September 2014 Newsjournal of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD • www.baptistlifeonline.org ® Language Ministries .....................8 Leaders of Tomorrow ..................14 Legacy Churches ........................20 INSIDE: Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14). SPECIAL FOCUS: G o fwd 2014 Annual Celebration details p.28 Loving Neighbors & Sharing Christ
Transcript
September 2014 Newsjournal of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD • www.baptistlifeonline.org
®
Language Ministries .....................8 Leaders of Tomorrow ..................14 Legacy Churches ........................20
INSIDE:
Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14).
SPECIAL FOCUS:
Gofwd2014 Annual Celebration details p.28
Loving Neighbors & Sharing Christ
It’s not too late to download resources for use in your church. Simply go to GofwdMidAtlantic.com to download an overview video, bulletin inserts and more!
Bulletin Inserts (3 designs)
September 2014Page 2
Let’s Gofwd Together!
DOWNLOAD AT WWW.GOFWDMIDATLANTIC.COM TODAY!
#1 Theme Focus #2 Ministry Focus #3 Prayer Focus
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel!
2014 Promotional Materials Week of Prayer – September 7-14
Posters, Prayer Cards, Slides, and Video
Posters Full Prayer Guide (English only)
Condensed Prayer Guide
Presentation Slides
Overview Video (mp4 format;English only)
Unless otherwise noted, materials are available in Korean and Spanish, too!
September 2014 Page 3
VOLUME 99 ISSUE 3/ September 2014
FeaturesBCM/D PROPOSES A NEW IDENTITY p. 6 The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware proposes an exciting new rebranding strategy for the organization
LANGUAGE MINISTRIES p. 8Growing God’s church... one language at a time
LEADERS OF TOMORR0W p.14Growing God’s church... through tomorrow’s leaders
LEGACY CHURCHES p. 20Growing God’s church... through legacy churches
2014 PRAYER GUIDE p. 26A list of prayer prompts for the Sept. 7-16 week of prayer for Mid-Atlantic missions
ANNUAL CELEBRATION PREVIEW p.28Get a sneak peek of the exciting speakers and events planned for this year’s annual celebration
PerspectivesWILL MCRANEY p. 4
ROBERT ANDERSON p. 5
p. 14
This edition of BaptistLIFE focuses on Gofwd Mid-Atlantic, the annual state missions offering of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD.
www.GofwdMidAtlantic.com
CONTENTSp. 8
p. 20
BaptistLIFE (ISSN 331-640) is published quarterly as a Cooperative Program ministry of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD.
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NEW HIRES p. 30-31Meet Joel Rainey and Keith Hammer, new leaders in the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD
September 2014
PERSPECTIVE BY WILL MCRANEY
Page 4
Every great future is preceded by a great history.
And now the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD is poised on the threshold of future history.
Mid-Atlantic Baptists have the continued opportunity to unite together, despite dwindling resources, challenging environments and ongoing spiritual warfare, to go forward, love our neighbors and share Christ in unprecedented ways…
… among the most diverse zip codes in the United States … among the most influential campuses in our country … among the oldest churches who prepared the way for future
ministry… and so much more.
Together, we can do more to advance Christ’s mission in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Shall we not strain forward? Shall we not press on?
Perhaps Miss Annie Armstrong said it best: “The future lies all before us…shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward, to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before?”
Your financial and eternal investment helps your missionaries go forward together in taking Jesus to the mission field of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Let’s Gofwd!
Will McRaneyExecutive Missional Strategist
...Straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).
September 2014 Page 5
Lessons from a Flat TirePERSPECTIVE BY ROBERT ANDERSON
Recently, I was in a beautiful country in East Africa,
and upon exiting a wild game reserve, our vehicle got a flat tire. We all jumped out of the SUV to change the tire which took us about thirty minutes.
Reflecting back, I am reminded of Paul’s testimonial to Elder Timothy,“But The Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:17).
Let me explain, while in the game reserve we saw antelopes, wild pigs, zebras, and hip-pos. However, no visit to the game park seems complete until you see the lions, and after about a hour we saw the king of the beasts, the lion. Furthermore , in our efforts to leave the part we encountered a swarm of tootsie flies...literally thousands, and yet, only three got into our vehicle. Here is my point, the flat tire could have occurred while we were in the heart of the game reserve with the lion or tootsie flies. We were rescued from the lion’s mouth, and the flies’ attack!
In our trip to Africa, while visiting
the Christian workers there, we also hoped to make contact with an unreached people group, and we did. The Lord gave us an opportunity to proclaim the gospel and seven to nine young men prayed to receive The Lord Jesus Christ, and The Lord kept the mouth of the lions shut.
I have heard our new State Executive Mis-sional Strategist say many times that the greatest act of love is to share the redeeming message of the gospel with others. How-ever, many people are scared to initiate sharing the gospel (Good News), but the Bible says that “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (I John 4:18 NKJV).
If I can go across the Atlantic and across the continent of Africa to share the wonder-ful words of life, then surely I can go across the hall, across the room, or across the street and become a friend and love my neighbor by sharing the gospel.
My friend, God is able to handle any and all opposition visible or invisible, man or demon, friend or foe. The wild game is out there and Satan is a roaring lion seeking to devour, but Jesus is greater for He is
the Lion of Judah, and He will stand by you and strengthen you just as He did for Paul.
For this new Fall season, let’s look for those divine opportuni-ties to boldly share God’s love and grace. Let the church say, ‘Amen!’ Robert Anderson
BCM/D President and Pastor of Colonial Baptist
Church, Randallstown, Md.
September - November 2014 BCM/D Events
(www.bcmd.org/calendar or 800-466-5290 + ext. below)
SEPTEMBER ___________________________
1 Labor Day (BMRC Closed)7 Asian Concert of Prayer, 5:30-9pm,
Hahnuri Church (x222) 7-14 Week of Prayer for Maryland/Delaware
State Missions (x218)18-19 Lead Like Jesus Encounter, Skycroft (x217)20 Transform, 9am-2pm, First Baptist Upper
Annual Celebration, The Church at Severn Run (x202)
16 Mid-Atlantic Summit on Faith and Culture, Gethsemane, 1:30-9:30 pm
27-28 Thanksgiving (BMRC Closed)
Page 6 September 2014
BCM/D proposes new identity, rooted in history, to reflect mission expansion
COLUMBIA, Md.—At its May 6, 2014, General Mission Board meeting, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware proposed a new rebranding strategy for the organization, including a dedicated name to the current state mission offering, “Gofwd Mid-Atlantic,” and a new “doing business as (dba)” identity, “Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network.” The name, annual “meeting,” also was changed to annual “celebration” to better reflect the tone of yearly gatherings.
Jim Jeffries, pastor of LaVale (Md.) Baptist Church and chairman of the Board’s Administrative Committee, brought the nomenclature changes to the Board, expressing his excitement over what he called “historic changes.”
“Each of these changes reflect the current realities of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware as well as the future realities of where the Convention is going,” he said.
He invited Shannon Baker, BCM/D’s director of communications, to explain. Speaking first about the new name for the state missions offering, Baker pointed to the convention’s rich history as inspiration for the changes.
She paid particular attention to Annie Armstrong, a Baltimore native who served as first corresponding secretary (a position equivalent to today’s executive director) of the Woman’s
Missionary Union, an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention, and eventual namesake for the annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions with the North American Mission Board.
Year after year, Armstrong came up with new ways to get missions information out to the churches, to stir up missions efforts and to raise more prayer support and money for missions.
Her motto was “Go Forward,” Baker explained, noting the motto comes from Exodus 14:15, where God tells Moses, sandwiched between the pursuing Pharaoh’s armies and the seeming obstacle of the Red Sea, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”
“Though today’s tensions may be different, we still hear God telling us to ‘go forward,’” shared Baker, explaining Armstrong’s rally cry also comes from a longer quote attributed to her: “The future lies all before us…shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward, to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before?”
The “Gofwd” fund, using a familiar abbreviation
that modernizes the concept, will be offered year-round, giving the network of Southern Baptist churches in the Mid-Atlantic region an opportunity to continue the pioneering missions legacy so strongly demonstrated by its Baptist heritage.
“By collectively moving forward, our network of churches will continue to have opportunity to invest in and participate in advancing Christ’s Kingdom in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond,” agreed Will McRaney, BCM/D
executive missional strategist.
Speaking to the new dba name “Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network,” McRaney explained it better describes the multi-state convention’s current reality of ministry in Maryland/Delaware and also some churches in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, which is consistent with the convention’s history in the Northeast region.
“The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware has always been involved in this entire region, and the new
Page 7September 2014
name is a fresh expression of the ministry of the churches connected to this network,” McRaney said. “As we continue to advance Christ’s mission through strengthening and starting churches, we want our name to match our effort.”
He also stressed the importance of the word, “Network,” which can be viewed in both the noun and verb forms. As a noun, it represents a “shared ministry” and a “gathering of individuals and churches on a shared mission.” As a verb, it represents an active participation of individuals and churches who partner in the effort.
“Overall, the name better reflects who we are and how we collectively advance God’s Kingdom mission today and into the future,” McRaney shared.
McRaney explained the dba name will be used on all future marketing materials but the convention’s legal name, “Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware,” will remained unchanged on all legal documents.
Previously, the name has changed twice legally in the convention’s history: from Maryland
Baptist Union Association to the Baptist Convention of Maryland in 1960 and then to the expanded Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in 1984.
BCM/D messengers will be given the opportunity to affirm the dba name change as a part of the annual celebration of the convention in November, where various plans are being made to link the convention’s historic past to a bright future in advancing God’s Kingdom in the region and beyond.
Baker also introduced Creative Strategist Sean Copley, a former employee of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, who has a heart for ministry work in the area and is a self-confessed “brand aficionado.”
Via Skype, Copley urged the GMB members to “think of a file folder in your mind that contains all of the experiences, emotions and expectations you have about an organization.”
He explained, “That’s what a brand is. Every time you connect with that organization you’re adding to the folder for good or not-so-good.”
Copley said the BCM/D has begun the process of rebranding in an effort to tell the great story of Mid-Atlantic Baptists with consistency, excellence and integrity across all mediums.
The intentional process of shaping those interactions and aligning it with an organization’s message and mission is “branding,” he said. He then detailed for the GMB the overall process and expected deliverables, which will include surveys, a brand mark and a new identity system.
The new brand will be unveiled at the upcoming annual celebration, to be held Nov. 9-11 at the Church at Severn Run in Severn, Md.
“Any time you have new initiatives or you want to communicate who you are and what you do in a fresh way; it’s an opportunity for repositioning your brand,” said Copley. “Our goal is to make the BCM/D brand one worth ‘mentally bookmarking’ for those who experience what we have to offer.”
Copley also shared case studies of the many branding projects he has been a part of
as Creative Director for Timbuktoons, an animation and illustration studio in Augusta, Ga. Timbuktoons’ clients have included Phil Vischer (co-creator of VeggieTales), ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover, The National Archives, Saddleback Church, New Spring Church, Lifechurch.tv, Willow Creek Association and more.
At the conclusion, Jeffries said, “This sounds like the work of expertise. We are excited about all that is to come.”
McRaney noted that the name change, rebranding, and the GoFwd fund all reflect well “on our strong and historic roots and also encourages us to press into the future in keeping with our past, but in ways that communicate well to younger generations of Southern Baptists in the Mid-Atlantic region.”
Among other mission- and vision-expanding efforts, “the convention stands ready to go forward into “altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before,” he said.
The “Gofwd” logo (shown above), using a familiar abbreviation that modernizes the concept of Miss Annie Armstrong’s “Go Forward,” represents the name of the state missions offering. This offering will be offered year-round, giving the network of Southern Baptist churches in the Mid-Atlantic region an opportunity to continue the pioneering missions legacy so strongly demonstrated by its Baptist heritage. The logo and brandmarks for the organizational new dba name is forthcoming.
Page 8 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Growing God’s church... one language at a time
Worshippers from many languages and tongues belong to many churches in the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD, making it one of the most diverse
conventions in the country. Each year, the multi-state network supports around 45 language groups through planting
language churches, leading ministry training, and hosting concerts of prayer, language music
celebrations, and a variety of other gatherings designed to help
language ministries go forward.
Since 2013, the Network officially has planted 13 new language churches, including six Hispanic churches, five Korean/Asian Korean churches, one Chinese church, and one multi-cultural church, with more on the way (see sidebar).
“Among our Asian churches, we have kind of a movement arising among us,” said Robert Kim, missionary for language churches and Asian coordinator for church planting/evangelism for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD, explaining existing language churches are asking themselves, “Why don’t we be church-planting churches?”
Several clusters of Korean and Chinese churches are getting together, locking their arms to plant churches,” he said.
Kim said the Network provides a lot of
resources for the church planters who are coming in—including information on how to plant a church well as well as financial resources. “Now we see the Lord is at work among us planting Asian churches. It’s exciting!” he said.
“The vision of the lan-guage ministry is to facilitate healthy churches, through the planting and strengthening of congregations, among as many language groups in the area as God gives the oppor-tunity,” said Rolando Cas-tro, missionary for Hispanic churches and Hispanic church development for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD.
“We even have new churches started by our own church plants and also we have new church planters coming to the area,” Castro added. “Our dream is to expand into two new language groups annually.”
Korean Hope Church of Maryland, Glenwood, Md. (Asian Korean)
Iglesia Bautista de Solomons, Lusby, Md. (Spanish)
Iglesia Bautista Roca de Salvacion, Landover, Md.
(Spanish)
Life Fountain Community Church, Highland, Md. (Korean)Primera Iglesia Bautista
New Hope Baptist Church, Centreville, Va. (Asian Korean)
New Life Korean Baptist Church, Silver Spring, Md. (Asian Korean)
Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana Emanuel, Salisbury, Md. (Spanish)
Redencion, Silver Spring, Md. (Spanish)
Rock Church of Christ in Clarksburg, Md. (Chinese)
“Men and means were not forthcoming fast enough for the great work of foreign missions, so God turned the stream this way and sent great masses of the unevangelized to come in contact with Christians.”--Annie Armstrong
Page 10 September 2014www.bcmd.org/loveyourneighborwww.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Asian Concerts of Prayer
Asian churches participate in annual Asian Concerts of Prayer at Hahnuri Korean Church in Silver Spring, Md. Churches earnestly pray in their native languages while English subtitles are displayed on big screens. They pray on the topics of repentance, spiritual awakening, church renewal, kingdom growth and church growth. Each people group also focuses on their own specific needs.
Robert Kim, language missionary, shared that participants spend three hours in worship and prayer in a special effort to strengthen prayer in the churches, both corporately and individually. The next Concert of Prayer is scheduled for Sept. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Hispanic Ministry Training Center
As planters start churches, pastors and leaders are needed to staff the new plants. The Network’s Hispanic ministry training center is filling that need.
The Hispanic seminary now has a record number of students, shared Language Missionary Rolando Castro, explaining more than 50 enrolled in the Spring 2014 semester. These students attend one of the three centers—in Baltimore, Silver Spring and Cambridge. They study topics, such as the foundations of ministry, and surveys of the Old and New Testaments. Classes are offered in eight-week modules.
Students can choose from three certificates: biblical ministry, church planting, or pastoral ministry. If students complete all three certificates, along with three other required courses, they receive a diploma in theology. The first graduation was held in December 2013.
Language Music CelebrationsLanguage Church Music Celebrations are held annually
on Palm Sunday at Global Mission Church in Silver Spring. Fifteen to 20 different language people groups gather together to sing worship songs to the Lord in their own languages, followed by a multi-cultural dinner.
“It is a great, great event for language churches to get together and to sing joyful noises to the Lord in their own languages,” Robert Kim said.
Tour for Language Pastors, Oct. 6To assist language churches, the Network will host a
“Tour for Language Pastors” at the Baptist Network Center at 10255 Old Columbia Road in Columbia on Monday, Oct. 6 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. There, network leaders will introduce language pastors to specific ministries, leaders, resources and training available for them. Hors d’oevres and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP online at http://bcmd.org/tour-for-language-pastors.
Other GatheringsThroughout the years, the Network has also provided
language pastors’ retreats, immigration conferences, and English as a Second Language ministry training. Every effort is designed with a forward hope of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9).
Asian Concert of Prayer
Page 11September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
By Shannon Baker
LAUREL, Md.—Jessie Liang (not her real name) earned a Ph.D. in China but when her husband’s job moved her to the United States, she found herself having to begin again in her studies.
She was struggling to get by on a few basic English words when she discovered English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at First Baptist Church of Laurel, Md. There, she slowly began learning the new language, and in the process, found friends who took the time
to minister to her needs.“This class helps people
who have just come to Amer-ica,” she said. “It’s very nice, because you see a lot of people who can help you. You will feel kind of warm inside.”
She contrasted the warmth to the nervous feelings one gets when they are alone and left out of the conversations around them.
“You will get peace, and you won’t feel so worried,” she said.
Laura Freireich, an acu-puncturist from Mexico, agreed.
“It’s not just learning English. [The classes] are very good to learn the customs and the ways people live in this
country,” she said, adding, “It’s beautiful teachers because they do it with all their heart.”
Freireich is especially fond of her instructor, Norma Bark-dull, who has been involved in English literacy ministry since 1985. Barkdull says ESL is her "heart ministry."
Today, First Baptist of Laurel, in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD, hosts two 16-hour ESL workshops designed by the Southern Baptist North Ameri-can Mission Board (NAMB) specifically for volunteers teach-ing ESL in a church or ministry
setting.The workshop is offered
twice a year in January and Au-gust. This training is conducted in two-part sessions. Both parts are required in order for par-ticipants to complete their ESL training.
At the church, regular ESL classes are held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. There are five levels of learning. Students are evaluated to decide which level is right for them.
There are over 60 countries represented in the church’s membership, including people from places as diverse as Ni-geria, Laos, Japan, Cuba and
Honduras. Altogether, there are 13 different Spanish-speaking countries represented in the ministry.
Many of First Baptist’s ESL leaders are teachers, but many are retired individuals. Other instructors are people who were born in the United States to immigrant parents.
In addition to the free ESL classes, which focus on teaching students how to hear, speak, read and write in English, First Baptist, Laurel, hosts free citizenship classes. They have celebrated several occasions when students became official
U.S. citizens."We make a
special effort to build relationships so we can be able to share Jesus at any time and any-where," Barkdull said.
Each ESL class starts off with a Bible verse and prayer, fol-lowed by an hour of instruction. The class closes with a short devotional—often led by one of the church's pastors—and prayer.
“I think this is a little bit of what heaven will be,” Barkdull shared.
In addition, Barkdull and others host international Sunday school classes, where students are given Bibles in their own languages. They read passages in their own native tongue and then read them in English, breaking down the scripture word by word to learn their meaning.
“But we all share the Lord together. That is the main thing,” Barkdull said. “These are people you would never get to know otherwise, and they are beautiful.”
Reaching the nations through ESL/citizenship classes
Citizenship Class
Page 12 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
By Sharon Mager
COLUMBIA, Md.—The masses are
coming. Immigration numbers are soaring. De-mographics are changing and the church is strug-gling. How do we follow the scriptural demands of ministering to immi-grants?
Maryland’s foreign born population is 13.9 percent and Delaware’s is 8.4 percent, according to the Census Bureau.
Pat Hatch said 49 percent of children under five years old in the U.S. are minorities, and of those, at least half are the children of immigrants.
“In some parts of this area the numbers are much higher. Most are Hispanic and Asian,” Hatch said. In Langley Park, near the Capital Beltway, 77 percent of the population is Hispanic.
Hatch is the founder
of Foreign-born Information and Refer-
ral Network, (FIRN) Inc. and recently retired as a program manager for the Maryland Office for Refugee and Asylees.
According to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of 2010 Census data, there were 40.2 million foreign-born people in the United States in 2010. Out of that amount, 28 percent were legal per-manent residents (green card holders), 28 percent were unauthorized mi-grants; 33 percent were
naturalized citizens, four percent were temporary legal residents and seven percent were refugees - persons admitted to the U.S. on a humanitarian basis because they were determined to have fled their homelands due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on their religion, ethnicity or political opinion.
Though the masses often arrive poor, tired and hungry, out of the above numbers, the only non-citizens eligible to receive transitional government assistance
are the seven percent who entered as refugees, and that assistance is for just six to eight months. Hatch said many refugees don’t even receive the benefits they’re entitled to because of language barriers and misunder-standing of their status on the part of the eligibil-ity caseworkers at local departments of social services.
So millions of im-migrants, Hatch says, “fall between the cracks.” They are struggling to get by and trying to get work.
Language bar-riers are huge. They’re often alone and crave friend-ship.
Hatch said most people can’t identify with the family separation is-sues immi-grants face. A man may come to the United States, sponsored by
his U.S. citizen sister. He plans to get a job, get a decent place to live and send for his family. He doesn’t realize that the backlog for bringing a spouse and family back can be 10 years.
“Emergencies hap-pen. You’d go crazy trying to go back and forth. Families are desperate to be reunited in the U.S.,” Hatch said. And often they can’t even visit.
Families used to be able to get visitors’ visas. That is no longer possible. If someone is the beneficiary of an ap-
proved visa petition and caught in the enormous backlog of those wait-ing for their permanent resident visas, they are no longer allowed a visi-tors’ visa, Hatch said. So families are separated for years.
Hatch said im-migrant professionals face formidable barriers to resuming practicing their professions in the U.S. For instance, doc-tors may be required to repeat years of residency requirements and there-fore, practically speaking, may never again practice their professions. They struggle to get the very basics–food and shelter.
Churches that reach out to immigrants have an unprecedented op-portunity for growth and even revival. Many im-migrants bring a vibrant Christian faith with them, revitalizing churches.
Immigrant congrega-tions are growing faster than any other category of evangelical churches, according to research by Todd Johnson at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Lance Conklin, Esq., Director, Immigrant Legal Services Technical Unit for World Relief, Baltimore, says, “God has special concern for immigrants. ‘The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked,’” Conklin said, quoting Malachi 3:9.
God even includes “foreigners” in the com-mand to care for widows and orphans, he said, re-ferring to Deut.10:18.
Immigrants are knocking at our church doors. How will we answer?
ESL Class
Page 13September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
DUNDALK, Md.—A Nepalese church plant in metro Baltimore hosted a regional women’s revival conference with approximately 250 people from 12 churches in attendance.
Held in late June, women came from Baltimore and as far as Virginia and Pennsylvania to worship at Unity Christian Church of Baltimore, which meets at Patapsco United Methodist Church in Dundalk.
“We started praying about six months before about having this conference,” shared Tara Gurung, a member of Unity Christian Church, who helped organize the event. “God put it in our hearts, and we put it on the prayer list,” she said.
One by one, things came into place. The Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD provided some financial asistance; church members, including men, stepped up to shop, cook, and decorate the church facility; and the conference theme emerged.
Based on Jeremiah 29:11, the retreat focused on two sessions of worship in between three encourag-ing messages provided by Gurung,
Katie Grober of Patapsco United Methodist Church, and Rupa K. C., a Christian woman visiting from Nepal.
“We wanted all the women to be encouraged in the
Lord,” shared Gurung, who spoke on the topic of prayer and interces-sion. Grober shared about God’s purpose in the women’s lives while Rupa K. C. shared about the impor-tance of relationships as exhibited in the Old Testament book of Ruth.
“Our expectation was that we would be blessed,” Gurung shared, “but we were blessed beyond our imagination and beyond our hopes. When God works, He works mightily!”
In addition to the planned schedule, churches were given op-portunity to share their testimonies and sing Christian Gospel songs. The women were excited also about getting in touch with each other.
For Gurung, the fellowship pointed to how much Unity Chris-tian Church of Baltimore has grown. She is thankful to have found a church, which speaks in her native Nepalese language. “The oppor-tunity to have fellowship with other people who speak our language is very encouraging and a blessing,” she said.
Pastor Ramesh Magar, who
started Unity Christian Church of Baltimore in January 2013, also is thrilled to see how God is moving his church. Only a few years ago, he was a Bhutanese refugee, “a man with no country.”
Forced to live as a refugee in Bhutan for more than 18 years of his life, Magar says he remembers living under plastic roofs that used to leak rain in the crowded camps where he lived. He longed for so much more.
“Around 85 percent of the people living in the refugee camps were Christians—who prayed for ev-erything,” he said. “God answered our prayers.”
Soon, he would become a U.S. citizen! Now, he is thankful to live in Baltimore, where he says there are more than 7,000 Bhutanese and 15,000 Nepalese people. He hopes to continue making connections through his members’ family and friends to grow this church and to plant another Nepalese church in the future.
But that’s not all. Now that the church has experienced success with its first regional conference, the church leaders feel God has given them a vision for a Bible school to teach praise and worship.
Unity Christian Church is the second Nepalese Southern Baptist church in Baltimore. Pastor Samuel Cho leads Nepalese Baptist Church as well as Bhutanese Baptist Church in Baltimore. -- By Shannon Baker
Nepalese church plant hosts regional women’s revival conference
How can churches help immigrants?• Designate someone
to take the initiative to begin a ministry to im-migrants.
• Share scripture and teach what the Bible says about immigration. Inves-tigate and teach what the church has to say about caring for the “sojourn-ers.” Use curriculum that teaches about minister-ing to immigrants.
• Share the missional
opportunities possible by reaching immigrants - The Lord has brought the world to our door!
• Offer hands-on ministry such as English as a Second Language classes, computer train-ing, job mentoring, after school programs, citizen-ship preparation classes and sessions to help im-migrants understand U.S. culture—and for us to
learn more about theirs.• Host workshops to
bring awareness to your community regarding the issues facing immigrants.
• Churches that want to go even further can become centers for im-migrants, offering legal services. Non-attorneys, “accredited representa-tives,” can provide immi-gration legal counsel at a designated
certified non-profit organization. Pat Hatch cautions that has to be considered carefully because of the legal responsibilities. See worldrelief.org for these resources and much more.
Page 14 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
How can today’s students be tomorrow’s church? Doug DuBois, missionary for student evangelism for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD, shares his answer: by
challenging them to start today. “It’s nice to say they will be our future leaders, but I believe they are leaders now,” he
stresses. “The challenge is to help them fine-tune their skills and then challenge them to go
forward—and go right now.” Leading the next generation of leaders
requires intentional effort and prayer.
Growing God’s church... through tomorrow’s leaders
For those church planters who are trying to enlist core team members, the reasons why people say “no” to their recruit-ment efforts must seem endless and insurmountable.
However, collegiate ministries have invested in the training of college-aged believers who want to continue to be used by God to make a difference for Christ. Many characteristics make young adults particularly suited for church planting, says Mike McQuitty, Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD collegiate missionary.
First, they are eager for new things. For many people, the prospect of being part of something new can seem difficult. In contrast, change is a consistent part of students’ lives. They are in the process of changing jobs and living situations. In college, they change courses every semester and live in a new place twice a year.
Next, young adults are mobile. They often do not have many possessions or jobs; it’s easy to “leave behind” the
little they do have. For most, no children exist that have to be uprooted.
Third, they are trained or teachable. For those coming out of a strong collegiate or young adult ministry, skills for reaching out and building the Kingdom have been acquired. In addition, they had repeated opportunities to put those skills into practice. So, they are looking for more chances to use what God has given them. Moreover, their teachable nature allows them to adopt new methods, structures, or forms of church life.
Finally, young adults are relational. They spend a great deal of time connecting with friends and meeting new ones. Since young adults are such a natural
resource for church planting, denominational leaders, church planting centers and individual church planters should seek to cultivate core teams from them.
ChallengingCollegians
Four keys for engaging
college students 1) Cultivate Relationships with Collegiate Ministries. College ministries provide access to large numbers of young adults who are preparing for the next stage in life.
2) Disciple Key Future Core Team Members. Before setting out to plant, pray for God to put two or three young adults in your life.
Page 15September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Spend time with them. Teach them personal Christian disciplines and ministry skills. The result will be a team that you know well and shares your passion for the mission of God.
3) Plan to Invest in the Potential Members. While young adults have a great deal to offer, they also come with some significant needs. They are looking for mentorship as well as a challenge. They often require specific direction as well as an opportunity to grow as leaders. Have a plan for investing in the lives of these young leaders.
4) Recruit Core Members in Groups. Many times, young adults and college students are interested in serving as a team with their close friends from college or other point of connection. They have often already learned to serve and work together over time, and they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. A continued opportunity to serve together can be very appealing.
“Because of collegiate ministry, I’m a better spiritual leader with the ability to pour spiritual and biblical wisdom on others. Because of collegiate ministry, I have a better idea of how to relate to other people (and not only with free food). Because of collegiate ministry, I am so much more in love with Jesus, and that has enabled me to love others better. Because of collegiate ministry, I realize that I am to play a part in reaching the nations.”
--Matt Jones, University of Delaware
By Sharon Mager
NEWARK, Del.—University of
Delaware graduate Matt Jones went to college looking for Gatsby’s green light—the Ameri-can dream.
“…Now I see myself on the mission field if that is God’s will,” Jones said. “Because of collegiate ministry, I am so much more in love with Jesus, and that has enabled me to love others better.”
Jones accepted Christ early in elementary school after seeing a play about the life of Christ.
“I would still say I was a Christian as I was growing up, but I wasn’t completely surrendering my life to Christ. I don’t think I even knew what treasuring Jesus above all things meant before I left for college,” Jones said.
While at the univer-sity, Jones got involved
in the Baptist Student Ministry. “I was just an active ‘member’ my first year, but quickly stepped into a leadership role,” he said. Jones became a group leader, responsible for making freshman feel welcome through weekly activities, which eventually led into Bible studies. He met weekly with Baptist Student Minister Blake Hardcastle “for spiritual insight and wisdom on life.”
Prior to working with the collegiate ministry, Jones said he had no teaching abilities or interest in leading Bible studies.
“It became very clear that I didn’t have a full picture of the Gospel or at least wasn’t able to articulate it very well. My leadership and participa-tion in student ministry forced me to do that. I had a clearer picture of the essence and con-sequences of sin, the wrath of God and why I deserved it, the idea of my main purpose here on earth being completely for God, and the need for
professing Christians to go to unreached peoples and share the Gospel.
“I went to the Philip-pines for two months on
a Nehemiah Teams trip to share the Gospel up and down the rivers. This changed my life. I now have a very strong feeling that God will be using me as a ‘Goer’ in the mission field to reach his un-reached peoples at some point in my future.”
Jones graduated in May 2013 and was in the process of becom-ing a journeyman with
the International Mission Board, but has put that on hold while trying to pay off his college loans.
Currently, he helps lead Ogletown Baptist Church’s youth group, Sunday morning middle school boys’ Bible studies, and a small group of high school freshman.
He also min-isters with and to other young adults, acknowledging that successful young adult groups are not always easy to find.
“We wanted a group that could get together and study the Bible and
to socialize,” he said. That group began in the fall of 2013, starting with a dozen young adults and now numbers 30.
“But it isn’t really about numbers,” Jones stresses. “God has blessed us with a group of individuals who are in-terested in knowing God more. We are blessed with conversations that are Christ exalting.”
Page 16 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
‘Because of collegiate ministry, I am so much more in love with Jesus’
Mentoring/training results in new English ministry at Korean church
At the University of Maryland, Mila Choie, daughter of Joeng Choie, pastor of Morning Light Korean Bap-tist Church, majored in Family Science and minored in Human Development. While in college, Mila served as a counselor for the Maryland Korean Church Council, a youth retreat for Korean churches in Maryland, for 5 years. That’s where she met Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD Collegiate Missionary Mike McQuitty. He trained the counselors (college-age and older members serve as staff members, counselors, or counselor assistants) and assistants weekly, providing Mila with more education and evangelism training. He also mentored her by guid-ing her through the Word, giving her books to study, and encouraging her in God’s ministry and discipleship.
Now Mila serves in her church where she feels called, helping to bridge the first- and second-generation Koreans. “I saw a huge gap. The second-generation Koreans had a difficult time engaging in worship services because of language and cultural barriers,” she said.
Mila started an English ministry in the church to engage youth and young adults and to foster friendship. They are working towards building a praise team. ”Jesus reveals His love and strengthens us through it as we become His disciples and disciple-makers. Our young adults, including myself, have been encouraged in heart every time we share our struggles and the living hope that the Gospel brings in our lives,” Mila said.
-- By Sharon Mager
Page 17September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
University of Maryland student, Mila Choei, shown left, and Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD Collegiate Missionary Mike McQuitty, center, minister at a recent a youth retreat for Korean churches in Maryland. Read more stories of college students involved in ministry online at www.gofwdmidatlantic.com.
Page 18 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
By Shannon
Baker
MIDDLETOWN, Md.—It was a fun activ-
ity, but it had a deeper message.
As nearly 20 teenag-ers took turns bouncing a beach ball to each other, they had to answer a question inscribed on the ball. Where was your favorite vacation? Most embarrassing moment? What time do you wake up in the mornings?
It all seemed a great way to get to know each other—until Doug DuBois quizzed the par-ticipants on what each of their peers' answers were.
As awkward laugh-ter erupted as most struggled to answer. Then DuBois brought home his point. The exercise wasn't just about getting to know each other. It was about really listening—some-thing that he confesses is hard for him to do.
"As a leader, you must listen to your team in order to be effective," stressed DuBois, direc-tor of Amped Ministry, the student ministry of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD.
The students, drawn in by the realness of Du-Bois, leaned in to listen. They had gathered for the May 2014 Leadership Lab retreat, one of two, which are held each year to build the next genera-tion of student leaders to lead like Jesus.
Lately, DuBois has viewed these students as "change agents with eternity in mind." "That is, I believe we need to take a look at our future church planters… min-istry leaders and spend some time showing them what a Christ-like leader is… someone who focuses more on an eternity-focus instead of a selfish focus," he said.
"How can they be tomorrow's church? My challenge to them is that it needs to start today. It's nice to say they will be future leaders, but I believe they are leaders now. The challenge is to help them fine-tune their skills and then challenge them to go forward—and go right now."
During this year's retreats, DuBois challenged the teenagers to come up with a ministry project they would develop, own and implement.
"You are not going to learn about leadership, you are going to lead," DuBois told them.
Neena Rodriguez (pictured right), an 11th grader from Meade Senior High School in Ft. Meade, Md., shared how. "We spent two days in Leadership Lab talking and really getting into the purpose of our ministry. We wrote out a lot of ideas, organized them and shared them with each other."
Rodriguez, a mem-ber of Hope Baptist Church in Laurel, Md., wanted to do something
to give the homeless a head start in life.
"I want to have some way to provide water, food, and a clean place to live, while others could help with job skills training," she said, shar-ing her idea about tiny houses, small dwellings that are less costly than traditional homes. "These houses would be step-ping stools to get there."
The team struggled with how much money it would take to do this project. But another ministry idea did take off. The students suggested having a trailer that could be brought into differ-ent areas to do ministry. They could stock the trailer with
what-ever was needed for minis-try – food, tables, even a movie projector and screen – that could be used at block parties and other community events where the gospel could be shared.
To assist the stu-dents, DuBois offered use of two Amped Ministry trailers, which prompted other questions: How much is insurance? Who would drive the trailers? How can they pay for the supplies?
One student sug-gested they request
donations from area businesses. Another sug-gested speaking to their individual churches for assistance.
And even though it was getting late, the ministry ideas kept flowing—as did the leadership development of these students. And the number of leaders is growing, too.
Nearly 110 high school students from 39 churches voluntarily attended Leadership Lab training sessions at 6:30 each morning during the reCHARGE
summer camp at Skycroft this past summer.
Rodriguez was one of them. "Doug really makes you want to be a leader," she said, echo-ing his encouragement: "You can do this with God! You can make this possible!"
She paused in thought. "I still have the idea of Tiny Houses in my mind," she said.
Leadership Lab students strategize, implement own ministry ideas
UpcomingTeen Leadership Training Events
• reCHARGE is a 6-day, 5-night retreat for students 6th-12th grade, held in June
• Anchor 6:19 is a one-night girls' retreat based on Hebrews 6:19, held in October
• Project Sentinel is a one-night guys' retreat where guys will learn how to be a man of God, held in October
• Leadership Lab is a one-night retreat where students learn how to lead like Jesus, held twice a year (also offered during reCHARGE)
• reBOOT is a 3-day, 2-night mini-version of reCHARGE, held in December and January
www.ampedministry.org
Page 19September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Leadership Lab
NEWARK, Del.—Kelsey Maier thought she knew Jesus before she headed off to begin her studies in early childhood education at the University of Delaware.
“I thought I knew the Lord before going to college because of a youth retreat in high school. However, during my second year at Univer-sity of Delaware I found out what living for Christ truly meant. I was in-vited to the ‘Passion Conference’ in 2011 by people from Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on my campus. It was then that the story of Jesus really hit me and I recognized my sinfulness and need for a savior. Afterward, I became very plugged in at BSM.”
Maier said she began regularly attending BSM events and Bible studies. “I stopped partying and doing things that I did my first year of college and surrounded myself with other believers who would push me to know the Lord and live my life for Him.
“An older girl named Megan Rabian (now Mead) discipled me. We would meet up for coffee and a discussion of the Word. She would chal-lenge me in what I was learning and how I was applying it to my life.
“I was poured into by multiple people and soon became a leader,” Maier said. Though reluctant at first, with her peers’ encouragement, she took the step.
“It was a great decision because it prepared me to be a leader in the youth group that I’m involved in now,” Maier said. She ministers at Ogletown Baptist Church helping with Sunday morning youth group and Wednesday night Bible studies as well as social events and retreats.
In August she ministered in Germany with a youth group from Ogle-town Baptist Church leading a camp for teenagers.
--By Sharon Mager
Baptist Student Ministries opened her eyes to sin
Page 20 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
How will history remember us? When a church gets to a place where it’s declining, almost dying, how can you extend that legacy beyond your own years?
Legacy churches are those who step up and are willing to be replanted, reborn, and re-energized in a new church
plant setting. That takes courageous leadership willing to look beyond themselves to see
what God wants to happen long after they’re gone from the planet.
The question is: What will outlive us in our
ministry and lives?
Growing God’s church... through legacy churches
A church that had been restarted in 2002 began to plateau then decline, and God, once again, breathed the breath of life into the church, allowing another congre-gation to use the facility, expand, grow and continue to plant, reap, and sow, standing on the shoulders of the saints before them.
By 2002, Laytonsville Baptist Church had dwindled to a dozen discouraged members who were unsure how to continue. They approached Ron Blankenship, Montgomery Baptist Association’s director of missions.
Despite efforts from the association and the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD, Blanken-ship knew the end had come for Laytonsville Baptist Church as it was, but gave the congregation time to pray and helped them reach the point of knowing that it was time to allow the church to die and be re-born.
If you call a new pastor and begin again, Blankenship explained to the church of mostly senior adults, how will he lead you into the future? Where will he get
the resources? He would still be dealing with the same problems.
But, Blankenship explained, if you re-start as a new church plant, there may be resources, includ-ing funding, for the plant, plus a younger pastor and core group in their 20’s and 30’s, a consultant, and support from a parent church and other partners.
“It wasn’t easy,” Charles Gib-son, a founding member of the Laytonsville congregation in 1965, told BaptistLIFE in 2002. Gibson’s biggest fear was that the church would close.
“The first time it shocked me,” Gibson said, regarding Blan-kenship’s proposal for Laytonsville to die and let a new church begin. But within a few meetings, Gibson was convinced.
There was some sadness, he admitted, but the church did not close. It became home to two churches, MorningStar Community Church, which eventually faced similar challenges, and the Philip-pine International Bible Church, which is a better fit for the community and is now thriving.
Starting anew
Continued journey
God, using the legacies of Latonsville Baptist and MorningStar, allowed the church to become Philippine International Bible Church (PIBC). PIBC was renting space at MorningStar and church leaders approached Senior Pastor Nards Manalang to ask if the church would be interested in buying the property. Manalang knew PIBC was ready to take the leap. MorningStar requested just a portion of the church’s real estate value. “It was actually more of a handing down one Southern Baptist property to another,” Manalang acknowledges.
Page 21September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
“If you re-start as a new church plant, there may be resources, including funding, for the plant, plus a younger pastor and core group in their 20’s and 30’s, a consultant, and support from a parent church and other partners. ”
--Ron Blankenship, Director of MissionsMontgomery Baptist Association
“We were quite eager,” Manalang
said, noting the church was coming of age after meeting in other church buildings. It was time to move to accommodate their growth.
“We are just so thankful that this property has been provided,” Manalang said, noting the church is still primarily Filipino.
“We are trying to take steps to make it more international. It is a challenge.” The church is seeking a part-time American youth minister to help with that outreach effort.
PIBC now has six adult small groups and several Sunday School classes for children. Manalang said the church envisions building a multipurpose building within a few years for sporting events, classrooms, and conferences.
Ron Blankenship, director of missions for the Montgomery Baptist Association, is thrilled the original church will continue the journey, though taking an unplanned but God-ordained path.
Page 22 September 2014Page 22 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
By Sharon Mager
COLUMBIA, Md.—Some Mid-At-
lantic Baptist Network/BCMD churches find that merging established churches and new plants is an answer to prayer. None believe it’s easy but they’re willing to consider the possibility as a way to persevere, building on the legacy of believers, some even from other denominations, to start new Southern Baptist churches or outreaches.
Below is a snap-shot of some network churches striving for renewal through a variety of means:
Jesus Our Redeem-er Church in Federal Hill is a great example of blending the old and new. A handful of Lee Street Memorial Church members prayed that God would rescue their church. It was historic, started in the 1800s as a Sunday school ministry that flourished. Eight hundred members filled the church in the post Civil War years.
As Lee Street members petitioned God for help, God was calling Brad O’Brien and his wife Jena-Marie to Baltimore. O’Brien heard Lee Street’s dilemma and provided pulpit supply. Both churches began to be aware of how God was moving and after much discussion, Lee Street Memorial Church’s con-gregation voted unani-mously to merge with
Redeemer City Church to be called Jesus Our Re-deemer Church, though the church is officially “Lee Street Memorial Church doing business as Jesus Our Redeemer Church.”
Streetlite Christian Fellowship redeemed
property from a Methodist
church
on Pontiac Avenue
in Brooklyn. At a June dedication service, Brian Zimmerman, senior pas-tor of Streetlite, said the Methodist church was founded in 1868. Now, over a century and a half later, Streetlite’s new “Transformation Center,” continues the legacy of those long-ago believers.
The new center will be a place of refuge, of-fering food and clothing, health services, family restoration services, arts and media, addictions counseling, vocational training, a school, and a church.
Gallery Church was the recipient of the gift-ing of two churches, Col-gate Baptist Church and Patterson Park Church. In Eastern Baltimore County, Colgate Baptist Church members literally passed specially made batons to Gallery Church leaders at a transition ser-vice in the spring of 2013.
The church, founded in 1932, began as a Sun-day School sponsored by Patterson Park Baptist Church. The once thriving church had dwindled to a
few members striving to keep the church afloat.
Downtown Balti-more’s Patterson Park Baptist Church mem-bers graciously gifted their property to Gallery Church in the fall of 2013, marking the occasion with a celebration wor-ship service on October 27, 2013. This date coincided the 100th an-niversary of the church’s incorporation. Many of those who grew up in the church returned to celebrate the past and anticipate seeing God’s plans for the future.
Woolford Memo-rial Church was founded in the mid 1940s. At a special banquet, mem-bers of Woolford shared bittersweet memories as they officially handed the building and authority to North Arundel Church (NAC) in Northern Anne Arundel County. NAC equipped the church for modern worship and Woolford became “Grace Place,” a video multi-site venue of NAC.
North Arundel Church later transitioned that facility, making it a stand-alone church and gifting the facility for a new plant, providing planter Troy McDaniel with counsel and prayer support. McDaniel has seen slow steady growth and has developed strong new ties with the community.
The story was the same at Hampden Baptist Church. The neighborhood changed, the church was aging but the faithful congrega-tion wanted to continue the legacy of the gospel
in their neighborhood. Through the help of Gary Glanville, pastor of Northwest Baptist Church and the Mid-Maryland Baptist Associa-tion, the church was intro-duced to church planter Dan Hyun and Village Church. Hyun and his core group did not have a facility and God opened the door to Hampden Baptist Church. Hyun said they couldn’t have picked a better facility.
Church Planter Michael Crawford, pastor of Freedom Church, was thrilled when Bob Mackey, Baltimore Baptist Association director of missions, called to ask Crawford if Freedom was interested in the property of Hazelwood Baptist Church in the Rose-dale area of Baltimore. Hazelwood Baptist had dissolved and the prop-erty reverted back to the association.
Bethany Lane Bap-tist Church stepped in to build on the legacy left by Cornerstone Commu-nity Church in Columbia after the church had declined. Cornerstone leaders were weary and praying for God to redeem the hard work through over a decade of ministry. With the help of Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, Bethany took control of the church, allowing it technically to continue as Cornerstone Community Church do-ing business as Bethany Church, Columbia. The facility became a new church multisite with a strong campus pastor and young bivocational staff.
Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD churches find new life through
restoration, revival and resurrection
Page 23September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
The challenges of church revitalizationBy James Pope
Pastor, North Arundel Church
Baptist churches are like cats. In the words of Lyle Schaller, no one owns a
cat! There are probably statistical studies somewhere that break down the percentages for each characterization along a spectrum from failure to success when it comes to church revitalization. Here is my unscientific take:
There are some churches that have said, “Over my dead body” so long, that they contribute to self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether this group of churches use their resources to keep the lights on until the last one dies, or waits too long to call for help, the outcome is the same: property that no one can use because it requires too much repair or a corporation without dissolution or any living Trustees. Like the Apostle John’s letter to the church at Sardis, they had a reputation of being alive but were dead.
There are some churches that have been faithful stewards of their property even while suffering from dysfunctional leadership. While they may have staked out the “we shall not be moved” principle of resisting change, they were proud enough of what they had to ensure its upkeep. Whether it is pride or a sense of Kingdom obligation, the thought of “the church” (a.k.a. “building”) falling into disrepair, coupled with the absence of the sound of children’s voices echoing through the hallways, is enough to get their attention. They are at least open to a conversation about the future, the outcome of which is depending on how well that conversation is managed.
The factors influencing the entire spectrum of churches in need of transition are few and certain. It’s doubtful that any are
spiritual in nature. Were I to distill these, they might look like this:
1) A sense of loss of importance or value. Someone has said, “When small men cast long shadows, it’s late in the day!” In most cases the conversation is about senior adults. In the last stage of life, with everything else fleeting, so is their sense of having a voice. They lose their keys, hearing,
eyesight, Bibles and the places where their opinion used to count. They end up emotionally barricaded inside the walls of a church where they still feel like they are in control. Somehow, that fact has to be dealt with.
2) The nature of change and its assumed implications. This is a principle that stands in the middle of church fights about worship styles as well as about embracing an uncertain future as a church. Failure to admit that change does not imply correcting what is wrong leads to the resistance of opportunity. The generation that is at the heart of the struggle is the one that has witnessed more change than any generation in human history. And while they have embraced changes in transportation and technology because it has
improved their lives, they are reluctant to do so in respect to their faith. “The ole’ time religion is good enough for me because it was good for our fathers, mothers, brothers,”etc. How faith was practiced was tied to why. In their minds, if you change how, it is a judgment on why. You are declaring that which they hold dear to has been wrong. Somehow that fact has to be dealt with.
3) The need for a friend who can be trusted. At any given time in any given burger joint on any given evening of any given day in any given community they can be found. There they sit, eating, drinking, killing hours, swapping stories. They are the cohorts of a dying breed, both men and women. Most of the time they have all been around the same area and this is how they spend their days. Interestingly enough, the only thing that it takes to become one of them is to be one of them from somewhere else. If you are old enough and have the time, you can join their ranks because they assume that you can be trusted.Try being a kid and join!
Because of the list of variables that influence how people think, feel and act, the safest way to introduce a previously taboo subject is by a peer. When it comes to a church in its twilight years in need of making inherently difficult decisions regarding its own future, there is no substitute for gray hair! Somehow that fact has to be dealt with.
For another church to be willing to take on the challenge of offering a future, they will not succeed unless they are able to graciously navigate these issues. It will not always work. It can work. It has worked. It can work again.
For another church to be willing to take
on the challenge of offering a future,
they will not succeed unless they are able
to graciously navigate these issues. It will not
always work. It can work. It has worked. It
can work again.
Page 24 September 2014www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
By SharonMager
Andrew Morgan, pastor of Immanuel Bap-tist Church, Salisbury, was called to the church in January 2011. He said the church was not healthy, but was aware of their need for change.
“They had come to the point of knowing that if they didn’t change, they would die,” Morgan said.
The church par-ticipated in LifeWay’s Transformational Church strategy with the help of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD. It was a great decision that be-came the catalyst for the church’s turning around journey.
Morgan, who was one of several pastors who contributed input to the Network’s “Turning Around Journey,” said for any church ready to embark on change they must realize that patience is necessary.
“You can’t rip out the pews and put in cafe tables or fire the music minister and bring in a rock band and expect change. You can create a crowd, but that’s not the same as growing,” he said.
Morgan said the process for Immanuel’s change began with looking at themselves. “We had to identify and appreciate who we were,” he said, adding “we also had to identify who we were not.”
As part of that discov-ery process, Morgan said the church had to look inward before looking outward. That didn’t mean we stopped missional outreach, he stressed, but they had to say no to projects the church wasn’t ready for or that they felt were not what God had for them at that time.
Morgan likened it to a person who has a 104 fever. A sick person can’t go out and get the job done. He doesn’t have the strength and may get a lot of others sick.
The church, Morgan said, began its change with a real “unity around the gospel of Christ.” While that was always the church’s goal, it needed to be expressed in their purpose and action, he explained.
As the church is progressing, it is growing slightly in attendance, but the real change is at a deeper level. Instead of the same small group of people doing ministry, the majority of the church is involved. In addition, weekly offerings have
increased. People want to support the ministries.
Thomas Winborn was called to Welsh Baptist Church in Frost-burg in 1999. The historic church was started in 1868 by a group of Welsh settlers. It, like many churches, was declin-ing. Winborn said the church had maintained its funds but was spiral-ing downwards quickly in attendance and effective-ness. The average age was 65, and there were no children and one youth.
Winborn said pastors
are taught at seminary to steer clear of making too many changes the first year. That wasn’t going to work at Welsh, he said. He, and the church leadership knew, they had to move fast.
Winborn said he put a vision team of leaders together to work on the constitution and bylaws, and changed the music to a more contemporary version including older hymns reworked to fit a modern band style of music. But the primary change was leading the
church to be gospel-centered and missionally engaged.
“A church is either going forward or back-wards,” Winborn states. Welsh, he said, was willing to acknowledge they were dying and had to begin again. “We were really like a ‘replant,’” he explained.
He led the church in “seeing through the lens of the gospel” in everyday life, using that lens in job, family and other deci-sions. “It’s saying, ‘How can I live out the gospel in this moment?’”
“Everything is driven to, and seen in light of, the cross of Jesus,” he said.
The church now has 80 on Sundays, ten children and a small youth group. The average age is now 45. “We’re reaching the people other churches aren’t reaching in our area. We’ve been inten-tional about that from the beginning,” Winborn said.
“Missional alignment is what we’re doing,” he said. The church’s mis-sion is to “glorify God by making disciples.” If a ministry does not line up with that mission then it is only draining funds, time, talent and people.
“We say ‘no’ more than ‘yes,’” he said. The church ministers at nursing homes to senior adults. They are very active on the Frostburg State Uni-versity campus through Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade). They recently started a clothes closet and a parents’ night out ministry.
Not everyone approved of the quick changes. “Some jumped ship,” Winborn said.
Church revitalization is possible but it’s not easy, say pastors
Immanuel Baptist Church
Page 25September 2014 www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
COLUMBIA, Md.—Churches, aware that they are plateaued or in early stages of decline and willing to make changes to move forward, are invited to apply to be considered for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD’s “Turning Around Journey.”
The program is led by David Jackson, the Net-work’s team strategist for church multiplication, and Randy Millwood, team strategist for church wellness, with the help of several veteran Network pastors who have provided input and coaching services.
Millwood said the use of the term “journey” is significant. “Jesus’ invitation was to follow,” he said. “That would indicate a continuing process.”
The “journey” process lasts about a year, though the church’s continuing walk could take a lifetime. Each “Turning Around Journey” participating church develops and affirms a covenant crafted by the pas-tor and designated representatives of the church. The purpose of the covenant is to affirm leadership and/or congregational support for engaging a quest toward turning around.
The first step of the “journey” is seeking spiri-tual discernment during a two-day spiritual retreat allowing pastors to use ancient practices to develop discernment habits—hearing from God, knowing what He wants from them and the church, then taking those tools back to the church and leaders.
In addition there are one-day workshops, reading requirements, “Turning Around” church projects and participation in coaching experiences.
“We go very deeply into the change process,” Millwood says. “That includes identifying where they
are as a pastor, as leaders, and as a church, and as well as conflict management or resolution.”
“You don’t lead change without some level of conflict,” Millwood emphasized, adding there is a godly righteous way to handle it and there is a worldly response. Churches need to find a style of conflict management that honors God and works for their congregations, he said.
They also deal with courage because “change is fearful,” Millwood said. Leaders must instill courage, not being brash or harsh, but courageous.
Other issues include evaluating structure includ-ing facilities, organization, con-stitution and by-laws and other necessary administrative issues of the church.
Finally, they look at the church’s external focus on evangelism and think strategically about becom-ing more external.
Eight churches are currently enrolled in the “journey process.” Some are already reaping ben-efits.
Millwood said all of the participating churches have completed an outwardly focused ministry proj-ect design and are beginning initial implementation.
The 2014 session is closed but there are plans to begin a new turning around group early in 2015.
For more information, visit http://bcmd.org/turning-around-journey or email Millwood at [email protected]. --By Sharon Mager
Turning Around Journey —continuing to follow Jesus
But the church moved forward.
Winborn provided vision team members each a copy of the book “Seven Practices for Ef-fective Ministry” by Andy Stanley and gave each church member copies of “Who Stole My Church,” by Gordon MacDonald.
“It’s a growing process. Pastors must be patient and willing to al-low themselves to change in the transformation,” Winborn said.
Robert Parsley, has served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Crofton for 15 years. He led the church out of their decline through a process of streamlining and simplify-ing. It has since doubled
under his leadership. Parsley streamlined
the church’s organizational structure, narrowing over a dozen committees down to three working groups with ten members each: ministry, missions and external outreach.
“We did away with standing committees,” he said, though they do form “ad-hoc” committees for particular needs. The groups are open and the congregation is welcome to attend, but not vote. Church members with ideas and concerns are welcome to share. Busi-ness meetings were held less often but the church body votes when substan-tial amounts of money is used, such as buying a
piano, but the administra-tive group determines the best deal.
Did everyone like the idea? Not at all.
“If you’re expecting everyone to like it, you’re in fantasy land,” Parsley said. “Expect to lose a few and to gain a lot more.”
Change did not happen overnight, Parsley said, but the conflict and tension reduced dramati-cally.
“This has been a real blessing,” Parsley said, adding that other churches have repli-cated the organizational strategy. Parsley said the church recently narrowed the three teams to just two: administrative and ministry/missions. Each
team now has 12 repre-sentatives. They also try very hard to keep the teams well represented with young adults actively participating in leader-ship.
Now the church focuses on outreach. “It’s putting full energy into serving instead of business and committee meetings,” Parsley said.
“When churches are declining and arguing, the unimportant matters. They don’t lift up the main thing, they don’t focus on serving. When they do, it’s like working on the farm all day. You’re hungry, you’re tired, you don’t have time to fuss,” he said.
Page 26 September 2014
Day One : Language MinistryThe Mid-Atlantic region has a heritage of immigrants enriching our communities with their hard work and creative spirit. That strong drive to start something new has helped advance the Kingdom of God as believers newly arrived to this region form new congregations and reach out to others of their culture who do not yet know Christ. At several times during the year, the “language churches” come together to celebrate what God has done in their midst, to grieve for other language groups who are not yet engaged with the Gospel, and to pray for more churches to be planted so that every group in the region can hear the Good News.
• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionaries Robert Kim and Rolando Castro as they provide leadership to the language church community.• Pray for our language pastors, many of whom are bi-vocational. Ask God to provide additional leaders to start new ministries for unreached language groups.
Day Two: Language MinistryAnnie Armstrong urged churches to reach out to immigrants, believing that since Christians weren’t sending missionaries fast enough overseas, God was now sending “foreign peoples” to Christians in America. Today churches in even rural areas are welcoming international neighbors and finding ways to love, serve and share Christ with them through such ministries as English as a Second Language (ESL), citizenship classes and children’s ministry.
• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionary Wendy Mindte as she gives leadership in the area of ESL ministries. • Ask God to open new doors of opportunity for your church to love and serve the international com-munity around you.
Day Three: Language MinistryEvery year thousands of international students, business people and tourists spend time in the Mid-Atlantic region. Because they are only in our area for a short time, they often go un-noticed, yet they too need Christ. Ministries to seafarers, international students, athletes and resort workers are some of the ways Mid-Atlantic Baptists are stepping forward to love and serve our guests from around the world.
• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionary Lynn Davis and her team as they minister year round to thousands of young adults from over 40 countries working in the Ocean City, Md., resort area. Ask God to provide avenues to follow up with new believers and “seekers” once they return home.• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missions volunteer Julie DuVall and her team as they minister through acts of kindness and bold witness around Deep Creek Lake, Md. Ask God to em-bolden them as they love and serve athletes, coaches and supporters from 35 countries at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championship held in Garrett County this September.
Day Four: Legacy ChurchesWhen faced with the challenges of cultural shifts, changing neighborhoods and unused baptismal pools, churches may be tempted to hunker down rather than reach ahead. Legacy churches are courageous congregations who say “no” to idealizing the past and “yes” to advancing the King-dom of God. By gifting their church facilities to new church plants, legacy churches demonstrate both their great faith in Christ and great love for the lost people in their community.
• Pray for Mid Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionary David Jackson and his team as they walk alongside congregations facing difficult “end of life” decisions.• Thank God for the legacy churches who have chosen to “live on” through a new church plant. Pray for churches facing this decision—may God grant them the wisdom and courage to say “yes” to something new.
www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Week of Prayer – September 7-14
2014 Prayer Guide
Page 27September 2014
Day Five: Legacy ChurchesMost new church plants must rent meeting facilities and are often forced to move again and again as landlords raise rents or the congregation outgrows the space. To be given a building of their own is gift beyond measure. Yet with the facility comes the challenge of building on the ministry foundation faithfully laid down by the legacy church over many years, now going forward to proclaim Christ in a way that makes sense to the people in that community today.
• Pray for Jesus Our Redeemer, Gallery Church Eastpoint, The Village, Freedom Church, Grace Place and Gallery Patterson Park and others as they step into “big shoes” left by legacy congregations. Pray for the young pastors as they lead their congregations to go forward: loving and serving their new neighbors, sharing Christ and displaying God’s greatness throughout the community.
Day Six: Leaders of Tomorrow“Making disciples who make disciples” is a key strategy for Baptist Campus Collegiate Min-istry. Last year the collegiate missionaries and their students recorded 3,561 personal gospel presentations with 66 decisions for Christ. Seventy-one “new units” including evangelistic dorm Bible studies, peer discipleship groups and new campus ministries were begun.
• Pray for Mike McQuitty, Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionary and his team of collegiate ministers across the region who are investing their lives in leading students to Christ and developing leaders. Ask God to give them strength, energy and discernment.• Pray for collegiate ministry interns Joey (U.S. Naval Academy), Charlie (Univ. of Delaware), Justin (Towson University), Olivia (Univ. of Maryland, College Park) and Joo Eun (Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County). Ask God to deepen their love for Him and for the young adults they are serving.
Day Seven: Leaders of TomorrowOne hundred and eight high school students from 39 churches voluntarily attended leader-ship training sessions at 6:30 each morning during the Network’s reCHARGE camp at Sky-croft this summer. Many of these young people will choose to continue with BCMD’s Leader-ship Lab throughout the year which will allow them to participate in experiences designed to develop leadership skills and help them focus on leading like Jesus.
• Pray for these students as they return home and begin to put their new awareness and skills to prac-tice. Ask God to develop their minds, hearts and character so that they will truly “lead like Jesus.”• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionary Doug DuBois as he and his team invest their lives in reaching young people for Christ and equipping them to lead in their churches, schools and communities.
Day Eight: Go ForwardAnnie Armstrong said, “The future lies all before us . . . shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward, to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before?” So often we are content with slight advances in our ministry here and there—but what if, at the end of the year, every person in your congregation had a story to tell of how, in ways great or small, he or she changed the world by loving, serving and sharing Christ with those around them?
• Pray for your church’s ministry to those who live, work, play and go to school in your community. Ask God to give you vision and courage as you go forward into new avenues of mission.• Pray for Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD missionaries Ellen Udovich and Melody Knox and their teams as they assist churches in leaping forward to bless their communities by loving, serving and shar-ing Christ.
www.gofwdmidatlantic.com
Week of Prayer – September 7-14
2014 Prayer Guide
Page 28 September 2014
COME CELEBRATE WITH US! OUR ANNUAL CELEBRATION
November 9-11, 2014The Church at Severn Run
8187 Telegraph Rd, Severn, MD
Loving Neighbors & Sharing Christ
This year’s annual celebration is an opportunity for Maryland and Delaware Baptists to gather for inspiration, fellowship and free ministry training.
The meeting features worship, ministry reports, an exhibit hall with resources for churches, and plenty of ways to connect in ministry-specific brunches, a shared meal time on Monday night, as well as other memorable opportunities.
REGISTER TODAY ONLINE:WWW.BCMD.ORG/ANNUAL
Page 29September 2014
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
ROBERT ANDERSON is the current Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD President and is in his 18th year at Colonial Baptist Church in Randallstown, Md. He received a B.B.E. degree from Carver Bible College in Atlanta, Ga., and a Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Eastern Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, Va. He and his wife Jacqueline have four children.
DEBORAH BULLOCK, wife to Harold Bullock, senior pastor of Hope Community Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, has spoken at women’s conferences in California, Texas and Kansas, and at conferences for missionaries in Canada and Indonesia. She is the primary developer and writer of the NRG Gender-Specific Curriculum. She served as Kids Ministry Director at Hope Church for seven years and has taught numerous classes on developing character and values in children. A former newspaper feature writer and administrator in urban renewal, she has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and a Masters of Divinity Degree from Southwestern Seminary. She and her husband have three adult children.
HAROLD BULLOCK is the founder and senior pastor of Hope Community Church, an innovative church in Fort Worth, Texas. Hope began in 1978 with a vision to help with planting churches in the major cities of the world. During the past 31 years people going out from Hope have planted more than sixty-five churches. Training leaders in character, wisdom and skill has been a focal point of Harold’s ministry. For the past ten years, he has been leading conferences training church staff and members in leadership, building value-shaping ministries, and strategies for dealing with conflict. He has written several books on the scriptural way to gain wisdom and avoid detrimental patterns of life. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary in addition to a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and chemistry from East Tennessee State University. Harold and Deborah have three adult children.
ALLEN JACKSON is the founder of the Youth Ministry Institute of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is a professor of Youth and Collegiate Ministry. He holds a bachelor of sciences degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi along with an master of religious education degree and a Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an accomplished author and sought after speaker and trainer for youth and youth leaders. Before joining faculty, Jackson served as youth minister in churches in Louisiana and Georgia. He and his wife Judi have two adult children.
FRED LUTER, JR. is senior pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La. When he was elected as pastor of this congregation in 1986, Franklin Avenue was a small Southern Baptist mission church with 65 members on roll. Under Pastor Luter’s leadership, by 2005 the church had grown to over 7,000 members, making Franklin Avenue the largest Southern Baptist church in the state of Louisiana. Luter has preached all across the country for various revivals, evangelism conferences, associational meetings, and state conventions. In 2011, he became the first African American to be elected as first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and made history again when he became SBC’s first ever African American president at the annual meeting held in New Orleans on June 19, 2012. He and his wife Elizabeth have two adult children.
WILL MCRANEY diligently serves as executive missional strategist for the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD. He previously served as Florida Baptist Convention church-planting and evangelism strategist/director and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary evangelism and church-planting professor. A former church planter assessor and training system designer, McRaney has researched, written about and spoken extensively on personal and church evangelism, church growth and health, church planting, leadership, revitalization, church models, postmodernism and cultural trends. He and his wife, Sandy, have three children.
Loving Neighbors & Sharing Christ
Page 30 September 2014
Joel Rainey to lead evangelism/mission efforts at Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD
By Shannon Baker
COLUMBIA, Md.—Effective Sept. 1, Joel Rainey, director of missions and church planting missionary for the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association in Eldersburg, Md., will provide leader-ship to the Engagement Team for Evangelistic Mis-sions of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD. His new role will be a vital part of the Network’s overall effort to strengthen churches and enhance the effectiveness of local churches in penetrating the diverse peoples of the Mid-Atlantic region and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I have appreciated Dr. Rainey’s partnership in the gospel from his current associational mission’s role, and I am excited to have him use his gifts, passions and wealth of experience to assist all of the churches that make-up the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network,” Will McRaney, executive missional strategist for the Network, said. “I believe through his leadership we will see even greater strengthening of local churches in their Kingdom advancing impact. He will be a great addition to our team and to the churches we serve.”
Rainey has 22 years of pastoral ministry experi-ence as a staff member, lead pastor, church planter, and interim pastor. He has been involved as a pastor and denominational ser-vant in helping start more than 100 churches in the United States. He also has
been involved in mission projects on five continents, including construc-tion, evangelism, church planting, and theological education.
“What is exciting to me is that I’ll be doing exactly what I was doing—
evangelism, engaging the culture, building mission partnerships, locally and globally, and helping engaged churches assist non-engaged churches,” shared Rainey, 42.
“It is the same work, but to do it with 550 churches versus 62 churches is really excit-ing. The quality of work always goes up when there are more involved,” said Rainey, who holds a mas-ter of divinity and a doctor of philosophy degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
Rainey has coordinat-
ed the collective mission work of the Mid-Maryland network of Southern Bap-tist churches since 2005.
Under his leadership, this local network has grown from 43 churches and 8,500 members to roughly 12,000 mem-
bers worshipping in 62 churches. While there, he expanded the international reach and influence of these churches by “tak-ing the gospel to every inhabited continent on the globe for the purpose of reaching the lost, raising up indigenous leader-ship, and starting new churches.”
Rainey says the Mid-Maryland Baptist Associa-tion gave him the platform and the freedom to try several new methods. “It was a great experience,” he said, noting he consistently received comments about how the association was “a
global entity—not just a local one.”
Today’s global migra-tion patterns bring this global mission to our very region, he continued, noting it is not unusual for a Hindu Indian to live next door or for a Middle Eastern Muslim to work a couple of offices down the street.
“‘The ends of the earth’ is now at our back door,” he said. “Maryland is a petri dish of this glo-balization, and therefore the perfect environment for missions to happen locally.”
Rainey also ac-knowledged he is excited to continue the work of pioneering Baptists who forged the way for current realities.
“From the Potomac River to the Canadian bor-der, any Baptist work that exists has Maryland/Dela-ware Baptist fingerprints all over it. I am honored that Dr. McRaney invited me to play a role among people with this pioneer-ing history in their DNA, and I am eager to do my part to stoke that historic passion and see a fresh ex-pansion of God’s Kingdom across the Mid-Atlantic and the world,” he said.
Originally from Greer, S.C., he and his wife, Amy, have three chil-dren, Samuel, 14; Seth, 8; and Abigail Grace, 5, who was adopted from Pingli-ang in the Gansu Province of the People’s Republic of China.
To learn more, visit http://about.me/joelrainey.
Joel Rainey and his wife Amy have three children (l to r): Seth, 8; Samuel, 14; and Abigail Grace, 5.
By Shannon Baker
COLUMBIA, Md.—Keith Hammer, former ex-ecutive pastor and elder at Riva Trace Baptist Church (RTBC) in Davidsonville, Md., has joined the staff of the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD. He will serve in the area of church strengthening.
“Not only does Keith Hammer bring great ministry and corporate experience, but also a strong Christian character and servant attitude,” Will McRaney, executive mis-sional strategist for the Net-work, said. “His extensive experience in local church leadership and in high capacity corporate roles will add great value as the Net-work seeks to strengthen our churches’ capacities to love our neighbors and share Christ in this great Mid-Atlantic region.”
For 14 years in his role as executive pastor, Ham-mer managed staff and ministry leaders as well as coordinated and facili-tated strategic planning in several areas. Also in charge of finances, facilities and operations, Hammer served as project lead for the funding, construction and relocation of the church to a new 65,000 square foot facility in 2006.
During that time, he served for around four years on the Network’s Leadership Development and Support Team and as
the point leader for the hosting of the Global Lead-ership Summit at RTBC.
Since 2002, he also has served as a certified regional and national instructor for “Walk Thru the Bible,” an organization that teaches biblical doc-trines, primarily through an innovative, interactive seminar format. He is a certified life coach through CoachNet and a marriage
counselor through Prepare & Enrich ministries. Most recently he has served as consultant/coach at The Caleb Advisory Group, a ministry he started to help pastors and other leaders have greater success in their endeavors.
Prior to beginning his service as an executive pastor, Hammer gained over 15 years of corporate experience as manager and executive in high growth environments, leading both small project teams and large departments. He
served in the role of chief information and technol-ogy officer in companies such as Mars Music, a start-up and rapidly growing specialty retailer, and Crown Books/Dart Group, a group of retail chains. He also served as di-rector of corporate systems at Circuit City where he provided business solutions for the corporate staff dur-ing the company’s growth
from $240 million in sales to $6 billion in sales.
“My role as a senior IT (information technology) executive provided me with a unique window into all of the other various internal departments that we served and the ‘big picture’ of how everything fit together and could be better integrated,” Hammer said.
Hammer said God used the book “Halftime (Moving from Success to Significance)” by Bob Buford to serve as a catalyst to call him into pastoral
ministry for the second half of his life.
“During those 20 years [in the IT field], I led Bible studies, taught adult classes, hosted small groups, and served as an el-der in two churches. While doing so I received much confirmation from others of the fruit that God’s gifting was producing in the lives of those that I was serving,” said Hammer. “After committing it to prayer along with my wife and seeking the counsel of a number of godly men in my life that I respected the most and knew me the best, God confirmed His call to pastoral ministry.”
Since following God’s call, Hammer has earned a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary, Lanham, Md., and a Masters of Divinity degree from Rockbridge Seminary. He completed the executive program in managing information technology from the Uni-versity of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and has an undergraduate business management degree from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
He and his wife Jan-ice, who he met in youth group, recently celebrated their 35th anniversary. They have three adult children, Dan, Mark, and Sarah, and four grandchil-dren, Amanda, 6; Logan, 4; Caroline, 3; and Isaiah, 1.
Page 31September 2014
Keith Hammer to focus on church strengthening at Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD
Keith Hammer and his wife Janice have three adult children: Dan, Mark, (not pictured) and Sarah (center).
ASSISTANT TEACHERS—Severna Park Baptist WEE Center is accepting applications for Assistant Teachers for their weekday program. The positions are: a five-day assistant with three year olds, 8:30 am to 2:15 pm on Mon/Wed/Fri and 8:30 am to noon on Tues/Thurs; and a three-day assistant with four year olds, 8:30 am to noon on Mon/Wed/Fri. Please call (410) 647-8162 or email [email protected] to arrange an interview. Applications can be downloaded from the church website, http://spbcmd.com.
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Breathless:A Gathering for WomenFaith Baptist ChurchSaturday, September 27, 2014
Laurie Register WMU, S.C.
Featured Guests:
WendyMindte Love Loud, Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network/BCMD “Take a look at God’s
wonders, they’ll take your breath away.”Psalm 66:5 (MSG)
