A focus on five regions allows NAMB to be more strategic and responsive to the diverse needs across North America, factoring in demographics, geographical challenges and spiritual realities.
Click the regions above to learn more about each region—including a video profile.
West
Steve Bass, regional vice president
Drop 29.68 north, 179.47 west into your GPS. Survey your new surroundings. You are half way between the Aleutian, Hawaiian and Samoan island chains, and a long way from Guam or Okinawa. Liquid vastness far greater than the open plains of the American West engulfs you, and you are alone. You are almost literally in the middle of nowhere. Now put yourself there for eternity.
While difficult to imagine, that absolute lostness is comparable to the spiritual lostness found in the West. Whether you're talking about Jackpot, Nev., Nothing, Ariz., Hungry Horse, Mont.—or Hollywood, San Francisco or Seattle. The American West is home to both some of the most sparsely and densely populated areas of North America—as well as some of the continent's most lost.
The vast spiritual lostness describes just about the whole region. Almost nine out of 10 residents in the West have no relationship with Christ. That's 62 million people—87 percent of the population—who are lost. And there are very few people in the region to tell them about Jesus—just one church for every 16,000 people.
So the next time you find yourself in Lost Nation, Nev., or Seattle, Wash.—remember that the people around you may well be lost and have no real hope.
Meet the West
Population: 71,815,378
SBC Congregations: 4,465
Population Per Congregation: 16,084
Number of Lost: 62 million
Percentage of the Population Lost: 87 percent
Based on 2009 statistics.
"Most people in San Francisco don't go to church and don't think there's any reason to go to church. You have to be able to speak into the world they operate in. We are actively involved in "being Jesus" to our city." —Ben Pilgreen, church planter, Mission District, San Francisco
A new house went up every 20 minutes during the 2004 building boom that seized Las Vegas and its sprawling suburbs. Las Vegas has a population of 567,641 and only 88 Southern Baptist churches.
Learn more about the West at OnMission.com >>
South
Some 13.7 million Southern Baptists live and worship in the South region—what's been called for years the old "Bible Belt." Seemingly, there's a church—either Baptist or otherwise—on almost every corner.
So does the South need new churches? Absolutely.
Despite a legacy of evangelical fervor in the South, new generations and new immigrant populations will make the need for new, contextual, gospel-centered churches—even in the Bible Belt—forever present.
While the South's old tag as the Bible Belt was perhaps true at one time, it's a myth today. Two out of three southerners are considered lost—without Christ. That's despite more Southern Baptist congregations in the region—by far—than anywhere else in North America.
Even considering the growing lostness in the South, no other region in the Southern Baptist Convention has the potential to provide more much-needed missions resources for the underserved and unreached areas of the world. The South remains the financial engine driving Southern Baptist work worldwide. Just look at the Cooperative Program, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®—where they give at least 85 percent of the total receipts.
To reach the most unreached regions of the continent through Send North America, church planters in the Northeast, Midwest, West and Canada will need the support of churches in the South. Today, to fulfill its own Great Commission mandate, God is calling a new generation of Southern Baptists in the South to demonstrate the same passion for missions that propelled their forefathers to start new churches throughout North America in the convention's early years. History tells us they'll be up for the task.
Meet the South
Population: 104,313,845
SBC Congregations: 38,671
Population Per Congregation: 2,697
Number of Lost: 67 million
Percentage of the Population Lost: 64 percent
Based on 2009 statistics.
"Miami is a unique place, and it has to do with language, culture, diversity and multi-nationalism. Our church plants have to find ways to reach second-generation Hispanics, one of the fastest growing people groups in South Florida and the United States." —Daniel Egipciaco, church planter catalyst, Miami
In the South Florida area— including Miami—96 percent of the population is lost or unchurched.
Learn more about the South at OnMission.com >>
Midwest
Steve Davis, regional vice president
Some of the most enduring images of Americana were born in the rural Midwest—from Mark Twain's St. Petersburg, Mo., to Little House on the Prairie's Walnut Grove, to Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon. It's Anytown U.S.A.—where "salt-of-the-earth" people work hard and go to church every Sunday. Small towns still dot the region—places like Amboy, Ill., Lanesboro, Minn., and Burns, Kan.
Yet the Midwest in 2011 is much broader than simply small-town America. It's also urban Chicago, downtown Cleveland and suburban Indianapolis. Ten Midwestern cities rank in the top 50 in population in America. And despite the region's image of good, hard-working, church-going residents, the vast majority does not have a relationship with Jesus. Many have never stepped foot in a church.
Today the region has a desperate need for a diverse lot of new churches that will reach the increasingly diverse region—and reach them in their own cultural context.
Meet the Midwest
Population: 68,656,688
SBC Congregations: 5,363
Population Per Congregation: 12,802
Number of Lost: 52 million
Percentage of the Population Lost: 75 percent
Based on 2009 statistics.
"There have been times when I've wanted to leave, but this city needs the God who is in us. This city will rise from the ashes. Where other people see problems, I see opportunities. Where other people see ungodly things, I see the power of Christ that can come in and change the whole community." —John Smith, church planter, Pontiac, Michigan
The Chicagoland area contains nearly 10 million people in three states— Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana—putting it in the top 25 largest metropolitan areas in the world.
Learn more about the Midwest at OnMission.com >>
Northeast
Jeff Christopherson, regional vice president
The world is watching the Northeast. It's home to the nation's capitol, the Ivy League of universities, Wall Street, Broadway, and most of our nation's most significant historical landmarks. When it comes to what's important, what's "in" with culture, politics, fashion, finance and education—the world is looking north.
With tens of millions of new visitors each year, the region is poised to hold the title of global influencer for many years to come. Imagine what the continent—and world—might look like if the most influential area of North America found its greatest influence in Christ.
Yet for most in the region this prospect remains distant. The vast majority of people in the Northeast are lost. Pushing back lostness in the region is a slow process. Culturally more "closed off"—particularly toward religion—many feel uncomfortable opening up to outsiders. Potential church planters must be ready to be in the community for the long haul to make an impact.
Though the challenges are unique and the hearts are often hard, church planters in the Northeast recognize the potential of harnessing the influence of the area and are working hard to move the needle back to Christ. Just imagine what might happen if a region long known for its national influence became known as the region that influenced the nation toward the gospel.
Meet the Northeast
Population: 66,544,974
SBC Congregations: 1,761
Population Per Congregation: 37,788
Number of Lost: 51 million
Percentage of the Population Lost: 82 percent
Based on 2009 statistics.
"There was no Southern Baptist church in Norwich so we came here to start one. And we're not just here so we can open the doors on Sunday. We want to be in the streets sharing the Good News, making disciples and being a light to our community." —Shaun Pillay, church planter, Norwich, Connecticut
In one ZIP code in Queens, N.Y., there are 133 nations represented.
Learn more about the Northeast at OnMission.com >>
Canada
Jeff Christopherson, regional vice president
Canada Region Sprawling between the Bering Sea and Greenland, stretching from Arctic climates to temperate rainforest, the land of Canada is both an ideal place to live and uninhabitable at the same time. It's a place of great religious roots but also a tree that has branched into all directions of belief and unbelief. Once established in religious fervor, many of its more than 33 million inhabitants fervently oppose religious institutions.
For church planters this is a land of opportunity if you have patience, persistence and faith that the Lord has called you into a field white for harvest.
Today, you can drive 2,000 miles in parts of Canada without seeing one evangelical church. In Quebec organized religion is scoffed at, and Jesus is barely remembered as an historical figure.
That's why the Canadian National Baptist Convention's goal of starting 1,000 churches by 2020 seems particularly daunting. To Canadian Baptists the goal represents a God-sized vision for what only He can do in their nation.
Because much of Canada is so undeveloped spiritually, calling on churches within the country would not put a dent in the monumental task of reaching the lost there. That's why Southern Baptists in the United States will play a key role—by praying, giving and going to this vast and fertile nation.
Meet Canada
Population: 33,720,200
CNBC Congregations: 272
Population Per Congregation: 123,971
Number of Non-evangelicals: 30 million
Percentage of the Non-evangelical Population: 90 percent
Based on 2009 statistics.
"Quebec is a part of North America that is uniquely French. The population of the evangelical community here is only .7 percent. People say Quebec is such a hard place, but God is working in individual lives. Once you win them over, it's an amazing thing. I live for that every day." —Jacques Avakian, church planter catalyst, Montreal, Quebec
Toronto is the 5th most populous city in North America and one of the most diverse in the world, with more than half of its 6 million residents immigrating to Canada from another nation.
Learn more about Canada at OnMission.com >>