Hundreds of Southern Baptists left the June 14–15 annual meeting in Phoenix with some research and prep work to do. Their ministry is about to expand to include an active focus on embracing one of the nearly 3,800 unengaged people groups around the globe.
“The challenge from the opening remarks of this convention till now has been where are these New Testament churches that will say it is unacceptable for there to be any people group out there that does not have someone intentionally determined to engage them?” International Mission Board (IMB) President Tom Elliff said during the IMB presentation, which was the annual meeting’s final report and the official introduction of Elliff as the new head of the mission board.
“Unengaged” is a missiological term, meaning the people group has no established church and no one is actively reaching out to it, and the IMB is taking immediate action to negate that number.
“We’ll find out whether we are true New Testament missionaries,” Elliff said following the commissioning of 40 Southern Baptist representatives who shared a little about themselves and where they will be serving. At least five of the representatives are from Alabama.
Pointing to the Book of Acts, Elliff said, “Peter and John were threatened and told not to share the gospel any longer … but they didn’t and 5,000 people gave their life to Christ.”
They could not stop sharing what they had seen and heard, he said. They could not help it.
“We are going to find out tonight what it takes to stop us,” Elliff said prior to delivering an invitation to which hundreds responded. “Everyone has a comfort zone, and ‘I will go this far and that’s it.’ … We should all be willing to [lay down our lives] in our hearts. … It’s not my life anyway.
“We need to be bearers of the Light, whatever the cost,” he said.
“It is nothing short of amazing what God is doing if we would just wake up and realize it. Missions is always associated with spiritual awakening. Either one can come in on the train of the other one.
“But it’s not about yanking names off a board. … It’s a lifetime marriage between the two of us, to see the gospel penetrate that unengaged people group,” Elliff said, noting it will be a partnership between the church and the IMB. Training will be provided and IMB officials will walk church leaders through the steps of what to do.
“Everyone can do this,” he noted. “Size doesn’t matter.”
Prior to the IMB presentation, Elliff reported to convention messengers that nearly 5,000 representatives and around 4,000 children were on the missions field in 2010.
Support for the representatives and their children came from the $96 million given through the Cooperative Program, the more than $148 million given to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and other gifts. Another $8 million was given to assist in hunger projects, relief efforts and development projects.
Also in 2010, 114 unengaged people groups were actively engaged by representatives and more than 20,000 pastors in various locations around the world were being trained for their roles by other representatives.
More than 360,000 people were baptized after coming to know Christ, and nearly 30,000 new churches were planted among different people groups.
“You had a part in every one of those,” Elliff said. “Southern Baptist missions isn’t just the IMB. Southern Baptist missions isn’t just NAMB (North American Mission Board). All of us are Southern Baptist missions.
“It means that missions can’t be just we collectively as Southern Baptists,” he said. “But it means I must be and you must be Southern Baptist missions as well.”
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