On Mission Magazine - Spring 2019

contents

On Mission highlights missionaries, chaplains and churches working to reach North America and the world for Christ. On Mission is a publication of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

NAMB is an SBC entity supported by the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.® The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union.® Postmaster: Send address changes to: On Mission, North American Mission Board, PO Box 292, Williamsport, PA 17703-0292.

Because of your valued support of the Cooperative Program, we are able to offer you a free copy of On Mission. To subscribe, call toll free 800-431-7571, or visit namb.net/ OnMission. On Mission grants permission for any original article to be photocopied for educational or church use. Include the following credit: “Used by permission of On Mission, North American Mission Board, ©2019.” For special requests, email us at help@namb.net, or call 800-634-2462.

NAMB President Kevin Ezell

Art Director Shawn Elledge

Executive Vice President Carlos Ferrer

Designer Steve Beaver

Chief Marketing Officer Adam Hollingsworth

Photo Editor Hayley Catt

Senior Creative Director Adam Bain

Section Editor Tony Hudson

Editor K. Faith Morgan

On Mission Magazine 4200 North Point Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30022

Assistant Editor Josie Bingham

Contributors Rich Benevento Matt Carson Daniel Delgato Brandon Elrod Daley Hake Casey Jones Peg Jones Jason Lagi Meredith Lyons Patricia McCarty Daniel McCullough Tobin Perry Shauna Pillgreen Matt Rogers Rebecca Santiago Jeremy Sin Colleen Smith Muche Ukegbu Meredith Yackel

© 2019 ON MISSION

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spring 2 019

18

2 President’s Letter

4 The Pulse

8 Because You Give

10 The Five

12 Q&A

14 People Groups: Law Enforcement

16 Neighborhood Portrait: Little Africa, Twin Cities

18 Reaching religions 26 Launching a movement in a most secular city 32 Colorful & complex 32 42 The meal plan 48 Comfort can be dangerously desensitizing

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52 Recommended

56 My Turn

57 Now What?

Your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter OfferingÂŽ give missionaries the resources they need to spread the gospel across North America. Give online at AnnieArmstrong.com/Give. volume 22 | number 2

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presi dent’s letter

Hope beyond here and now

By Kevin Ezell, NAMB president (@kevezell)

W

hen Jesus walked the earth, He challenged people about where and in what they placed their hope. The Pharisees pinned their hopes on keeping the law as perfectly as possible and judging

themselves better than everyone else. Others placed their hope in riches and earthly possessions. Still others hoped Jesus would be a conquering king who would deliver the Jewish people out of their earthly bondage.

But Jesus knew these hopes were placed in things far too finite and temporal. He wanted to give a hope that transcended circumstances, economic status and political power. The hope Jesus delivered was eternal and outlasted anything life on earth can offer.

It’s that same hope we have the opportunity to bring people today.

Have you noticed that even with all of the comforts, advancements and conveniences the human race has achieved since the days of Jesus, there is still no surplus of hope? In fact, if anything, it seems there is a shortage. Suicide rates are higher, depression is on the rise and anxiety plagues even our children.

Where’s the hope?

Here’s where believers come in. You and I have the opportunity and responsibility to point people toward Jesus and the eternal hope that transcends circumstances.

And through your giving, you help others spread that hope as well.

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Your Southern Baptist missionaries throughout North America bring the hope of the gospel to thousands of people every day through the churches they start and the compassion ministries they lead. When you give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, you help those missionaries continue their ministry.

That’s the hope we are all about at the North American Mission Board. It’s the hope most needed in our world today.

Support missionaries sending the hope of the gospel across North America by giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter offering at AnnieArmstrong.com.

New Podcast!

EVANGELISM WITH JOHNNY HUNT

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Do you have questions about leading your church in evangelism?

Johnny Hunt sits down with NAMB president Kevin Ezell to answer questions and give practical solutions to evangelism challenges faced by pastors and congregations across North America.

Send your questions to evangelism@namb.net

the pulse

Measured

Heard You can have all the tools, but you’re probably not going to care much to use them until you have a passion to see people come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Johnny Hunt, NAMB vice president of evangelism and leadership Source: NAMB.net, 2019

Right and wrong Barna Research recently found 24% of Gen Z— those born between 1999 and 2015—strongly agree with the statement “what is morally right and wrong changes over time.” That opinion was less popular with other age groups:

24% of Gen Z

21% of Millennials

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18% of Gen X

12% of Boomers Source: Barna.com; October 9, 2018

Allow your wife to have a say in your calendar. Most of us [pastors] sacrifice way too much of our marriage and family in the name of ministry. Remember: The most important congregation gathers around your dinner table each night.”

Kevin Ezell, NAMB president Source: NAMB.net, 2019

God has given His vision to His church. That vision stated in Revelation 7:9 of ‘a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation’ is His vision.”

Paul Chitwood, IMB president, November 16, 2019 Source: IMB.org

I think the saddest thing I have found is that selling people for commercial sex is more profitable and less risky for traffickers than selling drugs.”

Brittany Payne, director of Purchased Las Vegas Source: NAMB.net, 2019

The best part of the job Although senior church leaders enjoy several aspects of their job, a recent Barna survey showed the majority (66%) identified preaching and teaching as their favorite part of their job. Following preaching and teaching was developing other leaders (10%) and discipling believers (8%).

What’s in our browser?

A

ranking of the most popular U.S. websites showed that three adult

websites ranked higher than Twitter, Wikipedia,

Source: Barna.com, August 7, 2018

Instagram and Netflix. Ranking sixth, seventh and eighth on the list, they were outranked

by Google, Facebook, YouTube, Amazon and

The changing demographic of the U.S. church

W

Yahoo. There were five porn sites total that ranked in the top 30.

Source: SimilarWeb.com; December 1, 2018

hile the percentage of white Protestants between the ages of 18-28 has steadily been on

the decline, the percentage of Hispanic Protestants has been on the rise, and the percentage of black Protestants has stayed consistent.

Source: RelevantMagazine.com, December 28, 2018

Only $90 The average cost of a modern day slave.

Source: NAMB.net, 2019

The state of Scripture Although small, LifeWay has reported a slight uptick in the belief in biblical accuracy and divinity. From 2014 to 2018, the belief that the Bible has the “authority to tell us what to do” rose from 49% to 53%. Likewise, the belief that the Bible is “100% accurate in all that it teaches” rose from 43% to 50%. However, there was also an increase of 41% to 47% in the same timeframe concerning the belief that the Bible “contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.“ Source: LifeWayResearch.com, January 14, 2019

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the pulse

An unseen crisis On average, there are 400,000 children in the foster care system in the United States.

Of those 400,000, more than 100,000 are waiting to be adopted.

Sources: AdoptUsKids.org, 2019

An unfortunate rise

I

n 2017, the number of American children in the foster care system increased for the

fourth consecutive year.

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Reasons for leaving A recent LifeWay survey showed that two-thirds of adults between the ages of 23 to 30 stopped attending church for at least a year when they were between the ages of 18 to 22. The reasons for leaving the church varied, but a third of those surveyed said they left because they felt churches were hypocritical or judgmental.

Source: LifeWay Research, January 15, 2019

Source: NPR.org; November 30, 2018

The risks of aging out

E

very year, approximately 20,000 youth age out of the foster care system. These young

people are especially at high risk of experiencing homelessness, lack of education and unemployment.

Sources: AdoptUsKids.org, 2019

(Screen)time with God YouVersion, a popular Bible reading app, reported they gained over one million new subscribers on January 1, 2019.

Source: RelevantMagazine.com, January 4, 2019

Noted Americans on judgment Six out of 10 Americans agree there will be a time when Jesus returns to judge everyone who has ever lived. Surprisingly, more people believe Jesus will return to judge us than

The believer and the workplace

W

hat are Christian responsibilities in the workplace?

believe the Bible has authority.

Source: LifeWayResearch.com, January 14, 2019

to share the gospel in the workplace, most would agree their role

Church politics

is to act ethically (82%) and always speak the truth (74%). Christian

A recent survey by LifeWay reports younger

Millennials are the most likely to agree it is important for Christians

generations prefer going to churches they feel

to mold the culture in their workplaces.

share their political views. Of those surveyed,

Source: Barna.com, October 30, 2018

57% under the age of 50 agree. However, only

Although only 24% of all Christians believe it is their job

33% of those 65 and older agree.

Source: LifeWayResearch.com, November 1, 2018

Acts of service vs. giving revealed what Christians believed are the most

The state of the Church

generous things a person can do.

Along with the list of the 50 most dangerous

5 7% Taking care of someone who is sick 5 2% Volunteering for an organization 3 0% Signing up to be an organ donor 2 6% Giving $40 to a homeless person 2 1% Talking or smiling to a stranger 2 0% Donating $40 to an organization 17% Helping someone move 15% Giving a $40 offering to a church 13% Babysitting for free 13% Teaching Sunday school 6% Driving someone to the airport

countries for Christians in 2018, Open Doors

Americans value their time. A recent Barna survey

Source: Barna.com, August 21, 2018

also reported that there was a 14% rise in the number of Christians in these high-risk countries. The top five most dangerous countries included North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Pakistan.

Source: OpenDoorsUSA.org, 2019

A lonely culture In 2018, a study from health insurer Cigna found that most Americans report feeling lonely, left out or not known. Barna Research found that the majority of adults have between two and five close friends (62%), yet one in five often feels lonely.

Source: Barna.com; October 23, 2018

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the pulse

Because you gave…

2018 was a big year. $61.2 million big.

You gave a record amount to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® in 2018! But that one big number is not all you did in 2018.

$5 $25 $85

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You provided bus fare for a missionary to travel in his local community.

$300

You gave training and rest to a church planter’s wife at a conference.

You served a meal to a missionary and an unreached neighbor.

$500

You hosted a neighborhood outreach event by providing food and supplies.

You trained missionaries with subscriptions for resources.

$1,000

You delivered emergency travel assistance for a missionary family.

$100

You gifted an anniversary present to a missionary couple.

$1,200

You distributed Bibles, tracts and discipleship materials in a community.

$175

You washed laundry for a family of four through laundromat fees.

$1,400

You offered a month of worship facility rent in an unreached area.

Thank you for sending the hope of the gospel and supporting missionaries throughout North America in 2018! Now the question is: What will you get to do in 2019?

100% of your gifts go toward supporting missionaries who serve in compassion ministries and church planting in North America.

Please give today through your local church or online at AnnieArmstrong.com.

Hear from people touched by your gifts at AnnieArmstrong.com/ThankYou. Find promotional resources at AnnieArmstrong.com/Resources.

100% of your gifts support North American Missionaries Please give through your local church or online at Give.AnnieArmstrong.com Annie Armstrong Easter OfferingÂŽ is a registered trademark of WMU.ÂŽ

the five

5 ways to

By Jeremy Sin

for the Chinese church

In the United States alone, there are more than 2.3 million Chinese immigrants. Another half a million Chinese immigrants are in Canada.

As Southern Baptists, we have an unprecedented opportunity to engage these immigrants with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Pray for cities throughout North America that need more Chinese Southern Baptist churches.

As Chinese immigrants make their way to North America, many move to large cities and college towns to finish their education or reunite with families that immigrated earlier. Unfortunately, many of

2

Pray for God to raise up a new army of Chinese church planters.

Without more church planters, we’re not going to be able to start the number of churches we need to reach the Chinese people coming to North America. Chinese church planters aren’t much different than other prospective church planters. They want to know they can support their families as they launch a new church. Many have misconceptions of what it means to be a bivocational church planter. They don’t believe they can be in ministry unless they’re full-time, but we’ll need bivocational church planters if we’re going to effectively provide access to the gospel for Chinese immigrants coming to North America.

3

Pray for God to develop a hunger for gospel truth among the Chinese in North America.

these cities have very few, if any, Southern Baptist or Canadian Baptist churches that worship in the

It takes a process for any newcomers to understand

heart language of the Chinese people.

the gospel, but it particularly takes time when

pray

in North America they’re from China. Here in the United States, to reach someone who has grown up in the South, where there are churches on every corner, those five- to ten-minute evangelistic strategies may work. But when you come from a background that has little exposure to Christianity, you’ll likely have

5

Pray that God would use churches in North America to provide a family network for Chinese immigrants.

much more profound questions. As you’re praying,

When many immigrants come to the United States,

ask the Lord to impress upon the Chinese people

they don’t bring an extended family with them.

in North America their great need for the gospel.

Churches can provide that sense of connection

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that Chinese immigrants aren’t getting elsewhere.

Pray for God to raise up godly leaders in Chinese churches in North America.

When they do, it gives churches a great opportunity to demonstrate and share the gospel.

Jeremy Sin is a national church planting catalyst at the North American Mission Board.

Discipleship is always a process, no matter where a new believer comes from, but many Chinese Chris-

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tians come to faith in Christ late in life. It takes time for them to understand and apply the gospel to their lives. For these churches to grow and multiply, they need to be able to develop leaders.

See the story of a Chinese church planter in North America at AnnieArmstrong.com.

Learn more about church planting in strategic areas across North America at SendNetwork.com.

How can I get involved in reaching North America if I’m not called to be a pastor or a church planter?

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— Asked on Instagram

Every day of your life is an opportunity to send the hope of the gospel into the world. Find tools and opportunities at namb.net and SendRelief.org.

Johnny Hunt

W

hat an encouraging question.

When the Lord saved you, He

called you to Himself to bring Him glory.

J.D. Greear

O

ne of the things we often say around The Summit Church is,

“Whatever you’re good at, do it well to

Lorna Bius

O

pportunities to join God’s work in North America are abundant and

not confined to pastors, church plant-

One of the greatest joys in life is serving

the glory of God and do it somewhere

ers or church staff. Scripture itself holds

Him, not because I’m a pastor or church

strategic for the mission of God.” I

up many roles in building His kingdom

planter, but because I’m His—a child of

believe if every one of our members lived

on earth. This informs and commissions

God. Now that’s the greatest calling.

sent, as God intends, the world could not

each believer today.

help but sit up and take note.

With this said, what would He have me to

The book of Nehemiah has a one-name

do? He called you based on the gifted-

If you’re a believer, He’s calling you to

title, but within its pages are the names

ness He placed in you. When you serve

follow Him where He goes as He makes

of hundreds of ordinary people. Through

Him in the area of your passion and gift-

His name known. Whether you’re an

the specific notation of names and tasks,

edness, you will experience joy unspeak-

investment banker or a full-time pastor,

God highlights His unique labor force.

able and full of glory. He does not called

a stay-at-home mom or an overseas

the equipped; He equips the called.

missionary, God has a mission for you.

Cornelius, Dorcas, Aquila and Priscilla

Someone in your life doesn’t know Jesus,

are examples from the New Testament of

A question I often ask, “If you could

and God has decided to place you there

God calling His followers to transforming

do any service at all in the church, what

as a gospel witness to that one person.

work, even though they are not pastors.

would you do?” There’s a good chance

The question is no longer if you’re called;

that your answer may very well be your

it’s only a matter of where, and to whom.

I first saw this in an insurance agent and

place of service.

So … Who’s your one?

a homemaker. My parent’s ministry as “non-staff” leaders largely influenced my

Now begin the process, discover your

J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit

call to missions. It compels me today as

calling in service, develop your gifts and

Church and president of the Southern

I work to equip every believer to serve in

deploy to service. God’s very best to you.

Baptist Convention. Learn more about

our North American mission field.

the Who’s Your One evangelism initiative Johnny Hunt is the senior vice president

at WhosYourOne.com.

Lorna Bius is a Send Relief missionary

of evangelism and leadership at the North

serving refugees and internationals in

American Mission Board.

Clarkston, Georgia.

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14

Law Enforcement

people gr ou ps

I

n the mid-19th century, citizens used to be responsible for enforcing the law in their communities. These groups, often known as social vigilantes, mainly provided social services including lighting street lamps, running soup kitchens and capturing runaway animals. Crime was not their main concern.

Cut to modern-day policing where groups are organized by precincts, and preventing crime and disorder is the ultimate goal. Despite all the change and evolution overtime, the social service side of the job remains strong. While the police’s main focus is on enforcing the law, neighborhood care and service are also part of policing—one many take seriously.

“I want to serve my community and make a difference,” says Brittany Page, public information officer for the City of Woodstock in Georgia. “It’s why I became an officer.

Being part of my community as a police officer means volunteering my time to serve them whether it’s working a citysponsored event, speaking to children at school or walking alongside my co-workers as additional security. I believe each event is an opportunity to reach someone and make a positive impact in someone’s life. Jesus was the ultimate servant of humanity, and I strive to live each day following the example Christ set for us, and that is to serve others.”

For police officers, every day on the job is another day their lives are at risk.

“The hardest days on the job are shootings. It’s scary, no doubt,” says Brittany.

“But in this profession, we also see many miracles. Whenever I hear concerning radio traffic come out, I pause what I’m doing and say a prayer for the officers responding. When I can’t do much for them at the time, I pray in faith that God will watch over His children.”

Despite the risk, the police remain an instrument for reforming communities while building intimate relationships. For the police who believe in Jesus Christ, knowing of God’s grace and mercy helps them in their profession. It’s true the people of North America are hurting. But for many police officers, their dual role of protect and serve offers a unique opportunity to reach out to those in crisis.

As a church, please pray for the officers in police uniforms nationwide who serve and protect their communities daily. Pray they are protected just as they protect. Pray they make wise decisions in the field and have opportunities to share their faith.

Because many chaplains minister to or work with the police on a regular basis, chaplains can connect churches to local police needs. Discover ways to reach your local police department and find a chaplain at namb.net/Chaplaincy.

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Philip Nache escaped a terrorist group in his home country. When he came to the United States, he realized he could still reach his countrymen with the gospel.

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Little Africa, Twin Cities

n e igh bor h ood portrai t

PHOTOS BY DANIEL MCCULLOUGH

F

irst-time visitors almost always look twice.

University Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, is maybe the last place anyone would expect to find a neighborhood called “Little Africa.” And yet wintry St. Paul and its twin city Minneapolis are home to one of the largest African immigrant populations in the United States.

Becoming Leaders

Before Philip and his wife Jummai left Nigeria, their work planting churches there brought them unwanted attention. “Boko Haram said I was second on a list of people they were being sent to kill.”

Training Leaders

Men from all over the world learn about church planting from Philip. “They understand their homeland’s culture,” he says. “They could be a huge help to IMB missionaries in their various countries.”

Sending Leaders

Khamis was a “lost boy” of Sudan. He came to the U.S. as a refugee. He hopes to return and share the gospel. “To become a leader, somebody must guide you. This is preparing me for bigger things.”

“It’s like I’m in Africa,” says Philip Nache, a North American missionary in the Twin Cities. “When people think of St. Paul and Minneapolis, they don’t think of Africans. But we have hundreds of thousands of people from South Sudan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia and Nigeria. And when I came here, they were asking, ‘Please Pastor Philip, come plant a church among us.’”

Four years ago, Philip, who’d been a church planter in Nigeria, moved to Minnesota with his wife Jummai to start Hope of Nations Gospel Church. Along with a second church plant they launched two years later, Hope of Nations has now become a training ground for African believers who want to take the gospel back to their native countries. “We can reach people all around the world by reaching Africans who’re living here,” Philip says. “That’s why we’re training Africans who have a heart for their homeland, so they can go and plant churches among their people.”

Philip is now preparing as many church members as he can to go back to Africa and start churches there. And that’s why he says no one should look twice at a Nigerian like him living in one of the coldest, snowiest cities in America. “It’s not by accident that God brought me to these people,” he says. “Our coming was part of God’s perfect plan.”

Learn more about how Philip and Jummai are reaching Africans in the Twin Cities at AnnieArmstrong.com/Nache.

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Reaching religions with the gospel How do we share Christ’s story with those who don’t know about or believe in Him?

By Josie Bingham

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T

hey thought Jeremiah Brinkman was “anti-them.” The women who had migrated from Central Asia to Queens, New York, would bury their faces in burqas whenever the white man walked past. This was their neighborhood, so

what was he doing there?

“Most people groups here in our country end up

a hamburger with them and welcoming them to

gathering in sub-communities within their own cul-

this place.”

tures.” Jeremiah says. “There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, there’s much comfort and comradery

When Jeremiah held the door for his new neigh-

in doing that. But the problem is, they don’t have

bors, the women wouldn’t make eye contact

an American friend sharing western culture, having

with him. He wondered what they must think of

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him—probably what they heard on the news about Americans and immigrants.

Jeremiah wants to change that. So he’s a friend first. It’s his door to sharing the gospel.

“One day they may ask me, ‘Why are you different?’ or ‘Why do you help us?’ And I’ll have the pleasure of telling them about my God,” says Jeremiah. “But I’ll never stop being their friend. We’re all made in the image of God.”

Relationships are key In New York, it seems everyone is ready to take something from someone else.

“People are numb to that,” Jeremiah says. “The key is relationship. You need credibility. My 80-yearold neighbor down the hall trusts me because my wife and I have treated her well and have been trustworthy. But have we had a gospel-centered conversation with her yet? No. We aren’t there 20

with her right now. But, we are building relationships and doing practical things as a way of making ourselves valuable to our community.”

Authenticity and real relationships are what make the Brinkman family different.

“Everyone is spewing everything here. The pluralistic mindset in New York, especially in the Queens

Do they believe what I believe? No. But do I really care about these people, and do I love them? Yes.” Jeremiah Brinkman, church planting catalyst NYC, New York

borough, often adds Jesus to the wall of gods. He is not one of 39,000. He is the Son of God. We can share that truth to our neighbors of many diverse cultures and religions when we have the relationship and credibility to share.

“If we give them a reason to ask why we believe what we believe, we can confidently have the most important and life-changing conversation.”

Be unafraid

What does it mean to be a Christian?

T

he term “Christian” refers to anyone—man, woman or child—who trusts in Jesus Christ as

his or her Savior. The Bible backs this up in Romans 10:13, saying, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Accepting Christ as his or her Savior is an intensely

“I was born to a Muslim family in Chittagong,

personal decision made of free will and not a ques-

Bangladesh,” Russell Abraham, church planter

tion of church membership or doctrinal orientation.

of MB Grace Church, says. “Bangladesh is very populated, and most are Sunni Muslims. When

As evangelicals, we place great stress on the impor-

my mother became sick with Addison’s disease,

tance of an individual’s personal relationship with

she started reading this book. She’d cry. When I’d

Jesus Christ lived out in prayer, study of God’s Word,

ask her questions, she’d answer full of compas-

fellowship with God’s people and service to others

sion. Something in her was softening. Many of

in Jesus’ name. However, Christianity is not works-

our relatives threatened her, but she never said a

based. Christ’s own definition of Christian attributes is

word in response.”

the best. “’By this all will know that you are My disciples,’ said Jesus, ’if you have love for one another’”

Russell’s mother eventually gave him the

(John 13:35, NKJV).

book. He started reading the Bible on his own.

It’s impossible to lay down rules by which to distinguish real disciples from those who are not. That is a ques-

“I was curious as the truth unfolded

tion only God will resolve as it says in 1 Corinthians

before me,” says Russell. “One very

4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the

special night, God spoke to my heart and welcomed me to His family.”

Lord comes, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.”

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When we meet the social, spiritual, physical and emotional needs, people are invited to celebrate the joy of life in Christ.” R C Silvanus Bhandari, church planter of Global Mission Church

Russell was persecuted, tortured and mocked by

percent of the people are Hispanic. As a believer,

his family and friends. He was attacked several

Louis could see the potential for fruit to blossom in

times by radical Muslims, but he survived.

the Hispanic community, but they were following Mormon teachings.

“Jesus Christ, the Son of God, changed my life.

Jesus rescued me from death and picked me up

There were other challenges, too. Many Hispanics

from a garbage box where I was supposed to be

work two or three jobs to live in America.

thrown into the fire! A new sun rose in my life, and slowly the joy of salvation covered my life by His

“I believed we could meet their needs by plant-

divine protection.”

ing a church that reached them at times they were available,” says Luis. “We are fighting false doc-

22

Russell felt called to reach the billions of unreached

trine here. But we are determined to make every

Muslims in the world. Because he speaks Hindi,

man a believer and every believer a disciple-maker.

Urdu, Bengali and English, Russell was hired with

Opportunities abound among the many Hispanics

a radio ministry to share the gospel to Muslims

who are here. That’s why identifying the needs is

from around the world. It was hard, and Russell was

key. We had to be a church that helped, that stood

granted asylum in America in 2012.

out, that wasn’t works based.”

“In America, I have the same burden I have for

Luis arranged his schedule around people. He

the same Muslims I left behind in Bangladesh,”

opened the church at different times. He accom-

Russell says. “My work is now preaching the gospel

modated all, and he took note of the physical

to the growing Muslim population in America from

problems and needs of the people in addition to

Bangladesh and South Asia. God is using me,

their spiritual needs.

unafraid, to reach the unreached in the world.”

“I love this quote from Sugel Michelen. He says,

Meet the needs

‘God created us and equipped us so that we could live for His glory. God gave us a mind to

When Luis Soto moved to Utah, he’d never felt so

think, a heart to feel, a will to decide, a body to

alone. In Salt Lake City, Utah, a large percentage of

serve and a mouth to praise Him. If man corrupts

the population is Mormon. In West Valley City, 42

this for his own glory, that is the highest treason.’

23

24

My true blessing is not something God will give me.

It is someone He’s already given me, Christ! The true blessing comes from what God did for us, with us and through us. It’s up to us to tell that to others.”

Luis Soto, pastor and planter of CBTROCA, Utah

There’s pressure to do things for ourselves. But,

“My hope is that through the presence of my church,

we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and the love

people will find peace and harmony in the commu-

of Jesus to fuel us. We can reach people when we

nity,” Silvanus says. “The believing community will be

use what God gave us to glorify Him and sacrifice

actively engaged in sharing the gospel throughout

our comfort for Him.”

the city if they accept people as they are.”

Luis won’t rest until there are more churches shar-

Joseph Biswas, a neighboring church planter with

ing the gospel in Utah.

Evangelical Bengali Church, agreed with Silvanus.

Accept people as they are

“If we transform one life here, they will transform their community,” Joseph says. “We have a free-

“We can engage in leading people into the body

dom in the United States to share our faith with

of Christ if we first spread God’s love through

people of all religions. I take that as a challenge to

accepting people just as they are,” says Silvanus

share my testimony and to listen to others’ beliefs.

Bhandari, church planter of Global Mission Church.

Why? Because I am free to do so. We see in Jesus’ ministry that people came as they were. He

Silvanus converted from Hinduism in his late teens.

accepted them all because He loved them all.

Hardships and suffering only strengthened his faith and confidence in Christ. He saw the holistic needs

“Since I am free to do that, why wouldn’t I?”

of his poor and marginalized people. In Nepal, Silvanus heard the call to move and plant a church.

Josie Bingham is the assistant editor of On Mission.

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering supports church planters like the ones in this story.

Give at Give.AnnieArmstrong.com.

We have the tools to train your church members to share their faith. Visit namb.net/Evangelism.

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Madison, Wisconsin, has been described by some as a church planting graveyard.

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Launching a movement in a most secular city

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We want to be a church that’s both for the city and the campus, to reach college students and to be around families, pointing them to Jesus.” Rob Warren

By Brandon Elrod

H

ome of the Freedom from Religion Foundation and a population described as even less religious than Los Angeles, the city of Madison,

Wisconsin, has become a hub of secularism in the United States. In the middle of the city lies the University of Wisconsin where 40,000 college students navigate a campus intertwined with the state’s capital.

Rob and Lisa Warren recently uprooted their family’s lives and moved to Madison to start a church and reach the community in and around the university. They represent a growing church planting movement designed to send the hope of the gospel to under-reached university and college towns in North America.

Rob and Lisa Warren were called to reach unreached college students on the University of Wisconsin’s campus.

“We want to be a church that’s both for the city and the campus, to reach college students and to be around families, pointing them to Jesus,” says Rob. Rob and Lisa, 2019 Week of Prayer missionaries for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, are ministering in a context filled with college students, many of whom are experiencing new ideas for the first time. These students live in a season of questioning everything and are often open to discussing and hearing the gospel, which is why Rob and Lisa love spending time with students.

“When we think about Madison,” Rob says, “we think about a place that, like so many other places, just needs the hope that only Jesus can bring. Not only that, but a city that is so strategic in reaching more and more people for Jesus beyond Madison.”

Together with their launch team, the Warrens are planting Doxa Church. The word “doxa” is a Greek word used in the New Testament that means “glory.”

“This is all about the glory, ‘doxa,’ of Jesus,” says Lisa. “I think if we get one thing right, that’s what we have to stay focused on.”

PHOTOS BY DANIEL MCCULLOUGH

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The Warrens and their church planting team Before Rob grounded his life in the glory of God, however, he dedicated himself

connect with students

to football.

through on-campus outreach.

“My senior year in high school, my father committed suicide, and that sent my life into a tailspin,” he recalls. “Feeling a huge void and a massive amount of pain and shame, I gave my entire self to the game of football.”

Rob excelled at the sport and went on to play at Bowling Green State University in Ohio when his best friend, Andy, became a Christian. As Andy’s life began to change, he quit drinking, using drugs and “chasing girls.” Rob took notice of the change in lifestyle.

“From that moment, Andy started to share the gospel with me, and over the next three years, I began to feel God working in my life as I learned about Jesus,” says Rob.

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Rob prays that other students will receive the hope of the gospel the

Over those three years, the lessons Rob learned about Jesus were sinking in,

way he did in college

and after one particularly rough night of partying, he sensed conviction of sin for

through his ministry.

the first time.

“Waking up after a terrible night, I felt so bad but couldn’t explain it,” Rob remembers. “Not knowing what to do, I decided to go to church for the first time.

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“That night, I gave my life to Jesus, and God began a fast and radical transformation of my life, desires and passions, which landed me in full-time ministry.”

The transformation that took place in Rob’s life is one the Warrens hope to see duplicated in the lives of countless college students.

“We’re super-passionate about seeing young people meet Jesus and have that change the entire trajectory of their lives and take it into their towns, new states and new countries,” says Lisa. “I can’t think of a more strategic group of people than college students to share Jesus with.”

I can’t think of a more strategic group of people than college students to share Jesus with.” L isa Warren

The road to Madison took them through Ames, Iowa, where they trained with Cornerstone Church and became a part of The Salt Network, a group of likeminded Southern Baptist churches with a mission to see churches planted on college campuses across the Midwest.

The North American Mission Board helps resource this movement through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. New church plants minister to both college students and the wider community in those cities that play a strategic role in shaping young adults.

“When people give to North American missions,” says Rob, “they’re literally giving to the future of reaching the next generation of North America.”

The Warrens have a passion and a plan for sending the hope of the gospel to their community.

“I think it’s important for us to love the city of Madison well and to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to go into the places that maybe some people wouldn’t normally [go] and love them and share the gospel with them,” says Lisa.

A number of students and recent college graduates moved to Madison to help the Warrens plant a church.

The story of Doxa Church is just one among dozens of collegiate church plants that are flourishing. Gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering help to make that movement possible.

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Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board.

Learn more about reaching college students through church planting at namb.net./Collegiate. Find opportunities to live on mission as a college student or recent graduate at namb.net/CollegeStudents.

Colorful & Complex

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m

PHOTOS BY DANIEL DELGATO

iami is complex but beautiful.

It’s full of life, but it’s also full of wounded people. It’s a place where people are lost in plain sight.

These are all things I learned when I brought my family here to start a church. Muche Ukegbu

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When you give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, you support missionaries like the Ukegbu family.

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There’s just no other place like Miami. People come to lose themselves and find themselves.

They experience freedom, but even as they’re doing that, if Jesus isn’t part of that, then it’s not real freedom.” Muche Ukegbu

Miami is a city of dichotomies where the ultra-rich live, work and play in some of the same zip codes as the ultra poor.

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37

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As beautiful as the diversity and richness of culture is, the fact that certain parts of the city are so distinct shows how segregated the city still is and how broken it is.� Muche Ukegbu

A third culture is created when people come to the U.S.—a mix of home country and figuring out what it is to be American.

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The Brook Church is intentionally multiethnic in order to reflect the surrounding community.

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When you walk into our church, we could be singing the same song, but we sing it in multiple languages. People in our church say, ‘Thank you for singing in that language. That’s my heart’s language.’” Diamone Ukegbu

Multiplying Churches

W

e moved to Atlanta right after we were married to be part of the team planting Blueprint Church. When we moved from Atlanta with a small team to plant in Miami, we didn’t know what we were going to experience.

Now we have more than 100 on a Sunday. We’re training people up to be sent out. We’re seeing the fruit of faithfulness, but not one man’s faithfulness. It’s the faithfulness of many people and a great God. Here are the churches that have been planted out of Blueprint Church, the Ukegbus’ sending church.

James Roberson The Bridge Church Brooklyn, NY

Jazz Cathcart Reach Life Church Asheville, NC

Will Kratt Perimeter Pointe Church Dunwoody, GA

Ryan McCammack Gospel Hope Church Decatur, GA

John Onwuchkewa Cornerstone Church Atlanta, GA

Christian White Parkside Church Atlanta, GA

41 Muche Ukegbu The Brook Church Miami, FL

Learn more about the Ukegbu family’s ministry in Miami at AnnieArmstrong.com/Ukegbu.

Josh Turansky hopes to see the neighborhood of Fells Point restored physically and spiritually.

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The Meal Plan

A story about three dozen eggs, two loaves of bread and all the other necessary ingredients for starting a church in one of Baltimore’s most eclectic neighborhoods

Y

“Our hope had been that people from the neigh-

By Tony Hudson

borhood would show up on Sundays,” he says.

ou smell it before you see it—

“But for several months, we had hardly any until my

eggs and toast and coffee—on a

wife said, ‘What if we start to do a breakfast? Let’s

Sunday-morning-quiet stretch of

do a meal and see what happens.’ And that’s when

South Ann Avenue in Baltimore’s

everything clicked.”

Fells Point neighborhood. The

delicious smell of a morning meal drifts from Josh

Josh Turansky’s church was born partly from eggs

Turansky’s propped-open door, and like a church

and toast and coffee, but the story he has to tell is

bell for the nose, it wakes his sleepy neighbors with

not about breakfast. It’s about cross-country obedi-

an aromatic invitation: “Come and worship.”

ence, serendipitous discoveries and a God whose plans are always better than our own.

Everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But Josh, a church planter in Fells Point, never understood just how important it

A square peg and a round hole

was until he moved to Baltimore in 2016 to plant Haven City Church.

Leave Baltimore and travel as far West as you can without leaving North America, and you will

43

probably end up somewhere near Costa Mesa.

“My wife was interested in the Mid-Atlantic, and

That’s where Josh Turansky’s story begins in an

I was interested in Maryland up to New York City,

upper-middle class, Southern California community

so our overlap was in Maryland,” he remembers.

where in 2015, Josh and his wife, Melinda, had built

“That’s why Baltimore just felt like the place. There

an upper-middle class, Southern California life. The

was clearly a need there, and we just felt comfort-

Turanskys had three children, and after almost 20

able with the idea.” He laughs and adds, “It was

years in Costa Mesa, Josh had built an uncomfort-

probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made

ably comfortable career.

where I had the least supernatural guidance.”

“I’d done 15 years of higher education administra-

Josh would soon learn that decisions appearing to

tion, and I’d done that long enough to know it

have only a little supernatural guidance sometimes

would pay the bills, but it just didn’t feel like what

turn out to be the most God-directed decisions of all.

I was called to do,“ he says. “Ever since I was born again at age 13, I knew I was called to be a pastor.”

Newcomers and old-timers

Four years ago, God showed Josh Turansky he had

The sign in the window says, “Compassion Center.”

become a spiritual square peg in a round hole.

The building has been here so long, even Baltimore

That’s when he and his wife began to pray and ask

old-timers can’t remember it as anything else.

God to give them a new life in a new place.

Some people here say it might have been a bank back in the day. But ever since LBJ was in the

44

“We knew we wanted to be on the front lines

White House and the Beatles were on everybody’s

of ministry leading a new church. We knew we

transistor radios, the old concrete building at 1706

wanted to commit long term to an area. And we

Eastern Avenue has been known as the Fells Point

knew we weren’t supposed to be in Southern

Compassion Center, a Lutheran-run food pantry

California,” he says. “We just didn’t know where

and clothes closet.

we were supposed to go.”

Up until a few years ago, when suburbanites began Their process for answering the “where” question

moving into the neighborhood and renovating

made perfect sense to Josh at the time. Josh, a

rowhouses here, business was booming at the

New Jersey native, began to research what he

Compassion Center.

knew—the East Coast.

“I would’ve loved to have seen what their ministry

PHOTOS BY DANIEL DELGADO

I’d done 15 years of higher education administration ... but that didn’t feel like what I was called to do.

Ever since I was born again at age 13, I knew I was called to be a pastor.”

Josh’s hands-on approach to compassion ministry has brought many neighbors to the church to hear the gospel.

looked like 25 years ago,” says Josh. But that was

and it said that unless they could find someone to

when Fells Point had a different reputation than it

help run it, the Compassion Center would have

does now. “This neighborhood used to have high

to close its doors. The Lutherans were contacting

crime and a massive drug culture,” he says. “But

churches and ministries in the neighborhood look-

now there’s a lot of affluence. And because so

ing for any takers.

many wealthy people have moved in, it causes the average income to rise, and the poor families who

Josh responded—“almost immediately,” he says—

are still here get overlooked.”

and within 48 hours, the Compassion Center and what would soon become Haven City Church had

Two years after moving to Baltimore and begin-

made a deal. Josh and Haven City would run the

ning the work of planting a church in Fells Point,

Compassion Center, and in exchange, the church

Josh Turansky knows all about the rich people

could use the facility for free.

and the poor people and the gentrification of Fells Point. And he also knows all about the

“If you just took the building by itself and paid rent

Compassion Center, especially after it was, as he

for that, it’d be about $2,800 a month. Then it’d be

says, “dropped in our lap.”

another $500 a month for utilities,” Josh says. “But what we got on top of that was a fully operational

Compassion and influence

relief center with a support staff.”

He still remembers the day the email came—May

Almost as soon as the deal was done, Josh asked

20, 2017. It was from the Lutheran Mission Society,

himself, “What have I done?” He had, after all,

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Josh’s position in the relief center has opened doors with the underprivileged and the privileged alike in Fells Point.

46

We have all these stories of changed lives, and that was the process we went through. I can look back at that today and know God was at work long before we ever got here.”

taken over as the coordinator for an inner-city

“There are about 200 names of people in the cen-

ministry center at the same time he was preparing

ter’s database, and we’ve met them all,” Josh says.

to launch Haven City Church.

“Now, we know all the people who come to the center, and we know them really well.”

“Both my wife and I were scared to death,” he remembers. “We asked ourselves if this was a dis-

Josh Turansky never planned to run an inner-city

traction from the mission or if this was the mission

ministry center, and he never planned to start a

itself.” Their fear faded in Josh’s first few weeks on

church with toast, bagels, eggs and coffee. But

the job.

now, Sunday morning breakfasts and a relief center coordinator job title are what’s working.

“Immediately, it had an effect among the more affluent neighbors,” he says. “I would go to

“More than half the congregation of Haven City

community association meetings and say, ‘I’m

are now people from the Compassion Center

the center coordinator for the relief center off

because we found that when we met a physical

Eastern Avenue,’ and they would say, ‘Oh yeah,

need by feeding breakfast, those people would

we’ve donated stuff there for years.’ It gave me

come and stay. That’s why I’ve become a big fan of

the identity of somebody who’s giving back to the

building relationships by meeting physical needs

neighborhood.”

so we can share the gospel,” he says. “Now we have all these stories of changed lives and that was

Relationships and results

the process we went through. I can look back at that today and know God was at work long before

While the Compassion Center gave Josh cred-

we ever got here.”

ibility with his affluent neighbors, it also gave him opportunities to build witnessing relationships with

Tony Hudson writes for the North American

people who came to the center looking for help.

Mission Board.

The gospel is changing lives in Fells Point. To hear the powerful story of one man who met Christ at Haven City Church, go to SendRelief.org/StoriesOfHope.

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This article was excerpted from the book Love Where You Live by Shauna Pilgreen.

Comfort can be dangerously desensitizing To live sent, comfort has to go. And not go with you. Now, don’t get me wrong.

Comfort has its perks. We eat to feel comfortable. We buy the necessary furniture to sleep and lounge comfortably. We dress as comfortably as we can. Comfort feels good, tastes good, sounds good. La-Z Boy has a slogan: “live life comfortably.” As they should; they sell furniture.

By Shauna Pilgreen

48

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though—comfort. And comfort can be dangerously desensitizing.

e live by a slogan whether we advertise it or not. Set life up for comfort.

As I typed these words, my middle son, Sam,

Get the salary up to a cushioned place. Relax in

read them over my shoulder and asked me what

that chair with retirement in view. Buy that bigger

I meant by them.

house to hold it all. While we may have to work hard to live comfortably, we don’t have to work

“Sam, can you imagine what life is like in Mosul

to love what’s comfortable: yoga pants, macaroni

tonight for a kid your age or a woman my age?”

and cheese, sunshine, six-figure salaries, vacation destinations, delivery of books, food and dry

As he shook his head, my heart ate my own

cleaning to your front door. Comfort is just that,

words. Neither of us could. We lay cuddled up

on the bed watching On Demand TV, surrounded

fortability. He is a jealous God in wanting to be

by pillows and blankets with the soft ambience of

Who we long for most. Little materialistic gods

a lamp. We weren’t concerned for our safety or

of comfort were never meant to take His place.

what was outside our window. Our bellies were full, and our bodies were clean.

Jonah should know. He ran from his calling. Oh, if he could have only seen it would lead to days

Now, for Sam, and I hope for myself, we have

in the belly of a big fish. It was in the uncomfort-

started to see how often we’ve become desensi-

able belly that Jonah uttered these words: “Those

tized because of our comfort. Comfort can

who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope

be cunning and sneak into first place, resulting

of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8). He wasn’t begging

in idolatry.

God for a day at the spa or a night at the Hilton.

He recognized that nothing but God would satisfy.

Jeremiah the prophet warned the Israelites con-

And while we don’t have to work to love what’s

cerning the idolatry of comfort. They needed to

comfortable, we do have to work to love those

“know and see that it is evil and bitter for you

places and people that are hard to love and

to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is

understand. Jonah got that, too. (Hello, Nineveh!)

not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts”

When we let the pursuit of comfort go, we can

(Jeremiah 2:19, ESV). God is the Giver of com-

see clearer our calling—for comfort is to be seen

fort, but I can’t find where He advocates for com-

as a gift, not a destination.

49

My friend Ginger and I talked about this over

Dweller Tip

coffee and bagels one morning in the Midwest.

Living sent is just as much embracing your new culture as it is removing the tag of your car from your previous culture!”

where the line is blurry, than pack up like me

The Rozmus family, transplants from Tennessee to Texas

She didn’t hesitate to tell me it would be harder for her to stay and resist the idol of comfort, and move to a place where it would be clearly distinct. But she would stay, and I would go, for we both could attest to the work of God firsthand in our lives, and it was greater to be part of it rather than just hear about it. Comfort and this life weren’t about location; they were about perspective.

What’s the worst thing that could happen if we make comfort supreme? We might never fulfill God’s mission for our lives. We pass this shadow mission down to our children: Kids, our mission in life is to set you up comfortably, protect you and live life safe. We miss out on God’s richest blessings, which far outweigh what any earthly comfort can afford.

What’s the best thing that could happen by letting comfort go? It’s the very answer we would be able to give our little boys in the months that followed our decision to move to San Francisco.

Kids, our mission in life is to love you well and take you with us as we follow God by faith in taking risks that lead to others knowing Him. But I wasn’t saying this quite yet. I was enjoying a comfortable life.

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Shauna Pilgreen is a pastor’s kid, church planter’s wife, mother and author of Love Where You Live, encouraging people to love their neighbors.

Want to learn more about meeting needs and building relationships in your community? Visit SendRelief.org/ MinistryGuides for practical ministry tools.

Imagine if every Christian could answer that question with the name of a person who is far from God—a person they’re praying for and seeking to share the gospel with.

That’s the intention behind Who’s Your One. We believe God’s people don’t merely need another method for evangelism—what they need is a burden to see people who are far from God experience the new life He offers through Jesus Christ.

#WhosYour1

Learn how to launch a Who’s Your One campaign and order your free kit with sermons and other church resources at WhosYourOne.com.

r ec ommended

Ministry Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking Raleigh Sadler (B&H Publishing Group, 2019) Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking is the kind of book we all need to remind us that we are all qualified and called to face the injustices of this world.

Raleigh Sadler uses Scripture, stories of his own life and stories of others to remind us that all are vulnerable, including taking us back to the very first book of the Bible when sin was introduced and vulnerability became real. He reminds us very simply: God is with the vulnerable; He’s with the trafficked victims; He’s in the orphanages; He’s in the streets with the homeless person; He is with you and me, who struggle daily to allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

If I am going to walk with the vulnerable, I need to be vulnerable and let others into my brokenness to walk alongside me. That’s hard, but it’s also holy.

Raleigh challenges us both individually and as church bodies to identify the vulnerabilities and the vulnerable within our communities. He challenges us to read Scripture with new eyes and to see the vulnerable there, too. I love the real-life connections that Sadler makes as well as the lists he provides to identify vulnerabilities both in Scripture and around you.

52

As someone who works closely with human trafficking victims, I appreciated the opportunity to read Scripture differently and be reminded of things I may not see when I am doing my work. If you have ever been curious about human trafficking or feel called to dig deeper into what God calls us to as Christians, then this book is for you.

Colleen Smith is a team member at Captivate Church and serves as a missionary in her community.

Gospel Joyfully Spreading the Word Kathleen Nielson and Gloria Furman (Crossway, 2018) Navigating evangelism on a daily basis can be a hard discipline to wrangle. It seems enormous in its implications, which it is, but it is simply made up of small steps of faith. Joyfully Spreading the Word does a wonderful job showing how this looks practically for women in several contexts. Evangelism doesn’t require a platform or a following; it requires an obedient heart that seeks to be an imitator of Jesus.

Joyfully Spreading the Word is packed with Scripture with a balance of educating, empowering and challenging the reader toward the discipline of evangelism.

Knowing God is first and foremost in everyday evangelism. By first preparing our hearts to love God and by pursuing a relationship with Him, we don’t neglect our love for Him for the sake of the mission. When we begin to pursue the mission above God, we miss the point. Joyfully Spreading the Word makes this the foundation of the book and then builds up to how this is practically lived out.

We don’t introduce others to Jesus with the quick facts we know about Him. We introduce others to Jesus from the deep relationship we have with Him personally. He is our friend, our counselor, our Savior, and that is only made evident to others when we invite them into the areas of our life that Christ has radically transformed. And although we aren’t looking for quick facts to add to our tool belt for the perfect time to share about Jesus, we do desperately seek to know Him more.

Joyfully Spreading the Word would be a great individual study to pair with your daily Scripture reading or a great book to read with an accountability partner or small group.

Meredith Yackel is a freelance writer and lives in Cumming, Georgia.

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Leading Christians in the Age of Outrage Ed Stetzer (Tyndale Momentum, 2018) In the future, when people look back at the current time, the explosive growth of social media will likely be the defining characteristic of the decade. Although much good has come from this growth, it’s hard to ignore one of the most troubling aspects—the corresponding growth in anger and divisiveness on social media platforms. Thanks to social media, we’re living in an age of outrage. Unfortunately, Christians have often been contributors to these problems rather than healers.

As the amount of time we’re spending on social media has climbed in recent years, numerous books have described and commented on this growth. Few books have provided a plan to disciple Christians in this important cultural moment. Ed Stetzer’s book, Christians in the Age of Outrage, attempts to correct this. After outlining the problem and its causes (the decline of cultural Christianity and a technology discipleship gap), Stetzer attacks four lies at the heart of the problem. Then, in what’s the most important part of the entire book, Stetzer lays out key prerequisites for digital discipleship (including a biblical worldview, an understanding of mission, a growth in love and biblical community).

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Today, your ministry isn’t complete without a plan to disciple your congregation’s digital presence. Christians in an Age of Outrage will provide you with an indispensable tool to do this.

Tobin Perry is a freelance writer in Evansville, Indiana. He has previously served as a pastor, church planting intern in Seattle and a NAMB staff member.

Mission Who’s Your One J.D. Greear (North American Mission Board, 2019) There’s no shortage of ideas regarding the problems facing the church in North America. Many propose wide-ranging solutions for the realities of declining baptisms, church closures and the general missionary malaise that plagues the people of God in our day.

Who’s Your One offers a simple answer: Each professing believer in every local church praying for and sharing the gospel with one person who is far from God and the church.

This answer isn’t complicated, and that’s the beauty of this strategy. It’s biblical, simple, clear and compelling. Every member is invited into a shared mission that bolsters accountability and fosters personal ownership. Greear leads as a pastor who models the exhortation he gives his fellow pastors by leading Summit Church to be a model of missionary intentionality.

As a pastor who prays for such a movement among the people I serve, Who’s Your One provides me with tools that I can marry to the contextualized mission God has given our church and calls God’s people up and out to the task of fulfilling the Great Commission. There’s certainly no silver bullet in any tool, but I’m excited to partner with other churches as we, together, seek to move the needle on the overwhelming lostness of North America.

Matt Rogers is pastor of The Church at Cherrydale, Greenville, South Carolina, and assistant professor of church planting at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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my turn

God’s love in action

By Sandra Rebeca Hernández-Nerio

felt a deep desire to return to his hometown and

T

share his story with others. Jorge fell in love with he alarm rings; I open my eyes and start my

the Word of God and became ordained as a pas-

day in Comerío, Puerto Rico. My husband

tor. We took a leap of faith and made the move to

was born here, and my 4-year-old son, Sebastian,

Puerto Rico. A few months later, in late September

and 3-year-old daughter, Sofia, are growing up

2017, Hurricane Maria hit the island, wiping out the

here as well. It has been almost two years since we

electrical grid and leaving a wake of destruction.

Unemployment and poverty were already problems, and the hurricane intensified them. People here were desperate; they needed hope.

We joined efforts with FEMA and the local government to reconstruct roofs and repair homes for people living under tarps. Volunteers from Send Relief have helped us with repairs to homes and supplies for the community. Even the mayor of the city calls us for help. From groceries to school supplies and shoes to baby items, donations have helped us provide necessities; it is God’s love in action (1 John 3:18).

Little by little, things are getting better. The needs are still immense, but through our church plant,

moved here from the D.C./Virginia area to plant

we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We have

One Church Comerío and a year and a half since

seen how a generator can bring light and life to a

Hurricane Maria made landfall.

family in need, and we have seen how discipleship with one girl can lead generations to faith. Comerío

56

We are not trained professionals in regards to

is a place of great opportunity for gospel influence.

emergency relief—I am the daughter of a pastor,

So each day, we do what we can with what we have

and Jorge is a redeemed addict. We met at work

to share God’s love.

and fell in love over shared meals and conversations. God set Jorge free from drug addiction, a

Sandra Rebeca Hernández-Nerio is planting a

problem many people in Puerto Rico face, and he

church with her husband in Comerío, Puerto Rico.

See more of Jorge and Rebeca’s story at AnnieArmstrong.com/Santiago.

ALL 50

of the college campuses

with the least gospel presence

in North America AR E I N C A NA DA .

NOW WHAT? 57

Learn how your students can bring the gospel to these campuses at SendRelief.org/GenSend.

EVERY CHURCH ON MISSION

volume 22 | number 2