Now, it’s easy to see — North America is a mission field. Our neighborhoods and communities are filled with ever-increasing numbers of people who’ve never heard the gospel story, and that’s why the faithful prayers and generous giving of Southern Baptists to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering are needed now more than ever. For more than a century, this offering has fueled the work of thousands of missionaries, sending them all over the U.S. and Canada to plant churches and meet the needs of people who’ve not yet had the opportunity to hear and respond to a gospel witness.
Numbers tell the story. It’s estimated that more than 2 out of every 3 people in North America are lost. People are coming to the U.S. and Canada from every country in the world. They speak 350 different languages. There are even men and women from 161 unreached people groups now living in the U.S. and Canada, and even in areas where gospel presence was once strong, the need for missionaries and new churches is increasing.
But numbers also tell a story about what happens when we pray and give.
Since 2010, Southern Baptists have planted more than 11,000 churches across North America. In 2023, we came together to add 652 new church plants to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). If we continue planting new congregations at this rate, by 2030 one-third of the SBC will be made up of churches planted since 2010.
Last year, Southern Baptists united to give the highest Annie Armstrong offering ever — $74.7 million. Every dollar of that offering went straight to the mission field. This year’s national goal is $78 million. Reaching and even exceeding that goal will mean we can not only support those who are currently serving, but also send out even more missionaries to share Christ with people all over North America. God can use our faithful prayers and generous gifts to write brand new stories — stories of churches planted, needs met, and lives forever changed through the power of the gospel. Together, let’s step into the story of what God is doing in North America.
- National Goal — $78 million
- Week of Prayer for North American Missions — Sunday, March 2, through Sunday, March 9
- Theme — “Step Into the Story”
- Theme Verse — “For they have gone out for the sake of the name. … Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” (3 John 1:7-8, ESV)