The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/02/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sumners to retire, SBHLA begins director search by James A. Smith Sr. Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Bill Sumners, director of Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives since 1988, will retire from his post next July, he recently announced in a letter to the Council of Seminary Presidents, which governs the organization. "It has been my pleasure and joy to serve in this position, in this place, for most of my career," Sumners told the CSP. Since the 1997 reorganization of the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBHLA has been governed by the CSP, comprised of the six SBC seminary presidents. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is also CSP president. "We are very thankful for Bill Sumners for his many years of service to the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives," Mohler said. "He has been a key figure in bridging the Southern Baptist past to its present and future. We look forward to recognizing him in the months ahead for his service." Mohler said the CSP is "now about the task of finding" Sumners' successor. As CSP president, Mohler will be "receiving all nominations for this very important post," he said. Candidates for SBHLA director are required to have a graduate degree in librarianship, Baptist history or archival studies, with a preference for certified archivists, Mohler said. Nominations will be received through Dec. 31, and can be mailed to: R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, Council of Seminary Presidents, 2825 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40280. Sumners expressed his appreciation to the Council of Seminary Presidents for its support and encouragement through the years. "You have let us do our work and championed our vital role in the life of the Southern Baptist Convention," he noted in his Sept. 21 letter to the CSP. "I particularly want to thank Dr. Mohler for his foresight in his work with the Program and Structure Committee in placing the SBHLA under the management of the Council. I am uncertain of our existence without his keen wisdom back in 1995." Sumners said the SBHLA's "modest" collection in 1983 has grown to become the "largest, most diverse and most accessible collection of Baptist material in the world." Established in 1938 as part of the Southern Baptist Historical Society, the SBHLA maintains thousands of books, Baptist associations' and state conventions' annuals, Baptist newspapers, histories of Baptist churches, archival records, and many other Baptist history resources in 10,000 square feet of office space in the SBC Building in Nashville, according to its website. Before becoming SBHLA director and archivist, Sumners was archivist of the Dargan-Carver Library of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (then known as the Sunday School Board of the SBC), 1983-1988. Previously, he was assistant archivist at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and held library and research positions in Alabama and Texas. Sumners holds degrees from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and University of Texas at Arlington. He has been married to Donna since 1971, and they have three children. He is a member and Sunday School teacher at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions, cooperation drive small Tenn. church by Karen L. Willoughby Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday GREENFIELD, Tenn. (BP) -- The men at Bethel Baptist Church reach out to the unchurched men in their community each autumn by showing off their culinary skills at a wild game supper, preparing turkey, deer, raccoon, crappie, catfish, rabbit, duck and other critters. Meanwhile, the congregation's Women on Mission excel each year at promoting missions, noted David Worley, pastor of Bethel Baptist in Greenfield, Tenn. In 2014, for example, with a goal of $19,630 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the church gave $26,896. The church "believes strongly in missions," Worley said. Bethel Baptist has given 20 percent to missions through the Cooperative Program for years, preceding and throughout Worley's pastorate that began nine years ago. "We try to stress to our people they're giving to missions every time they put a dollar in the plate," Worley said. "Our Women on Mission keep missions in our mind and on our heart." The Cooperative Program is the mechanism Southern Baptist churches use to support state, national and international ministries and missions. "I think the Cooperative Program is the very best way to support missions," Worley said. "The Cooperative Program keeps our missionaries on the field. It's important that we teach our members about the Cooperative Program." Bethel Baptist, where about 170 people participate in Sunday morning worship, has maintained its commitment to Cooperative Program and associational giving, plus a variety of local-to-global ministries, over the last two years despite a $3.5 million building project. The church purchased seven acres adjacent to its property, tore down its 60-year-old sanctuary and built a new worship center, adult wing and children's wing. "We needed more space, badly," Worley said. "Our long-term plans include building a family life center." Bethel Baptist appears to make good use of its building. About 70 youngsters, including several from the community, gather at the church each Sunday evening for Awana. Acteens, Children in Action and Mission Friends meet Wednesdays. The men's wild game supper, held for at least the past eight years, draws about 200 attendees, many of whom don't attend church. And despite being in the final stages of construction, Bethel Baptist managed in November to donate 526 shoeboxes to Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child global outreach. About 2,200 people live in Greenfield, a rural area of rolling hills, trees and farmland producing corn, soybeans and winter wheat about 150 miles west of Nashville in Weakley County. Agriculture and the University of Tennessee at Martin, 15 miles north, are the county's largest economic stimulators. Hunger can be an issue in the community. Bethel Baptist helps pay to process wild game gathered by the local Hunters for the Hungry and distributed through the community's We Care program. The church has at least twice paid for food from Second Harvest food bank to be stuffed into an 18-wheeler and distributed in Greenfield. In a joint project of Acteens and Women on Mission, the teenagers distributed to the homebound a Thanksgiving meal prepared by Acteens leaders. Deacons take DVDs of weekly Sunday services to homebound members. "It thrills their hearts to get that DVD and a visit from their deacon," Worley said. "Bethel has people willing to work …. They love the Lord." Bethel Baptist is an active participant in the 44-church Weakley County Baptist Association, joining others in mission trips each year to Cincinnati and the Honduras. "Our church has been blessed by the mission trips of our association," Worley said. "The people who go on these trips come back with an excitement about missions. And we feel closer to the other churches in our association because we get to know each other on these trips." Bethel Baptist also is involved in church planting. "We just got through for three years helping a church get started in Dyersburg, Tenn.," Worley said. "It was a great experience. That church is bigger than our church now; they're running about 200. "The good thing about it is that at least 75 percent of the people going there weren't going to church anywhere," Worley said. "That was important to us and to them, that they reach people and not just get disgruntled people from other churches." Bethel Baptist anticipates being involved with another church plant in the future, the pastor said. Worley noted that he makes it a priority to go to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting each year. "If we're giving that much money, I need to be there, to hear what's happening," Worley said. "And I enjoy the fellowship, preaching and worship." Worley occasionally blogs on SBC Voices and SBC Today. "I'm trying to cut back on my blogging, but I've gotten to be friends with some of them, and the blogs through the years have helped sharpen me and make me think harder about what I believe," Worley said. "The blogs have been good for me, even though sometimes it's been painful. They've driven me deeper and sharpened me, like iron sharpens iron." Bethel Baptist's partnerships add value to the congregation's Christian growth, the pastor said. "I just really believe that we can do more together than we can on our own," he said, "It helps to know that we have brothers and sisters in Christ, who are preaching the Gospel alongside of us. It's an encouragement to know that we're not alone." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Okla. Baptists focus on individual evangelism by Staff/Oklahoma Baptist Messenger Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BP) -- An emphasis of sharing the Gospel was made throughout the reports, presentations and addresses at the 109th annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. With 621 registered messengers from state Baptist churches, and numerous guests, attendees were charged by the annual meeting's theme "Connect>1" that focused on spreading the Gospel through individual evangelism. Messengers embraced an evangelism strategy for 2016 called the "3151 Challenge." Over a six-week time frame beginning in October, each person in a Sunday School small group prays for three lost friends, learns one Gospel presentation, invites five people to their small group and shares the Gospel with one person. Bob Mayfield, BGCO Sunday School specialist, and Michael Napier, BGCO evangelism specialist, both emphasized the importance of churches evangelizing through Sunday School and small groups. "How many of you would like to baptize more people in 2016 than you baptized in 2015?" Mayfield asked. "We are excited about this. We want to see more people, just like you do, come to Jesus Christ. What would you do if you could discover a plan to engage more church members to share with more lost people, to create more Gospel conversations to bring more people to Jesus?" The evangelism emphasis will be presented in LifeWay Christian Resources' 2016 Bible Studies for Life Sunday School curriculum, Mayfield said. During the Nov. 9-10 meeting, messengers approved the BGCO's proposed financial plan of $24.5 million, $912,000 less than the 2015 budget of $25,412,000. Anthony Jordan, BGCO executive director-treasurer, said the financial plan is "conservative because of the slumping economy in Oklahoma." Messengers voted to continue allocating 40 percent of the budget, or $9,800,000, for Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries. The budget then will be divided 44 percent or $10,865,300 for the BGCO, and 16 percent or $3,834,700 for BGCO affiliated ministries (Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, Baptist Village Communities and The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma). Hance Dilbeck, pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, was elected to a second term as BGCO president. Richard Stillwell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Walters, was elected first vice president in a close race over Terrell Romberg, pastor of First Baptist Church in Cordell. Jeff Moore, pastor of First Baptist Church in Altus, was unopposed in his election as second vice president. Addresses and reports Dilbeck gave the presidential address based on Mark 1:14-15, titled "After John was put in prison." Dilbeck compared the imprisonment of John the Baptist to the "overwhelming culture change" against Christian expression today, and said we should respond how Jesus responded after John was arrested. "When John was put in prison, Jesus did not run and hide. Jesus did not raise an army. Jesus did not even go to the capitol and protest," Dilbeck said. "Jesus stayed in Galilee and preached the Gospel." Blake Gideon, pastor of First Baptist Church in Edmond, gave a message in support of the "Connect>1" emphasis. Preaching from I Corinthians 2:1-2, Gideon said, "The church is to be militant. And our weapon is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.... It is the hope for our country. We can't vote our way out of the situation we're in, but we sure can evangelize our way out of it." Gideon's sermon led to a prayer time, which prompted pastors and church leaders to come to the front altar and pray for their respective churches to commit to sharing the Gospel next year. Jordan, in his annual address, bemoaned the "10,000 children in the custody of the state of Oklahoma," issuing a challenge to pastors and churches to "step up to the task" of providing foster homes and adoptive parents for those children. "Oklahoma Baptists can make a difference," Jordan stressed, as he announced an initiative to provide 500 foster care homes through a joint effort with Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children. "We will be in the middle of this, and the loudest voice will be mine," said Jordan, who along with his wife Polla, raised two adopted children. Jordan also emphasized the need to take the Gospel to Native Americans, Hispanics who comprise the second-largest population segment in the state, and 200,000 college students in the state. Sam Dyer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Heavener, delivered the BGCO annual sermon. His sermon also led to a time of prayer, as he asked pastors to come forward to pray for lost people at the altar. In a brief BGCO Conference Center report, Falls Creek program director Andy Harrison emphasized the professions of faith and other spiritual decisions made, in spite of the summer schedule that was affected by a major flood in June. CrossTimbers program director Glenn Barber highlighted salvation stories, as well as record-breaking attendance numbers for the camp's summer weeks. Jason Langley, BGCO Conference Centers director, spoke of the response from BGCO staff and disaster relief volunteers in getting both Falls Creek and CrossTimbers Children's Mission Adventure Camp back in working order in time to observe remaining summer camp weeks. The conference centers, Langley said, are on track to host nearly 90,000 people in 2015. A meeting highlight was the announcement of BGCO's commitment to partner with mission leaders in the country of Latvia. Peteris Sprogis of the Latvian Baptist Union and Jordan signed a formal written agreement to a three-year commitment of Oklahoma Baptists serving in Latvia. Sam Porter, BGCO Partnership Missions specialist, led a report on BGCO continuing its partnership with the Guerrero Baptist Convention in Mexico. Mark McClellan, dean of the Robert Haskins School of Leadership and evangelism specialist, translated for Luis Gomez, executive director of the Guerrero Baptist Convention, who shared they well surpassed their goal of church plants, which was to have 25 churches by 2010 and 15 more by 2015. Currently, there are more than 50 churches in Guerrero. Other reports focused on disaster relief, the Baptist Village Communities, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, the GoStudents mobilization group, The Baptist Foundation, Oklahoma Baptist University, church history, distinguished service awards, the Baptist Messenger, the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, the Cooperative Program and church planting. Resolutions Messengers approved six resolutions, including ones on current social and church subjects. "The resolutions committee prayerfully worked through various important topics in the culture and the church today, and we came forth with what we believe were strong statements about our convictions," said Jeremy Freeman, chairman of the 2015 Resolutions Committee. In addition to a resolution of appreciation to the 2015 annual meeting host church, messengers approved a resolution promoting religious liberty, affirming human life and opposing Planned Parenthood, affirming marriage and marital faithfulness, renewing a commitment to personal evangelism and baptisms, and encouraging civic involvement. In opposing Planned Parenthood, messengers called on "policymakers to redirect taxpayer funds away from Planned Parenthood toward more reputable medical providers of women's health." In the resolution promoting religious liberty, messengers called on President Obama and all world leaders to promote and actively defend religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all people. The BGCO's 110th annual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14-15, 2016, at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Still coercive -- China's two-child policy by Penna Dexter Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday DALLAS (BP) -- You've heard the news: China is fully abandoning its one-child-per-family birth policy. Now it's a two-child-per-family policy. The Wall Street Journal described China's one-child policy as "the most notorious of the Communist Party's intrusions into Chinese lives" and "one of the worst government intrusions on freedom in world history." The new policy will still limit the number of children a family has, now to two, instead of one. The Journal says this shows "Beijing isn't ready to totally relinquish its grip on the homes and bedrooms of its people." Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women's Rights Without Frontiers that opposes abortion and sexual slavery in China, agrees. She has traveled the world attempting to convince national and international leaders to lean on China to drop its population policy. "A two-child policy will not end any of the human rights abuses caused by the one-child policy, including forced abortion, involuntary sterilization or the sex-selective abortion of baby girls." Littlejohn maintains that China's one-child birth policy has, for most of its 35-year existence, been more about the Chinese Communist Party's power and domination over the population than it has been about keeping the population at a certain level. The worst part about the policy simply has not gone away. It's still coercive. Political economist Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute says the Chinese government is simply unwilling to dispense with the instruments of control that have accompanied its birth policy. Plus, he says, there are issues like "the difficulty of retasking the vast army of population-control bureaucrats" and "the value of the hefty fines exacted for out-of-quota births." The change to a two-child policy was a demographic decision made at a meeting of China's top party leaders known as the Fifth Plenum. At that meeting leaders laid out a five-year plan for "moderately high growth." But, this change may be too little too late to avert the economic consequences of the rapid graying of China. A shrinking workforce is a real impediment to growth. But China has known this for decades. China's population growth was already well below replacement when the one-child policy was rolled out in the late 1970s. The implementation was brutal. Some families practiced infanticide, really gendercide, to get the desired boy. Now ultrasound facilitates sex-selective abortions. Last year, 116 boys were born for every 100 girls, a recipe for disruptive imbalance. Two years ago, China issued a partial relaxation of its birth policy, allowing couples in which both spouses were only children to have two kids. Not enough couples applied for second birth permits to make much of a difference. Many couples worried about the expense of having a second child. Plus there's just a sort of one-child mindset that's not quickly reversed. I have spoken with Chinese people who moved to America who were fine with the policy. But after living here a few years, they happily bore second children. What's needed in China is the dawning of freedom and sanctity of life. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-life women speak in new ERLC book by Tom Strode Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is preparing to publish a book by women on being pro-life in all of life. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will release the book – "Women on Life: A Call to Love the Unborn, Unloved and Neglected" -- in January, the same month when many Southern Baptist and other churches observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. The book's release also will be near the dates of the inaugural Evangelicals for Life, an ERLC-cosponsored conference to be held in conjunction with the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. With 16 female contributors, Women on Life -- in both print and e-book format -- seeks to equip Christians to address a variety of life situations from a biblical, pro-life perspective. The book's topics include protecting unborn children and vulnerable women from abortion, seeking purity in singleness, teaching children about sex, helping pregnant teenagers, receiving forgiveness for sexual sin, adopting children, living as a single mother and caring for widows, the elderly and those with special needs. Women on Life is about what it means to be pro-life, said Trillia Newbell, the book's editor, in an ERLC news release. "To be pro-life is to act out of love for every single person who carries incredible worth," said Newbell, the ERLC's director of community outreach. "It isn't just a book about why we are pro-life, but rather how we can practically love and serve in a variety of difficult real-life circumstances." Russell Moore, the ERLC's president, said in the news release, "It is crucial in our advocacy for the unborn that we speak directly to the consciences of women with a pro-life, whole-life message. The voices gathered together in 'Women For Life' are doing just that. I'm excited to see what this book will accomplish for the cause of life and human dignity in our churches and communities." Among the contributors are Betsy Childs Howard, an editor with The Gospel Coalition; Jackie Hill-Perry, poet and artist with Humble Beast Records; and Kelly Rosati, vice president of community outreach for Focus on the Family. Newbell thinks the book will help churches address a problem reflected in a new survey by LifeWay Research. The study, released Nov. 23, found -- among other opinions -- about twice as many women considering abortion expected or experienced judgment from a church rather than caring. "My prayer is that this collection of short essays will help equip the church to serve and love the unborn, unloved and neglected," Newbell said. Women on Life will be available for purchase through most major online retailers. The book is being published by Leland House Press, an ERLC initiative to help local churches address moral and ethical issues. Sanctity of Human Life Sunday in 2016 will be Jan. 17 on the Southern Baptist Convention calendar. The ERLC is cosponsoring Evangelicals for Life with Focus on the Family. The conference, which has several other evangelical and pro-life organizations as sponsors, is scheduled Jan. 21-22. Moore, Newbell and Rosati are among the conference speakers. Registration for and information on Evangelicals for Life is available online at http://evangelicals.life/. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: N.C. church seeing progress in Southeast Asia by Paige Turner Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Old Town Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., that partners with missionaries in Southeast Asia to reach the "T" people, is featured during this year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention Nov. 29-Dec. 6. The Week of Prayer, with the theme "Because of Who He Is" from Psalm 96:3 (HCSB), undergirds the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The offering, in tandem with Cooperative Program gifts from Southern Baptist churches, supports international workers in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission. Gifts to the Lottie Moon offering are received through local Southern Baptist churches or online at imb.org, where there are resources to promote the offering. This year's goal is $175 million. Please see related missions feature below this article. SOUTHEAST ASIA (BP) -- Mark Harrison's focus appeared to be solely on the family he had come to visit. It wasn't the North Carolina pastor's first visit to this home in a remote Southeast Asian village tucked among lush, green mountains. He had visited the family during other trips to the villages of the "T" people. Although the youngest sister and her husband had become Christians, her parents and three sisters never seemed interested in the Gospel. So Harrison hadn't planned to stop that day. Tired from traveling all day, he was headed to the rickety wooden boat that would take him back across the river. But when a local believer called him, Harrison, missions pastor at Old Town Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, knew he needed to go with him to visit this family again. Early on, Harrison and Old Town had decided to focus their strategy to reach the people group on encouraging and discipling local believers to share the Gospel. "They [local believers] know the language. They know the culture. They understand the ins and outs of everyday life. They have access to the people," Harrison said. After more than a dozen trips to the people group’s villages in the past five years, Harrison and Old Town members have seen T people turn from Buddhism, believe in Jesus and then lead others to faith in Jesus. Yet believers are still few among this unreached people group that is staunchly Buddhist. Less than 1 percent of the nearly 1.5 million people believe in Jesus. "The T people are deeply rooted in their animistic and Buddhist background," Harrison said. They're very attracted to the Gospel, he noted, but hesitant to let go of their heritage. That's the story at the home of the four sisters. As Harrison scooted closer to help the oldest sister tie a knot on the bracelet she had made -- a beaded bracelet telling the story of creation and salvation -- he asked if she'd ever thought about trusting in Jesus. "She was very interested in the Gospel, but could not say yes to Jesus. She wanted to choose both," Harrison said. "She wanted all the benefits of following Jesus, and yet [to] maintain her religion." The woman is afraid family and friends will reject her if she leaves Buddhism. "You are so close to experiencing the love of the Living God," Harrison said. "I pray you will have courage to say 'yes' to Jesus, no matter the cost." Ever since they committed to sharing the Gospel among the people group, Harrison and Old Town have prayed for them to have courage to leave Buddhism. When the church began praying about engaging an unreached, unengaged people group, Southeast Asia missionaries such as William and Mallory Ritz* helped guide them to the T people and helped them learn about the people group and Southeast Asian culture. "We help build partnerships between our Southern Baptist churches in America -- with our national partners and existing field personnel," William said. William and Mallory are able to serve in Southeast Asia because Southern Baptist churches give through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. "We want to help our churches in America develop strategies toward reaching, equipping and training," he said. Old Town's strategy to partner with local believers is working. Before stopping at the sisters' home, Harrison visited a young believer named Met,* a motorcycle repairman whom Old Town had helped disciple. "As our teams go to his village we always stop by his house to encourage him and nurture him along in his faith," Harrison said. Met had invited a former Buddhist monk to his bamboo hut to meet Harrison. When he came to have his bike repaired, the former monk explained, Met shared the Gospel and led him to faith in Jesus. Harrison said, "It's exciting to see that a man from the T people background, through the influence of another T person, made a commitment of his life to Christ. This is an incredible evidence of the activity of God." As T believers continue helping Harrison and Old Town learn about their people and culture, Harrison and Old Town in turn help them learn to share their faith. Before visiting Met, Harrison began his busy day with Thura,* a local believer with whom he had spent time a few months earlier, teaching him to share the Gospel. Thura shares the Gospel although his father, the village leader and a Buddhist, doesn't want him to. Thura asked Harrison to teach and pray with Nanda,* who had believed in Jesus after Thura shared the Gospel with him. The men sat at an outside restaurant until the glares became too distracting. The foreigner -- and the Christian conversation -- were not welcome. So they crossed the dirt road to Nanda's home. On the porch Nanda's young daughter swung her legs back and forth in her plastic chair, gently resting her head on her dad's shoulder as he told how he turned from Buddhism to trust in Jesus. And as he talked, answered prayers unfolded before Harrison. "The seed of the Gospel has taken root in their hearts and is now growing," Harrison said. He could leave with confidence that the new family of faith established there could continue to grow and sow the seed of the Gospel among their neighbors. Find resources for churches at imb.org to learn more about and promote the Lottie Moon offering. While Southern Baptists are encouraged to give to the offering through their churches, a "Give Now" option is available for individual online gifts. ********** Partnerships that work: Gospel impact multiplied when missionaries & church partner By Paige Turner SOUTHEAST ASIA (BP) -- The task seemed so overwhelming that Mark Harrison had no idea how or where to begin. He wondered, with more than 3,000 unengaged, unreached people groups throughout the world, how do you choose one to engage with the Gospel? Especially if you've never done it before. "I was desperate," said Harrison, missions pastor at Old Town Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. "What was I supposed to do? Just throw a dart at the map and wherever it lands show up?" Because Harrison believed God was leading the church to take the Gospel to a people group that had never heard, he didn't give up. For one year Harrison and church members prayed for God to show them the people group they were to reach. "One day I was on a plane traveling home and I was praying. When I opened my eyes, I saw the map on the back of the seat charting our route and my eyes went to a body of water in Southeast Asia," Harrison explained. "God said, 'Don't worry about it. Your people group is right here.'" God led Old Town to the T people, a people group that's less than 1 percent Christian. But in order to expand their ministry in suburban North Carolina to remote Southeast Asian villages, Old Town needed some help. "Our journey really started when a missionary was willing to invest in me, a missions pastor who didn't know a thing about what he was doing but was willing to learn and to be a partner for the sake of making Jesus known," Harrison said. Martin Cranford,* an IMB missionary in Southeast Asia, helped Harrison and Old Town church members learn about the T people and strategies for reaching them. He connected Harrison with local partners who translated and served alongside their church as they made several trips a year to T people villages. "Martin helped empower us to do the work," Harrison said. "He didn't give us everything at once, but slowly brought us along, easing us into the process." Gifts through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Cooperative Program make it possible for missionaries such as Cranford not only to serve among unreached people groups themselves, but also to train and equip Southern Baptist churches such as Old Town to join them. Old Town is committed to supporting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and also has a "deep commitment to come alongside our IMB partners and work with them on the ground," Harrison said. As Harrison has seen T people come to faith in Jesus, he knows that partnerships between churches and missionaries multiply efforts to bring the Gospel to people groups that haven't heard about Jesus. While Harrison is the first to say he's still learning about partnerships, Old Town's journey has helped him recognize important aspects necessary for a partnership that's beneficial for both church and missionary. Here are a few of Harrison's suggestions: 1. Focus on relationships A partnership grows out of a relationship when the church and missionary learn to build trust and invest in each other. Relationships take time to develop, so expect to devote time to truly getting to know one another. Bring overseas relationships home with you by telling others about the unreached people you meet. Tell them about their culture, family and prayer needs. You'll get to know and love the unreached people group you work with. And you can help others in your congregation do the same. 2. Communicate Maintain frequent communication with your missionary partners and be honest with them. Don't be shy to ask questions if you're confused about what to do. Keep the missionary updated on progress and areas of success and struggle. 3. Learn Be a church willing to learn and to do things outside your preference for the sake of advancing the Gospel in a different cultural context. Allow your missionary partners to teach you about the people group and their needs, challenges, culture and spiritual barriers. Learn your partners' ministry strategy and how to best come alongside and serve in a way that's compatible. Ask about field logistics, such as how to arrange for things like lodging, translators and taxi drivers. The more you learn how to handle these things on your own, the more time you, and your partners, will spend engaged in ministry. 4. Set expectations Whether it's food, lodging or transportation, there's a good chance your church won't be fond of everything overseas. Seeing God save souls is by far worth temporarily leaving the comforts of home. Keep that perspective as you serve overseas. Also, be sure to maintain a realistic expectation of "success." Reaching the unreached isn't easy. Success after one month or even one year may not equal a huge number of people following Christ. Your missionary partners can help you set realistic expectations. 5. Evaluate Talk with your missionary partners often about the partnership progress. What's working and what isn't? Are you learning to navigate field logistics on your own? Are you becoming more comfortable in your work among the people group? If not, what can you and the missionary do to change things? If your church is ready to go, visit imb.org/send to learn more about beginning your journey to reaching the unreached. Find resources for churches at imb.org to learn more about and promote the Lottie Moon offering. While Southern Baptists are encouraged to give to the offering through their churches, a "Give Now" option is available for individual online gifts. *Name changed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lutheran group severs relationship with Scouts by David Roach Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday ST. LOUIS (BP) -- The second largest Lutheran denomination in America has severed its official relationship with the Boy Scouts of America based on concerns over the BSA's decision this summer to allow openly homosexual Scout leaders. The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod (LCMS), a theologically conservative denomination with 2.1 million members, said in a news release it "no longer seems tenable" to abide by a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding with the BSA, in which the two organizations pledged to "work cooperatively" to "establish and nurture Scout units as an expression of the nurture and outreach ministry of The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod." The release was issued by LCMS President Matthew Harrison and Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS Office of National Mission. The Memorandum of Understanding was dissolved Dec. 1. "While we understand the legal concerns that led to this new BSA direction, it is simply a place the LCMS is not willing to go," Harrison and Day said. "At our summer 2013 meeting with the BSA, we were assured that changes concerning adult leadership would not be on the table, but that was not the case. We are now being told that the LGBT agenda, even with the most recent change, won't affect the content of Scouting or the BSA experience, but we do not believe that will be the case." The release noted the LCMS "has never 'endorsed' Scouting" but has allowed individual congregations to decide whether to sponsor Scout troops. Harrison and Day said the BSA has offered its legal opinion that individual troops chartered by religious organizations may continue to exclude homosexuals from adult leadership based on the organizations' values. But the BSA "fails to provide ample legal citations to verify support for such a conclusion," the LCMS leaders said, and "the legal analysis is not particularly helpful" -- including the Scouts' assertion that adult leaders at church-sponsored troops would be viewed legally as ministers. Due to the possibility of antidiscrimination lawsuits, LCMS congregations that continue sponsoring Scout troops "should seek legal counsel and guidance on how best to safeguard themselves legally," according to the release. The LCMS "had hoped to share" it would sign an agreement with the alternative scouting group Trail Life USA (TL), Harrison and Day said. However, "more conversation needs to take place, as it would be premature to wholly endorse TL." Among the LCMS' concerns, "An uncritical involvement in TL could be just as problematic for any confessional Lutheran, for he or his congregation could easily be drawn into a theological perspective that is anti-sacramental, Arminian in its view of conversion and legalistic in its understanding of sanctification." Unlike the LCMS, the Southern Baptist Convention, which has never had a relationship with the Scouts, expressed disappointment with the BSA's 2013 decision to prohibit denial of membership to youth "on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone." A 2013 SBC resolution noted Southern Baptists' "continued opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy" and predicted the decision was "merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual leaders in the Scouts." The resolution encouraged families and Southern Baptist congregations to "prayerfully to assess their continued relationship with the BSA." As in the LCMS, individual Southern Baptist congregations have sponsored Scout troops. When the BSA's executive board voted to lift the Scouts' national ban on homosexual adult leaders and employees, Southern Baptist leaders objected, including SBC President Ronnie Floyd and SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CP 2.35% over budget projection through first 2 months by Staff Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee through the first two months of the fiscal year were 2.35 percent above the projected budget goal and 0.46 percent below last year's year-to-date gifts, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. November's receipts of $15,764,689.37 were slightly less than the $15,940,178.11 received in November 2014. The year-to-date total of $31,813,129.29 was $729,795.96 above the $31,083,333.33 YTD allocation budget projection to support Southern Baptist ministries, and $146,229.67 below the $31,959,358.96 received through November 2014. The CP is Southern Baptists channel of giving, begun in 1925, through which a local church can contribute to the ministries of its state convention and the missions and ministries of the SBC with a single monthly or weekly contribution. Monies include receipts from individuals, churches, state conventions and fellowships for distribution according to the 2015-2016 Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. The convention-adopted budget for 2015-2016 is as follows: 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, 2.99 percent to the SBC operating budget and 1.65 percent to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Meanwhile, year-to-date designated giving of $7,225,651.09 was 1.23 percent, or $89,780.65, below gifts of $7,315,431.74 received through November 2014. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the Executive Committee 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. November's designated gifts totaled $3,828,891.46. State and regional conventions retain a portion of church contributions to the Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program to support work in their respective areas and forward a percentage to Southern Baptist national and international causes. The percentage of distribution is at the discretion of each state or regional convention. Month-to-month swings reflect a number of factors, including the timing of when the state conventions forward the national portion of Cooperative Program contributions to the Executive Committee, the day of the month churches forward their CP contributions to their state conventions, the number of Sundays in a given month, and the percentage of CP contributions forwarded to the SBC by the state conventions after shared ministry expenses are deducted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC leaders express concern, hope on abortion survey by Tom Strode Date: December 02, 2015 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists responded with concern and hope for greater grace in churches to a new LifeWay Research study that shows post-abortive women think congregations are more judgmental than caring. The LifeWay survey, sponsored by the Care Net pregnancy center network, found 43 percent of women who have had an abortion were attending church at least once a month when they underwent the procedure that took their babies' lives. Only 7 percent discussed their decision with someone in the church, according to the study released Nov. 23. See related report. Among the findings in the survey of more than 1,000 post-abortive women: -- They received or would have expected to receive from a church a judgmental reaction (33 percent) far more than a caring (16 percent), helpful (14 percent) or loving (13 percent) response. -- Almost two-thirds (64 percent) thought church members are more likely to gossip about a woman contemplating abortion than to help her recognize options. -- More than half (52 percent) of those who attend church acknowledged no one in their congregation knows about their abortion. -- Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) said church members judge single women who are pregnant. Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, said he "was saddened to hear that most [post-abortive women] said they would not share their plight or decision with people in the church because of fear. I do believe that is a valid point in some circumstances." He has ministered to women who had abortions and believes there is an alternative way to view the issue, said Page, a pastor for more than 30 years. "There are many persons who feel such shame that they choose not to share with anyone," he said in written comments for Baptist Press. "For some, perhaps even a few, it is easier to say that their fear is of retribution or gossip when the truth is their deepest fear is the shame they feel over doing something so catastrophic. "My prayer is for God's healing and forgiveness, and yes also for acceptance by God's people of those who have made such decisions in their past," Page said. Trillia Newbell, the ERLC's director of community outreach, said the survey results "do not surprise me, but they do grieve me." "We want our churches to be places where men and women can share openly and honestly about their struggles," she wrote in remarks for BP. "My hope is that the Gospel of grace would break through a culture of fear and gossip so that women may be served well. We must equip the church on how to properly handle these tough circumstances with truth covered in gentleness and love." A soon-to-be-released book edited by Newbell is designed to equip churches to be pro-life in all areas. The ERLC-published book -- "Women on Life: A Call to Love the Unborn, Unloved and Neglected" -- will be released in print and e-book format in mid-January. Garrett Kell, a pastor in the Washington-D.C., area, said the survey results "must cause us to stop and ask uncomfortable questions." "Am I the kind of Christian people feel safe to talk about their struggles with or would they feel condemned? Is our church the kind of place where people are shunned for sin or where they are helped to escape its snares?," asked Kell, lead pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va. Kell, whose pastoral ministry has demonstrated a burden for the abortion issue and those in crisis pregnancies, told BP in written comments, "Unplanned pregnancies can be terrifying for women and men alike, and a church built on the Gospel will be one that welcomes and walks with people in their time of need. Lord, help us to be this kind of people!" The ERLC and Focus on the Family are cosponsoring a conference to help equip churches to be pro-life from a Gospel perspective. Evangelicals for Life, a first-time event, will be held Jan. 21-22 in conjunction with the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Moore, Newbell and Kell are scheduled to be among the conference speakers. Registration for and information on Evangelicals for Life is available online at http://evangelicals.life/. The LifeWay survey showed regular worship attendance made a significant difference in a post-abortive woman's perspective on her church. Regular church attenders were about four times as likely as those who rarely or never attend to say they expected or experienced such responses as caring, helpfulness and love.