Evangelism, 'Everyone Can Kingdom Challenge' is focus of Nashville meeting June 21-22

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) - The Music City is no stranger to Southern Baptists and this June, Nashville will host thousands of SBC church messengers and their family members who will gather for ministry, evangelism and worship and to conduct the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The focus of the two-day business meeting, June 21-22, will be the "Everyone Can Kingdom Challenge," a bold emphasis that has the goal of winning to Christ and baptizing one million people in one year. This denomination-wide goal for evangelism is the vision of SBC President Bobby Welch.

Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., went on a bus tour last year and visited Southern Baptist churches in all 50 states and Canada to underscore the importance of evangelism. Video vignettes from that trip, featuring the testimonies of Southern Baptists, will be shown at the annual meeting.

Crossover setting the tone

There will be a number of related activities before and after the two days of official business, but none more important than the Crossover effort that will set the tone for the "Everyone Can" initiative.

Coordinators of the June 17-19 campaign have reported that more than 12,000 volunteers combined have pledged to participate either in event ministries or in what is believed will be the largest one-day, door-to-door ministry event on record.

Since Crossover began in Las Vegas in 1989, more than 34,000 persons have prayed to receive Christ through this evangelistic effort. The largest previous participation in the annual Crossover campaign was about 2,000 volunteers.

The one-day, door-to-door ministry event will take place Saturday, June 18, and officially will launch the "Everyone Can Kingdom Challenge" to witness, win and baptize one million people in one year.

Crossover will conclude that night with a celebration service at the Gaylord Entertainment Center featuring recording artists Clay Crosse, Ricky Skaggs and The Whites. Welch, LifeWay Christian Recourses President James T. Draper Jr. and author Bill Fay (Share Jesus Without Fear) are among the scheduled speakers. The "Everyone Can Mass Choir" - several thousand strong - also will perform.

For many Southern Baptists, Crossover will be only the beginning of a weeklong stay in Nashville. It will continue June 19-20 (Sunday and Monday) with the Pastors' Conference and the Woman's Missionary Union meeting and be followed by the SBC annual meeting June 21-22 (Tuesday and Wednesday).

Finally, on June 23-24 (Thursday and Friday), LifeWay Christian Recourses is sponsoring "Fast 50" - seminars for pastors and church leaders that will provide skill-building, networking and resources in key ministry areas.