The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/24/2016 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Baptists praise UMC reversal on abortion by Tom Strode Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday historic repudiation of abortion." -- Russell Moore]WASHINGTON (BP) -- Southern Baptist leaders hailed the United Methodist Church's reversal of its support for abortion rights at its latest conference -- a step taken by the Southern Baptist Convention decades before. Delegates to the UMC's General Conference, held every four years, voted to remove the denomination's entities from an abortion rights coalition it had helped found more than four decades earlier and approved the deletion of a 1976 resolution that affirmed the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. On another hot-button issue, however, the General Conference -- which met May 10-20 in Portland, Ore. -- voted to postpone action on homosexuality. The UMC was a founding member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) in 1973, the year the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on abortion. The proposal, approved May 19 in a 425-268 vote, described RCRC as "a one-sided political lobby that opposes all disapproval or limitation of abortion." The interfaith coalition of about 40 organizations supports the right to partial-birth and sex-selection abortions. On May 20, the delegates voted 445-310 to defeat an effort to reaffirm the 1976 resolution, which said abortion may sometimes be advisable and endorsed the Roe ruling. In that decision, the high court legalized in conjunction with a companion opinion the right to an abortion for any reason throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Baptist Press, "Christians of all denominations should praise God for the United Methodist Church's historic repudiation of abortion. This is good news for orthodoxy, for the unity of the Body of Christ, and for the vulnerable unborn and their mothers. "There's a long way to go," Moore said in written comments, "but we should give thanks for this moment and continue to pray that the church of Jesus Christ would be a stalwart advocate for life and human dignity." Two Southern Baptist academics recalled the reversal in the SBC when praising the United Methodist decisions. C. Ben Mitchell, provost and professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., said, "We gladly affirm the conference's decision to distance itself from RCRC, and we joyfully celebrate the move towards a more biblically faithful stand on the life issues. "Southern Baptists will remember that we were also on the wrong side of the pro-life divide in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  We welcome our brothers and sisters into the fold," Mitchell told BP in written remarks. "We happily join hands with all people of good will who advocate for the sanctity of human life from womb to tomb." Thomas Kidd, distinguished professor of history at Baylor University, said in written comments for BP, "Evangelicals should be heartened to see that the United Methodist Church took decisive steps away from its former endorsement of the nation's abortion culture. "This was a move that the Southern Baptist Convention once had to make, too, demonstrating that these sorts of liberal trends are not irreversible," Kidd said. The SBC and its ethics entity head were on record in the 1970s in support of the right to abortion in many cases. Messengers to the 1971 SBC meeting approved a resolution that urged Southern Baptists to promote legislation that would allow abortion "under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother." Foy Valentine -- head of the SBC's ethics entity, known as the Christian Life Commission (CLC) at the time -- backed that resolution and signed onto a 1977 RCRC statement that affirmed the Roe decision and government funding for abortions. Four SBC seminary professors also endorsed the document. Southern Baptists learned increasingly about the CLC's pro-choice position and became more engaged in the pro-life movement. SBC messengers passed in 1980 the first of several pro-life resolutions, this one urging legislation or a constitutional amendment to prohibit abortion except to save the life of the mother. In 1988, the SBC's ethic entity welcomed its first fully pro-life head. The UMC -- with about seven million U.S. members and more than 12 million globally -- trails the SBC as the second largest Protestant denomination in the country. The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) -- which seeks the renewal of mainline Protestant denominations -- commended the UMC pro-life actions. John Lomperis, IRD's United Methodist director, called them "HUGE steps in the right direction." Regarding homosexuality, the delegates in Portland voted 428 to 405 in support of a recommendation from the UMC's Council of Bishops to defer votes on "human sexuality" at the conference. Instead, the recommendation, passed May 18, empowered the Council of Bishops to appoint a special commission to study the UMC's Book of Discipline for possible revision on sexual issues. The council said it may call for a meeting to address the matter prior to the 2020 General Conference. The Book of Discipline -- which will remain in effect in the meantime -- says homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching" and maintains marriage is only between a man and a woman. The controversy regarding homosexuality threatens to split the UMC. Some UMC pastors have defied the Book of Discipline by performing same-sex weddings, and more than 100 ministers or ministerial candidates in America openly confessed they are gay as the General Conference opened, according to the United Methodist News Service (UMNS). The UMC is more conservative in Africa, and bishops there urged delegates to the meeting to remain faithful to the Book of Discipline. R. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said on his podcast Monday (May 23), "This is a denomination that decided, yet again, not to decide. But at the same time, the exhaustion ... is clearly very evident, as is the threat of schism, which is very real. "Was this a victory for the more evangelical wing of the church or the more liberal wing of the church? On that score, we'll simply have to say time will tell. But neither side got what they wanted out of the 2016 General Conference," Mohler said on "The Briefing." Kidd told BP, "We should pray that, led by traditionalist African Methodists, the United Methodist Church may also continue to hold the line on the biblical definition and practice of marriage, in spite of the labors of some gay and lesbian activist Methodists in America." The General Conference rejected efforts to pass divestment proposals seen as anti-Israel. The delegates defeated 559-167 an amendment seeking to divest from illegal settlements on occupied lands, UMNS reported. Earlier at the conference, the Finance and Administration Legislative Committee refused to back an attempt calling for divestment from companies that do business in Israel, according to UMNS. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Seasoned sermons by Jason K. Allen Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- My first sermon was nearly 20 years ago, and I now find myself at a different stage of life and ministry, with a different set of concerns and observations. As a more veteran preacher, these practices are on my mind to suggest to those who are no longer in the early stages of ministry: Vary your Bible reading plan Your best preaching is always the natural overflow of your personal Bible study. Unfortunately, time constraints sometimes force you to study the Bible for sermons as opposed to developing your sermons organically from your Bible study. While I commend reading through the Bible in a year, doing so in a formulaic, stale way can lead to stale results. To help avoid this, consider occasionally altering your Bible reading plan. For example, over the past year, I have taken a few different approaches. I read through all of the Pauline letters, consecutively, on an international flight. I also spent a few weeks reading, rereading and reflecting on 1 Corinthians, and I am currently reading through the New Testament in a month. Each one of these approaches has invigorated my Bible study, prompted fresh looks at familiar passages and led to new sermons. More study, less notes In my early years of preaching I wrote out, in longhand, every aspect of the sermon -- yes, everything! Every single word, including the introduction, logistical information, transitional phrases and even personal stories were all included in my word-for-word manuscript. These manuscripts usually totaled 12-15 pages. Oddly, I actually spent so much time writing, and rewriting, the manuscript that it took time away from my study of the text. Additionally, the manuscript served as an unhelpful crutch. I leaned on it more than I should. These days, I typically enter the pulpit with copious notes, but not a fully drafted manuscript. Doing so affords me more time to actually study the passage and liberates me from being overly dependent upon my sermon notes. More preparation, less polish Similarly, early in my ministry I anguished over the homiletical outline and the sermon title. I often spent hours brainstorming and then tweaking them both. Trust me, if you are committed to alliteration, it will be a tough taskmaster. What is more, too many preachers have pressed the meaning of a text to fit a cute outline. I still spend similar time preparing sermons. I just devote less of it to the polish, and more of it to the substance of the sermon. If an alliterated outline or captivating title more naturally arises, I will employ them. But I no longer feel the pressure to manufacture them. Re-preach passages, not sermons Occasionally, I will be in a jam and have to re-preach an old sermon. I absolutely loathe doing that. For me, half the joy of preaching is studying the text. Reheating old sermons robs me of the full joy of preaching and makes me feel as though I am bringing leftovers to the table. It is true: If a sermon is not good enough to preach a second time, it probably was not good enough to preach the first. But as you re-preach it, make sure you are re-preaching the passage -- freshly working through the text and sermon, not just heating up leftovers. Preach the hard texts If veteran preachers do not preach the hard texts, who will? Just as it is unhealthy for beginning preachers to select the most challenging passages, it is cowardly for veteran preachers to avoid them. Tackling the paradoxes of Scripture, the hard sayings of Christ, and the less inviting passages will be good for the church. And as you discipline yourself to study them, it will be good for you too. Be aware of cultural concerns, but not driven by them One of the benefits of expository preaching is that it anchors the sermon in the text of Scripture, not current events. The Word of God is perennial, never needing to be updated or improved upon. At the same time, faithful preaching brings the Word of God to bear, actually pressing it upon the lives of the hearers. Work to maintain balance in application. Both bending texts to address current events or studiously avoiding them will leave the sermon lacking. Be aware of our cultural moment and, as the text speaks to such issues, do just that. Preach to people, not at them The sweetest preaching is not the mega-stage at a major conference, it is the faithful, week-by-week preaching by the under-shepherd to his sheep. This is one of the things I miss most about pastoring, getting to preach to God's people, not at them. The latter views them not so much as people, but as an audience. Preaching at people leads to more clinical sermons, and, at times, a too prophetic tone. Seeing the congregation as God's gathered people, who have been entrusted to you, and reflecting on their struggles, their temptations and their trials will lead you to preach to them, and not simply at them. This subtle difference is one of the key distinctions between the beginner and the veteran preacher. Be more and less confident I once heard about a newly-minted seminary graduate who bounded into the pulpit to preach his first sermon. He crammed three years of Greek and systematic theology into his sermon notes. His outline was spit-shined, and his sermon title un-improvable. The young man could not have entered the pulpit more confidently. But as soon as the sermon started, it went off the rails. He forgot his second point. He lost his place in his notes. He sensed he was about to crash and burn and did just that. He entered the pulpit strutting but he exited it humbled before God and man. After the sermon, a wise, elderly deacon told him, "If you entered the pulpit like you left it, you would've left the pulpit like you entered it." Whether you are a beginner preacher or veteran one, cultivate a sense of dependence on Christ. Be confident in Him, in the power of His Word, in the certainty of His call, and in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. While these tips might be of help, only God can turn a message into a sermon. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohler to grads: Hope for Gospel to 'speed ahead' by Annie Corser Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Gospel ministers must proclaim God's Word with the urgency of eternal consequences, said President R. Albert Mohler Jr. in his May 20 commencement address to the 2016 graduates of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. During the institution's 216th commencement exercises on the seminary lawn in Louisville, Ky., 284 master's and doctoral students from 44 states and 15 countries received their degrees. A week earlier, a record 150 graduates of the seminary's undergraduate school, Boyce College, received certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees. In an address from 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 titled "That the Word of the Lord May Speed Ahead," Mohler said ministers protect and proclaim the good news of Jesus with the hope that it would "speed ahead" in anticipation of the day of the Lord. "Paul's language underlines his hope that the Gospel would spread quickly to the ends of the earth," Mohler said. "He yearns to see the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ, race across the world, knowing that the day of the Lord is coming, when there will be no more days left to preach. Paul's vision was driven by urgency and eschatology, knowing that the time is short and eternity is at stake." Mohler emphasized how the Word of the Lord would "speed ahead and be honored" in the ministry of the graduates. Mohler explained that this task is handed down through generations. "You represent the hopes and dreams of Christians down through the ages, from the time of the apostles and martyrs until now … You carry our hopes for the spread of the Gospel and the upbuilding of Christ's church," Mohler said. "In the church age, ministry is handed from generation to generation. Our humble determination and our heart's desire must be to receive this charge and to serve faithfully -- planting and watering in the fields of ministry and taking care how we build upon the foundation laid before us." Also at graduation, Mohler presented the annual Findley B. and Louvenia Edge Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence to Stephen J. Wellum, professor of Christian theology and editor of "The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology." Wellum has taught at Southern Seminary since 1999. He is the co-author of "Kingdom Through Covenant" and author of forthcoming works on the doctrine of Christ. The Josephine S. and James L. Baggott Outstanding Graduate Award was presented to Andrés Vera, a master of divinity graduate from Toronto, Canada. Vera's wife Courtney received her master of arts degree at the commencement. T. Vaughn Walker, professor of black church studies and WMU professor of Christian ministries, participated in commencement with a reading from the Old Testament. Walker, who was the first African-American professor elected to the faculty at any of the six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention, retired after 30 years of teaching at Southern Seminary. Mohler's address will be available in audio and video at sbts.edu/resources. A manuscript of the address, "That the Word of the Lord May Speed Ahead," is available at www.albertmohler.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Prison ministry focus among pastors, churches studied by Bob Smietana Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- While most Protestant pastors visit correctional facilities and want to help prisoners and their families, their churches often lack the training or finances to run an effective prison ministry. Those are among the findings of a new phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from LifeWay Research. Researchers found widespread support among pastors for the idea of prison ministry. Eighty-three percent of pastors have visited a correctional facility. And nearly all believe churches should help families of those incarcerated (97 percent) and provide care for those getting out of jail (95 percent). However, many pastors have little contact with those who have been incarcerated. Half of pastors say no one from their congregation has been jailed in the past three years. A third have seen one or two people from their church go to jail. One in 6 (17 percent) says three or more attendees have been jailed in that time. About a third of pastors (31 percent) say no former inmates attend their church. Another third (36 percent) have one or two former inmates in their congregation. A third (33 percent) have three or more former inmates in their church. Overall, few pastors have contact with many inmates or former inmates as a normal part of their ministry, said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. So prison ministry isn't a priority. "When half the pastors haven't had someone from their church sent to jail, then prison ministry isn't on their ministry radar," McConnell said. The report comes at a time when incarceration rates in the United States remain at record levels. More than 2.2 million Americans are held in state and federal prisons or local jails, according to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research. That's more than in any other nation in the world. More than a third (36 percent) of inmates in state and federal prisons are African-American, according to the Department of Justice. Those statistics have led to concerns about the high number of inmates and charges of racial disparity. LifeWay Research found pastors are split on those two questions. Half of pastors say the racial disparity among inmates is unjust. Four in 10 (39 percent) disagree. One in 10 (11 percent) is not sure. Just under half (46 percent) say the rapid growth of the inmate population is unjust. A similar number (44 percent) disagree. Ten percent are not sure. African-American pastors (78 percent) are most likely to say the rapid growth in the overall number of inmates is unjust. Most Methodist (67 percent) and Presbyterian/Reformed pastors (72 percent) agree. Fewer Baptist (31 percent), Pentecostal (34 percent), Christian/Church of Christ (39 percent) and Lutheran (45 percent) pastors hold that view. African-American pastors (88 percent) are also most likely to see racial disparities among inmates as unjust. Most Methodist (73 percent) and Presbyterian/Reformed (75 percent) pastors agree. Fewer Baptist (34 percent), Pentecostal (43 percent), Church of Christ/Christian (40 percent) and Lutheran (56 percent) pastors agree. Faithful volunteers are key Karen Swanson, director of the Institute for Prison Ministries at Wheaton College, said pastors often don't know how to start ministering to inmates. Other ministries, like distributing school supplies to kids or volunteering at a food pantry, are relatively easy to start. Ministering to inmates and their families is more difficult, she said, requiring special training and often a long-term commitment from volunteers. About two-thirds of pastors cite a lack of training (62 percent) or volunteers (65 percent) as barriers to their church helping inmates and their families. Forty percent say they do not know where to start. Three in 10 (29 percent) say their church has too many other ministries. One in 5 (21 percent) doesn't see a need for such ministry. Money is an issue as well. Half of pastors (48 percent) say a lack of finances is a barrier to ministry. A recent report from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability found donations to prison ministries declined 6 percent from 2011 to 2014. When churches do have a prison ministry, it is often run on an informal basis. Sixty-one percent of pastors say individual church members minister to families of inmates. Forty-five percent say church members minister in correctional facilities. Fifty-eight percent say church members help those leaving correctional facilities. Swanson hopes more pastors will consider getting their churches involved in prison ministry. They may be surprised, she noted, to find the ministry hits close to home. "The mission field is in your backyard," she said. "Almost every county has a jail. And almost all prisoners are going to return home." McConnell said churches will face an uphill challenge to grow their prison ministries. "These are messy, long-term ministries," he said. "You really have to demonstrate biblical faithfulness to be involved with them. It's a lot easier to pick a ministry where there are quick rewards, but you would miss out on the opportunity to impact families and communities." Methodology: The phone survey of Protestant pastors was conducted March 9-24, 2016. The calling list was a stratified random sample, drawn from a list of all Protestant churches. Quotas were used for church size and black Protestant denominations. Each interview was conducted with the senior pastor, minister or priest of the church called. Responses were weighted by region to more accurately reflect the population. The completed sample is 1,000 surveys. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 2.5 percent. Margins of error are higher in subgroups. The study was sponsored by the Institute for Prison Ministries, Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, Wheaton College; Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association, Assemblies of God; and the Crossroad Bible Institute. LifeWay Research is a Nashville-based, evangelical research firm that specializes in surveys about faith in culture and matters that affect the church. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: Ky., Ark., N.C. evangelism/missions news; 'The only limits are the ones we create' by Staff Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday Today's From the States features items from: Kentucky Today Arkansas Baptist News Biblical Recorder (North Carolina) ********** Over 100,000 Ky. Baptists involved in missions By Roger Alford LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Kentucky Today) -- More than 100,000 Kentucky Baptists were personally involved in missions last year, some in other countries and others closer to home. The false notion that only preachers can be missionaries has been cast aside as Christians from all walks of life step out to obey the Bible's command to go and make disciples, said Eric Allen, missions mobilization leader for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. "There are mission opportunities for people with most any skill, talent or gift," Allen said. "International Missions Board personnel serving overseas have requested help from Kentuckians who had experience coaching, in construction, and, in one case, artificial insemination of dairy cattle. These kinds of life experiences can be effective means of sharing the gospel." The total number of Kentucky Baptists involved in mission projects reached 105,979 last year, up from 99,622 the previous year, a 6 percent increase, based on data gleaned from the Annual Church Profile, a state-by-state survey of Southern Baptist congregations. The data showed the number of churches involved in mission projects reached 1,080 last year. "That's something to celebrate," Allen said. Kentucky Baptists have proven they're willing to do their part for the cause of Christ. When the Kentucky Baptist Convention spread the word that International Mission Board missionaries needed volunteers with a specialty in artificial insemination in an undisclosed country in Europe, leaders didn't know what kind of response they'd get, if any. It turned out several people stepped forward to help. "I believe Christians have a greater awareness of the need to be on mission and they want to go," Allen said. "Churches are helping members understand that there are many different ways to engage in missions using an individual's gifts, talents and skills. Plus, no longer do we see missions as something that is done only on a summer trip. People are more likely to engage in missions every week in their local communities. And trips out of the state, or the country, now take place many times throughout the year." The Kentucky Baptist Convention encourages churches to take part in mission projects, and have developed partnerships with Southern Baptists working in other states and countries to make it easier. The KBC also invites Kentucky Baptists to take part in "vision trips" to areas that need help spreading the Gospel, hoping to reveal the dire needs that exist in so many places. "We provide training, placement assistance and scholarships for team leaders," Allen said. "We have hundreds of mission opportunities in Kentucky, North America and internationally listed on our website, www.kybaptist.org/go." Allen said lots of churches are finding fulfillment in doing missions, like Indian Fork Baptist Church in Baghdad, Ky. Since it was founded in 1802, Indian Fork had always been a financial supporter of international missionaries, but had never actually sent its own members overseas. That changed last November when four members of the rural church spent a week ministering to orphans in Haiti and sprucing up the orphanage where they live. "No matter what size your congregation is, the command and commission are the same," said pastor Josh Rucker said. "The only limits are the ones we create." --30-- This article appeared in Kentucky Today (www.kentuckytoday.com), an online news resource of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.. Roger Alford is editor of Kentucky Today. ********** Zoo Church Village helps women Ark. out of addiction By Jessica Vanderpool DENNARD, Ark. (Arkansas Baptist News) -- As most would agree, life can be a real zoo -- full of obstacles, struggles and temptations. But The Zoo Church Village in Dennard is helping women overcome these struggles, specifically those involving addiction. The church is doing so through its new women's ministry, Zoo Outfitters Operation (ZOO): Outfitting Women to Live Without Addiction, which began in March. The goal of the biblically based program is to help women rid themselves of their addictions to alcohol and drugs. Pastor Rick Montgomery said The Zoo Church Village, a Baptist church located at the site of an old roadside zoo that has been renovated, is located in one of the most notorious locations in Arkansas for making and using methamphetamine, so the ZOO program is needed. The program's focal verse is Titus 2:12, which speaks about the command to "deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age." A desire to start the ministry had been on church members' hearts for years, he explained. The church's property was so run down when they acquired it about five years ago that church members didn't realize its potential, he said. But as they cleaned it up, they realized God had provided them with a location for ministry. "So from the get-go, from about six months in, we planned to do this women's ministry because it's so desperately needed," he said. Several programs are available for men, he said, but not many for women. "It's really a need, and I think the New Testament Church is supposed to meet those needs, so we're really excited about it," he said. "You know, if you can't find Christ, you're probably not going to get rid of your addictions," he said, noting he truly believes "Christ is the answer to the problems." To participate, women must meet certain criteria, complete a series of interviews as well as a physical and a background check. Each participant must also pay an entry fee and submit to a drug test, though Montgomery clarified that the inability to pay the whole fee or pass the drug test does not necessarily prohibit one from entering the program. Women are encouraged to pay a little each week, and the program also seeks supporters to give monthly amounts in order to keep the program afloat. Additionally, women are required to attend church. In fact, they must attend a church service before being considered as a candidate. Montgomery said the residential program is fashioned after several similar programs, such as Renewal Ranch in Conway. During the six-month program, women work on the property and attend biblical classes "that direct them to live for Christ." "In the process of learning how to live for Christ, some of them will probably find Christ," he said. Without Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit within a person, he said, "Some of these addictions –- especially methamphetamine -– I think they are just almost impossible to get over." In addition, volunteer counselors work with participants weekly. Montgomery hopes that after women complete the program, the church can help them transition to a local motel for another six months so they can monitor the women as they get jobs and transition into normal life. "This is just a passion for us.... We covet everyone's prayers," Montgomery said. --30-- This article appeared in the Arkansas Baptist News, newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist Convention (arkansasbaptist.org). Jessica Vanderpool is a former senior assistant editor for the Arkansas Baptist News. ********** N.C. association forges partnership with Scottish church By Avery Baptist Association staff NEWLAND, N.C. (Biblical Recorder) -- The churches of the Avery Baptist Association (ABA) have covenanted with a local congregation in Scotland for a five-year ministry partnership. The Scotland Partnership is an opportunity for the churches of the Avery Association to develop a Kingdom partnership with Buckhaven Community Church (BCC). "Scottish roots run deep in western North Carolina," said Garland Honeycutt, associational missionary for the ABA. "Many families in our region can trace their heritage back to the land of kilts and bagpipes. The very geography of the High Country closely resembles that of Scotland, which more than likely explains why Scottish immigrants settled in the area, so many years ago. "However, there is a major difference between the hills of Scotland and the mountains of Appalachia -- Scotland is largely absent of the presence of the gospel," he said. Only about 3 percent of Scots identify as evangelical Christians. The population of Buckhaven in Fife, a small fishing town north of Edinburgh, is 6,000 people; however 98 percent of them have no contact with a local church. "By collaborating with Peter Carr and BCC, our desire for this partnership is to impact Scotland with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ," Honeycutt explained. Peter Carr, a native Scot, planted BCC in January 2015. "While the church scene in Scotland has become largely dysfunctional, it's not all doom and gloom. For many decades our country has been a sending nation, but now we are a receiving nation when it comes to missionaries, he said. Carr went on to say "Scotland, I believe, is now ripe and ready for new expressions of gospel-centered, Kingdom-focused churches." ABA's Scotland Partnership focuses on two primary goals: first, strengthening BCC to become a healthy, self-sustaining church and second, assisting BCC in the planting of new, self-sustaining, evangelical churches across Scotland. These goals hope to be reached within the scope of the five year partnership. "We plan to take associational mission trips to Scotland at least once each year. Mission trips will provide ABA churches the opportunity to physically come alongside the ministry of BCC through evangelism and outreach, leadership development, and church planting," Honeycutt explained. "While the ABA and its churches will be the 'sponsors' of the partnership, we heartily extend an invitation to churches and individuals outside of the ABA to join us in this exciting gospel effort!" Support has already been enlisted from churches outside the ABA, including churches from Mitchell County and Carter County, Tennessee. The ABA approved moving forward with the partnership at its associational spring meeting in April. Under the direction of the newly formed Scotland Partnership Committee, a detailed proposal for the partnership will be presented to the churches of the ABA at its annual meeting in October 2016. Once the proposal is approved at the October meeting, the partnership will officially launch in January 2017. Honeycutt and other leaders from ABA will be taking a five day vision trip to Scotland to meet with Peter Carr in mid-May. A full program has been planned, which includes several days of prayer walking through Buckhaven and other villages in the Fife region, as well as attending a pastors' conference in Kirkcaldy to dialogue with ministry leaders from across the nation. "We are very excited about the opportunities ahead of us," Honeycutt remarked. "As an associational missionary I believe God's people are at their best when they work together. Avery Baptists are lifting our eyes beyond our region, to work alongside our sisters and brothers across the pond, by impacting an unbelieving generation of Scots with the transforming message of the gospel." To receive more information on the partnership or to explore ways to join the effort, go toaverybaptists.org/scotland. --30-- This article appeared in the Biblical Recorder (brnow.org), newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. ********** EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Refugees, immigrants spark Reaching the Nations focus by Diana Chandler Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) -- Spreading the Gospel among the more than 42 million foreign born refugees, immigrants and international students in the U.S. is the focus of the Reaching the Nations in North America conference, an upcoming national event spearheaded by North Carolina Baptists. Termed "diaspora missions," ministry to those in the U.S. living outside their birth countries can help evangelize unreached, unengaged people groups, conference organizer Chuck Register told Baptist Press. "The summit is designed to heighten the awareness of denominational leaders and local church practitioners to the millions of foreign-born residents God has guided to the U.S. and to focus our attention and efforts on engaging immigrants, refugees and international students with the Gospel for church planting," said Register, executive leader for church planting and missions partnerships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. "Many of these groups are classified as unreached people groups or unreached and unengaged people groups." The conference is set for Aug. 26–27 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tenn., with the Tennessee State Convention, the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board joining North Carolina Baptists as hosts. Among top speakers are LifeWay Research executive director Ed Stetzer, who will join Wheaton College's faculty in July, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Frank S. Page, World Relief Vice President of Advocacy and Policy Jenny Yang, and J.D. Payne, pastor for church multiplication at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. Breakout sessions, worship and prayer are also on tap, with focused prayer targeting 30 strategical foreign born people groups here, Register said. Diaspora missions advocates Terry Sharp, IMB's state, association and urban mobilization strategy leader, and Bryan Galloway, senior research analyst for IMB's global research department, have researched foreign born people groups in select U.S. cities. The two have documented their findings through a joint project with NAMB at peoplegroups.info, and have led educational and motivational diaspora missions conferences aimed at churches. "Many of those same people groups that we're trying to reach globally are now in North America," Sharp said. "The people groups have now come to North America, whether that be the immigrants that are coming, or the refugees or the international students, we're trying to help the churches to connect the dots." Diaspora missions interest is increasing among Southern Baptists, Sharp said, perhaps encouraged by a global crisis of 60 million refugees. "I think our churches are very much a Great Commission Christian people," he said. "They see opportunities to love people in Christ's name. I think they're stepping up and doing so. But it's been a process for the past few years of just casting vision." While targeted peoples were formerly concentrated in larger cities, Sharp said, such people groups can now be found in cities of all sizes. "While we want to do everything we can to get the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and we want to keep doing that, the ends of the earth is coming to us," Sharp said. "I think we can help churches to connect those dots and be involved both globally and locally, because so many of the people groups that are coming here are part of the least reached or unreached people groups globally." The conference can help churches become engaged in diaspora missions perhaps even in their own cities, he said, and is designed for churches already at various levels of engagement. In North Carolina alone, mapping efforts have found 158 different people groups North Carolina Baptists are working to reach, Register said. "As we continue to refine our mapping we are assisting North Carolina Baptist churches with engaging the nations by providing assistance with strategy development, training and coaching," Register said. The summit will hopefully launch a nation-wide discussion and focus upon diaspora ministry among Southern Baptists and motivate attendees to launch such ministry efforts at their home churches, "convinced of the biblical mandate to reach the scattered nations living in the US," Register said, "and equipped and committed to launch ministries to discover and engage the various people groups living within our communities." Among other speakers are Kim Carr, executive director, International Learning Center, Jacksonville, Fla.; Keelan Cook, pastor, Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C., and urban resource coordinator at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's Center for Great Commission Studies; Alan Cross, executive director, Community Development Initiatives, Montgomery, Ala.; Mike Edens, professor of theology and Islamic studies, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a former missionary; Sammy Joo, lead pastor, Nations Engaged Together Church in Raleigh and collegiate consultant for North Carolina Baptists; Boto Joseph, missionary among South Asians for Global Gates church planting center and lead planter of Jackson Heights Community Church in New York; Zac Lyons, people group engagement catalyst, North Carolina Baptists; Beth Ann Williams, executive director, Women's Missionary Union, and Lawrence Yoo, lead pastor, Waypoint Church, Durham, N.C. Conference registration is $35 and available at ncbaptist.org under the Events tab. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Serve as Christ served, Akin exhorts SEBTS grads by Harper McKay Date: May 24, 2016 - Tuesday WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- Sent to lead? Perhaps. Sent to serve? Absolutely. With those words, Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, charged 237 spring graduates to follow Christ's model of service. "The greatest person who ever lived and walked on this earth was a humble servant," Akin said. "He got down low so that He might lift others up. And now He calls us, those who follow Him, to do the same." Southeastern's 63rd graduating class included 42 undergraduate, 172 graduate and 23 doctoral degree recipients at the Wake Forest, N.C., campus. Drawing inspiration from the life of Scottish missionary John Keith Falconer (1856-1887), Akin asked the May 20 commencement audience to consider why a young man would leave everything behind to serve Christ in Yemen and ultimately die at an early age. In quoting Falconcer, Akin said, "I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light." This radical idea, Akin said, came from none other than Jesus Christ. In Mark 10:45, Jesus made a promise that no other ruler or king has or could ever make. "He came to serve," Akin said. "He came to burn the candle of His life for you and for me." After encouraging the graduates to minister in Christ-like service and sacrifice, Akin addressed guests who have not believed in Christ. Explaining that the Gospel is meant for them and forgiveness can be theirs, Akin said, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The God who is in heaven will forgive you." Akin then sent the graduates out into their ministries with words that have become a motto for every Southeastern student: "Because He came, we must go." Commencement photos can be accessed at here and Akin's commencement address at here.