Sweeping up Alabama’s latest celebrity, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) is once again tackling the broadcast world through its introduction of the television series “On Mission Extra.”
“The show is our magazine come to life,” said Brandon Pickett, communications team leader for NAMB, explaining that On Mission magazine has served as one of NAMB’s media outlets for 11 years.
Set to launch Thanksgiving week, the show will be broadcast through FamilyNet, owned by Atlanta pastor Charles Stanley’s In Touch Ministries. FamilyNet, formerly the Southern Baptist Convention’s Radio and Television Commission (RTVC), was sold by NAMB in October 2007, explained Mike Ebert, spokesperson for NAMB.
While this sale closed the door on Southern Baptists’ ownership of a television network, it also brought an agreement between NAMB and In Touch that keeps NAMB visible on the airwaves.
NAMB will maintain 30 minutes of weekly programming on both television and radio, with no cost for the slot, through FamilyNet.
A NAMB representative will also occupy a chair on FamilyNet’s board of directors as part of the agreement.
“One big difference (about the latest broadcast venture) is instead of trying to run an entire network, we are producing one television program,” Ebert explained.
This is one reason Ebert and others at NAMB expect the series to be a success.
“There is someone else worrying about the network and upkeep, so we are able to concentrate on telling the story of missionaries,” he added.
Helping tell that story will be Erin Bethea, 2004 University of Mobile graduate and lead actress in Sherwood Pictures’ “Fireproof,” and Brent Moxey, previous NAMB employee and current children’s pastor of West Ridge Church, Hiram, Ga. Bethea and Moxey will host the in-studio portion of the show.
Pickett will host a video portion interviewing Southern Baptist missionaries from across North America.
The goal is to take viewers into the missions field, he explained. “So we have two field segments in each show. One shows a missionary in their element reaching their missions field, and an On Mission Christian segment, which shows lay leaders and pastors who are reaching their ‘Jerusalem’ for Christ.”
Chip Turner, director of ministry partnerships at FamilyNet, said, “It’s going to portray North American missions for Southern Baptists and help not only educate and inspire Southern Baptists, but help get them involved in a variety of missions endeavors.”
“One thing we like to say is that we share the stories of those who share His story,” Pickett said, emphasizing the capital “H.” “What we consider ourselves is missions mobilizers through media. If we can get people more excited about Jesus and reaching neighbors … then we will have done our job.”
Although financial figures were not available, Ebert explained the show’s content will contribute to other areas of ministry including material uses for conferences and special events as well as video downloads available for pastors and church leaders via NAMB’s Web site.
“As far as budget, we don’t share specific budget numbers on specific projects like that,” Ebert said.
“And the show itself will be utilized in a lot of different ways also for video clips on the Web and clips that will be sent out to churches for various things. So it kind of has a number of things contributing to it and is contributing to a number of things as well.”
The series will be filmed in NAMB’s onsite production studio, which is “well utilized by all areas at NAMB,” Ebert noted, stating that “On Mission Extra” is not the only reason the missions organization has been “in the process of replenishing” studio equipment.
On Mission magazine’s editor Carol Pipes, who will produce “On Mission Extra” along with Pickett, said she is excited to see “the pages of On Mission magazine come alive in the living rooms of our readers and viewers. It’s the perfect compliment to the magazine. … My hope is that viewers will see the North American missions field in a new light and will be empowered to join in God’s mission.”
Bethea, currently working as an actress at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, said she is also excited to join in the ministry effort. After receiving a positive recommendation from “Fireproof” producer Alex Kendrick, NAMB representatives contacted Bethea and she headed out for an audition.
“And I got the part!” Bethea exclaimed, noting that although she acknowledges a position as television host to be a good career move, she also looks forward to sharing with people various ministries that do “something extraordinary to impact culture” and encourage other churches to do the same.
“The show is focused on people or churches or groups all over North America who are doing really radical or extreme things to impact their culture for Christ. So it’s a different theme every week,” Bethea said, providing the example of one week’s theme about racing, which features a North Carolina church involved in NASCAR ministry and an Alaskan missionary who works with dog sled races.
“It’s just neat stories of people who are thinking outside the box.”
The “On Mission Extra” pilot will air Nov. 26 at 9:30 p.m., Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Nov. 28 at 10:30 p.m., Nov. 29 at 8:30 p.m. and Nov. 30 at 2:30 p.m.
Then the show will air each Saturday at 8:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 31 and will run until July with a total of 12 episodes airing, after which NAMB personnel will reassess before considering additional seasons.
FamilyNet is currently available through a number of cable operating systems and through Sky Angel, AT&T’s U-verse and Verizon’s FiOS TV. To receive FamilyNet in your home contact your local cable provider.
For more information, visit www.familynet.com.
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