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Today In Southern Hills

May 18, 2012

Dr. Ezell, NAMB hails bivocational pastors and planters

Ezell told trustees one of his biggest surprises after coming to NAMB was to learn of the high number of bivocational pastors serving the SBC. These pastors, he said, are key to gaining ground on lostness in North America.
"We really believe the only way for us to have a true church planting movement is to really garnish the efforts of bivocational pastors and to train our young people that they, too, can be bivocational," Ezell said.
With that in mind, Ezell said NAMB will begin celebrating and encouraging bivocational pastors and church planters through a variety of means. He announced NAMB is partnering with Union University to offer bivocational pastors a 33-hour online master of arts in theological studies degree. NAMB will provide a limited number of scholarships for the program each year. Ezell said NAMB also is hosting a luncheon for bivocational pastors at the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in New Orleans and will feature the work of bivocational pastors in its presentation there. More

OHIO MINISTRY ASSISTANTS CONFERENCE on Saturday, June 9 from 9:00 am-3:00 pm at the FBC Groveport
Registration Flyer

June 24-29, Youth Mission Camp, Greenfield, Ohio
Dr. Bill Barker the Director of Appalachian Regional Ministry will spend the week at SHBA's Mission Equipping Camp. Every morning Bill will train our youth in evangelism and every night he will bring the evening messages. Every afternoon youth will lead 3 VBS, conduct Block Parties, work in nursing homes, host a sports camp, and do home improvements for the elderly. In addition to SHBA's youth leadership team we will be join by four collegiate summer missionaries. Make sure your youth group sign up today.

Baptist associations & local church cooperation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- When a Vermont pastor's father became deathly ill, the pastor called the Green Mountain Baptist Association. Like many pastors in the state, he works another job to make ends meet. Unable to pay for the long trip home to be near his father, he needed compassionate counsel from a trusted colleague in ministry.
"Within minutes of his phone call, I was able to send out a plea to all our pastors," Terry Dorsett, director of missions and church planting catalyst with the association, recounted in an email.
"In less than two hours I was able to call him back and tell him that we had collected all that he needed to make the trip home."
For many pastors, Baptist associations serve as the primary support system for their work and ministry. But that's just one facet of the groups of churches that join together for fellowship, for ministry and service and for cooperative evangelism and missions.
The Baptist association is the oldest cooperative unit in Baptist life, tracing its existence back more than 300 years.
Each year, the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions (SBCADOM) promotes a week of Associational Missions Emphasis. This year's emphasis, slated for May 20-26, is themed "Igniting Passion." A small-group study resource developed in cooperation with the North American Mission Board is available as a free download at http://bit.ly/L7HWOA.

Dates to Remember
June 18-20 Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans Click here to see Convention Live
June 24-28 SHBA's Youth Mission Camp - Greenfield - Sign up today

Where to purchase $1.00 Bibles for VBS Bibles, Outreach, and Bible Seed Groups

King James Bibles $1.00 KJV Bibles - click here

HCSB Bible Lifeway's HCSB $1.00 each - click here

Send North America Conference - July 30-31
The Send North America Conference 2012 is a two-day experience designed for church planters, pastors, leaders and others committed to penetrating lostness in North America. Learn and interact with relevant leaders and practitioners during general sessions and tailored breakouts, with plenty of time and space for connecting, communicating and finding your place in the mission. Here under one roof, Southern Baptists come together with a shared vision and common goals to bring about remarkable change to the spiritual landscape of North America. The Send North America Conference will equip you for your next step in reaching North America through Church Planting. Read more here