Baptist

Vol. 58 No. 3

www.baptistdigest.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Calling his message a frightening responsibility because of his desire to speak accurately, while simultaneously being honoring of our Lord, Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, delivered an State of the SBC address at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Students, faculty, staff and local church pastors from Missouri, Kansas and the Midwest region gathered in the seminarys chapel to listen to the message, which covered a wide range of issues within the SBC. Page shared his own observations, predictions and exhortations to Southern Baptists. Pages address began with an admission of having a fascination with scientific studies of various kinds, including earthquakes. He noted that below the earths surface are large tectonic plates. Where these plates meet are called fault lines. When tectonic plates move against one another, their convergence results in intense geological activity, such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Fault lines happen even in organizations, Page said in his Jan. 15 address. And like on the earth, where the fault lines and tectonic plates come together, pressure builds. If that pressure

Bright Future Possible With God, Page Says in Historic Address

is not alleviated, then deep damage occurs. There are fault lines, Page said, in the Southern Baptist Convention where pressure has built. Sometimes pressure is eased in a godly, biblical and legitimate way, and sometimes things happen that cause lasting damage, he said. Looking back, Page identified the Conservative Resurgence as a time in our history when indeed there was a severaldecades long struggle over the issue of how do Baptists believe and hold to the veracity of the Word of God. The arguments that came in those days found their roots decades ago, but the big fault lines and pressure was experienced perhaps most profoundly in the eighties and in the nineties, he said. There were many battles fought, much pressure released, and yes, some damage done, Page added. Page also pointed to pressure related to the more recent debate about Calvinism versus nonCalvinism. I do believe that this last year at the convention we saw God show up in a way that relieved some of that pressure, as leaders from both sides of the fence gathered to say, We want to work together for the Gospel,

igest

Newsjournal Of Kansas and Nebraska Southern Baptists

March 2014

he said. Too much is at stake not to do so. I applaud those leaders from both sides of the soteriological fence. Do I think that fault line is fixed forever? Hardly. But I said to them in all honesty, I want us to work together so that we can at least win some people to Christ for now. Can we do that? Page briefly mentioned a current ecclesiological fault line affecting the convention. Page said he believes there are developing fault lines with mounting pressures as Baptists struggle with how to govern a church, particularly as it relates to congregational governance, elder leadership and the role of deacons. The most predominant fault line in the convention, Page added, was neither theological nor ecclesiological. Instead, the greatest amount of pressure building is due to methodological tensions. Some may describe it as individual versus corporate, societal versus cooperative, contemporary versus traditional, or the young versus the old, he said. This methodological divide is impacting the direction of our convention, Page said. I wake up every day asking myself the question: Who are we? Who is the Southern Baptist Convention? There is no discernible answer. Page admitted he often thinks a solution to the question is at hand, but its quickly proven inadequate. The methodological quandary has affected some of the denominations entities. He noted one organization asked what life may look like after the

Cooperative Program. Id love to know what was said in there, Page remarked. He also attributed the recordlow baptismal rates to the methodological divide within the convention. We have argued over issues that have taken away our evangelistic fervor to the point that now our baptismal rates have reached a low not seen since 1948. God help us, Page said. We can lament and we can say were a declining denomination, Page continued, and by many statistical analyses, we are. Some would say were a denomination in the midst of clarification, finally beginning to see things as they really are. We struggle also with the fact that one out of every five Southern Baptist churches do not send in any kind of report, so we have to extrapolate and to guess what is really happening out there when we are not always given accurate statistical material with which to work. Regardless of what kind of statistical material is available, Page described in one sentence the state of the convention.

The status of our convention is best described thus ... we are a group of approximately 46,000 churches looking for divine intervention. Page said the reality of divine intervention stands before the convention, not as a mere possibility, nor as a last ditch effort, but as our true hope. We are a convention made up of messengers who meet every year, declining in number ... and you say, What is our future? I do not know. Im asked that every week by someone, and I say, I cannot answer. If things do not change, I can tell you in 20 years we will be happy to have 27,000, not 47,000 churches. If things do not change, our baptismal rates will continue to suffer. But there is a God! When we realize that our answers are not in logistical moving around of chairs on the deck of the Titanic but seeking absolute new Holy Spiritgiven power, then we will say the future of this convention is bright indeed. By Timothy Sweetman

THE SINGING CHURCHWOMEN OF OKLAHOMA will stage a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at Prairie Hills Southern Baptist Church, Augusta, Kan. The Singing Churchwomen began in 1989. The choir has ministered across Oklahoma and around the world. Read more at http://www.bgco.org/ministries/worship-and-music/the-singing-churchwomen-of-oklahoma.

WWW.KNCSB.ORG The Thought Occurred to Me

By Bob Mills
KNCSB Executive Director E-mail: bmills@kncsb.org

I recently visited Real Life Ministries, in Post Falls, Idaho. This is a church that has seen explosive life changing growth using a discipling platform that seems to work very well. The focus of the church is to introduce people to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and then be in a very intentional and radical journey of following Him. The Pastor, Jim Putman, is about building churches that make disciples. If the purpose of the church is to make disciples in obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), then the question must be askedwhat is a disciple? The scriptures indicate that a disciple is one who is willing to follow Christ. What does that mean? I think it means to know him through what the scriptures reveal about Jesus. It is more than just a mental process. It is a life altering process to live like Jesus Being a follower of Christ is a counter cultural journey, and it is incrementally life changing. Therein is the sec-

By Georges Boujakly

Walking With the Master

ond mark of a disciple in that our lives are constantly being changed and conformed to image of Christ. Our attitudes, disposition, actionsevery part of our lives are influenced by knowing Christ. The third mark of a disciple is evidenced by one being committed to the mission of Christ. Living in this world as Christ would live in this world. Sharing the Good News with our neighbors in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and around the world. Making disciples of Jesus is the key and primary focus of the church. Let me ask you a question. Is your church intentionally making disciples? You might say, Well, we have great worship services, good Bible study, something of an outreach program and we even have small groups. All of those elements of church are great and in a very indirect way contribute to the idea of making disciples, but that is not enough. Discipleship must involve intentional relational connection between the disciple and Christ, and between the disciple and a disciple-maker. I am not sure disciple making

can happen outside of the above two things being true. The intentional relational piece is what is missing in many churches. Discipleship is not a program. It is not just the acquisition of Biblical knowledge. It is all about relationships. How does one become rightly related to God? Through a relationship with Jesus Christ. How does one come to benefit from and understand something of the abundant life offer in Bob Mills Christthrough a radical ongoing relationship with Christ? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.

Teach Us to Pray Most things in the Christian life are of lesser importance than prayer as we grow in Christ. Opening to God (David G. Benners definition of prayer) is pushing its way to the top of my priority list. This is as it should be, I pray. Writing about prayer is more audacious than you might think. No expertise is claimed. Who can? No special knowledge. Why the audacity, then? Only a fumbling Christian who sees prayer as the major part of life in the last decade or so of life, should Jesus tarry and grace abound could be that audacious. Its the quest of a lifetime. So as I write about opening to God in the next few articles: I pray youll be my light and guide me as I go. And help me to be wise in times when I dont know. Let this be my prayer, when I lose my way: Lead me to a place; guide me with your grace to a place where Ill be safe in opening to God. The disciples made the request Lord, teach us to pray early on in their Jesus-following-life. What did they see in him? What did they know that drove them to make this unusual, unique, strange request? As I think of it, I dont think anyone else in Scripture ever made a similar request! Have you ever asked someone to teach you to pray? Perhaps youve asked Jesus and he has. Please feel the freedom to share what youve learned. I will incorporate it in future articles (gboujakly@ kncsb.org). Georges Boujakly I suspect that behind this singular prayer request was the disciples observation of the life of their Master. Jesus often prayed alone, apart from his disciples. At times they would go find him in the secluded places where he prayed. I suspect that maybe they eavesdropped a time or two on his prayer! But I dont think this is why they asked to be taught to pray the way he did. This kind of praying could easily have ended up being done by rote. And I dont think

KNCSB State Director of Missions E-mail: gboujakly@kncsb.org

learning to pray by rote would excite Jesus very much. So what was it? There was no lack of prayer in the Jewish liturgy! Why more prayers? What was new in Jesus? What Jesus was more interested in doing with his disciples was to bring the kingdom of God within and without so that the eternal life they could live in and invite others to enter into, would flow out of them constantly. If they could be open to God as he is open to God, then others might also joined in praying Abba, hallowed by thy name! What excited the disciples about the prayer life of Jesus is his opening to God, his life of prayer. The one standing behind the Our Abba, or Abba, impressed them so much with his open heart to God that they desired the same opening of themselves to God. Jesus lived in constant communion and union with his Father. What son or daughter wouldnt relish being in the presence of his or her dad every minute and every hour? Thats what the little flock of disciples craved. Thats what they were missing? Thats what the teachers of the Law and even John the Baptist couldnt give them. Thats what they couldnt get in a lump sum but in a lifetime of learning to be open to God. This life of opening to God is also what I am asking, seeking, and knocking on heavens door to receive. Im going all in to receive the unadulterated gift of opening to God. The invite is open to you, too. Is it possible to live in the constant presence of God? I mean to live in such a way that our soul is humming the same tune emanating from the heart of God? How would life be different if each breath taken is a deliberate act of receiving the ever- flowing life of God? I dont
The Baptist Digest

know. Im not there. But Im going to die while traveling this road less traveled. You see, we are mostly taught that prayer is basically asking or having a conversation with God about the things that concern us the most and that God cares to give us. Well and good. But prayer is also the opening of our inner being or giving access to God of our hearts. This is what David Benner writes in his book, Opening to God. David Benner is a favorite author of mine. He has written multiple books on the life with God. The Gift of Being Yourself, Surrender to Love, and Desiring Gods Will. I could recommend more. I have had times when desperation and grace drove me to be utterly open to God. But more often than not, in my pride, I was utterly closed to God. Opening to God is easier said than done. For one thing, its embarrassing to let my Maker peek into my life. Why the hesitation? The reason is legion: a mind that is full of fears, blame, and wounds that have never closed. What if opening to God exposed all of this? Would I be undone? What if the ways of viewing myself would not be pleasing to God? What if being made new means killing off much of the old? What if Im too old of a dog to learn new tricks? But I tire of this seesaw. Lord, teach me to live in the realm of opening my life to you. It would be the pearl of great price to receive such a gift of deep communion with God. You see, exposing my life to God, opening to God, prayer, is risky business. But the call is too strong to look behind. My hands on the plow, the furrows must be made, and the seeds of an open life with God are being sown. Im going to trust Abba. Wont you?
Local church and associational news may be submitted by mail, phone, fax or e-mail. Advertising policy and rates are available upon request Call 800-984-9092 or e-mail: tboyd@kncsb.org

MARCH 2014

(USPS 018-942) Vol. 58 No. 3 Leadership Newsjournal for KansasNebraska Southern Baptists is published monthly 12 times a year. 5410 SW 7th Street Topeka, KS 66606-2398 Phone: (785) 228-6800 Toll Free: 800-984-9092 Fax: (785) 273-4992 E-mail: tboyd@kncsb.org Web site: baptistdigest.com
Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS 66606 and additional entries. Send address changes to: The Baptist Digest, 5410 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66606-2398.

POSTMASTER:

GUIDING PRINCIPLES: INFORM -- Regularly share information about ongoing training, curriculum, events, support and personnel. RESOURCE -- Serve as a resource pool for practical ideas about what is working in KS-NE congregations and how it relates to all sizes of churches. GENERATIONAL -- Cast . the widest net, providing stories and information that will appeal to all generations of Southern Baptists in NE-KS. FAMILY-FRIENDLY -- Be family-friendly with stories, regular columns and helps for families and leaders who work with families. AGE DIVERSE -- Publish s . tories that address the diversity of age, ethnicity, and geographical regions of KS-NE. MISSION-ORIENTED -- Publish stories about people and congregations involved in missions and regularly publicize ministry opportunities. PART OF WIDER MISSION - Help congregations discover that they are part of the larger work of the Kingdom of God through their ministries.

To give local news:

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Editor: Tim Boyd, PhD. Associate Editor: Eva Wilson Printing Coordinator: Derek Taylor KNCSB Executive Director
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Robert T. Mills, D. Min.

By Tim Boyd

Digest Editor E-mail: tboyd@kncsb.org

Along the Journey

Sharing & Strengthening

cies apply to pastoral work. As Southern Baptists, we tend to measure budgets, baptisms and bodies. Since most of my heroes pastor churches running under 150 in worship, they will probably never be recognized because of the numbers attending, the size of their budgets or the numbers that they baptize annually. For my heroes, we need a new success matrix. Maybe we should recognize faithfulness in going to where God calls and staying there until he calls you away. I know after pastoring in one place for nearly twenty years that there can be a real temptation to see greener grass and wanting to move before God is ready. Perhaps, we need to celebrate a willingness to be in the hard places of ministry with all of the struggle and loneliness that happens there. In some of our rural areas, my heroes hang on by the skin of their teeth. But they stay and they make a real difference even though the Southern Baptist Convention barely knows that they are there. One of the key reasons that KNCSB decided to start the Normative Church Conference was to recognize these heroes of mine for the selfless work that they do. We wanted a way to say thanks and also a way to bring a little help. Our program last year and this year was and is designed to help the leaders of these churches to expand their ministries and their leadership abilities. Some have asked us, Why the Normative Church Conference? Why not just the Small Church Conference? We made a deliberate choice early on to say that we dont devalue our churches that run under the 150 in worTim Boyd ship. They are the norm for Southern Baptists. They are the heroic backbone of both our national and state conventions. They are the base upon which Southern Baptists stand. These heroes dont get invited to preach at national meetings, but Southern Baptists cant exist without them. If you can, come and join the other heroes at our Normative Church Conference at Webster Conference Center in Salina, Kansas on March 21-22. Richard Blackaby with be our keynote speaker. Contact Jana Gifford (jgifford@kncsb.org or 800-984-9092) for registration information.

A few years ago I watched several episodes of a television show called, Heroes. The show centered on a group of ordinary people who, by genetic mutation, had acquired distinct abilities and powers. These abilities ranged from the ability to fly to instant healing of devastating injuries and so on. The characters were called heroes because of these unique abilities and their potential impact on society. Now, we all know that such unique powers do not exist in the real world. I dont know of anyone who has the ability to fly. But, I do believe that there are some real heroes around me. They too are ordinary people who have accepted an extraordinary challenge to pastor smaller churches often in remote places. These heroes often have to have other jobs to support their effort to carry out the ministry that God has called them to accomplish. Most of these heroes dont have any professional staff members to assist them in their work. Most of them have sacrificial families who walk with them in their day-to-day challenges. In Southern Baptist life, these folks fly below the denominational radar most of the time. They dont fit in the success matrix that most Southern Baptist agen-

By Andy Addis

Mark 5:1-2 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat Today is one of those days in ministry my seminary professors warned me about. I have spent the entire day knee deep in email, receipts, setting up chairs and Andy Addis tables for Womens Bible study, and various other routine office details Not exactly charging hell with a water pistol today. It can be hard to remember that these days are often just as important as the days of monumental spiritual battles and great victories for the kingdom. I am reminded of this every time I read the Gospels and see that Jesus and His disciples were continually coming from some place or going to another. When I read a passage like the one above, Ill often turn to the maps in the back; just like we did when we were kids in Sunday school doing anything to stay awake.

KNCSB Convention President E-mail: andy@crosspointnow.net

Presidents Perspective
If you look real close you might find the spot on the map where Jesus and His disciples started walking, and then where they stopped. Honestly, sometimes Im still flabbergasted that in one small verse Jesus may have traveled mile after mile. What I read in less than three seconds wouldve taken them a day or more to walk on foot. Those are the in betweens the transitions between the amazing stories of Jesus healing someone and then moving to another place where He has a royal rumble with the local religious leadership. Those stories are exciting, powerful and very important, and between them are the drab, mundane, plodding along from point A to point B moments, otherwise known as the in betweens. Those in between moments arent really attention getters, but in reality there would be no great story after story if you didnt have the moments in between. Most of our life isnt spent on the mountaintops. Life is mostly about the valleys in between, the day-to-day duties and responsibilities that get us to the high points of life. Peter was there when Jesus raised that little girl from the dead, but he was also there on the boat ride that took the entire night before. James saw Jesus throw down on the Pharisees and shame them for their religious pride, but he also spent the days before walking dusty roads, sleeping on the ground and just staying close to Jesus. They arent fun, they arent glorious,

but without a doubt they are necessary the in betweens. Its on the in between days that we develop our faithfulness, endurance, and steadfastness. Its on those days we learn to listen to, follow after and be near Jesus, so that on those other more exciting days, following Him will only be natural. What we learn on the in between days prepares us for the big stuff! Life is not about transporting yourself from mountaintop to mountaintop. Its about reaching the peak by doing the hard work in the valley followed by the slow climb to the top, all the while let-

Viola Webb Associational & State Missions Offering

ting Jesus lead the way. Just as Jesus disciples followed Him everywhere, walked with Him countless miles, and hit the road between those amazing stories, so we should also be faithful in the in betweens. Sometimes the days activities seem mind numbing. Sometimes the season of ministry is undeniably dry. Sometimes you cant see the why in what youre doing. Dont forget, if today youre on the in betweens, it means youre on the road to someplace great. Be faithful. Follow Jesus. Youll get there.

MARCH 2014

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Phil. 4:13

KNCSB Goal: $215,000

Supporting Kansas-Nebraska Missions Causes 50% to Your Association 50% to KS-NE Missions Causes

Living

THE GREAT Commission

annie armstrong offering

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering 2014

Week of Prayer for North American Missions s March 2-9
Fast Facts about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO)
What is the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering? The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) gives major support for reaching lost people in the United States and Canada. It provides nearly half of the North American Mission Boards income. The offering was named for Annie Armstrong (1850-1938). She led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to forming of Womans Missionary Union. She was the first WMU corresponding secretary. Read more at http://www.anniearmstrong.com/whoisannie/ The reason we give to AAEO: To help our missionary force reach for Christ an estimated 260 million lost people in the United States and Canada three of four people. Annie Armstrong Easter Offering goal for 2014: $70 million Amount of NAMB budget that comes from the Annie Armstrong Offering: 49 percent Amount of NAMB budget from Cooperative Program: 38 percent Year offering started by Womans Missionary Union: 1895

MARCH 2014

Annie Offering Gives Vital Support to Missionaries

By Joe Conway
North American Mission Board writer

Annie armstrong offering

ter of music. After 10 years his uncle had a new idea. In 2005 my uncle threw me into the pulpit, said Coats. That began a three-year journey of preaching, attending seminary and the realization that I had to embrace the call of a pastor to be obedient to my Lord. Perhaps still testing the waters lightly, Coats moved his family to Homestead and intended to start slow with his first church plant. He planned a small Bible study. We began with a group of 14 at the first Bible study preview, said Coats. They all asked a question I wasnt prepared to answer. What are you going to do now? Coats did the only thing he could think of and began looking for meeting space. In December 2009 he located a movie theater that allowed him to rent space for the Bible study. The Bible study launch was set for New Years Eve. Forty people showed up for the Bible study, said Coats. The next week more came and everyone wanted to have a worship service. That year we baptized 30 people. In 2011 we baptized 33. I backed into church planting. All the while Coats remained involved in Southern Baptist life. He is one of six missionaries featured this year by the North American Mission Board as part of its 2014 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering promo-

HOMESTEAD, Fla. You could say Patrick Coats is a product of his spiritual legacy. But its a legacy he attempted to elude at least for a time. A native of Miami, Coats was raised by his grandfather, Joe Coats, the first AfricanAmerican pastor to affiliate with the Florida Baptist Convention in 1968. The elder Coats planted a church in a school building and saw it grow to 4,000 members. Hurricane Andrew destroyed the church building, but it did not destroy the church family, said Coats. The last major project for my grandfather was rebuilding the church [facilities]. Coats was never far from his grandfather, so he was constantly in church. When he was old enough, he began serving alongside his grandfather, first as a music minister. I was immersed in Southern Baptist life, Coats said. Ive been everything there is to be in church from a deacon to a preacher. But I ran from a specific call as lead pastor. Coast ran to music and started a Christian rap group. Although it was a rebellious run, his was a mild one. He remained involved in church leadership, but did not want to be a pastor. Coats uncle, Joe Coats, started a church, tapping his nephew to serve as minis-

North American Mission Board missionary Patrick Coats moved his family to Homestead, Fla., to reach the mobile residents of North Miami with the gospel. Pictured from left are son Patrick, Coats, daughter, Faith, wife, Archalena and daughter, Joy. Coats is a Week of Prayer missionary for NAMB and is being featured during the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering promotion. Week of Prayer for North American Missions will be observed March 2-9. (Photo by Ted Wilcox/NAMB) tion. Half of NAMBs financial support comes from the Annie Armstrong offering. Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church was the result of Coats accidental planting. He says the church is kingdom focused, connecting people with the gospel. God is up to something. You dont have to over think it. Just do it, he said. Kingdom Covenant is establishing city groups to create a culture of discipleship, and it is working in practical ways. Being named an Annie Armstrong Week of Prayer Missionary was humbling to Coats. He has long known about the offerings significance. The Annie Armstrong offering is super important, said Coats. Weve benefited from training, resources and partnering churches whove come down and labored with us in the field. The best encouragement for a church planter is knowing hes not alone. Through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, other SBC churches are made aware of church planting and they come alongside the plant to help in a big way.

Church Planter Helps Students Find Christ in Quebec

By Adam Miller
North American Mission Board writer

Church planter Lucas Aube stands on the bank of the St. Francis River, which runs through the town of Lennoxville, Quebec, where he lives and serves as a North American Mission Board missionary. Aube is a 2014 Week of Prayer missionary for NAMB. (Photo by Peter Field Peck/NAMB)

LENNOXVILLE, Quebec Canadians easily dismiss Christianity especially in Quebec. The history of mistrust is woven deep within the fabric of Qubcois culture a culture thats decidedly Catholic and, at the same time, increasingly secular. But Lucas Aube in Lennoxville, Quebec, has worked to make rejecting Christ a greater challenge than ever among the thousands of students of Bishops University and Champlain College.

Its not been easy. The immediate response many give to Christian outreach has been one of disdain, skepticism and even, as Aube has experienced, disgust at the crazy religious people. Intentionally engaging people in ways that destroy stereotypes is changing that perspective. We are living as the hands and feet of Jesus on a weekly basis, says Aube. He is planting Encounter Church with the goal of having a self-sustaining church that reaches students and the fami-

lies in the surrounding communities. Aube is one of six missionaries featured this year in the North American Mission Boards 2014 promotion of the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The church plant he pastors is part of NAMBs effort to help Southern Baptists start 15,000 new churches in 10 years. Read Aubes prayer requests and watch a video about him at http://www.anniearmstrong. com/lucasaube/ Read the full story at http:// bit.ly/1gbQS1l

MARCH 2014

By Eva Wilson

Oregon Trail Assn. Votes to Partner with Alaska

Long distances, small churches and the need for laborers in the harvest field those are some of the similarities that Alaska Southern Baptists share with Oregon Trail Baptist Association in Western Nebraska. The OTBA Executive Board voted on Saturday, Jan. 25, to enter a partnership with the Alaska Baptist Convention. This action came after nearly four years of forming relationships with Alaska Southern Baptists. We are the most unchurched state in the nation, Butch Strickland said of Alaska. Strickland is director of church planting and missions for the Alaska convention. Alaska is two-and-onethird times the size of Texas. The Alaska convention has approximately 120 churches ranging in size from 20 to 1,200 in attendance. A Texas-sized area of the state has 100 villages where there are no evangelical churches, Strickland said. The state also is very ethnically diverse. As just one example, 96 languages are spoken in the Anchorage school system. Strickland came to Oregon Trail Association a few days before the Executive Board meeting. He toured the association with Doug Lee, director of missions. The two traveled more than 1,200 miles. Oregon Trail Association is taking the lead in the new partnership with Alaska. But other Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists are invited to join the effort. Contact Doug Lee at Douglee5151@gmail.com to learn how you can get involved. Lee and two OTBA pastors Ryan Alexander and Dave McDonald took a vision trip to Alaska in early November 2013. Alexander is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in North Platte, and McDonald is a church planter based in Kearney. The trip laid the groundwork for two 2014 mission trips to Alaska. Plans call for working with Friendship Baptist Church in Fairbanks and in area towns. Dates for the trips are: n June 24-30 with Ryan Alexander as team leader. n Aug. 15-22 with Dave McDonald as team leader. Those who want to participate are asked to make a commitment and pay a deposit as soon as possible. Team participants will need to book their own flights to Fairbanks. Churches in Oregon Trail Association and other KansasNebraska Southern Baptist churches are urged to adopt a church in Alaska. Strickland and his wife, Pam, served for 15 years as International Mission Board missionaries in Venezuela. The people of Venezuela are very, very responsive to the

KNCSB ON MISSION

Baptist Digest Associate Editor

Oregon Trail Baptist Association in Western Nebraska voted on Saturday, Jan. 25, to enter a partnership with the Alaska Baptist Convention. OTBA is taking the lead in the partnership, and other Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists are encouraged to participate. Butch Strickland (left) attended the Jan. 25 meeting and took an extensive tour of the association with Doug Lee (right), OTBA director of missions. Strickland and Lee are pictured on Sunday, Jan. 26, when they stopped on the way to First Baptist Church, Valentine, Neb., where Strickland was the featured speaker during the Sunday morning worship service. Strickland is director of church planting and missions for the Alaska convention. gospel, Strickland said. Alaska stands in stark contrast to Venezuela in responsiveness to the gospel. But God is moving, and the Alaska convention has started 22 new churches in the past two years. Oregon Trail Baptist Association, with the help of other Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists, is ready to be a part of Gods work in Alaska.

Why Plant Churches in Western Nebraska?

By Doug Lee

MARCH 2014

As I drive across Nebraska I see churches scattered though out our small towns, cities and across the countryside. I hear people say, Dont we have enough churches? We need to strengthen the churches that we have. Why do we need more churches? Let me share with you a few reasons why we need to be planting churches: 1. Most of the churches are in decline and graying. 2. Most churches are not evangelistic and the few that are growing are so because of transfer of membership.

3. We have a growing population of what I like to call the New Nebraskans people from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. 4. We have a declining Anglo population in many counties causing many churches to close, creating a vacuum of evangelical churches. 5. Old mainline churches no long preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. 6. Jesus has command us to go and tell others the Good News (Matt. 28:19-20) 7. Because God so loved the world (Nebraskans) and we too should love the world (Nebraskans).

Planting churches is the strategy that our Lord has chosen to reach the under evangelized. Think about it: it is the most practical strategy, you lead people to Christ, disciple them and organize them to carry on the work (Matt. 28:19-20). As Southern Baptists we are asking our churches to partner with other SBC churches in planting churches by being Sponsoring Churches, Supporting Churches, or Sending Churches. Will you accept this challenge? (Doug Lee is Director of Missions/Church Planter Catalyst for Oregon Trail Baptist Association in Western Nebraska.)

Brenda Lee serves with her husband, Doug, in reaching the people of Western Nebraska. Doug Lee is director of missions for Oregon Trail Baptist Association. Here, she teaches the children during the Sunday night Bible study at Ogallala, Neb.

Stay informed about how God is working at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan. Sign up for the WCC E-Newsletter at http://webstercc.org/wcc/e_newsletter/

WCC E-Newsletter

www.knwomen.com

Our Portion vs. the Pity Party

Patti Boswell
KNCSB Womens Leadership, Ministry Wives Consultant

Sarah Schmidt

KNCSB Womens Leadership, Childrens Resource Team Leader

Go! We are told to go and share the good news of Christ. How can we do this? This year for GLOW, we will be discussing this question and talking about how we can go out into the world and share our faith with others. GLOW is the annual mother/daughter retreat for girls in the first through sixth grade. If you dont have a daughter, bring a granddaughter or find a girl in your church whose mom cant come and be their mom for the weekend. Our theme this year is Go! using Acts 1:8 as our focal verse. The date for GLOW is Friday, April 11- Saturday, April 12 at Webster Conference Center. Your church office should have registration information for you.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... Acts 3:19 Have you ever said, I just need to forgive myself? I know that God forgives me and I can forgive others, I just havent learned how to forgive myself. I know this burden. For years, I repeated those words over and over in my head. The familiar pit in the center of my gut and the tightness on my chest would grip me as I went over the one sin, I cant forgive myself of that. The sin that seemed to haunt me and never let go stemmed from my own choices. Yes, I dealt with the sin of man, but I grieved more over the sin of my own choices. One day as I struggled once again with the same old mental battle as I prepared a lesson on forgiveness, I realized that there were countless verses on asking God to forgive us and Jesus teaching was quite clear that we are to forgive others, but nowhere in scripture does it say that we are to forgive ourselves. This stopped me. Why doesnt God tell us that we are to forgive ourselves? Then it hit me. If I have to forgive myself then it negates what Jesus did on the cross. I realized that I was making my forgiveness of myself greater than Gods forgiveness provided through the Son. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that Christ suffered for all of our sins, if I truly believed it then the state of my mind would be free of complaint against me. I would be content in the forgiveness that Christ suffered for me. Suddenly, conviction hit me. By saying I had to forgive myself, I was implying that His forgiveness was not good enough. I was denying His sufficiency in forgiving me. We are promised, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We are reminded in 1 Timothy 6:6, Godliness with contentment is great gain... This passage talks about believers having contentment with what we possess. We need to recognize that forgiveness is a gift that we possess in Christ. We need only rest in the truth of this promise. Our great gain is that we do not have to battle ourselves about forgiving ourselves. We only need to receive the gift we gained in Christ. Once I realized this, the mental battle disappeared, and I knew the contentment of forgiveness. It never came back. What sin do you struggle with and think you cannot forgive yourself? If you have repented of this sin, then ask God to help you to receive the refreshment promised in Acts 3:19. If you need to, ask God to help you believe the truth that His forgiveness brings contentment because He is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Father, You are sufficient and Your forgiveness is sufficient. Help me to realize that I do not need to forgive myself, but to only believe in what You have already fulfilled for me. 

Contentment in Forgiveness

It was Christmas Eve about 10 years ago, and I was on the phone with our oldest son. The rest of our family had just moved to another state, but he was, although rather young, already on his own, with his own ministry. Especially because of the holiday, and because mothers always want all their chicks in the nest, and because he was going through a particularly rough season of life, my heart was aching to have him home. I asked him what he was going to do that night, which was customarily our big family celebration. Without hesitation, he said to me, Mom, Jesus is my portion. He said it quietly, humbly, with a mixture of sadness and joy in his voice, and Ill never forget it. It encourages me to this day. That day he made a choice to have faith in his God, where he was called to serve, and not to fall into the its the holidays, Im all alone, and I need to be home pit. That ones a slippery slope. I know. Sometimes, Id prefer to have my pity party. Sometimes, Id prefer to wallow in my situation. Its so easy to do! Oh, how Satan must love that. God is so faithful to us, and I find in His word SO much encouragement, that I just have to forego the pity party! Psalm 16:5-6 says, Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 68:6 reminds us that God sets the lonely in families. Often these are not blood relatives, but part of your church family. Because our years of ministry has taken us far from our own families, I have a long list of people in my life that, through the years, have served as parents, aunts, uncles, (mentors for us), and grandparents for our children. So just in case you are tempted to throw yourself a pity party, cancel the cake and balloons, and meditate on this verse: Lamentations 3:24- I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. Then get ready for the blessings to flow! Im praying for you! Blessings, Patti

March 2014

Simply, Tara

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March 21-22, 2014--Webster Conference Center For Leaders in Churches Running Under 150 in Worship

WCC Update
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Featuring Richard Blackaby

Contact Jana Gifford (jgifford@kncsb.org - 800-984-9092) for further information
The Clay-Platte Baptist Association is accepting resumes for Director of Missions. Candidates should be able to cast Gods vision and lead the association into a new era by helping churches fulfill their mission, foster partnerships between churches and starting new congregations. Seminary education with Masters or comparable education preferred. To see job description go to clayplatteba.org. Send resumes to: Attn: Leadership Council, Clay-Platte Baptist Association, 800 NE Vivion Rd., Kansas City, MO 64118 or e-mail to cpba@clayplatteba.org by April 7th, 2014. Suburban Kansas City church, averaging 400 in Bible Study, 450 in worship, seeking full-time Education Pastor with emphasis on children and young families. Send resume to: Search Committee, South Haven Baptist Church, PO Box 827, Belton, MO 64012. FIRST SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH, SALINA, KANSAS is prayerfully seeking the Lords leadership to call a Senior Pastor. Recommendations or Resumes may be sent to Ryan Kejr, Chairman, Pastor Search Committee, 2401 S. Ohio St., Salina Kansas 67401 or rjkejr@gmail.com.

Association Seeks DOM

Church Seeks Education Pastor

WCC recently received a new 2014 Matching Challenge Grant from a Kansas family for the Dining Hall expansion project to increase Din ing Hall seating to 500. The grant will match dollar for dollar all gifts given up to $50,000. Could God be leading other families to do the same even if the amounts were smaller or larger? n WCC is now available to KNCSB Associations to begin booking their 2016 meetings at WCC. n KNCSB churches may begin booking their 2016 meetings at WCC beginning April 1, 2014. n Highlights of the February WCC Board Meeting: 1. Jeff Cody (South Central Association), John Craighead (Southeast Kansas Association) and Danny Parker (Western Kansas Associa tion) joined the board. 2. WCC received a good Revenue Report from the auditors. 3. The board continues to tweak plans and is now getting final bids for the Dining Hall project. 4. The board continues to look for revenues to replace the current asphalt with concrete for all the parking lots and driveways from sources out side of SBC Churches. Please pray! n Thank you for your prayers, financial support and usage of WCC. Send all gifts payable to WCC at 5410 S.W. 7th Street in Topeka, KS 66606-2398. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY! Thank you for your continued support of this mission facility as we continue to reach people for Christ and train believers for the work of the ministry! The WCC Staff

Salina Church Seeks Pastor

The 2014 gathering of the Baptist Association of Christian Educators (BACE) on April 3-4, 2014 will explore the theme of The Bible and Missional Change. The conference will be held at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. This annual conference will benefit Christian educators from a variety of settings. Potential conferees include ministers of education, discipleship, and agegroup ministries serving on church and denominational staffs, as well and college and seminary professors and students. The theme states that in order for Christ-followers to truly live missional lives through missional churches, the ability to read the Bible is an essential foundation for shaping change management skills. On Thursday afternoon Dr. George Guthrie, author of Read the Bible for

BACE Conference to Explore The Bible and Missional Change

Obituary  Long-time Nebraska pastor Bob Payne died Monday, Feb. 17. He was the retired pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, North Platte, Neb., where he served for many years. The funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at Grace Community Bible Church in North Platte. Carpenter Memorial Chapel, North Platte, was in charge of arrangements. A complete obituary will be published on the KNCSB Web site and in the April issue of The Digest.

Life and Professor of Bible at Union University in Jackson, TN will explore The Bibles Role in the Missional Movement. Building on that essential foundation, Fridays sessions will focus on shaping change management skills. Dr. Jim Herrington, author of Leading Congregational Change and Team Leader at Faithwalking, will speak on becoming Missional Change Agents. A special feature will examine cultural considerations in missional change. Dr. Daniel Jong-Sang Chae, Executive Director of Amnos Ministries, will address the Korean context and John Ramirez, Strategic Partnership Director for the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association, will highlight the Hispanic context. For registration and details go to www. baptisteducators.org. KNCSB contact is Marie Clark, mclark@kncsb.org.

2014 SBC Church Compensation Survey

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MARCH 2014

To participate, visit: www.GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey Deadline is May 31! Take the survey for a chance to win a free iPad!