Baptists Launch Global Evangelism Strategy, Begin World Congress
Baptists around the world gathered in Birmingham, England for the official launch of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA)’s new global evangelism strategy
Baptists around the world gathered in Birmingham, England for the official launch of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA)’s new global evangelism strategy, on Tuesday – just one day before the organization celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
Church leaders from fifty different nations undertook the $1.2 million project that would fund the strategy to unite 211 Baptist unions around the world under the banner of evangelism.
The evangelism strategy is a brainchild of BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz, according to the BWA, who spoke at the conference in Birmingham. Lotz and the incumbent BWA president Dr. Billy Kim urged attendants to pray for the strategy and for the Christ the Living Water conference series that will help roll out the vision worldwide.
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“I believe the practice of prayer is so vital. We preach about prayer, we tell people about prayer, but there is a lack of prayer among Baptist leaders. It is easy to preach, but I have a hard time to pray for half-an-hour on my knees. For “Christ the Living Water” to be successful there must be focus and practice of prayer,” said Kim.
“I would like to tell you as your colleague who has been involved in evangelism for forty years now that the foremost thing for me has been prayer. If we put prayer behind the strategy the Baptist World Alliance will be a force to reckon with,” said Kim, according to a press release. “All the money you have, all the organizations you have will mean nothing unless there is prayer. This committee will be like noisy cymbals and a lot of hot air.”
Kim, pastor of the 15,000-member Central Baptist Church in Suwon, Korea, served as the BWA president for the last five years.
He told delegates that even in his church, prayer is what allowed the congregation to grow without many major problems.
“I have turned over the leadership to a younger man and I had been very worried about it and thought attendance would fall, but the offering is up, attendance is up. I had to realize it’s God’s church not Billy Kim’s church,” he explained.
The first of ten planned international conferences are due to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in October. The line-up of speakers include Anne Graham-Lotz - daughter of Billy Graham, and BWA youth president Ron Bobo. That conference will be followed by Curitiba, Brazil next April; Mexico City, Mexico in July; Nairobi, Kenya in October 2006. In 2007 other events will follow in Thailand, Ghana, USA, and two have been scheduled for India in 2008, the Middle East and Europe. While the Caribbean and Holland will host regional conferences in 2009 followed by the next World Congress due to be held in Hawaii in 2010, according to the press release.
The global evangelism strategy was launched on the eve of the BWA’s Centenary Congress, which officially began today. Rev. Kim will lead the 12,000 expected attendants to the Congress with an opening celebration tonight.
