Archive for September, 2015
What if Every Southern Baptist Would Share the Gospel With One Person on Thursday, October 15?
According to Barna, only 52% of evangelicals shared their faith with someone in the past year. In a recent LifeWay study, 48% said that spiritual matters do not tend to come up in their everyday conversations.
It’s not a lack of conviction. Overwhelmingly, Christians believe they should be sharing their faith. It’s not a lack of understanding. If we’ve trusted Christ it should be easy enough to tell someone else what we’ve done.
Perhaps it’s just a lack of intentionality. Perhaps it’s just a lack of focus.
Just think what could happen if 16 million Southern Baptists awakened on October 15 and prayed that the Holy Spirit would provide an encounter with someone who doesn’t know Christ. Then, we hit the streets, the classroom, the marketplace, the recreation department, the campus, the office or wherever God has placed us to live life on mission with the intention of having at least one gospel conversation. It could be the beginning of something big.
The great 19th century evangelist, D.L.Moody, made a commitment to God that he would never let 24 hours pass that he didn’t tell someone of the Savior. It is said that he saw over a million souls come to Christ during his ministry. That’s one man telling someone everyday about Jesus.
What if millions of us took one day and had a gospel conversation with one person?
Collegiate Students are Leading the Way, Asking All Churches to Join Them
Over the last three years, SBC collegiate ministries nationwide have set aside a day to call every one of their students to share the gospel with someone in their sphere of influence. They’ve seen thousands of students share the gospel for the first time as a part of the challenge, and now collegiate leaders are inviting churches to participate as well.
Will you participate in what they call Engage24 on October 15, 2015? As we look back at history, we know that God often sparks awakening fires among college students. From the Cambridge Seven and their influencing the world to engage China with the gospel to the birth of the Student Volunteer Missions Movement ignited by the 250 students gathering at Mount Hermon, there is no doubt that when students are committed and focused to a vision for gospel expansion, magnificent things happen.
Here’s an example from Dr. Drew Landry, Senior Pastor at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, VA: “At Spotswood we are not trying to simply champion people participating in evangelism for a moment. By God’s grace, we are trying to develop a culture of evangelism that produces a movement amongst our members. We believe that participating in ENGAGE helps us to accomplish that purpose. One of the most surprising effects of participating in ENGAGE is that many of our members have become more missionally minded throughout the year, especially around times when people are more spiritually open, such as Christmas and Easter. For example, this past Easter Spotswood members identified, prayed for and attempted to engage over 600 of their ‘neighbors.’ We believe these actions at Easter are directly related to the fall focus we had on evangelism during ENGAGE 24. Results like this are how we recognize the difference between a moment and a movement.”
Imagine What God Would Do if Our Churches Did This
Just imagine what it would be like if several thousand of our churches determined they would lead the way in participating in sharing the gospel on October 15, 2015. Imagine what it would look like if our churches across Southern Baptist life would learn how to articulate the gospel clearly and with passion, then with intentionality, share the gospel regularly.
Yes, every day we should be sharing the gospel, but perhaps if a specific day was targeted, like October 15, 2015, it could become a beginning point for many of us. Again, imagine what it would look like to see every Southern Baptist sharing the gospel with just one person during Engage24 on 10.15.15.
Pastor and Laypeople, Will You and Your Church Share the Gospel on Thursday, October 15?
This coming Sunday, challenge your people to target 10.15.15 on their calendar and join our collegiate leaders in doing so on their respective campuses. Perhaps your church can plan some specific evangelistic ministries for that day, all leading to the gospel being presented and opportunities given for people to respond to this powerful message.
The North American Mission Board has set up a website to give you some practical tips on promoting Engage24 in your church. Check it out at www.namb.net/Engage24 .
Lead your people to pray as they go. Lead your people to sow as they go. Let’s go together. Let’s target Thursday, October 15, as a day to share the life-changing gospel message with others. God always blesses His Word.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
It’s Time to Increase Our Giving Through the Cooperative Program
Increasing your church’s financial giving through the Cooperative Program is like your church giving more money through your Ministry Budget. Just as it moves up your financial base of support in your church, it moves up the overall financial base of our Great Commission ministries of our Southern Baptist Convention.
The Answer is Through the Cooperative Program
Over ninety years ago, the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention became weary of continual pleas for support from the various ministries of our convention. This is why the Cooperative Program was born. It became the unified strategy for financial support of the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The easiest way for churches to consistently support the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program is by inserting a regular line item in their budget. This provides the church consistency in their financial support and gives the ministries of our convention consistency in receiving funds.
This is a much better option than our SBC ministry leaders spending time making multiple appeals to our churches to support the work of our convention. It just makes sense for pastors, associational employees, state executives and their employees, and all Southern Baptist entity Presidents and employees to talk about one thing: The Cooperative Program.
A Humble Appeal for Increasing Your Church’s Financial Support Through the Cooperative Program
If I were an employee of our Southern Baptist Convention or a missionary, I would rather the churches increase their giving through the Cooperative Program than having to continually raise my own financial support from multiple churches. The Cooperative Program is something every church can support financially regardless of the size of their membership. This is our agreed upon, unified, strategic financial plan; therefore, we do not need to minimize nor undermine it in any way. Through the Cooperative Program, each cause shares financial resources proportionately.
While some may want to designate monies or support only some of the ministries of the convention, this does not provide a healthy way to support the entire work of the Southern Baptist Convention. Blessing just one ministry at the exclusion of others eventually hurts other ministries of the Great Commission. There is not one pastor I know that appreciates a church member who only designates their contributions around the Ministry Budget of the church. This creates an unhealthy culture. Conversely, we believe in the autonomy of the local church and will honor and appreciate what you believe God wants your church to do.
Therefore, the financial priority of each of our churches should be to support the Cooperative Program. I want to appeal to each of our churches to increase your financial support through the Cooperative Program. As well, for the sake of the gospel, please do so sacrificially and do so as soon as possible. Increasing your church’s support through the Cooperative Program is the greatest way you can forward the work of reaching the world for Christ. Not one of us can adequately support any one cause, but all of us together can pray, plan, give, cooperate, and support every cause.
If You Are Concerned About Missionaries Coming Home
If you are concerned about some of our missionaries having to come home and the decrease of our missionary forces, the greatest thing your church can do to help turn it around is increase your giving through the Cooperative Program. It helps build our base of support financially, which in turn will increase our ability to reach the world.
Pastor and church leaders, please go to your finance committee, deacon body, church board, elders or whoever is key to leading in the decisions of your church financially and appeal to them to increase your church’s financial support through the Cooperative Program as soon as possible.
This helps us reach our states, our nation, and our world for Christ. This financial decision is a gospel decision. In order for us to push back on the lostness of our world by advancing the gospel, we must increase our giving through the Cooperative Program. If we are going to reach the nations, we need to increase our financial support through the Cooperative Program. If we are going to reach the nations, as well as help every gospel endeavor we do together within our own respective state and across America, we need to increase our financial support through the Cooperative Program.
I pray your church will join my church and other churches that are stepping up during this time and increasing our financial giving through the Cooperative Program. Thank you for considering this request.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches and congregations nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.