by Dan Lamb
For so many of us, this time of year marks a new beginning, a time of refreshment and renewal. In the last six months, the NCPO has experienced a change in leadership, increased accountability, and even a change in the focus and thrust of our responsibilities.
The NCPO has also expanded its reach with BBFI Builders and the resources it can provide. These missionary builders have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars for churches, and especially church planters, who need help with their facilities. Also, the NCPO has put together the Gateway Project, specifically targeting church planting in the Hispanic and African American communities.
In our eight years, we’ve had nearly 100 men trained in our NCPO Church Planting Schools, 35 of whom have been approved as church planters by the Fellowship. Many of these young men are pastoring new churches and ministering in communities that wouldn’t have a church if they hadn’t gone. The NCPO is excited to continue this legacy!
We will have several new families to approve as BBFI church planters at the February meeting in Round Rock, TX. William Fluker, with the help of the BBFI Builders, is about to begin a renovation on a new property in Jackson, MS. He started Grace & Mercy Baptist Church eight years ago and is moving into a larger facility that will be their own. Chris Highfill and his family just moved to St. Louis from Springfield, MO, where he had been on staff at Seminole Baptist Temple. They are starting a new church in that metro area. These are just two examples of church planters taking advantage of an NCPO partnership.
In this time of renewal, refocus, and redevelopment, the NCPO is not just trying to survive for it’s own sake. As a part of the restructure, the NCPO will make changes and additions in three major areas. The first will be in our assessments of church planters. It is imperative that we make sure the prospective church planter is not only prepared for his ministry, but that he has all the necessary information about his target area. The second will be in coaching or mentoring. We want to make sure the church planter is partnered with another experienced church planter who can coach, mentor, and encourage him through the process. The third area is funding. In addition to raising funds for the administrative costs of the office, we are setting up a revolving fund that will go straight to church planters. You can designate your gifts to be given to either of these funds, or to a specific church planter.
As we dive into 2014 at the NCPO, we begin a fresh year with many possibilities and much work to be done. This office has gone through transition over the last year, and positive changes are being put in place to continue the work of helping churches plant churches in the BBFI. To do this work, we need your continued support.