O’FALLON – The local church is “the foundation” of training overseas missionaries for the International Mission Board (IMB) said the organization’s vice-president of field personnel, Zane Pratt, at the annual Global Missions Celebration at First O’Fallon, Oct. 10-13. Speaking as the mid-week conference kickoff speaker, then echoing his remarks during the church’s Sunday morning worship service, Pratt said, “The local church is the heart of missionary training.” Local churches, he said, … [Read more...]
Sixteen students find faith through MBCollegiate
KIRKSVILLE – In the first six weeks of the semester, 16 college students connected to MBCollegiate ministries put their trust in Christ for the first time. Greg Xander from the Truman State BSU reports two stories of two international students who joined the family of God in the last month. One student comes from an Eastern European country and grew up in a Muslim world. Xander says, “We have gotten to know him over the past two years since he went on our spring break trip. During these … [Read more...]
MBC messengers share thoughts on the CP
ST. CHARLES – Messengers to the MBC Annual Meeting in St. Charles, Oct. 28-29, shared their thoughts on the Cooperative Program by taking part in a short survey. The results reveal their knowledge of CP and their preferred usage of CP materials provided by the MBC missionary staff. Nearly 200 messengers and guests completed the 10-question survey, which consisted of two parts. Part I sought to discover what Missouri Baptists know about CP. Part II asked for feedback on which CP materials … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists set their eyes on Christ during Missouri Pastors’ Conference
ST. CHARLES – Missouri Baptists set their minds on Christ during the Missouri Baptist Pastors’ Conference at the St. Charles Convention Center here, Oct. 28. The theme of the conference, which took place immediately prior to the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting, was “Consider Christ,” based on Hebrews 3:1-2. Featured speakers during the Pastors’ Conference included Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Hershael York, Pastor Josh Boley and Midwestern Baptist … [Read more...]
MBC annual meeting wrap-up: New vision for MBC shared, new slate of officers elected
ST. CHARLES – During the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) 190th annual meeting, Missouri Baptists began celebrating 100 years of ministry made possible through the Cooperative Program and looked forward to the future of cooperative ministry within the state. Coming from 472 churches, 1,064 Missouri Baptist messengers and 265 guests gathered at the St. Charles Convention Center here, Oct. 28-29. Fowler shares new vision for helping churches bring gospel transformation A year ago, … [Read more...]
MBC premieres animated Cooperative Program video
ST. CHARLES – Missouri Baptists kicked off a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program (CP) at the MBC Annual Meeting Oct. 28-29 in St. Charles. In the process, they were among the first to see a new animated video produced by MBC graphic designer Ryan Lake, videographer Neil Sneed, and Communications group leader Tony Boes. “Cooperative Program in the Balance” was nearly a year in the making, and it literally illustrates the MBC’s efforts to serve as a … [Read more...]
First Baptist Church, Elsey, sustains damage in tornado
CRANE, Mo. – The First Baptist Church of Elsey, located near Crane, sustained roof damages in a tornado on Monday night, Nov. 4. The church building has pretty serious roof damage from a tornado that struck about 6:15 that evening. The National Weather service indicated the path of the EF-0 tornado was about 1.5 miles, touching down about a mile west of the church. One other home was reported to have damage from the twister. The Branson Tri-Lakes newspaper reported the tornado was about … [Read more...]
SBU trustees approve new programs, indicators for strategic plan
BOLIVAR (SBU) – Southwest Baptist University’s (SBU) board of trustees held their semiannual meeting, Oct. 22, on SBU’s campus. The trustees made several key decisions during the afternoon business sessions, including: • Approved two new master’s degrees – Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Master of Science in Management • Approved 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to guide the 2023-2028 strategic plan • Accepted the audited financial statements from fiscal year … [Read more...]
Williams urges refocus on God’s purpose, glory during MBC annual meeting
ST. CHARLES – Missouri Baptists ought to be laser-focused on God’s purpose and God's glory, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) President Chris Williams told messengers at the MBC annual meeting Oct. 28. Williams, senior pastor of Fellowship, Greenwood, delivered his presidential address based on Psalm 57, narrowing in specifically on verse 2: “I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.” When he wrote this Psalm, David was going through a major valley in his life, … [Read more...]
Real Encounter comes ‘full circle’ during outreach efforts in Salem
Hundreds from school, community hear gospel SALEM, Mo. – High school students and community members flooded the gym of Salem High School for a Real Encounter Outreach event, Sept. 25. The outreach, hosted by FBC Salem along with the local FCA and several other churches, was particularly special for Brad Bennett, Director of the Making Disciples team and founder of Real Encounter. He served as the youth pastor at FBC Salem from 1996-1999. “Last night in Salem, our ministry came full … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist task force to clarify pastoral roles as limited to men
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Messengers to the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting, Oct. 28-29 here, approved the creation of a task force to aid in the evaluation of a church’s position on certain elements of Baptist identity, especially the office and function of pastoral leaders being limited to biblically qualified men. The motion passed overwhelmingly, with fewer than a dozen “no” votes. The task force came about through a motion by Jeremy Sells a messenger from First … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist resolution urges ‘No’ vote on pro-abortion Amendment 3
Other resolutions address CP’s anniversary, Christian higher education, criminal justice ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Messengers approved a slate of five resolutions during the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting, Oct. 28-29. Most notably, MBC messengers urged people to vote “No” on pro-abortion Amendment 3 in the Nov. 5 election. All resolutions may be read in their entirety in the “Tuesday Morning Bulletin," posted on the MBC website here. On Opposition to Amendment 3, the … [Read more...]