Dear Friend,
I am delighted that you want to know more about what makes the Baptist Resource Network unique, and what enables us to be a vital partner in your Gospel mission.
Thank you for your interest in the BRN and for your partnership in the Gospel. Everything we do at the BRN centers on four key parts of our strategy to help churches accelerate Kingdom movement:
We help churches ASSESS where they are; we ASSIST them in knowing where to go next; we help ACTIVATE the plans God has for them; and we help them ADVANCE the Kingdom in and through their churches.
We offered customized training and resources because we know churches are in different stages of growth. They are either restarting or starting; revitalizing (focused on maintaining growth), reproducing (growing and multiplying within their church), or reinvesting (growing and multiplying and benefiting other churches).
We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the main accelerant of the work that churches do across the BRN, because it is the only way to see a multiplication movement of new disciples, new leaders, new ministries and new churches across our two-state region.
If your church desires growth and multiplication, this is your network. After studying the healthiest of churches, we discovered a few common building blocks that lead to church vitality.
Healthy churches start with healthy leaders, healthy filters, healthy behaviors, and a healthy mission. In fact, not only do healthy churches start here, they stay here! Like a good athlete, they practice these fundamentals over and over again. We believe this so strongly that we’ve built our network around resourcing your church with these core building blocks.
Everything starts with healthy leaders. We care about your walk with God, your physical health, and your vital relationships, particularly your marriage. Many BRN pastors are bi-vocational, and we care deeply about helping you maintain comprehensive health even while working exceptionally hard.
Healthy filters provide a grid through which we consider our activities. Jesus said that we should ‘Seek first the Kingdom.’ That is a filter. Jesus said, ‘Pray… thy Kingdom come.’ That is a filter. With every decision, healthy churches do not ask, “What would we like?” but rather, “What will most effectively build the Kingdom of God in our place?” Our job is not to build the Church – Jesus will do that – but to seek first the Kingdom. The BRN helps celebrate the filters of Kingdom and prayer with you.
Healthy churches have a few healthy behaviors in common. They practice MISSIONAL ENGAGEMENT, which is living out the Kingdom of God in their particular cultural context. They have an INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP process in place to move people from spiritual infancy to spiritual parenthood. They invest in ongoing LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT so that they have a strong farm team for new ministries and church starts.
Finally, a healthy mission is focused on multiplication at every level. Do you desire to see every disciple make new disciples, every ministry birth new ministries, and every church multiply new churches?
At the BRN, we have a clear vision of wanting to see every church within our Pennsylvania-South Jersey geography become a healthy, multiplying church.
On this website, you will see the resources that the BRN provides to assist and encourage you as you embrace these healthy building blocks. You’ll see what it means to be Great Commission Baptists within the BRN. Whether you are a new church seeking affiliation with the BRN, an existing church that wants to review the resources of the BRN, or simply a faithful disciple within one of our local churches who wants to know what the broader church is all about, I hope that you’ll find this information encouraging.
Our mission is worth our partnership. Your church can be stronger when we stand together for the Gospel, and I’m truly grateful that you’re exploring the BRN.
Your servant,
Dr. Barry Whitworth
Executive Director-Treasurer
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Why Partner with the BRN?
Our staff cares deeply for your church and for you personally as church leaders. We endeavor to come alongside you simply to listen, to offer resources, and to provide training to help strengthen your ministries.
When you are a part of the BRN family, you can draw inspiration and encouragement from other churches who also are striving to impact our region with the gospel!
Through the Cooperative Program with the greater Southern Baptist Convention, you have the opportunity to support missionaries all over the world!
You can partner with BRN in international missions partnerships, local church plant missions support, and church-to-church projects.
Your story matters. You may have opportunity to mentor younger ministers, coach church planters, teach seminars and otherwise share lessons with church leaders throughout the region.
You also can send messengers to the BRN Annual Meeting, where you can hear vision and can help shape the future of ministry in PA/SJ.
- Step 1: WELCOME
- Step 2: PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS
- Step 3: PARTNERSHIP AFFILIATION PROCESS
- Step 4: PARTNERSHIP AFFIRMATION STATEMENTS (PART 1)
- Step 5: PARTNERSHIP AFFIRMATION STATEMENTS (PART 2)
- Step 6: CHURCH INFORMATION
- Step 7: COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
- Step 8: PARTNERSHIP AFFILIATION FILE UPLOADS
- Step 9: PARTNERSHIP VALIDATION & COVENANT
- Step 10: FINAL PARTNERSHIP AFFILIATION CHECKLIST
- Step 11: WHAT'S NEXT?
- Low Tech Paper Version
The Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey (PA/SJ) is one of 41 state conventions related to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Our central office of operation, the “Hub” as we call it, is in Harrisburg, Pa., and our team is located strategically throughout our regions. The BRN geography of servicing typically consists of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, and we are comprised of hundreds of churches situated across four regions throughout this geography: West Region, Central Region, Greater Philadelphia Region, and South Jersey Region.
The BRN has a clear vision to see every church within its geography become a healthy, multiplying church. Our mission is to carry out that vision and the mission of Accelerating Kingdom Movement. There are three characteristics of all healthy churches: they engage missionally in the community, make disciples, and they develop leaders. The main priority of the BRN is helping your church strengthen these three behaviors so that you can expand the Kingdom of God.
Jesus commissioned His Church to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We realize that no one individual or local church can accomplish this mission alone, so we choose to partner as we can accomplish more together than we can separately.
The BRN highly values partnership with your church. We love cooperating to help churches become effective in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. True partnership works when churches are involved and committed together to reach this goal. We want and desire to work with you to accomplish this mission.
Financial giving to the Cooperative Progam is one of the largest ways we can accomplish more together as this directly funds the ministry and missions efforts of the BRN and the SBC which allow the continued servicing of churches and the advancement of the Gospel in our geographical areas, the nation, and the world. The more your church is able to contribute, the more we are able to advance the Kingdom.
Each local church is autonomous and the BRN has no ecclesiastical authority over the church. Churches affiliate with the BRN voluntarily to work together to reach the world for Christ. Affiliated churches shall be member churches of the BRN, which allows messengers from the church to vote on business matters at the BRN Annual Gathering and the SBC National Convention.
We are so grateful for churches like yours that desire to do ministry together for the sake of the 14+ million people in our four regions that do not have a relationship with Jesus.
Next, click on Step 2 to view some of the benefits of partnering with the BRN!
Partnership Benefits
These benefits, along with a comprehensive look at the BRN, can be found in our online version of the Your BRN Family guide.
FROM THE BAPTIST RESOURCE NETWORK
| Administrative Assistance | Financial/Admin Coaching (new churches) | Pastor Prayer Line |
| Children’s Ministry Training | Guest Retreat/Church Speakers | Pastor Roundtables & Clusters |
| Church Health Assistance | Help Desk Support | Pastoral Wellness Resources |
| Church Health Evaluations | Informational Resources | Prayer Support/Encouragement |
| Church Planter Support | Legacy Coaching | Racial Unity Assistance |
| Church Servicing/Resourcing | Lending Library | Respite Opportunities |
| Collegiate Ministry Assistance | Free Life, Disability Insurance & Retirement Benefits | Student Internships |
| Compassion Ministry Assistance | Ministry Job Board | Training Center Use |
| Communications/AV Training | Ministry Wives/Family Ministry | Transitional/Supply Pastor |
| Conferences, Cohorts, Trainings | Missions Housing | Voting Privileges at BRN Business Session |
| Demographic Studies | Multiplying Church Centers | Weekly E-Newsletter |
| Disaster & Crisis Relief Opportunities | Networking Opportunities | Women’s Ministry Resources |
| Discounted Legal Counsel Consultation | Next Gen Ministry Assistance | |
| Evangelism and Ministry Grants | Next Step Consultations | |
| Evangelism Resources | Next Step Conversations | And more! |
FROM THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
| 501(c)(3) Federal Tax Exemption | Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) representation in public square | Missions Service Opportunities |
| Access to International Missionaries | Evangelism Resources | Multiplication Pipeline Training System |
| Church Planter Coaching & Training | Funded Missionaries (Local, National, and International) | Quality Seminary Education |
| Church Planter Funding | Guest Missionary Speakers | SBC Seminary Tuition Discount |
| Church Plant Start-Up Grants | GuideStone Life/Health Insurance, Investments, Retirement, & Minister Taxation | Short-Term Mission Trip Opportunities |
| Church Planter Support | Lifeway Christian Resources (Books, Bible Studies, Gifts, Camps, etc.) | Voting Privileges at SBC Annual Convention |
FROM OUR PREFERRED PARTNERS
| Alliance Defending Freedom Membership | Ministry Trust Estate/Planned Giving | Southern Baptist Foundation Financial Services |
| Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, Preferred Ministry Insurance Provider | Ministry Trust Financial Investment | WatersEdge Church Accounting |
| Christian Timber Reserve Fundraising | Mission Partners from Other State Conventions | WatersEdge Church Loans |
| Respite Opportunities | WatersEdge Short-Term Investments | RightNow Media Membership Specials |
The BRN will continue seeking beneficial partnerships for our churches.
Next, click on Step 3 to see the overall process.
PARTNERSHIP AFFILIATION PROCESS
Below is a quick overview of the Affiliation Process. You may navigate through each of steps through the tabs on the left. At the end of the steps is a Final Partnership Affiliation Checklist that you can use to ensure you’ve completed each part. Thank you!
- Pastor (and church elders, if desired) meets with a BRN team member(s) to discuss the BRN and complete the attached Affirmation Statements. Discussion will include the BRN Constitution & Bylaws, Baptist Faith & Message, the Cooperative Program, support of the BRN direction & vision, and the Annual Church Profile (ACP).
- The Church shall submit all the items from the following checklist through this portal or to the BRN by email (helpdesk@brnunited.org) or mail:
Baptist Resource Network Hub
4620 Fritchey Street
Harrisburg, PA 17109
- The BRN will communicate back to your church once the affiliation has been processed and approved. You should receive both an SBC Identification number as well as a financial giving number from the BRN upon completion of the affiliation.
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- The SBC ID Number will be used to identify your church in the nationwide SBC database. It will allow you to file the Annual Church Profile, post job postings on sbc.net, participate in the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, make purchases through Lifeway Christian Resources, update your church info in the SBC database, etc.
- The financial giving number is issued by the BRN and is used when submitting Cooperative Program or other contributions to the BRN. This number ensures that your gift is applied properly in our contribution system.
If you need assistance, please click on the chat on the bottom right of this screen (during office hours) or email the Help Desk at helpdesk@brnunited.org.
Click on Step 4 to start the paperwork! Thank you!
Pastor (and church elders, if desired) meets with a BRN team member(s) to discuss the BRN and complete the attached Affirmation Statements below. Discussion will include the BRN Constitution & Bylaws, Baptist Faith & Message, the Cooperative Program, support of the BRN direction & vision, and the Annual Church Profile (ACP).
Next, in Step 5, you will be asked to provide a written affirmation on the following topics: abuse prevention, joint Gospel ministry, and your adherence to the Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement.
Next, click on Step 6 to provide your church’s specific details. Thank you!
Next, click on Step 7 to submit your first donation to the Cooperative Program. Thank you!
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries.
Many churches send their financial gifts and offerings via public post. We receive them (payable to Baptist Resource Network) at: Baptist Resource Network, 4620 Fritchey Street, Harrisburg, PA 17109.
However, in addition to mailing contribution checks, churches and individuals can give securely online through our easy-to-use online giving tool. Since we are a network of churches spanning such large territory, two states, and with many partners around the country and world, we find that this safe and flexible option is the easiest way for churches and individuals to give to the Cooperative Program and/or other special offerings.
You may set up automatic payments or make a one-time donation. Here, you can easily manage your giving amount and specify where the funds should be applied. If you have questions concerning giving or for more information about online giving, please reach out to us by email at helpdesk@brnunited.org.
Next, click on Step 8 to upload a copy of your church’s Constitution and By-Laws and Clearances/Background Checks. Thank you!
Next, click on Step 9 to download and sign the Partnership Validation and Covenant Form. Thank you!
Click on the button below to download the Partnership Validation & Covenant form. You may sign the form electronically (or print the form and sign it).
Once your Partnership Validation & Covenant form is filled out, you may upload it here or email it to the Help Desk at helpdesk@brnunited.org.
Next, click on Step 10 to go through a Final Partnership Affiliation Checklist.
Use this checklist form to let us know when you have completed all the paperwork. Thank you!
Next, click on Step 11 to see what happens next!
PROCESSING YOUR APPLICATION
The BRN will communicate back to your church once the affiliation has been processed and approved. You should receive both an SBC Identification number as well as a financial giving number from the BRN upon completion of the affiliation.
The SBC ID Number will be used to identify your church in the nationwide SBC database. It will allow you to file the Annual Church Profile, post job postings on sbc.net, participate in the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, make purchases through LifeWay, update your church info in the SBC database, etc.
The financial giving number is issued by the BRN and is used when submitting Cooperative Program or other contributions to the BRN. This number ensures that your gift is applied properly in our contribution system.
FIRST STEPS GATHERING
The BRN is excited to host a welcoming First Steps Gathering for church leaders (pastors and staff) who are new to their churches and for newly affiliated churches. This event will help you discover your first steps as partners with the Baptist Resource Network. Held twice a year, this event give you an opportunity to tour the BRN’s facilities, hear from BRN executive director and other team members, to hear about latest initiatives, and to network with others. Join us!
Maybe you’d rather just fill out the paperwork offline? No problem! Go to the next tab to download the paper version. Thank you!
Click on the button below to download all the items from the previous checklist to the BRN. Once filled out, submit them to the Help Desk by email or mail them to:
Baptist Resource Network Hub
4620 Fritchey Street
Harrisburg, PA 17109
Thank you!
Quick Links: