“Every Life On Mission” and “Every Church On Mission” are two phrases NAMB will use prominently to encourage individuals and churches to become more actively and personally involved in missional activity. “In its simplest form, NAMB functions as a network that can help connect every Southern Baptist church to its next missional opportunity,” said NAMB president Kevin Ezell. “We hope these steps lead churches to become involved locally in their communities, throughout North America and around the globe in evangelistic church planting. We realize that the first step for many churches is just helping them get their members out of the pews and into ministry action.” Ultimately, NAMB’s goal is to work with its partners to see more churches and individuals involved directly in church planting. Research from NAMB puts the estimate of non-Christians in North America at more than 259 million. The Southern Baptist church-to-population ratio is 1:6,194. The Canadian Baptist church-to-population ratio is 1:115,040. These sobering numbers keep church planting at the center of NAMB’s mission focus and priority.
Ultimately, NAMB’s goal is to work with its partners to see more churches and individuals involved directly in church planting.
But NAMB is also growing the number of opportunities for Southern Baptists to serve missionally through mercy ministries like international learning centers, inner-city construction, adoption and foster care, combatting human trafficking, evangelism initiatives and tools, and more. Ezell told NAMB’s trustees in June that these expanded ministries would reside in a new area at NAMB called Send Relief. In addition, NAMB continues to support national Southern Baptist Disaster Relief coordination in cooperation with state conventions as well as military and non-military chaplaincy ministries. By serving churches and partnering with state Baptist conventions and associations, NAMB has developed a strategy for pushing back lostness throughout North America. NAMB’s 32 Send Cities focus special attention on urban areas where most North Americans live, and from which cultural influence emanates. NAMB funding through state Baptist conventions plays a key role in helping Southern Baptists reach less populated and rural areas as well.
NAMB’s 32 Send Cities focus special attention on urban areas where most North Americans live, and from which cultural influence emanates.
NAMB’s Send North America Conference this past Aug. 3-4 in Nashville challenged more than 13,500 attendees to live life on mission and became a celebration of every Christian’s calling to proclaim Christ wherever God has placed them. The conference themes—Every Life On Mission and Every Church On Mission—will continue to be key elements of NAMB’s challenge to Southern Baptists. Ezell said the move to a new look demonstrates NAMB’s emphasis on serving churches and pastors, and the continued streamlining of strategy. Every energy and all attention will be focused on fulfilling its mission as effectively as possible by the generosity of Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. “We have seen such great progress in recent years,” said Ezell. “We believe this new way of expressing ourselves gives us greater clarity and hopefully brings broader understanding about who we are and how we serve Southern Baptist churches.” Explore more about how NAMB can assist your church in discovering its next missional opportunity at namb.net.
Published October 12, 2015
