Hammond urges Georgia Baptists to unite behind statewide evangelism push By HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index Thursday, November 13, 2025 ATLANTA — Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond used his annual report Tuesday at the Georgia Baptist Convention's annual meeting, held at First Baptist Atlanta, to rally pastors around a long-term, statewide evangelism initiative. Hammond showed what that might look like in local congregations by highlighting ways in which the GBMB can help and support pastors, ministry leaders, and church members. Hammond opened by thanking churches for sacrificial Cooperative Program giving, calling it “the greatest mission sending strategy the world has ever seen.” Every dollar, he said, is being stretched “to squeeze every ounce of gospel work we can out of it” so more can go to the mission field. He cautioned Baptists who want to “tweak” the CP to offer a better plan first, asking, “Where would we be without every church in Georgia — whether you run 20 or 2,000 — having the ability to say we had a role in sending missionaries?” Most of the report, though, focused on evangelism. Hammond displayed a chart showing baptism numbers from 2000 to 2024. Though the convention recorded 35,000-plus baptisms at the start of the century, it saw a significant decline, accelerated by the COVID pandemic, before bottoming out in 2020. Since then, baptisms have rebounded. "There's a different trend that's taking place," Hammond said. "There's a new work that God's doing." Hammond shared that Georgia Baptist churches reported 25,651 baptisms in 2024, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. “We so desperately need it to continue,” he said, noting that with 11 million people in the state and an estimated 7 million unreached, “we’re still not keeping up with population growth." That gap, not a lack of effort by churches, Hammond said, is why the Mission Board is building a sustained evangelism initiative. “Pastors and churches, lay leaders and church staff have been working hard and continue to work hard every day to plant the gospel seed all across the hearts and minds of Georgians,” Hammond declared. To emphasize his point, he invited the Board's regional evangelism leader, Brad Marchman, on stage to interview two pastors — Greg Carter of Walkerville Baptist and Brad McKenzie of Jesus Saves Church in Swainsboro — whose rural congregations have seen growth, salvations, and baptisms. Both pastors expressed their gratitude to the Mission Board for partnering with them to map out evangelism plans, set spiritual goals, and more. “What we’d like to see,” Hammond said when they finished, “is stories like we just heard multiplied by 1,000 across our state." Hammond also announced that the GBMB commissioned Lifeway to research how churches across the Southern Baptist Convention are giving gospel invitations — what methods they use and how often — and that Georgia pastors are getting the report first. Reminding listeners of the 30 listening sessions held this year, Hammond explained that feedback from those sessions was used to develop programs and tools that pastors can use to help their churches reach the mission field. Among the requested tools, Hammond said, were Sunday school curriculum and student evangelism resources, “how-to” guides for events and follow-up, churchwide evangelism plans, and strategies for reaching schools, men, women, and families. In 2026, the Mission Board will roll out “Engage 6,” regional trainings led by Georgia practitioners so pastors can attend in any location. Hammond also urged every church to enroll in “Prayer 365” by claiming one day in 2025 to pray for lostness and for laborers in all 159 counties. Hammond recognized that pastors are already working hard to lead their congregations while reaching the community, and at times, that can lead to emotional and physical burdens. “Pastors are our heroes,” Hammond declared. “And our heroes sometimes need help.” GBMB’s Pastoral Wellness Lead Strategist Chris Reynolds took the stage to introduce Lee and Tana Waller of Dawson Street Baptist in Thomasville, who told how the Board's team helped them through a season of exhaustion and depression. Lee Waller likened the Pastor Wellness staff to angels that ministered to him in his time of need. To underscore the value of cooperation, Hammond invited senior pastor Brady Howard of Glen Haven Baptist in McDonough to tell how GBMB-connected roundtables during COVID kept him from leading in isolation. Howard said connection is crucial not just for pastors, but for church staff as well. Pointing out that he brought his entire church staff to the meeting with him, he said, “Some of the greatest relationships that they have in their lives now are because of cooperating with other churches in our state.” Mark Marshall, senior lead strategist of Church Strengthening, highlighted the church-to-church partnership between Tabernacle Baptist in Cartersville and the smaller Euharlee Baptist. Tabernacle’s team supported Euharlee, which had gone years without one, in offering a weeklong Vacation Bible Study this past summer. This type of collaboration, Hammond emphasized, is crucial to growing churches and sharing the gospel in Georgia. “We need more churches just reaching across, even if it's just eight miles, to reach across and say, we'll help you,” he said. The goal is 3,500 Georgia Baptist churches, resourced, praying, caring for their pastors, and working together to saturate the state with the gospel. “Don’t think of this as having a beginning and an end,” he told messengers. “This is just going to become the new normal for Georgia Baptists.” In closing, Hammond asked, “Why do we need an Evangelism Initiative? Because we are commanded to reach everyone, everywhere.” ___ Video of the sessions and presentations during the annual meeting is avail --- PHOTOS --- File: 20251112-021401-370-ED15 s.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, presents his report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021355-ece-ED13 s.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, presents his report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021341-ca3-ED5 s.jpg Caption: The GBMB's regional evangelism leader, Brad Marchman, center, and pastor Greg Carter of Walkerville Baptist, right, listen as pastor Brad McKenzie of Jesus Saves Church in Swainsboro talks about what God is doing in his church, during the executive director's report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021348-c02-ED10 s.jpg Caption: Tana Waller, wife of Dawson Street Baptist pastor Lee Waller, right, describes how the GBMB Pastor Wellness staff supported her husband in a time of struggle, during the executive director's report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. GBMB’s Pastoral Wellness Lead Strategist Chris Reynolds is at left. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021338-f42-ED4 s.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, presents his report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021351-c49-ED11 s.jpg Caption: Brady Howard, senior pastor of Glen Haven Baptist in McDonough, shares his story during the executive director's report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021358-a68-ED14 s.jpg Caption: Mark Marshall, senior lead strategist of Church Strengthening, left, and Patrick Latham, lead pastor of Tabernacle Baptist in Cartersville, listen as Billy Jones, pastor of Euharlee Baptist, speaks, during the executive director's report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20251112-021405-b30-ED18 S.jpg Caption: Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, presents his report to the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand)