New England Baptist Foundation Seeks Year-End Investments to Underwrite Five Priorities That Include Pastoral Mentoring for Increased Church Health

Ministries don’t “live by bread alone”—cash gifts and investments are needed to underwrite Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) priority needs for 2026.

BCNE Executive Director Terry Dorsett said the list of “immediate and pressing needs” includes mentoring pastors and church leaders of fifteen smaller churches that have shown potential for both growth and health, and addressing a list of urgent repairs, including fixing a leaking roof at the BCNE-owned Luther Rice hospitality property.

During the Christmas season, when most Christians focus on generosity, the Baptist Foundation of New England (BFNE) trustees are offering friends and partners the opportunity to give generously at least $261,000 in long-term investments and immediate donations. Individuals and other benefactors are invited to respond—before December 31—as God directs them.

Investors and donors can really “make a difference for Christ in New England,” Dorsett stated, by providing financial support for one of five year-end priority funds. These include the Church Health Fund ($140,000) and the Rice Lodge Fund ($56,000). Donations may be given or invested through the BFNE webpage.

Mentoring Fifteen Pastors in 2026

Worship, member care, and community outreach undertaken by a church will be strengthened when the pastor is mentored by a more experienced pastor. Robby Pitt, BCNE’s pastoral leadership development director, who “has a passion for evangelism, coaching, mentoring pastors, and church planting,” has been preparing fifteen pastors for an intensive year of mentorship that will enhance their leadership abilities.

Robby Pitt mentors pastors

In 2026, Pitt, the BCNE network’s regional coordinators, and the staff will mentor the pastors so their churches can become healthier, stronger, and revitalized. The fifteen congregations were chosen because, added Dorsett, “We really believed these churches had the potential to be vibrant and healthy and strong if their pastors could gain some high-level leadership skills.”

After decades of ministry, including stints with Baptists in Colorado and Southern California, Pitt is planting Waterville Country Church in the northern farming community of Waterville, in Vermont’s Lamoille County.

“George Barna’s State of the Church / Pastor 2025 report makes it unmistakably clear that we are facing a crisis of pastoral health and soul care, one that reveals a widening gap between the demands placed on pastors and the support systems available to sustain them,” Pitt wrote in an email.

“As pastors across America—and here in New England—struggle relationally, emotionally, and mentally, the need for intentional coaching, mentoring, and advising has never been more urgent. This reality fuels my work with the Baptist Churches of New England, where I share a burden to develop and care for pastors so they can lead from a place of integrity, clarity, and joy,”  he added.

Pitt pointed to three Bible passages that underscore this passion:

• Psalm 78:72, which reminds us that God’s shepherds must lead like David “with integrity of heart and skillful hands”—a union of holy character and competent leadership

• Acts 13:36, which honors David because he “served the purpose of God in his own generation” and finished well; and

• The sobering warning of 1 Kings 11:4, where Solomon’s heart drifted, and was no longer fully devoted to the Lord.

“These verses reveal two extremes,” he concluded:

• First, pastors either finish like David—with faithfulness, purpose, and a legacy that blesses generations—or like Solomon, distracted, depleted, and divided.

• Second, coaching and mentoring help ensure our pastors do not lead alone, burn out unnoticed, or compromise their calling, but instead cultivate the resilient hearts and wise hands needed for long-term harvest, healthier churches, and a fruitful future for gospel ministry throughout New England.

Major Repairs Needed to the Hospitality Lodge

The Luther Rice Suite and Lodge in Northborough, Massachusetts, need repairs in 2026.

The Luther Rice Homestead, which was the boyhood home and farm of Baptist missionary pioneer Luther Rice, is owned by the BCNE and located next to its Multiplication Center offices.

The three historic buildings are the main house, which is called the Luther Rice Suite; the carriage shop, which was converted into group accommodations and renamed the Luther Rice Lodge; and the barn, which was renovated into an apartment for innkeepers Donna and Roy Carlin, who manage what has been described as a “regional center for hospitality and networking.”  

Significant repairs are needed to meet the BCNE’s ministry goals. Repairs include replacing the roof on the suite and patching holes in the roof of the lodge so they do not leak when it rains or when snow melts. The electrical system needs to be upgraded to assure fire safety, and some windows in the lodge need to be replaced for warmth and energy efficiency in the next few months. Dorsett said the BCNE is “trying to raise the money we need to do repairs in the spring.”

Other Ministry Goals for the Year Ahead

In addition to church health and repairs at the Luther Rice buildings, the BFNE trustees identified three other investment funds that need support in the next few months. These are the:

The Scholarship Fund for Pastors ($38,000): “We have so many pastors who have started seminary and have not been able to finish. One of the benefits of online education is that it allows anyone anywhere to start seminary, but one of the downsides of online education is that it’s hard to finish a degree because you have to stay focused and you have to have the money to keep going,” said Dorsett. “We have a lot of pastors who have started online somewhere, but they’ve never finished. Let’s help those guys get that last little bit and get done.”

The Disaster Relief Fund ($17,000): BCNE is “trying to give the Disaster Relief New England team an operating budget. A small and dedicated disaster relief team stands ready to “equip individuals and churches to make a difference in the wake of tragedies by meeting needs and sharing the love of Christ,” according to the Baptist Churches of New England online statement.

The Next Generation Ministries Fund ($10,000): BCNE wants to begin to provide some funds for regional youth ministry gatherings next year, activities that will augment the annual YEC (Youth Encountering Christ) conference. These events will offer “a regional element to our youth ministry plan that we’re already doing,” noted Dorsett.

How to Give and Invest

If a gift is designated for a particular fund, BFNE will honor that designation, but when a gift is received without a designation, Dorsett noted, their funds will be used for the most important needs—the Church Health and the Rice Lodge funds.  

“If these causes resonate with you,” he concluded, “Would you consider making a gift today?

2025 BFNE: The Year to Make a Difference 

Click here to make a gift

Now is the moment to act. We are in a critical season of fundraising at the Baptist Foundation. To strengthen churches and leaders across New England, we are working urgently to raise $261,000 by the end of the year.”