The Ohio Baptist Messenger is the monthly news publication of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. Visit www.scbo.org to learn more...
VOLUME 73 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2025
From Portable to Permanent, The Long Road Home
Full story on page 8
2 | February 2025
Featured This Month Laborers Needed to Reap Ohio’s Harvest by Dr. Jeremy Westbrook
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Let’s Make Disciples of Jesus Christ by Adam Pursel Annual Church Profile Connects Churches to SCBO
Penalties and the Gospel by Shane Pruitt
Compassionate Volunteers – The Backbone of Ohio Disaster Relief
Northeast Ohio Pastors Visit Southeast Florida From Portable to Permanent, The Long Road Home
Evangelism Grant Celebration Stories
10 12 13 14 15
SCBO Welcomes New Staff
After 21 Days of Prayer, What’s Next?
NC Baptists to Provide Free Graphic Design Training for SCBO Churches NAMB Encouraging Pastors to Leverage March 16 to Share John 3:16
The Ohio Baptist Messenger Staff
Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, editor-in-chief Stephanie Heading, managing editor
Seth Wicker, digital communication assistant AJ Frasure, director of IT
-- Tell us your story -- The Ohio Baptist Messenger is a monthly publication highlighting what the Lord is doing in SCBO churches or min- istries, and we need your help! Tell us your story and we could feature it in an upcoming issue of The Messenger . Please submit your stories to messenger@scbo.org. For more information, please contact Stephanie Heading at messenger@scbo.org.
Published monthly by The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio for members of Southern Baptist churches in Ohio. | 9000 Antares AveColumbus, Ohio 43240
February 2025 | 3
Laborers Needed to Reap Ohio’s Harvest The harvest is here in Ohio, and laborers are needed. With over ninety percent of Ohio’s twelve million peo- ple unchurched, we need more planters, pastors, and churches here in the Buckeye state! The Scriptures not only provide an exhortation but also an encouragement to help us reach more with the Gos- pel of Christ.
Jesus told us in Luke 10:2, “And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Ohio Baptists have been praying and will continue to pray for more laborers to be sent. I had the opportunity to meet with a group of new la- borers for the harvest in Ohio as we began 2025 with a New Pastor and Staff Orientation (NPSO) at the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO) offices. I am thrilled to share that over thirty pastors, staff, and spouses were in attendance. We had a full house and one of our largest attended NPSO gatherings in years! It was incredible to hear their stories and how their jour- neys brought them here to us! What a blessing, but an even greater reminder that what Jesus said over two thousand years ago is still true to-
Over 30 new pastors and spouses attended the New Pastor and Staff Orientation at the SCBO offices recently. The Lord continues to bring laborers into the harvest in Ohio.
day. Let us be faithful in praying, believing, and recruit- ing. Why? Because the harvest is here in Ohio and laborers are needed! Moving Forward,
Dr. Jeremy Westbrook Executive Director-Treasurer, SCBO
4 | February 2025
President’s Pen Let’s Make Disciples of Jesus Christ
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jn 11:25-27). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in him has eternal life! Many of us can say with Martha, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” If so - praise God! We have eternal life in Christ! We have an inheritance kept safe for us in heaven, that can never spoil or fade. If so, we don’t just have an inheritance. We have a mission. In each of our communities, there are people who do not yet believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not yet have eternal life, because they do not know the one who is the resurrection and the life. You and I have a mission! As we think about the upcoming year, let’s find ways to help people hear and respond to the Gospel. Let’s make disciples of Jesus Christ - baptizing the new ones and teaching them to observe all his Word! One of the great things about being an Ohio Baptist is the support. Help is just an email or phone call away. There are amazing resources in our state to help church leaders. We can help you proclaim the word of Christ in your community so that lost people can hear and respond to the gospel! You can always reach me at president@scbo.org.
Grace and Peace, Adam Pursel SCBO President
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Annual Church Profile Connects Churches to SCBO The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of nearly 47,000 Baptist churches scattered across the United States and its territories.
It provides a visual of how we are doing The statistics collected with the ACP are about relation- ships. How many people have a relationship with your church (total members)? How many new relationships began this year (total baptisms)? What is the depth of those relationships (worship, Bible study, giving)? These statistics reveal a congregation’s relationships as well as those of the local associations, SCBO, and the Southern Baptist Convention. It shows our willingness to connect The ACP is for each congregation to personally partici- pate and is about congregations that are investing in re- lationships with each other locally. Nothing that Southern Baptists want to accomplish can be obtained without first investing in loving one another. This is Jesus’ new command and exhortation in John 13:34. When a local leader asks you to participate in the ACP, they are asking if you are willing to connect. It reveals our relationships There are numerous opportunities to do things together as Southern Baptists. The ACP captures joint participa- tion in the Cooperative Program and offerings that sup - port international and North American missions. Con- gregations can share specific names of leaders to help create connections with others doing similar ministry across the SBC. There’s still time for you to connect with other Ohio Bap- tist churches and SCBO by submitting your 2024 Annual Church Profile. Please visit SCBO.org/ACP and take 1-2 minutes to complete your church’s profile today. Original article courtesy of Lifeway Research. “penalties” in life. That’s the essence of the Gospel— we need God’s grace and forgiveness every single day. 2. Failure doesn’t disqualify your witness. Mistakes are inevitable; it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” The real question is, how will you respond when you fall short? 3. The Gospel is for every moment. No matter how influential our platform may be or how God uses us for His glory, we never outgrow our need for the Gos- pel. True maturity comes not from moving past it, but growing deeper in it. Every day, we need Jesus to in- crease in our lives as we decrease. Ultimately, this is the beauty of the cross: Jesus bore all our PENALTIES so we could share in His VICTORY.
These churches have organized themselves to accom- plish a specific set of missions and ministry initiatives all to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people ev- erywhere. The Annual Church Profile (ACP) is part of the organiza - tion of our SBC churches. It is a short set of questions to record the condition and activity of your church. In Ohio, it is shared with your association, the State Con- vention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO), and SBC entities to identify the condition of our shared work. “Just as our vital signs indicate our overall physical health, the ACP reveals in many ways our missional health,” said Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, SCBO executive director. “The annual completion of the ACP is critical for our coopera- tive efforts to help reach the neighborhoods in Ohio and the nations around the world for Christ.” Completing the ACP connects Ohio Baptist churches with each other and SCBO in several ways: Only related congregations are asked to participate How your congregation became Southern Baptist may be something that many in the congregation were a part of or it may only be a distant memory. But that decision to voluntarily join with other Baptist churches in Great Commission work and fellowship makes your presence important. Your participation confirms that relationship still exists. Penalties and the Gospel By Shane Pruitt, NAMB national next gen director Amidst all the attention on college football players and coaches openly expressing their faith, let’s talk about a PENALTY. TreVeyon Henderson, an outspoken Christian and leader in Ohio State football’s Bible studies and bap- tism services, is an example of faith in action. During OSU’s semi-final game against Texas, he wore Romans 3:22 eye black—a bold display of his beliefs— while also receiving a 15-yard unsportsmanlike pen- alty. While I don’t condone penalties or unnecessary ag- gression, this serves as a powerful reminder: 1. Christians aren’t perfect. Even as followers of Jesus, we still make mistakes. We’re going to commit some
Original article, which appeared on Facebook, courtesy of Shane Pruitt.
6 | February 2025
Compassionate Volunteers – The Backbone of Ohio Disaster Relief
Dr. John Heading, Ohio Disaster Relief state director
Sixteen DR volunteers trained to serve as chaplains in January.
It’s been a long day. You get home from work, grab some dinner and sit in your chair to watch the national news. For the last few weeks, all you’ve seen are pictures of the devastating fires burning in California. The loss - es are overwhelming. After a while, it seems to be too much but your heart goes out to the victims. For the believer, the images of so much suffering spark feelings of compassion that compel you to do some- thing. Jesus modeled compassion for us. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Matthew 9:36-38 ESV It’s this compassion that drives us to volunteer to serve those affected by disaster. In response to devastating disasters, Ohio Southern Baptists have responded by training Disaster Relief vol- unteers in record numbers over the last three years. Since 2022, 287 people have completed the process to credential as Ohio Disaster Relief volunteers. In 2024,117 new people trained in Disaster Relief. The volunteer response has been amazing, but statisti- cally only 35% of volunteers in Ohio will deploy annually into the harvest fields. The challenging seasons of life that fill our schedules are the primary reason for lower deployment numbers.
Issues such as caring for an aging spouse or relative, having medical issues, and becoming too elderly to serve keep people from being able to deploy. Last year 46 OHDR volunteer teams served nearly 7,500 hours cutting up trees, clearing flood damage, feeding volunteers and the community, and offering showers. Our chaplains also provide emotional and spiritual care to people affected by disasters. Everyone in OHDR is asked to share the gospel every chance they get, but it’s the chaplains who are charged with providing care to their teams and the community. To meet the need for more chaplains, 16 new chaplains were trained in January 2025. These chaplains will deploy as members of a recovery team in an affected community or serve in the local in - cident command center. In California, chaplains are providing emotional and spiritual care to firefighters, residents, and people they meet in the fire zones. Ohio Disaster Relief has seen a clear difference in pro - fessions of faith for teams with a chaplain compared to teams without a chaplain. Recovery team members are focused on helping residents,, but the chaplains focus on the residents themselves. Last year OHDR teams saw five people come to faith in Christ. The teams also encountered many people who were already believers and were struggling to cope with disaster. Team chaplains offer what we call “the ministry of pres - ence,” spending time with people, listening to their sto-
Story continues on the next page...
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ries, providing care and praying with them. Sometimes the chaplains sit and help homeowners sort through the items left in the wreckage of their homes. That’s a hard process. Our goal is to deploy a chaplain with every team from Ohio. These teams are better equipped to meet what- ever needs they encounter. You never know the long-term impact of serving people affected by disaster. The people you serve are impact - ed and you are impacted as a volunteer. New Career Opportunity Executive Director, Ohio Baptist Foundation
The mission is ultimately to follow the directives of Je- sus to go out into the harvest fields whether those fields are behind your church, across the country or around the world. The mission of OHDR is to bring help, hope and heal- ing. Let us do the work and let God bring the harvest.
Northeast Ohio Pastors Visit Southeast Florida By Stephen Owens, Northeast Region catalyst The Ohio Baptist Foundation is officially accepting resumes for the position of Executive Director. This is initially a new part-time position. Please visit www.scbo.org/obf to learn more and view a job description. If you are prayerfully interested, please send your resume to our Ohio Baptist Foundation Interim Executive Director, Dr. Jeremy Westbrook at jwestbrook@scbo.org.
Hey Northeast Region family, I pray that 2025 has started well for you.
• Ethnic populations of Hispanics and Haitians are continuing to expand in the region. • Miami-Dade County is the most populous county in Florida, and over 50% of its population was born outside of the United States. Because of the immense diversity in southeast Flor- ida in language and heritage, it can be a great first step for those interested in doing foreign missions. Looking ahead, I’m praying that God will increasing- ly knit our fellowship together with southeast Florida and we will see northeast Ohio and southeast Flori- da associations and churches partnering together to reach more people for Jesus. I hope you will join me in this prayer because both regions are ripe for harvest. To reap the harvest we need to partner with our brothers and sisters in Flori- da for the glory of King Jesus. Be on the lookout for information coming from your association on how you and your church can get in- volved in what God is doing between these two re- gions. If I can be of assistance, please feel free to reach out to me at sowens@scbo.org.
A new year brings new opportunities and challenges but with the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to seize some of those oppor- tunities and stand strong against the challenges we may face. One of those opportunities is for us to build on our partnership with southeast Florida. On January 8-10, several Northeast Region pastors and I traveled to southeast Florida for a Vision Trip. We visited three associations, Broward, Miami-Dade, and the Florida Keys, and spent time with some amazing pastors who are serving the Lord and their communities. This was a great time of learning, fel- lowship, and encouragement. We learned the following facts about our partner re- gion in Florida: • An estimated 6 million people live in Southeast Flor - ida, from West Palm Beach to Miami. • Approximately 200 languages are spoken in this re - gion. It is truly a melting pot.
Covenant Church, Grove City, worships in its new building. 8 | February 2025
From Portable to Permanent, The Long Road Home
By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
Covenant Church, Grove City, has quite literally been a congregation on the move. Since launching in 2010, the church plant has been portable, meeting in various rented facilities over the years. All that changed on Sunday, January 5, 2025, when Covenant Church gathered in its new building --right in the middle of its mission field. “It’s good to be home,” said Lead Pastor David Palmer. Palmer was a member of the team that launched Cove- nant Church and has seen the plant grow from a launch team of 25-30 to a congregation of 700-800 in atten- dance each week. He and his wife Jara felt called to help plant a church while in grad school. “We moved here for the purpose of planting the church,” he said. “We grew up in Wooster so we’re Ohio people. We were living in Lynchburg, Virginia, as we prepared to plant. We were both in grad school down at Liberty University.” Despite Covenant Church moving from location to lo- cation, Palmer and his wife Jara, have grown to call Grove City home. “It’s weird to think about,” he said. “I lived in Wooster for 13 years and now it’s been 15 years in Grove City, so I’m more Grove City than I am Wooster.” However, Grove City wasn’t originally the target area, according to Palmer.
“You sort of say ‘yes’ to God before you know where he’s going to send you,” he noted. The launch team spent a year trying to figure out the who, what, where, and when of launching the church, and a survey from Send Network helped point them toward focus cities to consider. “Some of the focus cities were Boston, Portland, and Columbus, and so we prayed about all of those cit- ies,” Palmer said. “My wife and our families had fingers crossed for Columbus.” The launch team visited all three cities as they tried to discern God’s will for the new work. While driving around Columbus, the Lord led them to Grove City. “At one point we just turned off on the Stringtown Road exit, probably because it was exit 100, and started driving down Buckeye Parkway seeing all of this de- velopment taking place, looking left and right, and real- izing that there were no churches in the midst of these neighborhoods,” he said. The area is home to families with children, many of whom are experiencing milestones in their lives. “You hit some of those points where you’re more spir- itually open than others,” Palmer said. “You have kids or you get married or you move, but you’re spiritually open at those points. That was our thought – there’s a whole bunch of people here that we think we can reach. We felt like this was a mission field. And so we targeted Grove City and we moved here in 2010.” Story continues on the next page...
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Covenant experienced its first relocation move before it launched. “We had been planning to meet in Jackson Middle School, right in the middle of Buckeye Parkway, but the school levy failed,” he said. “They canceled all sports, all extracurricular activities, and all weekend contracts.” The fledgling church ended up meeting at Regal Cine - ma off Georgesville Road, northwest of Grove City. This was just the first of many facilities Covenant Church would call home during the next 15 years. The church gathered at locations in and around Grove City including two different movie theatres, a mid - dle school, a church in Galloway, and an out-of-busi- ness LA Fitness. They met in some locations for a few months and others for several years, setting up and tearing down each week. During the COVID pandemic, the theater they were meeting in shut down and they met online for a few months until the Lord provided a new location at an out- of-business L.A. Fitness. According to Palmer, being a portable church comes with limits but Covenant Church found ways to over- come them.
“Being portable, you have a timeline. So there’s not a lot of Sunday School opportunity. There’s not a lot of fellowshipping,” he said. “Movie theaters aren’t great for fellowshipping, and that forced us to do our disci- pleship processes in small groups.” The Church has followed a small group model since its launch with members meeting in homes throughout the week, and Palmer says they will continue their disciple- ship process in small groups. “I think that’s ultimately what has matured and kept our church strong through so much transience between places and spaces,” Palmer said. “God created you for spiritual leadership, not just for yourself, but to grow to a place where you can lead, pray for, support, encourage, influence, and challenge other believers in their walk.” Just recently, Palmer learned that the church being transient for 15 years is an anomaly. “I didn’t realize how odd it was until all these mature be- lievers and experienced believers were saying, ‘That’s weird. Just so you know, that’s weird,’” he said. “That’s just a testament to God and his presence and good- ness.”
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REGISTER NOW! Early bird pricing through January 31.
10 | February 2025
Evangelism Grant Celebration Stories
Cove City Church, Cleveland, Merry Mart Store Outreach
Thank you for supporting us and partnering with us in our 4th annual Merry Mart Store. I wanted to share an update with you on some of the key things that came out of this event. - 222 kids served, (283 signed up). - 100 Bibles given to families, some for the first time. - Praying for families and inviting them back to be a part of our church family. - Two families, along with their kids, have since returned for several Sundays in a row now which is a huge success for us. Our connections deepen each year through this event and we are so grateful for this opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus this past year. –Lead Pastor Josh Miller
Cove City Church's Merry Mart served 222 children in December.
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Evangelism Outreach Concert
“I want to personally thank you and the State of Ohio Baptist Conven- tion for contributing $1500 toward the special evangelistic event we had with Kenny Evans at Mount Carmel Baptist Church. We had eight decisions for Jesus Christ in our Sunday evening service. Praise God! To get people who typically would not attend a worship service, we had Evans, a Southern Baptist evangelist, who is an enter- tainer in Pigeon Forge,Tennessee, do a “Pigeon Forge Dinner Theater in Cincinnati. At the close he shared his testimony and there were eight decisions for Jesus. That evening we had around 150 in attendance and about 30 guests. This is the second year I have used Kenny Evans and he is both a great singer and an excellent preacher. We have him already scheduled again for November 9, 2025, and may do a special evangelistic event/revival where the first four nights will be for the revival of the church and the final night will be a “Bring your friends to Jesus” night. We are trying to change the method but not the message. Again, I want to thank you and SCBO for assisting us in accomplishing this evangelistic event.” –Pastor Cliff Myers
Mt Carmel Baptist Church NOVEMBER 10, 2024
Presents
8645 Kenwood Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 513.791.7323 www.mtcarmelbaptist.org Dinner Show | 6:00 PM Performing Golden Oldies and Classic Country Hits from the 50's and 60's Show in Pigeon Forge, TN
Stories continue on the next page...
New Career Opportunity Ministry Assistant
SCBO is looking for a talented person to join our team as a part-time ministry assistant. For more info, complete the form HERE
February 2025 | 11
Edgewood Baptist Church, Trenton, Kid’s Camp Ohio/Youth Camp Ohio 2024
I wanted to thank you for the SCBO’s support for our 2023 Kid’s Camp season. For various reasons, my follow-up to the 2024 camping season has been slow, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Lord blessed our efforts. 2024 marked the third year of running a week of camp for Southern Baptist churches at a facility just south of Camden, Ohio. After the first two years of hovering around 150 in camp, we added a few new churches and saw our numbers climb by over 40. We effectively sold out. We are looking forward to a new building to add additional capacity. More importantly God used adults pouring into these kids’ lives and God did what God does. Kids began a relation- ship with Jesus for the first time. We saw spiritual growth and spiritual restoration. We were once again reminded why many of us are called to the work of camp ministry. Secondly, we launched a week of youth camp this past sum- mer for those coming out of the sixth grade through twelfth grade, also located at the same facilities, but during the first week of June. It was a humble beginning with just over 40 in camp, but no less impactful. Three churches partnered together to make it go. We were blessed to have Matt Pardi as our Camp Pastor for the week.
Over 190 kids heard the gospel at Kid's Camp Ohio in 2024.
We saw several decisions for Christ, decisions for recommitments, and youth interested in exploring calls to missions. One girl, Kiki, who was bold and stood when Pastor Matt called for a response during an invitation encouraged a couple more to stand, affirming their desire to follow Christ. Kiki recently finished a new Christians class and was baptized. We also had three other youth make public their new faith in Christ. One had attended camp and had taken a spiritual step forward, but was now ready to begin a serious relationship with Christ. We praise God!” –Scott Tweedle, administrative pastor Editor’s Note - SCBO provided grants for the 2024 Kid’s Camp and the 2024 Youth Camp from Evangelism Grant Funds.
12 | February 2025
SCBO Welcomes New Staff By Stephanie Heading, managing editor
The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio recently welcomed two new team members. AJ Frasure and Jess Shoup have joined SCBO and are already busy working to serve Ohio churches and pastors. AJ Frasure - Director of IT
Frasure is the new Director of IT and will oversee the technology needs of SCBO including IT support, network maintenance, and staff training on key software. “My responsibilities also extend to creative work, such as managing SCBO’s website, graphic design, video production, and assisting with event produc- tion,” he said. “Additionally, I will handle the print shop and the distribution of ‘The Ohio Baptist Messenger.’ Overall, my goal is to ensure SCBO operates efficiently and continues to engage churches and pastors across Ohio.” In the short term, Frasure is working to ensure a smooth transition into the new IT leadership and redesign the SCBO website to improve its functional- ity and user experience. “Long-term, I hope to enhance SCBO’s digital presence and social media
AJ Frasure
outreach while equipping the organization with the tools needed to better serve its community,” he noted. “I want SCBO IT to be a tool that helps highlight all that God is doing in Ohio. My vision is to celebrate these in- credible stories and help others engage in this work,” he said. “It’s all about creating tools and systems that amplify SCBO’s message and help spread the gospel more effectively.” Frasure and his wife, Lindsay, are newlyweds who married in June 2024. They attend Covenant Church, Grove City, where he serves part-time as the Production Director, overseeing all audio, video, and lighting for services. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Business Information Systems. He is an avid Buckeye fan and was a member of the OSU marching band where he had the honor of “Dotting the i” in Script Ohio. Jess Shoup - SCBO Event Coordinator Jess Shoup has joined the SCBO team as the Event Coordinator helping plan and execute local, regional, and state events. “For most of the events I get the pleasure of working alongside the catalysts, helping to make their vision for events a reality,” she said.
Her goal is to make sure events at SCBO are done with excellence and attention to detail. She wants people who attend events to be left feeling connected and valued. Shoup has a long history of event planning in local churches and is bringing her expertise to Ohio Baptists. “Event planning for SCBO and over the years in local churches has been such a blessing to be a part of,” she said. “My job allows me to create spac- es for people to be trained and equipped in learning the gospel.” She also wants the events she plans to impact attendees in a deeper way.
Jess Shoup
“When planning events I also hope that the events are places where people can come and feel connected to the church body around them,” she noted. “My hope is that we are able to provide hospitality to all those who attend and that it will be a tangible example of Christ’s love to them.” Shoup is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Dietetics. She and her husband Cory met at OSU and have two daughters, Lilah and Magnolia. “We enjoy attending Veritas Community Church, Columbus. My husband and I serve as community group leaders and I serve on the Women’s Ministry team,” she said. “As a family, you can find us exploring outside, at the soccer fields, or gathered around a table eating good food with family and friends.”
NC Baptists to Provide Free Graphic Design Training for SCBO Churches By Zac James, SCBO worship consultant February 2025 | 13
This year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting Southern Baptist worship consultants across our beautiful coun- try. I happened to notice that our sister convention in North Carolina (NC) was offering communications train - ing for its churches. I attended with my two part-time staff that create graphics, and we all agreed it was phe - nomenal. NC Baptists have agreed to offer SBCO churches the same graphic design and church communications train- ing. All pastors and staff members who design graph - ics for your church are welcome to attend on Zoom for FREE on Thursday, March 13, from 10 am to Noon. Why should you attend? Many worship leaders and pastors haven’t had training in this area, but some- body’s gotta do it anyway. (I’ve joked for years that I’ve been bad at it long enough to be decent!) Oftentimes your graphics are the first thing new visitors see when they decide whether to attend. Your first im - pressions matter for the gospel. It’s worth getting train- ing and putting it into practice. What about your existing church members? An eye-catching graphic with clear information on how to engage can be the difference between mediocre event attendance and a packed event you’ll never forget. Join Kathryn Carson, Whitney Goulding, and Daniel Spivey from NC Baptists on Zoom, and you’ll get some
fantastic training on graphic design principles and com- munication strategies that work to make gospel procla- mation clearer in 2025. Here’s what NC Baptists say about this event: Church Communications: Graphic Design In today’s world, great design equals trust. People nat- urally gravitate toward visuals that are clear, compel- ling, and beautiful—because design communicates credibility. But how can a church with a limited budget stand out in a sea of messages? The answer: impactful, high-quality design that speaks directly to your com- munity, builds trust, and makes your message unfor- gettable. Even on a budget, your church can create a powerful first impression and engage more people with stunning, professional design. This training is tailored specifically for church commu - nications through the power of graphic design. Led by experts from the marketing and communications team at the N.C. Baptist State Convention, the training of- fers practical insights and strategies to elevate your church’s design efforts and enhance its impact. You will also see a demo of the free online web tool, Canva, de- signed specifically for everyday users. To register, click the link here or visit https://scbo.org/ churchcommunication to register today. You’ll get an email with a link to join the Zoom call. We’ll see you then!
After 21 Days of Prayer, What’s Next? 14 | February 2025
At least fifty SCBO churches have participated in the 21 Days of Prayer. As churches begin to pray in unity, great reports are coming in. So, what’s next? In the fall, a pilot group of a dozen churches participated in a Prayer, Care, Share initiative that ended with a Friend Day. Pastor David Haarmeyer, East River Road Baptist Church, Fairfield, reports, “21 days of prayer and Prayer Care Share had the most significant impact on our ministry in 2024. We, as a church, saw eight baptisms this past year. The first came during our 21 days of prayer, and the other seven came after our 12 weeks of Prayer Care Share.” Prayer, Care, Share: Learn the simple plan to reach anyone with the gospel. Maybe you are like most Christians. You would like to be effective at evange - lism. You want the Lord to use you to help people come to Christ. But you can’t seem to find something that works for you. We have good news for you. The Bible describes a simple, timeless system that has worked for thousands of years world- wide and will work for you.
Dr. Dave Earley and Dr. David Wheeler, veteran professors, pastors, and evangelists, have identified, explained, summarized, illustrated, and applied their expertise to create an effective system for winning people to Christ. This book is clear, concise, and compelling. It is filled with real stories about real people, practical examples, and great ideas. Brad Adrian, a leader at East River Road, writes, “Sharing the gospel is commanded of us, and this is a skill we need to develop. Prayer, Care, Share’s simplicity works for individuals and churches. It helps us to pray more intentionally, care more compassionately, and see ways to share the Good News with impact.” If you want to be involved with other pastors in the spring coaching accountability cohort, preparing for Easter, contact Dave Earley at dbearley@liberty.edu . You can find out more about Prayer, Care, Share at https://prayer-care- share.com/.
February 2025 | 15
NAMB Encouraging Pastors to Leverage March 16 to Share John 3:16
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – This year, March 16 falls on a Sun- day, and the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) evangelism team is urging Southern Baptist churches to plan a special outreach on that day with a campaign: “3:16 on 3/16.” “John 3:16 has been referred to as the gospel in a nut- shell. It’s probably the most widely known Bible verse in the world,” said Tim Dowdy, NAMB’s president of evan- gelism. “So, in cooperation with our state conventions and associations, on March 16, we’re encouraging all SBC pastors to preach on John 3:16.” NAMB’s evangelism team has created a website, 316on316.com, that includes resources designed to help churches and pastors prepare for 3/16 Sunday. Sermon prompts, outreach ideas and a prayer guide can help a church engage its neighbors with the gospel in the lead- up to March 16. “We’re praying that the Lord of the harvest will move in a mighty way to save the lost,” Dowdy said. “We’re com- mitted to making Jesus’s name known on March 16, and we hope you’ll join us in this effort to take the gospel to North America.” The 3:16 on 3/16 campaign represents an opportunity for pastors to unify around evangelism, but it also affords churches the chance to put evangelism before their peo- ple during a time when there seems to be an increasing openness to the gospel.
“Today, I wonder if we’re seeing the beginning of a revival among Gen Z, particularly those in college,” Trevin Wax, NAMB’s vice president of resources and marketing, wrote last year. “As I survey the landscape, I see signs of hope and renewal that strike me as unexpected and remark- able.” Shane Pruitt, NAMB’s national next gen director, has labeled the next generation the “revival generation” be- cause of the responses to the gospel he’s seen in recent years. “Ever since 2020, I’ve personally been witnessing God move amongst teens and college students in massive ways,” Pruitt recently posted on social media. The movement has not been limited to youth and col- lege students, though. Spiritual hunger pangs have been grumbling in various ways as some well-known people have come to faith in recent years or at least begun pub- licly acknowledging the goodness of Christianity. “If we’re seeing the doors of peoples’ hearts beginning to crack open, ‘3:16 on 3/16’ offers pastors and churches a tool to connect the date on the calendar with the hope of everlasting life,” Dowdy said. “Let’s come together, unify around the proclamation of the gospel, and ask the Lord of the harvest to work on the hearts of those who need Jesus.” To learn more about 3:16 on 3/16, visit 316on316.com. Article courtesy of the North American Mission Board.
A 2019 study conducted by Lifeway found that 55 per- cent of churchgoers had not shared the gospel with anyone in the previous six months. In 2024, though, Lifeway Research noted that the share of those who claim no religious affiliation appears to have dropped after decades of a steady increase, which potentially represents a changing tide that churches need to be ready to address. Greater interest in spiritual things among Generation Z may be one cause behind the drop in religious nones, though it is too early to tell for certain.
16 | January 2025
Job Postings
SENIOR PASTOR Wapakoneta Baptist Church, Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta Baptist Church, Wapakoneta, OH is seeking a senior pastor for a small, but well-established congregation. This is a bi-vocational position. The prospective candidate must agree with and support the Baptist Faith and Message as we are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It is preferred that the prospective candidate have some ministerial education and five or more years of experience in a senior pastor role. Please send resumes and/or inquiries to: Donald W. Jump, dwjump@bright.net, or call 567-356-0326 PASTOR Margaret Wynn Memorial Baptist Church, Poland, Ohio Margaret Wynn Memorial Baptist Church, Poland is seeking a pastor to lead a church that is small in number, but not small in faith and love. We are seeking a candidate for pastor who will lead the church to function as a New Testament church, work with the Church Council, committees, and volunteer church staff to lead the church to achieve its mission; proclaim the gospel to believers and unbelievers; and care for church members and other people in the community. We also prefer a candidate with pastoral experience and a degree from an SBC seminary. To apply, please submit the following information: cover letter introducing yourself and your interest in this position; salvation testimony; resume with ministry experience; educational background and at least three references; doctrinal statement of theological view on core doctrines; and a link to your sermons. To submit your completed information or request a complete job description please e-mail Debbie Hunt, Pastor Search chairman, mbcpastorsearch56@gmail.com or Jerry Stare, church moderator, at soccerdad24@zoominternet.net or by mail to Memorial Baptist Pastor Search Committee, 56 Water Street, Poland OH 44514.
SENIOR PASTOR Faith Missionary Baptist Church, Wilmont
Faith Missionary Baptist Church, Wilmont, is seeking a bi-vocational pastor to lead our congregation. Wilmont is in Stark County near Canton. We are part of the SBC, SCBO, and the Buckeye Central-Erie Association. We hold firmly to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We are a down-to-earth congregation striving to become increasingly faithful to scripture in all matters of faith and practice. Qualifications:
- Meet biblical qualifications as required in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. - Deep commitment to Christ and a passion for God’s glory and the gospel.
- Devote 15-20 hours per week to the work of ministry. - Fully agree with the Baptist Faith and Message (2000)
Fluency in Spanish is a plus, but not required. Please send questions and résumés to: Pastor Search Committee, Faith Missionary Baptist Church P.O. Box 3 Wilmot, OH 44689-0003, or email to bcedom@gmail.com
PASTOR Woodsfield First Baptist Church, Woodsfield
Let the Ohio Baptist Messenger help your church find a new pastor or staff member! The Messenger is offering classified ads free of charge for Ohio churches searching for new pastors and staff members. The Messenger is read by churches and individuals in Ohio and across the country. To submit a classified ad, please send brief information about the position along with a return phone number or email: classifieds@scbo.org Woodsfield First Baptist Church is seeking a pastor. We are a conservative Southern Baptist Church with a blended style of worship, located in the small southeastern Ohio community of Woodsfield. Our church has the desire to grow and we seek a pastor who has the same desire, as well as the ability to work with compassion and love with all types of people. The church is seeking a man called to be a Southern Baptist pastor who agrees with the Baptist Faith and Message. He should also meet the biblical requirements listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and 1 Peter 5:1-4. Pastoral experience and pastoral education are preferred. Send resume to: Pastor Church Committee Chairperson, Woodsfield First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 604, Woodsfield, OH 43793, or Email to: fbcwoodsfield@gmail.com. The church Facebook page is 1bcwoodsfield.
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