PLANO, Texas (BP) – More than 4,200 church planters, pastors and church leaders flooded the hallways of Prestonwood Baptist Church, here, for the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) second Send North America Conference July 29-30. The gathering was marked by masses of participants praying in response to speakers, hundreds of connections between churches and church planters, and individuals seizing their moments to penetrate lostness in North America. Many attendees expressed the belief … [Read more...]
Ethnic ministry tracks popular at Send gathering
PLANO, Texas – More than 35 percent of the registrants at the 2013 Send North America Conference signed up for one of five ethnic ministry tracks. The final tally of registrants included 1,526 participants for the ethnic tracks, which included Hispanic Leadership and Mission, Black Church Discipleship and Development, Reaching People from a Muslim Background, Korean Leadership and Development and Leadership Development for Kingdom Development in Chinese Churches. Registrants from other … [Read more...]
Missourians glowing about Send excitement, crowds
PLANO, Texas – Missourians were among the record crowds at Prestonwood Baptist Church here, and they say the excitement and passion seen there is encouraging. “It was extraordinary,” said Rick Hedger, Missions/Evangelism/Discipleship team leader for the Missouri Baptist Convention said. “I think the Send momentum is really buildilng.” John Mark Clifton, lead pastor of Wornal Road Baptist Church in Kansas City, said the event was different from previous North American Mission Board … [Read more...]
Church returns blessings to Cooperative Program
MARION, Iowa (BP) – A year after Community Baptist Church was planted in August 2009, its members decided to double their giving to missions through the Cooperative Program. Darin Ulmer, who became pastor of the Marion, Iowa, church later that year, said he can’t take any credit for the increase to 10 percent in CP giving. “What we saw was that we had been blessed greatly by the support of other Southern Baptists, and as the Lord blessed us as a church, it was suggested – I don’t remember … [Read more...]
Macedonia Project speeds missionaries to field
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — You’ve recently finished college — or maybe you’re a mid-career professional -- and you sense an urgent call to follow Christ into long-term mission service. You have the practical skills to make an impact. You have the motivation. You’re ready to respond to the Lord’s call in obedience -- right now, as the Apostle Paul responded when he dreamed of the man pleading, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). But you need the theological training required for … [Read more...]
God’s wrath taboo subject for PCUSA hymnal
NASHVILLE (BP) – One of Christianity’s most popular worship songs has been deemed too controversial to be included in the latest edition of the hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA). “In Christ Alone,” a modern hymn written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, consistently ranks in the top 20 songs sung in churches of all stripes, according to Christian Copyright Licensing International. Yet it contains one line that the PCUSA’s Committee on Congregational Song did not wish to … [Read more...]
‘Woo pig! Soooie!’
There is a story about an Arkansas pig farmer told by Ron Dunn, the international Bible teacher and pastor of a previous generation whose message continues through his books and recently released biography. During the days of Ron’s boyhood, he and his family lived in Arkansas, where “hog calling” is an art form. You may have heard about the hog calling competitions where both men and women belt out at the top of their lungs, “Woo pig! Sooooooie! Woooooooo pig!” Now that the University of … [Read more...]
Bethany Church prayerwalks school halls
Forges loving partnership, could be model for other churches, schools CAPE GIRARDEAU – Who says there’s no prayer in schools? There is at Alma Schrader Elementary School in Cape Girardeau. Bethany Baptist Church here has adopted the school through a Chamber of Commerce program and that has led not only to a positive relationship between the school and church members, but allowed them to prayerwalk the halls and stop at each door before the start of school this fall. It began when the … [Read more...]
The convenience of blaming God
When our kids were young and complained about being on the wrong side of circumstances, my wife and I urged them to repeat this line: “When things go badly for me, it’s usually my fault.” In other words, we challenged our son and daughter to own their part of a bad experience. If a teacher singled them out from a group of misbehaving students, they were to understand that their behavior was wrong, whether done individually or in a group. If they got into an argument with a friend, they … [Read more...]
Choosy folks choose wisdom
Ice cream is beautiful. I don’t see any reason to scream for it, but I have no problem asking for it—even if I have to get a little loud. Every once in a while I just have to have something cold, creamy and beautifully calorically corrupt. The choice is never difficult. It’s got to be chocolate. But I remember when the kids were younger, sometimes the choosing was no small deal for them. There was one time in particular when Daniel was around 12, he took a good ten minutes to … [Read more...]
A vision of Christ – evangelism’s motivation
Why do we have to be guilt-tripped into evangelism? I have been to countless conferences and conventions throughout the course of my ministry and the prevailing theme in all these venues is the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and rightly so. Making disciples is the mission and reason for the church’s existence. We exist to glorify God and the chief way we do this is through the making of disciples. So, if this is our chief strategy for fulfilling the purpose of our existence, why is it … [Read more...]
Children need guidance while making friends
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. – Prov. 18:24 One of the most frightening things for children as they return to school in the fall is the fear of not having friends. It is this fear that often drives children to grasp at straws and do anything they can think of simply to have any kind of friend. We need to help children change this way of thinking. Instead of being afraid no one will like them and be friends … [Read more...]
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