FROM THE PRESIDENT
Column by Kevin Ezell
A Whatever It Takes vision
A whatever-it-takes mindset begins with a vision of what it means to be lost and separated from God. The church planters I’ve met over the years and those I’ve come across since starting work with NAMB all seem to have one thing in common—an undying desire to see people come to Christ.
It’s in everything they do. Every decision they make. Every conversation communicates an understanding of their community, a love for its people and a desperate need to rescue them from the hopeless existence they have apart from Christ.
As I’ve listened to the stories of the missionaries featured in this issue of On Mission, I’ve learned of Southern Baptist church planters who are saying to their communities “I won’t let you be anonymous. You were specifically created by God to have a relationship with Him, and I won’t rest until your identity in Him is secure.”
Likewise, the North American Mission Board won’t rest until we have done everything we can to be faithful to the task of seeing evangelistic churches started and disciples made in North America’s least-churched communities.
Behind every community and every face there is a story, and alongside our partners we will do whatever it takes to make sure those stories, those lives, have intersected with Christ in the gospel.
As we pray for our missionaries and for the lost in their communities, please pray also that God would continue to fill your heart with a whatever-it-takes vision for North America. If you’re still considering where you might join Southern Baptists in reaching North America, let us join with you as God fulfills His purposes for you and your church.
As we continue to transition resources and direct our efforts toward evangelistic church planting, we want to make it easier for Southern Baptists to work directly with church plants in strategic locations throughout the United States and Canada.
This year we have allocated 42 percent of our budget—$49.4 million—toward church planting even as we continue the important work of chaplaincy, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and evangelism resources provided through God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS).
I’m excited about what God will do during this season of North American missions giving, and I’m encouraged by all you are doing to reach North America for Christ.
Kevin Ezell
President
48 Spring 2012 •
onmission.com
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