A Vital Part of The Great Commission

Brent Baughman, Stanley Heights Baptist Church, Chattanooga, TN

“Do we really need more churches in America? America has the Gospel readily available, and the world has never heard. Do we need to focus efforts on America?” These are questions I have asked myself and discussed with other pastors. I believe that reseeding America is not only a great need but is vital to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Why do I believe in Reseeding America?

It started when I was an undergraduate at Bob Jones University and my eyes were opened to the need and the possibility of church planting. While God did not lead me to USA church planting, God did begin to burden my heart about it. In time, while serving on a church staff for twelve years in Florida, God began opening my vision for churches planting churches. After moving my family to Stanley Heights Baptist Church in Chattanooga, our Lord brought a number of experiences together to shape my vision. Our church is driven by the Great Commission, and I was evaluating our missions ministry in light of it. As I assessed our church ministry, I realized that we had an intentional effort to fulfill the Great Commission locally in our Jerusalem. I realized we had an intentional effort to fulfill the Great Commission globally to the uttermost part of the earth. However, as I evaluated our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission, I realized that we were not intentionally fulfilling the Great Commission regionally in our Judea and Samaria. At the same time, the Lord began to challenge me with Reseeding America (particularly our region in the expanding suburban south) through the ministry of Brothers John Bailes and Bob Larson. All the while, I was watching the compromise or decline of what were once balanced, substantive, vibrant, obedience-driven churches. All of this brought me to the conclusion that our church had to make an intentional effort to fulfill the Great Commission regionally.

What Does Reseeding America Mean to Missions?

It means…
• Our church can multiply our ministry beyond the confines of our city to needy areas in the USA.
• Our people can more readily have direct involvement with church planting mission projects.
• We have a balanced effort in fulfilling the Great Commission locally, regionally, and globally. Imagine what would happen around the world if every church would intentionally marshal efforts to fulfill the Great Commission locally, regionally, and globally?
• The future of fundamental, obedience - driven churches is strengthened. In fact, the answer to a vibrant future for this biblical position is not just church growth but church reproduction.
• The Great Commission’s global outreach is funded. Through vibrant church planting new people are reached, new dollars are made available, new workers are equipped, new supporting churches are made available, and new sending churches are raised up as more people are called to go to the regions beyond.

Our church had a team of people that were involved in a John/Romans distribution with a church plant in a growing area of suburban Atlanta. We paid for all the materials and scheduled the distribution in conjunction with the church’s mission conference. After the conference, the church was able to take on every missionary for monthly support through increased Faith Promise commitments. What a thrill to be a link in the global chain of the Great Commission as our church participates in Reseeding America!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Robert L & Rhoda Smith II -  BARBADOS
Lyle & Rose Snakenberg -  MAINTENANCE
Dennis & Mary Snelson -  SCOTLAND