CHICAGO (BP)–“Our church plant is in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas of our city,” said John Smith, a church planting missionary in Pontiac, Mich.
Less than 25 miles from Detroit, Pontiac is a mini version of the city that often ranks as one of the top five most dangerous cities in the U.S. “We minister to people who are homeless, involved in prostitution and addicted to drugs. But our greatest area of ministry is to the city’s teen population,” Smith said.
Smith and his wife, Kia, are not strangers to the challenges of growing up in the inner city. Both grew up in Pontiac.
“Our mission field is right at home,” said Smith, who planted Shepherd’s Fold Baptist Church in the high school he attended as a teenager.
“The teens we work with long for community and the relationships of a family unit,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, many of them find that sense of community in gangs.
“We’re trying to help them understand the value of the body of Christ as community.”
The Smiths were among 138 missionaries who attended a North American Mission Board Missionary Connection event in Chicago, Ill., Aug. 12-14, for training, encouragement and spiritual rejuvenation.
“I can’t leave here and be the same,” said Smith, speaking of the impact the connection event had made in his life. “I’m looking forward to getting back home and putting the spiritual jumper cables on our church.”
NAMB Interim President Richard Harris led NAMB staff members in providing encouragement, training and networking. The two-day event was filled with workshops on evangelism, mobilization, leadership, apologetics, money management and prayer.
Those who attended the event serve in central Canada and mid-west and western states including Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Montana, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Missionaries representing a wide range of ministries were able to connect with one another, tell stories of personal challenges and triumphs, and share ideas for reaching particular people groups and affinity groups.
Jeremy Pape, a collegiate missionary at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, compared notes with Smith.
“Our challenge is reaching students who are on track to fulfilling the American dream,” Pape said. “They have no need for God and their future looks bright.”
That’s in sharp contrast to the students in Pontiac who have no aspirations for college and are just trying to stay alive.
“Our students are just trying to stay alive and stay out of jail. They aren’t thinking past the age of 21,” Smith said. “Our students know they need God, they just aren’t willing to yield their lives to Him.”
No matter the ministry, there was a shared sense of urgency to reach a changing culture and a mission field that grows further from God with each passing generation. NAMB missionaries found common ground in trying to sustain ministry with fewer resources and with an uncertain future.
In a scheduled listening session to field questions about the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force recommendations, Harris reminded the missionaries that transition is never easy.
“We are going to move ahead aggressively toward implementing the GCR recommendations,” Harris said. “Our top priorities will be evangelism and discipleship, church planting and mobilizing a missional movement.”
Harris stated that in order to reach the 258 million people North America who don’t have a relationship with Christ, the Southern Baptist Convention, NAMB state conventions, associations and local churches have to change the way they do some things.
“Look at what’s happening in our culture,” Harris said. “Much of that can be laid at the feet of God’s people because we aren’t doing what we’ve been called to do.”
A missionary from Ohio asked what type of measurements would be used to evaluate success under the new priorities.
“We have to have new measures of success,” Harris said. “Numbers do not tell all of the story, but they do tell a large part of the story. We want to move from just measuring activity to measuring outcome.
“We don’t just want new churches; we want healthy, reproducing churches.”
A missionary from Michigan asked Harris to explain how NAMB would work in states without cooperative agreements that are to be phased out over seven years.
“We cannot move forward without some kind of partnership agreement, covenant or some understanding of how we can accomplish the work together in a particular state,” Harris said. Speaking of the GCR directive to impact lostness in North America’s large population centers, Harris said that NAMB would continue to work with the state convention to reach those metro areas.
“Working with Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, that is bigger than NAMB,” said Harris. “I don’t think NAMB could ever have enough dollars to employ enough people to impact large cities. We will need partners from all across the convention to reach our cities.”
Harris went on to remind those concerned about the future that God’s grace is sufficient to supply all their needs.
“We will get through this. What God originates, He orchestrates,” Harris said.
The keynote speaker for the connection event was Jimmy Draper, former president of LifeWay Christian Resources. Music was led by Bill and Kerri Shiflett of Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, Kan.
Draper discussed the challenges of ministering in the midst of change as well as the opportunities it presents.
“We are poised at the greatest point of opportunity we’ve ever had,” Draper said. “These are exciting days to serve the Lord.”
Draper used the example of Joshua preparing the Israelites to cross the Jordan River to demonstrate how to prepare for the future. He urged the missionaries not to dwell on the past or worry about the future.
“Tomorrow is God’s problem,” Draper said. “He’s in control of tomorrow because He’s already been there.
“Things will get done, and things will move on,” he said. “How foolish of us to worry about something that God’s already called us to do.”
Draper told the missionaries not to miss what God’s doing today.
“The way to make the most out of today is to be obedient to what God has told you to do,” he said. “The world will never know the truth of the Gospel unless we tell them.”
Finally, Draper said that as believers they needed to consecrate themselves in order to prepare for the miracles that God would perform.
“God will save you and bless you, but He will not consecrate you,” Draper said. “That’s something you have to do yourselves. Every one of us can say, ‘Hear I am, Lord. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.'”
In his closing remarks, Harris said that he hoped the missionaries felt refueled and refreshed.
“I hope you pray, praise and worship God as you head back to your mission field,” Harris said.
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Carol Pipes is a writer for the North American Mission Board.
