BCNE, Georgia Baptists kick off partnership with initial mission trip
As part of a newly launched partnership, fourteen pastors and leaders from Northeast Georgia traveled to New England to meet with pastors and see the region first-hand. Many of these men expressed shock at seeing the difference in New Englanders’ religious perspectives and the relative isolation of New England pastors compared to ministry in the Southern culture.
“The place where our nation was rooted and grounded in Christian belief and values is operating in spiritual ruin due to the results of a slow drift away from God,” said Zach Watson, a pastor from Lula, Ga. “And yet, as hard as that reality is, these New England pastors are faithful men. It was so encouraging to see the resolve and determination displayed through a heart of passion for souls.”
A strategic missional partnership
The mission trip was a long time in the making. Just a few months before COVID hit, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (GBMB) invited state executives from six smaller conventions, including New England, to make presentations to their staff. After listening to BCNE Executive Director Dr. Terry Dorsett share about what God is doing in New England, the GBMB decided to develop a partnership between the BCNE and one of its six regions. The northeast region, led by Mission Consultant Keith Ivey, was deemed to be a good cultural fit due to its similar makeup of urban, suburban, and rural churches.
The GBMB has an Acts 1:8 strategy, in which they encourage every church to engage in local, statewide, national and international missions. Mission consultants like Ivey help churches plan how to find partners and engage in missions around the United States, in places like New England.
Ivey sees his role as helping Georgia Baptists grow by leading churches to create healthy partnerships that will advance God’s Kingdom in ways appropriate to the local context.
“We want to say, what’s your vision? How can we help you do what God is calling you to do there? This is about churches doing life together,” Ivey said.
Boston Area Regional Coordinator Sam Taylor has been working with Ivey to coordinate the partnership. They hope to connect churches from Northeast Georgia with churches from all over New England.
The initial mission trip
The partnership kick-off was delayed due to restrictions from COVID-19. A trip originally scheduled for the fall of 2020 was moved online with about 50 pastors and church leaders making initial digital connections.
The visit in March finally provided a taste of what is to come as Georgia church leaders coordinated with a dozen local pastors from all six New England states to learn more about the context and logistics of serving in the region, as well as how they could invest in projects that will propel ministry forward.
Taylor said the Georgia Baptist team had prepared one of the strongest missional responses he has seen in his years of ministry. One of the things Taylor found to be most helpful about the team is that they determined the trip would be a pre-ministry mission trip rather than simply a vision tour. Each of the team members had already committed to leading a mission team to serve in New England before the trip.
“These guys came, and they were ready,” Taylor said.
A vision for the future
The pastors who came in March, as well as a number of others, are making plans to return to New England in the summer. Ivey said that representatives from at least 16 congregations will have traveled to New England by June, and up to 25 congregations will have served in the region by the end of summer. In addition, a Spanish-speaking pastor from Georgia has visited New England and is making plans to facilitate partnerships between Spanish-speaking churches in the two regions. Although some initial trips will be focused on one-time projects, Taylor and Ivey hope to see more of these long-term church-led partnerships.
Shawn Keener, lead pastor of Brookville Bible Church in Holbrook, MA, is experiencing exactly that in his relationship with three Northeast Georgia pastors. In addition to connecting during the pre-ministry trip, Keener also traveled to preach at one of the Georgia churches. All three churches are planning a mission trip to Holbrook in July, and several members of Brookville Bible will serve at a Georgia church in June.
“This is the most exhilarating experience so far for me in the BCNE,” Keener said. “I think, first and foremost, it’s because this whole partnership is couched in terms of ‘long-term’ and ‘mutuality’ … These brothers have already become friends for me and my family, and have already begun to become friends and cheerleaders to my Brookvillers.”
Ultimately Ivey believes that all churches involved will be strengthened by going on mission and receiving mission teams, and he is excited about the vision for reaching New England with the Gospel in both individual churches and the wider BCNE.
“It’s been a joy to be plugged in with what y’all are doing strategically,” Ivey said. “God is on the move. God is at work.”
“We’re so grateful for the pastors and mission leaders from Georgia,” Taylor added. “We are very excited about this summer, and we know that good things are going to be happening all over New England because of this partnership.”
Kimber Huff is the communications director for the Baptist Convention of New England.