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NASHVILLE, TN (BP) – On the second Tuesday of November, I plan to step up to the electronic ballot table in my voting precinct and cast my vote for president of the United States. I will do so prayerfully. I will do so carefully. I will do so gladly. I may do so sadly. But, Lord willing, I will do so. This has been my pattern during the years of my adult life and I see no reason to change. Unlike billions of people on this globe who long to have freedom of expression and opportunity to influence government -- and billions more who lived across the millennia -- I am privileged to live in the land of the free. For now. Most of us who will vote on Nov. 8 did not choose to live in America; our citizenship is a right of birth. We have a God-given and constitutionally-granted opportunity to help shape the destiny of our nation by selecting its top official, as well as numerous other elected leaders who will also be on the ballot. In some election cycles, I've been on the winning side. In others, I've been on the losing side. But whether winning or losing, I have sought to make my voice heard. No one is more keenly aware than I of the dire straits in which we find ourselves in the 21st century, 2000 years since the death, burial and resurrection of our wonderful Savior and Lord. Gone are the days when our leaders governed by Judeo-Christian principles shaped by a biblical worldview. Gone is the time when we had a cultural consensus on matters of good and evil, of right and wrong, of moral and immoral. Gone are the days when elected officials at every level of government truly believed that one day we will all stand before the Great Lawgiver and be judged by the Book ... or by the books (Revelation 20:12–15). I find it interesting that one of the mightiest periods of miracles in Scripture occurred during one of the darkest times in Israel's history. The kingdom was divided. The northern kingdom of Israel had followed the leadership of its first king, Jeroboam I, into consistent idolatry. Its gods were two golden calves. Its shrines were at Bethel and in Dan. Its priesthood was composed of the basest of people. The darkness only intensified when Ahab became king and brought his wicked queen to the capital city of Samaria. 1 Kings chapter 16 contains an amazing passage: "Then as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, Ahab married Jezebel ... and proceeded to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him" (vv. 31–33). In this dark setting, the LORD still had a people. Obadiah hid 100 prophets of the LORD, providing shelter and provisions when Jezebel was slaughtering the LORD's prophets (1 Kings 18). The LORD revealed to Elijah that He had a remnant of 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19). And, of course, there were thousands who proclaimed "The LORD, He is God" atop Mount Carmel when the LORD answered by fire (1 Kings 19). Here is an intriguing fact. It was in this setting that the LORD instructed Elijah to anoint two kings and a prophet -- Hazael as future king of Aram, Jehu as future king of Israel and Elisha as Elijah's successor. Though the anointings were to take place immediately, ascension to the throne for the two kings did not unfold for many years. And, when it happened, Elijah was long gone. Elisha wept as he prophesied of all the evil Hazael would do to the people of God (2 Kings 8:11–12) when he became the Aramean king. Though Jehu became God's instrument to execute the judgment of God upon Jezebel, the descendants of Ahab and the worshippers of Baal, he did not turn away from the idolatrous sins of his predecessor, Jeroboam I (2 Kings 10:28–31). We hear a lot in the current election cycle about what a Christ-follower should do as the sprint to the White House begins. Some say a true follower of Jesus shouldn't vote. Others advocate for a "lesser of two evils" approach. Still others hope a viable third party candidate will suddenly emerge. And, as always, some are already ardently committed to their party of choice, irrespective of who the nominee will be. I suggest another option -- let's approach the election with the "greater good" in mind. Why not ask the LORD to guide you to cast your ballot for the greater good for the nation? For the greater good for our Christian liberties. For the greater good for our children and their children and their children's children. But, most importantly, for the greater good for God's will and purposes for our nation and for us as His people. Why would Elijah anoint wicked Hazael as king of Aram, who would later afflict God's own people? Because God directed him to. Why would Elijah anoint Jehu, who would carry spiritual reform so far and no farther? Because God directed him to. Regardless of who sat on the throne then -- or who sits in the seat of power now -- God is still in control. His will and purposes will not be thwarted by mere mortals. God has blessed us to live in this golden age of democratic governance. The franchise is more than a mere right. It is a responsibility. It is a stewardship of trust, a stewardship that billions of earth's inhabitants would love to have. Do I as a Christ-follower have a right not to vote? Each of us must do what we feel led by God's Spirit to do. But, we are neither unspiritual nor unscriptural if we choose to cast our ballot, bathed in prayer, and exercised with the earnest desire that God's ultimate and unfailing purposes be fulfilled, whether for redemption of our sin-sickened society or for the rightful judgment of a nation that forgets God. At the end of the day, we confess with those gone before that we are merely strangers and pilgrims on the earth, for our citizenship is in heaven. Our hope rests not in political parties, powerful personalities or prestigious positions. Our hope is in God. As we approach the ballot box in our individual voting precincts this November, let each of us render unto God the loyal obedience He is due. But let us also render unto Caesar the elective influence God has graciously granted to us at this strategic juncture in history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Frank S. Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. This article first appeared in the Summer Preview of SBC LIFE, journal of the Executive Committee. #AUGUST16

BATON ROUGE, LA (BP) – With Alton Sterling and three police officers dead amid racial tension in Baton Rouge, La., black pastor Vince Smith counts among his blessings his interracial marriage to Cassie and his pastorate of the multiethnic Circle Church. Smith considers himself a peacemaker comforting those who mourn, whether they have lost loved ones at the hands of police or at the hands of civilians. "The worst thing we can do as a multiethnic church is to dismiss the narrative of people," said Smith, whose Southern Baptist congregation is 100 miles north of Baton Rouge in Alexandria. "When we raise one narrative as the normative point of view and the next narrative as secondary, then that is also dangerous. We don't pick sides; we are in the middle being peacemakers." While racially charged violence brews in cities across the nation, Baton Rouge is where Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot dead by one of two white police officers who pinned him nearly immobile in a parking lot early July 5 after a 911 caller said Sterling had displayed a gun while selling CDs outside a convenience store. Protests ensued, with a black man ambushing policemen nearly two weeks later, killing three officers, two white and one black. Killed were Brad Garafola, 45, of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office; Montrell Jackson, 32, and Matthew Gerald, 41, both of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Police killed the shooter, identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Mo. "Grief and lament are coming from those who have experienced police brutality and from families who have grieved because of similar situations and outright racism," Smith told Baptist Press. "Then to another side, grief is coming from police officers who are doing their best to do their job to protect and serve, family members that are worried for police safety, and blatant disregard for police." Smith does not see silence as an option. "Peacemakers are not silent; they are in the business of addressing issues, not oversimplifying them to just move along," Smith said. "It is not our job to decipher whether or not people should be grieving; it's our job to allow them to grieve and hurt with them." When the Baton Rouge police officers were killed, Jerome Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church of Crestmont in Willow Grove, Pa., had just attended the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference at Ridgecrest, N.C. Before leading conference attendees in prayer, Coleman shared his perspective as a current black Southern Baptist pastor and former Pennsylvania state parole agent. Coleman encouraged worshippers to maintain level-headedness amid news of such killings. "I just want to remind you that a text without context is pretext for proof text. In other words, many times we will just get what the media wants us to get, or to stir up our emotions and things of that nature without having context of what is going on," Coleman said. "And all I'm saying to you, when cooler heads prevail, we need to wait for the proof to come out." Coleman shared an experience from his law enforcement career that placed him in the basement of a home, with his gun drawn, in pursuit of an African American man hiding in the home to avoid arrest. "Now luckily my training had taught me to keep my finger on the outside of the trigger guard when I'm carrying my gun. Because naturally when this young man popped up I flinched," Coleman said. "And if my finger was inside the trigger guard, I would have shot an unarmed black man and I would have been on the news for shooting somebody that was unarmed and folk would have been outraged at me." For the most part, Coleman said, law enforcement officers and civilians alike are interested in doing their jobs and returning home safely to their families. He evoked the parable of the Good Samaritan in explaining the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has included multiethnic crowds protesting -- most often peacefully -- across the country. Many have countered the movement with the mantra, "All lives matter." "I get that all lives matter. But if all lives matter, then when there's a Jew beside the road beat up, Jewish lives matter. If all lives matter, then if I'm on my way down the road and a Samaritan is beat up, Samaritans' lives matter," Coleman said. "And if all lives matter and law enforcement is attacked… then law enforcement lives matter. And if all lives matter, then when ... black men are being stopped unnecessarily, shot and killed and murdered, then black lives matter as well." In Alexandria, Smith has planted a church that is multiethnic by definition -- 65 percent white, 33 percent black and 2 percent other ethnicities. A police officer is among the members. "We have specifically prayed for and laid hands on him and his family during our time of worship in these past two weeks," Smith said. "We also have constantly communicated with our people to steer clear from polarizing points of view." Smith has been intentional in building a multiethnic congregation. "There are many churches that desire to be multiethnic but their leadership may not reflect it. Also throughout the New Testament we see Paul writing on the issue of table fellowship," Smith said. "We believe that the most segregated hour in America is not Sunday at 11:00 anymore, but rather Friday at 6:00. "What we mean by that is people may tolerate differences on Sunday morning but they have a hard time celebrating differences over dinner on Friday night. Pastor Bryan Loritts says, 'Sanctuaries should reflect dinner tables,'" Smith quoted the pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, Calif., as saying. "The exposure of different people in our lives will allow us to grow in cross-cultural competency for the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Smith is prayerfully navigating Circle Church to engage in intentional conversation about race, class, culture, police and related movements, he said. Smith and his wife have seen firsthand the fruit of racism within a Christian context. Married in November 2012, their interracial union was poorly received by many, Smith said, and even sparked a deacons' meeting at a church they attended. "Some couples may have their first fight over grease stains on a chevron pillow. We faced families and whole churches disliking us," Smith and his wife wrote in an article he sent to BP from MarriageRoots.com. "It kind of forces your faith to mature quickly. Those would have been the times when giving up would have been easy. Suffering comes in different forms. An avenue of suffering that strengthened our faith was not being celebrated everywhere we went." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' general assignment writer/editor. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #AUGUST16

DULUTH, GA (BP) – Kevin Smith and others noticed visitors in the parking lot of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center. While none made it to the front door, it wasn’t for lack of hospitality from Georgia Baptist Mission Board staff. The visitors may have arrived for Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle or some other resident of the Pokémon universe. The Pokémon Go mobile game, released earlier this month, has introduced the tiny characters to a new generation of gamers, many of which may not have even been born when the first Pokémon games were released by Nintendo in 1996. The game has led players to the Pentagon, the White House and maybe even your church. What's Pokémon Go? The Pokémon Go app works with Google Maps to determine where Pokémon (which means "pocket monsters" in Japanese) can be “caught.” Players ("trainers") meet at a specified locations, called “gyms,” for their Pokémon to do battle. Evidently declared a gym by the game, the cross in front of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center brought around a dozen or so trainers to the premises July 11. "Several people came after the building was closed and walked to the fountain," said Smith, a Georgia Baptist Mission Board state missionary in Employee Services who was alerted to the visitors by security Monday afternoon, July 11. The next morning Smith met with state missionaries Randy Mullinax and Larry Wynn, both in church revitalization and evangelism, to generate a witnessing strategy for co-workers. In addition, Smith added, bottled water and tracts were being left by the fountain. Catch them all ... An email by Mullinax dated July 12 to state missionaries alerted them to the opportunity at their workplace as well as their church: "... We are quickly organizing a group of folks to rotate through the area for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. Here's the opener: 'Looking for a real treasure? The greatest one is not virtual but real!' Stop by my desk and pick up a '3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide' if you want to brush up on your conversational evangelism. We realize the concerns this may cause, but we also realize the evangelistic opportunity this presents. So let's demonstrate the love of God by being friendly and sharing the greatest news a person can hear. "Google Maps has also placed one on most every church ... so get ready!" A hurdle for state missionaries and church staff who should find themselves in the same position is that trainers aren't typically at a locale for too long when capturing a Pokémon. The catchphrase for Pokémon fans since its beginning -- "Catch them all!" -- points to collecting as many Pokémon as possible and is a goal Mullinax echoed from an evangelistic perspective. "The challenge is they drive up to the fountain, click the app, and drive off," he said. "Sometimes they get out of their vehicle. Let's say a total of six come during business hours; they arrive at various times. It's going to be a very infrequent, simultaneous event, so we catch them as we can." Seeing the opportunity Mullinax related how J. Robert White, Georgia Baptist Mission Board executive director, noticed two young men on the grounds late after the building had closed. He approached them in a friendly manner and asked if they needed any help. The two said they were just admiring the area. White asked if they were there to play Pokémon Go. "They were surprised he was aware of the game," Mullinax said. "They had a great conversation where he asked them about their relationship with the Lord. One said he is currently attending new member classes at a church where he is hearing the Gospel." Mullinax added that he and others hadn’t been aware that "private" property such as office buildings and churches could be included. State missionaries are excited about the opportunity, he said, and pointed out that Scott Smith and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board evangelism team "is doing an awesome job of helping our staff and all Georgia Baptist churches become more aware of the ways technology can be used to reach more people with the Gospel." Josh, a college student from Lawrenceville, Ga., works at a nearby business. He came to the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center to find the "gym" geotagged near the cross and there struck up a conversation with state missionary Buck Burch of Cooperative Program giving and stewardship development. Josh asked Burch, "Are you a gamer too?" It turned out Josh was already a Christian and became excited about Pokémon Go becoming an evangelistic opportunity. "This is a great way to meet people," he said. "It's bringing people together in ways not like any other traditional video game. So people coming to places like churches can also talk about Jesus." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Barkley is web content developer for The Christian Index (www.christianindex.org), newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention. #AUGUST16

NASHVILLE, TN (BP) – Americans who don't go to church are happy to talk about religion and often think about the meaning of life, according to a new study released June 28. They're also open to taking part in community service events hosted at a church or going to a church concert, the research revealed. But only about a third say they'd be interested in going to a worship service, and few think about what happens after they die. Those are among the findings of a new online survey of 2,000 unchurched Americans from LifeWay Research. The survey, conducted in partnership with the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., found more than half of Americans who don't go to church identify as Christians. But they are mostly indifferent to organized religion, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. "Unchurched Americans aren't hostile to faith," he said. "They just don't think church is for them." Talking about faith isn't taboo For this survey, "unchurched" means those who have not attended a worship service in the last six months, outside of a holiday or special occasion like a wedding. Among their characteristics: Two-thirds (67 percent) are white Just over half (53 percent) are male About half (47 percent) have a high school diploma or less Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) went to church regularly as a child About a third (32 percent) consider themselves nonreligious One in 5 identifies as Protestant, 1 in 4 as Catholic Few are turned off by conversations about faith, McConnell said. Nearly half (47 percent) say they discuss religion freely if the topic comes up. A third (31 percent) say they listen without responding, while 11 percent change the subject. Only about a third (35 percent) say someone has ever explained the benefits of being a Christian to them. Christians may be reluctant to talk about their faith out of fear of offending their friends, McConnell noted. But the survey found that fear is unfounded. "Unchurched folks are not being overwhelmed by Christians talking about their faith," McConnell said. "If faith is important to you, then your friends will be interested in hearing about it." A personal touch still matters Researchers looked at the kinds of activities unchurched Americans might be interested in as well as methods for inviting them to church. About two-thirds (62 percent) would attend a church meeting about neighborhood safety. Half would take part in a community service event (51 percent), concert (45 percent), sports or exercise program (46 percent), or neighborhood get-together (45 percent) at a church. "Concerns for neighborhood safety and desire to express compassion to the under-resourced seem to be the biggest potential draws for the unchurched to get connected to a church," said Rick Richardson, professor of evangelism and leadership at Wheaton College and research fellow for the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism. "Invite unchurched people to those kinds of events, and many say they will attend." Fewer are interested in attending a worship service (35 percent), recovery group (25 percent) or seminar on a spiritual topic (24 percent) if invited. When it comes to church invitations, a personal touch works better than a sales pitch. More than half (55 percent) of unchurched Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Other methods, such as a church member knocking on the door (21 percent), a TV commercial (23 percent), postcard (23 percent) or Facebook ad (18 percent), are less effective. Little interest in life after death Researchers also asked unchurched Americans about the big questions of life. About 7 in 10 agree there's an ultimate plan and purpose for every person. One in 5 (19 percent) disagrees. One in 9 (11 percent) isn't sure. Nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) say it's important for them to find their deeper purpose in life. A third disagree (31 percent), while 1 in 9 (12 percent) isn't sure. Few wonder, at least on a regular basis, if they'll go to heaven when they die. Just under half (43 percent) say they never ponder that question. One in 5 (20 percent) isn't sure the last time that question came to mind. Three in 10 (29 percent) say they ask themselves that question on at least a monthly basis. This lack of interest in the afterlife can pose a problem for Christians who want to share their faith, McConnell said. Many have been trained to ask questions like, "If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?" That tactic might not be as effective today, McConnell said. "If the only benefit of being a Christian is that you get to go to heaven, most unchurched people don't care," McConnell said. "It can't be the only way of talking about faith." Instead, McConnell suggested those who want to share their faith talk about how their relationship with Jesus affects them in day-to-day life and discuss the benefits of being part of a church. And be proactive, he said. "Don't wait for unchurched people to bring up the topic of faith," he said. "It's probably not going to happen." Methodology: A demographically balanced online panel was used for interviewing American adults. The study was sponsored by the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College. The survey was conducted May 23 to June 1, 2016. Slight weights were used to balance gender, age, ethnicity, income, region and religion. The sample was screened to include only those who have not attended a religious service in the past six months except for a religious holiday or special event such as a wedding or funeral. The completed sample is 2,000 surveys. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error from the online panel does not exceed plus or minus 2.7 percent. Margins of error are higher in subgroups. LifeWay Research is a Nashville-based, evangelical research firm that specializes in surveys about faith in culture and matters that affect the church. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Smietana is senior writer for Facts & Trends magazine. #AUGUST16

NASHVILLE, TN (BP) – The collision of fear and mistrust has driven the violence upon violence that killed two black civilians and five police officers in three separate states in recent days, Southern Baptist pastor Lee Wesley told Baptist Press. "There is a fear on the part of police officers when they go into the black community, and that fear heightens their approach to these problems," said Wesley, whose pastorate Community Bible Baptist Church is in Baton Rouge, La., where two white police officers pinned Alton Sterling nearly immobile and shot him dead in a parking lot early July 5. Sterling, 37, had been accused by a 911 caller of displaying a gun while selling CDs outside a convenience store. "On the other side, the side of African Americans, particularly black men, you have the mistrust factor," Wesley told BP. "We don't trust you because in the past you've not treated us right. You've abused us over years. And whenever you have fear and mistrust colliding, almost invariably you're going to have some violence." Grieving with the suffering, Southern Baptist leaders offered spiritual comfort and wisdom. "As we see our nation in turmoil, we readily obey our Lord's command to love and pray for all people, especially those who have recently suffered immeasurable loss in the tragic deaths of their loved ones," Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines told BP. "May God pour out His mercy and grace on our nation as we bow our hearts humbly before Him. May He grant us understanding, love and forgiveness. "This is the true way of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His followers," said Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn. "This is the way we will choose to live as Southern Baptists." For Gaines' full statement go to stevegaines.org/july-tragedies/. Killed a day after Sterling, 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot four times at point-blank range, July 6, as he sat in his car during a traffic stop outside St. Paul, Minn. According to Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, who was next to him in the vehicle, the black man was attempting to comply with a white police officer's request for identification when the officer shot him. Reynolds recorded a portion of the incident on her cellphone before police arrested her with her 4-year-old daughter sitting in the car's back seat. Castile had been driving with a busted tail light, police said. Before a police bomb squad robot killed a sniper at a July 7 protest rally in downtown Dallas, the sniper had killed five police officers and injured seven others. Two civilians also were shot. (Screen capture from CNN.com) Also dead are five Dallas police officers shot by at lone sniper during a July 7 protest related to the killings of Sterling and Castile. Seven more police officers and two civilians were shot but survived, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said at a press conference after police killed the sniper, identified as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas, with a bomb squad robot, and arrested three suspects. At least two of the slain officers have been identified as Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency officer Brent Thompson, 43, and 32-year-old Patrick Zamrippa. The violence is everyone's problem, said Byron Day, president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC, a group representing close to 4,000 pastors. "I am calling on all Southern Baptists to see these tragic events not as an African American problem but as a problem for all of us," Day told BP. "I appreciate and respect our law enforcement officials. … Nevertheless, I am deeply grieved to hear of these recent deadly shootings that appear to be racially motivated. "I am prayerful and hopeful that our legal authorities will investigate the situation thoroughly and provide genuine and truthful answers to a country that is looking for a solution once again to racial disharmony," said Day, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Laurel, Md. "This is a delicate situation and I pray that justice will be served for all parties. All Southern Baptists need to pray for our dedicated men and women in law enforcement and for racial harmony in our country." SBC Executive Committee president and CEO Frank S. Page, who has appointed several ethnic-specific advisory councils aimed at including all Southern Baptists in convention life, reminded Southern Baptists that their years-long labor toward racial reconciliation is not in vain. "Over the past several years, messengers to the SBC annual meeting have called on Southern Baptists to be faithful ambassadors of reconciliation in their personal relationships and local communities. We have called on all Christian men and women to pray and labor for the day when our Lord will set all things right and racial prejudice and injustice will be no more," Page told BP. "I've reached out to leaders of our Baptist work in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas to let them know we stand ready to assist their churches as they lead out in the ministries of grief counseling and racial reconciliation." Page extends hope founded in love. "The culture of violence, fear and death that grips our nation can only be overcome by the power of unconditional love and equal justice under the law for all people, including people of all races as well as law enforcement officials who serve and seek to protect our neighborhoods and communities," Page said. "We cannot turn a blind eye to the racial tensions in our country or allow ourselves to become numb to the reality of the deep pain experienced by all these families. The senseless killings that are sweeping through our land must cease." SBC immediate past president Ronnie Floyd has sponsored dialogues and prayer vigils aimed at racial reconciliation, hosting at the 2016 SBC annual meeting the president of the predominantly black National Baptist Convention USA, Jerry Young. In a joint statement to BP, Floyd and Young reiterated their commitment to racial reconciliation while expressing sympathy to the families of the victims. "We are reminded that violence and retaliation are never the solution to our frustrations and anger," the two wrote. "May all know that we are resolved as spiritual leaders in this nation, to do whatever we can do to help bring America together. "May the wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr. provide us the needed encouragement today. 'Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars,'" the two quoted King. "'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.' Now is the time to come together in love and unity, praying for America." Fred Luter, the first black pastor to serve as SBC president, joined other Southern Baptist leaders in calling the church to action. "It is an ideal time for the church to be that healing balm in the community and the country," said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. "Let's pray for a healing among our races in America." In Baton Rouge, anger, confusion, frustration and bitterness have been expressed and observed, said Pastor Wesley, who has encouraged calm while attending various vigils, rallies, conversations and press conferences in the Louisiana capital. Together Baton Rouge, a community group of 45 institutions and churches representing various Christian denominations, Muslims and Jews, hosted a community-wide guided conversation on July 12 at St. Paul Catholic Church near the site where Sterling died. Together Baton Rouge also hosted a press conference and participated in a prayer vigil hosted by several pastors that was held at Living Faith Baptist Church. Wesley encourages Southern Baptist pastors to counter and hopefully prevent violence by building relationships and being available to the community. "Build relationships with people, all people, across racial lines, across denominational lines. Be available to talk to people outside of your church, in your community" Wesley encouraged. "Show compassion, sow love -- not just lips, but action. Be on the ground. We can't stay inside the walls of our church and build relationships." Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore blogged of the stark differences in realities facing black and white youths in the U.S. "My oldest two sons are learning to drive. I have many fears, but I've never worried about one of my sons being shot after being pulled over. My perspective is thus radically different than my African-American neighbor or colleague or fellow church member," Moore blogged at russellmoore.com hours before the Dallas shootings. "Notice the differences even on social media over the past couple of days. An African-American colleague of mine noted that the divide is glaring, with black evangelicals interacting with this set of news while many white evangelicals continue on discussing the presidential race or the upcoming Olympics, with no reference to these shootings," Moore wrote. "That divide ought to cause us to reflect on how we're experiencing the culture differently, and what implications that has for our unity and our witness." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' general assignment writer/editor. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #AUGUST16

RIDGECREST, NC (BP) – Appeals for pertinent action amid turmoil following the killings of two black men and five white policemen were issued July 12 during a conference designed to strengthen black churches and families. As more than 800 gathered at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference July 11-15 at Ridgecrest, N.C., leaders peppered sermons and seminars with advice drawn from Scripture. Using the conference theme of LEAD, an acronym for launch, engage and advance into destiny, speakers used the biblical story of Nehemiah as a framework to encourage constructive action approved and empowered by God and not defined by individual and personal agendas, nor limited by human strength. Anthony Dockery, preaching from the theme of "engage" during the July 12 evening worship service, said Christians must engage our Christianity, culture and community to effect change in these perilous times. Not only that, but Christians must follow certain "rules of engagement," said Dockery, pastor of St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church in LaPuente, Calif. "You see the affliction, you see the pain. Baton Rouge, you see it. Dallas, you see it. Minneapolis, you see it. San Bernardino, you see it. Orlando, you see it. Paris, you see it. Everywhere you go, you see it," Dockery said. "You see the brokenness, you see the hurt, you see the peril.... What's going to help things to change, what's going to help things to be better? It's going to take Anglos, it's going to take African Americans, it's going to take Latino, Hispanic all of us coming together to facilitate change." Rules of engagement Dockery referenced Jesus' admonition to "turn the other cheek" in saying that all sectors of society must be able to look past certain entitlements and freedoms -- such as the right or permission to defend oneself -- to achieve what is best for the whole nation. "We say we want to heal the land. Everyone says we need to have a conversation. It needs to go past the conversation. It needs to go to the point where I understand, and my convictions and my Christianity start to supersede my entitlement and my permission" he said, reasoning that a clash of individual freedoms will likely be the downfall of the United States. "What I'm simply saying is what's going to be the demise of our country is not Al Qaeda, it is not ISIS; it is our own freedoms," he said. "It is implosion from the inside. It's your freedoms infringing on my freedoms and me not moving back from my entitlement and my permission to allow the greater good for the country." When Nehemiah formed a coalition to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the presence of enemies, he operated through authority and power given by God, and necessarily guarded and protected God's commandments while performing the work. Additionally, Dockery noted, Nehemiah acknowledged the Israelites' sins of disobedience and not just the problems that resulted from disobedience. "We have to understand the worldview of the Anglo and where they're coming from, and try to process that information and then educate them as to where we are coming from. That is the significance of engaging the culture," Dockery said. "And lastly the community, connecting with our community. It's not just the community that you're in, but the community of this nation, the community of this world.... Everywhere we go is our community." Dallas perspective E.W. McCall, who retired from a 37-year pastorate at St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church immediately preceding Dockery's tenure, commended the younger pastor while introducing him to conference attendees. McCall now lives in Dallas and works as a consultant in African American ministry with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. In an interview with Baptist Press, the longtime pastor and denominational worker said African American Christians must have a plan of action to follow after the talking, marching and grieving over violence end. "I don't see a strategy," McCall said. "The only time the system changes for us minorities is when it economically impacts the majority community. Martin Luther King was nonviolent, but ... he impacted the economic position of the majority. And once you have (their attention), the majority begins to think." "When the violence started the other week in downtown Dallas, that area lost millions of dollars, because business was shut down," McCall said of July 7, the night an African American sniper killed five white police officers and injured seven others because he was upset that white officers had killed two black men in unrelated events in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn. "But what after that? What after the businesses recover?," said McCall, voicing concern that the violence and injustice will continue. McCall pointed out that blacks must be active in legislatures and Congress to impact lawmaking. After pastors point out injustices, the next step is to strategize to determine how we can change the condition of blacks in society, McCall said. "If you're ever going to make changes, you've got to be at the table where the laws are being written," McCall said. "If you're not at the table, you are on the table being carved up and forgotten." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' general assignment writer/editor. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #AUGUST16

CHOUDRANT, LA – Megan and Joshua Passon have spent many hours in a swimming pool on a hot summer evening, but on this particular night a dip in the water was extra special. Standing in front of one another and dozens of friends, the husband and wife were baptized along with 11 others from Longstraw Baptist Church. The 13 new believers, ranging in age from 7 to 72 years old were baptized in pairs Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend. Megan Passon said her baptism represented a public declaration of her faith in Christ, and added that being baptized with her husband was special because their marriage had been restored only several months before. "Being baptized in the pool with everyone was really cool," Passon said. "Everyone was gathered all around us and I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that you could feel so much love surrounding all of us. "Having a relationship with the Lord is now top priority in my life," she continued. "I have found that even in the chaos of everyday life, there is now a sense of joy and peace that I have; that joy and peace came from my Lord and Savior." The service marked the highest number of baptisms for the church in a single day since Larry Emory became pastor in 2006. Emory said a catalyst for the increase was the book "The Desperate Church" -- which he became familiar with during the Louisiana Baptist Convention Evangelism Conference. As he began reading the book written by LBC Evangelism Associate Keith Manuel, Emory said he realized his church could change and experience renewal, but only if members became desperate for God and completely surrendered to Him. Emory recalled how Manuel said a church must choose "the right wave" to get on and ride all the way to the beach, and after prayer he sensed for Longstraw Baptist Church that wave was its children's program. Last summer, 68 children had attended the largest Vacation Bible School in church history, and the congregation decided to offer to pick up the youngsters by van for services. By March of this year, drivers were picking up children on three routes for Wednesday evening activities, and the church started to search for an additional vehicle to accommodate the growth. In April the church held a revival and many of those same kids brought their parents to attend. Emory said seeds planted in 2015 produced a harvest this year with 22 of the new folks becoming children of God, including three parents of the children who started attending Wednesday services. Attendance across the board has increased, Emory said, with Sunday morning services expanding from 65 to 80 worshipers in a year, and turnout for Wednesday night activities more than doubling from 30 to 65 participants during the same period. Emory believes a second wave of baptisms will occur by the end of this summer, trusting God will again bless the church's Vacation Bible School efforts. Heather Council-Hyatt was thankful for the added investment Longstraw Baptist has made in the lives of children. Her nine-year-old daughter Mia was one of the new believers who were baptized during the holiday pool ceremony. "Watching Brother Larry dunk her in the water and then bring her back up took me back to the first time I ever laid eyes on her," she said. "She was being born all over again. Mia loves going to church, and loves the Lord! She continues to amaze us on a daily basis." Emory said he's going to continue riding the wave, as long as God allows. "It's been fun and all I've tried to do is stay out of God's way," he said. "I see what He's doing and jump in there and work with Him." For churches that realize their need for revitalization, Manuel advises they follow Longstraw Baptist's example and find the "wave" God has sent their way already. "There are opportunities where the giftedness of a congregation intersects with needs in community," Manuel said. "For Longstraw, this opportunity was in their weekly Children's Ministry. They simply identified a wave of opportunity the Lord already sent their way and intentionally focused on reaching these children with the Gospel." Even though Longstraw Baptist has experienced tremendous growth in just a few months, the congregation knows God is just beginning a great movement at the church that is celebrating a new life, Emory said. "You hear people talking about it and see a lift in the spirits of people," Emory said. "They are talking about it and reflecting back on it. It's created a new vital spirit among the church itself. "I stress that we will go and give to world missions and state missions and national missions, but we live in a mission field," he continued. "All you have to do is drive down a road, where in a three-mile radius there are 225 homes and most of those are unchurched people. We are living in a mission field. And we are reaching it one child, one person at a time." ABOUT THE AUTHOR This article appeared in the Baptist Message (baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Brian Blackwell is a staff writer for the Baptist Message. #AUGUST16

WASHINGTON, DC (BP) – The U.S. House of Representatives approved Wednesday (July 13) a bill to protect the conscience rights of individuals and institutions that refuse to be involved in abortion. The House voted 245-182 almost totally along party lines for the Conscience Protection Act, which bars the government from discriminating against health-care providers with objections to participating in or providing coverage for abortion. The Senate has yet to vote on the legislation. Pro-life and religious liberty advocates applauded the House's action. Southern Baptist ethicist and religious freedom advocate Russell Moore told Baptist Press he was "very thankful that the House approved this common-sense legislation," describing its passage as "an important step in protecting freedom of conscience when it comes to abortion." "It is completely unjust that any American doctor or clinic would be punished for holding to their beliefs on the sanctity of human life," said Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), in written comments. "My prayer is that this bill would defend Americans who stand up for human dignity for all and remind the federal government that it has no authority to dictate to the conscience." Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said in a written statement, "For decades, conscience has been an area of public policy consensus. Even those who support the right to abortion used to agree that Americans who object to abortion should not be forced to participate in it or subsidize its costs. That longstanding consensus is now under attack from the Obama Administration and others on the left." The House's passage of the bill came on the heels of an Obama administration decision that allows the state of California to force even churches to cover abortions in their health insurance plans. The Department of Health and Human Services announced June 21 it had rejected complaints from churches and others that California had violated federal law by requiring their health plans to pay for elective abortions. The Conscience Protection Act cites California's mandate in language explaining the need for the legislation. It also points to a similar requirement by the state of New York. Matt Bowman, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a written release, "Because the Obama administration has violated pro-life conscience laws so that now even churches, in many instances, must pay for abortion insurance, this bill has become necessary." Pro-life nurses also have been forced to assist with abortions in order to keep their jobs, according to reports in recent years. The bill prohibits the federal government -- as well as state and local governments that receive health-related, federal funds -- from penalizing or retaliating against doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals who decline to perform or refer for abortions. It also protects the conscience rights of such organizations as hospitals or other health-care facilities, social services providers, health training programs and group health plans. The measure includes a "private right of action" that enables alleged victims of discrimination to defend themselves in court. The legislation specifies previous measures Congress has passed to guard health-care conscience rights but notes none offer a "private right of action." Critics of California's mandate and the Obama administration decision in support of it say the state regulation violates the Weldon Amendment, an annual rider since 2004 to the HHS appropriations measure that bars funds for a federal program or state or local government that "subjects any institutional or individual health care entity to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions." Only three Democrats supported the bill, while a lone Republican opposed it. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Daniel Lipinski of Illinois and Collin Peterson of Minnesota cast votes for the measure. Rep. Richard Hanna of New York voted against it. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #AUGUST16

CASTLETON, VT (BP) – Moving to New England had never crossed Branden Rogers' mind when he returned to his Mississippi hometown as a pastor after attending seminary. Then his brother moved to Burlington, Vt., for a short-term assignment as a nurse. Shocked at the difficulty his brother had in finding a Bible-believing evangelical church, Rogers' firsthand awareness of the lostness that exists outside the Bible Belt became a life-changing experience. "God planted a seed in our hearts to come to New England and begin planting a church in New England," Rogers said. By any measure, the six states that comprise New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) have some of the lowest percentages of religious believers -- including Southern Baptists, evangelical Christians and people who adhere to any religion -- in the United States. While these statistics may seem discouraging, a surge in church planting is beginning to make a difference for individuals who are hearing the Gospel as well as for the Baptist Convention of New England. More than 115 of New England's Southern Baptist churches have been planted since 2010 -- a full one-third of the total Southern Baptist churches in the region -- and many more planters are in the process of initiating church plants. Unlikely Church Planters Alex Vargas, a full-time head custodian at a school, never intended to become a church planter. He already had his hands full in prison ministry and teaching Sunday School at Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in West Hartford, Conn. But when Vargas was approached by North American Mission Board church planting catalyst Greg Torres about leading a Bible study for Quechuan immigrants from Ecuador in the nearby town of Waterbury, he agreed to take on this additional role in 2011. The group began meeting in a church basement and faced many initial challenges, including language differences (the Quechua are an indigenous people group who speak Spanish as a second language) as well as cultural differences (Vargas is originally from Puerto Rico) and religious context (most of the immigrants came from a nominal Catholic background). Vargas went through highs and lows, particularly in the first year, but continued to believe that God works in people's hearts "when you teach the Gospel ... that Christ is the only one." Little by little, as Vargas communicated biblical truth, people either committed their lives to Christ or left the group. Before long, Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret was organized, which now runs around 75 in Saturday evening church services, including about 20 children and 15 young adults. "Patiently teach the Word," Vargas noted, "and the Word will ... bring us to the light of Christ." Buddha Rai, pastor of Grace United Church in Burlington, Vt., has seen the same principle at work. When Rai moved to New England from Nepal seven years ago, his family worshipped together at home because they didn't know any Christian believers. But as they became more connected, God gave them a vision for reaching their community -- starting at the airport. After learning through word of mouth or through a relationship with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program when new immigrants were scheduled to arrive from Nepal, Rai and other believers began waiting at the airport to welcome them and provide help. "We follow up with them and help them apply for citizenship and apply for different programs," Rai said. "If they don't have a ride, we help them with going to the hospital and shopping, things like that." Though many of the immigrants have been raised Hindu, the Nepalese Christians always make a point of telling them about Jesus' love and inviting them to meet for Bible study. "When we invite them, they come and they listen," Rai said. Now that Grace United Church has grown to a membership of about 125, more of their outreach takes place at church-sponsored cultural events and through individuals sharing the Gospel at work and through relationships in the community. And God is using this approach; last year, 29 people -- mostly adults -- were baptized as Grace United Church has become Burlington's third-largest evangelical church. "In the beginning we had a few people, but now we are growing up," Rai said. "We really believe that God is helping us to multiply, to see people saved who were not saved before." Relational Discipleship Rogers also has seen the importance of relationships in sharing the Gospel, particularly in New England. After moving to Castleton, Vt., as a North American Mission Board church planter in May 2014, Rogers and his wife Hanna connected with members of Foundation Church, a two-year-old church plant in a nearby town, to organize a Backyard Bible Club as one of their early initiatives. Thirteen children attended the first sessions. "We would meet the adults in the parking lot, and the adults wouldn't even come inside," Rogers recounted. "We had workers ready to meet the children ... so other leaders would stay outside and talk to them." After some time, Rogers saw parents starting to warm up and become more receptive. As relationships developed, more people were willing to attend weekly Bible studies. Faith for Life Church began holding official services in October 2014 and has grown to a steady congregation of 40 in less than two years, baptizing 10 people last year alone. Meeting in a rented classroom at Castleton University, the church also has found connection opportunities among collegians. "I really believe that what God has done is all through relational disciple-making," said Rogers, who encourages church members to invest in the lives of people around them to look for opportunities for conversations about God and about church. New believers often are especially enthusiastic, such as one of Hanna's friends, a hairdresser who sometimes persuades people to attend church by offering them a free haircut. "It's amazing how many people have come ... just because of this lady," Rogers said. "We're definitely seeing the effects of one inviting one ... that's the refreshed vision God has given me this year -- each disciple making a disciple, at least one." Vision & Cooperation The church that Vargas leads, Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret, has a vision of reaching out to 50,000-plus Spanish-speakers in and around Waterbury. Additionally this summer, Vargas said their plans include feeding and ministering to the homeless and eventually having a Spanish-to-English translator because they "don't want to segregate to just one language." A desire to reach local communities, a common thread in most church plants, is making a difference across New England. Churches planted since 2010 baptized more than 700 people last year alone -- nearly 40 percent of the total for the Baptist Convention of New England -- with most being adult converts. Church plants, in fact, are a large part of the reason the BCNE has had record baptisms three years in a row. But this kind of work doesn't happen in a vacuum. Last year Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret baptized nine people -- most of whom are adults now serving in leadership positions, giving Vargas an understanding of both the excitement and the challenge of leading a church almost completely composed of new believers. That's one of the reasons he led the church into cooperation with the New England convention and the local Baptist association. "Explaining to the church what the BCNE and WCBA, Western Connecticut Baptist Association, do for us -- the coaching, the training, the materials ... it took a little bit to understand, but they agreed," Vargas said. Being an active part of the denomination allows churches that may be new, small or rural to access resources and participate in leadership training that they would not be able to afford on their own. In addition, by giving through the Cooperative Program channel of missions support, every church has the opportunity to broaden their reach in local, national and international outreach. Rai was not familiar with Southern Baptists or the Baptist Convention of New England until he met Dan Pokhrel, a NAMB church planting catalyst who connected with Grace United Church and shared the BCNE vision of multiplying Christ-followers through partnering, equipping and encouraging. Believing that "it's good to join and have relationships with other churches," Rai led Grace United Church into cooperation with the BCNE and Cooperative Program giving. "We love giving things to people, and here in this case we thought that it is really beneficial to give.... If every church gives a few dollars, then together it will be more," Rai said. "We believe that a small investment in the Kingdom of God will multiply." And that investment is multiplying. In total, about four out of five new churches contribute to the Cooperative Program, providing more than 25 percent of BCNE Cooperative Program giving. Faith for Life is one of these churches. Whether in Mississippi or now in Vermont, Rogers has always led his churches in Cooperative Program giving. "I've seen the Cooperative Program at work, and I believe we can accomplish more together than individually trying to do missions. We'll be more effective," Rogers said. Just as he was able to move to Vermont to start Faith for Life Church with Cooperative Program assistance, Rogers likewise hopes to invest in other church plants. "I feel a sense of responsibility to give back because I am a NAMB church planter. I feel a sense of responsibility to help the next guy coming behind me," Rogers said. For Vargas, who received a one-time NAMB church planting grant, "Hopefully in time we'll be able to do the same -- plant churches in other places," he said. "God is so good. He guides us where we have to go." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kimber Ross is communications coordinator for the Baptist Convention of New England. #AUGUST16

MOSCOW (BP) – A new Russian law that prohibits evangelism and preaching outside state-sanctioned sites reminds New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professor Jake Roudkovski of his days as a youth in the Soviet Union. "Baptist churches in Russia will survive" the law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin July 6 and set to take effect July 20, Roudkovski, associate professor of evangelism and pastoral leadership, told Baptist Press. Such oppression "is nothing new to them.... They will stay faithful to the Gospel." Still, the law "will significantly undercut all of the missionary activities," though it "will not stop missions and evangelism altogether," said Roudkovski, who left the Soviet Union at age 17 but has returned on mission trips. The Red Square in Moscow, including views of St. Basil’s and the museum. (Photo by Cat Norman) The law, part of a package of anti-terrorism measures, will amend a 1997 Russian religion law to ban preaching, praying, proselytizing and disseminating religious materials outside state-sanctioned religious sites, according to a news release from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Russians who share their faith or distribute certain types of religious messages through mass print, broadcast or online media may face fines up to $15,000. Under the law, foreign missionaries must prove they were invited by state-registered religious groups and must operate only in regions where their sponsoring organizations are registered. Missionary groups found in violation face deportation and major fines, according to USCIRF. Jerry Johnson, president of National Religious Broadcasters, said the new law "should be a matter of grave concern and prayerful action by Christians of all nations. Following a pattern of other human rights abuses, Vladimir Putin's Russia is criminalizing a central duty for all followers of Christ -- sharing our faith. In keeping with the Apostle Peter's declaration, 'We must obey God rather than men' (Acts 5:29), I commend the faithfulness of Russia's evangelical Christians and urge believers across the world earnestly to seek God's protection for all those who are being faithful in their witness. I also commend NRB members who are seeking to share the Good News in Russia," Johnson said according to an NRB news release. There has been resistance to the law, according to Forum 18, an organization that monitors religious liberty violations in the former Soviet Union. Russia's Baptist Council of Churches published an open letter of protest to Putin, reminding him the government refused to support earlier attempts to restrict the sharing of beliefs. Legislators responsible for the bill did not seek the views of competent experts or the opinions of believers, the letter stated according to Forum 18. Igor Yanshin, a lawyer and member of a Pentecostal church in Siberia, created an online petition in an attempt to persuade Putin to turn back the bill. After 25,000 people signed the petition in three days, he sent it to Putin on June 29 via the Kremlin website. The petition remains active and reached 37,000 signatures by July 4, Forum 18 reported. USCIRF chair Thomas J. Reese said the new law builds upon a history of religious oppression in Russia. "These deeply flawed anti-terrorism measures will buttress the Russian government's war against human rights and religious freedom," Reese said. "They will make it easier for Russian authorities to repress religious communities, stifle peaceful dissent and detain and imprison people. Neither these measures nor the currently existing anti-extremism law meet international human rights and religious freedom standards." USCIRF listed Russia as a tier two nation in its 2016 Annual Report. In tier two countries, religious liberty violations supported or tolerated by the government are serious as well as "systematic, ongoing and egregious," the USCIRF release stated. The new measure is the most recent in a string of religion laws that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev signed a religion law in 1990 in the waning years of the Soviet Union that opened up more religious freedom to those outside the Eastern Orthodox Church, Russia's dominant Christian group. The Russian Orthodox Church pushed against the expansion of religious freedoms, and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a law in 1997 that rescinded many of the rights afforded seven years earlier. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Daniel Woodman, who will be a junior journalism major at the University of Missouri, is a summer intern with Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. #AUGUST16

FORT WORTH, TX (BP) – Although Emily Mitchell was excited to participate in this year's Crossover evangelism efforts in St. Louis, she often found herself feeling discouraged and, at times, even inferior. Mitchell has only been active in church for about two years, with God calling her to join a congregation one year and to ministry the next. She just completed her first year in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's master's in Christian education program, but struggled with feeling inadequate in sharing her faith compared to other Southwestern students and faculty. As the team began hitting the streets of St. Louis, however, Mitchell had one area of solace. Prior to the trip, God had spoken to Mitchell's heart at a church service in Illinois. "I love you, Emily," she felt Him saying, "not for what you do, but just for who you are." With this as her foundation, Mitchell, who had never led someone to the Lord prior to Crossover, obediently shared the Gospel with those whom God placed in her path. Over the course of her time in St. Louis, as well as the week after, God used Mitchell to bring three people to Christ. "I never memorized the 'Romans Road,' and others on the trip knew it by heart," Mitchell said of her initial feelings of inadequacy. "But each day, as I shared more and more, I began to be more bold, and God brought verses from Romans I didn't even know that I knew!" The first person whom Mitchell led to the Lord was a woman she encountered walking down the street. After sharing with her the message of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mitchell asked the woman if she would like to respond at that moment. When the woman said "yes," Mitchell responded, "Really?!" Mitchell proceeded to lead the woman in prayer, and she became a follower of Christ at that time. The second encounter occurred a few days later. Mitchell accidentally left several books she received while attending the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting at a nearby restaurant in St. Louis. When she returned to retrieve them, the waitress had them waiting for her. "Thank you for keeping these for me," Mitchell said to her. "Have some! They are Christian books. You're a Christian, aren't you?" The waitress replied, "What is the difference? I don't know what a Christian is." Mitchell shared the Gospel with her, and before she even had the chance to extend an invitation, the waitress said, "I want to be a Christian tonight. I want to make that decision." Mitchell and the other Southwestern students with her proceeded to explain to the waitress how to become a Christian, and the woman gave her life to Christ. They then prayed over her and gave her a Bible. When Mitchell returned to Fort Worth, she knew she had been changed by her experiences in St. Louis but nevertheless expected to find "the same routine life" she had left. But before leaving work one day soon after her return, she spent a few minutes sharing with a co-worker about her trip and all that God had done. This recounting of events gradually morphed into a Gospel presentation, and the co-worker's response proved that God was not done using Mitchell in an evangelistic way. "I feel something in my heart right now," the co-worker said, "and I am really excited. I want to say the prayer today. I want to be a Christian." "That's three people who made a decision," Mitchell noted. "All I did was open my mouth with nothing rehearsed and nothing contrived -- just the Holy Spirit using me. Even though those precious souls are very blessed with their newfound faith, I know I am so blessed, too, because God chose me in my weakened state with nothing to boast about, and He loved me enough to use me to share His glory. He is really awesome, and I know now without a shadow of a doubt that He loves me and loves us all as we really are." ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Sibley is the senior writer/copy editor for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. #AUGUST16

ALPHARETTA, GA – Southern Baptist pastors looking to equip their churches in evangelism have a new tool to employ. The North American Mission Board has launched a blog to bring attention to “evergreen” principles that are working in some of the most evangelistic Southern Baptist churches in North America. Church leaders can already find content on a variety of topics related to these principles on the Your Church on Mission blog, including developing an evangelistic culture, encouraging your people to bring guests, engaging your community through service and strategic thinking. The blog’s content includes both text and videos. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) launched a new blog to bring attention to “evergreen” principles that are working in some of the most evangelistic Southern Baptist churches in North America. NAMB Evangelism Executive Director Joel Southerland (far left) directs the blog, which includes guest authors and video segments. Southerland hosted a three-segment pastor’s roundtable to discuss leading a church on mission. The panel included three highly effective evangelistic senior pastors, Rocky Purvis (second from left), Northside Baptist Church, Lexington, S.C., Steven Kyle, Hiland Park Baptist Church, Panama City, Fla. and Tim Dowdy (far right), Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church, McDonough, Ga. (Photo by NAMB Media) Joel Southerland, NAMB’s executive director for evangelism, says the blog doesn’t focus on “best practices,” because those may not be applicable in different geographic regions and different church sizes. By focusing on the principles behind the best practices, Southerland believes the blog will be universally applicable for Southern Baptist churches. “Evergreen principles should be true regardless of time, technology, culture or context,” Southerland said. “We don’t want to create tools that just applies to churches in the South.” Southerland says while evangelism tools can be helpful for churches, congregations must be ready when the tool no longer works in effectively sharing the gospel. “Many Southern Baptist churches are using these tools—and they’re great—but they all have a shelf life,” Southerland said. “And when the tool is over, too many churches don’t know what to do next. I’ve seen it in my ministry as a pastor. I’ve seen it in other people’s ministries, too. As long as the tool works, it’s great. But the moment the tool stops working we’re back to square one and we’ve missed the larger principles that are in play.” One such blog post by Georgia pastor J.R. Lee, urges pastors to establish an “evangelism culture.” Lee writes that many pastors focus much of their efforts on vision, which he admits is critically important. “Here’s the thing: Culture might be more important,” Lee writes. “Culture will eat your vision for lunch every single day.” He then writes about some of the activities his church has done in an effort to build an evangelistic culture. The blog also includes two video posts, each about 15 minutes long, where Southerland interviews in a conversational manner pastors Rocky Purvis, Steven Kyle and Tim Dowdy. One focuses on the principles behind an on mission worship gathering. The other focuses on helping your congregation live on mission. “Instilling in your people and reminding them to be a missionary doesn’t mean to sign up with the North American Mission Board or the IMB (International Mission Board) and go somewhere,” Dowdy said in the the video about missional living. “You’re on mission every day. Every day that God gives you on this planet, as a believer, you’re on mission. If we can talk about it enough so that when our people are waking up in the morning, what they’re thinking about is not ‘this is an average day’ or ‘this is a pressure-packed day’ or ‘I’ve got a lot of traveling to do,’ but they think this is the day I’m on mission with God.” Each video includes a guide to helps viewers find key points in the interview that address specific topics. To view the blog, visit namb.net/yourchurchonmission. On the page you can also find information about subscribing to it through an RSS feed. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tobin Perry writes for the North American Mission Board. #AUGUST16