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  • Our Reasonable Faith

    by Chad Wells That Coming Generations Would Know the Lord & His Work "All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10 NASB) BATTLE CREEK, MI – Last year, my oldest son turned eighteen. The scope and scale of change we’ve experienced through his lifetime is mind boggling. Some of what his generation accepts as normative had not even occurred to us just 25 years ago. With the world and all its voices constantly available at their fingertips, this generation has been exposed to ideas and ideologies that contradict the truth we hold dear. How will our churches rise to the occasion? Will we intentionally convey the gospel to our children & their generation? Will we lovingly listen and answer the questions that arise from the influence of an increasingly hostile society? Will we prepare ourselves to give the reason for the hope we’ve found? Our Reasonable Faith is a conference designed to equip people from the pew and the pastorate as we strive to see rising generations know the Lord and His work. Join us as Tim McGrew equips us to engage in conversations without casualties while offering clear answers to the most common questions and objections to Christianity. Andy Giessman will offer his insights into ministry to those in the rising generation gleaned from experience on the university campus. Lydia McGrew will be pointing out the consistency of the gospels regarding the personality of Jesus. Tom McCuddy will encourage us to reconnect apologetics with discipleship to help believers be better prepared to engage those around us. The South Central Baptist Association is blessed to once again partner with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) to offer this conference. Join us at Faith Baptist Church in Battle Creek from 8:30am to 4pm on Saturday, March 13th. A catered lunch will be provided which is worth the price of admission, just $15 if you pre-register. Come as a group expecting to be encouraged and equipped for such a time as this. Share the promotional video available on the registration page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/our-reasonable-faith-tickets-124269534523 Anticipating that his ministry would soon come to a violent end, Paul writes to Timothy imploring him to faithfully pass on the truth by instructing reliable men who would also be able to do the same. We must also prayerfully and intentionally pass on the truth once and for all delivered to the saints that coming generations would know the Lord and His work. To register, visit bscm.org/register. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chad Wells is in his sixteenth year as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Portage. He also serves as the Associational Mission Strategist for the South Central Baptist Association. He & his wife Angela are blessed with five children. #MARCH21

  • Empty holes

    by Tim Patterson PLYMOUTH, MI – In the early years of our marriage and ministry, Sabrina and I lived in the hamlet of Marathon, Texas at the edge of the Big Bend National Park. I worked in a small church as the associate pastor, which really meant that I was the personal slave of the pastor. It really was a great learning experience that I will value for the rest of my life. One of the perks of that ministry assignment was that I had the opportunity to travel that region quite extensively. While driving those roads, the beauty and expanse of the vistas that were afforded me were almost incomprehensible. Jagged peaks and desert valleys filled my view from one horizon to the other. There awaited me around every turn visual delights and windows of wonder into God’s great creation that those who have visited this part of our country will fully understand. In my first year there, I was taken in by the enormity of it all, but as I spent more time in the area I began to take notice of the small and more intricate beauties of the landscape. The small reptiles and the tiny rodents that dotted the desert floors were amazing, as were the various cacti and flowering plants. The rocks, sand, and variations in strata seemed to have been painted by some great imaginative artist. Something I began to notice as I traveled were mounds of rock and dirt at the base of mountains, knolls, and outcroppings. Their shapes and colors betrayed their manmade genesis and were somewhat out of place with their surroundings. I later discovered that these mounds of rocks and dirt were the results of men digging for gold ore in those desert hills. As I began to purposefully look for and observe these variations, it was obvious that hundreds of them could be seen across the landscape. Some were located high in the crevasses of lofty peaks while others were more easily accessible at the base of foothills. Their locations seemed to have little to do with logic or reason and did not seem to follow any pattern. At one time this region boasted some profitable silver and quicksilver mines, and I have been told that very few true producing gold mines ever existed. Pioneers, adventurers, and travelers from across the globe came to this barren region of West Texas to find their fortunes and build the empires that obviously, only existed in their minds. With all their worldly possessions in a few bags and bundles, they left the comforts of cities, towns, and villages to live the solitary life of a prospector. The future would hold unbelievable loneliness and isolation, and conditions that would make even the residents of Hades happy to live in the abyss. It was a hard life, yet untold numbers of men gambled their livelihoods and very lives for the almost nonexistent chance at riches. Today, I see person after person doing the same thing as those wishful prospectors of the past. They leave all that is good and right to stake a claim on nothing more than a fantasy that has about as much substance as the dreams that produced them. Instead of building their lives on that which is real and lasting, they scurry about poking holes in barren soils that offer nothing but misery. And just like the abandoned mines and shafts of the Big Bend of Texas, this present life is pocked with the desperate diggings of disappointed men. All they have to show for their efforts are empty holes. It has been my experience, and now my conviction, that fulfillment, happiness, and peace are found much closer to home and it is unnecessary to traipse across the barrens of this world to possess them. In fact, those wonderful states of being can only be found in one's heart. Not the muscular pump that delivers life-giving blood to our bodies, but the inner Soul and Spirit of the human being. And here is the good part, all of this peace and fulfillment is a free gift. Peace, fulfillment, and complete satisfaction are ours for the asking. All He asks for in return is our hopeless and hapless lives. It sounds like a good trade to me. Besides, it is my understanding that when we get to heaven they use gold instead of asphalt to pave the streets. What a deal! Stop digging and start believing. Empty holes or full–filled hearts? It’s your choice. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) "My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice." (Proverbs 8:19) "There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. (Ecclesiastes 4:8) ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #MARCH21

  • Kindergarten–adults

    by Tony Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – “Plays well with others,” marked with an “S,” made my parents smile in 1964. The “S” stood for “Satisfactory.” The report card, from my kindergarten teacher, meant that with other classmates I shared, took turns, and helped others in the classroom. My newly expanded community for the next years of my life was Stalker Elementary School in Flint. I easily recall those sweet years of expanded relationships and new rules. White milk and chocolate milk crates were poised on angles so that we could help ourselves to the tiny half-pint cartons. The aroma of Dutch windmill cookies is still fresh in my mind. Nap times meant each child retrieved his or her own colorful woven rag-rug to rest on the cool tile floor, while the teacher relaxed at her desk yet watching us and gently hushing us when we whispered to one another. In addition to eating and sleeping, I did learn some things. Today, I enjoy working with adults for whom I would mark an “S” when it comes to “plays well with others.” I like over-achieving kindergarten-adults. Two such outstanding, generous pastors are Matt Carter of Cedar Street Church in Holt and Ed Emmerling of Westside Baptist Church in Flushing. These men led their established churches to share their structures, resources, and energy to benefit two new church plants in Michigan. Matt Carter and Cedar Street Church “played well” with The Commons Church in East Lansing which is led by church planter and pastor, Austin Wadlow. The Commons Church is only seventeen months old. During these past COVID months, when restrictions hindered The Commons Church from meeting in-person, it was Cedar Street Church who flung their doors wide-open to The Commons Church. When Carter was thanked for assisting Wadlow, Carter replied, “No thanks necessary. We love helping the new church. It’s nothing more than what we’re called to do. Our congregation wants to be on mission with God.” Recent breaking news is that The Commons has been gifted a free, 5-acre piece of property with a 20,000 square foot building because a smaller congregation wants to unite with the mission of The Commons Church. Matt Carter and Cedar Street Church helped The Commons Church continue their momentum of praying, gathering and worshiping which led to a breakthrough in church planting. Ed Emmerling and Westside Baptist Church “played well” with Union Flint Church in Flint Township which is led by church planter and pastor, Jason Loewen. Union Flint Church launched during February 2021. It’s a newborn church plant. The collaboration between Emmerling and Loewen is startling when you see that the established church is on the north side of the Flint River and the new church plant is on the south side of the river, minutes away from one another. Some established pastors might see the church plant as a threat, but not so with Emmerling or Westside Church. Emmerling said, “I’ve reached a stage in my life where I don’t care who gets credit, I just want to see people saved.” Westside Baptist Church gathers on Sundays while Union Flint Church gathers on Thursday evenings. The common facilities are shared while the outreach to the surrounding community is doubling due to the heroic partnership of two pastors and two congregations. The mutual respect and support between Emmerling and Loewen is evident to anyone who watches their interaction. The background for the word “kindergarten” is interesting. It comes from the German language and literally means, “a children’s garden” or more precisely “a garden of children.” Can you see the beautiful picture those words create in the imagination? Diversity. Differing colors, heights, aromas, shapes, formations. Each one flowering or blooming at their correct time. Gardens of spiritual children can be similar. The pastors of these four churches are partners, and they are harmoniously tending to gardens of children for the Lord. Would you join me in praying that God will give us more kindergarten-adults who would receive an “S” when it comes to “plays well with others” on their report cards? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe. #MARCH21

  • Be the Church

    by Mike Durbin PLYMOUTH, MI – A small group of pastors from across Michigan gathered at Chapel Pointe Church in Hudsonville. Months of pandemic separation were quickly shaken off as they caught up with old friends and made new ones. They were drawn together by the compelling vision of "Be The Church: Healthy leaders strengthening and starting churches to advance a gospel movement.” “Be The Church” was born out of Chapel Pointe’s prayer to see the spiritual leaders of today and tomorrow equipped through authentic leadership development, to foster relationships that weather any storm, and discover the massive impact they can make in churches and communities for the kingdom of God. Tim Patterson, Executive Director of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM), quickly recognized a kindred spirit when he met Chapel Pointe’s Pastor, Joel Wayne. Both men are driven by the passion to advance God’s Kingdom by strengthening existing churches and starting new ones. Patterson says, “When churches and pastors come together for the advancement of the Kingdom and for mutual encouragement and benefit, we then have the Spirit empowered opportunity to truly Be The Church.” Biblical leadership presentations and engaging round table discussions filled the encounter. Questions were energetically discussed like: “What is the one thing we should be learning from you and your church?” “What does your church get most distracted by?” “If we were to start over today, what would we continue doing? What would we stop doing?” “What are you learning? Who are you learning it from?” The lively table and large group discussion vividly demonstrated that great ministry is happening in churches of all sizes all over Michigan, that there is much we can learn from each other, and that we are better together. “The 'Be The Church' encounter was well worth the trip. It was insightful in its practical approach and inspirational in its outlook and vision. Pastor Wayne and his staff were wonderful hosts, and I would strongly encourage any Pastor to be a part of this ministry initiative” (Billy Walker, Calvary Baptist). “I am highly excited about a greater collaboration of churches for the further advancement of the Gospel, more fruitful Kingdom work, and brighter ways to be the light of Christ to our dark world. “Be The Church” is an extraordinarily providential channel in the hands of the Lord in these days through which the work of many churches can flow with exceptional effectiveness” (Jerome Taylor, Eastgate Baptist). Biblical Leadership Traits Be honest and have Biblical relationships with other leaders. Mature leaders invite accountability. Focus on Christ. Be “helpable”—let other people help you. Labor together. “If you’re doing it alone, it’s by your own choice.” Recruit and invest in the spiritually motivated (Ephesians 3:20-21) Surround yourself with leaders who can do what you’re asking better than you, not ones who are just like you. Evaluate Desire vs. Design. Are we doing what we desire to do? Or are we doing what we are designed for? Pursue Biblical Metrics: Have people share stories of transformation; How many does your church have in small groups? Are they multiplying themselves? How long does it take before someone is serving in your church? How many and who are we sending out? Pastor Ed Emmerling of Westside Church captured the potential of the movement: “Be the Church" will bring churches and leaders together in a way that we have not seen in our lifetime. Partnering, in the trenches to punch holes in the darkness of Michigan. It will raise up leaders to a new level and in turn launch our churches into greater impact than we have ever dreamed or even thought to pray for.” For more information, visit BeTheChurch.org. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Durbin is the State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before joining the state convention staff, Mike served as Church Planting Catalyst and Director of Missions in Metro Detroit since 2007. He also has served as a pastor and bi-vocational pastor in Michigan, as well as International Missionary to Brazil. #MARCH21

  • Be contagious

    by Mick Schatz ROSCOMMON, MI – Now, I realize “CONTAGIOUS” is a dreaded word right now however, for the Christian it should be a way of life. Have you ever met someone for the first time and you just knew they were a Christian, and their witness made you want to be a better Christian? Maybe you know someone who, no matter how many rotten tomatoes this life throws at them, they just make more ketchup. It’s contagious! Hang around them long enough and you learn how to make ketchup too. It’s contagious! There have been several prominent friends in my past who have infected my life with theirs. To me they seemed so tuned in to God there seemed to be a telephone line connecting them directly to heaven - as if they were constantly talking and listening to God. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to talk with God via Zoom with two hundred other people on the chat, and everyone is talking at once. I digress, but my point is they have impacted, inspired, and infected my life with their relationship with God. In Scripture, in the book of John we see an amazing encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. Jesus was sitting by a well when she came to draw water from it. After much questioning and conversation, Jesus reveals to her who He is, who she is, and what she believes. What happens next is amazing… "So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?' They went out of the town and were coming to him… Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony…" (John 4:28-30,39). She was infected, and she was contagious. Who Jesus is and what He did for her was just too great to keep to herself - she had to tell everyone. Contagious! As Christians, as the church, we should feel the same compulsion. Who Jesus is and what He did for us is just too great for us to keep to ourselves. Our contagious infection gives Life. Our infection does not make people sick or put them in the hospital, it brings Hope, Love, Joy, abundant Grace and Mercy. Our contagious faith - Jesus - is the cure for sin and all of its diseases. In a world suffering from a pandemic of pride, selfishness and greed, Jesus is the 100% effective vaccination. As Believers this is our call, this is our mission: infect our neighbors with the love of Christ, the only cure for this world - be contagious! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mick Schatz serves on the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He is the State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats and lives at Bambi Lake. #MARCH21

  • Greer pivots to local association

    by Dr. Tony L Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – Darren Greer, after eleven years of service with the North American Mission Board (NAMB), resigned January 2021. Greer’s career with NAMB started on January 20, 2010. This month, Greer pivoted from his former role with NAMB, as a church planting catalyst, to an increased role as the associational missionary strategist for Northwest Baptist Association in Michigan. Greer’s early life was in Lebanon, Missouri. During the 1980’s, he pursued a university degree in criminal justice administration, and subsequently experienced a call to Christian ministry while assisting as a teammate with a church plant in Branson, Missouri. Greer recalled, “During those days, church planting teams were given a double-wide trailer and a pat-on-the-back when they started new churches. We’ve come a long way compared to the support, training, coaching, and encouragement we give now.” During the eighties, Greer devoted himself to ministry by attending Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and by serving in ministry roles as minister of education and youth. It was during those same years that Greer explored Michigan, first as a summer missionary then he later returned to Michigan to serve the Lord in various ministry roles by permanently moving to Michigan in 1987. With the Lord’s help, Greer has faithfully made it through other transitions in his life. His first wife passed away three-months after giving birth to their son Cameron. His second wife, Sharon Fishell-Greer and he married in October 2010. Sharon was the state convention’s elected president of the Woman’s Missionary Union for five years and the first woman in state convention history to serve in the roles of second and first vice-president. Both Greer and Sharon, will continue to serve the Lord as partners in the ministry with each of their distinct callings and gifts. They have set up their home in Kalkaska, Michigan. When asked what he enjoyed while serving with NAMB and the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) as a church planting catalyst, Greer replied, “I loved seeing what God did across the entire state with men like Josh Tovey of Redemption Church, Grandville and David Hiser of Antrim Community Church, Bellaire and many others. God never ceases to amaze me at what he does and how he does it.” Greer was asked what he is looking forward to doing in his role as an associational missionary strategist. His voice displayed his excitement when he said, “I am looking forward to working at a closer level with the churches in the association. I want to discover places where we can plant new churches with NAMB. I want to continue, with joy, my more than thirty years of service in the northwest region of the lower peninsula of the state.” State Director of Missions, Tony Lynn, said of Greer’s former service and new transition, “Greer has always and will always be a friend to all of Michigan’s Great Commission Baptists regardless of the role he serves. Greer’s desire to see the Good News of Christ advance, disciples trained, churches strengthened, and churches planted is evident by the humble manner in which Greer serves others. I was blessed to have worked closely with Greer which allowed me to appreciate him even more as a brother in the ministry.” Northwest Baptist Association consists of ten churches, of which three were planted or replanted within the past five years. The churches are located in Bellaire, Frankfort, Traverse City, Cadillac, Lake City, Alanson, Cheboygan and Kingsley. If you’re interested in discovering ways in which you can partner with Darren Greer and Northwest Baptist Association you can write to Greer at GreerDarren@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe. #MARCH21

  • Are we spiritually obese?

    by Rick Marcus CLIO, MI – There is something about food, it’s enjoyable, satisfying, comforting and nostalgic. It connects people, cultures, families, friends, and brings people together. Many of our celebrations and traditions are surrounded by specialty foods… Cake for Birthdays, Turkey for Thanksgiving, Candy for Easter, Valentines, Halloween and Paczki’s for Fat Tuesday. The list keeps going. If there’s a tradition, there is a food. We all have a favorite and we all need it to live… but sometimes we live for it. The joke has been for years that we as Baptists have taken this food thing to the next level… with a good ole pot-luck. Food also creates problems, with the fact that it is necessary for life, food can easily become an addiction. If we are honest food has become an acceptable addiction and with that acceptance and the necessity, it’s a very hard addiction to step away from. A good thing has become too much of a good thing. I personally know this struggle and the freedom God can bring from this sin. I could go deeper with this, but I want to look at food more on the spiritual side as the church. Scripture many times compares food and the Word of God. We read this in passages such as: 'Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, LORD God of Armies." (Jeremiah 15:16) "How sweet Your word is to my taste — sweeter than honey in my mouth." (Psalm 119:103) "...nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed." (1 Timothy 4:6b) Church, with the comparison of food and God’s Word, I want to ask us a few things. How is our food consumption? Are we in the Word, allowing it to nourish us? Has the Word become tradition? We consume it as we gather together and we consume it on our own, but is consumption as far as it goes? Do we take in more and more of the Word, but do nothing with it? Does It produce little to no energy, do we consume and then sit actionless? Are we spiritually obese? Of course, the Word is to be consumed. However, we are to do something with it. We should be fed by the word, propelled and energized to take action. "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22) Church, may we not be spiritually obese, but fit in Jesus! May we not be known for our potlucks and knowledge about food, but may Jesus be made known by a church that is taking action in response to His Word. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rick Marcus is Pastor of City Church in Clio, where he serves alongside his wife Rachel and their 4 kids. City Church is 1 of 3 Re-plants in the BSCM. God is at work in Re-planting Churches all over North America through your NAMB support. For more info about Re-Planting please reach out to Tony Lynn. #MARCH21

  • Face Lift and Faith Lift

    by Jim Stolt PLYMOUTH, MI – One of the most difficult things to do in an established church is to bring about significant change. But God, (I love those words!) has changed us as a church, revived us and has enabled us to completely change our focus. All of it started at a Midwest Advance Summit Meeting in 2018. We were without a pastor and I was the Youth Pastor trying to keep everything going. God worked in my heart during those sessions and began to open my eyes to the fact that we as a church were going about everything the wrong way. We were trying so hard to get people to come to us when what we needed to do was focus on sending our people out of our walls and into our community. I shared what I had learned with the elders, and we began to pray through how we could change. At the same time, our church was actively searching for a pastor. Though numerous people asked me to consider taking the position, I really wasn’t interested because I was loving youth ministry and was still in seminary. In due time, God worked on my heart, I quit running from Him and I submitted my resume. The search team was ecstatic, stating that that was what they had been praying for the entire time. That following May, I was elected as the new pastor. Over the next year, the elders and I began to roll out a plan called Faith Lift to completely change the structure of the church and its purpose. Some of it had been developed in theory but we moved it into reality. We changed the name of the church from Praise Baptist to Praise Community to reflect that we were there to bless the community and make a difference in it. We also reworked our branding by creating a new website, creating a logo and starting intentional social media interaction. We restructured our church into 7 branches so that every ministry fell under a branch and had leadership over it. We became much more outreach focused, and worked hard to develop ways to bless our community and to get into neighborhoods. At the same time, we also started a Face Lift which would bring our foyer and sanctuary out of a 1970’s vibe and into a more modern feel. We decided to use a good percentage of our savings from the sale of property to make significant changes to move forward instead of using it to stay at the same place. During the most intensive point of construction, we concluded services for a month and instead held workshops on spiritual gifts and how to use them. Our goal was to have every person take a spiritual gift inventory test, and then help them to get plugged in to a ministry. We had a grand reopening on November 3, 2019 and were up and running as Praise Community Church for a few months before COVID-19 hit. Since then we have rolled with the punches and have focused on our online presence and connecting through social media. Like every other church, we are looking for ways to connect with our community while dealing with the restrictions and apprehensions that come with COVID. God has been so faithful during all of the change and throughout the pandemic. The people of the church have been so supportive throughout the entire process and have remained flexible making it all possible and exciting. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jim Stolt has been in full-time ministry for twenty years in youth ministry, music ministry and pastoral ministry. He has been the Senior Pastor at Praise for almost three years. He and his wife, Karyn, have been married for 23 years and have two children, Jacob (19) and Sarah (17). #MARCH21

  • Sharing all good things

    by Chad Wells "The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. (Galatians 6:6 NASB) PORTAGE, MI – Allow me to candidly plead with you for the sake of your pastor. It has been a difficult year, and he could use your encouragement. Are you willing to share all good things? Galatians 6:6, Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches, is often cited when discussing pastoral compensation, but our focus is on a different application of the text. This verse gives a simple command to the individual believer who is being instructed in the word: share all good things. Spirit-powered obedience to this command will bless both your pastor and the church. The root of the words translated taught/teaches in this text refers to personal, ongoing instruction by word of mouth. Teaching like this assumes relationship and repetition. Being taught the word is more than a weekly information dump. Ongoing, accountable relationships allow content to be applied directly in the context of life. By sharing all good things, the believer engages with the teacher in a way that reinforces the impact of the word and brings glory to God. Christian content is instantly available in a variety of media formats, but growth and accountability depend on additional relational proximity. The production values of the megachurch livestream may greatly exceed the Radio Shack hodgepodge your church cobbled together. The skills demonstrated by past heroes of proclamation and modern celebrity preachers may easily outpace your pastor. Consume what you will (with discernment), but remember they are not charged to give an account for you. The reality of pastoral responsibility weighs heavily, and even good under-shepherds struggle with how to minister more proactively. We long to celebrate God’s power at work in the lives of those we serve, but we are more often confronted with crisis or complaints. Walking with people through difficulty and desperation is a privilege, but discipleship also takes place whenever believers share all good things. What a blessing it is to hear how the Lord has used our humble service for His glory and your benefit. Those who rightly divide the word of truth are encouraged to hear how those being taught are growing in the Lord. Let your pastor specifically know how the Lord impacts your life through the teaching of the word. You could text, send a letter, mail a card, place a phone call, write an email, zoom, or make an appointment for a face-to-face conversation. Is there a good thing? Share it. As we yearn for Christian fellowship free from covid-inspired restrictions and reticence, let us be diligent to share all good things with our pastors. A year of having decreased opportunities for interaction and proximity makes this task even more urgent. Virtual worship services deliver content, but curtail communication, connection, and accountability. If you must worship remotely, please remember to stay connected by sharing all good things. Your pastor will thank you. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chad Wells is in his 16th year as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Portage. He also serves as the Associational Mission Strategist for the South Central Baptist Association. He & his wife Angela are blessed with five children. #MARCH21

  • Pandemic division causing pastors to leave ministry, pastoral mentor says

    by Diana Chandler LOUISVILLE, KY (BP) – Brian Croft jokes that masks are the new “color of the carpet argument” in churches, with similarly poor outcomes. Pastors are resigning from the stress “kind of in a way I’ve never really seen.” The founder of Practical Shepherding transitioned from fulltime pastoring to lead the shepherding outreach fulltime in January, pulled by a need for coaching and counseling that has steadily increased among pastors over the past decade. Then came COVID-19. “I know of pastors who are quitting just over the stress of this issue and what it’s causing in their churches, and I know churches splitting over whether you should wear a mask or not,” Croft said. “COVID has impacted every pastor to some degree. Usually it has brought more challenges and more difficulty.” Pastors are pulled by conflicting views among congregants over whether to mask or not to mask, whether to meet in person or virtually, or whether social distancing is even necessary. A divisive political year has compounded the issues, Croft said. “Once masks and no masks got politicized, and once masks and no masks became about what’s right and what’s wrong, instead of about what is an individual’s conscience on the matter, then that’s where these unnecessary divisions started setting in, in a really unhealthful way,” Croft said. “That’s pretty much what’s happening all over the place. … And this is global too. I work with pastors all over the world.” Though Croft is not a statistician and does not have hard numbers, he counsels and coaches hundreds of pastors through Practical Shepherding. He is also an adjunct professor and senior fellow for the Mathena Center for Church Revitalization at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lifeway Research, describing pastors as resilient, said about 250 pastors are known to leave the ministry each month, as opposed to a “prevailing myth” that the number is 1500 to 1700. Croft is eager to see what statistics will indicate once the pandemic ceases. “There are pastors in Africa, there are pastors in Scotland and England, there are pastors in Brazil. I mean there are pastors everywhere who are having to wade through these waters of just disagreement around should the church gather or not,” Croft said, “because it’s not just an opinion about your mask or no mask, it’s politicized, it’s wrapped up in fear for a lot of people, or frustration over the people who are in fear. So people are not really wired and prone to just love one another where they are. “These divisions have just kind of imploded some churches.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer. #MARCH21

  • Floyd, Greear Stare Down Division at EC Meeting

    by Scott Barkley NASHVILLE, TN (BP) – At the first in-person SBC Executive Committee meeting in more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SBC President J.D. Greear and SBC EC President and CEO Ronnie Floyd called for Southern Baptists to re-engage with a call to take the Gospel to the nations. EC members also voted to disfellowship four churches cited in the Credentials Committee report, accepted amendments to the mission and ministry statement of Lifeway Christian Resources and received a report from the ERLC Task Force, established at last February’s meeting. Greear, whose term as president extended to a third year due to the pandemic-related cancellation of the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting, set the tone with his Monday evening (Feb. 22) president’s address, in which he addressed “demonic” sources of division that threaten to hinder the SBC’s cooperative mission of getting the Gospel to the nations. COVID-19 didn’t cause the disunity that has escalated largely through social media over the last year, he said, but uncovered it. Pointing back to the SBC’s rejection of the “leaven of the liberals” through the Conservative Resurgence, Greear called on Southern Baptists to reject the “leaven of the Pharisees” by refusing to be swayed by a vocal minority choosing to major on secondary issues. “The problem is that many of our divisions are based on 90 percent misunderstandings, distortions and often outright lies. And it has grieved me more than you can imagine,” he said. SBC EC President Ronnie Floyd’s reintroduction of Vision 2025 began with a parallel of Greear’s address, warning of “a sound of war in the camp.” For Southern Baptists to gain traction for evangelism, he claimed, they must “lead the way in helping create a Bible-based, Christ-centered and Spirit-controlled culture in the SBC.” Floyd laid out five action steps for accomplishing that purpose. Increase full-time, fully-funded International Mission Board missionaries by a net gain of 500, bringing that total to 4,200. Add 5,000 new Southern Baptist congregations through church plants, replants, new campuses and new church affiliations, bringing the total to more than 50,000. Increase the total number of church ministry staff and volunteers through a new training emphasis – “calling out the called.” Reverse the ongoing decline in reaching, baptizing and discipling 12- to 17-year-olds. Increase annual giving through the Cooperative Program to surpass $500 million by 2025. “We must begin to take this vision everywhere and listen to pastors, churches, associational mission strategists, state convention leaders and national entities about how each one of us can own this vision personally and in ministry collectively,” he said. “We must do this because this is our greater cause. Together, we can do this to the glory of God.” Vision 2025 received its initial launch at the February 2020 Executive Committee meeting, just prior to the coronavirus shutdown. The initiative’s relaunch will be aided by a $5 million pledge by the North American Mission Board over the next four years to support student evangelism nationwide. Johnny Hunt, NAMB vice president of evangelism and leadership, made the announcement during Floyd’s address. “This $5 million is on top of and separate from the $4.5 million in evangelism that already is being used in funds distributed by NAMB to non-South state conventions starting Oct. 1, 2021,” Hunt said. “So that’s nearly $1.2 million more than the funds available to non-South states this year.” EC Chairman Rolland Slade led fellow members, their spouses and guests in signing a large pledge board to pray for and promote Vision 2025. Executive Committee members began their Tuesday (Feb. 23) plenary session in executive session to discuss the Credentials Committee’s report and four churches it determined to be out of alignment with Southern Baptist polity. EC members voted to disfellowship the following churches: St. Matthews Baptist Church of Louisville, Ky., due to “adopted membership and leadership standards affirm[ing] homosexual behavior.” Antioch Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tenn., due to knowingly employing a pastor convicted of statutory rape. Towne View Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Ga., due to its membership and leadership adopting standards affirming homosexual behavior. West Side Baptist Church in Sharpsville, Pa., due to knowingly employing a pastor who is a registered sex offender. Slade announced the EC’s decision after emerging from executive session, before other business matters were considered. In other business, EC members voted Pastor Ron Edwards of First Baptist Church in Hamilton, Wash., to fill the Northwest vacancy for the Committee on Nominations. The most recent Annual Church Profile report shows that First Baptist contributes 12 percent of its budget through the Cooperative Program. EC members also voted for Don Currence to replace Kathy Litton as SBC Registration secretary. Litton resigned last month after her husband Ed announced his willingness to be nominated for SBC president. Another vacancy on the Credentials Committee was tabled until the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in June. No vote was required for the ERLC Task Force report received by the Executive Committee. During a question-and-answer period, EC member Richard Wilburn read into the record a letter by Stephen Stallard, lead pastor of Mosaic Baptist Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., in support of the ERLC and calling for a repudiation of the report. EC member Rod Martin noted what he described as positive accomplishments of the ERLC, but asked whether the entity might no longer be useful to Southern Baptists, considering the divisiveness of the subject matters it regularly deals with. On Tuesday afternoon, EC members also voted to forward to messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting a motion put forward by the Committee on Convention Missions and Ministry to amend the mission and ministry statement of Lifeway Christian Resources. If the new guidelines are approved by messengers, Lifeway will move away from collegiate ministry responsibilities to an emphasis on next generation ministry, particularly Vacation Bible School and camps. Expansions of ministry include publication of books and Bibles as well as statistical and research materials for churches. The amendments stipulate that Lifeway would no longer be responsible for operation of conference centers, Lifeway Christian stores, assistance to Christian schools or homeschool ministries, church architecture consultation and services or assistance in capital fundraising. Lifeway trustees approved the amendments last month. “These ministry assignment amendments reflect a renewed focus for Lifeway on serving the local church and its leaders,” Lifeway President Ben Mandrell said. “We believe by serving the local church with laser focus, we will continue the reputation of being a trustworthy source for life-changing resources to assist believers as they take the Gospel to all people and make disciples.” The Committee on Missions and Ministry announced the formation of a task force to be named by Chairman Rob Showers at a later date to study polity issues that arose when the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustee board suspended two of its members who were being investigated by the SWBTS board for misconduct. In a report to EC members, Showers said the SWBTS trustee situation “revealed a need for clarity for all of our entities and institutions to deal with trustee misconduct.” “… We need a clear path for our entities that will best serve the sole membership interests of the Southern Baptist Convention and the important needs of our valued entities and institutions in such a situation,” he said. The next Executive Committee meeting is slated for June 14 in Nashville preceding the SBC annual meeting. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Barkley is national correspondent for Baptist Press. #MARCH21

  • Love World and Welcome House impact Knoxville and world for Christ

    by Trennis Henderson KNOXVILLE, TN – How can the crisis of an Iraqi refugee family’s house fire help churches engage young women in missions involvement amid their busy 21st century lives? Several congregations in the Knoxville area are discovering the answer through hands-on interaction with such ministry groups as Love World, Welcome House Knoxville and Knoxville Internationals Network. Kimberly Poore is a member of the Love World team at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville. The missions group, which launched in 2019, is geared toward young women ages 25 to 40. She said the leadership team seeks “to educate and also provide mission opportunities for other Wallace women within our church.” Love World’s missions focus includes ministering alongside Welcome House Knoxville, a nonprofit ministry that provides temporary housing for immigrant and refugee families in the Knoxville area. The ministry’s primary aim is “building long-term relationships through short-term housing,” according to welcomehouseknoxville.org. Providing “safe and loving space for individuals and families in transition to permanent housing” allows volunteers “to share the love of Jesus through the ministries of hospitality and friendship.” Cindy Hood, the founder and director of Welcome House, noted that long-term housing often is difficult to find for many refugees, especially for larger families and single women with children. After visiting a similar refugee ministry model while on a family vacation in North Carolina, Hood said she returned home with a burden to partner with Bridge Refugee Services, Knoxville’s local refugee resettlement agency. Following discussion with leaders at Central Baptist Church of Bearden and Knoxville Internationals Network (KIN), she began working to establish Welcome House Knoxville as a nonprofit ministry. Renting an unused missionary guest house from a local church, Welcome House officially opened in 2019 to provide short-term housing for refugees or other internationals. The ministry also recruited Sunny Ikojoh, who came to the U.S. as an international student, to serve as the minister of hospitality for guest families. Meeting needs in times of crisis Since opening Welcome House’s doors, “we've had several single moms, mostly from Africa, with toddlers,” Hood said. Most recently, they hosted the refugee family of seven from Iraq whose rental home was destroyed last summer in a house fire. Volunteers from Welcome House, Love World and KIN all came together to help meet that family’s urgent need in the midst of crisis. “At supper time, they were cooking. The mom stepped out of the kitchen and when she came back in the kitchen was on fire,” Hood recounted. “It was too much for them to put out themselves and so they just really escaped with what they were wearing. They had a few trash bags of just some things they grabbed, but most things they lost in the fire.” After the family spent a sleepless night in a local business where the father works, KIN’s director put them in contact with Welcome House and “they were able to spend their second night at Welcome House,” Hood said. “We put out on our Facebook page what their story was and we had churches, individuals give through our website and we were able to give them gift cards. A volunteer took them shopping to buy clothing, shoes, personal necessities.” The Iraqi father “asked me several times, ‘Is this safe? Will this be safe for my family?’” she recalled. “I assured him that yes, it was going to be very safe and that Sunny would be taking care of them – and he has. “We are a ministry that wants to show the love of Jesus through Christian hospitality,” Hood emphasized. “However, we don't require that someone is a Christian to live in the house. But we also are very willing to tell them why we're helping them. … I feel like the best I can do is be the hands and feet of Christ in a very practical way. “When I got the call about the Iraqi family, they needed to move in the next day,” Hood said. “So I got in contact with Kimberly Poore and she made a couple of phone calls and she and another woman were able to meet me and my family – my husband and daughter – and Sunny at the house and we just went through and cleaned the house super quick.” When refugees or other international guests move into Welcome House, “I want it to feel like you're at a friend's house and you can relax,” Hood said. “There's food in the refrigerator, there's clean towels, clean sheets. You don't have to really think about taking care of yourself for a few hours or a few days. You can just exhale.” Equipping and educating volunteers Jani Whaley, executive director of Knoxville Internationals Network, said her group’s goal “is to reach the internationals through the churches by equipping and educating church members and small groups so that relationships can be built and the gospel message can be given.” With a database of 300 volunteers, she said KIN often helps “find volunteers for the Welcome House as far as cleaning and getting supplies.” Recalling the night of the house fire, Whaley said the Iraqi family had been living “just down the street from where I live personally. I saw the fire trucks; I saw the fire and I didn't even realize that there was a refugee family that lived in that house. It was just a few hours later I got a call stating a refugee’s house just burned down and there's five children involved.” As a former short-term missionary to the Middle East, Whaley said, “I have a heart for all internationals, but there's something special about those Middle Eastern people that just really tugs at my heartstrings.” After connecting with the family’s teenage daughter who speaks English, “I went over there within the hour and met the family and talked to the father and met all the children and developed a friendship right then and there,” Whaley said. The next day, “I went over to their house personally and loaded them up in my car and just picked through the rubble of their house. We took them to the Welcome House and got them situated.” Doing life alongside refugee families In his role as minister of hospitality, Ikojoh stepped in to assist the displaced family with day-to-day adjustments. “When that incident happened, we saw the love of Christ,” he recalled. “We don't get to choose where we shine the light. The light is meant for everywhere, taking away all darkness all around.” Ikojoh, who grew up in Nigeria, came to the United States in 2015 to attend seminary. After working with refugee families during a volunteer mission trip, “I fell in love with that. I felt a deep sense that God was calling me into this ministry. “I cannot fully understand what a refugee experiences. I can't even fully understand what it means to be a refugee,” he acknowledged. “But being an international student, I can identify that truly they do go through a cultural shock.” “When we intentionally engage our international neighbors and make them feel at home, then we have been the light of Christ,” Ikojoh affirmed. “We just listen and pay attention and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we respond to these needs. I think the goal is to do life alongside these people.” In her leadership role with Love World, Poore helps coordinate the group’s quarterly gatherings in members’ homes. Activities range from hosting missionary speakers to providing a monthly fellowship brunch for international moms. When Cindy Hood shared about Welcome House at one of the gatherings, “I felt the Lord really just putting that on my heart to be involved,” Poore said. While she and other Love World volunteers have served the Iraqi family and other refugees by helping clean Welcome House and provide other needed resources, Poore said she hasn’t personally met the house’s international guests. But that doesn’t diminish her enthusiasm for her behind-the-scenes ministry opportunities. “We know their story,” she pointed out, “so we feel connected to them in that way. “Being a part of this is important to me because God calls us to be disciples, make disciples of all nations,” Poore added. “He also calls us to unite together, to bear one another's burdens.” That powerful truth is making a practical impact for refugee families who call Welcome House Knoxville their temporary home. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Trennis Henderson is the national correspondent for WMU (Woman’s Missionary Union). A Baptist journalist for more than 35 years, Henderson is a former editor of the Western Recorder of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and the Arkansas Baptist News state convention newsjournal. #MARCH21

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