The result? Southern Baptists have more options than ever to create diverse missions-learning environments.
“BackPack” and “SnackPack” lessons are used each Wednesday, for example, at the “God’s Kids” mission club at First Baptist Church of Ceredo, W.Va.
“In the summer, we had a camp each Wednesday night. The BackPack lessons were just perfect—short and to the point,” said Amy Robinson, children’s ministry volunteer leader at the church. “The children couldn’t wait to see what was in our BackPack each week.”
BackPack Missions, 10- to 15-minute studies for children containing object lessons that teach both missions and the Bible, debuted in 2006.
In 2007, NAMB began producing SnackPack Missions, 15-to 20-minute children’s lessons on missions that can be dropped into any learning environment.
“One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to Southern Baptist churches,” Burton noted. “Because of that, we’re now producing resources that meet the diverse mission-learning needs. … We want to see all of our churches make missions learning a priority.”
For most of the last century, missions learning for males in Southern Baptist churches has occurred through weekly or monthly ministries like Royal Ambassadors, Challengers and Baptist Men On Mission. NAMB inherited these ministries from the former Brotherhood Commission during the implementation of the Covenant for a New Century, a restructure of the Southern Baptist Convention in the mid-1990s.
Learning shift
In the past two decades, many Southern Baptist churches have moved away from midweek events on the church campus. Some have turned to nondenominational educational ministries that do not include missions learning. While traditional missions-learning ministries have gained a new vibrancy in recent years, NAMB has begun exploring other opportunities as well.
The diverse new line of resources coincides with a new vision for mission education at NAMB: “To develop Acts 1:8 Christians by establishing in every Southern Baptist church missions learning that equips Southern Baptists for mission action.” To help every church have missions-learning opportunities, NAMB has created resources designed to fit into existing learning environments, such as small groups and Sunday school classes.
Recognizing yet another need in small churches and church plants, in August NAMB launched monthly customizable missions-learning lessons for children. These lessons, called Kids4Christ Around the World, contain a Bible study, mission study, games and other activities. State conventions also can choose whether to customize the material and include their own missions emphases.
Starting in January, NAMB will launch a weekly missions e-newsletter called BMEN Online to engage Baptist men in missions. Each edition will contain missions news, urgent mission needs, prayer requests and Bible studies.
“To our knowledge, a weekly men’s missions resource has never been developed for Baptist men, much less delivered,” Burton said. “We are excited about the resource and what it can mean for Baptist men.”
Currently, the Southern Baptist Annual Church Profile notes that only about 50 percent of churches report being intentional about teaching missions.
“Between the traditional and new resources from NAMB and the outstanding resources from Woman’s Missionary Union, ... we believe that the remaining 50 percent of Southern Baptist churches can find missions-learning helps that will work for them,” Burton said.
Western Recorder issue date: November 11, 2008
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