2025 has been a great year for Kentucky Baptists. As a convention of 2,350 churches, God has given us wonderful unity and noticeable fruit as we partner together to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
Here are seven ways it has been a great year for Kentucky Baptists:
1. God has provided servant leaders to help churches in our state: 2025 has been a year of transitions with Kentucky Baptist Mission Board staff. We said goodbye, or are preparing to do so, to leaders such as Don Spencer, Jeff Crabtree, Alan Witham, Darryl Wilson and Rob Patterson. We also saw Harold Best and Michael Cabell transition to new roles on our team. At the same time, we have seen God supply new team members such as Andrew Dyer, Tommy Tapscott and Barry Jeffries to fill recently vacated positions. God has given Kentucky Baptists the very best when it comes to leaders who help churches.
2. God has provided financially through the Cooperative Program: The ministry of the Kentucky Baptist Convention is funded primarily by the Cooperative Program, and it’s been a good year for CP giving. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year KBC churches sent nearly $22.4 million to fund ministry and missions through the CP. The 2025-2026 year has started out strong with CP giving more than $200,000 ahead of the previous year. God continues to provide for all the work we do together through the generosity of KBC churches. Thank you for funding this vital work.
3. God has brought an evangelistic harvest in KBC churches: The last year of recorded baptisms from KBC churches witnessed more than 12,600 souls who proclaimed faith in Jesus by going through baptismal waters. Kentucky Baptist churches, working together to reach Kentucky with the gospel, baptize 35 people a day on average. Life in Kentucky feels like Acts 2:47 where Luke wrote that the church in Jerusalem was “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” God is using Kentucky Baptist churches to make a gospel difference in the commonwealth.
4. God is bringing a global gospel impact through Kentucky Baptists: KBC churches partner with Southern Baptist churches nationwide to fund the work of our international missionaries. Through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Kentucky Baptists help fund 3,600 International Mission Board missionaries in more than 155 countries who see, on average, 400 people a day profess faith in Jesus. God is using us together to make a gospel difference around the world.
5. God is using Kentucky Baptists to make a difference in North America: Since 2010, we have planted more than 11,000 gospel-preaching churches in the United States and Canada. Those churches are reaching people with the gospel and making a difference in their community. Because KBC churches support North American Mission Board church planters financially, their fruit is our fruit, and God is using us together to do a great gospel work. Paul the Apostle wrote in Philippians 4:15-17 about the financial support of the Philippians for his ministry:
And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
God has blessed our work together of planting faithful churches that preach the gopel here in Kentucky and across North America.
6. God is using Kentucky Baptists to build a gospel-advancing network in Kentucky: By God’s grace and for His glory, Kentucky Baptists partner together to help Kentucky’s vulnerable children through Sunrise Children’s Services. We join to evangelize students through Crossings Ministries. We ring the bell for missions funding through Kentucky WMU and we invest resources for fund the Great Commission through the Kentucky Baptist Foundation. We train ministers through Clear Creek Baptist Bible College and we educate children for time and eternity through Oneida Baptist Institute. Only heaven itself will tell the whole story of our cooperative impact through these faithful agencies and institutions.
7. God is using Kentucky Baptists to minister to our leaders: This year Kentucky Baptists are working together to determine how to care well for the pastors in our state through Pastoral Wellness and to care well for many retired pastors and their widows through Mission: Dignity. These leaders serve us faithfully, or have served us faithfully, and we want to focus some of our attention and resources on serving them as well.
Much could be said about how God is working through us to reach college students through Kentucky Baptist Campus Ministry. We could talk about what the Lord is doing through Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief. We could mention 24,000 men and women who we are training for gospel ministry through our six seminaries or how we are placing ultrasound machines in pro-abortion states through our Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission. We could highlight numerous other ways that we are advancing the gospel together, but the ones listed should suffice to demonstrate that we are better together and that we are at our best when we are together for the mission of helping churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
There is more to be done, plenty of ways we can improve and numerous needs to be met, but it is good to be a Kentucky Baptist and it is good to celebrate what God is doing as we are together for the mission.
Thank you for your partnership in the gospel and may God’s blessings abide on you, your family and your church in the year ahead.
Dr. Todd Gray 