Month: February 2022

SBC Pastors’ Conference releases theme: ‘We Proclaim Him’

First, can you believe we are already two months into 2022? Second, that also means it is time for another monthly update.

Gathering

We are exceedingly grateful for Southwestern Seminary’s partnership and rolling out the red carpet for us this week! On February 17, the SBC Pastors’ Conference preachers will gather for a time of brain-storming, equipping, and fellowship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

After chapel, we will feast on good ol’ Texas BBQ with Dr. Adam Greenway before afternoon preaching workshops with Drs. David Allen, Matthew McKellar, Deron Biles, and Chris Osborne. After the workshops, the preachers will have more time to connect and fellowship over dinner and TopGolf.

Theme

Shortly after Josh Reavis announced his intention to nominate me, I began to release a few pillars or principles behind my vision for the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference if I was elected. The first was Everyday Pastors, followed by Expository Preaching, and concluded with Engaging Worship and Embracing Endurance. The third principle, however, was Encouraging Unity. In a sense, that was the linchpin.

I truly wanted to bless the boots, Cole Haans, or Crocs off those that would gather with a clarion call to unity. Our list of everyday pastors who would preach expository sermons to everyday pastors would encourage unity. Our time of engaging worship with guys who have embraced endurance in front of thousands of everyday pastors who have done the same would encourage unity.

Well, I was elected, and it was off to the races. As I listened to sermon after sermon to select our preachers, a phrase kept coming to mind: “We proclaim Him.” So many differences among the hundreds of sermons, but they all had something in common: proclaiming Christ. After all, that is what we do––week in and week out, everyday pastors all over our convention proclaim Christ. The pastors may be in suits, or they might be in skinny jeans; they might be in mega-churches or tiny churches––the differences are endless, but the call is universal: proclaim Christ. Rallying ourselves around this linchpin of our ministries is a great way to encourage unity.

So, I began to prayerfully search the Scriptures for a book that would highlight that call, and that is when I landed on Colossians. In June, as we gather for the 2022 SBC Pastors’ Conference, we will have 12 men who affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message and the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy preach through Colossians, verse-by-verse. In addition, we will have some special guests offer short but timely messages to inspire and encourage all who are in the trenches of gospel ministry––all getting to the heart of our call to proclaim Christ.

Fundraising

We crossed the $300,000 mark late last month, and are sitting around $320,000 for #SBCPC22 in Anaheim with recent gifts from churches like Shades Mountain, First Baptist Plant City, and Champion Forest, as well as a few generous individuals who gave anywhere from $50 to $10,000. We are also grateful for the willingness of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to join in on the fun in the exhibit space, and are waiting to hear from a few others.

In other words, we’re almost there, and you can help! No matter how big or small, every gift will help––and we mean that. If you can spare a few bucks or a few thousand, it will be used––and used well:

https://www.sbfdn.org/ways-to-give/give-now/donate/?hash=7409570231424287db30abbb7fc19aab&id=208

Socials

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for steady encouragement and equipping. We also have an online presence that will soon host announcements and details for the Pastors’ Conference.

Choose the hard investment

I sat in on a shareholder’s meeting recently. Just not the kind you might think.

On one side of the room sat Casey Perry, Jim Richards, and Ronnie Yarber—three men who, when history tells its tale many years from now, will be remembered for how God used each of them to lead a group of churches to stand for biblical inerrancy and missional cooperation in what we know today as the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

On the other side of the room sat 11 young SBTC pastors who gathered on this particularly crisp-but-sunny East Texas morning to hear about the importance of offering an invitation after preaching the word of God in their churches each week.

This informal gathering over breakfast, where men with well over 100 combined years of ministry experience were making deposits and investing into the lives of younger brothers, was a reminder to me of something I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time: there’s no greater investment we can make than giving our time to others.

We, as a body of believers, sometimes struggle with investing our time in others. We struggle to connect. With the best intentions we mean to have dinner with the young family that just joined the church but blink and it’s six months later and we still haven’t extended an invite. Sometimes we pull back because the lives of others are messy and we fear we won’t know how to fix their problem. But I think the most common reason we don’t invest in others is that the circumstances of our own lives can often feel like a tidal wave that sweeps up all our time in its wake.

I think the most common reason we don’t invest in others is that the circumstances of our own lives can often feel like a tidal wave that sweeps up all our time in its wake.

Jayson Larson Tweet

Other times we’re held back by our own faulty assumptions. For example, on several occasions in the pastorate I’ve had senior adults say to me that they don’t feel like they have anything to offer the younger generation. “They don’t want to hear from an old person like me!” they’ll say. And yet, one of the great joys of my ministry was hearing this very statement from a senior adult in her 70s who ultimately took a leap of faith, reached out to others, and has for the past several years invested countless hours discipling women who, in some cases, are 50 years her junior.

I think our older generation would be surprised at how many middle-aged brothers and sisters in Christ are spiritually lonely and hungry for someone older and more experienced in the faith to pour into their lives.

We’re wired for these kinds of connections. From the moment Adam opened his eyes, he was hard-wired for being relationally connected to God but also relationally connected to others. I heard a pastor say recently that the only thing God saw about his creation that wasn’t good was that man was alone (a problem he fixed with the creation of Eve). And yet, in our churches today, it seems we’re unintentionally trying to live a life that looks like Christ’s without being intimately and relationally connected to one another in the church. Those things—isolation and Christ-centered connectedness—do not compute.

There are little things we can do to encourage others each week. You can write a note to someone or even do something like give them a gift card or pay their car note that month. Those would surely be a great blessing to someone, but I see the greater—and costlier—blessing happening when you give the gift of your time and attention to others, inside the church and out. If Christ is in you, you absolutely have something to give to the other person.

Yes, it’ll be expensive in terms of your time and the emotional energy you may have to put forth. But it will be well worth the investment—for the other person, for you, and for the kingdom.

Cabrera named senior director of Send Network Español

PUERTO RICO – The North American Mission Board (NAMB) has named Félix Cabrera to be senior director of its Send Network Español initiative.

Send Network Español helps churches identify, develop and send out called men who aspire to plant churches in North America. The objective is to simplify and contextualize the process of planting churches in North America and provide access Send Network resources.

As senior director, Cabrera will lead Send Network Español to establish relationships with churches in each of six regions (Oklahoma, Utah, Houston, Washington, D.C., Miami and Puerto Rico so far), identify candidates for residency programs and recruit churches to start residencies.

Through the residency program, men who feel called to church planting will be trained, sent and sustained through the process of planting a church. They will receive theological training and reinforcements in the areas of spiritual, ministerial and administrative growth.

Cabrera comes to his new role after three years leading the Convention of Southern Baptist Churches in Puerto Rico as its executive director, where he has led the convention to growth as well as historic giving to Southern Baptist national and international ministry causes. He is also NAMB’s regional director in Puerto Rico, overseeing all church planting efforts there.

“Felix has such a heart to mobilize and equip Spanish-speaking church planters, and he has already been doing it so well for many years,” NAMB President Kevin Ezell said. “His role leading Send Network Español allows us to bring all our best assessment resources plus training, coaching and planter care to Spanish-speaking planters in their native language.

“The timing could not be better as the Hispanic population in North America is exploding over the next several decades, and Southern Baptists must start thousands of new churches to meet this need.”

Scott McConnell, director of Lifeway Research, has worked alongside Cabrera and said he “has a strong track record of investing in the things that help church plants and churches flourish.”

“He is a church planter, and he has coached church planters giving them hands-on experience as they prepare for ministry,” McConnell said. “Throughout all of this, he has modeled Christ-centered, biblical teaching and ministry in his church. Even more Southern Baptists will benefit from his service in his role at Send Network Español.”

Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton said Cabrera, “is perhaps the very best example I’ve ever seen of a life committed to being on mission. Felix has a strategic mind, an evangelistic heart, and a passion to see lives changed by the power of the Gospel.

“He is without a doubt one of the strongest assets Great Commission Baptists have deployed to the mission field. I am grateful to God for continuing to expand the reach of Felix’s ministry.”

Under Cabrera’s leadership, the number of Baptist churches in Puerto Rico grew from 35 to 52, the convention launched three new ministries and partnered with the International Mission Board to send three missionaries to minister to unreached North African and Middle Eastern people groups.

IMB President Paul Chitwood said Cabrera’s passion to see more Hispanics taking the Gospel to the world is what led to the partnership.

“We look forward to seeing him, in this new role, help Hispanic churches across the SBC send more missionaries to the nations through the IMB,” Chitwood said.

This article was originally published by the North American Mission Board.

Churches continue to report exceeding Lottie Moon offering goals

NASHVILLE (BP) – The generous giving of Southern Baptists toward the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has continued even beyond the holiday season. Many churches are celebrating vastly exceeding their initial goals for the offering.

International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood told Baptist Press he is happy to see the early positive reports of Lottie Moon giving.

“We’ve been thrilled to celebrate with churches which have met and exceeded their Lottie Offering goals, and several churches which this year collected their first Lottie Offering, or their first one in many years,” Chitwood said.

Throughout recent months, Chitwood has tweeted stories and examples of churches exceeding offering goals they had set for themselves, and he has visited several churches in person to receive an honorary check.

Just within the last few weeks, Chitwood has tweeted reports from churches such as First Baptist Church Montgomery, Ala.; Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church in St. Joseph, Mo.; Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Ga.; and Graefenburg Baptist Church in Waddy, Ky., praising their congregations for their generous giving toward the Lottie Moon Offering.

These are just a few of many positive reports from churches about their giving to the this year’s offering, which the IMB reports is up 16.1 percent over last year through the first four months of this financial year.

Additionally, IMB Treasurer and CFO Price Jett reported during last week’s IMB trustee meeting that the mission board’s financials for 2021 have been audited and received an unmodified opinion, which is the highest level of confidence given by the auditors.

During the meeting, trustees celebrated not only the outstanding early financial reports, but other positive updates like a growing pipeline of missionary candidates, many churches connecting with a missionary and donating for the first time, a notable increase in Cooperative Program giving, an increased emphasis on diversity in missions efforts and a continued focus on establishing systems throughout the organization to appropriately prevent and deal with abuse.

During his address to trustees, Chitwood said these updates are an encouraging source of inspiration for the IMB’s current work.

“The most important work in the universe remains unfinished,” Chitwood said. “Thankfully we haven’t quit. In fact, we may be working harder than ever before.

“By God’s grace and in His favor, I believe what we are doing together at IMB is working. The work … isn’t finished, and the vision has not yet come to pass. So we press on, until all whose names are in the Book of Life from every nation, people, tribe and language, have heard the Good News.”

Regarding the generous giving of Southern Baptist churches toward the Lottie Moon offering, Chitwood told Baptist Press the most important thing is not the particular financial goals of individual churches but the spirit of missions cooperation throughout the convention as a whole.

“With the growth of the global population, and more lost people alive today on the planet than at any time in human history, the need for more missionaries on the ground has never been greater,” Chitwood said. “I praise God our missionary force is growing again! And I thank God that Southern Baptists’ giving shows their commitment to support that growing number of missionaries answering His call to go to the nations.

“Goals aside, the growing generosity of Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Offering, from churches large and small, leads me to believe that the future of cooperative mission work is bright.”

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

El seminario Southwestern reúne a líderes hispanos y destaca los nuevos títulos que ofrece

Del 14 al 18 de enero, más de 100 estudiantes de 10 países y 18 estados participaron en una semana de cursos intensivos en español como parte del programa de Maestría de Estudios Teológicos (MET) en Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. La semana culminó con una cena, patrocinada por el seminario, donde se destacaron los diversos programas y títulos que ofrece el seminario y donde también se escucharon testimonios por parte de los estudiantes.

Durante la cena, el Dr. David S. Dockery, rector interino y vicepresidente de asuntos académicos, les dijo a los estudiantes que, “Los hispanos son parte de la visión global de la Gran Comisión y la herencia de Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.” Los estudiantes incluyeron pastores y sus esposas, traductores de la Biblia, misioneros, y líderes laicos interesados en obtener una educación teológica en español.

Los asistentes escucharon testimonios de alumnos graduados y estudiantes en el programa acerca del impacto que han tenido las clases del programa MET en sus propios ministerios.

Originario de Cuba, Misael Rodríguez, pastor de Hillcrest en Español en Cedar Hill, Texas, se graduó con una MET de Southwestern y es profesor adjunto en la Universidad Bautista de Luisiana. Rodríguez compartió que “graduarse del programa en español de SWBTS me ayudó a comprender cómo ministrar transculturalmente, ya que hay una comunidad hispana muy diversa para servir en los Estados Unidos.” Dijo que también estaba “inspirado por los estándares académicos, la capacidad pedagógica, la flexibilidad, y el carácter cristiano de los profesores que impartían los cursos,” en particular Terry Coy, Bruno Molina, y William “Bill” Goff.

Yorley Aleiro Parra Rúa, estudiante del seminario Southwestern y pastor de la Iglesia Bautista el Buen Pastor en Bucaramanga, Colombia, dijo que se está equipado para movilizar a los plantadores de iglesias en la asociación bautista regional en Santanderes, Colombia. Se inscribió en el Seminario Southwestern porque quería capacitarse bien en el trabajo ministerial y ser equipado por profesores que hayan tenido experiencia trabajando en el campo misionero y que fuesen, “muy bien preparados”.

En su testimonio como estudiante, Celia Ortiz expresó su apreciación por la pericia de la facultad y decidió obtener un Doctorado en Ministerio en Southwestern. Ortiz dijo que ella y su esposo, Noé, se están preparando para servir con la Junta de Misiones Internacionales (IMB) para trabajar con el grupo de personas no alcanzadas de Chigmecatitlán en Puebla, México.

Mark McClellan, Director de Programas Hispanos en Southwestern y profesor de misiones en la Escuela de Evangelismo y Misiones Roy J. Fish, organizó la semana de clases sobre misiología, predicación, ministerio pastoral, y estrategias de globalización y misiones impartidas en español por profesores hispanoparlantes, la mayoría cuales son originarios de países de habla hispana. Las clases fueron impartidas por McClellan; Juan Sánchez, pastor de la Iglesia Bautista High Pointe en Austin, Texas, quien también está programado para dar el sermón de la convención en la reunión anual de la Convención Bautista del Sur de 2022 en Anaheim, California, y el primer latino escogido para predicar este sermón; Ramón Medina, pastor de la iglesia Champion Forest Baptist Church en Español en Houston, Texas, actual Segundo Vicepresidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur y Presidente del Concilio Hispano de SBC; y Amanda Dimperio, quien es parte del Equipo de Globalización de la Junta de Misiones Internacionales y fue misionera en México, Bolivia, y Colombia.

McClellan compartió los nuevos certificados y títulos que ofrece Southwestern a través de los Programas Hispanos, incluso un certificado específicamente para mujeres hispanas impartido por profesoras hispanoparlantes, y un título de asociado de dos años que comenzará este año. McClellan añadió que los programas de maestría en español se han ampliado para incluir una Maestría en Divinidad con dos concentraciones, y la MET ahora también incluirá una concentración en misiones. En el otoño del 2022, el seminario ofrecerá un Doctorado en Ministerio (D.Min.) a través de los Programas Hispanos y también está en el proceso de establecerse un Doctorado en Filosofía (Ph.D.) con dos concentraciones. El departamento de Estudios Hispanos proyecta poder comenzar a aceptar aplicaciones para el PhD en agosto del 2024.

Durante la cena de la IMB del 11 de enero, John D. Massey, decano de la Fish School en Southwestern y misionero retirado de la IMB, les dijo a los asistentes que la comunidad hispana es “parte del presente y el futuro de la familia de Southwestern.” Massey animó a los participantes a “ser fieles al llamado que Dios les otorgó con la ayuda del seminario Southwestern.”

Oriundo de Venezuela, Oscar Tortolero, Estratega de Movilización de las iglesias hispanas en la IMB, desafió a los pastores y líderes a unirse y enviar misioneros hispanos por todo el mundo porque “los hispanos pueden ir a lugares donde otras culturas no pueden ir y necesitamos enviar nuestros propios misioneros para alcanzar a las naciones.”

Philip Levant, ex presidente de la Junta de Fideicomisarios del Seminario Southwestern, graduado del seminario y pastor de la Iglesia Bautista La Vid en Hurst, Texas, compartió durante la cena ofrecida por NAMB el 13 de enero, que cuando él era plantador de iglesias, el ministerio de los representantes de la NAMB lo dejó con una gratitud perdurable hacia la Junta Misionera Bautista del Sur, el Programa Cooperativo, y el Seminario Southwestern. Levant dijo que estaba viviendo “bajo la red de la gracia con actos de gracia.”

Julio Crespo, catalizador de SEND Oklahoma de NAMB compartió que “hay 62.3 millones de hispanoparlantes en los EE.UU y este número crecerá a 111.2 en el 2026 y es urgente que los hispanos cristianos se preparen y planten iglesias para alcanzarlos con el Evangelio.” Crespo dijo, “NAMB no planta iglesias, las iglesias plantan iglesias, y los estudiantes hispanos de SWBTS necesitan prepararse para plantar esas iglesias que plantan iglesias y enviar misioneros al campo teniendo en cuenta que Dios está ofreciendo oportunidades para la comunidad hispana, y es hora de que hagamos un impacto en Norte América y en el mundo.”

Puede encontrar más información sobre el Programa Hispano en Southwestern Seminary aquí.

The post El seminario Southwestern reúne a líderes hispanos y destaca los nuevos títulos que ofrece appeared first on IMB.

IMB dinner at SWBTS encourages overseas missions through Hispanic churches

In conjunction with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s week of intensive courses through the Hispanic Programs, the International Mission Board (IMB) hosted a dinner for Dallas-Fort Worth area pastors and church leaders on Jan. 11 to encourage local churches in gospel advancement overseas.

The Hispanic community is “part of the current, present, and future of the Southwestern family,” John D. Massey, dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Seminary, told the participants. He encouraged all attendees to “be faithful to the calling God gave you with the help of Southwestern Seminary.”

Oscar Tortolero, who was born in Venezuela and serves as the Hispanic Church Mobilization Strategist for the IMB, challenged the pastors and leaders in attendance to unite and send Hispanic missionaries all over the world.

“Hispanics are able to go to places where other cultures cannot go and we need to send our own missionaries to reach the nations,” Tortolero said, while noting there are 7,283 different ethnicities worldwide. “We have the privilege and the urgency of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unreached people of the nations through praying, giving, going, and sending,” he added. He challenged the leaders and pastors to consider sending at least one missionary in two years because of the great “need we have in our SBC churches to mobilize and send more Hispanics to the nations.”

Tortolero encouraged the Hispanic leaders with a message based on Romans 10:14-15 emphasizing the urgency of sharing the gospel with the 2 billion lost people in the world. He said the nations continue to come to the United States and there is a vast mission field of internationals waiting for those who will bring the good news of Jesus Christ to them. Tortolero challenged the leaders to ask themselves two questions: “Why do you think God has you living in such a time as this, and how are you going to use the life God has given you?”

He said he is praying for Christians to unite and mobilize to share the gospel. “There is no news more important, glorious and urgent than to share the gospel,” Tortolero added.

The dinner brought together a group of international Christians to listen to the word of God and spend time in prayer and worship. Dirce Cooper, a Chinese Brazilian, opened the time with prayer and the Southwestern Seminary Hispanic Band, whose members represent four different countries, led the gathering in worship.

Amanda Dimperio, director of globalization with the IMB and former missionary to Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico, spoke about young Christian organizations seeking the assistance of the IMB to enhance their missionary efforts in places where not everyone can go and establish a Christian presence.

“We must consider how to help lay the foundation to sustain an effective missionary presence and implementation of the missionary task,” Dimperio said. “Only the Holy Spirit can change a heart, but he has chosen people through which to proclaim His message.” She wants to raise an international army of equipped believers and send that missionary force to the nations, she said.

Alfredo Valencia, candidate consultant with the IMB who also served as a missionary for 13 years, shared the eight areas of personal growth that help missionary candidates get ready for missions’ deployment, including an understanding of calling, training in a cross-cultural environment, evangelism and discipleship training, changing their lifestyles, and the stability of their health, marriages, and families. Valencia emphasized that people are hurting and looking for God while adding, “We need to do together what no one of us can do alone.”

Clara Molina wrote this article for Southwestern Seminary.

The post IMB dinner encourages overseas mission reach through Hispanic churches appeared first on IMB.

FBC Farmersville shines the light of Jesus during North Texas ice storm

FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) – When John and Judy arrived at First Baptist Church of Farmersville last Thursday, it had already been a rough 24 hours.

Like hundreds of other residents, the elderly couple had been without power for the past day after a massive ice storm hit Farmersville and the surrounding area starting Feb. 2. Worse yet, Judy relies on an oxygen machine that requires electricity. When they first lost power, a nearby convenience store allowed them to run an extension cord into the store so the oxygen machine could continue to work. But eventually the store lost power as well.

Local police took the couple to FBC Farmersville, which opened its facilities last week for people who needed a place to stay and a bite to eat.

“We decided a long time ago that we were going to be the kind of church that would step up and help the community on events like this,” said Bart Barber, FBC Farmersville’s senior pastor.

And help they did. FBC Farmersville fed an average of 40 to 50 people for eight meals. According to Lanette Jones, who led the church’s kitchen team during the effort, at least 80 percent of the families they helped were not members of the church. Many of those families were housed at the church where they found shelter and a sense of community as they awaited the return of power to their homes.

John and Judy arrived at the church right before dinner on Thursday, Feb. 4. The church put up some cots where the couple could sleep. But away from their beds, they struggled to rest that night. Pastor Barber, who was sleeping in his office, walked through the church every few hours to ensure everyone had what they needed. At 1:30 a.m., on one of these trips through the church building, Barber saw John and Judy sitting at a table, huddled around an iPad.

After a brief conversation, Barber discovered just how much the preceding days had worn them down. They had spent the previous day freezing in their home, had been up the night before, and spent that day at the police department. Now they were uncomfortable as they were trying to sleep.

As he checked on power at his home, Barber drove by John and Judy’s place to see if they could return. When he returned to the church to tell them power had resumed at their home, they were thrilled.

“John had fallen on ice and so he was walking with a cane,” Barber said. “Judy was on oxygen, so she moves slowly, but they sprung right up and went with me.”

It was 2:15 Friday morning, nearly two days since their ordeal began, as John and Judy climbed into Barber’s truck and headed to their home. Barber says the couple was overjoyed to be headed to their own bed finally able to rest.

His experience with the couple reminded him about important theological lessons on the human experience. He particularly thought of his mother, who is living in an Alzheimer’s facility.

“We are all here waiting – and it’s pretty uncomfortable. We’re tired,” Barber said. “And we’re waiting for our home to be prepared. I thought about my mom and her Alzheimer’s and her wait. I know going home after a long day’s work is nice but going home in the situation that couple was in was a major thing. I was thinking of what it would mean for my mom when Jesus calls her home. It’s going to mean so much joy. How much joy will she have when she is delivered to the home the Lord has for her?”

Barber notes that this is the fourth major weather event the community has experienced in his 23 years at FBC Farmersville. He sees the church’s ministry in these events as opportunities to share the Good News in the community and to help prepare the congregation to “do good works.”

“There’s an element of it where people in my church feel an automatic desire to do something for people inside and outside of church – their neighbors who are in trouble – when something like this happens,” Barber said. “It seems natural to them, and their avenue for serving like that ought to be the church.”

James says the church had several families with children – including one family of eight – at the church during the storm. Besides food and lodging, the church provided showers when needed as well. Some of the families were embarrassed that they needed the help, but James told them First Baptist’s facilities were a gift from God, and they wanted to share them.

“It’s an example that Jesus gives us in the New Testament, of being involved in our community and shining our light and helping our neighbors,” said James, who serves as the children’s minister at FBC Farmersville. “Our goal is to reach out to our neighbors and help them in a time of need, with food and, and shelter and warm clothes. Through that, hopefully, they’ll see the light of Jesus in our lives.”

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

Lifeway Research says pastors concerned with growing leaders, reaching outsiders

When thinking about ministry difficulties, pastors say they’re most concerned with growing the people inside the church and reaching those outside it.

According to the latest release in Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, U.S. Protestant pastors say developing leaders and connecting with people not involved with a church are their two most prominent ministry needs.

“Paul’s instructions to ‘preach the word; be ready in season and out of season’ strike a chord within pastors like never before,” said Ben Mandrell, president of Lifeway Christian Resources. “In the midst of ministry challenges, it’s no surprise that their top felt needs are multiplying leaders and reaching the unchurched.”

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, noted that despite pastors having many personal needs, they often place a higher priority on the needs of their churches. “There is much agreement around the areas of ministry that need their attention today, because these needs have been the core work of disciple-makers since the Great Commission: equipping believers to share the gospel with unbelievers.”

Ministry difficulties identified

For the 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, Lifeway Research interviewed 200 U.S. Protestant pastors who identified 44 issues they face in their roles and then surveyed 1,000 additional pastors to determine which of these needs was most prevalent. The almost four dozen needs were divided into seven categories: ministry difficulties, spiritual needs, mental challenges, personal life, self-care, people dynamics and areas of skill development.

More than 3 in 4 pastors say developing leaders and volunteers (77%) and fostering connections with unchurched people (76%) are among their greatest needs.

2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study Tweet

Among the five needs classified as ministry difficulties, two resonate with pastors more than the others. More than 3 in 4 pastors say developing leaders and volunteers (77%) and fostering connections with unchurched people (76%) are among their greatest needs.

A majority of U.S. Protestant pastors also say training current leaders and volunteers (68%) and challenging people where they lack obedience (55%) are challenges they face. Slightly fewer (45%) say they need to establish a compelling vision for their congregation. Around 1 in 20 pastors say they did not need to give specific attention to any of these issues right now (6%).

“Pastors are personally burdened with the need for their churches to share the good news of Jesus Christ with their community,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This makes their personal priority list because their church is often less effective than it used to be. In addition, many don’t even know where to start in helping their congregations connect with non-believers outside the church.”

White pastors (77%) are more likely than African American pastors (63%) to say they are finding it challenging to foster connections with the unchurched. African American pastors (68%) are the least likely to say they need to give attention to developing leaders and volunteers.

The youngest pastors, those 18 to 44, (82%) are more likely than the oldest pastors, those 65 and older, (71%) to find forming connections with the unchurched an area in which they need to invest more time. Similarly, younger pastors (82%) are more likely than older pastors (70%) to feel the need to give attention to developing leaders and volunteers, as well as training current leaders and volunteers (74% to 62%).

Pastors at larger churches are more likely to say connecting with the unchurched is a difficulty to which they need to give attention. Those at churches with attendances of 100 to 249 (79%) and 250 and more (81%) identify this as a need more than those at churches with fewer than 50 in attendance (70%). Pastors of churches with more than 100 in attendance (81%) are more likely than those at churches with fewer than 50 (72%) to say they need to give attention to developing leaders and volunteers.

Evangelical pastors (63%) are more likely than mainline pastors (43%) to say they need to invest in challenging people where they lack obedience.

Single greatest ministry difficulty

When asked to narrow down the list to the ministry difficulty they most needed to invest in at this time, around a quarter said fostering connections with unchurched people (28%) and developing leaders and volunteers (25%).

Those challenges were also near the top when pastors were asked to pick the greatest need they face out of each of the 44 issues they said they faced. For 8% of U.S. Protestant pastors, connecting with those not involved with a church is their single largest need. Another 7% point to developing leaders and volunteers in their congregation.

“Three of the five ministry difficulties pastors need to personally address reflect the fact that ministry is done together,” said McConnell. “Motivating, developing and training leaders and volunteers are all needed for a congregation to function as one unit in sharing the love of Jesus with others.”

Specifically among the five ministry difficulties, 15% of pastors said training their church leaders and volunteers currently requires most of their attention. Fewer say their top ministry difficulty right now is establishing a compelling vision (13%) or challenging people where they lack obedience (11%).

Pastors in the Northeast (16%) are the least likely to say fostering connections with unchurched people is their top ministry difficulty. Pastors in that region (34%) are, however, more likely than those in the South (23%) and West (23%) to say that developing leaders and volunteers is their greatest need among the five ministry issues.

Many small church pastors say they’re struggling most with the vision of their church. Those in churches with fewer than 50 in attendance (15%) and from 50 to 99 (16%) are more likely than pastors of churches with 250 or more in attendance (8%) to say establishing a compelling vision is the most pressing ministry difficulty for them.

For more information, view the complete report or visit LifewayResearch.com/GreatestNeeds.

We need more of God’s presence

Personally, how would you answer the question, “If you could ask God for anything right now, what would you ask for?” Maybe it would be financial—to be debt-free or have a higher income? Or maybe physical—a new house or perfect health? Or even relational—a better marriage? 

Now, here’s the same question with a different context: “If you could ask God for anything for your church with a guaranteed answer, what would you ask for?” No debt and a bigger budget? New facilities? Church unity? Your congregation to be whole and healthy? 

It’s an intriguing question! And if we want to know the answer, all we need to do is look at our prayer journal or our church prayer lists. I will confess that I have spent countless hours asking God for all of those things and more. It’s not that we shouldn’t pray for those things or desire God to bless us in those ways. But what I am coming to discover is that the pursuit of those things is not the primary purpose of the church. 

So what should we be asking for?

I truly believe that what we need is not more of God’s blessing on our church, but rather, his manifest presence in our church. What would it look like for us to become a people who desires God’s presence more than anything he could give us? What if our prayer life, both individually and corporately, was consumed by a longing for more of his presence? More than ever, I am convinced that a church with fewer things but more of God’s presence is a church that will still receive “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).

We see an example of this in Exodus 33. There, the people of God sinned against him. As a consequence, God was going to destroy them, but Moses pleaded with God in prayer and God relented. Yet, God was going to remove his presence! In Exodus 33:1-3, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring, I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the [other nations] … Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you ….” 

In our Western Christianity version of this, it seems like a sweet gig! We’d have the best facilities, no debt, a bigger budget, great staff, church unity, and our own personal angel just in case! Where do we sign? Would we even realize God wasn’t with us? If we’re honest, this is how many churches operate functionally. I can confess that New Beginnings Baptist Church, where I pastor, has functionally taken this posture. We would never say it out loud, but I see it in our finance meetings, our strategic planning, our staff meetings, and our prayer lists. But I have learned something from Moses in Exodus 33.

Moses declined God’s offer to have the Promised Land without his presence. Exodus 33:13-16 says, “‘…if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?’” In essence, Moses is saying, “No way! More than we want your blessings, we want you!” Moses would rather be in the wilderness with God than experience the Promised Land without him!

We are the people of God set apart for the mission of God to display the glory God. This requires the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our churches. We need him more than anything else! Without him with us, there is no distinction between us and the world. 

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Why? Because he understood their identity! In verse 13, the word “people” is loaded with meaning. In chapter 19, it’s a reference to their missional identity. Exodus 19:5-6 says, “‘… if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” This is their missional identity! God set them apart, made them his treasured possession, to be a kingdom of priests who represent him before the rest of the world! As they walked in obedience to his commands, his presence dwelt among them and blessed them as a testimony to the other nations that they belonged to the true and living God! Their identity was not defined by what possessions they had but by whose possession they were! Their distinction was not in the land of promise but in the presence of the God of promise! The distinction was his presence.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we have the same missional identity. In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter quotes Exodus to a church in crisis, saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are the people of God set apart for the mission of God to display the glory God. This requires the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our churches. We need him more than anything else! Without him with us, there is no distinction between us and the world.

If God’s power isn’t with us, nothing else matters. What would happen if God’s presence became our highest priority? What if we spent more time asking for more of him in our lives and churches? I believe that we would see an outpouring of God’s presence, enabling us to live in our identity and advance the Great Commission in ways we have yet to see!

7 Encouraging Trends of Global Christianity in 2022

Regardless of the situation in the United States, Christianity is growing around the world, especially in the global South, according to recently released analysis.

The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary regularly updates a report tracking statistics and trends of religion in general and Christianity specifically around the world. There are seven encouraging trends to note in their 2022 Status of Global Christianity report.

Religious faith is growing faster than the irreligious

Particularly in the West, it can seem as if secularism is growing, and people are leaving the church and the faith. Globally, that is not the case.

While populations of all religions are growing at a 1.27 percent rate, the growth rate of the religiously unaffiliated is less than half that – 0.52 percent, well below the total population growth percentage. In particular, atheism is almost stagnant, growing only 0.18 percent per year. A 2015 Pew Research study also predicts the number of unaffiliated will shrink in terms of the share of global population.

According to the Gordon-Conwell report, there are fewer atheists around the world today (147 million) than in 1970 (165 million), with the number expected to continue declining through 2050.

Christianity continues to grow

Not only is religion growing overall, but Christian specifically is growing. With a 1.17 percent growth rate, almost 2.56 billion people will identify as a Christian by the middle of 2022. By 2050, that number will top 3.33 billion.

Catholics remain the largest Christian group with almost 1.26 billion adherents, but the two fastest growing Christian groups around the world are evangelicals (1.8 percent growth rate) and charismatics (1.88 percent).

The dramatic global growth for charismatic Christians is particularly noteworthy. In 1900, less than 1 million people around the world were considered Pentecostals. By 2050, more than 1 billion will be.

Growth is fastest in the global South

The places where Christianity is growing the fastest? Africa (2.77 percent growth) and Asia (1.50 percent). In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, while 660 million Christians called African and Asia home. This year, 838 million live in the global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in Africa and Asia alone.

In 1900, twice as many Christians lived in Europe than the rest of the world combined. Today, more Christians live in Africa than any other continent. By 2050, Africa will be home to almost 1.3 billion Christians, while Latin America (686 million) and Asia (560 million) will both have more than Europe (497 million) and North America (276 million).

Christianity continues to spread out

As Christianity continues to grow in the global South, it is also becoming less concentrated in highly Christian areas. In 1900, 95 percent of all Christians lived in a majority Christian country. In 2022, that number has fallen to 53.7 percent. By 2050, most Christians (50.4 percent) around the world will live in non-majority Christian nations.

The percentage of non-Christians who know a Christian is climbing

With more Christians living outside of Christian nations, more non-Christians know a Christian. In 1900, only 5.4 percent of non-Christians could identify a Christian they knew. That number has grown to 18.3 percent today. By 2050, 1 in 5 non-Christians (20 percent) will know a follower of Jesus and have the opportunity to hear the Gospel from them.

As a result, the percentage of unevangelized people around the world continues to fall. In 1900, more than half of the world’s population (54.3 percent) was unevangelized. That has now fallen to 28 percent.

More than 90 million Bibles will be printed this year

As Christianity continues to grow, the printing of Bibles continues to grow along with it. This year, 93 million copies of God’s Word will be printed, up from 54 million in 2000 and 5 million in 1900. By 2025, 100 million Bibles will be printed each year. Currently, almost 1.8 billion Bibles are in circulation around the world. That will climb to 2.3 billion by 2050.

God’s Word continues to expand into new languages in new and exciting ways, including pastors and theologians in India developing and printing a first-of-its-kind Telugu study Bible for the nearly 90 million Telugu speakers in the country.

Fewer Christians are dying for their faith

In 2000, the Status of Global Christianity marked a rate of 1.6 million Christian martyrs over a 10-year period – the high mark of their report. In 2022, they estimate the decade-long number to be 900,000. Each death is a tragedy, but any improvement is worth noting.

The 10-year trends do not negate year-over-year numbers, like the increase in martyrs for 2021 as recorded by Open Doors’ latest report. Regardless of the current numbers or trends, churches should continue praying for persecuted believers around the world.

This piece has been adapted from one that originally appeared at LifewayResearch.com.