The Cooperative Program turns 100 years old next year. This missions funding plan adopted by Southern Baptists in 1925 has raised over $20 billion since its start. Through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists have been able to provide the funds they need to keep tens of thousands of missionaries on the field around the world, in the United States, and … Read More
Pursuing Maturity: Indicators of a Healthy Church
One of the roles of the Renew Montana Network is to help churches assess their spiritual health. Our measurement tool is designed around nine indicators of spiritual maturity. There are three identities (worshipper, family, missionaries), three foundations (gospel, scripture, prayer), and three structures (leadership, membership, discipleship). Each of us must be continually renewed in each of these areas. Are you … Read More
Crossover Helena 2024
Crossover is an evangelistic event being held on Saturday, October 5, immediately following Refresh, Montana’s annual meeting. Many churches throughout Helena are planning outreach events the Saturday after Refresh. Churches throughout Helena are also encouraged to plan a Harvest Day on the Sunday after Refresh. WAYS YOU CAN PARTICIPATE PRAY Begin now to pray for Montana Baptists that they will … Read More
FIRST-PERSON: 5 quick tips for VBS follow-up
By Melita Thomas, posted June 27, 2024 in Baptist Press. The days and weeks immediately following VBS are the most crucial for outreach. But so often this critical element seems to fall through the cracks. We all have good intentions for connecting with children and families again after VBS, but then the aftermath of VBS kicks in. The excitement of VBS is over; … Read More
The Revitalization/Replant Window
The following article is from The Resound Network, a ministry of the Missouri Baptist Convention. It provides some important information on revitalization and replanting. To print a PDF of this article, click here. Seasons of growth, plateau and decline are present in almost every church at some point in its history. For some churches a season of decline could lead … Read More
The Bait Bucket
The weather is warming up, so I’m thinking about wetting a hook! A fresh filling of the bait bucket with live bait always seems to have the promise of a hopeful day of fishing. The bucket of new and fresh bait signifies a day of high expectations of what might bite the bait, new stories to be told of the … Read More
Leading and Revitalizing with Hope
This is a season in which we place much emphasis on hope, and rightly so. Jesus is the hope of the world! This is also a theme that must permeate every aspect of our ministry. It must be sensed by our church family in the way we lead, the manner we preach, and demonstrated in how we serve. Hope is … Read More
Our Evangelistic Imperative
I have been tasked to champion evangelism in all of its forms, from witness training, church strategy, to community saturation of the Good News. To best understand my perspective, let me share a short analogy. We often use imagery to help us define the church and her purpose. For years I have been using the image of two boats. Some … Read More
Revive Us, O Lord
Did you know that for the first time, less than 50% of Americans are a member of a local church and the trends show a steady decline. The data also reveals that only 30% of Americans have ever had anyone personally share the Gospel with them. Roughly 90% of American believers have never shared the Gospel with anyone. It’s astonishing. We … Read More
The Exhibit Hall, New Orleans
At the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans this spring, our MTSBC team met hundreds of people. We shared our God stories and asked people to pray for Montana. Our hope is that from this engagement, the Lord will call church planters, pastors, and ministry partners into the harvest fields of Montana. We had Montana swag to give as mementos, and … Read More