If one out of eight of Southern Baptists’ 43,000-plus churches would “adopt” a North American Mission Board missionary, all 5,000 of NAMB’s missionaries in the United States and Canada would receive much more prayer, encouragement and support.
Campus church-planting missionary David Proffitt (right) makes a point with a James Madison University student while NAMB semester missionaries Reed Bradley and Alan Sheriff look on. Proffitt is one of more than 5,000 missionaries Southern Baptists can adopt under the “Missionary Encourager” initiative.Under NAMB’s new “Missionary Encourager” (adopt-a-missionary) initiative, churches can personalize their missions commitments by adopting a North American missionary and his or her family.
“Everyone loves to cheer for the home team,” said Carol Baker, NAMB’s church relations consultant. “Southern Baptists’ home team is made up of 5,000 NAMB missionaries across North America. They are committed to winning North America for Christ. Southern Baptists’ encouragement and support will motivate them to continue the excellent, but challenging, work to which God has called them.”
Bill Johnson, a 30-year-old single missionary in Georgia’s Stone Mountain Baptist Association, understandably appreciates the support of churches through Southern Baptists’ Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.
But financial support “doesn’t allow me to do all that needs to be done,” said Johnson, who works in community evangelism and volunteer recruiting. “That comes from you being a part of what I do.” Johnson also works with internationals in east metro Atlanta, including 52 language groups who worship in 10 different languages each Sunday.
“We’re not meant to be Lone Rangers out here,” Johnson said. “We’re very much in need of the church’s support. By partnering with us, they come on mission with us. We can’t do what we do apart from them. We are collectively working together to change the world and build the kingdom of God.”
Partnering with Johnson in his ministry are a Sunday school class at First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, and a women’s ministry group at Heritage Hills Baptist Church in Conyers, Ga.
Among the ways to provide encouragement to missionaries are making plans for regular prayer support; notes of encouragement, whether via e-mail, cards or letters; “care packages” with items and goodies for the missionary and his or her family; mutual partnerships to send volunteers and mission teams to the missionary’s field of service; and missionary speaking invitations.