KANSAS CITY – Missouri Baptists made a “grave mistake” when they allowed the state convention to take the lead role in promoting the Cooperative Program, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) executive director John Yeats said during his address at the 2013 annual meeting in Kansas City, Oct. 28. This grave mistake took shape in the 1980s and 1990s, and “it is time it had a funeral,” Yeats said. “From the outset, the key promoters, the key educators, the key leaders for Baptist … [Read more...]
Bumpers: Messengers thirst for God’s power
KANSAS CITY – Eddie Bumpers urged messengers and guests at the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, Oct. 29, to thirst for and seek after the power of God in their lives and ministries. “We need to experience the power of God in our ministries and in our lives and in our families and in our convention,” Bumpers said, calling messengers to consider the example of Elisha in 2 Kings 2:1-9. “Here in the Old Testament, we meet a man by the name of Elisha, who was used by God in a … [Read more...]
Dhati Lewis practices the discipleship often preached
KANSAS CITY – Jesus told His followers to make disciples, and Dhati Lewis lives this out in unique ways. Lewis, founding pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, Ga., was a featured speaker at the CORE Conference during the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, Oct. 29. Lewis shared a humorous but poignant illustration of talk versus action. “It came to pass that a group of people existed who called themselves fishermen,” Lewis said. “There were many fish around and many streams … [Read more...]
Little Bonne Femme affirms inerrancy, cooperation
COLUMBIA – The Little Bonne Femme Association affirmed the inerrancy of Scripture and their cooperation with the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) during their annual meeting at Calvary Baptist Church, Columbia, Sept. 15. The decision could strengthen an association in need of renewal, said Larry Lewis, interim pastor at Calvary Baptist, Columbia, and president of the association. “The Little Bonne Femme Association has continued to lose … [Read more...]
Chaplain of the Flea Market known as ‘The Preacher’
Richard Nations/contributing writer Colony – Rex Link,“The Preacher,” as he is known to the area flea market vendors and shoppers, ministers to a highly mobile congregation two weekends a month in northeast Missouri. Pastor Link, of Wellman, Iowa, is the chaplain to the Colony Flea Market which is open from March to November. He ministers at a chapel in a flea market booth which is sponsored by the Pleasant Grove Baptist Association. When the staffing of the Missouri State Fair … [Read more...]
Send North America sparks Ala.-St. Louis church plant
Like thousands of other Southern Baptist churches, First Baptist Church of Hokes Bluff, Ala., has a long and treasured history of missions involvement. Several of our families have served as foreign missionaries. We have given substantially to missions through our local association, the Cooperative Program and special Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) offerings. Yet despite that long history, it has been nearly 15 years since our last missionary family left the field. This has left us … [Read more...]
New coordinator, church planting center bolster HIS/I-29
ST. JOSEPH – The Heartland Interstate Strategy (HIS) team’s efforts to target the Interstate 29 corridor for the gospel were bolstered by plans to hire a coordinator stationed in Missouri and to work with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Center for Church Planting. The HIS team met Oct. 21 in St. Joseph, the southernmost hub city on the corridor that stretches through the Upper Midwest into Canada. During the meeting, a job description and responsibilities for the HIS … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists challenged to be involved in missions
Richard Nations/contributing writer Kansas City – Missouri Baptists were challenged to be involved in missions efforts with believers in North America and around the world at the annual Partnership Missions luncheon on Oct. 29 at the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) annual meeting. Featured speakers were Pastor Sergio Rebollar Oropeza, president of the Puebla and Tlaxcala Baptist Convention in Mexico and Roger Graves, church planting strategist with the Baptist Convention of … [Read more...]
Coleman: Prayer key for spiritual revival
KANSAS CITY – The adage is familiar: prayer leads to revival. This was the gist of a talk by author and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary professor Robert Coleman during the CORE conference at the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, Oct. 29. “Revival puts it all in perspective,” said Coleman, author of The Master Plan of Evangelism and The Master Plan of Discipleship. “Authentic revival is the springboard of what you see in the book of Acts.” “Jesus told the disciples … [Read more...]
Pastor’s conference lifts up Christ Jesus
KANSAS CITY – Fullness in life and ministry come only through knowing Christ, two Southern Baptist seminary professors said when asked why ministers should sacrifice a full day for a conference on “seeing and savoring the Son of God.” “We can’t minister if we’re not full of God,” said Thomas Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “The greatest good in life … [Read more...]
First Camdenton calls Baker as new pastor
CAMDENTON – First Baptist Church here has called a former Missourian as its new pastor. Kirk Baker, who served on the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board from 2005-2009 prior to moving to Calvary Baptist Church, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and also served as president of the Idaho/Utah State Convention. While serving as chairperson of the 2020 Vision Team, he oversaw the complete restructure of their convention. Ken Martin has been serving as transitional pastor for the past 18 … [Read more...]
Old church celebrates new life during anniversary
Bethany Bashioum/Democrat Missourian HARRISONVILLE – He’s a man on a mission. Pleasant Ridge Church senior pastor Malachi O’Brien, 30, wants new life to be breathed through his rural Harrisonville congregation. The gathering is the second-oldest church in the area with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention. “I want to be at a place where God works and is changing lives,” he says. The church recently celebrated it’s 145th anniversary on Sept. 15, but the journey hasn’t been … [Read more...]