BOLIVAR, MISSOURI -- Cars and church vans arriving on the campus of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri was a scene that may seem ordinary at first but this one was special as I've witnessed this week at the Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf - 65th Anniversary where close to 300 people came to celebrate God's goodness for the many years of ministry and to discuss ways of reaching the lost as articulated in the mission statement that is guiding the SBCD "To reach Deaf persons for Jesus Christ by serving as a cooperative network for Southern Baptist churches and agencies to fulfill the Great Commission by providing training, advocacy, worship, missions awareness and mission involvement. SBU, a university affiliated with Missouri Baptist Convention, the host for two years in a row proved to be a central and accessible place as evidenced by the diversity of number plates on the cars and vans in the parking lot. What would it take to reachout to more than 2 million deaf and 15 million hard of hearing people in the United States?
This question was asked in sessions and workshops provided at the conference. The common answer seemed to be "training". Not just any kind of training but church based, since the church is God's agent of transformation as heralded by pastor Aric Randolph the newly called pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church Deaf Church in greater Nashville Tenn area who intends to train church planters and missionaries in his church.
John lovas pastor of New Orleans Deaf Church informed the participants that he is using the acronym "BETS" in his attempt to have a balanced approach of church ministry. (Bring them in; Encourage them; Train them; and Send them out). Since the church is God's agent of transformation, training the local church is also a high priority so exploring ways of providing "Churches Planting Churches Training" to Deaf church pastors is also a priority where local churches are exposed to the process of multiplying themselves through church planting.
There are over 50 Deaf churches who are part of the Southern Baptist Convention and the potential of doubling that number is a few short years is very high if each pastor will "train" another leader in his church and in partnership with other churches, Baptist associations, Baptist State Conventions, and the North American Mission Board will deploy that leader into church planing ministry. In a very few years the number of churches will increase and many people will be reached with the Gospel of Christ. Working together is key. Lets work together for the glory of God and the good of the people!
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Mark Hobafcovich, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The North American Mission Board is the domestic mission agency of SBC with mission responsibility in the United States and Canada with headquarters in Alpharetta (Atlanta), Georgia. Mark can be reached at: email: mhobafcovich@namb.net; twitter: @JohnMarkGlobal
