By Staff
RAYTOWN – Because of how messengers voted at the 175th annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), Missouri Baptists are now strategic mission partners with Northern Illinois, Northern Ontario Canada, El Salvador, and West Africa.
The new agreements (with the exception of El Salvador, which was an extension) position the MBC to be obeying Acts 1:8 from the inside out, with Jerusalem missions from the local church spilling over into Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth in accordance with the Great Commission.
In 2010, the MBC will be “Moving Forward—In Christ—For Health—On Mission.” The mission part of that theme, which previously included Colorado and Romania, is now immense.
West Africa has 53 million people in the eight countries. The International Mission Board (IMB) has only a few missionaries in that area. That means MBC Partnership Missions Specialist Rick Hedger is praying for Missouri Baptist congregations to become Engaging Churches, where they become the missionary to a small people group who will not get an IMB missionary.
“Our hope is that Missouri churches will take the Great Commission seriously and be the missionary to one of these micro-people groups who need to hear the stories of Jesus,” Hedger said.