Whitworth shares SBC meeting’s emphasis on missions and BRN’s summer evangelism grants

Barry Whitworth, executive director of the Baptist Resource Network, highlighted the missions emphasis on display at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans. He also pointed to evangelism grants available to BRN churches this summer.

June 21, 2023
Barry Whitworth

Hello, BRN Family! It’s great to be with you today!

Nearly 19,000 messengers and guests attended this year’s annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orlean last week. As with other years, our mission was a focus of the week.

In his report, Dr. Willie McLaurin, interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee said it well. “Generations come and go, but our mission has not changed. In fact, brothers and sisters, it must not change,” he said. “This is our time, our turn to carry on the legacy of reaching neighbors and nations for Christ.”

This legacy of missions was on display throughout the whole week. In fact, the annual meeting kicked off with a Sending Celebration of 79 IMB missionaries, who shared their backgrounds as well as their calling to go to the nations. Several had their identities hidden due to their location assignment. It was such a reminder of God’s call to Southern Baptists to keep the mission – the Great Commission – in the forefront.

Throughout the week the North American Mission Board and Send Relief highlighted churches who served their neighbors during the Serve Tour + Crossover outreach events for New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

At a Send Network gathering, Send Network President Vance Pittman noted, “There are roughly 275 million non-Christians living in North America. So, one percent of the lost population in North America is 2.75 million people.”

He challenged, “What would it take? Could we see the kingdom of God expand by one percent in the next decade, so that we could hand to our children and our grandchildren a different trajectory for the kingdom on our continent?”

As you know, here in Pennsylvania/South Jersey, we are concerned about the 14 million people who do not yet know Jesus in our own region. We are doing whatever it takes to reach them with the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

To that end, we urge you to take advantage of BRN Evangelism grants for your summer plans to share the gospel. Maybe you need funds to reach your community? Maybe you want to train your church in evangelism?

You may apply for evangelism grants specifically to support and promote outreach events and evangelistic efforts. We’d love to help! Apply today at brnunited.org/grant.

Thanks for listening in today, and God bless you!

Barry Whitworth

Barry has been in ministry for over 30 years, serving as a mission pastor, associate pastor, church planter, pastor, interim pastor, transitional pastor and planter, church planting strategist, lead church planting catalyst, church planting director, and now executive director.

Before his calling as Executive Director of the Baptist Resource Network in February 2017, he was a church planting missionary and served the Multiplying Churches Team Leader for the BRN.