The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) is looking for ministers — 100 to be exact.
Fifty pastors and 50 worship leaders are needed to help with simultaneous revivals planned for churches in six of Michigan’s 15 Baptist associations Sept. 25–Oct. 2.
The effort is part of a partnership between Baptists in Alabama and Michigan that began in January 2007 and continues through 2011.
Reggie Quimby, director of the SBOM office of global missions, said members of Alabama Baptist churches can also support the effort through their prayers for the pastors and worship leaders from Alabama, as well as the churches and pastors receiving them.
"They can pray for the safety in our travels to Michigan and the openness to the gospel through visitation and the preaching of God’s Word," he said.
The ministers will depart from Montgomery and travel by chartered buses, which will also be used to deliver them to the churches in Michigan.
With 20 ministers participating, Tallapoosa Baptist Association has committed to send a fifth of the total needed — the most from any Alabama association.
Barry Cosper, director of missions for Tallapoosa Association, is among the 20 ministers and said he is excited about how many from his association are committing to the revivals.
"There was such an immediate response," Cosper said. "It was simply amazing to me."
Quimby noted the main purpose of the trip is to not only find ministers that are willing to go but also to find those who will "think about how their churches or associations can partner with those areas where we send them."
"There are more lost people in Michigan than there are in Alabama, and there are fewer churches to reach the lost population," he said. "Obviously there would be more ministry needs among the population in Michigan than in Alabama."
Michigan has a population of 10 million compared to Alabama’s 4.5 million. Yet the numbers are reversed with respect to the churchgoers and churches. While some 2 million Alabamians are believed to be nonchurchgoers, that number is estimated to be as high as 8 million in Michigan, according to Quimby. With more than 3,200 Southern Baptist churches, Alabama has more than 10 times as many Southern Baptist churches as Michigan with nearly 300.
Cosper believes Michigan residents will respond if Alabama Baptists take the time to share Christ with them.
"Unless evangelism is a priority and our people are into the Great Commission, then nobody knows, nobody hears, nobody [responds]," he said. "People still want to hear (about Christ), they still want to know and they would still like to have a relationship with Jesus Christ."
Ted Stephens, cooperative missions ministries team leader for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, said the revivals can bring a touch of Southern-style evangelism to the North.
"We don’t have a lot of revivals up here," he said. "Some churches have them but it’s not a real common thing. It’s an attempt to do something different to reach out and impact the communities for Christ."
For more information, contact Quimby at rquimby@alsbom.org or 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 239.
Share with others: