Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
Menu
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
Menu
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close
The Baptist Paper
Search
Close
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Your state news
  • Request a free trial
Menu
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Editorials
  • Your state news
  • Request a free trial

NAMB trustees visit Send Relief center, celebrate church plant increase

  • May 5, 2022
  • North American Mission Board
  • Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Latest News, North American Mission Board, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington
Kevin Ezell, North American Mission Board (NAMB) president, addresses NAMB’s Board of Trustees during their May 3 meeting. Ezell highlighted the 2021 increase in church plants and plans for another Send Conference. The board met in Alpharetta, Georgia, on May 2-3.
(Photo by Alexandra Toy/NAMB)

NAMB trustees visit Send Relief center, celebrate church plant increase

Trustees of the North American Mission Board met May 2–3 in a regularly scheduled board meeting where an increase in Southern Baptist church plants was celebrated, and plans for NAMB’s next Send Conference were discussed.

A key part of every NAMB trustee meeting is a vision tour where trustees connect with church planters and other NAMB missionaries. On Monday afternoon, trustees traveled to Send Relief’s Atlanta Ministry Center in Clarkston, Georgia. For decades the U.S. Government has made Clarkston one of its refugee resettlement centers because of Atlanta’s plentiful jobs, access to public transportation and affordable housing.

Trustees saw firsthand how the ministry center supports after school programs, English classes and job skills development designed to equip refugees for financial independence. A medical clinic that will soon be housed at the center is expected to serve up to 1,200 patients monthly.

“This is just one of 17 ministry centers around North America,” Josh Benton told trustees. Later that evening at a dinner for the trustees, Benton, Send Relief’s North American ministry vice president, along with the compassion ministry’s president Bryant Wright and international ministry vice president Jason Cox joined NAMB President Kevin Ezell to further discuss the ministry and update trustees on Send Relief’s efforts in Ukraine.

Ukraine response

“Southern Baptists have been generous with their donations and generous in volunteering,” Cox said of the Ukraine response. Cox also told attendees that Send Relief is currently ministering to displaced people in 14 countries through the response.

Wright reminded trustees the overarching purpose of the ministry is to lead people to Christ.

“If we are helping people feel a little better on their road to hell, we have missed the biggest need in their life, and that is coming to know what real salvation in Christ is all about,” Wright said.

Other highlights

Trustees received several reports and acted on multiple items during their meetings at NAMB’s building in Alpharetta.

— Trustees unanimously approved an annual report to the Woman’s Missionary Union detailing how Annie Armstrong Easter Offering dollars are spent. All funds given to the offering are spent on the field to support and resource missionaries and evangelistic efforts.

— The board’s finance committee brought a recommendation to continue utilizing an outside, independent auditing firm that performs annual audits of NAMB, and the trustee board unanimously approved the recommendation.

— Matt Smith, NAMB’s chief financial officer, reported that NAMB’s year-to-date budget shows revenue is tracking above budget and higher than 2021’s year-to-date revenue.

Ezell recognized seven trustees who are concluding their terms of service on the board: Cindy Bush, a member of Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina; Denilio “Denny” J. Gorena, pastor of Sagamore Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas; Zoila Lopez, a member of First Baptist Church Forney, Texas; Robert J. “Bob” Lowe, pastor of Yelm First Baptist Church in Yelm, Washington; David Saylor, pastor of Manchester First Baptist Church in Manchester, Connecticut; Jarrett Stephens, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas; and Danny Wood, retired pastor of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Kenneth Priest, who had been serving as a trustee from Texas, resigned from the board in February after relocating to Hawaii to pastor Valley Isle Fellowship.

Ezell shared that in 2021, for the second consecutive year, the new congregation count was up. Southern Baptists added 1,018 new congregations in 2021 which included 735 church plants, 201 new affiliations and 82 new campuses. Of the church plants, 135 were replants.

“We have a lot to celebrate,” Ezell said. “But we cannot be satisfied when 275 million people across the U.S. and Canada do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.”

Send Conference

Ezell also shared that NAMB has started plans for a Send Conference in 2024, tentatively to be held in July in Nashville. Future plans include Send Conference events in 2027 and 2030. More details will be shared soon.

“We want to help more churches see the importance of sending,” Ezell said. “It’s a great mobilizer of people and it creates energy and excitement for the movement.”

Ezell closed by reminding trustees that NAMB wants to be indispensable to pastors.

“Our purpose at NAMB is to come alongside and be a tool for a pastor,” he said. “We really are stronger together.”


EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was written by Mike Ebert and was originally published by the North American Mission Board.

Share with others:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • New Ministry Wives podcast offers tips host Christine Hoover wishes she’d had
    New Ministry Wives podcast offers tips host Christine Hoover wishes she’d had
    August 9, 2022/
    0 Comments
  • Kentucky Disaster Relief laundry unit helping flood survivors in multiple ways
    Kentucky Disaster Relief laundry unit helping flood survivors in multiple ways
    August 9, 2022/
    0 Comments
  • Overcoming spiritual barriers: South Asians hear hope for humanity
    Overcoming spiritual barriers: South Asians hear hope for humanity
    August 9, 2022/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

New Ministry Wives podcast offers tips host Christine Hoover wishes she’d had

Christine Hoover said when she embarked on her ministry as a pastor’s wife that she “was so young and didn’t know what I was doing

Kentucky Disaster Relief laundry unit helping flood survivors in multiple ways

Of all the items donated to the flood survivors in eastern Kentucky, officials have asked that clothes not be included. The clothes are needed but

Overcoming spiritual barriers: South Asians hear hope for humanity

People living in a remote South Asian village gathered around a roll-up screen projector to watch a video about the rise and fall of mankind

NOBTS scholarship increase announced for active IMB, ISC and Journeyman missionaries

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College recently announced an increase in the missionary scholarship for active International Mission Board personnel and returning International

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
Menu
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
Menu
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
Menu
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
Menu
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209

Copyright © 2022 TAB Media Group

  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
Menu
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
Menu
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Archive
  • Your state news
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Persecuted Church
  • Submit your news
  • Photo Galleries
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us
Menu
  • Our Team
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Hosted Church
  • Donate
  • Contact us

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel