Georgia Baptists spearhead Acts 1:8 Challenge

ALPHARETTA (BP) - Georgia Baptists are leading the way among the more than 1,000 Southern Baptist churches pledging themselves to a new missions initiative designed to reach their community, region, continent and the world.

Georgia has 105 churches among the 1,090 nationally signed up for the Acts 1:8 Challenge, a simple call for SBC churches to move to a new level of missions commitment by cooperating with their local Baptist association, their state convention, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and International Mission Board (IMB). Texas places second in the national ranking with 87 churches signed up, while Florida and Alabama each have 74 churches participating.

Churches accepting the challenge commit to eight "Kingdom-growing" responses as they work to intentionally carry out Acts 1:8: to prepare, learn, pray, give, go, tell, send and multiply.

Among the churches registering their commitment to the Acts 1:8 Challenge is Roopville Road Baptist Church in Carroll County. Pastor Stephen Peeples says joining in the missions initiative was right in line with the church's heart for missions.

"We had begun a global focus strategy, and this was in line with our heart for global missions. On a continual basis, we're fine-tuning our outreach to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the Earth.

"[The Acts 1:8 Challenge] has given us a whole new definition for missions," he continues. "It helps the average church member realize that missions is more than stuff done overseas. It asks what we are doing 50 miles from our church and in our nation."

Pastor Brad Royal of First Baptist Camilla says the challenge can take the average church to being active in missions in addition to being missions-minded.

"This church has always been a missions-supporting church," he says, "but we wanted to be more missional. We want to move into more missions activity, such as starting new churches.

"My desire is that the layperson in the pew has a missions mindset. We can pray for our missionaries, but we must realize that being on mission requires action.

Launched in May 2004, the Acts 1:8 Challenge is strategically linked with the SBC's Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis. Many churches offering the study, EKG: The Heartbeat of God by Ken Hemphill, have followed with the doctrine study by Nate Adams, titled The Acts 1:8 Challenge: Empowering the Church to Be On Mission. Adams was the author of the 2005 Baptist doctrine study focusing on Acts 1:8.

When a church commits to the Acts 1:8 Challenge, it receives a packet of resources to help develop a more comprehensive and intentional missions strategy. Resources include a sermon outline, bulletin insert, video clips on CD-ROM, PowerPoint presentations and a 60-page leadership guide.

While the leadership guide helps a church evaluate its current effectiveness and implement a plan for the future, other resources such as the sermon outline, videos and PowerPoint presentations are designed to motivate and inspire the congregation to action.

Vernon Dillingham, pastor of First Baptist Kingsland in Camden County, says his church members are excited about being involved in the missions initiative.

"We realized we wanted to be on mission for the Lord. On Sept. 4 were going to begin a seven-week study on Empowering Kingdom Growth. We'll follow that with the doctrinal study on Acts 1:8.

"As part of the process we'll be looking at the kinds of things we can be doing in missions locally."

Implementing the missions strategy has given the members of First Baptist Church in Screven a blueprint for continual outreach, says pastor Randy DeLoach.

"In our local community we've started surveys on meeting the needs of our area," he comments. "We have a clothes closet and since a tornado hit the area this past spring, we helped rebuild some homes and supply funds for those in the community.

"For our 'Judea,' we're starting a church in Waynesville, about 45 miles away, through the assistance of several associations," says the pastor, whose church averages 300 in Sunday School. "A layman from our church, Durwood Miller, is leading that effort. Our youth are helping to lead in Back Yard Bible Clubs and other events to get it started."

Pastors and missions leaders interested in more information about the Acts 1:8 Challenge or who want to register their church may visit www.ActsOne8.com or call (800) 4ACTS18.