SBC Life - Spring 2021 (Vol. 29, No. 2) by SBC LIFE

A Century of Strategy LESSONS FROM THE ERA SOUTHERN BAPTISTS B E C A M E A M E R I C A’ S L A R G E S T P R O T E S TA N T D E N O M I N AT I O N

SPRING 2021

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Table of Contents

901 Commerce Street Nashville, Tennessee 37203 615-244-2355 E-mail: sbclife@SBC.net

7 A Letter from Ronnie W. Floyd

Ronnie W. Floyd President & CEO

F E AT U R E D A R T I C L E S

Jonathan Howe and Amy Whitfield Executive Editors

10 A Century of Strategy

Lessons from the Era Southern Baptists Became America’s Largest Protestant Denomination

Andy Beachum Creative Director

42 ‘New Directions’ Helps to Usher In a New Era of Southern Baptist Missions

S B C U P D AT E S

60 Ethnically Diverse Support Shores Cooperative Program

84 The Recent Resurgence of Baptist Associations

64 WMU Adapts to Stay Focused on Mission

87 ‘Biggest Movement of God I’ve Seen’ After Scores of Unscheduled Baptisms at Tennessee Church

74 The Essentials of Life: Reflections on Battling COVID-19 80 Jeff Pearson Named SBC Executive Committee Chief Financial Officer

Rebecca Manry Communications Specialist Allison Young Publication and Project Coordinator

26 Decade-long NAMB Shift Toward Underserved Areas Transforms SBC

68 NAMB to Emphasize Hispanic Church Planting in 2021

SBC Life is published by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.

89 Americans’ Mental Health Outlook Drops, But Not for Regular Church Attenders 92 Pastors Express ‘Decision Fatigue,’ ‘Ministerial Frustration’ as COVID-19 Pandemic Lingers

SBC Life is published three times per year: Fall, Spring, and Summer. It is distributed to pastors, ministers of education, ministers of music, full-time denominational workers, chaplains, missionaries, and vocational evangelists. 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). Any article without attribution is by SBC Life staff. For advertising information, contact Hillary Krantz at hkrantz@sbc.net. SBC Life (ISSN 1081-8189) Volume 29, Number 2 © 2021 Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee

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Review Your Child Abuse Prevention Plan BY STEVE CASE

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n a season of constant change, it’s more important than ever to ensure your ministry is following its policies and procedures — especially when it comes to staff who work with children. A key aspect of risk management is safeguarding the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the children, youth and vulnerable adults in your ministry. There’s a heightened legal duty when you’re ministering to children. You have a duty to protect and keep them from harm. This duty exists regardless of where children’s ministry takes place — whether it’s in-person at church, off campus, or via online or web platforms. As you focus on staying connected with your people, you must also remember to protect them. At times like this, a predator can take advantage of the turnover happening in your staffing because of lax screening measures, delayed child abuse prevention training, a loss of supervisory staff, or relaxed digital communication procedures. Don’t let this time of disruption be a sexual predator’s point of entry into your children’s and youth ministry.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

WHAT’S THE PLAN? Ministries tend to do a good job in understanding basic procedures to screen out predators. But screening alone isn’t enough. A formal abuse prevention document establishes a culture of safety and accountability with a written record of policies, practices, guidelines and procedures designed to protect the vulnerable. The following are just a few key areas to consider including in your child abuse prevention plan: Six-month rule — Consider a requirement that individuals interested in volunteering with children attend your church for at least six months. Sexual predators seek easy access to children and typically won’t wait a long period of time to gain contact. Strengthen screening processes — Unless a sexual predator has been previously convicted, the individual most likely won’t show up on a criminal background check. That’s why you need a multilayered screening process that includes a written application, a reference check and interview, a background check, and a personal interview. Everyone

working with the vulnerable — both paid and volunteer — should be screened, even if you know them well. When doing a background check, you’ll want to work with a reputable provider to do a national criminal record check and a local background check. A local background check will often cover a five-year period, looking at the county and city in which the applicant lives. Not all local jurisdictions report to the national database — so, a local check is important. Training and education — Educate anyone who will be working with children 18 years and younger in your ministry. Have training in place that empowers your volunteers and employees to recognize the signs of predatory and grooming behaviors. Supervision — Good supervision helps to deter abuse. The goal is to prevent situations that leave one employee or volunteer alone with minors in rooms, vehicles, restrooms or via technology. GUIDELINES FOR MINISTRY WORKERS To help churches create a safe ministry environment, Brotherhood Mutual® has developed a free digital booklet that goes into greater detail about the points above and more. Child Protection in a Ministry Environment — Guidelines for Ministry Workers lays the groundwork for developing and enhancing your child protection and screening program. It also includes a sample policy manual with 16 forms and checklists. Visit brotherhoodmutual.com/guidelines.

CONTACT LEGAL ASSIST* As your ministry works on implementing or updating your child abuse prevention plan, feel free to reach out to our Legal Assist team.

We can review your plan and provide risk management guidance on this topic. This free service is provided by our in-house attorneys and is available to all ministries. Visit brotherhoodmutual.com/legalassist. *The services offered through Legal Assist are intended to provide general legal information. It does not constitute legal advice. The free service is intended to provide information that is helpful but is not a substitute for the advice of a licensed attorney in your area.

Sponsored article. Reprinted with permission of Brotherhood Mutual.

STEVE CASE has been with Brotherhood Mutual since

2014. He leads a team that helps ministries manage their legal and reputational risks. His areas of focus include child protection, worker screening, faith-based decisions, safety and security, and employment issues. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, Brotherhood Mutual is a national property and casualty insurance company with a heart for helping ministries thrive. As a leader in the industry, Brotherhood Mutual provides innovative insurance coverage and risk management resources, specifically designed to help ministries operate safely and effectively.

Download your free copy of Child Protection in a Ministry Environment — Guidelines for Ministry Workers at brotherhoodmutual.com/ guidelines

F E AT U R E D A R T I C L E

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

Decade-long NAMB Shift Toward Underserved Areas Transforms SBC BY TOBIN PERRY

hen Akeem Smith first set out to plant Storyline Church in Oakland in October of 2018, he had no idea how valuable of a resource the Send Network would be. Arriving in the area with a small team who would work with him to start a new congregation in a secular environment, he realized he needed as much support as possible.

Oakland Sunset Image by iStock.com/Kristopher Shinn

Send Network missionaries from across North America create a culture of family and brotherhood among church planters and their wives. Send Network is the church planting arm of the North American Mission Board. Image Courtesy of NAMB

“I did not know how significant they would have been going into it,” Smith said. “I just wanted to be a part of a community that was all about church planting. Once we got in the middle of church planting, I saw them respond in times of crisis and in times of need. The Send Network has been monumental for us. They’ve been a brotherhood and sisterhood for us. We’re super thankful for everything they’re doing for church planting and to move the mission forward in Oakland and around the world.” Smith is one of the church planters who are now a part of Send Network—a North American Mission Board network of Southern Baptist churches focused on starting new evangelistic churches. NAMB developed the network after a strategic shift in 2010–2011 to concentrate more resources on church planting.

After launching in 2019, Send Network church planting missionary Akeem Smith was able to reach and baptize people in his Oakland, California, community. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

Akeem Smith, North American Mission Board church planting missionary, started Storyline Church in Oakland, California, in 2019. Image Courtesy of NAMB

The Send Network has been monumental for us. They’ve been a brotherhood and sisterhood for us. We’re super thankful for everything they’re doing for church planting and to move the mission forward in Oakland and around the world.” Akeem Smith, pastor and church planter Storyline Church Oakland, California

Because of NAMB’s increased church planting impact, Smith’s Storyline Church has been able to reach people like Warren and Joanne, a couple in their twenties who attended the church’s launch and have been active since that time serving and giving. Neither of the two had ever attended church regularly before. Although the two have not become believers yet, Smith believes they are moving toward that decision. “It’s just been awesome to see that people who are not Christians come into our church and feel comfortable enough to stick around and serve,” Smith added. “They’re growing, too.”

Storyline Church in Oakland, California, provided free meals for kids in need when schools were forced to shut down during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

By an estimated three-to-one margin, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report is adopted June 15, 2010, by messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

As Southern Baptists headed to Louisville in June 2009, concerns about the Convention’s evangelistic efficacy were high. A number of metrics—including Cooperative Program giving, baptisms, and church attendance—had declined for years, some even decades. At the annual meeting in June 2009, the Convention formed a Great Commission Resurgence Task Force to look at developing recommendations for helping the SBC take a leap forward in Great Commission work. The following year the task force made seven recommendations—all approved by the Convention. The 2010 SBC messengers recommended a strategic change that would give NAMB the freedom to focus on planting churches in major urban centers in underserved areas of North America.

The 2010 SBC messengers recommended a strategic change that would give NAMB the freedom to focus on planting churches in major urban centers in underserved areas of North America.

NAMB developed Send Network after a strategic shift in 2010–2011 to concentrate more resources on church planting.

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Image by iStock.com/deberarr

Commissioning service for NAMB President Kevin Ezell in 2010. Image Courtesy of NAMB

Later that year, NAMB trustees elected Kevin Ezell to serve as the entity’s third president. NAMB used the Convention-approved GCR recommendations as the blueprint for a new national church planting strategy it launched the next year at the SBC Annual Meeting in Phoenix. “NAMB helps Southern Baptists plant new churches everywhere, for everyone, but we had to send a message that since more than 80 percent of North Americans live in or around large cities, Southern Baptists must make cities a priority,” Ezell said. “Reaching cities brings a lot of challenges. Cost of living is higher. Population density means more churches are needed per square mile. And cities are very diverse. If we are going to effectively reach cities, we have to become more diverse. Our plants already reflect that. More than half each year are ethnic or multi-ethnic in their makeup.”

Reaching cities brings a lot of challenges. . . . Population density means more churches are needed per square mile.” Kevin Ezell, president North American Mission Board

Close to 20 percent of baptisms in the SBC outside of the South have come in churches started after 2010.

In the decade since the launch of the Send Network, NAMB has shifted significant resources toward church planting in urban centers outside of the South. By 2015, more than half of the entity’s budget went to church planting. The change has had direct impact in areas of North America where Southern Baptists have struggled to make long-term impact. Close to 20 percent of baptisms in the SBC outside of the South have come in churches started after 2010. Canada has been a significant example of the impact of NAMB’s strategic changes. More than half of the churches related to the Canadian National Baptist Convention have started in the past decade. Gerry Taillon, the national ministry leader of the CNBC, notes that their convention’s refocus on church planting began in 2000. But without NAMB’s shift of ministry resources in the early 2010s, he doesn’t believe the growth in church plants would have been possible.

Send Network, the North American Mission Board’s church planting arm, helps churches plant churches everywhere for everyone to send the hope of the Gospel across North America. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

The North American Mission Board’s church planting arm, Send Network, comes alongside existing churches to help them plant churches everywhere for everyone. Image Courtesy of NAMB

Canada has been a significant example of the impact of NAMB’s strategic changes. More than half of the churches related to the Canadian National Baptist Convention have started in the past decade.

Dustin Conner (left) and his family moved to Calgary in 2017 as they prepared to start a Hope Church in a city that is roughly 95 percent unreached. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

Taillon says that the shift is critical to the Canadian convention’s ability to reach the country because church plants have been particularly effective evangelistically. “Typically, the longer a church is in existence, the more it concentrates on its needs, fulfilling its ministry,” Taillon said. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. But new churches tend to reach new people. And so, they fill niches that aren’t filled. They target people that we typically might ignore. There’s a kind of a vigor with a new church, where the whole congregation seems to orient not necessarily toward who is there, but who they’re trying to reach.”

Missionaries Rev. and Mrs. Alan Johnson (left) with the Templo Bautista congregation in Calexio, California. Images Courtesy of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee

J. D. Payne, a professor of Christian ministry at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, says church planting isn’t something new for Southern Baptists. The SBC has been a leader in church planting in North America for generations. But Payne notes NAMB’s efforts of the last decade has helped to bring attention to areas of the country that have been underserved. “The other thing is raising up leaders,” Payne said. “Anytime we talk about church planting, we’re talking about developing more leaders and getting them involved in using their gifts, passions, talents, and abilities, whether they are lead church planters or serving on another part of the team. Drawing attention to that has been very helpful.”

The SBC has been a leader in church planting in North America for generations. . . . NAMB’s efforts of the last decade has helped to bring attention to areas of the country that have been underserved.

Send Network, the North American Mission Board’s church planting arm, has encouraged churches across North America to pray for their church planting missionaries and seek out ways they can engage North America with the Gospel. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

If churches are only taking care of their flock, then they’re missing out on a whole bunch of stuff that God could do with them. It’s more about the Kingdom than the church. The church is not the end game. The Kingdom is the end game.” Gerry Taillon, national ministry leader Canadian National Baptist Convention

Taillon believes Southern Baptists today can learn from how NAMB refocused on church planting in urban areas over the last decade. He points to what he has learned from one of his mentors, Henry Blackaby. “[Henry Blackaby] taught us that churches are mission centers,” Taillon said. “If churches are only taking care of their flock, then they’re missing out on a whole bunch of stuff that God could do with them. It’s more about the Kingdom than the church. The church is not the end game. The Kingdom is the end game. And so, shouldn’t churches give themselves away?” To reach North America’s culturally and ethnically diverse cities, the North American Mission Board’s Send Network has

TOBIN PERRY is a writer in Evansville, Indiana.

intentionally sought to help churches raise up a diverse set of church planting missionaries. Image Courtesy of NAMB

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‘New Directions’ Helps to Usher In a New Era of Southern Baptist Missions BY TOBIN PERRY

Shanghai, China: Locals gather at dawn to practice Tai Chi by the Monument for People’s Heroes in Huangpu Park. Image Courtesy of IMB.

hen Southern Baptist missions leaders Jerry Rankin, Don Kammerdiener, and Avery Willis met for a weekend retreat in February 1997, God was moving in unprecedented ways throughout the world. “Researchers were already reporting that more progress had been made in global evangelization in the 1990s than all the previous two hundred years since William Carey’s going to India launched the modern missionary movement,” said Rankin, who served as the president of the SBC International Mission Board from 1993 to 2010. “However, the work of the IMB was somewhat static.” The Soviet Union had collapsed just a few years earlier, and new ministry opportunities were available. China was seeing an unprecedented harvest, according to Rankin. Yet in both instances structural limits hampered further Southern Baptist involvement. Making up the IMB’s Senior Executive Team (SET), the trio determined from the beginning that no administrative issues would be on the agenda for the weekend. They would spend

Bobbye and Jerry Rankin make friends with a group of children in Asia while visiting the mission field in 1995. Image Courtesy of IMB.

Friday night in prayer and all day Saturday discussing what God was saying to them. Rankin says one question dominated the weekend’s discussions. “We are going to enter a new millennium for only the second time in Christian history in three years,” Rankin said. “Our world is changing, and God is moving. As the largest Protestant missionary entity in the world, what should we look like and what should we be doing when we enter the twenty-first century?” By the end of the weekend, Rankin, Kammerdiener, and Willis set in motion several key structural changes that would fundamentally transform how Southern Baptists pursued the Great Commission over the next few decades. These changes centered on how missions decisions were made on the field, a more seamless integration of traditional missionary personnel and personnel in emerging fields, and a clearer focus on deploying missionaries to engage people groups previously unreached by the Gospel. The IMB’s shift toward a focus on people groups, particularly those previously unreached, was part of a trend among evangelicals in the last three decades of the twentieth century. According to J. D. Payne, professor of Christian ministry

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

We are going to enter a new millennium for only the second time in Christian history in three years. Our world is changing, and God is moving. As the largest Protestant missionary entity in the world, what should we look like and what should we be doing when we enter the twenty-first century?” Jerry Rankin, former president International Mission Board

Don and Meredith Kammerdiener Image Courtesy of IMB.

Shirley and Avery Willis (center) meet with believers at a Baptist church in Indonesia in 1972. Image Courtesy of IMB.

Burkinabé pastor Bonogo Fulgence baptizes two truckers. The men had come to Christ through the IMB’s West Africa trucker ministry. Image Courtesy of IMB.

The IMB’s shift toward a focus on people groups, particularly those previously unreached, was part of a trend among evangelicals in the last three decades of the twentieth century.

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at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, the evangelical paradigm shift stemmed largely from a 1974 presentation by Ralph Winter at the Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization. In the presentation, Winter challenged the prevailing thought that cross-cultural evangelism could take a back seat to other missions efforts because the Gospel had punctured every geographic country. Winter, then a professor at Fuller Seminary, pointed to 2.5 billion people worldwide who still didn’t have access to the Gospel in their own language and cultural context. Many of these unreached people groups were in countries where political realities limited the access of traditional missionaries. In the 1980s, the IMB—by then the largest missions-sending agency in the world—began exploring creative ways to get missionaries into these “closed countries,” where they could engage unreached people groups.

In the 1980s, the IMB—by then the largest missions-sending agency in the world—began exploring creative ways to get missionaries into these “closed countries,” where they could engage unreached people groups.

“The IMB was instrumental in communicating global realities to the local churches,” Payne said. “Our international mission efforts have, for a long period of time, attempted to identify fieldbased realities, and then figure out ways to not only allow those realities to influence our strategy, but at the same time, how to communicate those realities to the local churches. Of all the denominations out there, Southern Baptists have always been on the cutting edge.” In April 1985, the board started Cooperative Services International (CSI), which helped Southern Baptist workers get into countries where missionaries weren’t allowed. “CSI began on a very different model,” said Zane Pratt, the IMB’s vice president for global training. “It was a let’s-be-creative kind of model that had a specific people group focus rather than a geographic country focus. Instead of decision-making missions, you just reported directly to a supervisor. You could request personnel any

North Africa and Middle East Regions. Image Courtesy of IMB.

IMB missionary Doug Derbyshire (right) meets physical and spiritual needs as a medical doctor in Thailand. Image Courtesy of IMB.

A small Roma boy, hoping for some loose change from the people walking past, sits in the path of the Stone Bridge that leads into the city center of Skopje, North Macedonia, with its impressive jumble of buildings, monuments, and statues. Image Courtesy of IMB.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

CSI began on a very different model. It was a let’s-becreative kind of model that had a specific people group focus rather than a geographic country focus.” Zane Pratt vice president for global training International Mission Board

time. You could request funding for projects at any time during the year. And that rapidly proved itself to be highly fruitful in many parts of the world.” By the time Rankin became the IMB’s president in June 1993, the board’s engagement with unreached people groups through CSI was growing and represented some of its most effective ministry. Yet the strategies that made the work among unreached people groups so effective had also remained largely in a silo and separate from the vast majority of Southern Baptist work in more traditional mission fields. The changes Rankin and the other leaders initiated after the 1997 weekend retreat became what’s known as New Directions, which launched

Epice, a Bantu deacon in a mixed Pygmy/Bantu church in the Congo, practices sharing a story from the life of King David. Image Courtesy of IMB.

Image Courtesy of IMB.

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a comprehensive focus on engaging unreached people groups worldwide. Through New Directions, the IMB reassigned more than half of its missionary force to these emerging mission fields. “It took a long time to trickle down to the local churches,” Payne said. “But I think it has been, obviously, one of the most important shifts in Southern Baptist mission work in the history of our denomination when we moved to a more people group focus.” Rankin noted that after the adoption of the New Direction changes, engaging new people groups began to dominate the thinking throughout the IMB. “The harvest began to accelerate on established fields as newly engaged people groups were targeted,” Rankin said. “Church growth globally began to be reported in double digits rather than the traditional 2 to 4 percent annually.”

A volunteer on a short-term mission trip works with children in a village in Mozambique. Image Courtesy of IMB.

Through ‘New Directions,’ the IMB reassigned more than half of its missionary force to these emerging mission fields.

Malagasy Baptist leaders in Madagascar gathered for training with IMB personnel. They are preparing to send missionaries to unreached areas of their island nation. Image Courtesy of IMB.

Map Courtesy of IMB.

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IMB missionary Daniel Lowry (left) works alongside national partners to train a future generation of African Baptist pastors at Kenya Baptist Theological College in Limuru near Nairobi. Image Courtesy of IMB.

It took a long time to trickle down to the local churches. But I think it has been, obviously, one of the most important shifts in Southern Baptist mission work in the history of our denomination when we moved to a more people group focus.” J. D. Payne professor of Christian ministry Samford University

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The New Directions changes of the late 1990s have become a pervasive element of the IMB in the two decades that have followed, Pratt says. “We went through another major reorganization in 2009,” Pratt said. “But in many ways, it was simply carrying things a little further forward. We’ve retained our emphasis on people groups. We’ve retained our emphasis on strategic thinking and strategic planning. We’ve retained our goal to be as nimble as possible in what we’re doing.” Pratt believes Southern Baptists can learn from the IMB changes in the late 1990s as they approach the need to make ministry shifts today. For example, he points particularly to the concept of “hidden peoples” and urges churches not to look at their communities as simply homogeneous groups but to learn to see unique segments that may not be getting a clear Gospel witness. Pratt said: “Churches in the states, especially as God is bringing the nations to our shores, really need to have this people group focus. We need

We went through another major reorganization in 2009. But in many ways, it was simply carrying things a little further forward. We’ve retained our emphasis on people groups. We’ve retained our emphasis on strategic thinking and strategic planning. We’ve retained our goal to be as nimble as possible in what we’re doing.” Zane Pratt

to begin to ask ourselves this question: ‘Who has God placed around me that needs a particular emphasis or strategy to reach with the Gospel?’” For more about some of the changes and milestones that have marked IMB history over the past 175 years, see the timeline at imb.org/175.

The Foreign Mission Board of the SBC changed its name to the International Mission Board in June 1997. For sake of clarity, International Mission Board (IMB) is used throughout this article.

TOBIN PERRY is a writer in Evansville, Indiana.

The largest urban areas in South Asia are Mumbai, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, and Kolkata. These cities represent millions who have never heard about salvation found in Jesus. Image Courtesy of IMB.

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From left to right: Petr Jasek with Hassan Abduraheem, Kuwa Shamal and Petr’s translator, Abdulmonem Abdumawla

God Opened the Door VOM Staff Member Petr Jasek Tells of His 14-Month Imprisonment in Sudan

n Dec. 10, 2015, I was preparing to return home from Sudan after spending four days evaluating how The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) could help the church there. While waiting for my flight at the Khartoum airport, a security officer tapped me on the shoulder and gestured for me to follow him. Everything seemed routine until the officer placed several photographs on a table before me. I stared in shock at photos of me in a restaurant where I had met a Sudanese pastor. Clearly, Sudanese police had been watching me ever since I entered the country. I looked nervously at my watch. My plane was about to take off, and I wasn’t going to be on it. Instead, I was being falsely charged with multiple crimes, including espionage and illegal entrance to Sudan.

***

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I experienced persecution at a young age as a pastor’s son in Communist Czechoslovakia. My father was harassed and arrested for being a pastor, and my brothers, sisters and I were harassed at school for refusing to join Communist causes. Although my parents were occasionally detained because of their Christian work, we considered it an honor to suffer persecution for the name of Christ (Phil. 1:29). God had been preparing me for that tap on the shoulder at the Khartoum airport ever since I was a young boy.

In a Cell with ISIS Authorities at the Khartoum airport first confiscated my camera and laptop. Then, they questioned me for almost 24 hours, before leading me to a cell at about 1:30 a.m. After stepping into the cell and turning as the guard closed the door, I

was struck by the sense that I had seen that door before. More than two years earlier, I had dreamed that I was in prison. And in that dream, I clearly saw the door of my prison cell and heard the lock click into place. When I realized the door I had seen in my dream was the same door I was looking at in my Sudanese prison cell, I was reminded that the omniscient God I serve is sovereign over anything I might face. The next morning I met my cellmates, who immediately asked about news from the outside world. As I began to tell them about recent attacks by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) that had killed 129 people in Paris, they jumped to their feet and began shouting, “Allahu akbar!” (Allah is great!). Their joy at hearing this news shocked and frightened me, so I didn’t share any further information with them. My cellmates read the Quran aloud

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THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS

throughout the day and demanded that I stand in the bathroom facing the toilet during their five prescribed prayer times each day. I wondered how long I could stand the constant drone of Quranic verses without losing my mind. Although I didn’t have a Bible in those early days of my imprisonment, God graciously reminded me of specific Scripture passages that I knew well. The hardest thing was being away from my family and not knowing whether they were aware of what had happened to me. I tried not to think about them so my cellmates wouldn’t see me crying.

Holy, Holy, Holy After a few weeks in that cell, God reminded me of Revelation 4:8, which I began to repeat in my mind: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!” I focused on God’s holiness and power instead of my own situation. Then the conditions in my prison cell deteriorated. My cellmates made it clear that because I was a Christian, they considered me an infidel of little value. They began calling me “filthy rat” and “filthy pig.” And when I didn’t reply, they hit me with a broom handle and forced me to stand in a corner for hours at a time. Then they began to punch and kick me. They also questioned me about the Christian work I was doing in Sudan, hitting me when they weren’t satisfied with my answer. One particular beating was so bad — a 400-pound guy kicked me with his shoes on — that I thought I had a broken rib. My cellmates soon increased the pressure on me. At one point, one of them sharpened the edge of a metal plate while threatening to slit my throat. Another time, they attempted to torture me with “waterboarding.” They said my country, the Czech Republic, had cooperated with the United States

Today Petr shares his testimony around the world, including at some VOM Advance Conferences, telling Christians how God sustained him and showed him a kingdom purpose as he was imprisoned in Sudan.

in waterboarding Muslims. As they collected water to pour on my face and prepared to bind my hands and feet, a guard who had overheard their plans moved me to another cell. I believe that guard was sent by the Lord to save my life.

I simply focused on the people God placed in my path each day and asked Him to use me to build His kingdom while I was in prison.

Another Month in Prison On the 10th of each month, which marked another month since my arrest, I struggled with discouragement and depression. “How long, oh Lord, will You leave me here?” I asked. God answered my question on April 10, 2016, by which time I had been moved to another prison. That night, when 14 new prisoners were added to my

already overcrowded cell, God led me to share my testimony with them. The new prisoners were from Eritrea, a country I had visited for VOM. After getting to know them, I shared my testimony and introduced them to the gospel. Several of the Eritreans listened attentively, and two placed their faith in Christ. The next morning, all 14 were transferred out of the prison and I never saw them again. I’m confident, though, that I’ll see at least two of them again in heaven. The Lord had turned that day of discouragement and depression into a day of ministry and celebration. And from that day onward, I experienced a radical change of heart, no longer fretting about my court hearings and how long I would be in prison. In fact, I even stopped praying that I would be released from prison. I simply focused on the people God placed in my path each day and asked Him to use me to build His kingdom while I was in prison. Later in April, I received a visit from a Czech Republic embassy official, who brought me a much-appreciated Czech

PERSECUTION RESPONSE

Bible. After almost five months without God’s Word, I was hungry! I could read my Bible only in the daytime, when natural light entered my cell, so I read it from 8 in the morning until about 4 in the afternoon every day. Leaning against the prison bars so the light would fall across the pages, I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in three weeks. My trial dragged on for months, as hearings occurred only once a week and were often canceled at the judge’s discretion or when there was no electricity in the courthouse. Some of the lawyers began to tell me that I would be going home soon, but I didn’t believe it. I felt certain the court would find me guilty and I would remain in prison. Finally, on Jan. 29, 2017, I was summoned to the courtroom to hear my verdict and sentence: guilty on multiple charges with a life prison sentence. Under Sudanese law, that meant 20 years plus another four years for the additional convictions.

While I had fully expected to be found guilty, hearing the judge say “life in prison” hit me hard. Would I survive 20 more years in prison? Would I ever see my family again? But I also took comfort

But I also took comfort in the promise I had made to God that I was willing to stay in prison as long as He would use me. in the promise I had made to God that I was willing to stay in prison as long as He would use me. Clearly, He had a plan for me there.

The Lord Has Done Great Things for Us On Feb. 23, 2017, as I sat in the prison yard reading Psalm 126, the prison commander approached me and said, “Petr, you are getting released today.” Three days later, I was on an airplane

with the foreign minister of the Czech Republic, about to leave the airport where I had received that tap on the shoulder 14 months earlier. The first letter I had written to my family from prison included these words of encouragement: “Please be strong in the Lord and trust Him that He is in control. He is the One that has keys for my cell.” After 445 days in prison, God used those keys to open my cell door. Returning home after being sentenced to life in prison gave me an interesting perspective. Although I gave my life to Christ when I was 15 years old, I think it has more meaning now when I say, “Lord, the rest of my life is Yours. You brought me out of prison. You saved me from a life sentence. The rest of my life is Yours; it is in Your hands. Here I am. I want to serve You for the rest of my life.” ◼ Listen to Petr share his story on VOM Radio at VOMRadio.net/Petr.

Petr brings encouragement and help to Christians in a Nigerian village through the provision of livestock to widows.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

persecution.com

IMPRISONED forCHRIST V I R T U A L

F R I DAY

PETR JASEK

Imprisoned in Sudan

E V E N T

M A R C H 5 , 2 02 1

6 : 3 0 P. M . C ST

ANDREW BRUNSON Imprisoned in Turkey

DAN BAUMANN Imprisoned in Iran

TODD NETTLETON

NATALIE GRANT

Moderator

Worship Music

Be inspired by the stories of three men who were

A R R E S T E D . I N T E R R O G AT E D . I M P R I S O N E D . But God remained faithful. In addition to their firsthand testimonies, you will enjoy an engaging panel discussion led by VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton and inspiring worship music from Dove Award–winning artist Natalie Grant. You can also host this special event at your church!

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S B C U P D AT E

Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida Senior Pastor David Galvan, shown at his thirtieth pastoral celebration, supports the Cooperative Program from a personal conviction experienced early in his ministry. Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

Ethnically Diverse Support Shores Cooperative Program BY DIANA CHANDLER

onvictional support for the Cooperative Program began in the heart of Pastor David Galvan after he attended what was then the Mexican Baptist Convention decades ago. “It was understood that Hispanics reached Hispanics, nothing against anyone else,” said Galvan, who is now nearing his thirty-ninth anniversary as pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida (New Life Church) in Dallas. “I was following my leaders.”

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

But in 1983, when recognizing the one hundredth anniversary of Primera Iglesia Bautista de Laredo, the first Southern Baptist church plant designed to serve Hispanics in the US, the reality of the Great Commission and Acts 1:8 led Galvan to what he describes as a James 5 moment of confession. “I started thinking, wow, this was such a sin. I was convinced, indirectly, that my calling was to reach Mexicans for Christ, when the call is to the

Samaritans—to the Jew first—and it’s to the whole world,” he said. That was the day he committed the church to giving 10 percent to diverse missions. Today, Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Dallas is a leading Southern Baptist Hispanic church in supporting missions. The church of about 650 worshipers gives about 4.7 percent of undesignated gifts to the Cooperative Program, according to the 2019 Annual Church Profile (ACP), and, according to Galvan, a total of 15 percent of undesignated gifts to Great Commission work. “I would say, without being mystical about it, if you want to see the hand of God, if you want to see the blessing of God, then obey Him, and be a part of the Great Commission and give to the Cooperative Program,” Galvan said, offering advice to other churches. The Cooperative Program of supporting local, national, and global Southern Baptist work draws support from a diversity of the fifty thousand Southern Baptist churches and missions in the nation. On average, including churches that support the CP and those that don’t, each church gives 4.82 percent of its undesignated offerings through the CP, according to Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee statistics. When including only those churches that give through the CP, the average gift is 7.82 percent, said Willie McLaurin, SBC EC vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization. “The strong cooperation of racially and ethnically diverse churches across the Southern Baptist Convention reminds us that we can do more together than we can do by ourselves. The Cooperative Program unites us around the Great Commission,” McLaurin said. “Our unified efforts will advance the vision to win every person to Jesus in every town, every city, every state, and every nation.” Simeon Baptist Church, an African American congregation of about 125 worshipers in Antioch, Tennessee, has supported the CP since the church’s founding in 1991. “We participated in the Cooperative Program and learned the importance of it in terms of

supporting international missions and also missions within the US,” Senior Pastor John Rollins Sr. said. “We truly believe that those who are out there in the field need the financial help amongst established churches and also newbirth churches. “So we have supported the Cooperative Program since our birth, and the important thing is that we’re trying to stay under the Great Commission of reaching those who are unsaved, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Simeon Baptist gave 7 percent of its undesignated gifts through the CP in 2019, according to the ACP. Rollins said the church’s 350 members also participate in mission trips. The church gives to missions through the Nashville Baptist Association, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board. Rollins believes more churches would support the CP if they realized the CP’s full impact, which includes local as well as widespread missions. “I guess one of the biggest drawbacks is, ‘What does [the CP] do for me and what does it do for my community?’” Rollins said. “But without the understanding . . . of what it is, we tend to have a barrier wall there. ‘Why should I support the missions or how does it benefit me?’ As a church, at Simeon, we have not only supported, but we have been benefitted.” Rollins said the church has utilized Southern Baptist grants to help purchase land and property, gain educational scholarships, and support women’s ministry efforts. First Chinese Baptist Church, a multilingual congregation in the Chinatown community of Los Angeles, California, ranks 208th among the top five hundred giving churches based on dollar amounts given, according to EC statistics. From $3.4 million received in undesignated gifts in 2019, the church gave just under $215,000 through the CP, according to the ACP. Senior Pastor Benny Wong considers support for CP to be an essential part of being Southern Baptist, and sees many benefits in giving.

Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Dallas is a leading Southern Baptist Hispanic church in supporting missions. The church of about 650 worshipers gives about 4.7 percent of undesignated gifts to the Cooperative Program.

“As a part of SBC, I think it’s our responsibility. We cannot neglect our responsibility,” Wong said. “A lot of missionaries are doing wonderful work. The IMB missionaries, they don’t even need to do fundraising or anything like that because of Cooperative Program. Someone has to chip in.” Wong notes the church’s founding by Southern Baptist pastor Manly Rankin in 1952 to serve the local community. Today, the church of 1,500 worshipers includes speakers of Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. “We are indebted to him in many ways and I think as our gratefulness, we should support our denomination,” Wong said. “And also, we appreciate the work the SBC is doing. We believe the Cooperative Program can lead the denomination to really carry out the good plans they have. Without financial support, ideas are just ideas.” Wong encourages churches to think outside the box of giving only to local needs, which can be overwhelming. Wong points out the bigger picture of global missions, which smaller churches would be hard-pressed to conduct alone. “I understand . . . sometimes we think a little differently. ‘If we cannot take care of our own people first, why should we give a substantial amount of money to support, quote, outsiders?’ I understand that,” Wong said. “But it is more pleasant to give than to receive.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

“If we say, ‘Why don’t we take care of all the internal problems and challenges, then we can give to the Cooperative Program?’ Keep in mind, internal problems are endless. That means you cannot really give, you cannot really participate in this bigger picture until Jesus returns, because your internal problems are endless.” Approximately 4,300 churches give 10 percent or more of their undesignated gifts to the Cooperative Program. Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, was the top Southern Baptist church in supporting the Cooperative Program in dollars given in 2019, having committed years ago to give 15 percent of undesignated gifts to the CP. The congregation of more than four thousand worshipers gave $2,043,818 to the CP in 2019, according to the ACP. “We actually went from 10 to 15 percent in the late ’90s in the very process of when we were building a $28 million worship center,” said Senior Pastor David Dykes. “It’s really been a part of our DNA at Green Acres from the very beginning. Green Acres is sixty-five years young this year, and our first pastor was Cecil Johnson, who himself had been a missionary to Mexico. “So I think that, from the very beginning of our church, just made it a part of our DNA, to not only support missions financially, but really to participate in missions.” Green Acres emphasizes missions above CP giving with an annual banquet. Last fall the church hosted a viewing of IMB’s digital summit “The Future of Missions.” “Our missionaries are still on the field, and they are still in need of our support,” Dykes said. “What has not changed, through COVID, is the presence and the passion of our North American Mission Board missionaries and our International Mission Board missionaries.” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on November 2, 2020.

DIANA CHANDLER is Baptist Press’s senior writer.

S B C U P D AT E

Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

WMU Adapts to Stay Focused on Mission BY MARGARET COLSON AND JULIE WALTERS

pproximately 170 missions leaders— from Hawaii to Maine and everywhere in between—gathered online for WMU’s 2021 board meeting, January 8–9. Linda Cooper, president, and Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director, acknowledged 2020 could be characterized as a year of “overwhelming, catastrophic loss,” yet went on to speak of God’s faithfulness. In response to the economic downturn that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, members of WMU’s executive board approved the exploration of selling the WMU building and/or property.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

WMU’s first headquarters was in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1888. The organization relocated to Birmingham in 1921 and operated from two different locations downtown. The current headquarters was constructed in 1984. Despite the COVID pandemic that sharply impacted sales as many churches suspended in-person gatherings, WMU affirmed that the “mission matters most” and quickly adapted in 2020, making mid-course corrections to ensure the organization ended the year in the black, including a voluntary retirement offer elected by twelve staff members.

The twelve who accepted the retirement offer are “valued friends and colleagues [who] made countless contributions to our work over the years and will be greatly missed,” said Julie Walters, corporate communication manager for national WMU. With fewer national staff members and present personnel effectively working remotely since March due to the pandemic, WMU leaders said it has become a more agile organization. “WMU has always sought to steward well the resources entrusted in our care, and we are leveraging our resources to make the largest impact possible for the Kingdom,” Wisdom-Martin said. “Together, we are committed to making a difference through missions discipleship, leadership development and compassion ministries.”

Holding the Ropes Via recorded video, IMB President Paul Chitwood stated that throughout their 175-year history, Southern Baptists have maintained an uninterrupted witness among the nations in spite of famine, wars, civil unrest, and in 2020, a global pandemic. “We give gratitude to God for all that Southern Baptists are doing to reach the world for Christ and certainly for our WMU partners and advocates,” Chitwood said. “Without fail, since the auxiliary was founded in 1888, Southern Baptist women and men have held the lifeline of international missions through WMU-led prayers, WMUled financial support, and WMU-led opportunities to go to the lost, both at home and abroad. Because your authentic, heartfelt efforts are truly undergirding us, I want to say thank you, to each one of you for steadfastly holding this lifeline.” Also addressing the group via recorded video, North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell said, “You make such a huge difference in the lives of our missionaries through your prayers, your encouragement, and the tangible gifts you provide for them, literally all year long.”

Adjusting for the Future The board had previously adopted a 2020–21 budget that was down approximately $1 million from the 2019–20 budget, which was $5.8 million. Walters explained that the 2020–21 budget was “adjusted based on anticipated expenses and projected revenue.” Even with a decrease in staff members and budget, WMU leaders remain focused on the organization’s “mission of making disciples of Jesus who live on mission,” Walters said. She added: “Next steps include serving churches well and supporting pastors, providing more missional resources for individuals and families, and exploring modifications to our business model. Through WMU’s missions discipleship, leadership development, and compassion ministries, we will seek to advance our current level of Kingdom impact in every state and thirty-nine countries.” WMU is a nonprofit missions organization that serves as an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention with the purpose of making disciples of Jesus who live on mission. National WMU is not a part of the Cooperative Program allocation budget and receives no funds from the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. National WMU is supported through the sale of magazines and products, and from investments and charitable contributions. Adapted from Baptist Press stories by Margaret Colson on November 2, 2020, and Julie Walters on January 13, 2021.

MARGARET COLSON is a writer in Marietta, Georgia, and executive director of Baptist Communicators Association. JULIE WALTERS is corporate communication manager for national WMU.

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S B C U P D AT E

NAMB to Emphasize Hispanic Church Planting in 2021 BY BRANDON ELROD

J. D. Fasolino, right, is a North American Mission Board church planting missionary in Toronto. Fasolino, originally from Venezuela, moved to Toronto to reach the Hispanic population in and around the city. Image Courtesy of NAMB

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

ver the course of the next decade, demographic projections estimate the Hispanic population will increase by 30 percent, up from the 2016 figure of fifty-seven million to seventy-four million people by 2030. In recognizing these demographic shifts, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) will emphasize Hispanic church planting starting in 2021. “We are on the path to becoming the largest ethnic group in the United States, even larger than the Anglo population,” said Julio Arriola, executive director of Hispanic relations and mobilization with the SBC Executive Committee. “Most of these Hispanics don’t have a relationship with Jesus.” The Hispanic population currently makes up nearly 20 percent of the US population and is far and away the fastest growing ethnic group in the US, a fact that led NAMB in recent years to produce Send Network planting resources in the area of assessment, training, and coaching for Spanish-speaking church planting missionaries. Send Network also made a Spanish version of its Multiplication Pipeline available. “We want to be strategic in reaching North America with the hope of the Gospel,” NAMB president Kevin Ezell said. “That means that we need to be sure to emphasize Hispanic church planting. The demographic shift that is taking place is incredible, and we must take the Gospel to the places where it is needed most.” Ezell announced the Hispanic focus at a meeting with NAMB’s Board of Trustees October 6.

The Hispanic population currently makes up nearly 20 percent of the US population and is far and away the fastest growing ethnic group in the US.

Arriola, whose role with the Executive Committee is jointly funded by NAMB, serves as a major catalyst for seeing more Hispanic churches launched. “We have great interest from church planters to plant more Hispanic churches, but we need more missionaries,” Arriola said. “We ought to pray and call out the called. We need to explore all of the different ways to harvest champions for Hispanic church planting in the United States.” Anglo Southern Baptist churches across North America can help, Arriola said, by opening their eyes to the Hispanic communities found within their own cities, towns, and neighborhoods. From there, a team effort within the Southern Baptist ecosystem could lead to flourishing Hispanic ministries and church plants. “Those churches located in communities with large Hispanic populations should consider opening Spanish-speaking services and starting Hispanic churches,” Arriola said. “Those in the SBC are here to help and assist in the process through collaboration with NAMB, our seminaries, and through the state and regional conventions.”

While emphasizing the need for this focus, Arriola also spoke about the need to conduct these Hispanic ministries with excellence. “There are no shortcuts to developing a healthy, thriving Hispanic church or service,” Arriola said. “Churches need to make sure those leaders and church planters are well trained and biblically sound in their beliefs and practice.” Through seminaries, the SBC’s Hispanic fellowships, NAMB, and state conventions, there is a pipeline of Hispanic ministers who are ready to serve. “We are putting together a pool of new leaders and future church planters that will help us reach our goals,” Arriola said. “America has the second highest population of Hispanics in the world behind Mexico. Through all of our Southern Baptist partners and our 3,500 Hispanic [Southern Baptist] churches, we are seeing leaders prepared and developed for the ministry.” Arriola believes Latino culture is a major asset for reaching everyone, not just Hispanics. There is a need beyond simply focusing on Spanish-speaking ministry opportunities. “We can’t expect Anglo churches to be intentional in reaching Latinos and other ethnic groups if we, Latinos, are only intentional in reaching Hispanics,” Arriola said. “We ought to reach all people from every town, every city, and every nation. Our unique Hispanic culture is a great platform to help us reach more people even beyond our own ethnicity.” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on October 20, 2020.

BRANDON ELROD writes for the North American Mission Board.

Week of Prayer

MARCH 7 – 14, 2021

SHAHID & MAROOFA

RYAN & TRICIA

VICTOR & LUDMILA

ANDERS & JESSICA

DELTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

AVONDALE ESTATES, GEORGIA

SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

NAMPA, IDAHO

KAMAL

MCCAMMACK

MOURA

SNYDER

Dear Pastors and Missions L eaders North America is a mission field of complex cultures and diverse religious practices. Missionaries here face challenges from secularism to language barriers to a historic health crisis. Yet, in spite of the obstacles, God’s mission always moves forward. Your partnership is the fuel that helps make it possible. Thank you for your generous gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering in 2019-2020. With your support, thousands of missionaries are on the field serving unreached communities and making an eternal impact. This year, our offering goal of $70 million has even greater significance to ensure the mission moves forward. I’m asking you to share our featured missionaries’ stories and help us reach this visionary goal. We are so grateful for your continued prayers, your generosity and your commitment to reaching the 275 million without Christ in North America. It is our privilege to be your partner as we work together to transform lives.

Ser ving together, Kevin Ezell

Lead your church to pray and share these mission stories that your gifts make possible. Find resources at AnnieArmstrong.com.

JOSHUA

BOBBY & LAKEISHA

JACOB & FRANCINE

FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO

SLIDELL, LOUISIANA

SANGER, CALIFORNIA

VALDEZ

WILLIAMS

ZAILIAN

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S B C U P D AT E

The Essentials of Life Reflections on Battling COVID-19 BY C. J. MACDONALD

y father had told me a few times during my life that his father had died at fifty-four years old. Even as a child, I knew how young fifty-four was. I had always thought that fifty-four years was the bare minimum of what a length of life should be. As I lay in my hospital bed at age fifty-three, suffering the effects of COVID-19, I felt a deep sadness that I almost missed that bare minimum—but also a sense of relief that I had been blessed with more time.

Fighting for Life

C. J. MacDonald with his wife Dylana about two months after he was hospitalized with COVID-19. Images Courtesy of C. J. MacDonald

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

My symptoms started on March 22. I stayed in bed with a fever for four days before my wife Dylana took me to the emergency room. At that time, the hospital did not have enough COVID-19 tests. Even though I had many of the symptoms, they released me after a few hours to return home. As we left the hospital, the nurse advised us to get a pulse oximeter, a device that clips on the edge of a finger to monitor blood oxygen level. Dylana scoured the internet and discovered that there was only one unit left in Dallas—at a store a mile away from our house. Two days later, the device revealed that my oxygen level had declined sharply. We left for the hospital immediately.

I was admitted and given a coronavirus test. Over the next few days, my oxygen level continued to decrease. I was moved to the ICU and put on a ventilator. Meanwhile, Dylana also was having a rough time. No visitors were allowed in the hospital, so she could only stay at home and speak to hospital staff on the phone a few times a day to receive updates. She was helpless from afar, and she spent her days and nights worrying, crying, researching the disease and new treatments, and texting the many large groups of people who wanted updates. I would not have made it through this time without her strength and perseverance, and she is truly a gift from God. As she researched potential treatments, she learned of an immunosuppressive drug that was being investigated as a treatment for COVID-19. She called around and found that in the entire health system, there were only two doses left. My doctors secured the doses for me. On April 3, they removed the tubes. When I awoke, I thought I had been asleep for six hours. I was surprised when I was told that it was the better part of four days. Though my eyesight was still blurry and my body weak, I could see that I had received text messages from forty-three people. I also learned that when my neighbor heard about my condition, she stood in the parking lot outside my window and prayed for me. Fortunately, I made rapid progress over the next few days. During my recovery, a steady stream of hospital personnel not working on my case would come by, stand outside my isolation room, and just stare at me. My nurse told me that I was the only patient on the floor who had been taken off a ventilator so far. I was apparently giving the hospital staff some hope during their daily shifts filled with chaos, uncertainty, and sadness.

I was admitted and given a coronavirus test. Over the next few days, my oxygen level continued to decrease. I was moved to the ICU and put on a ventilator.

When I left the hospital on April 6 in a wheelchair, about one hundred health care workers lined the halls, clapping and cheering as I passed by. Someone had recovered and was leaving their ward. In dark times, this was one small thing that brought joy to these tireless heroes. These selfless people all risked their own lives and health to save mine. I thought it was absurd that they were clapping for me, so I clapped for them as well.

Miracles and Blessings

My nurse told me that I was the only patient on the floor who had been taken off a ventilator so far. I was apparently giving the hospital staff some hope during their daily shifts filled with chaos, uncertainty, and sadness.

SBC.NET | SPRING 2021

The old saying goes that there are no atheists in foxholes. We could adapt that statement to say that there is no one without faith in a COVID-19 care unit. The patients, their families, and the healthcare workers are all constantly praying for miracles and blessings from the Lord. After all, drugs, tubes, and ventilators can only do so much. My story is full of miracles: Finding the only available pulse oximeter in Dallas to alert me of my declining condition. Being able to procure the experimental treatment to aid my recovery. The prayers of my neighbor and the many people who reached out to my wife and me. And being the first COVID-19 patient in my unit to come off a ventilator. These miracles happen every day— true faith makes them possible and visible if we open our eyes to them.

Lessons Learned As I reflected on the experience, I realized some things. First, I realized that I had been very selfish. When I became sick, I told my wife to inform only people who needed to know—my best friend, my parents, and my work team at GuideStone. I wanted to keep this information as close

as possible. I may have been embarrassed that I, of all people, had contracted the virus. But my attitude was, “I’ve got this. I will be back in two days. Don’t tell anyone!” I thought only of how this would affect me and not how it would affect the large group of people who cared about me. Second, I was unaware of how many people did care. It can be very easy to not have a clue about how many people would endure a profound loss if you were gone. I underestimated the large group of folks that care about me—who came out of the woodwork during my hospital stay to pray and support my wife and me, and who offered such kind words to me after I came home. I realized again how foolish it had been to try to keep this news to myself. And third, I overestimated my power to control things. In any battle like this, most of us think we can bring all the weapons to the fight that we need. But the truth is that no matter how strong we are, how great a shape we are in, and how much experience we have facing hardships, we alone cannot bring everything that we need to the fight. We need the strength of the prayers of friends and strangers and the tireless, generous work of health care professionals. With this fully-staffed all-star team—and with the power and blessings of the Lord—we cannot fail.

What Really Matters Since my recovery, the everyday annoyances and challenges of life do not bother me nearly as much as they used to. I have taken away a positive outlook from the trials of 2020. For me, it narrowed down life to the bare necessities. It stripped away travel, shopping, parties, commuting, sports tournaments, errands, eating out, and unnecessary spending to

When life was torn back to the studs in mid-March, I discovered what the loadbearing beams of my life are. And these essentials are not anything that can be purchased or produced.

reveal what is truly essential in my life. When life was torn back to the studs in mid-March, I discovered what the load-bearing beams of my life are. And these essentials are not anything that can be purchased or produced. I discovered that something as simple as franks and beans is a fine meal. I rediscovered that I could live with my wife in an old refrigerator box and still be happy if we are together. I was reminded that my children are strong and grounded, as they soldiered well through this crisis that upended their young lives. And I am thankful for my GuideStone family, who prayed for the Lord to watch over me during my health scare. These are the essentials, and I know that I can survive just fine without anything else. Nothing gets me down, as I am now living my bonus life. I hope it lasts for another fifty-three years.

C. J. MACDONALD is client portfolio manager for GuideStone Capital Management.

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S B C U P D AT E

Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

Jeff Pearson Named SBC Executive Committee Chief Financial Officer BY DIANA CHANDLER

outhern Baptist layman and financial expert Jeff Pearson is the new chief financial officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, replacing William “Bill” Townes who retired December 31. Ronnie Floyd, the president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, announced Pearson’s hiring September 22, expressing “excitement and joy” at God’s provision. Pearson served nearly fifteen years as chief financial officer of the fundraising and awareness

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arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, the nation’s largest healthcare charity. His path to the SBC Executive Committee was steered by godly inspiration during a summer 2019 trip to Israel with a team from Student Leadership University, where Pearson has served on the board of directors. While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Pearson pledged to finish his professional vocation however God desired, and he and his wife Mindy “felt God miraculously released him from St. Jude,” Floyd said.

“He sensed in his calling away from St. Jude, the only way he could do something to help people in a greater way than St. Jude,” Floyd said, “was to do something eternally wrapped around the Great Commission.” Pearson brings nearly thirty-five years of pertinent experience to the SBC, including approximately twenty-five years at St. Jude. For fifteen years, he was CFO of American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), which the late Danny Thomas founded in 1957 as St. Jude’s fundraising and awareness organization. ALSAC is responsible for raising 80 percent of St. Jude’s operational funding. During Pearson’s tenure, ALSAC’s revenue grew from less than $700 million to $1.7 billion in less than ten years. He managed $3 billion in assets and supervised a staff of thirty-seven. Before moving into the role as CFO of ALSAC, Person served from 2001–2006 as senior director of finance/controller for St. Jude, and from 1996– 2001 as director of accounting/controller. ALSAC CEO Rick Shadyac described Pearson as a “mentor” to ALSAC and one of ALSAC’s “best public speakers.” Pearson grew up in Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee. Bob Sorrell, who served twenty years as Bellevue executive pastor under the late Adrian Rogers, called Pearson “a man of impeccable character and integrity,” whose “doctrinal integrity is as pure as the preaching of Adrian Rogers.” “Under the tutelage of Dr. Adrian Rogers, Jeff became a true churchman, distinguishing himself as a man wholly subservient to the Lord in all areas of life—church, family, and work,” Sorrell said in recommending Pearson for the post. Pearson, who is currently a member of Crossroads Baptist Church in Eads, Tennessee, said he appreciates Southern Baptist mission outreaches

in the US and globally, and praised Floyd’s “clear Gospel vision and the passion and plan to execute that vision.” “I am thankful for the privilege to join a proven leader in Dr. Floyd and the great team at the SBC EC,” Pearson said. “I have been blessed to have spent most of my career serving the amazing children and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and now it is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to serve our Lord doing Great Commission work.” Pearson graduated magna cum laude from the University of Memphis with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting and is a certified public accountant. He has served on the boards of the Regional One Health Foundation and Love Worth Finding Ministries and is a past chairman of the board of Evangelical Christian School, all in Memphis. Pearson began in his Executive Committee post in mid-October. Townes, who has relocated to Georgia to assist with care for his special needs grandson, assisted in selecting Pearson for the job. Townes “and our Executive Leadership Team have been delighted, along with me, in all of our interviews with Jeff,” Floyd said. “I cannot tell you the excitement and joy we all share knowing our God has provided this amazing, highly competent, gifted man of God as a layman for this critical position.” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on September 22, 2020.

DIANA CHANDLER is Baptist Press’s senior writer.

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Lifeway Launches New Branding, Website Enhancements BY CAROL PIPES

n an effort to highlight a new season of ministry, Lifeway Christian Resources unveiled a new logo and began a significant update and refresh of its website this month. This is the first major rebrand since the organization changed its name in 1998. “The new logo and visual elements reflect a new season of ministry for Lifeway,” said Lifeway President and CEO Ben Mandrell. “Our brand promise is true to the legacy of Lifeway and affirms our commitment to serve churches and provide fuel to their ministries. It’s time for fresh branding to carry Lifeway forward into a new era.” The rebranding effort includes new looks for lifeway.com, as well as Lifeway’s sub-brands, including Lifeway Kids, Lifeway Women, Lifeway Students, and Lifeway Worship. The new logo replaces the oval cross icon to the left of the company name, while the familiar red is replaced with a harvest gold. The organization’s name remains the same, though the W, capitalized since the “LifeWay” name was adopted, will now be lowercase. “The new logo visually represents Lifeway’s desire to honor its legacy while looking squarely into the future,” said Jon Emery, director of

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marketing. “We intentionally incorporated the cross into our name so it would be ever present and central to our identity.” Customers will begin to see the new branding and logo on printed materials this spring as the rollout continues through 2021. The company is promoting the new brand with an ad campaign on social media. Throughout the year, Lifeway will be introducing improved experiences at lifeway.com. Site improvements will include improved search capabilities, a virtual Bible store, product personalization (i.e. Bible imprinting and more), new gift-giving capabilities, and an autoship feature allowing customers to set up an automatically recurring order on a schedule that works best for them. In November, Lifeway launched a new ebook buy and share functionality to make it easier for leaders to buy and distribute books or Bible studies to their group members. Customers can also give an ebook as a gift. In 1998, the Baptist Sunday School Board concluded a multi-year rebranding process changing its name of 107 years from the Baptist Sunday School Board to LifeWay Christian Resources. The Lifeway brand has largely remained unchanged in the years since. “After nearly 130 years, we’re stepping into a new season of ministry. We have to keep moving forward and adapting to the needs of the local church,” Mandrell said. “We’re giving even more focus and dedication to our core customer—the church leader. By keeping the Word of God and His church at the heart of what we do, we’re ready for another 130 years of ministry.” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on January 21, 2021.

CAROL PIPES is director of corporate communications for Lifeway Christian Resources. Baptist Press staff contributed to this report.

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Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

Lifeway Finalizes Ridgecrest Sale BY CAROL PIPES

ifeway Christian Resources has finalized the sale of Ridgecrest Conference Center and Summer Camps to the Ridgecrest Foundation, a group dedicated to using the property as a Christian camp and conference center. “We’re so thankful God has provided this group of dedicated believers to carry on the ministry legacy of Ridgecrest,” said Lifeway President and CEO Ben Mandrell. “We’ve been encouraged to learn of their heart to see lives impacted by the Gospel. God has provided a steward for this incredible ministry that has been a place of spiritual awakening and renewal.” The new nonprofit ministry, Ridgecrest Foundation, was formed and funded by a group of Christian businesspeople and individuals who love Ridgecrest. Mandrell said the individuals involved are strong evangelicals with a high view of Scripture and commitment to evangelism and disciple making. Lifeway will continue to hold youth camps like FUGE, CentriKid, and Student Life at the facility in Western North Carolina. The Ridgecrest Foundation will continue to host conferences, events, and summer camp programming,

including Camp Ridgecrest for Boys and Camp Crestridge for Girls. The organization’s belief statement affirms biblical inerrancy and Scripture’s perfect authority in matters of faith and conduct, the deity of Jesus Christ and His redemptive mission, the deity and work of the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s saving work on the cross for sinful man. Lifeway announced in April its intention to sell Ridgecrest, citing changes in organizational strategy, rising costs, and uncertainty due to COVID-19 as reasons for the transfer of the ministries and property. Lifeway trustees authorized a recommendation for the organization’s executive team to pursue viable options for the sale of the North Carolina property and operations of its camps and conference center. Lifeway then announced in October it had reached an agreement to sell the 1,200-acre North Carolina property to the Ridgecrest Foundation. The sale price has not been announced. But according to a public filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ridgecrest Foundation was attempting to raise $12.5 million through a separate limited liability company called Ridgecrest Funding to finance the purchase. Mandrell said from the beginning it’s been their intention to find a buyer who has a heart to continue offering a Christian conference center environment and operating the boys and girls camps. “We are excited to see the ministry of Ridgecrest Conference Center and Summer Camps continue,” Mandrell said, “and look forward to seeing many more lives transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on December 31, 2020.

CAROL PIPES is director of corporate communications for Lifeway Christian Resources. Baptist Press staff contributed to this report.

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Associational leaders pray with SBC President J. D. Greear at a meeting of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders. Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

The Recent Resurgence of Baptist Associations

OVID-19 has changed so many of our association’s ministries in the past year. All of our regularly scheduled events were canceled. No free dental clinic. No VBS clinic. No mission trips. No free basketball camp. No Executive Board meetings. With all of the cancellations, one might think that there was nothing for the association to do. However, that would be a false assumption. As an associational mission strategist, I was busier during the first few months of the pandemic than ever before. As I have had conversations with fellow associational leaders, I have discovered that my experience was far from unique. Many associations were flooded with requests for assistance from their member churches. Some heard from churches that rarely (if ever) contacted the association. Many associations hosted some of their largest pastor gatherings in recent memory. I believe the pandemic has highlighted a recent resurgence in the relevance and value of local Baptist associations within the Southern Baptist Convention. I’m pleased by this

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BY JASON LOWE

development, especially since the local association’s reputation has not always been positive.

Hard Times for Associations The earliest Baptist associations were formed in 1707—that’s 138 years prior to the formation of the SBC. In more recent years, Southern Baptists have questioned whether associations are still relevant to churches in the twenty-first century. The results of a 2017 study on the perceived value of Baptist associations were not encouraging: • When asked to describe the most exciting aspect of their association, the most popular answer among Southern Baptist church leaders was, “Nothing.” • When asked to describe the most frustrating aspect of their local Baptist association, two of the three most popular answers among church leaders were, “The association is irrelevant” and “Lack of association strategy, vision, or purpose.”

• Only 65.6 percent of church leaders indicated that their local Baptist association was a strategic partner in helping their church to fulfill the Great Commission. • Only 58.5 percent of church leaders indicated that their church would be negatively affected if their local Baptist association ceased to exist.

Perception Has Been Improving However, I believe the perception of associations has been slowly but steadily improving in recent years, primarily through the efforts of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL) and its president and CEO, Ray Gentry. In 2017, the SBCAL commissioned a study team to evaluate the role of the associational leader and offer recommendations at the 2018 Annual Conference in Dallas. I had the honor of serving on that team. After a year of quantitative and qualitative research, the study team offered a list of seventeen proficiencies that were “most helpful for an associational leader to be successful, regardless of context.” In addition, the study team offered a new descriptor for associational leaders, the associational mission strategist (AMS). After adopting the study team report, the SBCAL formed a vision team to implement some of these recommendations. One of the products of the vision team’s work was a new book titled The Baptist Association: Assisting Churches. Advancing the Gospel. Through these and other efforts, I have started to notice a renewed emphasis and interest in associational work. A small resurgence of the Baptist association has begun.

Pandemic Response

During the early days of the pandemic, the value of local associations increased significantly in the eyes of Southern Baptist church leaders. According to a recent survey of 271 Southern Baptists, associations stepped up to assist their churches in a number of ways: • SBC churches received more help from their local association than any other SBC entity. (#1: local association, #2: state convention, #3: other churches) • SBC churches received a greater variety of assistance from their local association than any other SBC entity. (#1: local association, #2: state convention, #3: other associations) • SBC senior pastors indicated that their percep tion improved more for their local association than any other SBC entity. (#1 {tie}: local association & other parachurch organizations, #3: state convention) These results are very encouraging. Many local associations have experienced a resurgence in recent days, and Southern Baptists are better for it!

Reasons for the Resurgence Why have churches suddenly become more receptive to their association? If you had asked me this question a few months ago, I would have responded that effective associations provide value to their churches using a five-pronged strategy—local evangelism, missions mobilization, church planting, leadership development, and communication. While those strategic components are still helpful and necessary for the long-term success of an association, I believe there are other reasons behind the current associational resurgence.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, I believe the COVID-19 pandemic has served to highlight and accelerate this resurgence for many associations.

1 Associations are nimble. In other words, associations should be able to adapt to changing circumstances quickly. When the pandemic began, I was able to organize a pastors’ meeting within two hours to discuss the rapidly changing circumstances. More than half of the pastors in the association showed up. A few weeks later, we were able to conduct online Holy Week services, featuring different associational churches with only a few days to plan. Larger organizations simply could not pull off meetings and events like this so quickly.

2 Associations are local. Every community has its own unique context. Associations can provide immense value to churches because they are a part of the same community and they understand the territory. There is great value in knowing that other churches in the area are facing similar circumstances. As churches in my association began to make plans to regather, there were some unique considerations they needed to think through. Our association was able to provide several online webinars to help church leaders consider those contextual matters.

3 Associations are built on relationships. Because of the proximity to the churches in my association, I’m able to know many of their members by name. Pastors are able to get to know other pastors as well. Their wives get to know one another. Over the years, we’ve been able to develop a significant level of mutual trust. When a crisis hits, you often turn first to those you know and trust. This is one of the biggest reasons that the first call that many church leaders made was to their local association office and other churches within the local association.

creative was to conduct drive-in services. As more and more churches began to explore this option, it became difficult to purchase short-range radio transmitters to broadcast worship services. Several churches in my association began to offer to share their transmitter with other churches who had not yet been able to purchase one. Again, this is much easier to do in a local association.

5 Associations can help in a variety of ways. As I mentioned earlier, associations provided assistance to their churches in a greater variety of ways than any other SBC entity. Just during the pandemic, our association has provided help with networking with other churches, encouragement and personal soul care for pastors, general health guidelines and recommendations, CARES Act implications for churches, church regathering resources and training, online streaming resources, online giving resources, small group resources, online sermons for churches without pastors, online Holy Week services, and other resources as requested. Southern Baptists firmly believe that we can accomplish more for the Kingdom of God when we work together. The local association is one of the oldest examples of this belief in action. I believe that many associations have been a valuable partner to their churches during the past few months. Associations have been around for more than three hundred years in North America, and I’m so thankful that they are still here for such a time as this! Adapted from a blog post at jasonalowe.com. A version of this article was published in SBC Life online on October 15, 2020.

4 Associations can share resources easily. In the early days of the pandemic, churches responded in some creative ways. One of the most

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JASON LOWE is associational mission strategist for the Pike Association of Southern Baptists in southeastern Kentucky.

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Andrei Iacob was baptized by Pastor Robby Gallaty December 20, just days after Iacob’s wife and son were murdered. Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

‘Biggest Movement of God I’ve Seen’ After Scores of Unscheduled Baptisms at Tennessee Church BY SCOTT BARKLEY

oah Iacob lived for only a week two years ago. But his story is one interwoven with others’ as part of a revival taking place at Long Hollow Baptist Church. Noah’s underdeveloped lungs became too much for his body to overcome. But after his death, his mother Jessie realized she needed the healing power of Christ in her life and, after becoming a Christian, was baptized at Long Hollow. Jessie, her son Zeke, and husband Andrei began attending the church.

But Jessie’s earthly life ended December 11 when she and her son were murdered by an intruder when Andrei wasn’t home. The suspect, identified as a former employee of the excavating business the couple founded, took his own life December 13 after police had determined his location. It is believed the suspect wanted Jessie Iacob, who operated the company’s finances, to transfer money into his account. After she complied, he shot her and her son anyway.

An officer who had worked the murder case joined those being saved and baptized. Two of his peers, members at Long Hollow, had been praying for him for years.

The heartache from such a story can lay heavy with anyone. But Andrei Iacob’s response after his wife and son’s funeral December 19 has become part of a much larger story. Realizing his own need for the Gospel, Iacob talked with Pastor Robby Gallaty about accepting Christ and extended forgiveness to the deceased murderer. He also asked others to pray for the man’s family, noting they had nothing to do with his actions. Long Hollow had a baptism service scheduled for Sunday, December 20, for around twelve people. Gallaty asked Iacob if he would like to be added. Iacob agreed, but Jessie’s mother Wanda also wanted to be baptized after hearing Gallaty’s invitation at her daughter’s funeral. Gallaty said Iacob’s reaction to a question reflects his understanding of eternity. “I asked Dre if he was mad at the Lord for his family’s murder. He told me that he was actually thankful he was wasn’t at the house. For had he been, he wouldn’t have been ready to meet God. ‘I’m going all-in for the Lord now,’ he told me.” Due to a rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases in middle Tennessee, Long Hollow’s service was one of the lowest attended in his five years at the church, Gallaty added. However, at the end he felt led to ask anyone feeling led to come forward for baptism. By the close of service, ninety-nine people had been baptized.

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That’s not all. Word got back to Gallaty that people watching online had decided to be baptized in their bathtubs at home. On Monday, December 21, the pastor made rounds to homes to do just that. To keep up with the requests, Long Hollow opened its doors the following night specifically for those wanting to be baptized. God is drawing people to Himself, but Gallaty also points to the impact of people’s testimonies in what he’s calling “a movement of God that I’ve never experienced.” “One of those who got baptized was formerly in satanic worship. She didn’t think she could be saved because of all the horrible things she had done,” he said. “I told her that was a lie. The guy who brought her to our church had been a Satan worshipper for ten years. I had baptized him and now he had brought her to the church.” An officer who had worked the murder case joined those being saved and baptized. Two of his peers, members at Long Hollow, had been praying for him for years. “People in our church have said they’ve never witnessed something like what’s going on right now,” Gallaty said. In talking to Iacob about the death of Jessie and Zeke, Gallaty observed the name of the father’s son from two years ago. “I told him how God had used Noah in the Old Testament to save a nation. For Dre, Noah had brought salvation to Jessie. Through her witness, her death brought salvation to Dre.” A version of this article was previously published in Baptist Press on December 21, 2020

SCOTT BARKLEY is national correspondent for Baptist Press.

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Americans’ Mental Health Outlook Drops, But Not for Regular Church Attenders BY SCOTT BARKLEY

recent Gallup study reveals a connection between regular church attendance and a positive self-evaluation of one’s mental health. The study, published December 7, focused on 76 percent of its respondents classifying their current mental health as excellent or good. Since the poll’s inception in 2001, that answer had stayed in the 81–89 percent range. This year marked a nine-point drop from 2019 and the lowest point in the study’s history for that category. Demographic breakdowns of the study show the largest decrease among Republicans and those who seldom or never attend religious services. The only group of respondents who reported a better mental health outlook were those who attend religious services weekly. That stems from having a personal relationship with Christ, said Ian Jones, associate dean of the Division of Counseling at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Jones was quick to point out, though, that this pertains to those consistently growing in their faith and maintaining contact with other Christians. “We have hope in what are normally hopeless situations,” he said. “Research shows that

Christians are going to be more hopeful and less depressed, but it’s those who have an active faith and active conversations with God.” He cited “the enormity of problems” that accumulated in 2020 and said they have had an effect on people’s mental health and brought a lot of “firsts,” himself included. “It’s not just COVID,” Jones said. “Here in the South, we’ve had thirty named storms and six hurricanes come our way. Three have hammered Louisiana. The most recent one, Zeta, moved the fastest. I was standing out in the middle of that one . . . never had done that before.” A firestorm of a presidential election, cultural upheaval, and historic fire devastation in California—all during a worldwide pandemic—have contributed to the difficulties of maintaining positive mental health. Most Americans still consider their mental health as excellent (34 percent) or good (42 percent) instead of fair (18 percent) or poor (5 percent). However, another Gallup study released in May said that American adults who characterize their life as “thriving” had dropped to 46.4 percent, matching the low point of November 2008 during the Great Recession.

Image Courtesy of Baptist Press

A firestorm of a presidential election, cultural upheaval, and historic fire devastation in California—all during a worldwide pandemic—have contributed to the difficulties of maintaining positive mental health.

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For Christians, a growing marginalization of churches is another contributor to stress. In response to the pandemic, governments in Nevada and California, for instance, have levied what religious liberty advocates claim is an unbalanced application of the law regarding churches and other establishments such as casinos. That, plus the myriad of complexities COVID has brought to pastors and churches, has led to a growing concern for the state of mental health among ministers. The stress can affect marriages as well, said Tate Cockrell, associate professor of counseling and director of DMin studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. “COVID has revealed many of the marital dysfunctions couples were able to cover up when they were working and busy, not forced to be around each other,” he said. “Crisis in your overall life reveals the strength of your marriage [as well as] strengths and

weaknesses in your relationships. COVID has peeled back the glossy veneer and revealed how many of them are not strong. Now, when people are having to make life decisions day in and day out, it creates stress. I thought my marriage counseling would drop off during this time, but I’ve never been busier.” Jones said the isolation brought about by the pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues for some. “Genesis 1–3 is clear in that we were built to relate to one another,” he said. “Our health is determined by our relationship with God and our relationship to our neighbor.” When Christians don’t gather together, it becomes difficult to carry each other’s burdens. “Unfortunately, that can have lasting effects,” he said. Scripture gives numerous examples regarding God’s work even in stressful situations. Psalm 42 is an exhortation to hope in God when one’s soul is cast down. Psalm 73 is a lament over the perceived success of the wicked, but at the end is a reminder about having the right focus: It is good to be near God . . . the Lord God my refuge (v. 28). Jones was among the counselors who responded to Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, on the night of September 15, 1999. Earlier that evening, a gunman had opened fire on a See You at the Pole rally, killing seven and wounding seven more. Such events, no doubt, generate struggles and questions even for Christians. However, believers’ happiness and mental health can be connected to a stronger source. “Christians have a hope,” Jones said. “Keeping the cause of your joy is the key.” A version of this article was previously published in Baptist Press on December 21, 2020

SCOTT BARKLEY is national correspondent for Baptist Press.

A worship service at a church in North America. Image Courtesy of IMB

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Pastors Express ‘Decision Fatigue’, ‘Ministerial Frustration’ as COVID-19 Pandemic Lingers

BY DIANA CHANDLER

or the second time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Rock Hill Baptist Church in rural west Tennessee was resuming onsite worship. Then, Pastor Richard Bray was exposed to the virus and the church had to transition once again to remote worship while Bray waited weeks for his test results. Bray became a one-man worship service team—preaching, leading music with his guitar, recording the service on his phone, handling the sound equipment, broadcasting the service via an FM transmitter to worshipers who listened in their cars in the parking lot, and uploading videos to YouTube, Facebook, and the church website after service ended. That was his routine from mid-July to mid-September. “I think I was tired, just physically and mentally,” Bray said months later. “Tired of dealing with all the issues, the stress of COVID, the stress of trying to do the right thing, the stress of the church members who see things differently than you do. It does take its toll.” Joe Wright addresses the struggles of many pastors as executive director of the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network designed to serve about 83 percent of Southern Baptist churches. “We are hearing, just across the nation, of pastors and churches both struggling,” Wright said. “We’re seeing just the stress of trying to do ministry in this kind of environment is taking a toll on pastors and church leaders. “There are a number of issues that we have identified, one is decision fatigue. What is happening is that the landscape is changing so quick-

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ly that from the time a decision is made early in the week, oftentimes they’ve had to make changes to those decisions before the week is over.” Bray ultimately tested negative for COVID-19, but he had to isolate an additional two weeks while his wife exhibited COVID-19 symptoms. “And since I didn’t have any symptoms, I really didn’t think I had COVID. But you just want to be safe rather than sorry,” Bray said. “I’ve been trying to protect our church family as much as possible. We’ve been taking steps to do that. I’ve been working very closely with the deacon body to make decisions.” At sixty-one, Bray said he doesn’t have as much energy as he had even ten years ago. “And it’s been stressful, just, because there’s differences of opinion about what needs to be done,” Bray said. “We’ve got people in our church that don’t think you ought to wear a mask, and people that say ‘If you don’t wear a mask I’m not coming.’ You’ve just got both ends of the spectrum. So probably the most difficult thing is trying to steer through the middle of this path without hurting people’s feelings.” Churches have transitioned through a seesaw of onsite and remote worship in response to fluctuating COVID-19 infection rates within communities and among congregations, with decisions adhering to leadership protocol that varies widely among congregations. “We’re also seeing ministerial frustration,” Wright said. “There’s a tremendous amount of emotion that is being exhibited within the church right now, and a lot of that emotion is negative. . . . Frustration also leads to anger, leads to discord,

and of course Satan also utilizes those things to create sin within the church.” Pastors need a break, Wright said, as many are working longer hours that they worked before the pandemic. He has not heard of any small church and bivocational pastors leaving the ministry because of the pandemic, but said, “There is no doubt that many churches, because of the stress of the situation, are finding themselves in positions where they’re terminating pastors, oftentimes unexpectedly.” Pastors are stressed by the limitations that are necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Pastors miss the feedback that church members typically offer when worshiping in person. Pastors miss the fellowship, handshaking, greeting members and guests at the altar. Hospital visits, weddings, funerals, and a host of other pastoral duties are on hold. Bray recalls when a member of Rock Hill died in the hospital of an illness not related to COVID-19. But because the hospital is only allowing staff chaplains to minister to patients during the pandemic, Bray couldn’t visit before the member died. “The chaplains do a great job,” Bray said. “But when people are sick and they’re at the point of death, they want their pastor. . . . They want their own pastor to come and pray with them—somebody they know, somebody that knows them, somebody that’s loved on them before, and they know and love on them now. “That kind of thing for me has been really difficult, not being able to minister to people, not being able to go in and lay hands on people and pray for them.” Bray has persevered by praying, relying on the Lord’s faithfulness, and seeking the counsel of friends, including Wright. The Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network has increased its online outreach and resources to help pastors cope during the pandemic, offering free Zoom meetings and conferences, and encouraging state conventions to reach out to

We feel like that the best thing you can do for a pastor right now is to call him and just encourage him. . . . It’s just to call him up and say, ‘I know this a hard time for you. I know you’re struggling, but I want you to know I’m praying for you as a leader, and I appreciate you.’” Joe Wright, executive director Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network

pastors and churches within their reach. As early as March, the network will launch “Small Church America!” a monthly webinar of free resources for leadership and especially pastors of smaller attendance churches across the nation. Congregations should continually encourage their pastors, Wright said. “We feel like that the best thing you can do for a pastor right now is to call him and just encourage him,” Wright said. “It’s the absolute best thing you can do for a pastor. It’s just to call him up and say, ‘I know this a hard time for you. I know you’re struggling, but I want you to know I’m praying for you as a leader, and I appreciate you.’” A version of this article was published in Baptist Press on January 25, 2021.

DIANA CHANDLER is Baptist Press’s senior writer.

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Join Us in Music City BY RONNIE W. FLOYD

he 2021 SBC Annual Meeting and surrounding events will take place June 12– 16, 2021, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center here in Nashville, Tennessee. Please plan now to come and be with us in Music City. The resort, the convention center, and the city itself are worth experiencing. With nearly three thousand hotel rooms under one roof and connected to the annual meeting site, this year’s gathering provides something for the entire family and will be like nothing we have experienced before. Underneath climate-controlled signature glass atriums, you’ll discover nine acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls, an indoor river with their very own Delta flatboat, and an indoor/outdoor water park called SoundWaves that families with children will absolutely love and enjoy. The last time the SBC met in Nashville for an Annual Meeting was in 2005. That year, we had a total of 11,641 messengers from 4,775 churches. Because of its central location, 83 percent of our messengers were able to drive to Nashville for the meeting. I believe our churches today can surpass this number. We would love to see more than five thousand churches attend and send as many messengers as possible to this year’s Annual Meeting. Pastors, bring your laypeople with you

to experience the SBC. We believe deeply that one of the greatest needs in Convention life is for thousands of laypeople to once again attend the SBC Annual Meeting each year. This summer, you will see a focus on missions and evangelism throughout the entire Annual Meeting experience, beginning with Crossover on Saturday, through our Send Conference and missionary sending ceremony on Sunday and Monday, and concluding with our final business and reports on Tuesday and Wednesday. Come for it all and experience this time together. Also, at the Annual Meeting we will officially unveil and ask messengers to approve VISION 2025, a major Convention-wide initiative built upon the conviction to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. Southern Baptists, we have Good News for the whole world, and the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting could become one of our most historic gatherings in our Convention’s history. Pastors and leaders, plan now. Bring your full slate of messengers. Let’s make this the highest-attended SBC in years.

RONNIE W. FLOYD is president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.

For more information and to pre-register, visit sbcannualmeeting.net.

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We Are Great Commission Baptists BY J. D. GREEAR

hen we come together this June, we will assemble on behalf of nearly 50,000 autonomous churches, 1,500 associations, 41 state conventions and 11 national entities to partner together to send missionaries and plant churches. And we do so under one banner: The Great Commission. From Crossover to the Send Conference to the meeting itself, we’re going to keep the Gospel above all. And in everything we do, we will proclaim that “We Are Great Commission Baptists.” This focus is why we have continued our “Who’s Your One?” initiative, calling all of us to live out the Great Commission by having at least one person we are intentionally and prayerfully sharing Jesus with and inviting to faith in Christ. This focus is why we have begun the Go2 movement. We are calling every single college graduate, young professional, and retiree to give at least two years to the mission of God, either with a church plant in the United States or overseas with a missionary team. This focus is why we will continue to strive to make the most vulnerable in our churches feel safe, by doing everything in our power to keep our churches both safe from abuse and safe for the abused. This focus is why we continue to reach out to our brothers and sisters of color to help lead this

Convention. Our Gospel declares that through His death, Jesus tore down the walls of hostility not just between man and God, but secondarily, between man and man, creating by His cross one new, unified race of humanity. Our Convention must embody and exemplify that if we are to be a faithful witness in this generation. We want our focus to be the Great Commission, because like our IMB President Paul Chitwood often says: “When the Great Commission isn’t the primary topic of conversation, all other topics start to divide us.” I don’t know about you, but I need to be together with you. That’s why I am asking you to come to Nashville. Mark your calendar to join me and thousands of other brothers and sisters in Christ as we join our risen savior in being about the Great Commission, keeping the Gospel above all. Let’s come to Nashville not just saying, “We are Great Commission Baptists.” Let’s be Great Commission Baptists every day until then and every day thereafter.

J. D. GREEAR is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and is pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina.

For more information and to pre-register, visit sbcannualmeeting.net.

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