When the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9 about being all things to all people so that, "by all possible means," he might win a few for the sake of the Gospel, he wasn't talking about changing or watering down the message of Jesus but about presenting it in a way that everyone could understand and relate to.
That is the approach we must use as we plant evangelistic churches across North America -- especially in those areas where Southern Baptists have such a small presence. No single church can reach every type of person, so we need all kinds of Christ-centered churches that will proclaim the truth in their communities in a way people can hear and embrace.
With the North American Mission Board's Send North America strategy, we are working toward helping Southern Baptists start 15,000 new churches over 10 years. We are especially focusing those efforts on our large cities where SBC church-to-population ratios have fallen to very low levels in the last 50 years.
But another important part of our strategy is to be sure we are starting churches where people feel at home. That might be a little different for others than it is for you and me. Again, there is no changing or compromising of the Gospel message, but a recognition that God created all of us uniquely.
This is so critical to our mission as Southern Baptists and it is why NAMB is in the process of bringing on board three new national Church Planting Catalysts (CPCs) who will focus on starting churches for specific groups of people. Keep reading
What is your denomination or network doing along the lines of these three Catalysts? Anything? If not, why?
No comments:
Post a Comment