IMB’s Akin to be featured in missions emphasis night
By Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
October 18, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY– The Tuesday evening program at the 171st annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) will feature a keynote address by Wade Akins, founder of the Pioneer Evangelism program for the International Mission Board.
Akins will be speaking Oct. 25 at 7:50 p.m. at Second Baptist Church, Springfield.
MBC Executive Director David Clippard called Akins “the stereotypical missionary that has an absolute passion for seeing people come to Christ and churches established in every culture.” Akins and his wife, Barbara, teach evangelism all over the world, training leaders in all aspects of church work.
“You could drop him in a jungle, come back and get him in a week and he’d have two churches started,” Clippard said. “The man is a passionate personal soul winner, encourager and church planter.”
A particular emphasis of his work is to train lay evangelists to go into areas where there are no churches for the purpose of winning souls to Christ and starting new works.
“Wade is on the cutting edge of evangelizing difficult people groups in our world,” said MBC Associate Executive Director Roy Spannagel.
About 25 minutes before Akins speaks, Spannagel will deliver a challenge and prayer for a Special Partnerships Offering, which is now entering its third year. The MBC is able to minister more effectively around the world because of the generosity of Missouri Baptists at this juncture of the annual meeting.
“We use these funds for lots of different areas in partnership,” Spannagel said.