By Sandy Wisdom Martin
Executive director, National Woman’s Missionary Union
It was 135 years ago when 32 delegates from 12 states endeavored to gain a new perspective and caught a vision for how God wanted to work in their midst. Woman’s Missionary Union was birthed. Those who have gone before gained altitude and dreamed of what could happen for the Kingdom if we marshaled and stewarded our resources.
Southern Baptists have certainly gained altitude through WMU’s domestic and global missions efforts.
The WMU offering bearing Annie Armstrong’s name has brought more than $2 billion for Southern Baptist missions efforts in North America.
The WMU offering bearing Lottie Moon’s name has raised more than $5.2 billion.
Generosity
We celebrate the generosity of Southern Baptists. WMU further supports field personnel with water filters through our Pure Water, Pure Love ministry; scholarships for missionary kids (MKs); free missions discipleship resources; and more.
In 1919, WMU committed to raise $15 million as part of Southern Baptists’ $75 Million Campaign.
WMU was the only SBC entity to meet their goal five years later. This denomination-wide effort was to expand the work of Baptists on all fronts. Our boards borrowed money on faith that pledges would be paid.
WMU was one of the founding forces behind the Cooperative Program in the 1920s. At the time, leaders from the SBC asked WMU to cease their domestic and global offerings. WMU leaders did not think that was a good idea.
SBC leaders responded saying that if the offerings continued, they would deduct those offering totals from the CP allocations given to the home and foreign missions boards.
Indomitable leaders
WMU leadership fought for the boards to receive full CP allocations in addition to the WMU missions offerings. The influence of those indomitable WMU leaders is still being felt today.
WMU worked with the mission boards to establish an annuity for their missionaries. In 1900, Annie Armstrong worked tirelessly to establish and fund the Church Building Loan Fund for the Home Mission Board. Thousands of churches benefitted through the decades.
In support of the campaign “For a Debtless Denomination by 1945,” WMU agreed to raise one-third of the total amount, exceeding their million-dollar goal in 1943.
Many more examples can be given through 135 years of partnership.
WMU has had a profound and unprecedented impact on SBC missions — both in North America and around the world — that continues to resonate today in our collective Southern Baptist work and life.
Sacred privilege
It is our sacred privilege to serve alongside the SBC to accomplish the mission of God.
We tell the stories of IMB and NAMB missionaries. Our doctrinal readers are SBC seminary trained. WMU, SBC, supports our denomination and affirms the SBC’s current statement of faith. Our desire is to see all ages energized, motivated and equipped for missions.
Would your church benefit from knowing more about God’s work in the world through Southern Baptist missions? We can help.
What would happen in your congregation if members were praying more, giving more generously, doing missions and telling more people about Jesus? We can help.
We make disciples of Jesus who live on mission. That’s what we do. That’s all we do.
Everything is for the sake of the gospel.
We believe the world needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and we have a responsibility to take the gospel to the nations.
It is His work, and we join Him. He guides. We follow.
We must seek His will with all our hearts and then with courage go forward, dedicated to the God-given task of proclaiming the good news to all the world.
Let’s be on mission together with God.
Everybody can rejoice when people applaud you, celebrate you, support you, welcome you, encourage you. But the faithful follower of Jesus Christ can and must rejoice even when you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
Pastor H.B. Charles
Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida
Jesus is calling us to rise up and be better than the world. What if we did that? What if we obeyed His command?
SBC President Bart Barber
When you reach a kid, you reach a family. That’s my story. That’s so many people’s stories.
Lifeway President Ben Mandrell
We cannot tell our own sons and daughters “we can’t afford to send your beautiful feet to the nations to proclaim the gospel” simply because a non-Baptist group spends more on marketing, while we are committed to spending more on the work.
IMB President Paul Chitwood
The 10,000 churches planted since 2010 … reflect the blood, sweat and tears of church planters, their families and the churches who sent them.
NAMB President Kevin Ezell
Theological education matters now perhaps more than ever before. Consider the brokenness and the chaos and the confusion of our cultural moment. At every single turn there is a wrong idea, a mistruth at play in the lives of those people who are going in those directions. …
Correcting those lies, those mistruths, with the truth of God’s Word is absolutely essential.
President Jamie Dew
New Orleans Seminary
God has called us to be a co-laborer with Him … to share the good news. The gospel is for everyone without distinction. The power is in the gospel. It is the power of God.
J.J. Washington
National director of personal evangelism for NAMB
We are never more like Jesus than when we are serving others.
President Danny Akin
Southeastern Seminary
Resolution on ethics of AI passes
The Southern Baptist Convention on June 13 became the first national denomination to pass a definitive statement on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
“Our resolutions committee deserves all the appreciation we can muster for crafting this first-of-its-kind resolution for any denomination or network of churches,” said Brent Leatherwood, ERLC president.
“Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic, both in Washington and on the international stage. This resolution comes at an opportune time and proves once again that even when it comes to the leading edge of emerging technologies, the Bible, as always, gives us principles to guide us in uncharted waters.”
Resolution No. 3 reads in part:
WHEREAS, The 2019 Evangelical Statement of Principles on AI, led by our own Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, states that Christians are “called to engage the world around us with the unchanging gospel message of hope and reconciliation” and that “[t]he church has a unique role in proclaiming human dignity for all and calling for the humane use of AI in all aspects of society”; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 13–14, 2023, acknowledge the powerful nature of AI and other emerging technologies, … and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm that God’s unchanging Word is more than sufficient for whatever ethical challenges, questions, and opportunities we may face today or in the future as these technologies continue to be developed and deployed in our communities … .
Chitchat
@jdanielatkins
After voting to disfellowship 3 churches we should have spent a session in prayer and grief. #SBC23
pastoralanfloyd
Encouraged at this annual meeting of Southern Baptists. We get some things wrong, but we’re doing a lot right! Collectively we have added 10,000+ new churches since 2010. And yesterday, we appointed 79 missionaries to take the gospel to the nations!
@NationalWMU
“When we’re trauma-informed, we see the person and not their behaviors. We see their experiences and not their actions,” said Jerry Haag, president/CEO of @One_MoreChild during the “Mental Health” panel. To find mental health resources, visit wmu.com/mentalhealth #SBC23
clarkedunlap
Over 10,000 from around the world worshiping together is impressive. #Worldbaptists #SBC #NOLA #sbc23
lyndel_littleton
Last words are important! The very last words in the Bible are about God’s grace! Let those be your words! #sbc23 #grace #lastwords #speakgrace
guidestone_
“We believe that enhancing the financial security and resilience of the messenger of the Gospel is our part in helping to advance the message of the Gospel.” — Hance Dilbeck #SBC23
@jaredcornutt
That’s a wrap from NOLA. Overall, just a great two days of meetings with 12,000+ other Southern Baptists. I am grateful for our cooperative work together. Missionaries, planters, seminaries, resources and churches working together for one goal: That Jesus may be known. #SBC23
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