2016 Annual Meeting Report of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

Transcription

1 2016 Annual Meeting Report of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware A joyful journey of united prayer about God s mission in Maryland/Delaware

2 How Can We Serve You Today? Executive Team Kevin Smith, Executive Director (800) , ext. 201 Executive Office, Communications, Campus Ministry Convention Operations Team Tom Stolle, CFO, COO, Team Leader (800) , ext. 207 Finance, Skycroft Conference Center, Evangelism and Engagement Church Multiplication Team Michael Crawford, Team Leader (800) , ext. 225 Church Planter Assessment, Ongoing Church Plant Support Church Strengthening Team Randy Millwood, Team Leader (800) , ext. 217 Discipleship Pathways, Revitalization, Coaching, Equipping, Groups Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Old Columbia Road Columbia, MD (800)

3 #BCMDUnited 6 Church Strengthening Your Church Strengthening team seeks to help churches glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in the presence and power of God s Holy Spirit Church Multiplication Your Church Multiplication team exists to discover, develop and deploy church planters through church planter assessment and ongoing church plant support. Operations & Executive Your Convention Operations and Executive teams seek to ensure a solid foundation for all Convention efforts to assist you and your church ministries. Meeting Schedule See all the exciting details for the 2016 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Book of Reports Call to Order by President Bill Warren Summarized Activities/Highlights of the General Mission Board Motions from the General Mission Board Proposed Budget Proposed Operating & State Missions Offering Budget Comparison Proposed Operating & State Missions Offering Comparison to Prior Year Budget by Major Expense Category Proposed Skycroft Training Center Budget Comparison Proposed Skycroft Training Center Comparison to Prior Year Budget by Major Expense Category Baptist Foundation of Md/Del. Report Report for the Committee on Committees Report for the Committee to Nominate President s Committee Appointments General Mission Board Dates...70 TABLE OF CON T EN T S 3

4 OUR MISSION The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware will intentionally assist in starting and strengthening congregations so that together we can fulfill Jesus command in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

5 A Time for Renewal & Recovery Maryland/Delaware Baptists Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zech 4:6) let s pray! It s a good time to be a Maryland/Delaware Baptist! We are situated in the midst of a mission-field that needs the witness of Christ s followers. We are commissioned by our Lord to make disciples of all kinds of people from this mission field. We are committed to doing this, in Christian unity (Eph. 4), as a fellowship of 500+ churches. As we gather in our annual meeting, let s be grateful for the kingdom opportunity the Lord has placed before us. As we gather, let s be people of prayer. I hope our convention will have a clear strategy for strengthening and planting churches. I hope we will have committed Cooperative Program support and resources for ministry. I hope we will have many opportunities to love our neighbors as we reach out through Disaster Relief, community partnerships, and camp ministry. However, we must remember that what we really want to see a moving of God s Spirit as new people commit their lives to Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord can only occur as God Himself moves (John 3:3-6). May we be used by God for His purposes! In order for that to occur we must be a united people of prayer, calling out to God, asking Him to use us. God will not use disunited, chaotic Baptists (1 Cor. 14:33). I pray that this annual meeting will begin a joyful journey of united prayer about God s mission in Maryland/Delaware. May it be so for Maryland/Delaware Baptists as we cooperate together (Eccl. 4:9), steward our resources together (Acts 2:44), and (most importantly) pray together (Acts 1:14). Grace to you, Brother Kevin

6 CHURCH ST RENGT HENING The Health of Your Church Whether you are visiting your friendly primary care physician for an annual check up or riding in the back of an ambulance on a more crisis-driven trip to an area hospital, a medical professional will engage you in a conversation variously called your medical history or the patient case history. These somewhat general, yet personalized to the current situation, questions are designed to obtain critical information useful in formulating a diagnosis in order to provide the best possible medical care. There are process questions such as, your name and basic demographic matters (age, weight, etc.); the what is your chief complaint question; a quick run through the history of that issue as well as a longer medical history review (allergies, current medicines, etc.). Then there are systems questions such as, Do you have any pain? and Where is the pain? (along with the wonderful smiley face chart to help them to know just how bad it hurts!); followed by a run through your respiratory, gastrointestinal, nervous, musculoskeletal, and other systems. We ve all sat through them time and again. We are living, breathing organisms, so it makes sense that these sorts of things would be important for a medical professional to know. What about your Church? Randy Millwood Church Strengthening Team Leader If you think of the Church as a business, a school, or a not-forprofit social organization you are likely to lean toward questions of facilities, parking, potties, space, budget, property, and so forth. But, do you ever think of your Church as the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ? Do you see her as a living, breathing organism? When you do, a diagnostic conversation (see next pages) just makes sense! While you are here at our BCM/D Annual Meeting, why not stop by the Church Strengthening table to have that very conversation?

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8 Use the simple questions below to start thinking in a new way about your Church a transformed way. We would love to listen! 1When people gather for a congregational worship experience, they Find themselves squarely in the Presence of the One True God, and worship is all they can do Believe that they are doing the right thing by singing, giving, praying, listening and, on occasion, responding Like things just like they are because things are just like they like them Watch in order to evaluate the choir, instrumentalists, praise team, preacher, and tech team (then compare scores with one another afterwards) Wonder, week in and week out, what are we even doing here 2The primary groups ministry of our Church (Sunday School class, home group, etc.) is producing people who Look measurably more like Jesus this year than last year, demonstrating the work of God s Spirit as they share life confessionally with one another Are open to guests and new members, making a place for them to play roles in the group, and accepting them just as they are Consider covering the lesson as a big win for the week, and are just fine with becoming cloistered scholars Are suspicious of anyone new who attends a gathering, and generally hide their own habits and hang-ups from one another C-L-O-S-E-D.toward guests; toward one another; and toward any routine-rattling encounter with God 3Our leaders recognize The Church belongs to God and theirs is a sacred spiritual stewardship, therefore seek only to discern the sound of God s Voice, and move as God directs The Church belongs to God and sees their role is to make the very best decisions that they can make for God The Church has been given by God, to the people of God and seek the pulse of the people in making decisions regarding the Church The Church belongs to those who built it brick by brick and seek to conserve the forms of the founders at all costs The Church belongs to them and generally disregard the views of others in making their decisions 4We know that the mission of the Church revolves around making disciples of Jesus Christ, and in response to His invitation we Have developed and guide people into and through a clear pathway to a saving encounter with Christ and growth into the increasing image of Christ Have what seems to us as a cleared path for people to follow to meet Christ and grow in Christ (if they would just get on board!) Tell people how to become a Christian and that they should spiritually grow, but how they do those things is pretty much their job to figure out Are a Church people know we want them to become a Christian and grow if they want to know more they should ask someone Think disciple making (evangelism and discipleship) is a really good idea Church Strengthening 8

9 5 Like any people in community, there are seasons where our differences show up as conflict. When that happens we 7 When the community of unchurched people around us think about our Church (our impact) they immediately think Seek to hear, first, and then be heard; protecting the unity of the Church and the witness of Christ at any/all cost Speak first and try to listen with measured openness Speak first and loudest, pretending to listen while we are really preparing what we will say in response Choose sides, then yell louder Choose a representative from each side, distribute boxing gloves to the representatives and have a winner-takes-all business meeting 6Whether the children are with their parents all Sunday morning long, in age-graded/developmental groups apart from their parents all morning long, or somewhere in between, the parents Are fully aware how and fully confident that their children are unconditionally loved, fully accepted, and responsibly cared for in a Christian spiritual environment Believe their children are unconditionally loved, fully accepted, and responsibly cared for in a Christian spiritual environment Hope their children are loved, accepted, and cared for in a setting that teaches them Bible stories Have no idea if their children are loved, worry they are not accepted, are concerned about their safety and can t concentrate on their own soul for these questions Drop their children off and hang out at a coffee shop because the Church makes little to no effort to impact the whole family What a blessing those people, what they do in the community (for example, manning the hot dog stand at little league, providing refreshments for the teacher lounge at school) what a blessing They re sure nice to have around I like some of the stuff they do for the community (for example, Easter Egg hunt in the spring; trunk-or-treat in the Fall) we d really miss those things if they didn t do them They re a Church, you know, I don t really think of them as doing much in or for the community, they just do their own thing and keep to themselves, and I like that They re a bunch of religious ner-do-wells they cause traffic problems, make too much noise, and haven t helped property value at all Think about them? I don t think about them 8If your Church were to close her doors next week, the community around you would notice Darkness and hopelessness sweep in and consume them A non-specific, peculiar change in their rhythm of living Better traffic flow along that road on Sunday morning A real estate opportunity Nothing at all Church Strengthening 9

10 CHURCH STRENGTHENING 2017 ANNUAL MEETING REPORT The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware exists to intentionally assist in starting and strengthening congregations so that together we can fulfill Jesus commands in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8. is an alongside of place. As a Church seeks to invest in these kinds of things, this small team with over 400 cumulative years of local Church experience is reordering our lives and our roles to help. The Church Strengthening Team of BCM/D was formed out of the phrases intentionally assist and strengthening congregations. We long to see the Great Confession, the Great Commission and the Great Commandments become a great reality in our day and our region. With a confident sense of God-given mission clearly stated, this group is better positioned to evaluate what has been done and to discern what should be done. There are three distinct categories of our work: We help churches by helping Ministers, Ministries, and local Missions. At the point where these three categories intersect, you will find the heart of our work: effective disciple-making paths; eternity-changing groups; and real Church revitalization. MIS ing, Baptist Conv ent ion en gth n e r St en es pr ch ur th e a ce nd er of God s pow Holy S pir it 10 n Ch Church Strengthening les of Jesu discip s C ng hri st aki i S ER Our place in this great work m by of M od a The most vital step taken by this group in 2016 was to hear from the LORD a clear mission concerning our part in this great, shared work. Your Church Strengthening Team helps churches glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in the presence Helping chur are che w a and power of God s Holy sg el D lo Spirit. rif d/ n y a l G ry We understand these words to mean MINIS ONS I to glorify God is to reveal T S the One True God by representing God well and truthfully to make disciples of Jesus Christ is to see people come to faith in Christ and to walk by faith into the always increasing, redeemed image of Christ (who is, Himself, the most sure and complete M revelation of God) and S IN I S TRIE such a high calling could only happen living life in the Presence of God s Spirit and serving in the Power of God s Spirit

11 Our second AWAKEN cohort was launched this year AWAKEN is our most comprehensive, holistic approach to Church Revitalization. The pilot group saw 75 percent of participating churches either stop the decline or begin to climb off of a plateau. This year s cohort is currently completing their covenant, but a similar return on investment seems likely. The model combines: a 2-day formation/discernment retreat 6 workshops over 3 days dealing with topics like how change works, redeeming conflict, and understanding structures that facilitate or halt mission advancement the recruitment of a team of discerning leaders within each Church in whose life the pastor invests salient readings/resources; and the design of an externally focused 6-month plan, complemented by coaching from a revitalizing pastor In addition, cohort members exchange ideas with each other all along the way creating a best-practices dynamic. At the end of the 11- month covenant, cohort members assess their progress, articulate their next steps, and become part of a growing AWAKEN alumni community, providing continued learning for many years. The 2017 AWAKEN cohort is now open for registration. Applicants should express their interest before the cohort closes, and in order to schedule the winter and spring meetings on your personal calendar. Apply now at bcmd.org/awaken. Church Strengthening Ministries What Our Team Offers: DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAYS Lead Like Jesus Dogwood Leadership Events Restore My Soul Retreats Worship Internships and Mentorships WMU Training and Ministries COACHING Coaching Covenants Hispanic Leadership Coaching

12 Your Church Strengthening Team is praying for all of our churches We re praying that you will not be paralyzed by fear of your mission field, nor polarized by disunity and conflict within your congregation; that you are bearing the fruit of God s Spirit and virally invading your community with Christ and His message of hope. Please join us in this prayer. And, at your invitation, know that we stand ready to help you. Randy Millwood Phil Gifford June Holland Melody Knox Church Strengthening Team Leader Coach on Leadership, Small Groups, Spiritual Transformation x217 rmillwood@bcmd.org Church Strengthening Specialist: Music and Worship x214 pgifford@bcmd.org Church Strengthening Specialist: Children/Bible Teaching x233 jholland@bcmd.org Church Strengthening Specialist: Women Woman s Missionary Union (WMU) Executive Director x263 mknox@bcmd.org Adele Millwood Gail Noda Tom Rodgerson Ellen Udovich Ministry Assistant to Church Strengthening x219 amillwood@bcmd.org Ministry Assistant to Church Strengthening x218 gnoda@bcmd.org Church Strengthening Specialist: Ministers' Counseling and Support x210 trodgerson@bcmd.org Church Strengthening Strategist: Community Engagement and Ministry Evangelism x216 eudovich@bcmd.org

13 Three Restore My Soul retreats involved pastors/ministers from about 30 churches, plus additional retreats with key leaders from individual churches. Research in revitalization has demonstrated that the inner life of the leader is one of the chief factors. Unfortunately, pastoral expectations lead to attempts to fold soul care into regular preparation rhythms almost weekly. The Restore My Soul retreats offer ministers (and, at times, their mates) the opportunity to pull aside for time with God, alone, deepening that most important of human relationships. Our devotion to an enriched inner life for anyone who provides servant leadership in a local Church pastor or key volunteer leader will continue through the Restore My Soul retreats, with three scheduled for 2017, and availability for even more scheduled through your local church and for your leaders. Learn more at bcmd.org/restoremysoulretreats. Three Lead Like Jesus Leadership Encounters were completed, involving pastors and key leaders from over a dozen local churches. These 1.5-day events are a launching pad for leadership development as participants have supported reviews for multiple weeks afterwards, can opt for 4 small groups studies, and a next year devotional guide all of which moves the tenets of this leadership development process from head, to heart, to hands. Schedule a Lead Like Jesus Leadership Encounter for your Church (and others near you) today. Meet us at the Church Strengthening table in the exhibit area, or at bcmd.org/llj. Our Ministerial Counseling services have supported over 30 pastors/planters, literally saving marriages and ministries along the way. In addition, diagnostic conversations have been held with several churches in significant conflict, with steps taken for Christhonoring resolution. To discover help available for you or your Church, reach out to Dr. Tom Rodgerson at trodgerson@bcmd.org. At any given moment, between 8-10 percent of our BCM/D churches are saying Goodbye to a pastor, inbetween pastors, or welcoming a new pastor. Research indicates that this transitional period is one of the most important turning points in the life of a Church with regards to revitalization. There are, of course, many different kinds of interims. But the kind we call a Transitional Interim Pastor (longer termed, with a fully trained T.I.P. who has agreed not be a candidate for the job) can help a Church accept a true picture of who they are, where they are, address selected challenges (so a new pastor is not saddled with them), and ultimately be an instrument of the Father to find the right pastor to lead this Church to reach her current mission field. This year your Church Strengthening Team hosted a Transitional Interim Pastor training event to increase the number of T.I.P. s available to serve our churches. In addition to the training event, new and former T.I.P. s were invited to our first ever T.I.P. Best Practices lunch. A series of new T.I.P. Best Practices luncheons will be held in the Spring and Fall, To be added to the T.I.P. mailing list, learn about T.I.P. training opportunities or request information about covenanting with a T.I.P. in your Church, Randy at rmillwood@bcmd.org. Church Strengthening 13 What Our Team Offers: EQUIPPING Learning Communities Equip.net Worship Leader Cohorts Digital Mentorships Worship Leader Boot Camps Worshipping Churches Training Preaching Equipping Network VBS/Backyard Bible Clubs Church Weekday Education Breathless Women s Ministry Girls Camp Boys Mission Camp/ RA s Love Loud ESL GROUPS Bible Teaching Children s Ministry Small Groups REVITALIZATION AWAKEN Church Minister Relations Pastoral Care: Refuge Mediation/Conflict Ministerial Counseling STRATEGIC CHURCH STRENGTHENING INITIATIVES New Initiatives Transformational Church African-American Fellowship

14 Church Strengthening Ministries The Church Strengthening Team has been exploring varieties of ways to help churches know who they are and where they are in order to reveal/glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in the Presence and Power of God s Holy Spirit. During 2016 we did more Portrait of a Healthy Church health assessments and workshops, and entered into partnership with the Leavell Center of New Orleans Seminary, providing extensive demographic and psycho-graphic resources to our churches at a greatly reduced rate. With these two tools, alongside of Annual Church Profile data and a variety of community assessments, we are now able to help you see and understand the place where God has called you through a variety of layers of data. The 2016 Ministry Wives Retreat was held at Annapolis with 120 BCM/D ministry wives participating. The event provided opportunities for connecting with friends you do not see often, establishing new friendships, extensive prayer, and presentations designed to address the unique circumstances of a wife who is married to a Baptist minister. As in recent years, testimonies declared the healing movement of God s Spirit throughout the weekend. Look for information coming soon for next year s Ministry Wives retreat. New Initiatives in 2017: To help pastors make disciples and develop new leaders, we have entered into partnership with Blackaby Ministries and will be hosting a three-day Coaching Workshop led by Bob Royall and Richard Blackaby. The Blackaby Coaching model is built on the Seven Realities of Experiencing God and principles drawn from the Blackaby text, Spiritual Leadership. This first ever BCM/D event will be March 27-29, 2017 at the Baptist Mission Resource Center in Columbia, Md. Registration is now open. Providing a platform for continued growth and learning for our BCM/D ministers is an important objective of our Church Strengthening Team. In partnership with Dogwood Leadership (a local Church-based, leadership development team from Georgia), we will host our first in what will be an annual series of growth and training events for ministers and key leaders during the Fall While AWAKEN is our most comprehensive response to Church Revitalization, it is only one of a number of revitalization models the Church Strengthening Team is investigating and investing in on behalf of our local churches. Others include: ARE YOU A BIBLE STUDY LEADER WHO WANTS TO GROW IN THEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE? ARE YOU A PASTOR IN NEED OF SPECIALIZED TRAINING? RECEIVE ACADEMIC CREDIT WORK WITHIN YOUR SCHEDULE START ANY TIME LEARN FROM LEADING SCHOLARS IMPROVE YOUR MINISTRY START NOW. GO WITH US. Learn more at sebts.edu/gocertificates Wake Forest, NC In partnership with the North American Mission Board, our regional representative (and BCM/D pastor) Brad O Brian, and our local associations we are promoting a re-start/legacy option to select churches. As we identify healthier churches with healthier pastors, we are exploring satellite partnerships where possible. When there is a distinct change in the community around a Church (ethnically, racially, etc.) we are recommending our Church Multiplication Team as a way to start a Church within a Church. When a Church is in pastoral transition, we promote the possibility of a Transitional Interim Pastor. In partnership with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, we have started our second Doctor of Ministry/regional track. Students from the first track are now in project stage and, in every single case, the projects are missionally focused with revitalization implications. Church Strengthening 14

15 Dr. Bill Warren Senior Pastor, Allen Memorial Baptist Church Salisbury, Md. Area of Challenge: Is your church plateaued? Ours is. All of my best efforts and conference gleanings have failed to turn us around. Actions Taken: Last fall I heard about Awaken a cohort led by Dr. Randy Millwood. Awaken is designed to help a church walk down the path of revitalization. Because Randy is one of the godliest and brightest men I have ever met, I signed on for Awaken. The six sessions were practical and insightful, but the foundation of the process most impressed me: forming an Awaken Team who would diligently pray: God, what do You want for our church? This approach struck me as far superior to learning the latest at yet another conference. Results: Our Awaken Team recently met for a weekend of planning led very skillfully by Keith Hammer. Using the StratOp procedure we learned in the cohort, we emerged with four sub-teams from the Awaken Team to work on four areas of greatest need in our church. Are we on the road to revitalization? Yes we are. Thank you, Randy. Thank you, BCM/D. Thank You, Lord. Ministry Results: Connecting With...

16 Church Strengthening Ministries In May, our Music/Worship services hosted a training event that focused on the technical support aspects of today s corporate worship experiences. Over 25 leaders from our member churches participated, many of which had never attended any other BCM/D event. One of the urgent requests coming out of our visits with churches is the desire for a pipeline of future worship leaders in our region. Toward that end, we have formed a team of leaders to invest in next gen leaders for our churches, as well as developing a process for that journey. Other new Worship/Music initiatives in 2017 include: New learning cohort opportunities for Worship leaders, launching in January and, again, in September Worship Team Boot Camps in both the winter and spring A Worship Mentor seminar in winter A Preaching Lab in mid-february with another in September A Transitioning Your Worship seminar in April For more information about these or other worship/music initiatives, or to request a consultation, pgifford@bcmd.org. Our Kids Ministry strategist reported about 400 VBS leaders equipped in 3 separate VBS Expo events this year. These events were far more than training events as participants themselves shared ideas on scheduling, promoting, developing new leaders, and following up on new families discovered during this summer disciple making strategy. A slate of VBS Expos have already been scheduled for These regionally hosted events will equip veteran and rookie leaders for an effective VBS. Learn more at bcmd.org/vbs or jholland@bcmd.org In addition to VBS and Backyard Kids Clubs, churches also hosted a growing variety of specialized camps for kids this summer. These included sports, music, mission, and drama/ production camps. The Church Strengthening Team even provided BYKC material to 21 our of new Church starts. Church Strengthening 16

17 Our estimate is over two-thirds of BCM/D churches intentionally reached into their local communities in these ways this summer. One of our networking goals is to connect churches who host similar strategic events, to one another in order to improve learning for years to come. In addition to consulting and coaching with pastors and key leaders, this year s Bible teaching events included a coordinated region-wide training event done in partnership with BCM/D, four other regional state partners, and LifeWay. Next year our Church Strengthening team will move to using the word, Groups, to refer to smaller groups that your Church uses in the transformative journey of evangelism and discipleship. These groups include Sunday School classes, home groups, micro-groups, seminars, and missional engagement groups. Stay tuned to the BCM/D website and BaptistLIFE for development of this new approach to strengthening our churches. The 2016 Breathless conference was held in Columbia this year, and involved over 100 ladies from women s ministries around our multi-state convention. Participants enjoyed a beautiful time of worship and teaching and made connections for strategic improvement of efforts to reach and grow women through women s ministries. Next year s event has been scheduled. Follow news of the event, or learn about the number of women s ministry resources available through the Church Strengthening Team, at bcmd.org/women. Earlier this year, over 100 Kid s ministers and leaders from 41 diverse BCM/D congregations gathered to focus their annual training on moving Church into the neighborhood. Outof-region presenters, in-region specialists, and idea exchanges made for a dynamic, fastpaced, experience for the participants. A similar experience is being planned for winter, In addition, our kids ministry consultant and specialty teams have continued to provide expert advice to member congregations regarding ongoing concerns like safety and security and weekday education. Learn about many of those resources at bcmd.org/preschool-children. NEW: Local Missions This assignment represents a new area of work for the Church Strengthening Team. The quickest solution to circular discussions in a local Church on plateau or in decline is to look unto the fields, which are ripe for the harvest. This year our team will be deepening the services we provide to help you and your Church look into your mission field. As people from the whole world continue to immigrate to our region of the United States, we saw the need for more ways of engaging that audience. Toward that end, in 2016, we enlarged the number of trained English as a Second Language (ESL) equippers now available to assist our churches. Two ESL workshops have already been scheduled for 2017 (one in January, another in August). Discover how your Church can learn to teach ESL to the new residents of your community at bcmd.org/esl, or eudovich@bcmd.org.

18 A natural follow-up to ESL is to help new residents in your mission field design a path to citizenship. Such a ministry extends the interaction of your Church with their families, and provides even more opportunities to share Christ with people. Thanks to the passion and ground-breaking work of Michael Mattar (a BCM/D pastor and associate with Montgomery Baptist Association) our team will be learning ways to help all of our churches develop expertise in this very specialized form of ministry. In 2016, intense, long-term efforts have resulted in connecting local churches with urgent/crisis needs in their communities (some related to the Howard county tornado, others regarding the Ellicott City floods). The objective of these disaster relief efforts is to move beyond the first responder service (largely populated by volunteers from a host of places) to more long-term ministry to the local community by local churches with Gospel conversations and eternal implications. Over 100 participated in this year s Mother/ Daughter Overnight retreat and Girl s Camp. This year s schedule included significant times of worship, missions, Bible study, as well as fun activities for the kids and moms. Gayla Parker returned to our region as the missionary in residence for the retreat. Missionary studies included a focus on God s work in Rio, Brazil extremely timely given this year s Olympic Games. Follow next year s preparations at bcmd.org/ girlscamp or bcmd.org/mother-daughter-camp. A Church/School Partnership training event in the spring, helped local churches to begin or extend partnerships with local schools. Visionary pastors and churches, who already have such ministries, shared their stories, exchanged ideas, and learned of resources, providing examples of healthy local Churches going to their communities rather than repeatedly trying to get the community to come to the Church building. It is, in that respect, an outstanding example of the viral impact of a Church in their mission field of a Church loving their neighbors. Look for the Church Strengthening Team to be discovering new ways and means to take advantage of this door into local communities. During this year s Women on Mission Retreat, about 100 ladies engaged in passionate prayer for International Missionaries who had taken the recent Voluntary Retirement Incentive. The season of prayer led to concrete action, when the participating ladies gave (during the retreat) and raised (immediately thereafter) almost $3,000 to divide among five families with BCM/D ties. Your Church can also launch a missionary focused women s ministry (WMU). For more information mknox@bcmd.org. With missions newly assigned to its team, the Church Strengthening Team is discovering and investing in external strategies that help a local Church focus on their local mission field. These include a number of helpful community assessment instruments and processes. Remember to pray for the mission of Christ in our part of the world. Pray every time you remember this shared work. But, also schedule now a focused Week of Prayer for state/regional missions. Plenty of resources will be available to help you do so during our annual Week of Prayer, scheduled for September 10-17, Church Strengthening 18

19 Area of Challenge: Pastor Ed Jordan retired as pastor of the church in August 2015 after serving faithfully for 30 years. There were a lot of unknowns on the path ahead. Actions Taken: We reached out to the convention for guidance. Randy and Adele Millwood guided us to Kenneth Quick, a board member of BlessingPoint Ministries and associate professor of practical theology, Capital Bible Seminary, who served as our Intentional Interim Pastor from November 2015 to April He walked us through BlessingPoint s "Healing the Heart of Your Church" process. We contacted the Millwoods again after this process and asked them to meet with the church s leadership teams to complete the Portrait of a Healthy Church process. This provided a snapshot of the health of our congregation. Randy provided the tools we needed to not only have a better understanding of who we are as a family at Faith Baptist, but also the demographics to discover who is around us in our community, and identify what needs could be effectively met through our ministries. We followed up with a 2017 Women s Spring Retreat March 10-11, Camp Wo-Me-To Speaker: Linda Cooper, National WMU President Call (800) , ext. 218 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God s grace in its various forms...1 Peter 4:10 Duane Musgrove Associate Pastor of Worship and Administration, Faith Baptist Church, Knoxville, Md. Wellness Workshop. Afterwards, we developed a Strategic Planning Team to further process the Wellness Workshop from the Assessment, and they will partner with our new senior pastor once our search is completed. Also, Jan, my wife, and I, went on a silent retreat, Restore My Soul, together. I ve been on a couple myself. It s really wonderful to release and hear and be silent for a while. It s a very personal time of restoration and bonding. And it s an affordable, great way to escape. Bruce Conley (Blue Ridge Baptist Association Director of Missions) agreed to serve as our next Intentional Interim Pastor, and his ministry has also continued God's path for health, healing and spiritual renewal and revitalization. Results: As a result of these intentional efforts, Faith Baptist, Knoxville, now stands ready for its next season of ministry and feels adequately prepared to call our new pastor. We have found significant healing and a new sense of community through the love and power of Christ. Ministry Results: Connecting With...

20 CHURCH MULTIPLICATION Michael Crawford Church Multiplication Team Leader Investing in the Life of a Church Plant The Church Multiplication Team of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware exists to discover, develop and deploy church planters through church planter assessment and ongoing church plant support. There are four steps to discover and assess church planters: Pre-assessment: In this early stage, a potential church planter is assessed before starting the church planting process to make sure they should proceed. Some people aren t quite ready, says Michael Crawford, BCM/D Church Multiplication team strategist, so we do a development plan to help them prepare. This plan may include such efforts as participating in an internship, gaining more experience, or seeking theological training. Assessment: During the assessment phase, those seeking to plant a church take a variety of tests to assess their readiness. This includes several online assessments from LifeWay Christian Resources and the North American Mission Board, which focus on calling, skills, and life readiness. Live Interview: At this stage, the Maryland/Delaware church planting candidates, both husband and wife, dedicate a full day to interviews with assessors, who look into their callings, passions, skills and readiness to plant. The planter is given an opportunity to preach and otherwise share vision and strategy during these interviews. Those being assessed by the North American Mission Board go through a two-day interview process. At the conclusion of the interviews, assessors will give the candidates one of these four assessments: Green: We believe this church plant must be deployed immediately to the field God has called them. Yellow: We believe in the potential of this church planter and will assist him in necessary preparations, such as training or securing the right supporting church, to help get him ready to plant. Orange: We believe God may have called this person into church

21 4 planting, but there is still significant preparation for him to do, such as a one-year apprenticeship, theological education, or work on his marital or financial situations first. Red: At this time, we do not believe God has called this person into church planting. Deployment: At this stage, the planter and his wife are deployed to the field and are given ongoing training, coaching and support. After deployment, the convention intentionally supports church plants through coaching, cohorts and community development. Coaching: Every church planter is assigned a great coach, who will listen, encourage and advise him on a regular basis. A coach will provide accountability, protect vision and ask thoughtful questions to help shape the leader. Cohorts: These regionalized training events, held three times a year, are designed to educate and equip planters on specific topics related to their churches. For example, church planting catalysts teach these planters how to employ a process to discover areas to plant churches. In this process, planters discover 16 communities where they seek to understand and exegete the communities needs, culture and structure. Then they select eight of these communities to engage through block parties, special events, and Bible studies. Of these eight, they choose the four most responsive communities to intentionally evangelize and initiate a church plant. In addition to these church planter specific events, planters have access to resources and various trainings offered by the state convention. Community: In Maryland/Delaware, church planters are not just church planters. They are family. They join a larger effort by Southern Baptist churches throughout the multi-state region to reach their neighbors for Christ. The BCM/D intentionally spends time and attention in helping planters network with each other and with other churches in our family. It is easy for church planters to become statistics but they are not statistics, they are people, Crawford asserts. Jesus died for each one of them, not just those they seek to reach. We believe the most important thing is relationships. We may have the best church planting system, but if we don t have love, we have nothing, says Crawford. And so, we intentionally seek to build relationships with each church planter. Church Multiplication 21 Current BCM/D church plants: Churches planted in 2016: Church Multiplication Ministries What Our Team Offers: Church Planter Assistance Church Planting Development Planter Care Coaching Access to BCM/D Resources Assessment Coaching Cohorts Community/ Relationship Building Connections with Local Associations, Other Churches Deployment Financial Partnership Personal Support (Spiritual to Physical) Pre-Assessment Specialized Strategists: African, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, Muslims 43 29

22 CHURCH MULTIPLICATION 2017 ANNUAL MEETING REPORT By Michael Crawford I m grateful to be able to serve on the multiplication team. God has been good to us and allowed us to see His favor in our ministry. Here is a brief update from the church planting world. We continue to focus our attention on coaching, cohorts and community. We had our first of four cohorts and they were incredible. The planters really liked them. We addressed the subject of money and also tackled giving to the Cooperative Program! We have paired every funded planter with a coach, and we are looking forward to seeing the fruit that comes from this. Our desire is to have every planter coached and cared for. We want to know the pulse of the planter and the best way for us to get that is through competent coaching. We are grateful that the North American Mission Board decided to partner with us to close up a shortfall of funding to plant 15 more churches this year. On March 30,Barry Whitworth, Multiplying Churches Team Leader from the Baptist Resource Network in Harrisburg, Pa., trained Maryland/ Delaware church planters in , which is our new church multiplication strategy. In essence, it is an approach to seeing churches planted where our Church Planting Catalysts (CPCs) exegete 16 communities, engage eight, and seek to see four of those communities establish a church. We are excited about this. I m really excited about our Muslim and Jewish strategists. Rabbi Robert Pristoop has a strong lead on a man who is interested in coming to Reisterstown to plant a church to reach the Jews! I can t tell you how happy I am to see this all start to come together. S.D. Abraham is continuing to work with some of our planters who are reaching Muslims and is also engaged in helping us to understand how to better engage Muslims. I am also grateful for Michael Mattar who serves as our African strategist. Churches Planted in 2016 Agape House, Baltimore, Md. Bowie City Church, Bowie, Md. Church of the Harbor, N. Patterson,Md. Church of the Harbor, Timonium, Md. Church of the Harbor, Dundalk, Md. Columbia Crossing, Bel Air, Md. Community of Grace Fellowship, Newark, Del. Connecting Church, Abingdon, Md. Core Community Church, Rockville, Md. Fort Howard Community Church, Fort Howard, Md. Grace Life, College Park, Md. Light of the World Community Church, Greenbelt, Md. Living Stone Ministries, Hanover, Md. Maryland Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md. Mountain-Brooks Fellowship Int l, Clarksburg, Md. It was amazing to attend the first special needs conference in March. To see Tom Stolle leading and so many in attendance was a blessing to my heart. I m excited to see what God is going to do with all this. To learn more about planting churches for special needs families, in May, I met with a man who has planted a deaf church. In August, Dr. Kevin Smith had the privilege of speaking to 30 planters at one of our planter gatherings in Baltimore. At the end of the meeting our Send City Missionary Ron Larson asked the Owings Mills Community Baptist Church, Owings Mills, Md. Radiant Church, Laurel, Md. Relevant Church, Silver Spring, Md. Restoration Church, Towson, Md. Rolling Hills Vista, Bel Air, Md. Table Fellowship, Hanover, Md. Thai Church Maryland, Rockville, Md. The Open Table MICA, Beltsville, Md. Transformation Chapel Int l, Glen Burnie, Md. Transformation Church, Newark, Del. Transformation Church, Baltimore, Md. Union Square House Church, Baltimore, Md. Venture Church, Forest Hill, Md. Word of God, Owings Mills, Md. Church Strengthening Multiplication 22

23 planters if they could share some praises with all of us. Planter after planter began to share how God was using them to lead people to Christ and get baptized. God is so good! These stories are happening all over our states. This year we have focused on coaching, cohorts and community. We have three regional cohorts (Baltimore, southern Maryland, Eastern Shore) focusing on (exegesis, engagement and evangelism) as presented earlier in the year. Our final cohort this year will be in November and we will focus on multiplication. Our goal at the beginning of the year was to have every funded planter coached and cared for. We achieved that goal! In August we had our brother Jamie Limato from NAMB come and equip new coaches and take the existing coaches to the 2.0 level. We are excited about the trajectory of our coaching for our planters. Our CPC s are doing a great job this year. We have instituted a monthly report that seems to be working well for them and our whole team. If there was an MVP award to be handed out this year it would definitely go to Chrissie Redding. She has done a remarkable job. She has learned fast and now has a good command of her position. There is no way we could have had the success we have had this year without her. God blessed us with her presence. Thank you! Earlier this fall, the Multiplication Team attended the first Send City Assessment. It s a two-day assessment for planters designed by NAMB. We are excited to have learned and experienced this new concept for Send City planters. This assessment is required for planters who plant in Send Cities and desire funding. The BCM/D will continue to have our one-day assessments while these are being developed. Church Strengthening Multiplication 23

24 Ministry Results: Connecting With... Area of Challenge: The biggest challenge we face is that we live in Fort Washington, an hour away from the Holiday Inn, where we meet, which affects all that we do. Also, in working in the community, reaching out and evangelizing, we ve tried to connect with some organizations that serve the homeless, and at food banks. They haven t been too receptive. Another challenge is that most of our church members work full time and are busy, so it s difficult for them to take on a lot of the work. The majority of the projects are falling on me, my wife, Dollie, and our associate Pastor Maurice Mason. Actions Taken: We met with Michael Crawford, attended the cohort meetings, received counseling from Tom Rodgerson and monthly coaching with Reid Sterrett--those things have been tremendous. Also, the input from Marcus Redding (Church Planting Catalyst) and Ron Larson (NAMB SEND City missionary) has been an encouragement. When I have questions, I can reach out to them. The BCM/D connected my church plant to the Potomac Baptist Ron Curry Church Planter/Lead Pastor New Creation Bible Church Prince Frederick, Md. Association for support. The BCM/D has been a tremendous encouragement to us, and I appreciate the fact that they make sure we remain healthy as church planters. If you re not healthy, all you re going to have is an unhealthy church. That s the main thing I ve received. And, they ve poured into my wife, and I m thankful for that. We ve also received financial help and we re grateful. Results: We are trying to relocate to the Prince Frederick community. We almost have that worked out. We are signing a contract on our current home, and hope to be in the area by the first of the year. Regarding the work that needs to be done, we continue to pray. We make known the need, but wait for God to move on hearts to respond. Though we haven t been able to be involved in the homeless and feeding ministries, God has opened other doors. We ve connected with schools, the fire department, the police department all the things the Lord has burdened us to do. We met the sheriff of Calvert County. He has a burden for the area s struggle with drug addiction, and we feel God will open that door for us eventually.

25 Area of Challenge: For many in Baltimore, the church is not relevant. We re trying to break those barriers in addition to getting known in the community. The challenge for me, a passion of mine, is reaching men in the city, especially African American men. But a lot of times getting people to come to a Bible study or church service is difficult. The average income in East Baltimore is less than $25,000. People are hurting. They need work and they want to work. In addition, there s a need for basic life skills. The church wants to not only help people get jobs, but to keep them. Actions Taken: We re finding out areas where people have needs. We started having Real Fathers, Real Men. We meet on Tuesday mornings to talk with men in the neighborhood. We found out that with as much unemployment, whether they work or don t work, they re involved in their children s lives. We also have a Bible study for mothers, and the women have responded well. Another thing we re doing is blessing our brothers at the barbershop. Men tend to gather there more than church. There was an altercation at a barber shop around the corner and a barber was shot and killed. We went to pray for and with them. We got together with the owner of the shop to find a good day to buy it out, a slower date, beneficial for them and us. For a certain period of Henry Myers Church Planter/Campus Pastor Captivate East time, we paid for all the haircuts with a generous tip. Now, they allow us to advertise in the window. That lets us get to know them, share the Gospel with them and lets them know of the next events at the church. We re also working towards starting a recidivism reduction ministry, helping those ready to leave jail, training and encouraging them to be assets in the community, teaching skills and assisting them in finding jobs. The church is also working on starting a Celebrate Recovery program. A lot of people who come through have had their fair share of addiction. Results: We had four people in church last year. Now we re up to 15 to 20 on a regular basis. Also, men and women are both attending weekly Bible studies, and the community is discovering that Captivate Church is there, and loves them and wants to share Jesus with them. The BCM/D helped with a lot of mentorship, giving us insight on things, directions, and letting us know things that were tried in the past that haven t worked. It s a big encouragement. The funding is also very helpful. Not a lot of church planters are going where individual incomes are only $24-25,000 a year. Captivate East is a part of the Captivate family of churches. Ministry Results: Connecting With...

26 Your Church Multiplication Team is ready to assist you We stand ready to assist individuals and churches who feel called by God to plant churches in this two-state region. (Not pictured for security reasons: S.D. Abraham, Church Multiplication Specialist: Muslim Peoples, x268; Michael Crawford Church Multiplication Team Leader x225 Zulma Acuna Shelley Allen Rolando Castro Robert Kim Missionary Assistant to Church Multiplication Church Planting Assessments Coordinator Church Multiplication Strategist: Hispanic Church Multiplication Strategist: Asian x x x228 Michael Mattar Rabbi Robert Pristoop Chrissie Redding Marcus Redding Church Multiplication Specialist: African x206 Church Multiplication Specialist: Jewish Peoples x267 Ministry Assistant to Church Multiplication x222 Church Planting Catalyst x269 Church Multiplication 26

27 Area of Challenge: The biggest challenge is letting the community know we re here and that we want to help and serve. We started trying to build relationships by going to a lot of places at once, spending time in a few coffee shops, and restaurants but we weren t there long enough to get to know people. Actions Taken: As a team, we began adopting places to eat, shop, and do business to intentionally build relationships. It s a slower process than sending mass mailers, but we re building relationships through the ministry. We re also engaging our community and meeting their needs. Last year we partnered with the City Council to give away backpacks. This year, we partnered with two local organizations to give away backpacks, and we also hosted pizza parties for the families. At Thanksgiving, we encourage our members to invite people into their homes who can t afford to prepare their own meals, or who are lonely. Results: Three people out of the community have come to Christ and have been baptized over the past year as a result of this intentional ministry. Ryan Blaylock Church Planter/Lead Pastor Element Church Laurel, Md. And people on our leadership team are growing in their walk with Christ. They re openly talking about their faith taking bolder steps of faith. And people are bringing friends, and they re engaging with each other. That s a huge sign of growth. The BCM/D has been massively helpful. It s a big part of funding for us. We re a church for those who don t go to church. They don t know to give, or they re unable to give a significant amount. The support is getting us through the time we need to teach people to give and to encourage them and work through them. If we didn t have that, we would not be in existence. Coaching has also been great. Michael Crawford, Reid Sterrett, and Tom Rodgerson are a part of what keeps me in ministry. Tom gives me a place to ask questions, get support and advice to deal with the issues and stress of ministry. I m also very appreciative of South Columbia Baptist Church. Pastor Steve (Neel) was great. He encouraged me to ask as many people for support and prayer and to ask if they wanted to be part of the launch team. Ministry Results: Connecting With...

28 Tom Stolle CFO, COO, Convention Operations Team Leader CONVET N TION OPERATIONS Setting a Strong Foundation Ensuring a solid foundation for all Convention efforts is the goal of the Convention Operations Team, comprised of the incredibly supportive Financial Office and Baptist Mission Resource Center Operations teams. This team also coordinates all Convention-related evangelism efforts, such as disaster relief, special needs ministry, and the ever-expanding opportunities at Skycroft Conference Center. Finance Office Accounting Services Mid-Maryland Baptist Association Pilot Project: Beyond the scope of finance day-to-day operations, BCM/D s finance office is moving forward with a pilot project of providing accounting services to the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, effective January 1, This will allow the association to allocate a greater portion of their resources toward ministry to their member churches, resulting in a cost savings. I want to thank Denise DuBois for her careful dedication to excellence in this work. In addition to providing this support, the finance office provides financial accounting services to the Baptist Foundation of MD/DE and the Rivers Corporate Park condominium association (an association that includes the BCM/D as a member). Thank you to Margot Painter for her work in this area. Cooperative Program (CP) Promotion: The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries. It is imperative that we continue to educate our churches about the value and purpose of the Cooperative Program. Accordingly, we sent out mailings in March and September with 50 and 61 churches requesting 6,220 and 9,375 promotional pieces respectively. Thank you again to Margot Painter for her coordination and care for our churches as she leads these efforts. Planned Giving Promotion: In partnership with the Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware, our office extended multiple seminar offerings to our churches. Stewardship Education: Education continues to be a focal point of our services, with a variety of seminars offered. We continue to make available to our churches financial stewardship seminars, which present biblical principles for giving and money management. In additon, multiple churches

29 have participated in minister s tax training seminars, which provide helpful information to church pastors, treasurers, and other church leaders concerning establishing and maintaining a system of internal control, safeguarding of church assets, and preparing a church budget. We also meet with individual churches on request throughout the year to assist our churches with these important issues. Baptist Mission Resource Center Operations: This team constantly searches for and employs ways to make the operation of our facility in Columbia efficient and safe, and with good stewardship. Most recently, we added increased bandwidth at our facility. These recent technology changes will provide greatly increased internet speed and phone services at a substantial savings. We also enhanced our security systems. Again, this upgraded technology has allowed us to make our headquarters more secure for our staff, visiting pastors and guests. I am so grateful for the incredible behind-thescenes work that Iris White and Adron Dozat do to make this happen. Special Needs/Disability Ministry Special Needs Conference: In March, the BCM/D co-sponsored a special needs conference with the internationally recognized disability ministry, Joni and Friends. Shauna Amick and Sib Charles from Joni and Friends provided expert advice and specific recommendations for how churches can be inclusive of individuals and families affected by disabilities and Christopher Duffley, a child who is blind and has autism, led worship. Over 125 people from approximately 40 churches came to the training held at South Columbia Baptist Church. Assisting Churches: The BCM/D partnered with Ogletown Baptist Church, Newark, Del., to provide a room especially designed for serving children who have special needs. The space was built-out and rebranded, with a portion of it being designated especially for children affected by disabilities. The children s area is called The Backyard, and the space for the children with special needs is called The Nest. Skycroft Conference Center Camps: Over our summer camp season, Skycroft hosted over 30 churches who attended recharge, our resident teenage camp. These students were sent out on mission to assist seven churches with mission projects and VBS. Over 700 students attended the camp, with almost 70 decisions for Christ. We also were able to raise approximately $3,300 to assist two affiliated churches with their local mission camps. CentriKid, a camp for children between third and sixth grade, recorded attendance of approximately 1,200 students with 23 decisions for Christ. I want to especially thank Doug DuBois, Emily Reedy and the rest of the Skycroft staff for their hard work and dedication as they display Christ to Skycroft guests. Property Purchase: In September, General Mission Board members voted to authorize up to $400,000 to negotiate the purchase of 43 acres of land, which includes an old farmhouse, adjacent to the Skycroft Conference Center that has become available for sale. This additional land would provide a needed buffer for Skycroft as well as possibly provide an upgraded wastewater field, which would allow for further improvements and expansion of Skycroft s operations. Operations 29 Photo: Shauna Amick of Joni and Friends, left, and Tom Stolle of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, right, enjoyed meeting Erin McPate of Grace Baptist Church of Sunset Beach, Pasadena, Md., during the March 1 Special Needs Conference.

30 Operations Ministries What Our Team Offers: Financial Services Stewardship Development Cooperative Program Development Capture the Vision Planned Giving Ministers Taxes Disaster Relief Church Planting Evangelism Existing Church Evangelism Skycroft Camp Evangelism Special Needs Ministry Save the Date! January 24, 2017 Evangelism (Engagement and Training) Disaster Relief: Trained volunteers from BCM/D churches responded to several natural disasters in our region, including the Howard County tornado (June 22-August 6, supporting Gethsemane Baptist Church and the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association); the West Virginia flooding (July 3-August 13), and the Ellicott City flash flood (August 2-present, supporting Metanoia, Bethel and Bethany Lane Baptist churches and the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association). In addition to meeting immediate physical needs of people affected by disasters, our Disaster Relief volunteers seek to meet spiritual and emotional needs through prayer walking, engaging in intentional spiritual conversations and presenting each individual or family served with a Bible signed by each member of the team. We try hard to make the local church a champion in the eyes of the community, working to equip and position the church for ongoing long-term ministry in the community once the emergency phase of the disaster has ended. We were also able to assist both Metanoia and Bethel Baptist with organizing a backpack drive with three other affiliated churches to provide backpacks to students displaced due to the flood in Ellicott City. Thank you to Doug DuBois, Bruce Conley and Ellen Udovich for pouring themselves into this life-changing ministry. Engagement: We have partnered with our local associations to provide training concerning multicultural engagement and Great Commission living. We connected with the North American Mission Board to bring in Aslam Masih, South Asian & Muslim Peoples Church Mobilizer, to lead a panel discussion in the Eastern and Mid-Maryland Associations. On another occasion, Dr. Chuck Lawless of Southeastern Seminary, led a discussion on Great Commission Living in the Eastern Association and also in the Arundel Association. Our team was also able to assist Bethany Baptist Church in Wilmington, Del., with a student event. Around 250 students from several youth groups and local schools attended a Gospel-centered Backto-School night. During this event, which focused on students from Wilmington, seven students made a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior. MINISTER S TAX SEMINAR A seminar designed for pastors, staff ministers and church treasurers to clarify new tax laws. The initiative focused on prayer for our nation s senators has made connections on Capitol Hill. Letters written by our pastors have been personally delivered, and our efforts have been appreciated and noticed. Due to the presence of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) on Capitol Hill, emphasis ultimately will be shifted to make these types of connections with key leaders within Maryland and Delaware state governments in Annapolis and Dover, expanding this important prayer emphasis into the arena of our own state governments. Operations 30

31 Area of Challenge: On July 30 in the small historic old mill town of Ellicott City, a sudden storm flooded and devastated the downtown area where I minister. The biggest challenge that I personally have faced is that I get tired and overwhelmed. In the immediate relief stage, I was heavily involved in bootson-the-ground and fundraising efforts. After I found someone to coordinate the volunteer and project management efforts, I transitioned to long-term recovery planning. This placed me in meetings with Howard County government officials, business owners, and other churches and non-profits as we created an organization to provide recovery gap assistance. When I get tired and overwhelmed, God gently reminds me: When a devastating flood hits your city, you pastor the city! Along with that reminder comes His grace and power, which are more than sufficient for this mission. Actions Taken: Initially, Metanoia Church was involved in boots-on-the-ground relief efforts. We mucked out basements, conducted mold remediation, helped businesses toss ruined merchandise, mobilized volunteers, prayed with flood victims, and prayer walked the devastated areas. BCM/D resourced us with HAZMAT materials, administrative help, and volunteers from all over the place. This was critical. Several churches in Mid- Maryland Baptist Association (MMBA) also collected donations and sent the funds to us. The BCM/D and MMBA have also dedicated some resources for long-term recovery efforts. Adam Feldman Pastor Metanoia Church Ellicott City, Md. By early September, much of the initial relief was over and our church transitioned to on-going recovery efforts with a few business owners and residents. At that time, I helped form and now Chair the Ellicott City Long Term Recovery Committee (EC- LTRC), which is a group of churches, non-profits, residents, businesses, and government officials who are working together to bring to the table resources and a plan for long-term recovery. It amazes me that a grassroots effort like the EC-LTRC would choose a pastor to lead the team. God is clearly at work! Results: I recently was at a meeting organized by the county government for residents and businesses that were affected by the flood. During the meeting, a resident and then a business owner spoke about how they were each blessed by Metanoia and the BCM/D relief efforts. One person said of the volunteers: I have made lifelong friends. Around town, residents know the yellow shirts referring to the SBC Disaster Relief shirts are people who are there to help. Additionally, business owners, county officials, residents, and even elected officials have visited our church since the flood. So, one result is the physical restoration of houses and buildings, but these stories show a deeper, longer lasting result of emotional and, Lord willing, spiritual healing of persons. Ellen Udovich, BCM/D strategist for church strengthening and community engagement, was a calming presence for us in the midst of the chaos we would have been lost without her help! Ministry Results: Connecting With...

32 Meet God on the Mountain Looking for your next church retreat site? How about a church picnic? Homeschooling event? Family reunion? Or, maybe it s a getaway for your pastor and his wife? Consider the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware s premiere training and retreat facility, Skycroft Conference Center. Nestled in 300 wooded acres on South Mountain in Middletown, Md., right along the Appalachian Trail and the site of the Civil War s Battle of South Mountain, the center offers it all a place to learn, fellowship, have fun and just relax. In addition to lodging for up to 300, conference facilities, banquet halls, a gymnasium, pool, and a theater, many visitors don t realize there are three ponds on the property that are great for fishing. There are also miles of hiking trails. Outdoor facilities also include volleyball, softball diamonds, basketball courts, soccer fields, Frisbee golf, horseshoes, cornhole, Gaga ball pit, human fooseball course, 9-Square in the Air, dodgeball course, as well as extra fee options: rope courses, paintball and zipline. The center offers ten conference areas with stateof-the-art equipment including Wi-Fi, projectors, white boards and AV equipment. There are also rooms available for breakout style sessions. Skycroft Associate Director Emily Reedy said that in addition to the activities and fun, churches are always very appreciative of the food service at Skycroft. There are two fully equipped dining halls that can seat over 400 guests. Meals are served buffet style and include multiple food choices and an extensive salad bar, in addition to a variety of juices, coffee, tea, and desserts. The dining room staff is also available to provide scrumptious meals for special occasions, such as parties and banquets and they will serve tables, or provide buffet-style service. For light fare, stop by Hebrews Cafe, in the Barnes reception building, offering coffee and espresso drinks, smoothies, pizza, hot pretzels and ice cream. Skycroft is also a great opportunity for a local mission trip. There are always opportunities for mission teams to adopt or assist with enhancement projects, said Reedy. First Baptist Church of Perryville installed a new brick pathway with bricks representing each church in the convention. Other churches have tended flowerbeds and mulched, painted, and helped with general chores. Executive Director Doug DuBois said he loves to see how the serene location draws people to the mountaintop where God meets them. It has been amazing over my twenty years here to see God work in the lives of countless people. Visit Skycroft in person at 9621 Frostown Road, Middletown, MD or online at Annual Skycroft Camps and Retreats In addition to allowing churches to lead retreats on its campus, Skycroft offers a variety of its own camp and retreat experiences for children, youth and adults. For teens in grades 6 to 12, Skycroft offers reboot and recharge camps. Youth pastors and leaders attend with their teens and enjoy the time together and participate in activities designed for them as well as their students. reboot is a winter camp offering a 3-day, 2-night retreat focused on growth and outreach with worship, recreation, fellowship and games. recharge is a summer camp and offers 6 days of fabulous fun, mission opportunities, Bible study, recreation, worship and fellowship. Skycroft also offers the Anchor 6:19 girls only retreat for those in grades 6 to 12, offering meals, lodging, worship time, campfire, zipline, and just lots of fun and fellowship. Past ministries have included Adventure Camps and teen Leadership Labs. For children in grades 3 to 6, Skycroft also hosts LifeWay s CentriKid camps through the summer, and for older adults, Skycroft hosts the Ports of Call three-day retreat, offering worship, missions opportunities, and sight seeing. Operations 32

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34 Your Convention Operations Team seeks to solidly support our churches Ensuring a solid foundation for all Convention efforts is the goal of the Convention Operations Team, comprised of the incredibly supportive Financial Office and Baptist Mission Resource Center Operations teams as well as our convention evangelism/engagement teams and the Skycroft Conference Center team (see opposite page). Tom Stolle Chief Financial Officer Chief Operating Officer Team Leader, Convention Operations x207 tstolle@bcmd.org Columbia Operations Adron Dozat Facility Support Services Specialist x249 adozat@bcmd.org Denise DuBois Staff Accountant, Columbia and Skycroft Church Multiplication Financial Analyst x242 ddubois@bcmd.org Doug DuBois Margot Painter Niki Taylor Iris White Director, Skycroft Conference Center State Director of Evangelism x235 dougdubois@bcmd.org Accounting Specialist Asst. Building Coordinator Ministry Assistant to Finance x204 mpainter@bcmd.org Ministry Assistant to Evangelism and Engagement x226 ntaylor@bcmd.org Managing Editor, BaptistLIFE Office Coordinator IT Coordinator x245 iwhite@bcmd.org Operations 34

35 Skycroft Operations Emily Reedy Becki Burtner Emily Chamblee Taylor Hudik Associate Director, Skycroft Conference Center Kitchen Manager, Skycroft Conference Center Housekeeping Manager, Skycroft Conference Center Guest Relations Manager, Skycroft Conference Center Aaron Miller Michael Robertson Craig Southerly Conference Services Manager, Skycroft Conference Center Facilities Manager, Skycroft Conference Center Maintenance Technician, Skycroft Conference Center Operations 35

36 Kevin Smith Executive Director Is the Cooperative Program Relevant? EXECUTIVE My answer has always been YES because of the way I view two words: Cooperation and Capacity I said YES as a church planter when I realized the missiological efforts of our core group were being fueled by funds from the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board. I clearly understood that we could plant a church near a public-housing development with many lowincome (or no income) residents because Southern Baptists across this nation were partnering with us. That same understanding led our church plant to continue supporting the Cooperative Program, even after we were no longer receiving NAMB and state convention funding. I said YES as a pastor when I led a fifty year-old congregation into Southern Baptist (and Kentucky Baptist) life. The Cooperative Program and the Southern Baptist way of doing missions were new to these Christians. During this transition, I explained many things to our congregation, but the training and ministry-preparation events provided by our state convention and LifeWay sold that congregation on the benefit of cooperative missions giving. Also, during this time, I benefitted from theological education at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which was a fraction of the costs charged by other Bible-believing seminaries (By the way, it feels quirky justifying the CP to a pastor that has been educated in a CP-supported institution). As an African-American congregation new to Southern Baptist life, that church became one of the leading CP churches in our state. I said YES when pastoring a large SBC church. I pushed for increased CP giving even in challenging economic times. In a larger church, with the capacity to do many ministries and support individual missionaries, I was reminded of Pastor Johnny Hunt s words regarding a church s stewardship of influence. First, no church, regardless of its size, can do as much as they might do when locked up with other churches for missiological impact. Second, in light of the interaction between churches in the New Testament,

37 I would encourage churches to view a lone ranger approach to missions as inconsistent with New Testament models. Besides my experiences, let s think about the two words: cooperation and capacity. First, cooperation. Southern Baptists have said, At the center of our funding stands the Cooperative Program, which since 1925 has served to mobilize the stewardship of Southern Baptists for worldwide missions and ministry (GCRTF Report). That is not simply a We ve always done it like that statement. Instead, it reflects an appreciation for the consistent funding stream that has allowed Southern Baptists to attempt many (not a few) great things in the area of missions. Aside from the funding strength it provides, cooperation has many spiritual benefits. It provides a safeguard against self-focus, insularity, being self-willed, and the temptation towards kingdom building or celebrity seeking. Messengers from our churches approve budgets for CP expenditures at the state and national levels. Yes, that is a process but I would suggest it is a helpful process for financial and spiritual reasons. Missionally uniting with other Southern Baptists demonstrates the congregation s recognition that we are a part of a larger body of Baptists through which God may work for His purposes (1 Corinthians 12). that is becoming increasingly hostile to biblically faithful Christianity, nothing is more relevant than our mercy ministries that touch the brokenness of our society and often prepare our neighbors to allow us to share a witness for Christ. Also, nothing in SBC life speaks to capacity like our International Mission Board. Even with recent adjustments, our IMB is unique among missions agencies in its breadth and scope. Many non-sbc missionaries have to spend substantial time raising and maintaining support. Cooperatively, Southern Baptists field a substantial full-time missions force. Is the Cooperative Program relevant? Is your answer YES? It depends on how much you value two words: cooperation and capacity. This article first appeared on September 26, 2016 at TalkCP.com ( cooperation-and-capacity), a digital, interactive version of the Cooperative Program stage and platform that is featured every year at the SBC annual meeting. Do well. Do right. Cooperation also makes much sense if one has a missiological burden that is broader than one s immediate context. Who doesn t look at the brokenness around our nation and world without realizing the need for Gospel ministry that is beyond the abilities of your congregation? Second, capacity. In terms of relevance, nothing is more relevant (in our contemporary society) than the love your neighbor ministries that Southern Baptists are able to do, solely because of our high capacity, cooperative approach to ministry. For instance, no boutique network shows up at disasters like Southern Baptists. We cooperatively have the ability to empower congregations for mercy ministries with equipment, like medical and dental clinics, that is beyond the ability of most congregations to purchase individually. In a society With nearly 100 years of service to ministries and individuals just like you, GuideStone is uniquely qualified to meet your financial needs. Our history is one of providing superior products and services. For more information about GuideStone and how we can serve you, call GUIDE or visit GuideStone.org today. RETIREMENT INSURANCE ADVICE INVESTMENTS PROPERTY & CASUALTY 2016 GuideStone Financial Resources /16 Executive 37

38 Top 50 CP Giving Churches (2015) COOPERATIVE PROGRAM Church Pastor 1 Oak Grove Baptist Church Rev. Jim Testerman 2 First Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro Rev. Zachariah Schlegel 3 Faith Baptist Church, Glen Burnie Rev. Tim Byer 4 Greenridge Baptist Church Rev. Tim Simpson 5 Leonardtown Baptist Church Rev. Mark Dooley 6 Global Mission Baptist Church 7 The Church at Severn Run Dr. Drew Shofner 8 Ogletown Baptist Church Dr. Curtis Hill 9 Weems Creek Baptist Church Dr. David Orr 10 Colonial Baptist Church Rev. Robert J. Anderson 11 Calvary Baptist Church, Bel Air Dr. Larry Hoyle 12 First Baptist Church, Waldorf Dr. Wayne Kempson 13 South Columbia Baptist Church Dr. W. Stephen Neel 14 Paramount Baptist Church Rev. Frank Duncan 15 Westminster Baptist Church Rev. J. Lawrence Steen 16 First Baptist Church, Easton Rev. Paul Martins 17 Dunkirk Baptist Church Rev. Fred Dyer 18 South End Baptist Church Rev. Ken Quick 19 First Baptist Church, Rockville Rev. Lee Becknell 20 North Harford Baptist Church Rev. John Manry 21 Potomac Heights Baptist Church Dr. Brian Sandifer 22 Allen Memorial Baptist Church Dr. William L. Warren 23 Sycamore Hill Church Rev. Jon Boulet 24 Spence Baptist Church Rev. Kenneth Elligson 25 Middle River Baptist Church Rev. Glenn Leatherman 26 Lexington Park Baptist Church Rev. Chris McCombs 27 Glen Burnie Baptist Church Rev. Robert Simpson 28 First Baptist Church, La Plata Rev. Wendell Stokes 29 Northwest Baptist Church Rev. Gary Glanville 30 Pleasant View Baptist Church, Port Deposit Dr. Harold Phillips 31 LifeHouse Church Rev. Mark Lashey 32 Pocomoke First Baptist Church Rev. Wayne Ayer 33 Towne Baptist Church Rev. Ron Slayton 34 Hughesville Baptist Church Dr. Derek Yelton 35 Elders Baptist Church Rev. James Edmonson 36 Marbury Baptist Church Rev. Tim Bean 37 Redland Baptist Church Rev. Mark Adams 38 Faith Baptist Church, Knoxville Rev. Bruce Conley 39 Landover Hills Baptist Church Rev. David Griesemer 40 First Baptist Church of St. Charles Rev. Fred Caudle 41 Severna Park Baptist Church Rev. David Brown 42 Germantown Baptist Church Rev. Robert Walker 43 Redeeming Grace Baptist Church Rev. Adam Polk 44 Greensboro Baptist Church Rev. J. Bradley Hendrix 45 Lynnhaven Baptist Church Rev. Kerry Hinton 46 First Baptist Church, Perryville Dr. John Gauger 47 Emmanuel Baptist Church, Laurel Rev. Byron Day 48 Barnesville Baptist Church Rev. Dan Moore 49 First Baptist Church, Laurel Rev. Brent Brewer 50 Smithsburg Valley Baptist Church Rev. Allen Youngbar

39 Top 25 CP Giving Increases (2015) Church City Pastor Increase/ Decrease 1 Redeeming Grace Baptist Church* Lexington Park, Md. Rev. Adam Polk 22355% 2 Montrose Baptist Church Rockville, Md. Dr. Ken Fentress 1700% 3 First Baptist Church, Dundalk Dundalk, Md. Rev. Christopher Gudmundsson 1357% 4 Edgewater Bible Church Edgewater, Md. Rev. Benjamin O'Neal 740% 5 First Baptist Church, Mardela Springs Mardela Springs, Md. Rev. Robert Kampmeyer 644% 6 Valley Baptist Church Lutherville, Md. Rev. Chad Morreau 320% 7 Deep Creek Baptist Church Oakland, Md. Rev. David Helton 207% 8 First Baptist Church, Hagerstown Hagerstown, Md. Rev. Thom Smith 189% 9 First Baptist Church, Rockville Rockville, Md. Rev. Lee Becknell 146% 10 Valley Baptist Church, Middletown Middletown, Md. Rev. Michael Knight 138% 11 First Baptist Church, Cambridge Cambridge, Md. Rev. Stephen A. Trice 106% 12 Sycamore Hill Church Hockessin, Del. Rev. Jon Boulet 67% 13 Pocomoke First Baptist Church Pocomoke City, Md. Rev. Wayne Ayer 58% 14 Linthicum Baptist Church Linthicum, Md. Rev. Willard Preston 54% 15 First Baptist Church, Savage Savage, Md. Rev. Alan Latham 47% 16 White Marsh Baptist Church White Marsh, Md. Rev. David M. Tierney 37% 17 Greenridge Baptist Church Boyds, Md. Rev. Tim Simpson 27% 18 First Baptist Church, La Plata La Plata, Md. Rev. Wendell Stokes 22% 19 Spence Baptist Church Snow Hill, Md. Rev. Kenneth Elligson 14% 20 Paramount Baptist Church Hagerstown, Md. Rev. Frank Duncan 13% 21 Oak Grove Baptist Church Bel Air, Md. Rev. Jim Testerman 12% 22 Potomac Heights Baptist Church Indian Head, Md. Dr. Brian Sandifer 10% 23 Colonial Baptist Church Randallstown, Md. Rev. Robert J. Anderson 9% 24 Faith Baptist Church Glen Burnie, Md. Rev. Tim Byer 7% 25 Dunkirk Baptist Church Dunkirk, Md. Rev. Fred Dyer 6% *Church started in late 2014 Top 10 Church Plant CP Giving (2015) Church Plant City Planter 1 LifeHouse Middletown, Del. Rev. Mark Lashey 2 South County Community Shady Side, Md. Rev. Daniel Keaton 3 Epic Community Church Aberdeen, Md. Rev. Brian Watts 4 Bruce Outreach Westernport, Md. Rev. Steffan Carr 5 Edgewater Bible Church Edgewater, Md. Rev. Benjamin O'Neal 6 Bayside Community Pocomoke, Md. Rev. John Woods 7 Life Connection Severn, Md. Rev. Martin Bennett 8 New Beginnings, Burtonsville Silver Spring, Md. Rev. Joseph Choi 9 Redemption Church Arnold, Md. Rev. James Caldwell 10 Mustard Seed Chinese BC Potomac, Md. Rev. Xiao Yuan COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

40 Are Baptists Mighty Mouse or Mini Mouse? Our Annual Church Profiles Tell the Tale We are a family of Southern Baptists in Maryland/Delaware. Collectively, we have a voice, but how strong is that voice? That s a question posed by BCM/D Executive Director Kevin Smith to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware General Mission Board at a recent meeting. When we say Maryland/Delaware Baptists, how many people are we really talking about? Smith asked. Every soul matters, but when we re talking to people in Annapolis and Dover, they want to know how many souls we re talking about. We need an idea of who we are, so when we re talking and we re trying to represent a public witness, we need to know are we Mighty Mouse or Mini Mouse? Here s one way of finding out by reviewing our Annual Church Profile (ACP) reports. It s like a family portrait, or a report card. It s a snapshot, a frozen moment in time, that helps clarify our direction. Smith said the ACP information, especially on baptisms, aids in the BCM/D s ministry evaluation. Are we being fruitful? Jesus looked upon the multitudes and was moved with compassion and said, Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers to the vineyards. How do we know if we re reaping from the harvest? We need some type of measurement. In 2015, just 31 percent, or 191 of our 623 churches completed the ACP. The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware uses the numbers to determine future mission strategy, update the database, and support church ministries and ministers more effectively. The number also is used to determine the number of messengers churches receive for the Annual Celebration in November. Individual congregations report statistics for the national ACP to their local associations and/ or state conventions. National totals are compiled and released after all cooperating state conventions have reported. Executive 40

41 Your Executive Team Your Executive team seeks to serve you with excellence through its ongoing coordination in the executive office, communications office, and campus ministry. Kevin Smith Executive Director x201 Donna Jefferys Shannon Baker Sean Copley Sharon Mager Executive Office Coordinator Ministry Assistant to Executive Director x202 Director of Communications Editor, BaptistLIFE x266 Brand Coach, Creative Strategist x266 Communications Specialist x245 Blake Hardcastle Peggy Peek Jessica Senasack Campus Minister University of Delaware x265 Campus Minister Anne Arundel Community College, Montgomery College Campus Minister University of Maryland, College Park x203 Executive 41

42 FOCUSING ON CAMPUS MINISTRY Is Baptist Student Ministry the vehicle for revival in the world? There will not be a more crucial crossroads in a person s life than the short period of their lives when they are in college before they get into the 9-to-5 routine where comfort is guaranteed to become their new god, if they are not saved, and their worldview becomes more solidified. That quote is from a David Manley, a senior, majoring in finance at the University of Delaware. Manley arrived at the University of Delaware as a new Christian, ready to take on the world, but, he admits, was filled with pride. After being forced to leave his home, and an important relationship, Manley was spinning out of control. Then, he said, God used the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on campus to change his life. God broke my idols and gave me a community to fall back on for encouragement and growth when He started to strip away the false foundations of my life. I can say now with absolute certainty that I would not enjoy Christ like I do now, and I would not be in awe of Him like I am now if it wasn t for college ministry. Matt Jones, a 2013 graduate, also was transformed as a result of his experience with campus ministry when Blake Hardcastle, BSM director at the University of Delaware, challenged Jones to explain the Gospel. I just couldn t believe that I grew up a Christian, and I had no idea how to explain that, Jones said. Through discipleship, Jones learned to always be prepared to give an answer. He grew in his faith and led freshmen small groups for three years, building relationships with first-year students through activities and leading Bible studies. In fact, the entire BSM strategy, Hardcastle says, is to intentionally reach students with the Gospel, disciple them and connect them to local churches. In particular, Hardcastle says that after graduation, connecting BSM students to local churches is vital. Executive 42 We want them to dive in, see the value and experience what it s like to be part of a church body, he adds. Ogletown Baptist Church has been a strong BSM supporter for over a dozen years. They ve continued to nurture the students, and the students are stepping up as leaders. They know how to engage lost people. They know how to make disciples, says Curtis Hill, Ogletown s pastor. Now, the University of Delaware s BSM is making inroads with the international community through natural friendships and practicing conversational English. Manley explains, This semester, I have seen a Saudi Arabian student proclaim Christ as Savior. I have been discipling this student and a Chinese student who used to be atheist who came to Christ last year; these two young men have reached out into their people groups that live on campus and have shared the Gospel with more than a dozen other students that came from their birthplace. Manley says it s a ministry worth supporting. If you want a generation that is unashamed and unafraid to share what they believe, this is something that a church must invest their resources in. We need people on the front lines before we lose this generation to atheism and nominal Christianity, he said. Presently, there are 171 college and university campuses across Maryland and Delaware, but only nine campuses (University of Delaware; Towson University; University of Maryland, Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University; University of Maryland, College Park; Montgomery College; Salisbury University; Anne Arundel Community College; and Frostburg University) have an established Baptist presence. There are many ways to support collegiate ministry: prayer, providing financial support, adopting students, and supplying resources on an as needed basis.

43 There will not be a more crucial crossroads in a person s life than the short period of their lives when they are in college before they get into the 9-to-5 routine where comfort is guaranteed to become their new god, if they are not saved, and their worldview becomes more solidified. David Manley (on right in photo), senior, University of Delaware, Newark, on a recent mission trip to the Philippines

44 Ministry Results: Connecting With... Robert Stephens Lead Pastor Aletheia College Park College Park, Md. Area of Challenge: Our intentional strategy is to reach college campuses with the Gospel and equip students to do the same. Because of our strategy, we re much slower becoming self-sustaining. We rely heavily on outside support. Another challenge is that though we have a lot of really good young leaders, they re just that they re young. We don t have enough people with life experience to buy into the vision. Campuses are also hotbeds for spiritual warfare. Actions Taken: We are seeking partners. Many churches may not be able to provide continued financial support, but maybe they can help with a specific need. We also need people with life experience and wisdom to join a work and churches who are willing to send them out as missionaries. Part of the answer is patience. The students will grow up and their leadership skills will grow too. Many will transition out, but that s a natural part of growing up. We have to be patient with the process, while we reach others in the community. We are also seeking prayer warriors who will not just say, Yeah, we ll pray for you, but who will do battle on their knees for our work here. Results: One of the biggest blessings is a family that was part of a large church that decided they wanted to invest in a church plant. They left a very stable church with lots of ministries to bless our work. As we pour into students, we see them come to know Christ and see them grow. Young people are zealous, and want to try new things and go new places. They are uniquely positioned to be utilized in church planting efforts in the future. The BCM/D has been great. We feel like we re out on an island. We re closer to DC than Baltimore, but I ve just always felt included. The training and support has been good. Marcus Redding (Church Planting Catalyst) organized churches to put some gift bags together. All I had to do is pick them up and give them out. It shows that We love you and care about you. And our new state executive (Kevin Smith) is encouraging, and he is for us too.

45 181st Annual Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Sheraton North, Towson, Md. November 13-15, 2016

46 SUNDAY & MONDAY SESSIONS Session 1 - Sunday Evening, Nov. 13 Fitzgerald Ballroom 6:30 pm Call to Order... Bill Warren 6:35 pm Welcome...Richard Logsdon Enrollment of Messengers... Charlie Brown 6:40 pm Worship...Kettering Baptist Church 6:55 pm Message... Daniel Henderson 7:30 pm Worship...Kettering Baptist Church 7:45 pm Time of Prayer and Unity... 9:00 pm Worship...Kettering Baptist Church 9:05 pm Closing Prayer Session 2 - Monday Morning, Nov. 14 Fitzgerald Ballroom 8:00 am Presidents Prayer...Bill Warren, Daniel Henderson 9:00 am Brunches (by reservation) Pastors Conference - Daniel Henderson (Room: Warfields) Ministers Wives - Pascha Lee (Room: Lindsay) Lay Leaders - Kevin Smith (Room: Duncan) 10:30 am Break 10:45 am Worship...Dee Jones 11:00 am President s Address...Bill Warren 11:25 am Enrollment of Messengers... Charlie Brown 11:30 am Business Session #1 Introduction of Business & Resolutions...Bill Warren Resolution Committee Report...Phil Graves General Mission Report...Michael Trammell 11:55 am GuideStone Greetings (video)... O.S. Hawkins 12:00 pm Break Session 3 - Monday Afternoon, Nov. 14 1:30 pm Breakout Sessions Transforming Prayer... Daniel Henderson (Room: Owens Amphitheater) Disability Ministry Sib Charles (Room: Lindsay B) One Hope: Discipleship among the Poor...Joel Kurz (Room: McIntosh) Families in Crisis... Kim Cook (Room: Burke) 2:45 pm Break 3:30 pm Dinners (Reservations required) African American Fellowship...Byron Day (Room: Lindsay A) Cena de Companerismo Hispano (pastores solamente)... Luis Palau (Room: Duncan) 한국목사님을위한친교식사 (Korean Fellowship Dinner)... Paul Kim (Room: Lindsay B) Asian People Groups Dinner...Paul Kim (Room: Burke) SEBTS Alumni...Chris Allen (Room: Lindsay C) NOBTS Alumni...Kurt Wesolowski, (Dinner offsite, Bill Bateman s Restaurant) 5:30 pm Break Annual Meeting Program Schedule 46

47 SHERATON MAP Plaza Level MEETINGS & BANQUET ENTRANCE REGISTRATION WEST FOYER OFFICE NORTH FOYER A NORTH SCOTT FITZGERALD BALLROOM A SOUTH B C LOBBY BAR HOTEL ENTRANCE WARFIELDS RAIN 903 LOBBY PATIO DECK Second Level DUNCAN ROOM AMPHI- THEATER LINDSAY ROOM A B C GRASON ROOM BURKE ROOM COLE ROOM MCINTOSH ROOM LIFEWAY STORE CATERING & SALES OFFICE SKYWALK TO MALL Annual Meeting Program Schedule 47

48 MONDAY EVENING SESSION Session 4 - Monday Evening, Nov. 14 Fitzgerald Ballroom 5:50 pm Enrollment of Messengers... Charlie Brown 5:55 pm Worship... Church of the Harbor 6:05 pm SBC Greetings and Report...Roger Sing Oldham 6:15 pm Business Session #2 President s Committee Appointments...Bill Warren Committee to Nominate... Michael Mattar Committee on Committees... Nathaniel Thomas Election of Convention President... Curtis Hill Election of Officers... Curtis Hill Miscellaneous Business...Bill Warren 6:50 pm Worship... Dunkirk Baptist Church 7:00 pm NAMB Greetings (video)... Kevin Ezell 7:02 pm Message... Luis Palau 7:32 pm Worship... Church of the Harbor 7:47 pm IMB Greetings and Report... Ron Millender 8:00 pm Partnership Mission Offering for Skycroft Conference Center...Kevin Smith 8:10 pm LifeWay Greetings (video)...thom Rainer 8:12 pm Message...Kevin Smith 8:50 pm Closing Prayer...Bill Warren 8:55 pm Dessert Fellowship (Room: Warfields) TUESDAY MORNING SESSION Session 5 - Tuesday Morning, Nov. 15 Fitzgerald Ballroom 9:00 am Enrollment of Messengers...Charlie Brown 9:02 am Opening Prayer... Jim McBride 9:05 am Worship... Calvary Bel Air/Oak Grove 9:15 am Honoring New Pastors... Bill Warren 9:40 am Southeastern Seminary Greetings (video)...danny Akin 9:45 am Baptist Foundation Ministry Update... Bill Peacock 10:15 am Woman s Missionary Union Ministry Update...Barbara Matney Women s Ministry Update... Melody Knox 10:25 am Worship... Calvary Bel Air/Oak Grove 10:35 am Message... Paul Kim 11:05 am Honoring Staff... Kevin Smith 11:25 am Message... Byron Day 11:55 am Closing Prayer... Bill Warren 12:00 pm Adjournment of the 181st Session Exhibits and LifeWay Bookstore will close at 11:10 am Annual Meeting Program Schedule 48

49 PROGRAM PERSONALITIES Akin, Danny... President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Allen, Chris... Denominational Relations Specialist, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Arce, Jessie... Pastor, Good Shepherd Baptist Church, Bear, Del. Baker, Shannon...Director of Communications, BCM/D Brown, Charlie... Chair, Credentials Committee, BCM/D; Pastor, East Baltimore Graffiti Church,Baltimore, Md. Byer, Tim... Pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Glen Burnie, Md. Castro, Rolando... Strategist, Church Planting: Hispanic, BCM/D Caudle, Fred... Pastor, First Baptist Church of St. Charles, Waldorf, Md. Charles, Sib... Joni and Friends Eastern Pennsylvania Clifton, Gayle... Retired Pastor, Upper Seneca Baptist Church, Germantown, Md. Cook, Kim...CentrePointe Counseling Crawford, Michael... Church Multiplication Team Strategist, BCM/D Day, Byron... President, SBC National African American Fellowship; Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Laurel, Md. Dixon, James... Pastor, El Bethel Baptist Church, Ft. Washington, Md. DuBois, Doug... Director, Skycroft Conference Center; Strategist, Evangelism and Engagement, BCM/D Ezell, Kevin... President, North American Mission Board Eubanks, Larry... Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frederick, Md. Fentress, Ken... Pastor, Montrose Baptist Church, Rockville, Md. Heath, Kenneth... Director of Missions, Western Association Graves, Phil... Pastor, First Baptist Church, Brunswick, Md. Henderson, Daniel... President, Strategic Renewal Hill, Curtis...1st Vice President, BCM/D; Pastor, Ogletown Baptist Church, Newark, Del. Jeffries, Jim...Pastor, LaVale Baptist Church, LaVale, Md./Zion Community Church of Wellersburg Pa. Jones, Bill... Pastor, Jessup Baptist Church, Jessup, Md. Jones, Dee... Epic Community Church, Aberdeen, Md. Kempson, Wayne... Pastor, First Baptist Church, Waldorf, Md. Kim, Paul...Asian-American Relations Consultant, Executive Committee, SBC Kneale, Mako... First Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro, Md. Knox, Melody... Specialist: Women/Woman s Missionary Union (WMU) Executive Director Kurz, Joel... Pastor, The Garden Church, Baltimore, Md. Lashey, Mark... Pastor, LifeHouse Church, Townsend, Del. Lee, Pascha... Founder and Co-Executive Director, Imagine Me Ministries Lee, Wayne... Pastor, Christian Liberty Church, Baltimore, Md. Logsdon, Richard... Chair, Order of Business Committee, BCM/D Matney, Barbara... WMU President, BCM/D Mattar, Michael... Chair, Committee to Nominate, BCM/D; Pastor, Hope Fellowship Church, Leesburg, Va. McCready, Daryl... Pastor, SonRise Church, Berlin, Md. McBride, Jim...Pastor, New Harvest Baptist Church, Dover, Del. McKay, Sherrie... Minister of Music, Bethany Church, Ellicott City, Md. Millender, Ron...International Mission Board Millwood, Randy...Church Strengthening Team Strategist, BCM/D Nater, Josean...Pastor, Camino de Esperanza Seaford, Cambridge, Md. Oldham, Sing... Vice President of Convention Communications and Relations, SBC Executive Committee Orr, David... Pastor, Weems Creek Baptist Church, Annapolis, Md. Palau, Luis... International Evangelist; Founder and President, Palau Ministries Peacock, Bill... Vice President, Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware Phillips, Harold...Pastor, Pleasant View Baptist Church, Port Deposit, Md. Rainer, Thom... President, LifeWay Christian Resources Roh, San... Pastor, Church of the Wonderful Light, Ellicott City, Md. Sheffield, Dan...Director of Missions, Susquehanna Baptist Association Smith, Kevin... Executive Director, BCM/D Stolle, Tom...Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Convention Operations Team Strategist, BCM/D Thomas, Nathaniel... Pastor, Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church, Forestville, Md. Trammell, Michael... President, General Mission Board, BCM/D; Pastor, Mt. Airy Baptist Church, Mt. Airy, Md. Warren, Bill...President, BCM/D; Pastor, Allen Memorial Baptist Church, Salisbury, Md. Wesolowski, Kurt...Pastor, Parkville Baptist Church, Parkville, Md. Wilgis, Tally... Moderator, Baltimore Association; Pastor, Captivate Church, Towson, Md. Annual Meeting Program Schedule 49

50 EXHIBIT DESCRIPTIONS AWAKEN LifeWay tells us that around 80% of Baptist churches find themselves on a plateau or in decline. Since such a situation is unconscionable, your BCM/D Church Strengthening Group is constantly seeking new ways and means to call all BCM/D churches onto mission with Christ. AWAKEN is our most comprehensive, long-term approach to the world of revitalization! Stop by the AWAKEN table to learn more and to register your Church for the next cohort! Church Strengthening Your BCM/D Church Strengthening Group exists to help our churches glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ. At your invitation, we serve your church, helping you create a discipleship pathway from your first contact with a person, all the way to the ever-increasing image of Christ. Stop by the Church Strengthening table to learn more about how your Church could become a stronger fellowship, shining a brighter light into your unique mission field. African American Fellowship At the African American Fellowship table you can meet your AAF Leadership Team, find resource material on who Southern Baptists are, insight into the joys and benefits of participating in the Cooperative Program, pick up a pen with the AAF logo as reminder to pray for our work together, and find some sweets for your sweet tooth! Ministry Evangelism: Loving Like Jesus Who are the people in your community who need practical help and the hope of the Gospel? Find resources to assist your church in discovering needs in your community and ways to engage members in meaningful ministry and service. Women s Ministry/Minister s Wives/Woman s Missionary Union (WMU) Regardless of whether your Church approach to ministry to/ with women is anchored in Bible studies, age-level mission organizations, or a combination of the two, come by our table where you will find displays of some of the most relevant resources by some of the most popular authors of our day. Camp WO-ME-TO The mission of Camp WO-ME-TO, owned and operated by Woman s Missionary Union of Maryland/Delaware (WMU of MD/DE), is to provide an organization through which Maryland/Delaware Baptists can participate in the Great Commission task of reaching and ministering to all persons in the Name of Jesus. Learn more about our facility at our table. You can also find us online at Worship/Music Ministry The Worship and Music Ministry of BCM/D wants to be a service to help develop and strengthen all facets of your congregational worship experience. Come by our table and find resources for pastors or worship leaders, ways to develop an understanding of the theology of worship, and a place to simply have a conversation about the worship questions you are facing in your ministry. Groups/Kids Stop by our table and review samples of life-changing Bible teaching materials to help your church build groups and impact lives at any age. In addition, find resources to help your Church offer safe havens for children, including security checks for your workers! Vacation Bible School Inviting all VBS groupies into the clubhouse to meet the God who is over the moon in love with you! Turn your kids into Galactic Starveyors the summer of 2017! Stop by our table to learn all about VBS Church Multiplication Church multiplication helps to discover, develop, and deploy church planters throughout Maryland and Delaware. If you or your church is called to plant, become a Sending Church or Supporting Church, come visit us at our booth to learn more. Evangelism We exist to equip and mobilize our churches for effective engagement with their surrounding communities and the world with the greatest message ever told! Come visit our booth to find out about new initiatives and strategies. Disaster Relief Disaster ministry brings help, healing and hope to individuals and communities affected by disasters. Disaster Relief trains volunteers to serve on regional quick-response teams; Ready Church equips local congregations seeking to minister to their neighbors in times of crisis. Questions? Please see us at our booth for more information on how you or your church can become Disaster prepared. Baptist Foundation Our mission is to help individuals, families and churches know about opportunities to advance Christ s Kingdom through gifts given to support the benevolent and missionary enterprises of the Baptist Convention of MD/DE. Additional information is available at our booth. Skycroft Camps and Events Skycroft offers a number of camps and special retreats throughout the year that minister to a variety of age groups and special interests, including youth ministry, leadership training, mission opportunities and more. From student camps to senior adult retreats. Visit our booth to find out what events are on the horizon and learn how your church can take part. You can also check out our events at www. skycroft.org/skycroft-camps-events. Annual Meeting Program Schedule 50

51 EXHIBIT DESCRIPTIONS Special Needs People with disabilities remain culturally hidden and the least evangelized population in the United States. Did you know 62 million Americans have a disabling condition, yet less than 2% of American churches have any kind of disability outreach? Jesus is calling you to preach the good news to them! Come visit our booth to learn how. Capture The Vision A capital gifts campaign, Capture the Vision is a BCM/D program that helps churches make their vision a reality. This is a 13-week, consultant-led, fund-raising campaign. Maryland and Delaware churches have experienced significant success using this campaign. Collegiate Ministry Discover how your local church or church plant can reach, disciple, and mobilize students throughout Maryland and Delaware. Visit our booth to find out how to connect your leaders with the campus. ONE HOPE Do we serve the poor or make disciples of the poor? There s a difference. Come visit us at our booth to learn about ONE HOPE and its ministry to develop and train disciples from the community for the urban church. North American Mission Board/SEND Baltimore Partnering with churches, associations and state conventions in mobilizing Southern Baptists as a missional force to impact North America with the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism and church planting. For more information, please visit our booth or International Mission Board Partnering with churches to empower limitless missionary teams who are making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God. Visit our booth to learn how your church is key in reaching the globe for Christ. CentrePointe Counseling CentrePointe is a faith-based, non-profit agency that provides professional, Christian counseling at over 20 offices throughout Maryland. We serve all in need regardless of their ability to pay standard fees and this is only made possible by the many that support the ministry financially. Pastors, missionaries, church leaders, church members, and local community residents are all welcome to come and receive services. For more info, please visit our booth or GuideStone Financial Resources Come discover at our booth the many financial services offered by GuideStone Financial Resources. Services such as, retirement, insurance, investments, property and casualty, and mission:dignity. Visit us too at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Visit our booth to find out how our partnership with Southeastern Seminary affords Maryland/Delaware Baptists the opportunity to pursue further academic training tailored to ministry in the northeast. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and specialized Doctor of Ministry study for Mid- Atlantic pastors are but two ways we partner together. You can also visit us at Rockbridge Seminary Growing numbers of learners are finding that studying for a seminary degree online opens educational opportunities that normally would not be available. Rockbridge Seminary offers four academic programs; each designed to help prepare students for ministry leadership through learning experiences that allow them to study and practice without leaving their ministry field. Visit our booth to learn more or visit us at OFFICERS OF THE CONVENTION Bill Warren, President Curtis Hill, First Vice President Keith Myer, Second Vice President David Gaines, Recording Secretary Tracey Gaines, Assistant Recording Secretary THANK YOU BaptistLIFE Childcare Staff Deaf Interpreters: Gail Clark Toni Benton, Lauri Jones LifeWay Christian Resources Parliamentarian: Wayne Kempson ProPresenter: Phil Graves Sheraton Hotel Staff SolSound Committee on Order of Business Richard Logsdon, CHAIR Keith Aguila Anthony Minter Jim McBride Duane Musgrove Justin Runyan Dave Tierney Steve Poole Shannon Baker Donna Jefferys Annual Meeting Program Schedule 51

52 181st Annual Meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Welcome! Welcome to a marvelous opportunity To do what? To meet our new Executive Director and hear him use his wonderful gift of preaching To pursue the very worthwhile business of the BCM/D To enjoy times of inspiring worship To meet and eat with some dear friends AND to learn something that could change your life for the glory of God. And that something is? Worship-based, Scripture-fed, Spirit-led prayer as taught to us and modeled for us by Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal. Daniel will be sharing with us his very Biblical approach to prayer one that has transformed my prayer life and changed my life. If you engage in worship-based, Scripture-fed, Spirit-led prayer, your daily prayer time will be a dynamic encounter with the Lord never rendered stale by some numbing routine. Also, during Presidents Prayer on Monday morning, Henderson will lead us in a prayer service based on worshipbased, Scripture-fed, Spirit-led prayer. This will NOT be your typical prayer service and for that you will likely be glad. The way you pray and the way you lead prayer could be changed forever for your growth and God s glory. So welcome to a marvelous opportunity. Sincerely, Dr. Bill Warren President, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

53 Summarized Activities/ Highlights of the General Mission Board The General Mission Board is pleased to serve the churches within our Convention. We are thankful to our God for the wisdom He provides as we seek to honor Him in all we do. The highlights of the last year follow. The General Mission Board approved the purchase of 43 acres of land adjacent to Skycroft Conference Center. The purchase of this property would allow for necessary future improvements and possible expansion of the conference center. Concerning staff, Dr. Kevin Smith was called to lead the Baptist Convention of Maryland/ Delaware as Executive Director. Dr. Smith is a graduate of Southern Seminary and most recently served on staff as Teaching Pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. Prior to the hiring to Dr. Smith, the General Mission Board reinstalled Tom Stolle as Interim Executive Director after the term served by Rick Hancock had concluded. Missionaries were contracted through the end of 2016 specifically targeting unreached Muslim and Jewish people groups with whom to share Christ. The 2017 proposed budget is being recommended by the General Mission Board for approval by the messengers. This budget reflects expected Cooperative Program contributions of $3,750,000 from our affiliated churches. An additional 1 percent of Cooperative Program receipts will be sent out of our region to support the spreading if the Gospel both nationally and internationally. The North American Mission Board has agreed to increase funding for new church plants by 25 percent over the prior year. Concerning this effort, the North American Mission Board will be contributing $800,000 to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware for the planting of new churches in our region, an increase of $200,000 in church planter assistance compared to the previous year s budget. This proposed budget also includes funding for church planting initiatives to include individuals and families affected by disabilities. This has been an exciting year. The General Mission Board looks forward to serving alongside management to see vision for the future become reality. We will continue to prioritize the sharing of the Gospel in the Mid-Atlantic region. The General Mission Board is grateful for the opportunity to give guidance to the work of our many affiliated churches as we labor together serving Christ. In His Service, Dr. Mike Trammell President, General Mission Board Book of Reports 53

54 2016 Motions from the General Mission Board 1. The General Mission Board offers the motion to approve the 2017 Proposed Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Budget as presented. 2. To cease use of the doing business as Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network and to return to using the established legal name, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware Partnership Missions Offering Thank you for giving to benefit Skycroft Conference Center in support of camp evangelism & local missions!

55 2017 PROPOSED BUDGET RECEIPTS Book of Reports 55

56 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (SUMMARY) DISBURSEMENTS SUMMARY Operating State Missions Offering Skycroft Conference Center Combined DISBURSEMENTS SUMMARY Cooperative Missions 1,656, ,656,109 Missionary and Staff Benefits 572, , ,063 Executive Office 490, ,928 Convention Operations 911,925 22,800 34, ,072 Church Strengthening 569, ,642 Church Multiplication 1,007, ,200-1,109,356 Operations, Guest Relations, Food Service - - 2,004,278 2,004,278 Total Disbursements Summary 5,208, ,000 2,252,339 7,585,448 Book of Reports 56

57 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (DETAILS) Book of Reports 57

58 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (DETAILS) Book of Reports 58

59 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (DETAILS) Book of Reports 59

60 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (DETAILS) Book of Reports 60

61 2017 PROPOSED DISBURSEMENTS (DETAILS) Church Multiplication Team Church Multiplication Team: Salaries, Travel & Office Expenses Salaries 63, ,656 Travel/Business/Office/Field Service Expense 22, ,500 Church Multiplication Field Ministry Church Planter Assistance 800, ,000 Church Planting Development 80, ,000 Planter Care 15, ,000 Coaching 26, ,000 Initiatives (Church Planting/Independent Contractor F - 102, ,200 Total Church Multiplication Team 1,007, ,200-1,109,356 Book of Reports 61

62 2017 Proposed Operating & State Missions Offering Budget Comparison Book of Reports 62

63 2017 Proposed Operating & State Missions Offering Comparison to Prior Year Budget by Major Expense Category Book of Reports 63

64 2017 Proposed Skycroft Conference Center Budget Comparison 2017 Proposed Skycroft Conference Center Comparison to Prior Year Budget by Major Expense Category Book of Reports 64

65 Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware, Inc. For 162 years, the Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware has served the cause of Christ through the prudent management of endowments that benefit Baptist work in Maryland/Delaware and around the world and by providing loans to our churches and associations. The Foundation currently manages assets of approximately $10.4 million ($7.3 million in the Endowment Funds and $3.1 million in the Church Loan Funds). Significant growth in the amount of managed assets has occurred from $3.8 million in For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, the Foundation distributed approximately $326,749 to Southern Baptist and Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware mission causes from the Endowment Funds. Through the Foundation s Church Loan programs, 18 churches affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware are being assisted with over $2.3 million in loans. The advantages of these church loans are favorable interest rates and low closing costs. In addition to the above referenced distribution, the Foundation makes a distribution annually to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware to be used to start churches and to strengthen existing churches. The distribution to be made for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, totals $113,875. The Baptist Foundation is now positioned to manage endowment funds for churches while saving them money on administration. Even churches with modest investment needs may take advantage of the same discounts offered to multimillion dollar investors simply by using the services of the Baptist Foundation. We encourage churches to partner with us to create Heritage Funds to ensure funding for their future ministry efforts. The Baptist Foundation continues to educate our churches in estate planning. If your church is interested in learning more about the Foundation, a representative of the Foundation will be pleased to provide additional information. You may also learn more about the Foundation by visiting From here you can learn more about the Foundation s church loan, estate planning, and planned giving programs as well as view the most recently available audited financial statements. The Lord has truly blessed the Kingdom work of our Foundation and Network. We look forward to continuing to serve Maryland/Delaware Baptists in the same trustworthy manner as our predecessors. Bob Eaton, President Bill Peacock, Vice President/President-Elect Book of Reports 65

66 MAKE AN ETERNAL DIFFERENCE You can make an eternal difference through planned gift arrangements of outright gifts, such as cash, property, stocks and bonds, mutual funds and real estate to the Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware through: Wills Gift Annuities Life Insurance Retirement Accounts Memorial Giving Revocable Living Trusts Annuity Trusts Unitrusts Charitable Lead Trusts Call Tom at the Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware at (800) , ext. 207 or visit online at

67 2016 Report for the Committee on Committees* Order of Business Recommended Appointments: Term Expiring 2019: David Hemphill, Riva Trace, Arundel Committee to Nominate to the General Mission Board & Trustees of Institutions & Agencies of the Convention Recommended Appointments: Term Expiring 2018: Robert Anderson, Colonial, Baltimore Term Expiring 2019: Joel Rainey, Covenant Baptist, Shepherdstown, Blue Ridge Gary Glanville, Northwest, Mid-Maryland Tim Bonner, Georgia Avenue, Montgomery Byron Day, Emmanuel, Prince George s Christian Life & Public Affairs Recommended Appointments: Term Expiring 2019: Nathaniel Thomas, Forestville New Redeemer, Prince George s * To see the full list of committee members previously appointed, see the 2015 Annual Report of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, online at Book of Reports 67

68 2016 Report for the Committee to Nominate Committee to Nominate Members of the General Mission Board & Trustees of Institutions and Agencies of the Convention General Mission Board Recommended Appointments Expiring Term Steve Hokuf, FBC, North East, Susquehanna (filling unexpired term of Stan Graham) Term Expiring 2020: 1. Matt Stewart, South Shore, Arundel 2. Joel Kurz, The Garden, Baltimore 3. Kurt Wesolowski, Parkville, Baltimore 4. Frank Duncan, Paramount, Blue Ridge 5. Bob Gerstmyer, Covenant, Blue Ridge 6. Mark Lashey, Lifehouse Church, Delaware 7. Randall Blackmon, FBC, Cambridge, Eastern 8. Alan Latham, First Baptist, Savage, Mid-Maryland 9. Tim Simpson, Greenridge, Montgomery 10. Derek Yelton, Hughesville, Potomac 11. Winfred Harris, Kettering, Prince George s 12. Keith Aguila, Grace, Western 13. Mark Lintz (filling Jon Moorman s unexpired term, 2018), LaVale, Western Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware Term Expiring 2020: Karl Johnston, Leonardtown, Potomac Book of Reports 68

69 Convention President s 2016 Committee Appointments Committee on Credentials and Enrollment: Term Expiring 2016: Charlie Brown, CHAIR, East Baltimore Graffiti Church, Baltimore Theresa Sassard, Middle River, Baltimore Dodie Williams, Colonial Baptist, Baltimore Cindy Stewart, Valley Baptist, Baltimore Celia South, Long Green Baptist, Baltimore *Committee serves to support the 2016 annual meeting Committee on Resolutions: Term Expiring 2016: Phil Graves, CHAIR, FBC, Brunswick, Blue Ridge Jay Beard, FBC, Thurmont, Blue Ridge Ken Cavey, Bethel Baptist, Mid-Maryland Dave Tierney, White Marsh Baptist, Baltimore *Committee serves to support the 2016 annual meeting Committee on Committees (3-year term): Term Expiring 2019: Jack Weight, Bethany Baptist, Delaware Lee Hughart, FBC, Hurlock, Eastern James Painter, Cresthill Baptist, Prince George s Jim Testerman, Oak Grove Baptist, Susquehanna * Committee serves to support the convention Book of Reports 69

70 2017 General Mission Board Dates General Mission Board Dates: Tuesday, May 2, 1:00-4:30 pm Tuesday, September 5, 1:00-4:30 pm Tuesday, December 5: New Member Orientation, 10:00 am-12 noon; GMB, 1:00-3:00 pm Administrative Committee Dates: Thursday, February 2, 10:00 am-4:30 pm - Friday, February 3, 10:00 am-1:00 pm Thursday, April 6, 10:00 am-4:30 pm Tuesday, May 2, 10:00 am-1:00 pm Tuesday, August 1, 10:00 am-1:00 pm Tuesday, September 5, 10:00 am-1:00 pm Tuesday, December 5, 3:00-4:30 pm You make a difference! You re one of those people who doesn t just feel concerned about people who don t know Jesus -- you do something about it. You pray. You pour your life into people. And you participate in cooperative ministries to connect people to Jesus. Through you, God is impacting camp ministry, collegiate ministry, church planting, disaster relief and more!

71 Thank you! I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:3-5) The Baptist Convention of Maryland/ Delaware staff recognizes how important your work is to the Kingdom of God. We pray for you, we cheer you on, and we steadfastly work alongside you. May God continue to breathe power, strength and life into your church as you seek Him with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Book of Reports 71

72 Coming March 27-29, 2017, to the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network Spiritual Leadership Coaching Workshop Guide the people you serve to connect with God s agenda. God has placed you in the position of Trusted Advisor to key leaders around you. They seek your counsel. Some want your advice. But do you have the coaching skills to help them most effectively? Our Spiritual Leadership Coaching Workshop will equip you to turn Conversations into Transformations! March 27-29, Early Bird Pricing $349* (Regular Price, $429, begins February 23, 2017)* *Discounted pricing for BCM/D churches & AWAKEN alumni/coaches