Thankful for God’s faithfulness now and in days ahead

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists!

Coming out of our Kentucky Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Owensboro we have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to.

Here are three things for which I give thanks to God for Kentucky Baptists:

1. I thank God for caring churches: Over 2,300 Kentucky Baptist churches care for their members and for their community by opening their doors, their Facebook live page or their parking lots for worship services that minister to their people and reach out to others with the Gospel. As was anticipated in the middle of March, our pastors and church leaders care more about the well-being of their people than anyone else and will provide worship services that demonstrate that deep level of Christian care.
   
2. I thank God for continuing churches: These have not been easy times, but our churches and their leaders have found a way to continue doing what God has called them to do. Along with their worship services our churches have found ways to care for and serve the most vulnerable of their community and reach beyond our state borders to help those suffering through natural disasters.
   
3. I thank God for cooperating churches: Even amid a pandemic, Kentucky Baptists demonstrated their commitment to cooperation in funding global ministry and missions through the Cooperative Program. Kentucky Baptist churches hit 98 percent of the giving goal they set for themselves for this year. That amount of sacrificial giving is praiseworthy at any time but even more so while dealing with the multiplied uncertainties of a pandemic.
   

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists.

We also have much to look forward to. In the year ahead, by God’s grace, we hope to partner together in a wide variety of ways. Here are a few:

1. Friends of Life KY Anti-Abortion Initiative: This is an effort to mobilize and organize Kentucky Baptists to compassionately oppose the human rights atrocity that is legalized abortion. This can happen as we prayerfully partner together.
   
2. Gospel to Every Home Evangelism Mobilization Effort: Kentucky Baptists plan to continue to move forward together in getting the good news of our Lord Jesus and His grace to each of the 1,728,681 homes in Kentucky. This is an urgent need in our state, and we can do this by working together.
   
3. Cooperative Program Training Kit: Every Kentucky Baptist pastor and church can become a Cooperative Program champion as they understand this incredible ministry and missions funding tool. This kit, which we hope to introduce in May of 2021, can be used to that end.
   
4. Engaging the Disengaged: 585 of our Kentucky Baptist churches are not currently engaged in funding our global missions’ effort through the Cooperative Program. We hope to discover why that is and how we can help them see the value of our cooperative effort.
   
5. Reach 2021 Evangelism and Missions Conference: In March of this coming year, we plan to hold the first-ever combining of two great KBC ministry teams to bring the best REACH conference that Kentucky Baptists have seen. I hope you will make plans to join us in Bowling Green at Hillvue Heights on March 15 and 16.
   
6. Serving the Church in the Search: One of the great ways your convention and your local Baptist association serve the Bride of Christ is helping them navigate the challenging waters of the Senior Pastor search process. In the coming year, we plan to introduce new and strengthened services to help our churches in this crucial area.
   
7. Calling Out the Called: There may have never been a more crucial time for Kentucky Baptists to answer the call to serve Jesus in Christian ministry leadership. Coming in the fall of 2021 we are working to introduce an initiative aimed at helping 2,360 churches, 69 Baptist Associations, and your KBC Mission Board Staff, along with our Agencies and Institutions partner together to identify and serve those who are hearing the call of God on their lives.
   

Since coming into the role as Executive Director-Treasurer for the Kentucky Baptist Convention in August of 2019, I have seen challenging times, confusing times, and great times. I have not seen a more exciting time than the one we are in right now. I sincerely believe that the best days of our KBC Churches, and those who serve them, can be out in front of us and not behind us. May the Lord be pleased to make it so.

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists.