From the president: Since I became GBC president, I’m more convinced of these two realities than ever before

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It was late November, and I was walking down the “Alphaloop,” a winding trail that sprawls throughout Alpharetta. Armed with a cell phone and a pair of headphones, I had a mission for the afternoon: to call more than a dozen pastors about convention-related business. Some I knew well, others were acquaintances, and a few I barely knew at all. With a couple of miles of trail ahead, I set out on the task at hand.

The first call was to a Pastor Mark in the great Atlanta area. He is leading a church with multiple ethnic groups. They translate worship services live in four different languages: English, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Somehow, they have cracked the code on the ever-changing neighborhood around them, reaching every tribe, tongue, and nation without ever boarding a plane.

Another call was to a Pastor Brian who shared the story of a dying church in a neighboring community. The struggling congregation’s light was nearly extinguished after years of decline. In desperation, they reached out to Brian to see if his church could do anything to help. If you’ve never been a part of revitalizing a dying church before, it is one of the most difficult feats of ministry. It takes a miracle and a mountain of hard work. Brian led his congregation to adopt the troubled congregation, raised up a pastor from within his congregation, and sent him with a team to do a church replant. That dying church is experiencing a resurrection.

With every step down the trail and every call I made, I heard a new story of an everyday pastor, quietly carrying out the high calling of ministry throughout our state.

A call to a pastor preparing to do the funeral of a young man, giving the hope of the Gospel in the worst tragedy a family could endure.

A call to a pastor working in his association to plant a new church where none has been planted in a generation.

A call to a pastor who is discipling a young man in his church to pursue a call to vocational ministry.

A call to a pastor ministering to a family through a tragedy so vivid and horrific that it can’t be written in this space.

Since that day, I’ve called, sat across from, and visited with more pastors than I can count across the state. It has galvanized two realities in my heart in the short time that I have served as Georgia Baptist President.

First, pastors are the front line heroes that keep our convention strong. There is almost no way to overestimate the positive influence and Gospel impact that pastors are making at this very moment across the state of Georgia. Some media outlets and culture warriors portray pastors as lazy, hypocrites, or worse. But after dozens upon dozens of interactions, I can tell you with certainty that is not the case in our state. The vast majority of pastors in our convention are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, faithful shepherds to their flocks, and faithful preachers of God’s Word.

Pastor, if no one has told you recently, you are doing a GREAT work. You are a hero. You are making your Father proud.

Second, we are more poised than ever to see a Gospel movement in our state. There is a pent-up demand in the hearts of nearly every pastor I have talked with, to see God do a mighty work of saving the more than 7 million lost people from one end of Georgia to the other. Pastors are praying for it, leading toward it, and looking forward to collaborating with one another to see it happen. I’m more convinced than ever that now is the time to begin running together as a convention to see a Gospel movement unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s time for us to come together to reach EVERY ONE, EVERY WHERE in Georgia.

There is good reason to be hopeful about the future of our Georgia Baptist Convention, because our pastors are leading well. Gospel ministry is on the rise. The best is yet to come!

NOTE: If you are one of the pastors ready to see a Gospel movement in our state, I hope you will make time to come to an Evangelism Listening Session with Thomas Hammond this Spring! More info here: gabaptist.org/listening-sessions.

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Steve Browning is president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and lead pastor of First City Church in Alpharetta.