions were necessary to finish the task. “I believe God wants me to call upon and to help mobilize a convention of churches and millions of Christians who have massive resources to do one thing—we must reach every person for Jesus in every town, in every city, in every state, and every nation across this world,” Floyd said. Earlier that evening, Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Florida, had told the crowd that in the days leading up to the service, he had called some pastors back in his small hometown in Alabama and asked what they would want from a new SBC leader. “I heard one word over and over—unity. Unify us,” Traylor said. Floyd said he is calling the SBC to exactly that—to show “this crazy world” a people of God who are overflowing with love, not given to online attacks and dissension. That kind of love plus prayer and a sacrificial use of resources is how the task will be completed, he said. He asked Southern Baptists to “leverage your life and resources for this mission.” “I am humbly calling every pastor to prioritize, elevate, and accelerate their giving through our Cooperative Program, which is the financial fuel for all we do,” Floyd said. “We can do more together than we could ever do alone.” During the inauguration service, pastors and leaders from every level of Southern Baptist life prayed for Floyd and challenged him to lead the Convention into Gospel unity. Several speakers, including his son, Nick, acknowledged Floyd’s “epic wake-up times,” or how he customarily gets up at 3 a.m. to pray. Nick took over the role as senior pastor of Cross Church of northwest Arkansas, where his father previously served for nearly thirty-three years. “I’m thankful I heard my dad preach a sermon on Sunday and then live it Monday through Saturday,” he said.
Johnny Hunt, senior vice president of evangelism and leadership for the North American Mission Board, said it’s Floyd’s decades-long habit of meeting with God that inspires Southern Baptists to trust him as a “man of consecration” in addition to being a man with strong giftings in both administration and vision. Hunt said that for more than twenty years, he’s believed Floyd to be the greatest administrative pastor in the SBC. But, he said, Floyd’s walk with God and sensitivity to His voice will be even more critical “for such a time as this.” “We’re believing that you’re going to pray and hear from our heavenly Father,” Hunt said. “We trust your time with the Lord.” K. Marshall Williams Sr, senior pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called Floyd “a man of prayer and fasting.” “You’ve already demonstrated authenticity as an ambassador of the Almighty,” Williams said. “Lead us now to be authentic ambassadors of the Almighty.” Kathy Litton, NAMB’s director of planter spouse development, served at Cross Church in years past and said that for the staff, working with Floyd was a “constant lesson on leadership, vision, and strategy.” “Few will ever work harder or with more passion than Ronnie,” she said. But not only that—Litton said Southern Baptists are getting a double blessing in Floyd’s wife, Jeana. “She is deeply admired and beloved by the Cross Church family,” Litton said. “She has always been heavily involved and invested as a pastor’s wife.” Even in the Floyds’ process of deciphering the call to Nashville, “she was deeply and personally convictional about hearing and obeying the voice of God to leave a place that was dear to her heart,” Litton said. “She is a woman who pursues God and displays a hunger for Him.” Floyd said his family is committed to staying connected to Christ. “Southern Baptists, I commit to you that from before the sun comes up every morning until exhausted from the day, I will give my life to finish the task,” Floyd said. “Let us begin to finish this great task, whatever the cost, whatever the risk. This worldwide mission thrust must be our priority.”
Ronnie and Jeana Floyd worship alongside their family during the inauguration service Monday, September 16, at First Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. photos by morris abernathy
“I believe God wants me to call upon and to help mobilize a convention of churches and millions of Christians who have massive resources to do one thing—we must reach every person for Jesus in every town, in every city, in every state, and every nation across this world.” Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO SBC Executive Committee
Johnny Hunt (left) and Ronnie Floyd share a laugh prior to Floyd’s inauguration service. Hunt, senior vice president of evangelism and leadership for the North American Mission Board, said during the ceremony that it’s Floyd’s decades-long habit of meeting with God that inspires Southern Baptists to trust him as a “man of consecration” in addition to being a man with strong giftings in both administration and vision.
Grace Thornton is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a member of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.
“Southern Baptists, I commit to you that from before the sun comes up every morning until exhausted from the day, I will give my life to finish the task. Let us begin to finish this great task, whatever the cost, whatever the risk. This worldwide mission thrust must be our priority.” Ronnie Floyd
K. Marshall Williams Sr, senior pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called Floyd “a man of prayer and fasting.”
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LOVING OTHERS SBC President J. D. Greear addressed the capacity crowd at Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis. photos by karen race photography
‘Caring Well’: Sex Abuse ‘A by Tom Strode “This is a Gospel issue. The credibility of our witness and, even more importantly, the souls of our people are at stake.” Caring for those whom God has entrusted to the church “is a way that we can, and we must, put the trustworthiness of the Gospel on display.” J. D. Greear, president Southern Baptist Convention
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he Gospel cannot be separated from how the church deals with sexual abuse, Southern Baptist leaders J. D. Greear and Russell Moore said on the first day of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s sixth annual national conference. Greear, SBC president, and Moore, ERLC president, spoke to a sellout audience of more than 1,650 registrants at the conference, “Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis,” in Grapevine, Texas, October 3–5. The gathering—hosted by the ERLC in partnership with the SBC Sexual Abuse Advisory Group, which Greear convened last year—is designed to educate churches about abuse prevention and ministering to survivors of such abuse. The conference’s first day featured presentations by female and male speakers, including testimonies from sexual abuse survivors, as well as a panel discussion regarding the issue in the SBC. “This is a Gospel issue,” Greear told the capacity crowd in a convention center ballroom. “The credibility of our witness and, even more importantly, the souls of our people are at stake.” Caring for those whom God has entrusted to the church “is a way that we can, and we must, put the trustworthiness of the Gospel on display,” he said.
Megan Lively shares during the Caring Well conference about the response to her rape while she was a student at a Southern Baptist seminary.
“Sexual abuse is awful in any context in any place,” Moore said, but church sexual abuse is a “perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” because it links Jesus to the predatory act and trauma. Greear—pastor of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area— opened his address with an apology to sexual abuse survivors. “I cannot speak for every Southern Baptist in America, but I can speak for myself and say that I’m sorry, truly sorry. As a pastor and as a dad, I’m sorry,” Greear said. “Your church leaders should be the first to rush to your defense,” he told survivors, “and when we don’t do that, we dishonor the name of Christ, we betray the Gospel that has been committed to us. “We have to learn from our past,” he noted, “and we have to change our future.” In his message, Greear named and answered seven myths regarding sex abuse that prevent churches from combating it and caring for survivors as they should:
“Survivors and advocates have been calling our attention to this for years,” he said in response to the myth. Believing this myth has caused many to “miscategorize the words of people like Christa Brown, Tiffany Thigpen, Mary DeMuth, and Anne Marie Miller, Dave Pittman, Jules Woodson, Megan Lively, and so many other victims as attacks from adversaries instead of warnings from friends.”
Myth No. 1: “Sexual abuse in the church is not really a problem but simply the latest leftist attack on the church.”
Myth No. 4: “A posture of grace requires giving the benefit of the doubt to those accused and offering the convicted a second chance.”
Artist Jackie Hill Perry talks about the sexual abuse she suffered as a first grader during her address at the Caring Well conference.
Myth No. 2: “Abuse only happens in Catholic or liberal or complementarian or you-fill-in-the-blank churches.” This myth “is naive: It relegates abuse to an ideological problem, when it should be most properly seen as a depravity problem,” Greear said. Myth No. 3: “The church is best equipped to handle this internally.” “Some things . . . are not only immoral, they are illegal, and criminally so,” he told the audience.
Author Mary DeMuth describes during the Caring Well conference the ongoing sexual abuse she suffered as a young girl.
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ERLC President Russell Moore addressed a sold-out crowd of more than 1,650 registrants at Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis.
Gospel Issue,’ Greear Says “Christian teachings on grace and forgiveness never mean covering up sin in ways that expose others to harm,” Greear said. “And someone that has abused another should never be in a position in our churches where they can do it a second time.” Myth No. 5: “Enduring abuse in marriage is part of learning to love like Jesus.” “We say, ‘God hates divorce.’ Yes, but God also hates abuse. And we don’t enable one thing God hates to try and prevent another,” he said. Myth No. 6: “We would know an abuser if one was in our church.” Abusers “can be disarming and downright charming,” Greear said. “And they thrive in environments of naive assumptions and no accountability, where stereotypes, rather than sober thinking, control the day.” Myth No. 7: “Updating our policies will take care of the problem.” Updated policies are “essential steps,” but they must be combined in local churches with “changes in attitude and culture,” he said.
Greear encouraged participants to complete the “Caring Well Challenge,” a year-long, joint initiative of the ERLC and the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group that calls churches to become equipped to prevent predatory behavior and to care for survivors. In comments based on Jesus’s teaching about Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 9:35 to 10:18, Moore urged churches to shepherd God’s people, protecting them against wolves and not abandoning them as hired hands would. “The question is whether the church will be shepherds,” he said. “The question is whether the church will stand for those who are vulnerable or whether the church will stand with those who would prey on them. “Every congregation represented in this room needs to go back and to say repeatedly in every venue that you have, ‘If you are somebody who has lived through the terror of church sexual abuse, here is what this church will do to love you and to support you and to hear you and to equip you. This church will not shame you. This church will not reject you. This church will not cast you out. This church is a family of brothers and sisters who love one another and support one another because Jesus says this is what a shepherd does.’”
Gary Haugen, CEO and founder of International Justice Mission (IJM), gives an address at the Caring Well conference. IJM is a global organization with a plan to eliminate the slave trade everywhere.
Moore told the audience, “A church that will say, ‘We’re not going to expend a lot of effort on this; we don’t want to get distracted by this,’ is a church that is not acting like a shepherd but like a hired hand. “Brothers and sisters, if you think that responding to church sexual abuse is a distraction from the mission of the church, you do not understand the mission of the church.” Churches should neither think they are invulnerable nor think they must act to prevent the outside world from learning about abuse in the congregation, he said. “One of the major drivers of church sexual abuse is this sense of invulnerability,” Moore said. “This sense of: ‘Well, it couldn’t happen in our church or it couldn’t happen in our kind of church.’ “Brothers and sisters, Jesus never protects His reputation by covering up sin. Jesus instead pours out His reputation by confronting sin and injustice.”
Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. This article was previously published in Baptist Press.
Panelists (left to right) Phillip Bethancourt, J. D. Greear, Beth Moore, Amy Whitfield, and Ronnie Floyd discuss ways Southern Baptists can better deal with sexual abuse.
“One of the major drivers of church sexual abuse is this sense of invulnerability. This sense of: ‘Well, it couldn’t happen in our church or it couldn’t happen in our kind of church.’ Brothers and sisters, Jesus never protects His reputation by covering up sin. Jesus instead pours out His reputation by confronting sin and injustice.” Russell Moore, president Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
Diane Langberg, a psychologist with forty-seven years of experience in helping trauma and abuse victims, says pastors and other Christian leaders have used power for their benefit rather than for the aid of survivors.
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TELLING AND CELEBRATING WHAT GOD IS DOING
Outfitter Church in Bar Nunn, Wyoming, worships midweek outdoorsmen-style so the church plant’s members can have weekends free for hunting, fishing, and sometimes, family time in the park with many members of the rural community. photos courtesy of windcity church
Bar Nunn, said to be the fastest-growing town in Wyoming, is the site of WindCity’s newest church planting endeavor. The second SBC church in the town, the new start is designed with an “outfitter” flavor to reach men who will then reach their families. Midweek gatherings will leave weekends open for effective outreach to the outdoor community in Wyoming’s wide-open spaces.
WindCity Church Starts Others by Karen L. Willoughby
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indCity Church was birthed in 2014 when Chris and Eve Sims moved to Casper, Wyoming, with a hope to be a part of a movement of God in the region. Since then it has helped to start eight other church plants scattered across the state, and is praying for six other communities in the next season. To assist in preparing, sending, and supporting church plants in the region, WindCity started the Forever West Church Planting Network in 2015 and works together with the North American Mission Board and the Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network. A Wyoming map, regularly updated, shows each current church plant marked by an orange icon, and potential future church plants in blue. “We have had an intentional plan, but the Lord’s the one who moves those plans along,” Sims told SBC LIFE. “We love multiplication,” the pastor continued. “It feels biblical and is more like the book of Acts than anything I’ve ever been a part of.” WindCity Church, which meets in a 4,700-square-foot space in Eastridge Mall in Casper, baptized fifteen people in 2018, and fifty-five since it started in 2014. About 110 people gather at nine o’clock on Sunday mornings for worship. These church plants are not cookie-cutter multiples. They include a cowboy church, campus church, senior adult church, and one in a vastly unchurched town, as well as churches “for the community,” as planter Rondie Taylor described Living Hope Church in Green River. Living Hope Church started in October 2017. Taylor, from Portland, Oregon, served as an associate pastor in Montana when he felt God’s call to Wyoming. “We were willing to go somewhere no one else wanted to go and Zach Edwards said Green River,” Taylor told SBC LIFE. Edwards is a church planting catalyst with the Wyoming Southern Baptist Network. “Our goal has been to support our community any way we can. “I volunteer as a high school football coach,” Taylor continued. “The town just had a big river festival. We did set up and tear down, and served for their fundraising dinner. We just filled in the gaps for them.” Living Water Community Church in Kemmerer, in far southwest Wyoming, planted in August 2014 by Al and Kathy Bella, sees more
than forty people in Sunday morning worship. The church baptized five people in 2018 and is looking toward starting a new work in Cokeville, Wyoming, which has no evangelical witness. WindCity North Church started in 2015 as a senior adult congregation in the older, lowerincome part of Casper. It meets in an assisted living center. With a weekly attendance that averages ten, they baptized one person in 2018 and added four other additions. Jesse Weeks is the pastor. Cody Cowboy Church, in northwest Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park, started in May 2016. They average forty-five in worship and baptized eleven in 2018. Pat Alphin is the pastor of the church that has a ministry to rodeo cowboys who perform locally. The church building includes a bunkhouse for up to ten rodeo contestants. The pastor and his wife Renee started a video recording ministry to help bull riders and other “rough stock” (bucking) rodeo athletes improve their technique. Coaching sessions at the bunkhouse utilizing the previous night’s videos help contestants improve their scores and chances for college scholarships. Johannes Slabbert, a South African native who served at WindCity as the church’s (and the state’s) first church planter apprentice, is planting a church in Cowley where the Northwest Wyoming topography is similar to his homeland. Water of Life Church started with a home Bible study and then launched publicly in October 2017 with four families present. Since then, fifteen people have made professions of faith in Jesus, and Slabbert has baptized eleven. Expedition Church in Laramie, on the University of Wyoming campus, started in December 2017. Its founding pastor recently returned to his home state after nearly two years reaching the community, and Sims is “actively recruiting” for the next pastor at the church his twin daughters attend. In the meantime, elders and leaders from WindCity Church drive nearly three hours to lead services. “One of our newest plants has taught us church planting as a team is better,” Sims said about WindCity at Medicine Bow, a recentlystarted church plant that won’t have some of the traditional weaknesses experienced in Wyominglike isolation. “Instead of parachuting in an individual, sending in a team that can support one another is a better way to plant churches,” he said.
Baptisms at a popular recreational area near Casper, Wyoming, draw the curious as well as members of WindCity Church and some of its partnering church plants.
Medicine Bow is a new plant using an old building where there was once a thriving church. Mission teams this summer helped renovate the building the disbanded former congregation turned over to the state convention five years ago. Two elders from WindCity Church—A. J. LaPointe and Justin Stockton—co-pastor the fledgling group started in March that involves a dozen locals in the town of 278. Two nearby towns, Hanna and Rock River, are part of the Medicine Bow ministry area, LaPointe told SBC LIFE. Bar Nunn, said to be the fastest-growing town in Wyoming, is the site of WindCity’s newest church planting endeavor. The second SBC church in the town, the new start is designed with an “outfitter” flavor to reach men who will then reach their families. Midweek gatherings will leave weekends open for effective outreach to the outdoor community in Wyoming’s wide-open spaces. So far, eighteen members of WindCity Church have joined with Church Planter Tyler Martin and his wife Ashley to help strengthen the Bar Nunn start. WindCity’s next church plant could be Evanston, in the far southwest corner of the state. A potential planter apprentice, now going through the NAMB assessment process, told Sims he feels called to that town of about twelve thousand.
“There are six additional places we have identified, and prayed, ‘Lord, help us be a part of a work there in the near future,’” Sims said. “We pray God will breathe His Holy Spirit upon our efforts.” Sims connects regularly with the planters, encouraging them, finding out their needs and connecting with churches in the South and in Wyoming to meet them. “Chris is always there for anything I need,” Alphin of the Cody Cowboy Church told SBC LIFE. “Chris is a great leader, very supportive,” added Taylor of Living Hope Church in Green River. “We appreciate him. He’s been great.” When asked the secret to gathering so many Christian leaders, Sims said, “Honestly, it’s been the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. God just keeps sending people to us but seemingly they come when we’re ready to take the next step. That has created a culture that is beginning to influence others who are new believers. Alongside Don [Whalen] and Zach [Edwards] of the state convention staff, I do a lot of recruiting and looking for [church planter] prospects inside and out of Wyoming, but more often than not the Lord sends them our way.” Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for SBC LIFE and Baptist Press and is a member of First Baptist Church in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
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TELLING AND CELEBRATING WHAT GOD IS DOING Ronnie Parrott baptizes a new believer at Christ Community Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. photo courtesy of christ community church
Preaching for a Response: The Power of Prayer on Baptism Sunday B by Ronnie Parrott
aptism Sunday reminded me of the power of prayer when it comes to preaching the Word of God. The duty of regularly preaching God’s Word is one of the weightiest yet most rewarding tasks a man can devote his life to. Sermon preparation takes diligent study, clear thinking, and devoted writing. But preaching goes beyond the mechanics of writing a sermon. The weight of spiritually leading a congregation lays heavy on a pastor’s heart. Pastors should preach toward a response. There is a tension between the craft of delivering a sermon and the reality that God is the one who moves hearts toward response. This can be difficult for a pastor to grapple with. When people do not respond, it’s easy to feel discouraged, defeated, or even take the blame. There is no greater tool we have that will move people toward a response than calling upon God through prayer. This was the case for us at Christ Community on September 8, 2019. For three weeks, our staff prayed, fasted, and begged God to move people toward obedience. We planned, strategized, made phone calls, and asked those who had not been baptized to take the step. I asked God for fifteen people to obey and be baptized on September 8. As I stepped up to preach, I felt the weight of the moment. I knew where I was going and what I was going to preach, yet I knew it was all up to God. All I
could do was faithfully preach the Word, invite people to respond, and trust Him to bring the fruit. On that morning, we saw fifteen people trust Jesus by faith and be baptized. One couple had been coming to our church for four months. God had been working in their hearts for some time, and Kris and Jill left a local Catholic church in search of something else. After meeting Kris and hearing his story, I began praying for him and Jill to come to know the Lord. On Baptism Sunday, both Kris and Jill stood up to say they had surrendered their life to Jesus and wanted to follow Him into baptism! Before getting baptized, they hugged me, and with tears in her eyes, Jill said, “Thank you for caring enough about us to give us the opportunity to know Christ, to know the true Gospel, and then to identify with Him through baptism.” The Hopkins’ story was just one of fifteen that day at Christ Community. Since Baptism Sunday, we’ve baptized ten more people, and we have several others lined up for the rest of the year. Baptism Sunday started something exciting for our church. I believe it started a movement toward a new season of growth and outreach at Christ Community. As the lead pastor at Christ Community, I’m praying for God to continue to move in and through the preaching of His Word weekly in such a way that consistently brings glory to God. Yes, there will be some Sundays where I see no
Southern Baptist Convention President J. D. Greear baptizes a new believer at The Summit Church on Baptism Sunday, September 8, 2019. photo courtesy of the summit church via twitter
fruit, but I am more committed than ever to faithfully preach Christ and call people of all walks of life to respond to His invitation of salvation. Prayerfully, we’ll see hundreds more walk through the waters of baptism in obedience to our King. If there’s one thing I could encourage pastors to do, it’s not to read another good book or
commentary, but to pray. We should be spending significant time praying for our sermons and the response times. Great movements of God always begin with desperate prayer. Ronnie Parrott is lead pastor at Christ Community Church in Huntersville, North Carolina.
If there’s one thing I could encourage pastors to do, it’s not to read another good book or commentary, but to pray. We should be spending significant time praying for our sermons and the response times. Great movements of God always begin with desperate prayer.
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EMPOWERING ALL A recent study by LifeWay Students and LifeWay Research found 66 percent of students who were active in church during their high school years were not active in the church during their college years.
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Parents’ Influence Crucial to Students’ Likelihood of Staying in Church by Ben Trueblood
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tudents who remain connected to the church after graduating from high school and those who drop out are separated only by a matter of degrees. They don’t look any different sitting next to each other. You may not be able to spot the differences at all. However, there is a strong likelihood that many of the students in your youth group will drop out of church at some point after graduation. A recent study by LifeWay Students and LifeWay Research found 66 percent of students who were active in church during their high school years were not active in the church during their college years. That number may sound discouraging, but there is hope. Our study found that there are small changes church leaders can make to help keep students connected. One of the most influential aspects of a student’s spiritual development is the investment of multiple adults speaking into their lives. And parental influence is by far the most crucial.
Parental Influence
As students describe their home-lives with regard
to church, it’s clear that parental influence matters when it comes to getting students through the door. The largest group likely began attending church because it was their parents’ desire, and in the process, they discovered it was important to them too. This was a strong predictor of students staying in church after high school. Those who stayed in church are more likely than those who stopped attending to have had parents who actively served in the church (36 percent versus 28 percent), regularly discussed spiritual things (36 percent versus 22 percent), and prayed together regularly (35 percent verses 23 percent). When we pressed students on the topic of their parents and church, we found something interesting: Fathers staying in church is predictive of students staying in church. At age 17, only 43 percent say their parents attended the same church they did. None of these statistics on their own is enough to make a case for one hard-and-fast rule about how to keep students in church after they graduate, but together they start to paint the shadow of a solution. Parental influence is
crucial and student pastors or other church leaders can indirectly influence the spiritual health of students by investing in their parents.
Encourage and Equip Parents
One thing you as a minister can do for the families of those in your ministry is create an “as you go” mentality. At the end of Matthew 28, as Jesus commissioned His disciples to make disciples of the nations, He told them first to “go” (vv. 19–20). Making disciples happens as you go, as you live your regular life. It’s part of the process of being a believer who follows Jesus’s commands. You are in the position to empower families to do this very thing with their students. It doesn’t have to be formal. You don’t have to call an emergency parent meeting and tell them if they don’t start having a half-hour of family devotions every night, their students will abandon their faith. Your first step might be to simply encourage parents to talk openly with their teenagers. Encourage them to ask genuine questions—ones that can’t be answered with one word. Students
One of the most influential aspects of a student’s spiritual development is the investment of multiple adults speaking into their lives. And parental influence is by far the most crucial. Parental influence is crucial and student pastors or other church leaders can indirectly influence the spiritual health of students by investing in their parents.
are no different from adults in that they want to be understood without feeling like they are being scolded or judged. You can play the role of encourager as they open discussions that can lead to spiritual things. Some parents might be nervous about having conversations like these with their students. That’s okay. You can be the one in their corner, letting them know it’s okay to not have all of the answers. Do your best to release parents from the burden of thinking they must have answers for every one of their student’s questions. It’s impossible for any parent to perfectly navigate the tricky years of adolescence with their teen. So be a trusted ally for parents. Help them see that the goal of parenting is not perfection but faithfulness. Your goal is simply to inspire parents to pursue Jesus alongside their students. You can also function as something of a librarian for the parents of your church. Compile tools to help parents have spiritual discussions with their students. You could send out occasional emails with things like “Six Simple Ways to Have a Gospel Conversation with Your Students” or “How To Use Beach Vacations to Talk About God.” Get creative, and take time to brainstorm ways you might encourage parents to spiritually engage their teenagers in the rhythms of everyday life. This is one of the main reasons why LifeWay provides parent conversation sheets with each of our three main curriculum lines. These sheets are an easy way for student pastors to equip parents to have spiritual conversations in those “as you go” moments of life. For student pastors, you are likely entrenched in youth culture and are in a better position than some of the parents in your ministry to understand how that generation thinks and approaches the world around them. Think back to your own teen years. Now, think about your parents. Did they have a good connection and grasp on the culture in which you lived? It’s the same today. Parents are mostly pretty far behind their understanding of their teen’s culture. Because of this, many parents feel paralyzed in even talking to their teens about issues of their day. You can be a tremendous resource to parents in this moment. Pay attention to conversations between students. Learn about the trends sweeping their schools. Keep tabs on what they’re watching, listening to, and engaging with in popular culture. Your role as a student pastor isn’t to helicopter all of the students in your ministry on behalf of the parents. However, it is part of your role to research and know the culture in which your students live so you can minister to them effectively and equip parents to do the same. God has put you in a unique position to encourage, teach, and coach parents about how to have discussions about spiritual things with their teens. They don’t have to look for this grand moment to talk about God; it should just be part of the regular routines in their homes. They don’t have to become master teachers or brilliant communicators; they only need to foster great community. Set up parents for success and you will be doing the same for students. Ben Trueblood is director of Student Ministry at LifeWay Christian Resources and is a member of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He is the author of Within Reach: The Power of Small Changes in Keeping Students Connected from which this article is adapted. Learn more at LifeWay.com/WithinReach.
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SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE “I came here to do more with the Gospel and for the Gospel than I’ve ever done in my life. I’m going to give the rest of my life in this capacity to advancing the Gospel to every person in the world and making disciples of all the nations, and leading this opportunity, this group, this network of churches in doing that.” Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO SBC Executive Committee
SBC Executive Committee Staff Reorganization by Rebecca Manry
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onnie Floyd has announced several staff changes and additions since he began his service as president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee in May. Ed Upton was appointed assistant to the president in May. Upton works to promote the
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Cooperative Program and advance Floyd’s vision, values, culture, and priorities. Upton previously served at Cross Church in northwest Arkansas as president of Cross Church School of Ministry and campus pastor for the church’s campus in Neosho, Missouri.
Jonathan Howe was named vice president for communications at the Executive Committee in September. He oversees all SBC Executive Committee communications including SBC.net, SBC LIFE, Baptist Press, social media initiatives, and other media and messaging strategies. Howe previously served at LifeWay Christian Resources for eight years, most recently as director of strategic initiatives. Amy Whitfield began serving as associate vice president for Convention communications in October. She is editor of SBC LIFE and performs other duties to drive the messaging of the EC and SBC. She and Howe will continue to host their “SBC This Week” podcast, which they began in 2015 and which will become the official podcast of the EC. Whitfield will also serve as women’s liaison for the EC, advising EC leadership on issues related to women. Whitfield comes to the EC from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she was director of marketing and communications for five years. Staff members entering into retirement are D. August (Augie) Boto, Art Toalston, Roger S. (Sing) Oldham, and Ken Weathersby. Boto,
EC executive vice president and general counsel, and Toalston, senior editor of Baptist Press, retired effective September 30. Oldham, vice president for Convention relations, and Weathersby, vice president for Convention advancement, will conclude their service at the end of the year. Additional positions created include associate vice president for Convention news, as well as three full-time executive directors for Asian American, Black Church, and Hispanic relations and mobilization. The changes in staff are informed by Floyd’s five keys to transforming the culture in the SBC (see page 2). “I came here to do more with the Gospel and for the Gospel than I’ve ever done in my life,” Floyd told the staff in his first full staff meeting after arriving in Nashville. “I’m going to give the rest of my life in this capacity to advancing the Gospel to every person in the world and making disciples of all the nations, and leading this opportunity, this group, this network of churches in doing that.” Rebecca Manry is communications specialist for the SBC Executive Committee and is a member of Harvest Fields Baptist Church in Pegram, Tennessee.
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I SAW
A G R E A T M U LT I T U D E
FROM EVERY N ATION AND ALL TRIBES
STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE
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R E V E L AT I O N 7 : 9
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God’s Word gives us a glimpse of the glory to come. The work we do now with you – praying, giving, going, and sending – is part of making this vision a reality. Your support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering allows us to continue to multiply impact together. In the last year alone, you have helped IMB missionaries
BAPTIZE 52,586 NEW BELIEVERS PLANT 13,898 NEW CHURCHES TRAIN 18,428 PASTORS Your generosity transforms lives. Give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
imb.org/lmco
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REACHING THE WORLD
IMB President Paul Chitwood (center) sits with missionary Kevin Singerman and Geofrey Ochan of Hope Baptist Church in Arua, Uganda. Chitwood visited the refugee camp as part of his visit around Uganda to see the ministry firsthand, as well as encourage IMB missionaries and meet with national partners. photo by chris carter
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Rise To the Occasion and Hasten the Gospel A Letter of Encouragement from IMB President Paul Chitwood Dear Fellow Servants, Looking back on my first full year as your IMB president, the words that come first to my mind are: “Thank you.” Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving souls across the globe daily amid hardship and persecution, and for upholding Your servants as they go forth to share Your Gospel. Thank you, Southern Baptist family, for placing your confidence in me to lead our missionary force. It is an incredible privilege to lead the choice servants of God whom you have sent out. Together, we are sending men and women to the unreached to ensure that John’s vision of heaven is fulfilled: a multitude from every nation, tribe, language, and people worshipping the Lord Jesus around His throne (Revelation 7:9). This year has been marked by many victories but also by massive cyclones in Sub-Saharan Africa, political and humanitarian crises in the Americas, and large-magnitude earthquakes in Southeast Asia. Through it all, God is opening doors for the Gospel, and your Southern Baptist missionaries are making the most of the opportunities to lead people to faith and to plant churches. After the recent earthquake in Southeast Asia, IMB missionaries prayed for a young man with two broken legs who had fruitlessly sought help from the local shaman. Jesus healed his legs, and now he and his parents are baptized believers attending a local house church. In Central Asia, a neighborhood bully who regularly spewed anger and abuse on everyone around him studied the Bible with IMB missionaries and gave his life to Christ. He is learning each day to show more of the fruit of the Spirit in his life, and he is a bold witness for Christ in his workplace and neighborhood. These are just two stories of the thousands I could share that show God at work through your missionaries this year.
Every church has a role to play in reaching every nation. Your church, regardless of size or resources, is vital to the mission before us. Seeing the vision of Revelation 7:9 realized—a great, innumerable multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb—demands more of each of us and of every Southern Baptist. • 562,865 people hearing the Gospel this past year means that 3,700 missionaries shared and trained and led and invested so that more than half a million people could hear. • 77,605 new believers and 52,586 baptisms means that those missionaries remained persistent in their praying and witnessing, in planting seeds of the Gospel and watering those seeds, until such a time as the Spirit of God gave an eternal harvest. • 13,898 new churches planted represents thousands of Southern Baptists who have stepped into their calling and given their lives to share the Gospel, disciple new believers, and then do the all-consuming work of leading those new believers together in such a way and for such a time that a church is birthed. • 28,213 people receiving advanced theologi cal training, a number that increased 48 percent over the prior year, means that men and women studied to show themselves approved, to such an extent that they not only have been entrusted with truth, but also have been found qualified to teach others. My family and I were privileged this year to visit almost 2,300 of our missionary personnel,
including more than 1,600 missionary kids. Time with our missionaries is so important to me as I seek to lead the IMB. To personally see the way that God is working in each location is a tremendous encouragement to me, and I want to pass that encouragement on to you. God is using your prayers and generosity through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ® to support our missionaries and change lives in every corner of the globe. Walking the dusty roads and city streets with our missionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa helped me understand how we can better support them—seeing their need for reliable trucks to reach outlying villages and a place to live and to homeschool their kids. Those things are being provided through the generous giving of Southern Baptists like you. I was reminded how vital your support is to the work that is taking place all around the world. In Uganda, we met refugees who have suffered horrific hardships, but through Christ, many have found joy in their lives. We are seeing people being discipled, churches being planted, darkness being pushed back, and lostness being overcome with the truth of the Gospel.
As we celebrate these victories, we are mindful that the only thing that prevents an even greater harvest is the lack of more laborers in the Lord’s fields. IMB’s senior leadership has set a goal of growing the Southern Baptist international missionary force by five hundred new missionaries by 2025. That would take our total field personnel count to 4,200, which we believe is the minimum number of missionaries we need to make a maximum impact. Every church has a role to play in reaching every nation. Your church, regardless of size or resources, is vital to the mission before us. Seeing the vision of Revelation 7:9 realized—a great, innumerable multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb—demands more of each of us and of every Southern Baptist. Your gifts to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ® are the lifeblood of the Southern Baptist system of missions. There is no cause more urgent, no cause which impacts the Lord’s Kingdom more, than working to fulfill the Great Commission. And I believe there are no greater avenues for supporting that cause than the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ®. Let us rise to the occasion and give of ourselves and our resources to see that the Gospel gets to the ends of the earth, to hasten the multitude worshipping our Lord around His throne. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering ® is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union. Paul Chitwood is president of the International Mission Board and is a member of First Baptist Church in Washington, Kentucky. Since moving to Virginia in the past year, the Chitwoods have visited Southern Baptists in dozens of churches in the state, around the country, and around the world. They hope to settle in a home church soon.
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REACHING THE WORLD “It is a win-win for all in sharing the Gospel. Our fledgling Mixtec Church gets to see the Gospel in tangible ways ministering to their families in Mexico, and families in Mexico get to see that there are people here in Montgomery who love their sons, daughters, and siblings with a genuine kind of love that only comes through the Lord.”
This graveyard stretching across a Mexican mountainside holds the deceased members of a city that’s been untouched by the Gospel, as far as IMB missionaries know. Missionaries are praying for God to create inroads into this city, whose residents—the Mixtec people—are the Americas’ most unengaged, unreached people group.
Lisa Rose director of church mobilization Montgomery Baptist Association Montgomery, Alabama
photo courtesy of imb
Alabama Team Helps IMB Missionary Unlock Door to Unreached People Group in Mexico by Grace Thornton T
homas Thorpe* had tried to get into this town twice. He’d only made it in once. The small community, nestled high in the mountains of Mexico, sits shrouded in clouds and centuries of darkness. They’re fiercely protective of their way of life, and they’re suspicious of outsiders. So they let Thomas, an International Mission Board (IMB) field worker, come and talk to them once. But the second time, they knew what he was offering and thought it would change them—and they didn’t want it. It’s a line in the sand that generations have held strong. As far as Thomas and others know, there’s never been an evangelical presence in the town, and there are no believers there currently. But God crossed Thomas’s path recently with a Baptist association in Alabama that might hold the key that would unlock the door to that mountain town in Mexico. It all started in 2007 when Lisa Rose, director of church mobilization for Montgomery Baptist Association (MBA), was serving as MBA’s compassion ministries director and realized some of the guests at local ministry centers spoke a language she’d never heard of. Volunteers thought they were Hispanic but realized quickly that they were wrong—they couldn’t communicate in Spanish. “We found out that what they spoke was called Mixteco,” Lisa said. “I had never heard of that, so I started doing lots of research.” What she found was that the Mixtec people, one of Mexico’s indigenous people groups, were the most unengaged unreached people group in the Americas. Roughly 726,000 Mixtec—or “people of the clouds”—live high in Mexico’s
mountains, with another 100,000 or so living in the US, mostly in California and New York. To Lisa, meeting Mixtec people in Montgomery felt weighted with eternal purpose. She and volunteers from area churches began to do the hard work of building relationships and laying a foundation for the Gospel among the Mixtec. “It’s been amazing to see God work,” Lisa said. “It’s been long and hard—we don’t have thousands coming every Sunday.” But they do have nine hard-fought believers who have come to faith over the years as local churches have invested, as Lisa has discipled women, and as John Halbrooks has led a Bible study that’s become a church plant. Then in early 2018, MBA hosted a summit for people working to reach the Mixtec in other parts of the nation and in Mexico. She talked with Thomas there, heard his story, and thought, what if—just what if—the Mixtec believers in Montgomery could send word back to their relatives in Mexico that these people of God were friends, not enemies? It seemed like it could be the key. And the Mixtec church in Montgomery was on board—they sent messages to their family in Mexico and sent John, Lisa, and another team member off with two suitcases full of gifts for their relatives in that mountain town. “Our goal was to start relationships with some key families,” John said. So in mid-August of this year, Thomas drove them into the mountains of Mexico to visit one of those key families. When they arrived, this time they were welcomed in—and invited to spend the night. “They cooked us their best meals over an open fire, and we shared pictures of their family
back in Montgomery and talked and laughed,” John said. And the next morning, the man of the house loaded them up in his truck and took them to go try to find the other families, including the parents of a young widow in Montgomery who had come to faith in Christ. “We got to see her parents, and they prepared a meal for us to eat also,” John said. “We ate with them and asked if we could share her salvation story with them.” They said no—they didn’t want to hear it. “We visited a little longer and asked again, and that time they didn’t say no,” he said. “So we took that opportunity to share a little bit of her story with them.” That morning her family—and the patriarch of that other key family—heard the Gospel for the very first time. And when the little team left the city, Thomas had a plan to come back with some tools and help the family they were staying with install the sink in the house they were building. “We’re praying that when [Thomas] goes back to visit, it will go very well and that the family will wonder more and more why he loves them like he does,” John said. As the team drove away from the city, Thomas told the team that the families would immediately start talking about what it means to follow Christ. “The dad was a very respected man in the community, and they view following Jesus as turning their backs on the Mixtec way,” John said. “If they make a decision, it will be a family decision—and it will cost them greatly. As far as we know, there have never been believers in this city. My prayer is that God would open that city and shatter the darkness with the light of the Gospel.”
Thomas said he’s praying the same thing— and he can see that God is already doing amazing work through these connections. “Montgomery Baptist Association has become a strategic partner for our work in Mexico because they, through their relationships with Mixtecs in Montgomery, have opened the door for our team into a community that had been previously closed to the Gospel,” he said. “How exciting it will be for IMB work as more Southern Baptist churches in the United States engage migrant workers in their communities and connect with IMB personnel in their home countries.” It’s exciting for Lisa, too, to see how Southern Baptists’ missions funds support Thomas’s full-time presence in Mexico reaching the unreached cities of the mountains, including the people so dear to her heart. “Through our Montgomery Baptist Association partnership with IMB missionaries in Mexico, we are able to see our Lottie Moon dollars at work firsthand as the missionaries work tirelessly to share the Gospel with an unreached people group,” she said. “It is a win-win for all in sharing the Gospel. Our fledgling Mixtec Church gets to see the Gospel in tangible ways ministering to their families in Mexico, and families in Mexico get to see that there are people here in Montgomery who love their sons, daughters, and siblings with a genuine kind of love that only comes through the Lord.” * EDITOR’S NOTE: Some names have been changed for security reasons. Grace Thornton is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a member of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.
“Montgomery Baptist Association has become a strategic partner for our work in Mexico because they, through their relationships with Mixtecs in Montgomery, have opened the door for our team into a community that had been previously closed to the Gospel. How exciting it will be for IMB work as more Southern Baptist churches in the United States engage migrant workers in their communities and connect with IMB personnel in their home countries.” Thomas Thorpe * IMB missionary
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EMPOWERING ALL
Ann Lawrence, director of Girls Camp at Farmington Conference Center in Maine, speaks to campers during an outdoor worship service. She said the primary goal of the camp is for campers to become “faithful followers of Jesus and making disciples.” photos by pam henderson
| wmu
Baptist Summer Camp in Rural Maine Helps Make Campers’ Faith “Stickier” by Trennis Henderson
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nn Lawrence, manager of Farmington Conference Center in rural Maine, knows the eternal difference that camp can make in the lives of young people. Nestled in a region of the nation with a small evangelical Christian presence, Farmington is the only Southern Baptist-related conference center in New England. Amid that challenging setting, Farmington’s staff and volunteers are seeking to shine the light of Christ for children and youth. “Camp changed my life—so camp kind of has a place in my heart,” affirmed Ann, who also serves as the director of Farmington’s annual girls camp. Noting that she has worked over the years at Christian camps in Alabama, Florida, and Maine, she described camp as “kind of like my, ‘if I can get there, I can breathe again’ place.” Citing research that indicates a large percentage of teenagers who are active in church often drop out of church during their college years, Ann said the camp staff began to ask themselves: “What is God calling us to do here to make their faith stickier when they leave than when they come?” Focusing on the overall goals of input, output, and impact, Ann said her team invited several of the older campers to help brainstorm about such input as the ideal number of campers and staff needed and the output of life change
among campers. Describing impact, she added, “If those life changes happen, what does it look like in their families and their communities because that impact happened in their lives?”
Building “Faithful Followers of Jesus”
The bottom line, she said, is that “we want the kids to be faithful followers of Jesus and making disciples and that’s all we’re about.” “Missions is one of our avenues for them getting that to happen, for them to see the possibilities of what God might lead them to, but we don’t try to say you’re going to be a missionary,” she pointed out. “We say we’re all missionaries. If we accept Christ, we’re all to help make disciples of others.” How does that happen in practical terms at a rustic, picturesque Baptist camp in New England that ministers to a few dozen children and teens each summer? With typical camp activities ranging from swimming, hiking, archery, and a ropes course to overnight tent camping, cookouts, and s’mores, staff members purposefully seek to build personal relationships with each camper. Add in Bible and missions studies, daily devotionals, and nightly worship services in an outdoor amphitheater and the camp’s spiritual focus becomes clear.
“We want the kids to be faithful followers of Jesus and making disciples and that’s all we’re about. Missions is one of our avenues for them getting that to happen, for them to see the possibilities of what God might lead them to, but we don’t try to say you’re going to be a missionary. We say we’re all missionaries. If we accept Christ, we’re all to help make disciples of others.” Ann Lawrence, manager Farmington Conference Center Farmington, Maine
“We’re very intentional on what we present as far as their quiet time, their Bible study, the worship time, and even reflections, which are often called devotions,” Ann said. “We figure the more you layer, the more they hear God’s Word, the better off they’re going to be so that’s what we’re doing. The more they interact with God’s Word, the better.” Nate Foster, director of boys camp at Farmington for the past three years, is a personal example of the camp’s life-changing impact. “When I turned nine years old, I had just finished third grade; I came up to camp for the first time and absolutely loved it,” Nate reflected. “As a camper, it was my favorite week of the entire year. “My first year here was actually when I heard the Gospel preached and I became a follower of Christ,” he added. “I’ve always felt a special connection to the camp and it’s been a real, real close place in my heart. “The environment, being set aside in the woods in a rural setting, was a great time for me to get alone and spend some time surrounded by people who love the Lord. It really forced me to be in God’s Word and I grew a lot from that,” Nate said. “I’ve always been excited to come back every summer.” During his three summers of leading the boys camp, Nate said he has come to realize that “while games are important and while fun activities are good at creating memories, the only lasting impact we can make in the Kingdom is if we preach the Gospel and pray for the Spirit to move in the hearts of these young men.” Ben Story, a high school junior at Monmouth Academy in Maine, has been coming to boys camp for five summers. This year he moved up to the camp’s training track, a more in-depth discipleship and training program for a select group of high school campers. Describing boys camp as “my spiritual happy place,” he said, “This is where I’m closest to God. Two years ago, I accepted Christ right there in the red cabin. I love this place. It’s an amazing place to learn and grow in Christ.”
Strategic Recruiting Efforts
The camp staff strategically recruits volunteers both from New England and across the nation to lead, mentor, and interact with the children and youth attending camp. This summer, volunteers traveled from as far as Arizona, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee to serve at Farmington. “When I see somebody that has a passion that I know the kids will catch and that God will use, I always say, ‘Have I got a place for you to serve!’” Ann said. Melissa Miller, who works alongside Ann as co-director of the girls camp, began serving at Farmington twelve years ago. She said she quickly “fell in love with the whole idea of being able to be in one setting and pour into girls for a whole week and get to know them in relationship.” “We want the girls to come away basically looking at their relationship with God, experiencing Him here in a setting where they are away from other distractions, where they are loved by mature believers and that they can listen to God and think about what is the next step in their relationship with Him,” Melissa explained. The ultimate goal, she added, is for the campers to follow God’s direction beyond the camp setting and apply the truths they learn to their daily lives. Gracyn Kestner, a student at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, served this summer as a cabin leader for girls camp. “I definitely love how this staff loves on the girls. You can tell that they care,” she said. “It’s fun to see the girls interact.” Noting that “we’ve been talking a lot about how we see or hear God throughout the week,” Gracyn said, “It’s amazing what you can do when you really open your eyes and your heart to God.”
Pouring Into Campers’ Lives
As she recruits volunteers, Ann said, “The missionaries that spend time with my campers have a huge impact on the staff and campers. Those are the kind of missionaries I look for. I want somebody that’s going to spend time with my kids and my staff.” If the campers “can have
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Nate Foster, left, director of Boys Camp at Farmington Conference Center, visits with a few campers prior to the evening worship service at the camp’s outdoor amphitheater. Nate said the campground, “set aside in the woods is a rural atmosphere,” provides an ideal setting for campers to connect with God.
an experience with what a real live missionary feels like and does and how they’re doing things, it impacts them better than just a speech.” Lori Bryan, an international consultant who has served with various humanitarian groups in several countries, talked with campers about “the different aspects and ways that you can do mission work.” Currently serving in Rwanda where she is involved in education, Bible orality, trauma training, and fighting malnutrition, Lori affirmed the opportunity at camp “to pour into girls’ lives and share with them experiences of how God uses your life if you’re willing to give up the rights to your life.” “I hope it has opened up their eyes a little bit wider to the world we live in,” she said, “and
that it opens up their hearts to opportunities that they might find viable for themselves to go serve overseas if that’s something that the Holy Spirit is working in their lives.” Lena Plunk, national coordinator of Christian Women’s/Christian Men’s Job Corps for National Woman’s Missionary Union, has volunteered at Farmington girls camp most summers since 2003. “Meshing the camp life that I absolutely love and the ministry that I absolutely love together into one has been delightful,” she said. “This is kind of home.” This summer, she shared with the girls about a variety of WMU-related ministries, including Christian Women’s and Christian Men’s Job Corps; Pure Water, Pure Love; and WorldCrafts.
A new addition to this year’s camp weeks at Farmington was an inviting hammock garden that provided campers a great opportunity to relax, fellowship, and enjoy personal quiet times.
Having the girls haul water across the campground in a five-gallon bucket and then filtering and drinking the water, Lena talked with them about girls their age in many countries who must haul water for their families every day. She said such hands-on experiences give the campers a close-up view of missions needs around the globe while offering them a glimpse of the world “outside of their typical bubble.” Eve Goding, a junior at Mount Blue High School in Farmington, said the campers and staff quickly become like family to each other. “The staff here is amazing,” she declared. “They welcome you in with open arms and they understand what it’s like to be someone in a place that’s not super Christian.
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“Faith-wise, for me, it’s helping me to grow spiritually,” Eve said. “It’s just a really good way for me to get outside of my comfort level and meet people and talk about God.” As Farmington staffers and volunteers seek to duplicate that impact each summer among children and youth from across New England, Ann said one of their biggest prayer requests “is always that we stay faithful.” Acknowledging that “what we see around us is only a little bit of what God is really doing,” Melissa added, “We realize that God often uses little things in little places to make a big impact”—including a small Baptist campground in rural Maine. Trennis Henderson national correspondent for WMU and is a member of Second Baptist Church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
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PAGE 18
ACCELERATING GENEROSITY
istockphoto
The New Margin for Boomers by Ashley Clayton
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his article is primarily directed at Baby Boomers—a generation of people who, like me, were born between 1946 and 1964 and are now in their fifties, sixties, and seventies. We’re in a new season of our lives, but there is something holding us back from living the life we want. We think about it more and more as we get older. It can be discouraging, depressing—it can define us, even rob us. There is a principle that applies to every one of us—a necessary consideration as you move through your life, whether your generation is Boomer, X, Millennial, or Z. Many Boomers missed, overlooked, or avoided this step and are now feeling the effects. What is it? It’s managing your resources well. It’s being faithful. It’s creating margin. The Bible addresses this directly: Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2, NIV). Fellow Boomers, we are so fortunate to live at this point in history that offers opportunity to have a full life, good health, and the opportunity to remain youthful and vibrant in our fifties, sixties, and seventies. You can take care of yourself and keep busy and healthy, but unless you have already made the decision to take care of your financial resources, you’ll find yourself poised for opportunities which never happen. I just re-read O. S. Hawkins’s book, Antology. What on earth is “antology” and what does it have to do with this issue? In the Old Testament, King Solomon challenged us to go to the ant . . . consider her ways, and be wise (Proverbs 6:6–8, KJV). Dr. Hawkins writes in his book, “. . . the ant ‘stores’ her provisions in the summer and ‘gathers’ her provisions in harvest for a very important reason—winter is coming!” Studying the ant gives insight as it particularly applies to our own winter season of life.
Like many Boomers, I still have big hopes and dreams and expectations. I enjoy life. What has happened to so many of my Boomer friends is they have extended their lives, they have taken care of their health, they are spiritually strong— but they’ve failed to set aside adequate resources. They have no margin! What does margin look like and what is your next move to get it? Well, it’s gonna hurt! Change is always hard, but being willing to change is more than half the battle. Here’s what I suggest: 1. Do an honest financial assessment, especially about stewardship and financial margins. Where are you? a) Struggling, not able to make ends meet. b) Surviving, living paycheck to paycheck. c) Stable, saving some with an emergency fund. d) Secure, saving for long term goals. e) Surplus, you have more than enough! 2. Do an honest spiritual assessment. Do you believe God has a role to play? God owns it all! Psalm 24:1 says, The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord. Do you believe God can and will provide for your financial needs and help you achieve your financial goals? 3. Are you willing to change? Are you willing to add a spiritual dimension to your finances? Will you determine a starting place and begin a life of change? For my wife Sharon and me, the biggest change in our financial status came as a result of simply being honest with God and being honest with ourselves about money. We knew what to do—but we were unwilling to do it! We waited a long time in our life together to make some of the most basic and fundamental changes in the way we handle money.
So, the first step for us was consistently giving a tithe of our earnings to God. You know the old adage—a thousand-mile trip always begins with a first step. When it came to money and creating margin for us, it seems like everything hinged upon that first BIG step of tithing. There absolutely is a biblical standard for giving in the Bible—actually 2,350 scriptures about giving and money. Jesus actually said more about money than any other single topic! The Old Testament teaches the concept of a tithe, which means “tenth.” The Old Testament model also teaches “storehouse tithing,” which is bringing your tithes and offerings into the local church. How important is this first step? The book of Malachi talks about individuals and families who rob God through their tithes and offerings! So, tithing is a biblical principle, a mandate for wise and mature living—the first step in creating margin. In the New Testament we see a new model for giving which builds upon the Old Testament principle of tithing. In the New Testament you see a model for giving which goes way beyond giving a tithe: a culture of generosity. For Sharon and me, we are giving more now than we ever dreamed we would give. We’ve discovered how much we love to give, and how blessed we are trusting God to meet our needs! When people hear our testimony about creating margin, they often ask us, “Where are y’all now? Do you have margin to enjoy your life?” Our answer is always the same: “We’re on the journey, life is good, and we’re trusting God!” Ashley Clayton is executive director, church affiliation and stewardship for the SBC Executive Committee and is a member of Living Stone Community Church in Mesa, Arizona.
For my wife Sharon and me, the biggest change in our financial status came as a result of simply being honest with God and being honest with ourselves about money. We waited a long time in our life together to make some of the most basic and fundamental changes in the way we handle money.
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2020 SBC ANNUAL MEETING
Orange County Convention Center—West Concourse photo courtesy of the orange county convention center
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW. ONLINE (Preferred) Check SBCAnnualMeeting.net for availability. This is the ONLY official housing provider. Housing registration opened October 1.
DEADLINE Reservations must be made by May 14, 2020, 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, 2020. CANCELLATION POLICY Reservations cancelled on or after May 1, 2020, and prior to 72 hours before arrival date may result in forfeiture of one night’s room and tax.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments will be sent via email from ‘2020 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.
u
SHUTTLE SERVICE No shuttle service will be offered due to the recent decline in shuttle usage, close proximity of hotels and the availability of excellent local transportation options.
2020 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 9–10.
“SBC ANNUAL MEETINGS” APP—updates will be made as information becomes available—stay connected by downloading the 2020 “SBC Annual Meetings” app from the Play Store or App Store. HOTEL RESERVATIONS can be secured by going to SBCAnnualMeeting.net. 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 Saturday, February 1, 2020, at SBCAnnualMeeting.net. Registration will close on Friday, May 8, 2020. Space is limited for 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 Saturday, February 1, 2020, at SBCAnnualMeeting.net. A special thanks to WMU for providing missions education as part of the curriculum. YOUTH ON MISSION for children who have completed grades 7–12 will be provided again by WMU Tuesday and Wednesday—registration will open on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at SBCAnnualMeeting.net. Registration will close on Friday, May 15, 2020. Space is limited for youth and pre-registration is REQUIRED—there will be NO on-site registration. MESSENGER/EXHIBITOR/GUEST PRE-REGISTRATION will open on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at SBCAnnualMeeting.net.
For more information and to register for these activities, visit SBCAnnualMeeting.net.
SBCLIFE
WINTER 2019
PAGE 20
SBC PROGRAM LOVING OTHERS
St. Matthew’s Baptist Church was one of thirteen Baptist churches devastated by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Southern Baptists are partnering with these churches to rebuild in the months to come.
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) member Tom Kilpatrick speaks to a survivor during an initial assessment of Hurricane Dorian’s impact on the Bahamas.
photos courtesy of baptist global response (bgr)
Southern Baptists Respond to Hurricane Dorian by Natalie Sarrett
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ithout warning, water began to pour into the doors and windows of Camila’s home; the floodwaters were moving so rapidly that before she had time to react, the water was already up to her neck. Clutching her toddler, she managed to swim across the kitchen and push her daughter on top of the refrigerator that was floating by. Seeing no other way out, Camila began frantically thinking of ways to end their lives before drowning became the only option left. Just when her desperation peaked, she saw a small stream of light reflected off the water. Following the beam to its source, Camila watched some snakes wriggle out through a window that was not yet submerged. She quickly threw a nearby object at the panes, shattering the window just enough for her and her daughter to climb out. Much to her surprise, rescue teams were waiting on the roof outside to help pull them out. With waters still rapidly rising, Camila insisted that they take the child first, as she resigned herself to being swept away by the current, but emergency responders were able to save them both. Amid the excruciating aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, it is stories like Camila’s that drive home the resilience of Bahamians and the courage of emergency relief teams on the ground.
The Impact
The monumental wreckage and loss incurred in Hurricane Dorian and its aftermath was unprecedented for Bahamians residing on the main islands. Throughout September 1–3, unrelenting winds exceeding 185 mph and tidal surges twenty-four feet high pounded the shores day and night. According to the World Health Organization, after the initial impact, two thousand people emerged from the rubble needing emergency shelter, and over fifty people lost their lives in this catastrophe, with that number climbing each new day that rubble is cleared. Response teams are still unsure of how many bodies washed out to sea before being identified.
Pastoral Care
Faith communities emerged as bastions of hope during this crisis, with incredible pastors who cared for their congregations while also grieving their own families’ losses.
One minister said the hardest part of shepherding his congregation has been hearing their stories of trauma: fathers who had children ripped out of their arms in the cyclones, vivacious teenagers who were permanently maimed by flying debris, families who had their homes ripped off the foundations and fly over their heads— the list is endless.
Some of these pastors sat down with BGR representatives spearheading the response and shared their heartbreak, saying that the tornadoes and tropical storms following Dorian were no less impactful than the hurricane itself. One minister said the hardest part of shepherding his congregation has been hearing their stories of trauma: fathers who had children ripped out of their arms in the cyclones, vivacious teenagers who were permanently maimed by flying debris, families who had their homes ripped off the foundations and fly over their heads—the list is endless.
Initial Response
Though it was difficult for disaster response teams to gain access directly following Hurricane Dorian’s touch down, Baptist Global Response (BGR) was able to send an initial assessment team early on to begin the process of coordinating much-needed aid. After meetings with the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, BGR was designated the lead response organization and, on September 8, conducted a thorough evaluation of the islands’ immediate needs in the wake of Dorian’s aftershocks. All proposed solutions were made according to the Sphere Project handbook, in order to abide by internationally recognized standards of disaster response protocol during humanitarian crises. This evaluation and protocol provided a clear framework for assessors to build on when it was decided that blankets, food, water, sanitation, and hygiene kits were main priorities in response to a disaster of this caliber.
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) and BGR representatives who reached the islands first quickly established that Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama were the most devastated areas and needed urgent assistance with materials for roofing repairs and debris removal in order for Bahamians to use the structures still standing as shelter. The goal in all response efforts was to meet the greatest needs in the most efficient and sustainable ways possible.
Boots on Ground
After several days of implementing relief efforts on Grand Bahama, SBDR, IMB, and BGR teams witnessed life begin to return to some semblance of normalcy: businesses were running, shops reopened, and survivors ventured out of their refuge centers. The Abaco Islands, however, were completely decimated. According to eyewitness accounts, you could see the horizon in all directions, as the islands were leveled and fully evacuated. Relief teams’ focus then shifted to the needs of the thousands of evacuees fleeing their homes to seek stability on neighboring isles with more infrastructure in place. Most families were only able to escape the nine-foot flood levels with the clothes on their backs, and the harsh weather conditions, mounting violence, and unattended wounds resulting from the chaos were becoming rising concerns for parents. Southern Baptist entities on the ground collaborated to continue running mass distributions of emergency supplies as a tangible means of caring for these
hurting migrant families, despite the electricity outage impeding efforts on some islands. As more missing persons were reported, the National Emergency Management Agency estimated that nearly five thousand refugees from the islands were in need of housing, with another 1,650 unable to evacuate—of those, many were elderly or had limited mobility; so on September 12, teams were dispatched specifically to seek out those who may have been overlooked in the turmoil of initial response efforts. As of September 15, most Bahamians had received the assistance they needed. In the capital of Nassau, sixteen operational shelters offered food, water, and medical care to migrant islanders. SBDR teams joined BGR partners in purchasing and distributing food to refugees; supplying women and children with hygiene kits; mobilizing the Bahamian Convention’s trained trauma counselors and chaplains; and providing churches with blankets, tarps, and other needed items.
Ongoing Efforts
Southern Baptists are still doing the hard work of helping this nation rehabilitate. Teams are currently working on finalizing partnerships between thirteen Bahamian Baptist churches and state Baptist conventions in order to better care for their hurting congregations. Remaining relief teams are continuing to repair homes and churches, clean up debris, and engage survivors in trauma healing workshops. Despite the tragedies that this community has endured, partners reported consistently being greeted with the same phrase of hope: “We survived and are doing well—thanks be to God!” Similarly, the president of the Bahamas National Baptist Women’s Convention expressed her thankfulness: “We are so grateful . . . to our Almighty God that, even in the midst of the storm, He has touched the hearts of so many to come to assist us.” There is a long, arduous road ahead, but partners are confident that God’s provision will continue to unfold for those made most vulnerable by Dorian’s impact; and we trust that God is on the move in the midst of this calamity. Natalie Sarrett is a staff writer for Baptist Global Response and is a member of Church of the City in Nashville, Tennessee.
Despite the tragedies that this community has endured, partners reported consistently being greeted with the same phrase of hope: “We survived and are doing well—thanks be to God!”
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SBC PROGRAM LOVING OTHERS
‘The Church Has Left the Building’ Q&A with Send Relief’s Jonathan Santiago
Ever since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, Southern Baptists have been active in the recovery and rebuild efforts on the island. Maria devastated much of Puerto Rico, but through Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), volunteers have been meeting needs and changing lives. Volunteers offer physical help but also share the eternal hope found in the Gospel.
by Tobin Perry Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico with 155 mile-per-hour winds in September 2017. The category four hurricane caused more than $94 million in damage and left 130,000-plus people homeless. Southern Baptists have been actively involved in ministering to the needs of Hurricane Maria survivors for two years through the North American Mission Board’s Send Relief arm. Since 2017, volunteers have invested 12,278 days of service, participated in 1,510 Gospel conversations, and seen 107 professions of faith in Puerto Rico. Jonathan Santiago serves as the Send Relief director in Puerto Rico, where he is helping to coordinate relief work and overseeing the development of a Send Relief ministry center on the island.
SBCLIFE: Can you tell me about where things are going as far as the rebuilding effort in Puerto Rico? Jonathan: First, I’d say that there has been slow progress, and that’s what was expected based on the size of the disaster. The federal government, local governments, and even private entities that have knowledge and the expertise predicted after Hurricane Maria that it would take Puerto Rico six to eight years to get back on their feet. That wasn’t only the social economic side of it, but it was infrastructure, too. SBCLIFE: How are Southern Baptists responding to Maria still? Jonathan: One of the positive things we saw right after Maria was that the church ‘left the building.’
I keep saying that over and over because it was great to see how the church opened the doors, and the whole church walked into the community and assisted those in need. They drove their own vehicles and gave out their own goods and their own food while waiting for supplies to distribute. We had one church that, even before FEMA or Southern Baptists arrived, was bringing what they had and cooking it for the community. The church embraced the hopelessness, embraced the need to bring the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. That was a beautiful thing to see. Even as two years have gone by since Maria, a lot of those churches have had a change of how they see their community, and Maria was a big factor of the church visualizing how to impact their community based on opportunities for ministry and finding how to practically and tangibly fill the need.
photo courtesy of namb
SBCLIFE: How about the ministry center? How does the ministry center fit into the Send Relief strategy in Puerto Rico?
SBCLIFE: How can Southern Baptists be involved in what God is doing in Puerto Rico right now?
Jonathan: It didn’t take very long after the storm for Send Relief and the North American Mission Board to see the opportunity to establish a longterm ministry and have long-term impact here on the island through the local churches. Part of the strategy was to have a centralized location where operations and logistics could take shape as ministry would happen through the local church. The idea was that Southern Baptists would have a place, not just for Send Relief to operate out of, but also for hosting mission teams and churches that want to assist in the rebuild effort in Puerto Rico. We’re not just rebuilding homes; we are rebuilding communities. We are rebuilding the hope that people need to fend for themselves and to have the vision to push their families forward. The ministry center will allow us to be able to do that in a more effective way.
Jonathan: First, they can pray. We know God is doing something great here in Puerto Rico, and we encourage Southern Baptist to continue to pray for us—the North American Mission Board, Send Relief, and the church planting effort that is going across the islands. Pray that God keeps raising up those leaders that are needed to continue the Gospel impact throughout the island. Second, they can sign up through Send Relief to be on mission here in Puerto Rico, whether they want to come short-term, a one-time mission trip with their church, a youth team, a college team, an adult team, or a combination. Of course, we urge Southern Baptists to continue to give to the Cooperative Program because that is what keeps us here, that’s what gives us life to continue doing the work on the mission field.
SBCLIFE: What’s the timetable for it to be completed? Jonathan: It is hard to say, but the projection is Summer 2020.
Tobin Perry, freelance writer in Evansville, Indiana, and member of Center of Hope Church in Evansville, conducted this interview for SBC LIFE.
‘La Iglesia Ha Dejado el Edificio’ Preguntas y Respuestas con Jonathan Santiago de Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) por Tobin Perry En septiembre del 2017, el Huracán María azotó a Puerto Rico con vientos de 155 millas por hora. El huracán de categoría cuatro causó daños de más de $94 millones y dejó a más de 130,000 personas sin vivienda. Los Bautistas del Sur han estado activamente involucrados en ministrar a las necesidades de los sobrevivientes del Huracán María ya por dos años a través del brazo de la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas Send Relief (Envía Asistencia). Desde el 2017, voluntarios han invertido 12,278 días de servicio, participado en 1,510 conversaciones Evangelísticas, y han visto 107 profesiones de fe en Puerto Rico. Jonathan Santiago funge como director de Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) en Puerto Rico, en dónde está ayudando a coordinar la obra de asistencia y supervisando el desarrollo de un centro de ministerio de Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) en la isla. SBCLIFE: ¿Puede usted decirme dónde van las cosas en cuanto al esfuerzo de reconstrucción en Puerto Rico? Jonathan: En primer lugar, diría que el progreso ha sido lento, y es algo esperado basado en el tamaño del desastre. El gobierno federal, los gobiernos locales, y aún las entidades privadas que tienen conocimiento y experiencia, después del Huracán María, hicieron la predicción que les tomaría de seis a ocho años a Puerto Rico para levantarse. Eso no era solo el lado económico— social, pero también de infraestructura. SBCLIFE: ¿Cómo siguen respondiendo los Bautistas de Sur a María?
Jonathan: Una de las cosas positivas que vimos inmediatamente después de María fue que la iglesia ‘dejó el edificio.’ Repito eso una y otra vez porque fue grandioso ver la forma en que la iglesia abrió las puertas, y toda la iglesia se fue a la comunidad y asistió a aquellos con necesidades. Manejaron sus propios vehículos y dieron de sus propias bienes y sus alimentos mientras esperaban los artículos para distribuírlos. Tuvimos una iglesia que, aún antes que llegara FEMA o los Bautistas del Sur, estaba trayendo lo que tuvieran y cocinándolo para la comunidad. La iglesia abrazó la desesperación, abrazó la necesidad de traer la esperanza que tenemos en Jesucristo. Fue algo hermoso ver. Aún cuando han pasado dos años desde María, muchas de
esas iglesias han tenido un cambió en cuanto a la forma de ver su comunidad, y María fue un factor grande para que la iglesia visualizara cómo impactar a su comunidad basándose en las oportunidades para ministerio y encontrando la forma práctica y tangible para llenar la necesidad. SBCLIFE: ¿Y qué del centro de ministerio? ¿Cómo encaja el centro de ministerio en la estrategia de Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) en Puerto Rico? Jonathan: No tomó mucho tiempo después de la tormenta para que Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) y la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas vieran la oportunidad de establecer un ministerio de larga duración y tener un impacto duradero aquí en la isla a través de iglesias locales. Parte de la estrategia era tener un lugar centralizado en donde las operaciones y logística pudieran tomar forma como ministerio y se llevaran a cabo a través de la iglesia local. La idea era que los Bautistas del Sur pudieran tener un lugar, no solo para que Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) pudiera llevar a cabo sus operaciones, pero también para hospedar equipos misioneros e Iglesias que desean apoyar en el esfuerzo de reconstrucción de Puerto Rico. No solamente estamos reconstruyendo hogares; estamos reconstruyendo comunidades. Estamos reconstruyendo la esperanza que la gente necesita para valerse por si mismos y tener la visión de impulsar a sus familias hacia adelante. El centro de ministerio nos permitirá hacer eso en una forma más efectiva.
SBCLIFE: ¿Cuál es el tiempo aproximado para que sea completado? Jonathan: Es difícil decirlo, pero está proyectado para el verano del 2020. SBCLIFE: ¿De qué forma pueden los Bautistas del Sur estar involucrados en lo que Dios está haciendo en Puerto Rico en este tiempo? Jonathan: En primer lugar, pueden orar. Sabemos que Dios está haciendo algo grande aquí en Puerto Rico, y animamos a los Bautistas del Sur que continúen orando por nosotros—la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas, Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) y el esfuerzo que se está llevando a cabo en plantar iglesias a lo largo de las islas. Oren que Dios continúe levantando esos líderes que se necesitan para continuar el impacto del Evangelio por toda la isla. En segundo lugar, pueden anotarse a través de Send Relief (Envía Asistencia) para estar en misión aquí en Puerto Rico, ya sea que quieran venir por plazo corto, un viaje misionero por única vez con su iglesia, un equipo de jóvenes, un equipo de universitarios, un equipo de adultos o una combinación de estos. Claro, animamos a los Bautistas del Sur que continúen dando al Programa Cooperativo porque eso es lo que nos mantiene aquí, eso es lo que nos da vida para continuar haciendo la obra en el campo misionero. Tobin Perry, escritor independiente en Evansville, Indiana, y miembro de la Iglesia Center of Hope (Centro de Esperanza) en Evansville, llevó a cabo esta entrevista para SBC LIFE.
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SBC PROGRAM FAST FACTS ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Updated 10/29/19 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
47,456
Total membership in the SBC network of churches
14,813,234
Weekly worship attendance in the SBC network
5,297,788
Total baptisms (reported by Southern Baptist churches)
246,442
Cooperating state conventions
41
Cooperating local associations
1,126 from 2018 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.
Overseas missionaries
3,681
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
3,176
Domestic missionaries
5,097
New churches planted
624
reported by IMB, 9/30/2019 reported by IMB, 9/4/2019
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports
Existing churches joining with the SBC
254
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports
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 DISASTER RELIEF 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.
Volunteer days
103,356
Hours worked
817,641
Total contacts
75,666
Gospel presentations
3,986
Professions of faith
SEMINARY STUDENTS TRAINED
549
Meals served
from NAMB ministry report in 2019 Book of Reports
The Convention operates six seminaries and a Seminary Extension program to train its ministers and Christian workers.
Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention
1,801
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
3,525
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
3,724
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
4,254
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
5,497
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
4,007
TOTAL
22,808
Seminary Extension Division, Nashville
2,289,315
CHILDREN’S AND FAMILY MINISTRIES The Baptist Coalition for Children and Families represents twenty-two 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
243,195
Spiritual decisions reported
1,328 from Baptist Coalition for Children and Families 2018 data
611
from 2017–2018 academic year as reported in 2019 Book of Reports
MISSION:DIGNITY
Number of Baptist Collegiate Ministries 1,699
Distributed in 2018
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
7,449
$7,191,544
778
Total number of students involved
74,738
Total number of reported salvations through BCM
10,576
from GuideStone Financial Resources ministry report in 2019 Book of Reports
from National Collegiate Ministries 2017–2018 Annual Statistics
RACIAL/ETHNIC DIVERSITY Dominant Ethnic Composition
Churches
Anglo churches
Congregations* Dominant Ethnic Composition
38,940
40,400 Haitian churches
Churches
Congregations*
379
529
African American churches
3,341
3,929 Chinese churches
210
269
Hispanic churches
2,222
3,506 Filipino churches
142
188
Korean churches
760
907 Multi-ethnic churches
181
299
Native American churches
391
435 20+ other ethnic and language groups
982
1,460
*Includes churches and church-type missions provided by NAMB Center for Missional Research from 2017 Annual Church Profile data
REGULAR CHURCH GIVING Total reported undesignated receipts given in Southern Baptist churches in 2017–2018 as reported by the churches on the 2018 Annual Church Profile, May 2019
$9,601,534,950.00
Total Cooperative Program dollars given by Southern Baptist churches in fiscal 2017–2018
$463,076,368.00
Cooperative Program Allocation Budget gifts received for SBC causes
$196,731,703.44
as reported to the Executive Committee by the cooperating state Baptist conventions, April 2019 as reported by the Executive Committee, October 2019
Average percentage of undesignated receipts churches gave through the Cooperative Program in 2018 as reported by the SBC Executive Committee, 2017–2018 fiscal year
4.82 percent
DESIGNATED INDIVIDUAL GIVING Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions—100% goes to support overseas missionaries updated by IMB as of October 2019
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions—100% goes to support North American missionaries updated by NAMB as of October 2019
Global Hunger Relief—100% goes to fight hunger in North America and around the world
amount received through the SBC Executive Committee, 2017–2018 fiscal year; does not include direct gifts to IMB and NAMB for GHR
$157,306,798.24 $61,600,103.86 $2,647,087.00
IS THE TIME FOR US TO RISE UP LIKE NEVER BEFORE AND BEGIN ANEW WITH A CLEARER FOCUS AND A GREATER RESOLVE. RONNIE FLOYD PRESIDENT AND CEO, SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
2020 SBC CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
JANUARY 5-12 January Bible Study 9 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
FEBRUARY
“True Love Waits” Emphasis Month 9 Racial Reconciliation Sunday 10-16 Focus on WMU 15 Children’s Missions Day
MARCH 1-8 Youth Week 1-7 Week of Prayer and Mission Study for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering 15 Church Planting Emphasis Sunday 29 Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday
APRIL 12 Easter Baptist Doctrine Study 19 SBC Seminaries Sunday 26 Cooperative Program Sunday
MAY
3 Senior Adult Sunday 7 National Day of Prayer 10-16 Christian Home Week
JUNE 6 Crossover: Orlando 9-10 SBC Annual Meeting: Orlando 21 Baptist Men’s Emphasis 28 Mission:Dignity Sunday Citizenship & Religious Liberty Sunday
JULY
19 Send Relief Sunday Children’s Ministry Day 28 Southern Baptist Media Day
AUGUST
2 Social Issues Sunday 9 Student Evangelism Day 16-22 Worship Music Week
SEPTEMBER 6 Single Adult Sunday 13 Anti-Gambling Sunday 20 Baptism Day
OCTOBER
Cooperative Program Emphasis Month 4 Personal Evangelism Commitment Day 11 Global Hunger Sunday 18-25 Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations
NOVEMBER
1 Orphans and Widows Sunday 8 Disaster Relief Appreciation Day 11/29—12/6 Week of Prayer and Mission Study for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
DECEMBER
11/29—12/6 Week of Prayer and Mission Study for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering © 2019 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR CALENDAR UPDATES OR SPECIFIC EVENT DETAILS, VISIT WWW.SBC.NET/CALENDAR
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EMPOWERING ALL make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, NIV, bold added). Just as much as GO is a command, so is MAKE DISCIPLES. Discipleship can be formal or informal, but the goal is always to influence and lead others toward deeper obedience and love for Christ. This command might seem daunting, especially for women who juggle so much already. Here are a few ways that you can be a disciplemaker in your daily activities.
by Tara Dew
W
hen Christians think about the Great Commission, the emphasis is often put on the word “Go.” We long to reach the nations with the Gospel of Christ,
but our mission is not merely to go. Look at the words of the Great Commission: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and
1. Be in love with Christ. Before we are called to be a wife, a mother, an employee, a student, or a friend, we are called to be a follower of Christ. Our words and actions should display devotion to the One who has redeemed and restored us. Remember the great command found in Matthew 22:36–38: Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (ESV).
THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM IS THE FUEL TO REACH EVERY PERSON FOR JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY TOWN, EVERY CITY, EVERY STATE, AND EVERY NATION.
sbc.net/cp
Loving Jesus determines how we spend our time, finances, and energy. Every thought, word, and deed should demonstrate our love for Him. What would your checkbook or your calendar show as your first love? To make disciples, we must begin with a love for our Savior. 2. Be selfless in your love for others. We are called not only to love God wholeheartedly, but also to love those around us. Jesus continues in Matthew 22:39, And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (ESV). We don’t love others because they deserve it or because they can give us something in return, but because we have been lavishly loved by God. God’s Word promises that when we love selflessly, we will be different from the world around us: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another (John 13:35, ESV). How can you love others more selflessly? Is there someone who needs a home-cooked meal or a friend to listen over coffee? Do you know someone who could use a kind word or reminder that they are loved by God? To make disciples, we must be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us. 3. Be faithful and live a life worth imitating. Never forget whose you are. Christ loved you. He saved you. Because of what He has done for us, we are called to display His character for all to see. The Bible states in James 2:17, Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (NIV). Our faith in Christ must display itself genuinely in our words and actions, in such a way that others will want to imitate us. Are you a woman who shows others the value and importance of prayer? Are you a woman who is recognized for your work ethic and loyalty? Are you a woman who is hospitable and friendly to those you meet? To make disciples, our lives must genuinely reflect Christ and be worthy of imitation. 4. Be intentional with other women. We are commanded not only to be faithful in our actions, but also to teach other women how to be godly. Titus 2:3–5 says, Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled (ESV). We must be intentional in teaching sound doctrine and modeling the spiritual disciplines of prayer, giving, and submission. Over your playdates, can you encourage another mom to love her husband and children more? In your work break, can you help another wife stay committed to her marriage? Is there a younger woman who could use help in learning how to study her Bible? To make disciples, we must be intentional. We often want formulas, Bible studies, or books to teach us exactly how to disciple others. But Jesus shows us the example of a daily disciple-maker. He had a small group of twelve men that saw His daily activities, asked Him questions, and imitated what He did. We should be faithful to the command of the Great Commission, not only to GO but also to MAKE DISCIPLES, wherever God has us.
Tara Dew lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, where her husband Jamie serves as the ninth president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They are the parents of two sets of twins—Natalie and Nathan, Samantha and Samuel. Tara holds a Doctor of Education degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary that is focused on the preparedness of pastors’ wives. An earlier version of this article appeared at Women Around Southeastern (womenaroundse.com).