A new church planting challenge in California, a record Annie Armstrong total and celebration-worthy Crossover results were highlights of the North American Mission Board’s reports June 14.
This year in Anaheim, California, 547 people professed faith in Christ during Crossover, the evangelistic event leading up to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. More than 2,400 children and families engaged with 572 Southern Baptist volunteers as they hosted sports camps, made door-to-door visits, gave surfing lessons and participated in a host of other events.
‘Lives change because you have committed’
Because of Southern Baptist volunteers’ heart for evangelism this year and every year, “the stories of people placing their faith in Jesus are countless,” said Kevin Ezell, NAMB president, during the Tuesday morning session of the annual meeting. “Moms, dads, friends, neighbors, grandparents and coworkers — lives change because you have committed to sharing the good news of salvation.”
At the beginning of the NAMB report in the evening session, Ed Litton, SBC president, announced another way Southern Baptists can impact the people of California with the gospel.
Over and above
He challenged Southern Baptists to plant an additional 50 churches in the next five years over and above NAMB’s current church planting goals. One in nine Americans live in California, he said, so the need is great.
“I want to encourage you to consider bringing your church alongside in whatever way possible you can — you can join up with others or come on your own,” Litton said.
His church, Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, is adopting a church in the Los Angeles area and supporting the church planter there.
“The North American Mission Board has an amazing strategy and an amazing team of people that is serious about getting the gospel throughout North America,” Litton said. “So now is the time for us to get our hearts focused on planting churches and supporting church planters in California.”
During the report, Litton brought all the current California church planters and their wives on stage so messengers could pray over them and their ministry.
Ezell then shared that new church plants across North America are growing at such a rate that if they stay on pace, by 2030 one-third of SBC churches will have been planted since 2010.
‘Our mission is to make Jesus known’
“At NAMB it’s all about the gospel,” he said. “Whether it’s through church planting, compassion ministry or evangelism resources and training, our mission is to make Jesus known across North America.”
That’s why NAMB exists, he said. “And we only exist because of your generosity.”
Ezell celebrated that generosity, thanking messengers for setting a new record for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions in 2021 — $66.5 million.
Four of the past five years have been record gifts, Ezell said, pointing out that the one exception was the offering that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“Your giving allows our missionaries and chaplains to share on the front lines,” he said.
Ezell also shared that:
- Tim Dowdy is the new leader of NAMB’s evangelism team.
- NAMB has now established 19 Send Relief Ministry Centers, thanks to the gifts of Southern Baptists.
View photos from this business session of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting here.
To view other photos from the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, click here.
For more stories from the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, visit thebaptistpaper.org/sbc2022.
