By Al Gilbert
Does NAMB still do evangelism? That’s a question I get from time to time, and the answer is, absolutely, “yes.”
In fact, I hope that any time NAMB is mentioned that the phrase “penetrate lostness” comes to mind, because this is our mission.
Doing what God has called us to and what Southern Baptists have charged us with would be impossible without concerted evangelistic efforts throughout North America.
We long to see every believer sharing Christ. That is why we still produce dozens of resources for churches and individuals to use as they share Christ. You can find them at our God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) website: gps2020.net/resources
Here are several other ways NAMB is involved in evangelism:
- Through LoveLoud we are assisting churches in developing ministry evangelism movements.
- Disaster Relief volunteers are sharing help and the hope of Christ in times of crisis.
- Chaplaincy ministries throughout United States Armed Forces, law enforcement and other institutions are extending the gospel reach on the front lines of war and life.
- Collegiate ministries are making Christ known on college campuses
- We are currently distributing free FinditHere New Testaments to every SBC church in North America. Each includes the plan of salvation and a guide through the “Romans Road.”
- Church Revitalization efforts are aimed at strengthening churches so they can reach their communities with the gospel.
- In non-Southern states, NAMB pays between 80 and 95 percent of the salaries for our state Baptist conventions to have a Director of Evangelism for their state.
- In addition, every state convention outside the South receives NAMB funds specifically set aside for evangelism efforts.
Since 2010, our spending on specific evangelism efforts has gone from 12 percent of total expenses to 13 percent of total expenses.
In addition to all of these efforts focused specifically on evangelism, each one of the churches we help Southern Baptists start each year is created to have an evangelistic DNA. Our very definition of a church plant hinges on the fact that it must be evangelistic.
Everything we do at NAMB is for the purpose of mobilizing Southern Baptists to penetrate lostness wherever it is in North America—whether a church planter is establishing a new work in an unreached urban area or a pastor is leading his church through a GPS outreach effort. This is why NAMB is exists.
Al Gilbert serves as vice president of evangelism and executive director of LoveLoud ministries for the North American Mission Board.