Georgia Baptists told evangelism starts in the heart By HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index Tuesday, November 11, 2025 ATLANTA — Georgia Baptists opened their annual meeting at First Baptist Atlanta on Monday, Nov. 10, with an evangelism conference built around the goal of reaching the state’s 7 million lost people with the gospel. At last year’s meeting, Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, announced the development of an evangelism initiative, hoping to help every church develop a strategy to intentionally pursue its mission field for Christ. “I believe with 3,500 churches and an army of over a million people, we can put together a plan that will make a difference,” he said, “but we need a comprehensive strategy to cover our state.” On Monday, messengers participated in one part of that strategy — an evangelism conference held in conjunction with the annual meeting. Mark Marshall, senior lead strategist of Church Strengthening at the GBMB, described some other aspects of the initiative, saying, “We have started with training and providing resources, all the things that we believe are going to be needed with our evangelism initiative.” He added, “We are going to give the gospel to 7 million lost people across the state of Georgia. It is impossible unless God gets in the midst of this.” Marshall asked churches to join Prayer 365. “We would like for churches across the state of Georgia to choose a day where you are going to focus in some way on praying for this evangelism initiative,” he said. That might be a Wednesday night student service, a weekday WMU group, or a regular prayer meeting. Churches can sign up on the Prayer 365 website so leaders can “begin to see the churches that are a part of this.” Marshall then introduced the first speaker, Bartholomew Orr, pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Miss. Orr preached from Jonah 3 and said the ancient account of Nineveh’s repentance still has something to say to Georgia Baptists.  “It happened in an unexpected place, among unlikely people, and even despite an unwilling preacher,” Orr said. If God could bring sweeping repentance through “one reluctant, resistant, hard-headed Jonah,” he asked, “what in the world could God accomplish with one willing, witnessing, and working Georgia Baptist Convention?” Orr said the pattern in Jonah is straightforward: a simple message plus strategic obedience leads to a supernatural movement. Jonah’s sermon was clear, concise, and not watered down. He told the Ninevites that God’s judgment was coming, and they needed to repent. The pattern of Jonah, Orr insisted, “still works.” The gospel still saves, witnessing still works, worship still works, and prayer still brings revival. What God did in Nineveh, Orr said, He can do again in Georgia, especially if churches cover the state in prayer, raise up laborers, and return to the clear, urgent message God has already given them. State evangelism catalyst Steve Foster followed by saying what was happening in the room was “highly unusual.” Orr, he noted, preaches at a lot of state conventions, but even he said he had “never seen an evangelism conference at an annual meeting.” Foster looked ahead to conferences scheduled for 2026. Next year, the Mission Board will hold three evangelism conferences — in North Georgia at North Metro, in South Georgia at First Baptist Thomasville, and again with the annual meeting at Second Baptist, Warner Robins. Bethlehem Church pastor Jason Britt took the stage and exhorted Georgia Baptists to have a heart for the lost, more than focusing on methods, strategies, and events. “I want to contend with you,” he said, “that a heart of evangelism is greater than any method of evangelism.” Programs and strategies may vary from church to church, he said, “but when a pastor has a heart for the lost, the local church will follow.” Britt took pastors to Psalm 139 and turned it into a diagnostic prayer for church leaders who find themselves worn down by cultural fights, online criticism, or just the weekly grind. “Is my heart broken for the lost, or bothered by people who don’t see the world as I see it?” he asked. To stay tender toward unbelievers, Britt said he works at putting himself in places where lost people actually are. He goes to a local barber shop, he said, “not because I need a haircut, but because I need to be around lost people.” Pastors, he said, can’t lead outward if they only live inside the church bubble. Before the final message, Brad Marchman, evangelism regional leader for the GBMB, outlined another piece of the statewide plan. In 2026, the board will host “Engage 6” evangelism equipping sessions in every region of the state, six meetings per region. The conference ended with a message from Anthony George, senior pastor of host church First Baptist Atlanta. George said he was “still trying to absorb” what it would be like to baptize 600 people in a year, as Britt’s church expects to do, and admitted that in a church with as many people and resources as his, “Why can’t I say that?” has been a recurring question. “I’ve never been known for being a great evangelist,” he said, and never for “pastoring churches that have grown like wildfire.” But, he added, “I love Jesus.” That, he told the room, is the issue that supercedes every other. Preaching from Revelation 2 and Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus, George said older, established congregations especially have to fight the drift from loving Christ to merely doing things for Christ. “Get back to what matters,” he said, which is loving Jesus. Remember the closeness you once had, and repent. “When we love Jesus,” he explained, “we will love what Jesus loves.” George also reminded pastors not to compare their churches to others, and not to assume that because a church’s doors are open, Jesus is still at home there. “A church can still stay open,” he said, “but if He has removed that church from its place in the circle of lampstands, well, the lights can still be on, but Jesus is not at home in the church.” As George closed, he brought it back to Jesus’ question to Peter after the resurrection. He didn’t ask Peter if he was ready to lead, ready to preach, or ready to organize. “He said, ‘Peter, do you love me?’” George said. “That’s what He said.” And, he told the room full of pastors, “God brought every man of God to this room because he wants your heart and He wants you to come back to your first love.” ___ Video of the sessions and presentations during the annual meeting is avail   --- PHOTOS --- File: 20251110-221019-581-Orr 3 s.jpg Caption: Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221008-9fa-Britt 4 s.jpg Caption: Jason Britt, lead pastor of Bethlehem Church in Winder, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221011-4f6-George 4 s.jpg Caption: Anthony George, senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221032-61b-Thomas evangelism 3 s.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, speaks during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221025-ec5-Samantha Ryles worship s.jpg Caption: Samantha Ryles worships during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221022-213-Orr 4 s.jpg Caption: Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221002-44a-Britt 3 s.jpg Caption: Jason Britt, lead pastor of Bethlehem Church in Winder, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221015-127-George 5 s.jpg Caption: Anthony George, senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta, preaches during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-221028-a98-Thomas evangelism 2 s.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, speaks during the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251110-220959-c68-Barb Coffan worship s.jpg Caption: Barb Coffan signs a worship song as she interprets for Deaf participants at the Evangelism Conference on Monday, Nov. 10, at First Baptist Atlanta. (Index/Henry Durand)