The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-08/02/2017 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- N.M. village's Baptists see CP as missions priority by Karen L. Willoughby Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday CUBA, N.M. (BP) -- The multicultural mix of 750 people in the small, arid village of Cuba, N.M., is one of the qualities that drew Stephen Reynolds to pastor First Baptist Church there. The village off busy U.S. 550 draws the Navajo and Jicarilla Apache Native Americans and others from 30 square miles of high desert lands. "The minority culture is white," Reynolds told Baptist Press. "There's Hispanic from Spanish [descent] and Navajo culture." The native Mississippian and his wife Laura are rearing their two young children, 4-year-old Ruth and 1-year-old Elijah, in the community. With not much immediate population from which to draw, Reynolds concentrates on discipleship in the congregation of 65 as well as evangelism in ministry. "Cuba Baptist Church" is the congregation's common moniker. "We've seen some numerical growth," Reynolds told Baptist Press. "I've baptized seven or eight in the last two years, but I also see my job as not just evangelistic but [leading people to be] spiritually growing" as he preaches through books of the Bible in teaching God's Word. His calling to the area after graduating in 2014 from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (now Gateway Seminary) pleased his "missionary heart," Reynolds said, and encouraged him that the community needed the Gospel. "A pastor's job is to love Jesus, Jesus' Word and Jesus' people. God was opening the doors here to do all that," Reynolds said. "The Holy Spirit said, 'This place is all the things you love,' and my wife and I had an inner peace we hadn't had for a long time." The church started a children's ministry this summer with the assistance of four summer missionaries. It involves about 15 youngsters regularly and drew 55 to Vacation Bible School. Wednesday nights are reserved for youth ministries, drawing about 20. "I depend on a lot of volunteers," the pastor said. "We have a meal, teaching time and games each week, with faithful members who have been doing youth ministry for a long time." Also a priority for Reynolds is the 10 percent of undesignated offerings the church allocates to missions through the Cooperative Program, which he hopes to lead the church to increase by a half-percent each year. "I think us being faithful to what God is doing around the world is valuable," he said. "I try to give us a bigger perspective of what God is doing through the Cooperative Program." For three minutes each Sunday morning, Reynolds highlights one way God uses the CP. "Our giving is not just paying the bills here, but also supporting camps in New Mexico, church planters around the country, missionaries all over the world," Reynolds said. "I've seen our people respond to that." He tells the congregation they supported him before they even knew him, since their CP gifts support the six Southern Baptist seminaries. The CP helped Cuba Baptist Church launch in 1947 as a part of the Central Baptist Association which extends to Albuquerque, 60 miles southwest. "Cuba Baptist Church has received missionaries for a long time," the pastor said. "I'm praying God would grow our church through going on mission as well as giving to missions." Cuba Baptist Church is known and respected in the community, Reynolds said. "I want to see our church love on our community more and more. Cuba is a very needy area," he said. "There's unemployment, alcoholism and other hardships here. Our desire is to see the hope of Jesus Christ shared in the midst of such hardship." The church's women's ministry, in addition to a once-a-month Bible study, is involved with several mission projects. The women visit a local nursing home multiple times a year, feed local children through a school food box program and reach internationally by collecting beans and rice for a project in Mexico each summer. The men serve the community by maintaining the town cemetery. They installed a new roof on the church building in 2016 and poured a new sidewalk and basketball court this summer. "We're really seeing the men grow and be challenged to step up in meeting local needs," the pastor said. Cuba Baptist Church is praying over its first steps toward planting a church. Reynolds recently participated in a North American Mission Board-funded vision tour of Salt Lake City. He has invited fellow Gateway Seminary alumni, career missionaries in South Asia and East Africa to spend time at the church when on stateside assignment. "We're seeing the Lord challenge us, but we don't know all that will entail," he said. "We're praying how we can be more effective.... One of the things I'm seeing is that we are growing as disciples. We're learning God's Word and growing in fellowship so we can be more effective in our community and beyond." -------------------------------------------------------------------- MOVIES: Atheism, science & education by Phil Boatwright Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- The faith-based drama "The Case for Christ" is the true story of Lee Strobel, a Chicago Tribune investigative journalist who determined to disprove his wife's newfound religious faith, only to discover that Christ and His resurrection were historical facts. Strobel, in the 2008 documentary "The Case for Faith," took on two questions meant to debunk Christianity: "Why is Jesus the only way to God?" and "How could a loving God exist if there is evil and suffering in the world?" In that film, he presented his case with the well-reasoned arguments of a Perry Mason, while wisely including the emotional testimonies of those who have undergone serious questioning of religious matters. The result was rewarding for followers of Christ and many others seeking a spiritual path. Following the success of that documentary, Pure Flix Entertainment has produced a dramatic production, "The Case for Christ," which follows Strobel's transformation from nonbeliever to advocate for our Savior. (This recent motion picture, rated PG, comes to home entertainment on Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on Aug. 15.) Directed by Jon Gunn and starring Mike Vogel, The Case for Christ is well-structured and perceptively acted. It engages completely, while addressing the historicity of Jesus Christ. Also worth a look Evangelist Josh McDowell first examined similar subjects in his bestselling books, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" and "He Walked Among Us." Like Strobel, McDowell was a one-time atheist who wanted to expose Christ as a false god and Christianity as little more than an opiate for the masses. But McDowell's research changed his own thinking, which resulted in writings that forced cynics to take a more in-depth look at the Man from Galilee. There are other films that go hand-in-hand with the themes presented in Strobel's film The Case for Christ and the books by Josh McDowell. These provocative and poignant movies argue for creationism and the rights of those who dare teach views other than the Big Bang theory. "God's Not Dead" (2014) and "God's Not Dead 2" (2016), both from Pure Flix Entertainment, quickly come to mind. In God's Not Dead, a college freshman and devout Christian (Shane Harper) finds his faith challenged by a dogmatic philosophy professor (Kevin Sorbo) who requires his students to disavow the existence of God in writing or face a failing grade. Not willing to sign such a document, the student is instructed by his smug teacher to debate God's existence through a series of classroom lectures. This is a thoughtful and enlightening faith-based film that intelligently argues for God's existence and presents the case that He does indeed love each of us. PG. The sequel, God's Not Dead 2, concerns a high school teacher who finds herself in legal hot water merely for answering a student's question about Jesus. The movie prompts, "What do we do if/when our faith is challenged?" By the film's end, the Christian viewer should be pondering, "What is it I believe? What price am I willing to pay for that belief?" PG. "The Genesis Code" (2010) suggests that science and creation can both be right. By this drama's conclusion, nonbelievers will certainly have to consider what the faithful already know -- God created science. The story centers on Kerry Wells (Kelsey Sanders), a college journalist, who has been assigned a story on Blake Truman (Logan Bartholomew) the school's popular hockey superstar. As a relationship develops between Christian Kerry and unbeliever Blake, she sets out to prove that science and Genesis are not in conflict, dismantling his assertion that modern science disproves the opening verses of Genesis. The Genesis Code, released by America Saga, is a compelling argument that should cause the scientific community to reexamine its staunch view. PG. "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (2008) exposes the one-sidedness of our nation's education system when it comes to how mankind came to be. This probing documentary from Premise Media takes on today's secular classrooms, which have declared that there is no place for creationism outside of Sunday morning worship. A provocative film, it points out that our nation's universities, many of which embraced a reverence for God when first established, are now helmed by those who don't. PG. Lastly, "Because of Gracia," starring former "American Idol" contestant Moriah Peters, is a poignant teen drama set for a limited theatrical release by ArtAffects Entertainment on Sept. 15. The story has a Christian high school debate class student defending creationism. (More on this one in September.) It's my prayer that these films will support and uplift your faith walk. But no matter how many apologetic books or films document the person of Jesus, ultimately there is the need for faith. This was by His design. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). If you study God's Word, asking for His guidance and understanding, I promise, it won't be a blind faith you follow. The mind of man may sometimes question, but the soul of the believer will know that it knows. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Nat'l CP 5.08% above projection by Staff Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 5.08 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection, and are 1.15 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page. The year-to-date total represents money received by the Executive Committee by the close of the last business day of July and includes receipts from state conventions, churches and individuals for distribution according to the 2016–17 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. As of July 31, gifts received by the Executive Committee for distribution through the SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget through the first nine months of the convention's fiscal year (October to September) totaled $165,503,652.87. This total is $8,003,652.87 above the $157,500,000 year-to-date budgeted projection to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America, and is $1,886,387.68 more than the $163,617,265.19 received through the end of July 2016. Designated giving of $181,282,348.20 for the same year-to-date period is 7.06 percent, or $13,772,894.68, below the $195,055,242.88 received at this point last year. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the EC and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC entities. Designated contributions include the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, Southern Baptist Global Hunger Relief and other special gifts. July's Cooperative Program allocation receipts for SBC work totaled $15,309,979.82. Designated gifts received last month amounted to $9,645,268.57. The convention-adopted CP allocation budget is distributed 50.41 percent to international missions through the International Mission Board, 22.79 percent to North American missions through the North American Mission Board, 22.16 percent to theological education through the convention's six seminaries, 2.99 percent to the SBC operating budget, and 1.65 percent to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. GuideStone Financial Resources and LifeWay Christian Resources are self-sustaining and do not receive CP funding. According to the 2016–2017 budget adopted by the SBC at its June 2016 annual meeting in St. Louis, if the convention exceeds its annual budget goal of $189 million dollars, IMB's share will go to 51 percent of any overage in Cooperative Program allocation budget receipts. Other ministry entities of the SBC will receive their adopted percentage amounts and the SBC operating budget's portion will be reduced to 2.4 percent of any overage. The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists' channel of giving through which a local church is able to contribute to the ministries of its state convention and to the missions and ministries of the SBC with a single contribution to its state convention. State and regional Baptist conventions retain a portion of church contributions to the CP to support work in their respective states and forward a percentage to Southern Baptist national and international causes. The percentage of distribution from the states is at the discretion of the messengers of each state convention through the adoption of the state convention's annual budget. The totals in this report reflect only the SBC portion of Cooperative Program receipts. Month-to-month swings reflect a number of factors, including the number of Sundays in a given month, the day of the month churches forward their CP contributions to their state conventions, the percentage of CP contributions forwarded to the SBC by the state conventions after shared ministry expenses are deducted and the timing of when the state conventions forward the national portion of Cooperative Program contributions to the Executive Committee. CP allocation budget receipts received by the EC are reported monthly to the executives of the entities of the convention, to the state convention offices, to the state Baptist papers and are posted online at www.cpmissions.net/CPReports. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC PHOENIX: registration total finalized, costs down by David Roach Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday PHOENIX (BP) -- Data compiled following the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix indicates more messengers than 2011, the last time the convention was held in Phoenix, and a net annual meeting cost reduction of some $800,000 since that time. Nominees elected to boards and committees were notable for their ethnic diversity, Cooperative Program support and representation of churches with 250 members or fewer. Registration A total of 5,015 messengers attended the 2017 Phoenix annual meeting, falling short of the 2016 annual meeting messenger count of 7,321, registration secretary Don Currence has announced. Registration exceeded the 2011 Phoenix total of 4,852 messengers. In 2017, messengers were sent from 2,230 churches in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Churches in Maine, North Dakota and Rhode Island sent no messengers. Including guests, total registered attendance at the annual meeting and its related events was 9,315, down from 12,138 last year. Most messengers, 3,219, were male, and 3,071 of them were ordained. Only 743 messengers, 14.8 percent of those registered, completed the registration survey. Of those, 351 were senior pastors and 41 were the wives of senior pastors, according to surveys submitted. By age, 32 of those who submitted surveys were 18-29, compared to 126 between 30–39, 127 between 40-49, 215 between 50-59 and 243 ages 60 and above. Cost reduction Convention manager Bill Townes told Baptist Press the 2017 annual meeting's net cost should be finalized later this month. He estimated a "similar" total to previous years -- $130,004 in 2015 and $146,070 in 2016. Those figures represent a reduction of approximately $800,000 since the high water mark in 2011. Annual meeting cost reductions stem from the leadership of SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page, who "directed the [EC's] convention finance office to analyze and evaluate the costs associated with the SBC annual meeting each year to see where we could reduce our costs and also to ensure that we keep costs affordable for attendees," said Townes, the EC's vice president for convention finance. "That direction to look at every expense in detail resulted in making some significant changes and a lot of small ones that have greatly reduced the net cost of our SBC annual meeting," Townes said in written comments. Among specific cost reductions: -- Annual meetings no longer feature carpet in the aisles of the main hall, a $25,000 annual savings; -- The SBC Pastors' Conference reimburses the convention $100,000 for use of the meeting hall, up from $38,000 per year from 1992-2011; -- The exhibit hall has expanded from approximately 50 exhibitors through 2012 to 167 in Phoenix, with an accompanying increase of revenue from exhibitor fees. An updated exhibitor policy "gives priority to our SBC entities/organizations, but also allows other approved vendors that do not conflict with the ministries of Southern Baptists," Townes said; -- The convention has purchased computer monitors, laptops and electrical cords to reuse every year rather than renting them from each convention center; -- The convention began contracting with LifeWay Media in 2014 to coordinate both the audio and visual aspects of the meeting. "Every expense is reviewed, analyzed and documented to ensure that we are being the best stewards possible," Townes said. Board & committee diversity Individuals elected to the 2018 Committee on Nominations and those elected to SBC boards and other convention committees represented a diverse array of ethnicities and churches of various sizes. Committee on Nominations chairman Jim Richards noted the 2017 Committee on Nominations was one of the "most ethnically diverse committees ever." The committee's diversity led it to propose a slate of nominees that was 14 percent non-Anglo. According to SBC governing documents, the convention president appoints the Committee on Committees, which nominates members of the following year's Committee on Nominations for messenger approval. The Committee on Nominations nominates Southern Baptists to serve on SBC boards and committees, with messengers again granting final approval. In Phoenix, messengers approved the full slate of nominees presented by both the Committee on Committees and the Committee on Nominations. The 2017 Committee on Committees reported that half of those elected to the 2018 Committee on Nominations were from churches with average worship attendance of 250 or less. An average worship attendance of 524 among churches of 2018 Committee on Nominations members was down from an average of 1,704 over the past five years. Committee on Committees chairman Randy Davis said, "While we praise the Lord for our large megachurches that influence and impact so many, we understand that we need representation from our smaller churches." Some 80 percent of next year's Committee on Nominations has never served "in any national position within the SBC," said Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. The average Cooperative Program giving of churches attended by members of the 2018 Committee on Nominations is 8.7 percent of undesignated receipts, Davis said, "one of the highest numbers in years." The 2017 Committee on Nominations nominated a slate of 80 Southern Baptists to fill vacant seats on SBC boards and committees. Richards, committee chairman and executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, noted average CP giving of the churches attended by newly elected board and committee members is 7 percent of undesignated receipts. All nominees presented by the Committee on Committees and the Committee on Nominations affirmed the Baptist Faith and Message prior to their election. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ailing Christian convert released from Iran prison by Diana Chandler Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday TEHRAN, Iran (BP) -- Ailing Christian convert Maryam Naghash Zargaran was released Aug. 1 from an Iranian prison where she had been held four years because of her Christian faith, World Watch Monitor reported today (Aug. 2). The sentence for the 39-year-old single mother was scheduled to end July 28, World Watch said, but she was held additional days without explanation. Arrested in January 2013 for her work with Iranian house church pastor and U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, she was charged with propagating against the Islamic regime and colluding to undermine national security, according to earlier reports. Zargaran, also known as "Nasim," suffered ongoing medical problems and was said to be near death a year ago, denied proper medical treatment in the women's ward of harsh Evin prison. As recently as March, Zargaran's fragile health was said to be deteriorating, according to Mohabat News, an Iranian Christian media service. Zargaran protested her imprisonment and lack of medical care with two hunger strikes in 2016 that both resulted in her receiving temporary but only limited medical care, Amnesty International reported. She has a congenital heart condition said to be Atrial Septal Defect and suffered from a host of degenerative medical problems typically exacerbated by stress, World Watch said, including lumbar disc disease, arthritis and osteoporosis. Abedini, held at the Evin prison from 2012 until his 2016 release, had advocated for Zargaran's freedom and access to medical care. His ministry led to Zargaran's Christian conversion, Abedini has told Baptist Press. "Nasim is free. Hallelujah," Abedini posted on Facebook Aug. 1. Religious liberty advocate Middle East Concern today offered a list of prayer concerns for Zargaran at meconcern.org. Pray: -- that the Lord will strengthen her mentally and physically; -- that she receives the medical care she needs; -- that she has a joyful reunion with her family and adjusts well to life outside of prison, and --that those responsible for the persecution of Christians in Iran will "love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fla. Baptist Witness to merge with state convention by Barbara Denman & David Roach Date: August 02, 2017 - Wednesday JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- The Florida Baptist Witness' board of directors has voted to cease functioning as a cooperating ministry of the state's convention and become a ministry within the Florida Baptist Convention organization. The action -- approved by the board during a special called meeting Tuesday (Aug. 1) conducted via conference call -- calls for the Witness' board to dissolve its corporation at the end of the year and turn over operation of the Witness publication and online presence to the state convention. Messengers to the Florida Baptist State Convention in November will be given an opportunity to "affirm" the board's decision, Florida Baptist Convention executive director Tommy Green said in an online video released today (Aug. 2). The Witness' articles of incorporation specify in Article XII that the Witness corporation can be "dissolved" by "a two-thirds vote of the Corporation's voting members." "In 1984," Green said, "the governing documents established that upon dissolution, the Witness would return to the care of the Florida Baptist Convention under the direction of the State Board of Missions. At our November meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention, messengers will hear from Shelly Chandler, the chairman of the Witness board, about their chosen direction. "During our business session, messengers will have the opportunity to affirm them in their decision. In the meantime, I remain committed to providing the story of Florida Baptists during this time of transition through the publication of the Witness," Green said. Micah Ferguson, the Florida convention's director of strategic initiatives, said messengers also will need to amend the state convention's constitution and bylaws to reflect the Witness corporation's dissolution if they wish to affirm the board's decision. Transitioning the publication to a convention ministry, said Chandler, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bonifay, Fla., was determined as the best strategy moving forward. The new direction was adopted "unanimously and enthusiastically" by the board, he said. Following the recent announcement that executive editor Kevin Bumgarner planned to resign effective Aug. 14, the Witness Board discussed several options for continuing the publication, Chandler said. "In a day when Cooperative Program dollars are limited, we need to find creative ways to do more with less. This new strategy will accomplish this task while also moving the Witness into the digital age to reach more people," Chandler added. Bringing the Witness under the convention's umbrella organization is "both efficient and effective" use of CP dollars, Chandler said. "Change has taken place throughout the state of Florida. Therefore, changes to our convention and our cooperating ministries must happen for Florida Baptists to reach the state with the Gospel. "Dr. Tommy Green and his staff have a vision for the Florida Baptist Witness to reach Florida with an online presence. The Witness board has full confidence in their leadership moving forward," he said. The board's last official act, Chandler said, will be to determine a way to preserve all the paper's print editions since its inception in 1884. "Now the responsibility of the board is to preserve the story of Florida Baptists over the past 133 years," Chandler said. Since the late 19th century, the Witness has served as the official news source of the Florida Baptist State Convention, tasked with keeping Florida Baptists informed about what God is doing through the missions and ministry efforts of His people in Florida and around the world. In recent years, the Witness was challenged by decreasing subscriptions and paid advertisements, rising production costs and the task of communicating in an evolving digital age. Its circulation of 42,000 in 1997 had decreased to 15,000 by 2017, according to data published in Southern Baptist Convention Annuals. Since January, the once weekly and then biweekly publication has been published monthly. The Florida Baptist State Convention is the largest contributor to the Witness' operating budget, providing nearly 50 percent of its annual budget. In 2017 the Witness is earmarked to receive $284,000 from the Florida Baptist Convention CP budget. The Witness faced the same challenges as other state Baptist papers. Georgia's Christian Index and the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Baptist Standard both have phased out print editions and moved entirely online, and other publications have decreased the frequency of their print editions. Overall, state paper circulation has declined from 1.2 million in 1997 to 593,500 in 2017, according to data from SBC Annuals. The convention is committed to continue the Witness as a free digital publication available to all Florida Baptists, Green said.