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Messengers hear reports from convention ministries
Chad Austin, BSC Communications
November 13, 2018
3 MIN READ TIME

Messengers hear reports from convention ministries

Messengers hear reports from convention ministries
Chad Austin, BSC Communications
November 13, 2018

Representatives from several ministry groups of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) gave updates to messengers during reports throughout the 2018 BSC annual meeting held Nov. 5-6 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Following are highlights and summaries of those reports.

Church planting and missions partnerships

Describing the present day as a “redemptive moment in history,” Chuck Register, executive leader for church planting and missions partnerships, structured his report around the theme that “immigration is a gospel issue.”

“We must view our foreign-born neighbors through the lens of scripture,” Register said.

BR photo by Steve Cooke

Chuck Register, executive leader for church planting and missions partnerships with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC), shares with messengers of the annual meeting during the BSC Board of Director’s report.

Register highlighted the growing population of international residents in North Carolina, the United States and North America, and shared updates on how N.C. Baptists are engaging them with the gospel through church planting, collegiate ministry and more.

Register said there are more than 1.5 million foreign-born residents in North Carolina, which include 162 unreached people groups that have been identified throughout the state.

Of those unreached people groups, 86 have been engaged with the gospel, Register said.

Since 2014, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has welcomed 494 new churches and 65 percent of those are non-Anglo congregations, Register said.

Those new churches have resulted in nearly 25,000 professions of faith during that same time period.

Additionally, the number of college campuses in North Carolina that have a reproducing gospel presence has grown from nine to 51 since 2014, Register said. North Carolina also ranks third in the number of international students reached with the gospel.

Evangelism and discipleship

Lynn Sasser, executive leader for the evangelism and discipleship group, shared how several BSC ministry teams are helping N.C. Baptists break down cultural barriers, love their neighbors and engage people with the gospel.

Lynn Sasser

Sasser reported on a new initiative related to training in the area of cultural mastery, and he reported on how God is working in the lives of youth and students, as well as in the area of church health and revitalization.

Sasser said that since 2014, more than 1,800 students have made professions of faith in Christ during youth weeks that are held annually at Fort Caswell through the state convention’s Youth Evangelism and Discipleship Ministry, also known as Be Do Tell. Additionally, more than 7,700 other youth rededicated their lives to Christ and more than 1,200 others responded to a call to ministry during the same time period.

Sasser also said that since the convention launched its church health and revitalization ministry in December 2015, more than 2,100 leaders representing nearly 850 different churches and Baptist associations have been assisted in revitalization efforts.

“Our heart is to help you become a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and create a disciple-making culture in your church,” Sasser said.

Baptists on Mission

Richard Brunson

Richard Brunson, executive director for N.C. Baptist Men (NCBM), also known as Baptists on Mission, shared an update on NCBM’s 18 different ministries, including the recent disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Brunson said N.C. Baptist disaster relief volunteers served more than 1 million meals to hurricane victims in eastern North Carolina and have completed more than 3,000 recovery jobs including mud-outs, tear-outs and more.

Brunson said more than 2,000 jobs remain open and lots of volunteers are still needed to serve.

Visit baptistsonmission.org.