The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/05/2019 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- COOPERATIVE PROGRAM: Together in God's mission by J.D. Greear Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: J.D. Greear is the president of the SBC and pastor of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area. For information about the Cooperative Program, go to sbc.net/cp. DURHAM, N.C. (BP) -- A lot can be lost in a single generation. The writers of Scripture often warned the leaders of Israel that unless they rehearsed the works of God to their children and grandchildren, a generation would arise that "knew not the Lord or his ways" (Judges 2:10). Southern Baptists have a lot to pass on to the next generation, and one of the most important principles is the concept and practice of cooperative mission, a strategy that has yielded one of the greatest Gospel impact movements in history. Cooperation between churches for the sake of mission is what drives the Southern Baptist Convention. Of course, Baptists didn't invent the idea of missional cooperation. All throughout the New Testament, we see churches partnering together to advance the mission. The apostle Paul mentioned giving -- from one church to another -- in several of his letters (Romans 15:26; 1 Corinthians 16:1; 2 Corinthians 8-9; cf. Acts 11:27-30). Interestingly, when Paul mentions the gift given by the Macedonian Christians in Romans 15, he calls it "koinonia" -- literally, "fellowship." Bible scholar Chad Brand goes so far as to say that financial sharing for the sake of the mission is the key element of fellowship for churches in the New Testament. The church I pastor, The Summit Church, has "fellowshipped" with the SBC since our birth, and it is a partnership that has greatly enriched our church. The SBC enables and equips us to send our people out in ways that we simply could not do alone. We currently have more than 200 people serving overseas, most of whom are with the International Mission Board (IMB). That's an enormous investment, and we are incredibly grateful to stand with Southern Baptists in support of all IMB missionaries worldwide. Closer to home, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has been a crucial partner in all of our 43 domestic church plants. Then there's the world-class training provided by our SBC seminaries, which has equipped a huge portion of our staff. And I can't ignore the personal debt I owe to the SBC as a two-time seminary graduate and former IMB missionary. I could go on -- disaster relief, children's homes, community outreach, mission trip coordination, representation in Washington, D.C., local and state church planting partnerships, aid in work among refugees and immigrant communities -- all of that, and more, is made possible by our cooperative giving. When we give through the Cooperative Program (CP) as well as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions, we are giving to a powerful and proven method for supporting the Great Commission. This is what the CP has always been about. One of the biggest challenges for the SBC in the next two decades will be increasing the engagement of a new generation of churches in our convention. All churches ought to be learning more about cooperative missions and giving more to the Cooperative Program. Because it is our denomination's primary source of missions funding, we need to put our money where our mouth is. If we care about reaching the nations, we need to show it by equipping our Southern Baptist entities to keep sending to the nations. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Together,' 'strategy,' 'genius' among CP descriptors by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: April 7 is Cooperative Program Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention. For information about the Cooperative Program, go to sbc.net/cp. MILES CITY, Mont. (BP) -- A Montana pastor likens the effect of the Cooperative Program to a fence line. "It's like multiplying our labor, like building a fence two miles long together, rather than a quarter-mile if you had to do it alone," Jeff Cahill told Baptist Press. He's a rancher and pastor of Valley Community Church in the far-reaching prairies around Miles City, Mont. "We see the Cooperative Program as a way we can reach beyond our abilities." The Cooperative Program is the way Southern Baptist churches band together to advance God's Kingdom work in state and regional conventions, across North America and throughout the world. "Let's be found consistent in our actions and guilty of doing good," said Nick Garland, pastor of First Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, Okla. "God has blessed the Cooperative Program and the people who give to missions through it." Each church determines the amount or percentage of their undesignated offerings to be allocated for cooperative work outside their local reach. That amount is forwarded to the state or regional convention, which determines by vote at its annual meeting the percentage to be sent to Southern Baptists' national and international causes. "The genius of the Cooperative Program is that percentage-wise a small church is just as invested in missions as the church that gives millions," Garland said. "Both honor the Lord with their gift. The key to the success of the Cooperative Program is that it is not impulse giving, emotional giving, but that it is giving consistently." The Southern Baptist Convention allocates percentage amounts of what it receives to the International Mission Board (50.41 percent); North American Mission Board (22.79 percent); the six Southern Baptist seminaries (22.16 percent); Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1.65 percent); and the SBC operating budget (2.99) percent. These percentages were approved by messengers to the SBC annual meeting in Dallas last June. "We're better together," said Billy Russell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bolivar, Mo. "We want to connect and serve people and reach people much further than just Bolivar. The Cooperative Program does that better than any other organization I know." Pastors across the SBC say their churches believe in and support the Cooperative Program with at least 10 percent of undesignated offerings. These same churches also cooperate hands-on in local, regional, national and international missions. Some examples: -- "We believe in missions, and the Cooperative Program is part of our missions strategy," said Steve Carne, pastor of Hamilton (Va.) Baptist Church. "We feel God would have us send missionaries throughout the world, as the International Mission Board does, to send church planters to underserved populations as the North American Mission Board does, and to train future pastors as our seminaries do. We give to the Cooperative Program because we yearn to be part of this Kingdom-building work." Hamilton Baptist gives 35 percent of undesignated income to missions, including 12 percent through the Cooperative Program. The church also has a longstanding partnership among Native Americans in the Dakotas and recently began partnering in Ghana, West Africa. -- Union Baptist Church in Harrison, Ark., where Bill Melton has been pastor for two years, for many years has given 25 percent of undesignated offerings to missions through the Cooperative Program. Union Baptist, averaging 90 people in Sunday morning worship, gives another 6 percent to the North Arkansas Baptist Association, 2 percent to church-generated missions causes, and its people pay their own way on mission trips. "As the new pastor coming in who has never seen this kind of percentage giving I had to ask, 'Does that kind of giving hurt this other ministry or that special project,'" Melton told Baptist Press. "It doesn't hurt anything! It helps everything. "I would love churches to have the courage to say, 'We're going to increase our giving dramatically and put our finances out of our hands and see what God can do,'" Melton said. "Too often we do what only we can do, what we feel comfortable doing. We limit God and what He can do when we do that." Union Baptist is known statewide for its willingness (with the association's activities trailer) to help churches put on block parties. Members go on short-term mission trips at least twice a year to Fort Worth, Texas, where they "feed the homeless, love on people and share Jesus," Melton said, through the Beautiful Feet street ministry. The church gives to missions first through the Cooperative Program because of CP's inherent strength, Melton said. "For a missionary to be able to be on the field and to not have to worry about where his support is coming from -- 'Is it going to show up this month and am I going to be able to stay?' -- the Cooperative Program is an aid for our missionaries." -- Cutting downed timber into sections and splitting logs for firewood shows how the Cooperative Program works, said Eugene Overstreet, pastor of Sierra Baptist Church in Pioneer, Calif. "The men work together, each doing something that leads to a shared goal: bringing God's love to those who need to hear of it, and in this case, to feel it," Overstreet said of the warmth for those who need firewood as well as the warmth of God's love. "That's what the Cooperative Program does. It supports the whole program of what Southern Baptists are doing throughout the world, and we do it together." Sierra Baptist starts by giving 14.5 percent of undesignated offerings to missions through the Cooperative Program, plus 5 percent to the Mother Lode Baptist Association. It's heavily invested in community ministries as well. "We try to share Jesus with the people around us," Overstreet said. "We need to be involved in our community, to be a witness for the Lord and hopefully reach people for Christ. "One of the reasons we continue to do well, I believe, is because when we give, God blesses and He brings more people here because we're willing to give and to share," the pastor noted. "That's very important, I think." -- Back to eastern Montana, where there is more space than people. "Neighboring," no matter the distance, is a necessity of life, said Cahill of Valley Baptist in Miles City. "Working together makes everything easier. That's the beauty of the Cooperative Program. When we all do our part, everything comes together like it's supposed to." -------------------------------------------------------------------- NAMB asks 'Who's Your One?' at NRB convention by Josie Rabbitt Bingham Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) -- "Who's your one?" is the question visitors were asked when they stopped by the North American Mission Board's Who's Your One exhibit at the National Religious Broadcaster's 76th convention. "God may use you to touch one, but the one you touch may touch thousands," Johnny Hunt told Christian media who attended NRB's pre-conference event for NRB's "Proclaim 19" sessions in Anaheim, Calif. Hunt, senior vice president of NAMB's evangelism and leadership group, drew from evangelical history in saying, "If I'd have lived that [Who's Your One outlook] many years ago, wouldn't it have been great to have had the testimony that I'm the one that invited Billy Graham to go hear Mordecai Ham?" During the NRB convention, NAMB representatives shared details about the new personal evangelism initiative of SBC President J.D. Greear, which is accompanied by a kit to train, encourage and equip people to focus on one person God has brought into their lives. Participants are asked to pray for "their one" and seek opportunities to share the Gospel. Several of those who visited NAMB's exhibit said they saw ways they could incorporate Who's Your One into existing ministries. Larry Pillow lost his son Matthew, who was 28, to an overdose in 2003. When Pillow visited the Who's Your One booth, he explained his one is every person who is or knows an addict. "My dream is for children to have sober parents and for parents to have sober children," said Pillow, who founded We Can Ministries, an addiction treatment facility on a 105-acre farm. "I pastored for many years, but in 50 years of ministry, starting this was the best and most fruitful opportunity. I don't like addiction, but I love addicts, and they will each be my one." Bruce Bruinsma, author of The Retirement Reformation, stopped by NAMB's Who's Your One exhibit and described how the 15 percent of the American population who are retired can use their time and talents to find their one and pray for him or her. "When people share their retirement plans, they often say, 'I can't wait to do nothing!' but that is not biblical," Bruinsma said. "We need to use that time to honor God with rest and with prayer and with opportunities He's laid before us. Who's Your One is a great concept for all generations." The Who's Your One resource kit is designed for pastors and church leaders to shepherd their congregations in sharing their faith with their one person God has called each of them to. "It's also important for the individual to know how to share their faith," Andrea Smith, executive director of Simply the Story -- a method for sharing the faith simply and with precision -- said as she visited NAMB's Who's Your One exhibit. "We teach evangelism through specific methods of storytelling, but Who's Your One is an ask to focus on praying for opportunities to evangelize," Smith said. "It's personal. It's simple. It's biblical and exciting! If we are sharing the gospel, we definitely should be praying about how and who. Who's Your One gets that." Learn more at whosyourone.com. See more stories from the Who's Your One booth at NRB's March 26-29 convention in Anaheim on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whosyour1. Hunt, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, encouraged Christian media leaders in his NRB comments about Who's Your One not to let the idea that family is the hardest to reach stand in the way. "Who would possibly know them better than you, and who could possibly love them more than you and would share the Gospel with them?" he asked. Hunt said the late Billy Graham once remarked that the church once was a great force for evangelism but today has become a great field for evangelism. The average Christian doesn't witness, he said, because "we look at people in the context of actuality. Jesus sees people in the context of possibilities." Believers too often consider how someone looks or behaves and surmise that the person wouldn't be interested in hearing about Jesus, Hunt said. "I managed a pool room for four years. If you'd have seen me when I was 19 years old, I was a hustler. I'd have a pool stick in one hand, a cigarette in that same hand, a glass of whiskey in the other hand and God's name in vain on my lips," Hunt said, referring to the days before he was saved. "And I doubt anybody thought, 'You know, Johnny would make a great president of the Southern Baptist Convention.'" -------------------------------------------------------------------- Religious liberty setback at court may not be final by Tom Strode Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Religious liberty's latest setback at the U.S. Supreme Court in its ongoing face-off with sexual liberty is disappointing but may not prove conclusive, Southern Baptist religious freedom advocates said. The high court opted not to review a Hawaii Court of Appeals decision against a bed and breakfast that declined to rent a room to a same-sex couple. By their refusal, the justices permitted the lower court ruling to stand in their March 18 orders. A lesbian couple brought suit against Phyllis Young, the owner of Aloha Bed & Breakfast, because she declined to rent a room to them and instead referred them to another establishment. Young, because of her Roman Catholic faith, refuses to rent the three other bedrooms of the house in which she lives to any couple other than a married man and woman. A circuit court judge ruled that Young violated the state's non-discrimination requirement by refusing the couple based on their sexual orientation, and a three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld the opinion. The appeals court ruled the bed and breakfast in Young's home qualified as a public accommodation, like a hotel, and her right to exercise her religion freely under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was not violated. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said he was "disappointed" at the Supreme Court's refusal to accept the appeal. "At stake was the First Amendment rights of a retiree," Moore told Baptist Press in written comments. "Even more, at question was the court's commitment to religious liberty." The ERLC filed a friend-of-the-court brief in November requesting the Supreme Court review the appellate opinion and reverse it. The brief urged the justices to clarify the protections for religious liberty they appeared to espouse in previous decisions involving same-sex marriage. "Our brief to the court pointed out that the opinions in both Obergefell and Masterpiece Cakeshop promised that religious liberty would be honored," Moore said. "By refusing to take this case, the court decided not to elaborate on those promises. That's regrettable." In the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges opinion, the high court legalized same-sex marriage but said individuals and organizations would still be able to practice their religious beliefs regarding sexuality and marriage. The court ruled in a 2018 decision -- Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission -- that the state violated owner Jack Phillips' religious free exercise in penalizing him for declining to design and decorate a cake for the wedding of two men. Michael Whitehead -- a Southern Baptist lawyer in suburban Kansas City, Mo., who filed the brief in collaboration with his son Jonathan -- said they do not understand the denial of the appeal "to mean that a super-majority of justices believe non-discrimination laws will always trump religious freedom of business owners." "Five conservative justices will be looking for the right case to expand the victory for religious liberty in Masterpiece Cakeshop," Michael Whitehead told BP in an email. "If there were not four votes to hear Aloha B&B, it only means that the conservatives believe this is not the best fact pattern to garner five or more votes for religious freedom. At the right time, the right facts will attract four votes to grant [review] and five votes to move the needle in favor of religious freedom." The lower court rulings show civil rights agencies and state courts "seem to be on a mission to force people of faith to violate their conscience or go out of business," Whitehead said. "There is no middle ground for them, no tolerance of opposing moral views, even those based in historic Christian faith.... [T]he sexual revolutionaries allow no conscientious objectors. Everyone must bow the knee." The Christian Life Commission of the Missouri Baptist Convention and Freedom of Conscience Fund also signed to the brief. The legal battle between religious liberty and sexual liberty has affected multiple individuals, businesses, institutions and ministries. "Sexual orientation" and "gender identity," or SOGI, policies and the categories' inclusion in non-discrimination laws in some states have especially affected professionals who serve at weddings -- such as cake designers, florists and photographers who disagree with same-sex marriage. Some have lost their businesses as a result of government rules. In addition, adoption agencies, religious colleges, ministries for the needy, businesses and churches are among the organizations that have faced legal action for their commitment to marriage as a male-female institution, their determination to maintain policies in keeping with their beliefs and their willingness to protect privacy by preventing people of the opposite sex from using restrooms and locker rooms. The Hawaii case began more than a decade ago when Taeko Bufford and Diane Cervelli -- a lesbian couple living in California -- requested a room from Young, but the bed-and-breakfast owner declined and referred them to another establishment after explaining the rules she has for her home, according to the brief filed by the ERLC and its allies. Young has required even her daughter to stay in a separate room from her cohabiting boyfriend when they come for a visit, the brief said. The couple filed a complaint with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and ultimately filed suit, with the commission joining Bufford and Cervelli in the legal effort. In its ruling, the intermediate court of appeals rejected Young's contention that the bed and breakfast in her home qualified for a "Mrs. Murphy" exemption. The exemption permits the owner of a house in which she lives and that contains no more than four rental units to determine who stays with her. The appeals court, however, ruled a "Mrs. Murphy" exemption did not apply because Young's bed and breakfast served "transient guests" and therefore qualified as a hotel or other place of "public accommodation." The exemption applies in state law only to longer-term arrangements in which there is a landlord-tenant relationship, the court said. James Hochberg, Young's lawyer, told WORLD Magazine that the appeals court "essentially rewrote the law and applied it retroactively to her. We now have a final decision that Phyllis Young's house -- in a subdivision with houses all around it, where the zoning does not permit hotels -- is now a public accommodation under the law." Jonathan Whitehead also is a Southern Baptist and an ERLC trustee. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gospel Coalition conference focuses on evangelism by David Roach Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday INDIANAPOLIS (BP) -- Some 7,000 evangelicals -- including a significant contingent of Southern Baptists -- gathered around an evangelism theme at The Gospel Coalition's National Conference April 1-3 in Indianapolis. The eight keynote speakers included at least three Southern Baptists while employees of Southern Baptist Convention entities spoke at breakout sessions and ancillary events. LifeWay Christian Resources hosted a conference bookstore, and at least eight SBC entities, including four seminaries, were represented in the exhibit hall. Among ancillary sessions was an interview of apologist Sam Allberry hosted by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, at which Allberry addressed recent controversy surrounding Living Out, a ministry co-led by Allberry and offering resources to help Christians "who experience same-sex attraction stay faithful to Biblical teaching on sexual ethics," according to the Living Out website. The Gospel Coalition website describes TGC as "a group of pastors and churches in the Reformed tradition that put the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center of all activities." In a keynote address on Mark 2:1-12, former International Mission Board President David Platt urged attendees to be faithful in evangelism, including reaching the nations for Christ. There are "more believers at this conference than among 80 million people in Turkey," said Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church in suburban Washington, D.C. He noted the world has 6,000-7,000 unreached people groups. "So let's go to them with compassionate conviction.... Let's marshal our resources and commit our resolve to doing whatever it takes to bring them to Jesus." H.B. Charles, pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., addressed personal evangelism based on Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in John 4:1-42. He compared that encounter to Jesus' conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3 and noted the broad scope of God’s saving grace. Jesus, in John 3, "teaches us there is no one beyond the need of grace," said Charles, immediate past president of the SBC Pastors' Conference, while, in John 4, He "teaches us that there is no one beyond the reach of grace." Trip Lee, a Christian hip-hop artist and young adult pastor at Concord Church in Dallas, preached from Matthew 8:1-13 on the need for a broken world to approach Jesus with humility and faith. "Faith is bringing your brokenness to the One who is both willing and able" to fix it, Lee said. A March 31-April 1 TGC pre-conference on "evangelism for the next generation" included addresses by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin and Trevin Wax, LifeWay's director for Bibles and reference. An April 1 ancillary event hosted by Midwestern included Jonathan Leeman of 9 Marks ministry interviewing Allberry about articles on the Living Out website that have drawn criticism over the past month. As an example, Leeman cited one article urging people to accept themselves as they are, including their sexual orientations. Another article cited by Leeman stated that two men formerly in a same-sex marriage who later become Christians may be permitted to continue living together in a celibate relationship and raise a family together. Allberry, who did not write either of the articles cited by Leeman, agreed they were confusing and poorly worded and took responsibility for allowing them on the website. "Where we're going from here, I hope, is a good audit of the [website's] content," Allberry said. "We'll have some different pairs of eyes having a look at it" in an attempt to remove unhelpful content. SBC entities represented in TGC's exhibit hall included the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, GuideStone Financial Resources, LifeWay, Midwestern, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Misión en Acción: Programa Cooperativo by Mike Gonzales Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en Español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a http://www.bpnews.net/espanol. GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- Uno de los pasajes bíblicos que se ha memorizado más por todo el mundo cristiano es La Gran Comisión. "Y Jesús se acercó y les habló diciendo: Toda potestad me es dada en el cielo y en la tierra. Por tanto, id, y haced discípulos a todas las naciones, bautizándolos en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo; enseñándoles que guarden todas las cosas que os he mandado; y he aquí yo estoy con vosotros todos los días, hasta el fin del mundo. Amén." Mateo 28:18-19 Es el desafío final y las últimas órdenes que vienen de los labios de Jesús a sus discípulos que también se aplican a nosotros como creyentes y seguidores de Cristo. En la Gran Comisión, Cristo les dice a Sus discípulos lo que tienen que hacer: buscar a los perdidos, hacer discípulos, bautizarlos y enseñarles a guardar Sus mandamientos. Y el Señor no termina allí, porque Él nos dice: "… yo estoy con vosotros todos los días, hasta el fin del mundo." Eso significa que Él nos ha llamado a una obra maravillosa que es compartir el reino de Dios con toda persona aquí en la tierra; pero a la vez, Él nunca nos dejará solos. Cristo promete estar con nosotros mientras vayamos proclamando las buenas nuevas de Cristo. Como Bautistas del Sur cuando ofrendamos al Programa Cooperativo, estamos dando por motivo de la Gran Comisión. Es decir cuando damos nuestras ofrendas eso hace que nuestros recursos financieros vayan más allá para alcanzar a los perdidos (los que no creen en Cristo como Salvador), ayuda para que los afligidos sean restaurados y para que vidas sean transformadas por la proclamación del reino de Dios aquí en la tierra. Todo empieza con el diezmo que damos a nuestra iglesia local. La iglesia usa esa ofrenda para sufragar gastos para el personal, diferentes programas, ministerios y obra misionera. Un porcentaje se ofrenda a la convención estatal, la cual da una porción designada para financiar el Programa Cooperativo. Y así se puede hacer muchos diferentes ministerios y obra misionera en nuestro país y por todo el mundo. Contribuir al Programa Cooperativo significa que muchos hogares serán reestablecidos, muchos estudiantes serán capacitados para el ministerio en nuestros seis seminarios y podemos apoyar a más de tres mil misioneros para que trabajen a tiempo completo en el campo extranjero y más de cinco mil misioneros en los Estados Unidos y Canadá. El corazón de los Bautistas del Sur para hacer ministerios y misiones es el Programa Cooperativo. Nuestro mundo entero está esperando escuchar y responder al evangelio gracias a las ofrendas recibidas. Desde que empezó en 1925, el Programa Cooperativo ha dependido de individuos, de iglesias, de convenciones estatales y otras entidades de la Convención Bautista del Sur para trabajar juntos en una misma meta para compartir el evangelio de Cristo Jesús. Como Bautistas del Sur queremos que todo el mundo conozca que Cristo es el único camino para ir al cielo. Cuando millones de cristianos damos al Programa Cooperativo, la Gran Comisión se cumple al máximo. Juntos podemos hacer mucho más. "Para que sea conocido en la tierra tu camino, en todas las naciones tu salvación." Salmos 67:2 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Women's Leadership Network begins blog, podcast, FB by Diana Chandler Date: April 05, 2019 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The newly launched SBC Women's Leadership Network will empower Southern Baptist women while concurrently embracing theological complementarianism, two network leaders told Baptist Press. The group provides a resource for women that is already prevalent among Southern Baptist men, leaders said. "Historically in SBC life men have had multiple options to connect in this way," WLN steering committee member Kathy Ferguson Litton told Baptist Press today (April 5). "Women have had very few environments where we could organically relate, mentor and collaborate across all the domains in which we lead. It is time to change that. "We believe that women sharpen women, and no cause could be more significantly eternal than women strengthened for Gospel work," said Litton, director of planter spouse development for the North American Mission Board. Ronnie Floyd, newly elected president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, applauded the network in comments to BP. "I told the Executive Committee on Tuesday that we need to experience and lead toward growth and advancement in several keys areas in Southern Baptist leadership, including broader inclusion of women who affirm the gender roles affirmed in the Baptist Faith and Message," Floyd said today. "We need to provide multiple avenues for godly women to flourish and to help us navigate the future in this challenging day. This new network is an exciting step in that direction." The WLN is not an official SBC group, but will hold its inaugural meeting at the SBC's 2019 annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. WLN offers a blog, podcast and Facebook page that has registered more than 700 members since its March 25 debut. The Christian Standard Bible is a network sponsor. All 14 members of WLN's multicultural steering committee are complementarian and affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, said Litton and committee member Amy Whitfield, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary director of marketing and communications. "Connecting and strengthening women leaders is our number one mission," Whitfield told BP. "The issue of women's roles in ministry is not an inappropriate discussion, it simply is not the primary goal of this network." Biblical women and martyrs are hailed and Joel 2:29 is quoted in WLN's mission statement at sbcwomen.net. "Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy (Joel 2:29)," the statement reads. "From Lydia's house church to Priscilla's teaching ministry, to Phoebe's service, women in the early church period were essential to the spreading of the Gospel across the Mediterranean world. "Martyrs such as Blandina, Perpetua and Felicitas faced their violent deaths with astounding courage," WLN said. "Missionaries Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong not only took the Gospel to the lost but tirelessly promoted mission work and education in our churches. Through the years women have eagerly and competently served in local church ministries, denominational agencies, committees and boards and diverse ministry roles." WLN will be active throughout the year. While details of the inaugural event in Birmingham are forthcoming, connections and personal conversations engaged there will hopefully assist women in connecting regionally, Whitfield told BP. "A key element in the network is to connect all women across different areas of our denomination both in service and age," Whitfield said. "We hope that women who are coming up in our denomination are equipped, challenged, and proud of the work that is happening through the resources of the SBC and that this would provide an avenue to connect and strengthen one another through mutual support and encouragement." Women share challenges that networking can address, said Litton, who is also a pastor's wife. "We share many common issues from a unique female perspective such as personal leadership development, working in male-dominated environments, juggling multiple responsibilities at home and work, vision casting, leading volunteers, fundraising, staying fresh with technology and maintaining work/life balance," Litton said. "We have been slow to get to the table of denominational leadership, yet women are becoming increasingly involved in the SBC," said Litton, whose husband Ed is pastor of Redemption Church in Mobile, Ala. "More than ever women are theologically trained. We hope to see their footprint grow as valued theologians in our tribe." Completing the steering committee are Joy Allmond, managing editor of Facts & Trends, a publication of LifeWay Christian Resources; Michelle "Missie" Branch, SEBTS assistant dean of students to women and director of graduate life; Donna Gaines, president of the board of ARISE2Read, a Bible teacher, author and editor; Elizabeth Graham, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) director of events; author and Bible teacher Susie Hawkins; author and 2019 ERLC Leadership Council member Christine Hoover; women's ministry leader and Bible teacher Jacki C. King; Julie Masson, ERLC marketing and social media manager and Church Answers director of marketing; Katie McCoy, assistant professor of theology in women's studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Lori McDaniel, manager of church initiatives in mobilization for the International Mission Board; Carol Pipes, LifeWay director of corporate communications and Facts & Trends editor; and Alicia Wong, an associate professor of women's ministry at Gateway Seminary of the SBC and a former IMB and North American Mission Board missionary. Among Southern Baptist entity leaders and pastors endorsing the network is SBC President J.D. Greear. "Women are indispensable partners in God's mission, and I am praying for a new era in the SBC, one in which all people -- male and female -- would exercise their God-given gifts for that mission," said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C. "The SBC Women's Leadership Network is one more step along the way, and I'm excited to see where it takes us."