JEFFERSON CITY – In a culture that increasingly challenges the truths of Christianity, Missouri Baptists have a resource many of them don’t know exists — a statewide network of skilled apologists ready to help churches defend the Christian faith.
The Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network (MBAN) is a group of church leaders committed to equipping believers to share their faith more effectively. Led by Rob Phillips, associate executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), the network reflects a strategic investment by the MBC, which is one of only five state conventions in the Southern Baptist Convention with a statewide apologetics ministry.
“Our vision is to equip every Missouri Baptist to defend the Christian faith with gentleness and respect,” Phillips says, drawing from 1 Peter 3:15-16. “That vision is carried out through a team of MBC-approved pastors and lay leaders who speak at training events, conferences, and church gatherings across Missouri.”
Phillips speaks in more than two dozen churches each year on topics ranging from apologetics and worldviews to a biblical examination of false religions and counterfeit Christianity. The author of 13 books, he also teaches on The Baptist Faith & Message, the Trinity, salvation, the return of Christ, and other related topics.
The network’s other members bring diverse backgrounds and specialized expertise to the task of equipping believers.
Roger Sherrer, senior pastor of teaching and connections at First Baptist Church in Lebanon, Mo., holds a Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Apologetics from Liberty University — and his own story gives his ministry a unique edge.
A former atheist who became a Latter-day Saint before an encounter with the true Jesus transformed his life, Sherrer now speaks and writes extensively on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering Missouri Baptist churches an informed and personal perspective on one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the world.
Hanna Sims, a member of Red Bridge Baptist Church in Kansas City, has carved out a distinct calling within the network: bringing apologetics to the youngest generation. She co-authored a kids’ apologetics curriculum with nationally known apologist Frank Turek, titled “Yes, God Is Real,” and offers an online apologetics course for teens and adults.
Sims also trains adults on how to teach apologetics to children and teenagers — a critical ministry in an age when young people are leaving the church in significant numbers. Her topics include evidential apologetics, worldviews, and the use of good questions to plant seeds of truth.
Dustin Burdin, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Webb City, Mo., and an adjunct professor of ethics at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is pursuing a PhD in ethics, focuses his apologetics ministry on the pressing ethical questions of the day.
He addresses marriage and sexual ethics, gender and identity, homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion, end-of-life ethics, and the use of natural law for cultural engagement — topics that Missouri Baptist churches encounter regularly in their communities and congregations.
These four are characteristic of MBAN’s roster, which features two dozen apologists located across the state. Together, they cover an extensive range of topics, making it possible for nearly any Missouri Baptist church to find a qualified speaker suited to its specific needs.
Church leaders are encouraged to tap this resource. Whether a congregation wants to host an apologetics conference, equip a Sunday school class, train students, or address a specific theological or cultural challenge, MBAN members are available and ready to serve.
Inviting a network apologist to speak is a practical step any church can take to strengthen the faith of its members and improve their readiness to engage the world with the gospel.
To learn more about the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network, browse member profiles, or request a speaker, visit mobaptist.org/apologetics/mban. A downloadable network directory is also available on the site.