Ministry is not the primary call on our lives; intimacy is. Discover how your personal journey with Christ sets the tone for your calling to live on mission...

Performance or Relationship?
I came to Christ as a freshman in college. Not long after that, God began to call me into ministry, and I began serving full-time vocationally. And I ran hard. I’d so believed that Christ had done so much for me and that I now wanted to do something for Him.
I came across this quote by Henry Blackaby that really summarized the first decade of my Christian journey: “We are so activity-oriented that we assume we were saved for a task to perform, rather than for a relationship to enjoy.” This notion dominated my Christian journey and my ministry life, and I was challenging people with the only thing I knew, which was to simply be more committed.

Describe Your Journey
There were even verses in the Bible that made no sense to me, like Matthew 11:28-30. I was trying so hard and never seeming to measure up. So, I couldn’t understand a passage like this: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Hear those three words? “Rest,” “easy,” and “light.” If you’d asked me to pick three words that describe my Christian journey, you couldn’t have picked three words that were further removed from my life than “rest,” “easy,” and “light.” If you’d let me pick, I’d have said “work,” “hard,” and “heavy.”

Go to the Gospels
I then came to a place of brokenness in my ministry journey, and throughout that process of spiritual brokenness, God brought someone into my life named Clyde Cranford. Clyde was a man who gave his life to discipling other people in ministry, and he began to spend time with me, discipling me, and teaching me that the Christian life is not me living for Jesus; it’s about Jesus living His life in and through me.
One of the practices he taught me in pursuing the life of Christ is to pursue Christ’s life in the Gospels because there’s no better place to do so in Scripture. It’s not that the Gospels are more important than any other Scripture, but there’s no better place to go to understand who Jesus is, how He lived, and what His life looked like. Clyde taught me to go back to the Gospels and ask the Holy Spirit to show me things in the life of Christ that are not in me, so I could be conformed to His image.

The Calling We Share
One morning, I was on that journey and came across Luke 4:42-43, where Jesus makes a statement. The Bible says about Him:
When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.”
When I read that passage of Scripture, there were several things I saw in Jesus that were not in me. One of them was this idea of a passion for the kingdom. This ultimately led me to give my life to planting a church in Las Vegas, Nevada. But the first thing I noticed in His life that was not present in my own life was a principle that I now try to live by. And here’s the reality: God’s primary call on my life is not ministry; His primary call on my life is intimacy. Ministry is what He does out of the overflow of intimacy.

A Greater Pursuit
You may be wondering where we can find this in these verses. Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus departed and went to a desolate place. Those two words are significant. The word “departed” means to leave something, to walk away from it. The word “went” means to go toward something. So, the Bible is describing Jesus walking away from one thing to pursue something else. Well, what’s He walking away from? Get this—it’s the crowds. Now, church planters, here’s what we know. If someone were to show us a crowd, we wouldn’t even have to pray about it. We would just assume it’s the will of God. We’re all about crowds and numbers and people, yet we read of Jesus literally walking away from the ministry opportunity of the crowd to pursue something greater.
What is He pursuing? Well, Luke doesn’t necessarily tell us, but in Mark 1:35, he says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.” Now, don’t misunderstand me. Jesus is infinitely more than a model, but that doesn’t change the fact that He also perfectly modeled for us what it looks like to live in dependence on the Father. In John 5:19, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.” Jesus lived in dependence on the Father, and the Father worked through Him. That’s why Jesus said, “The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me” (John 14:24).

The Great Love Affair
You and I have been called to the same life—a life of intimacy. But here’s the challenge for us in ministry: ministry often becomes the great love affair that woos us away from intimacy with Christ. We get so busy in ministry that we begin believing we don’t have time. We use busyness and productivity as the justification to skip over intimacy, but the reality is that apart from Him, we also can do nothing. We have no value in kingdom service or eternal reward apart from Christ in us working through us. The only way we get there is by pursuing intimate fellowship with Him. And it’s the same call He gave to His original disciples.
In Mark 3:13-14, we read about His initial call to the first 12 disciples. It says, “Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, to send them out to preach…”

Our “Yes” on the Table
You say, “Aha! I knew we had to do some stuff.” But don’t miss this. Underline the “they” and the “he.” They were to be with Him. He would send them out to preach. You see it? The word “preach” there means to make public. Out of the overflow of being with Him, Jesus would make His life public through them as they lived on mission. Ministry is not the primary call on our lives; intimacy is. Previously, I told you that it was that very text of Scripture in Luke where I also saw Jesus’ passion for the kingdom of God being expanded in other cities, towns, and communities. It was that very passage of Scripture, that very morning when I read it, that I went and found my wife. I saw some stuff in Jesus that was not in me. We knelt down in the living room, and we prayed and cried out to God, saying, “Lord, yes. God, wherever, whenever, whatever, yes.”
Everything Jesus wants to do through your life, He’ll do out of the overflow of what He’s doing in your life as you pursue Him.

Adapted from “Pursuing Intimacy with Christ” from the Church Planting Masterclass.
https://www.newchurches.com/article/pursuing-intimacy-with-christ/

Vance Pitman
President Send Network

Vance Pitman is president of Send Network, founding pastor of Hope Church, and author of UNBURDENED: Stop Living for Jesus So Jesus Can Live Through You and The Stressless Life: Experiencing the Unshakable Presence of God’s Indescribable Peace. As a seasoned church planter and now leader of the largest church planting organization in North America, Vance seeks to inspire people to join in God’s eternal, redemptive mission of making disciples, by multiplying the Church all over North America, that the nations may come to know Him.  Vance and his wife Kristie have four children and four grandchildren, and live in Georgia.

State fair evangelism results in 373 decisions for Christ

October 17, 2024
By Chloe Newton
Staff Writer

The 2024 Mississippi State Fair has drawn to a close, and with it Mississippi Baptist fair evangelism. With the help of newcomers and veteran churches, groups, and individuals, the engagement exceeded years past. This year, 195 volunteers had 2,824 Gospel conversations, resulting in 373 decisions for Christ.
For many volunteers, fair evangelism creates a safe environment to share the Gospel for the first time. Among the newcomers was First Baptist, Senotobia, led by Pastor David Haynes, who participated in the evangelism efforts at the Dixie National Rodeo. One of Hayne’s favorite moments from his time at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) tent included a member’s simple prayer being answered.
“One of FBC’s members, who is named Mae, began praying that she would be able to tell someone about Jesus,” recounted Haynes. “Mae was able to talk and pray with a young man as he placed faith in Jesus. During our four-hour session at the state fair, we had 160 Gospel conversations and fifteen of those resulted in salvation.”
Hearing the Gospel for the first time evokes a variety of responses. Christians are called to share the Gospel but are not promised they will see the fruits of their labor, yet it is a gift when the Lord allows it.
“We had a young lady come in the tent with her family,” shared Don Lum, MBCB Director of Evangelism. “There were three teenagers and a mom and dad. This young lady was holding back. She was kind of not really engaged. I was talking to the guy that had shared with them, and he came back in the tent the next day and said, ‘Look, you’ll never guess what happened last night. At 1:00 AM this morning, the young lady got up, went into her mom and dad’s bedroom and said, I need Jesus.’”
Fair evangelism can be just as meaningful for the volunteers. It is a place to step out of their comfort zone.
“We had a young lady come, and she was scared,” Lum said. “This wasn’t her element, yet I watched her fight within herself to say, ‘I’m going to do this. I can do this. I want to do this.’ She really worked hard to step outside that box, to stand out there and not just watch people come by, but to engage people. Then to come back in the tent and to be able to take time and to learn how to share [the Gospel] with people.”
“It was important for members of our church to become familiar with sharing the Gospel,” said Haynes. “In my opinion, it is sometimes easier to share the Gospel with strangers than it is to share the Gospel with friends or family members. However, once a person gains confidence in their ability to rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide them in Gospel conversations, then he or she will be more confident when talking with friends and family members about Jesus.”
Even when others outright reject the Gospel, God can plant a seed that He may later grow.
“You’ve sowed the seed,” said Lum. “You told him about Jesus Christ, and then you’ve given him the opportunity to make the decision. And the decision’s always a personal one. We all get to make the choice to follow Him or not. And so I can’t feel bad about that because we did our part. I tell folks when they come to work, I said, you can’t miss. You can’t lose.”
Though the fair has concluded, the work is far from over. Lum and his team have begun the follow up process. New believers will receive a packet of helpful resources. A list of local churches will also be provided to the individuals, hopefully encouraging the new believers to become a member and to be discipled.

https://thebaptistrecord.org/state-fair-evangelism-results-in-373-decisions-for-christ/

Relationships are critical for leaders. Our culture is crying out for authenticity, community and transparency.
As leaders we must realize:

• We cannot lead effectively from a distance.
• We cannot genuinely disciple people without relationship.
• We share the gospel best in the context of a personal, caring connection.

If we want to do any of those things well, we must be intentional in our relationships.

Intentionally Show Up
Relationships begin by simply showing up and having something in common. They are made when working, playing, eating, learning and praying together. They are made while conducting business, getting chemo treatments or sweating in spin class.
Even during difficult and painful life moments inside an ICU waiting room or grief class, relationships can be forged. When we share something in common with those around us, there is potential for friendship.
If God has strategically placed us in a time, space, place or experience with others, we must believe He has purpose there. The purpose might be the people there with you. Showing up is good, but intentionality says, “There is an eternal purpose in this moment.” It says, “I want to seize it.”

Connect with Intentionality
Of course, we must do more than show up. We must connect. We must seek a way to not just be present with someone but also intentionally engage him or her. This may require making the first move towards conversation or asking the person out to lunch.
Confession: I’ve missed many opportunities to connect because of busyness or overly compartmentalizing my life between the sacred and the secular. Such discrepancies are traps that potentially narrow your focus on ministry. We must remember all of life is the mission trip. Every moment matters.
Our moments invite a wide array of purposes into our every day, from building a bridge to share Christ, to pouring into young leaders or bearing someone’s burden. Even if the moment is brief, it is a missional opportunity to shine for Christ.
While showing up was the first step, the more critical step is being intentional with the “eternal purpose” of that moment.
While training for a triathlon with a group from our local YMCA, I got to hear about a new friend’s difficult journey. Just one gentle, purposeful question opened a painful door she willingly walked through, moving toward deeper conversation. Our long training ride created space for honesty and vulnerability. New intimacy was formed as I listened to her hurt, her wounds. One question and one honest answer moved our relationship down the road immensely.
We need to be willing to pursue intimacy with compassionate curiosity. Yes, when we ask “why?” or “how?” or simply say, “Tell me about that,” hearts may open and walls may come down.

Vulnerability of Another Kind
Vulnerability comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s serious, like the woman sharing during our training ride. And other times, it takes a humorous bent, where we let down our guard and connect with those we are ministering to.
For example, one morning, my husband Ed and I whisked away the senior high school student leaders serving in our middle school camp for a Krispy Kreme run. The helium balloons that were there proved to be too tempting, and Ed took a deep helium-filled breath and began singing in a munchkin voice. The kids went crazy. They laughed so hard.
It was a sacred moment. The man who storied the prodigal son and discussed shame the night before could suddenly be silly, wearing a Krispy Kreme hat with lungs full of helium. The distance from pew to pulpit got shorter. His vulnerability in that moment was of a different kind, yet it also created a new moment of intimacy.
We need more balloons and helium. They bring laughter and a child-like perspective back into our lives, sometimes creating a type of shared moment that a serious sermon could not. Trivial, yes, but still sacred.
As busy leaders, it takes work, intentionality and yielding comfort to get to places and people our Sunday morning lives can’t easily touch. Yet, life and the world are so much bigger than Sunday mornings, and many of the people we need to touch most won’t be in Sunday morning settings.
Look around you. Where do you need to be more intentional? Where is God inviting you to show up and create connection?
https://www.namb.net/send-network/resource/are-you-creating-connections-beyond-sunday-morning/

DALLAS, Ga. — In a classy blue suit, striped tie, and starched white shirt, Donald Voyles has the look of a man who has just stepped out of the board room of a Fortune 500 company.
He’s every whit the professional, from his freshly trimmed white hair to his newly polished back shoes.
At 89, Voyles may not fit the stereotypical mold of the modern church planter, but the Adrian Rogers-look is paying dividends for a congregation birthed from a back-porch Bible study at his home in suburban Atlanta four years ago.
Tears moisten his eyes as he talks about how the Lord is expanding Mt. Tabor Community Baptist Church in a well-heeled neighborhood in Paulding County, population 175,000 and growing rapidly.
“The Lord has blessed beyond anything I could have imagined,” he said, sitting in the sanctuary of his third successful church plant in 70 years. “I feel a greater anointing on my preaching and my teaching than ever. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Georgia, one of the nation’s fastest-growing states with a population of more than 11 million, has been mustering an army of church planters, all far younger than Voyles, to accommodate new arrivals. W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the state Mission Board, said Georgia “desperately” needs more churches.
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board announced in November that it is sending an additional $300,000 to the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to be used for church planting in Georgia. Ryan McCammack, Atlanta Send City Missionary for Send Network said, “We are grateful for the generosity Georgia Baptists have demonstrated and for the opportunity to partner with them in planting new evangelistic churches.”
Buck Burch, who oversees church planting for the state Mission Board, said as many as 40 new, Southern Baptist churches are currently being planted in Georgia.
Nationally, church plants are popping up at a rate of nearly three per day. At that pace, a third of Southern Baptist churches will be under 20 years old by 2030.
What’s clear is that Voyles is one of the oldest church planters in the nation, if not the oldest.
“A 2019 obituary of a Texas church planter made the claim that the deceased held the record of being the oldest Southern Baptist church planter at age 72,” Burch said. “So, Don Voyles beats that record by almost two decades.”
Mt. Tabor Community Baptist is Voyles’ third church plant over his 70-year ministry. He has a 100% success rate with his plants.
Voyles had retired in 2019 as pastor of Unity Baptist, the Dallas church he had planted 33 years before. Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches to suspend worship services, he started the Bible study on his back porch. Initially, it was family and friends getting together, but soon neighbors began showing up.
“We realized we needed more space, so we started looking around for a larger building,” he said.
A real estate agent found a former Methodist church building for sale. Voyles and his fledgling congregation saw the building as the answer to their prayers, so they purchased it.
“We actually bought it before they put a sign up,” Voyles said. “We thought it was going to be $120,000, but they came down to $80,000. The amazing thing is we paid it off in January, in just two years. God put it in our hands.”
Voyles has baptized four people in the church’s baptistry since moving in and one person in his bathtub while still meeting on his back porch.
As he approaches his 90th birthday, Voyles said he has no reservations about planting the church. He remains physically and mentally strong.
“When he preaches, it’s God-given,” said Nancy Anderson, one of the 30 or so regulars at Mt. Tabor. “He preaches the Bible, chapter and verse. His knowledge of the Bible is amazing, but his sermons are so simple that anyone can understand them. He’s an inspiration to all of us.”
“My dream and my goal is simply to keep reaching people and helping them to grow in the Word,” Voyles said. “My desire to preach and teach the Word of God has only grown over the years.”
https://www.namb.net/send-network/resource/nations-oldest-church-planter-age-no-deterrent-for-89-year-old-donald-voyles-in-starting-one-of-georgias-newest-congregations/