Messengers to the Columbia Metro Baptist Association annual meeting on Oct. 5 formally adopted a five-year missions partnership with International Mission Board personnel serving in Central Spain. Mission team scheduling is set to begin in 2024.
The adopted partnership agreement states: “Our mission at CMBA is to help Baptist churches in the Midlands of South Carolina fulfill the Great Commission together. With a kingdom-focused desire to invest in and support our Southern Baptist missionaries who share our passion, our association seeks to facilitate a collaborative, synergistic five-year partnership with the IMB teams in Central Spain and work across affinity groups to accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission together in this strategic part of Europe and beyond.”
Associational Missions Strategist Jamie Rogers said he is “eager to see how God is going to use our collaborative work in Central Spain to grow His kingdom. We are ready to get started in this partnership, and know that God is already at work ahead of us in this endeavor.”
In early 2023, a CMBA vision team visited several European countries to identify potential partner locations. They unanimously recommended Central Spain as offering easy travel accessibility, regions that are home to multiple people groups, and service opportunities for teams of all ages.
“I desire to see Baptists involved in missions around the world, and this partnership is a way our association can connect CMBA individuals and churches looking to serve in new ways, or perhaps the first time,” Rogers said. “As we became aware of the evangelism and missions needs across Europe, I truly believe it’s the ‘forgotten mission field.’ ”