Southern Baptist pastors will be the beneficiaries of a new leadership development partnership between the North American Mission Board and the Timothy Barnabas ministry.
“One thing we hear consistently is that in addition to starting new churches, Southern Baptists need to do a better job taking care of existing churches,” NAMB president Kevin Ezell said.
“Leadership development for pastors is one of the ways we can do that. My hope is to see the Timothy Barnabas conference become an equipping and growing place for pastors, but also a place where they can come and relax and be appreciated. That’s what we want to do,” Ezell said.
Through the partnership, NAMB will provide office space for Timothy Barnabas at its Alpharetta, Ga., offices along with need-based scholarships for church leaders and a more regionalized approach to Timothy Barnabas conferences through Southern Baptist state partners.
Started in 1994 through the leadership of Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Church in Woodstock, Ga., the Timothy Barnabas ministry has provided leadership development through instruction, encouragement and networking at annual events such as pastors’ retreats and men’s conferences.
The partnership is aimed at providing reproducible and contextualized experiences that would help meet needs region by region. – NAMB