Mike Canady’s involvement in full-time missions over the past 35 years has taken him around the world.
By Brian Blackwell
LBM Newswriter
Mike Canady’s involvement in full-time missions over the past 35 years has taken him around the world.
But it’s the possibility of what could happen in
Louisiana through the Acts 1:8 Challenge that excites Canady more than
any other missions effort in his lifetime.
Launched in May 2004, the Acts 1:8 Challenge is a
call for churches to move to a higher level of missions commitment by
cooperating with their local association, state convention, North
American Mission Board and International Mission Board.
The biblical passage of Acts 1:8, also known as the
Great Commision, records Jesus’ final words to his disciples that they
would become his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends
of the earth.
When a church commits to the Acts 1:8 Challenge, it
receives a packet of resources designed to develop a more comprehensive
missions strategy. Those resources include video clips on CD-ROM, a
leadership guide, a bulletin insert and a sermon outline.
The leadership guide is designed to help a church
evaluate its current effectiveness in missions and create a plan for
the future. Resources such as the video clips, sermon outline and
bulletin insert are designed to inspire the congregation to take an
active role in missions.
“One of the most exciting things is that all
churches, regardless of size, can be an Acts 1:8 church,” says Canady,
Louisiana Baptist Convention missions and ministry team leader. “The
Acts 1:8 Challenge helps us focus our commitment with a greater passion
and provides the framework for an international missions plan and
strategy.
“The international plan is where churches can say
we’re taking seriously Christ’s words to spread the gospel to our
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.”
Canady explained that the LBC’s role is to help the
state’s churches implement a comprehensive missions strategy, in
addition to serving as a contact between the congregation and the NAMB
and IMB.
The LBC also will help facilitate partnerships between churches and the NAMB and IMB.
“Larger membership churches have resources and
personnel to put together their own trips,” he explains. “But we have
lots of churches with small memberships. If two or three churches want
to send just a handful of members each, they could join together to
form their own missions team.”
Churches who accept the challenge commit to eight
“Kingdom-growing” responses as they strive to carry out Acts 1:8 by
preparing, learning, praying, giving, going, telling, sending and
multiplying.
Canady says once a church catches the vision of
being obedient to the Great Commission and pursues the eight
commitments of the Acts 1:8 Challenge, they can expect multiple
benefits.
Those benefits include:
• Instilling the global on-mission mindset in the hearts of church members;
• Expanding the number of global on-mission churches;
• Revitalizing the local church’s global missions education exposure;
• Providing a plan to find and reach the lost in a church’s Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth;
• Addressing the problem of declining churches;
• Increasing baptisms;
• Encouraging giving.
At press time, 52 Louisiana Baptist churches have
agreed to participate in the Acts 1:8 Challenge. The size of each
church participating in the effort ranges from congregations as small
as 68 members to those with memberships as large as 3,340 members.
Among the Louisiana Baptist churches who are
participating in the Acts 1:8 Challenge is Eastwood Baptist Church in
Haughton.
Since the early 1990s, the Northwest Louisiana
congregation has sponsored six mission-type churches, one of which is a
self-supporting church. This has created a domino effect, as some of
those missions have helped sponsor other missions.
And Ken Goodman, minister of missions at Eastwood
Baptist Church, says that is one thing that Acts 1:8 is about –
equipping God’s people to plant other churches.
“This is an excellent tool to rally the troops to
become on mission,” says Goodman. “The challenge is a way to highlight
what missions is all about and to have missions visible to our members.”
In addition to its church planting efforts, the
church also has taken missions trips to such countries as Ecuador,
China, Mexico and Africa.
The church also recently signed papers to purchase
its missions incubator, which provides a place of worship until a
congregation is stable enough financially to move into its own
building. Three mission congregations will meet there, but Goodman
hopes other mission churches in Northwest Louisiana Association will
use the facility as well.
Like Eastwood Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Gonzales signed up soon after the challenge was issued.
Their Great Commission efforts already included a Spanish church plant
in their parish, showing Christ’s love to Muslims in Michigan and the
adoption of people groups overseas.
But while First, Gonzales already was involved in
every aspect of Acts 1:8, Mike Hamilton said the congregation never had
developed a specific strategy to carry out the Great Commission.
“For us, it wasn’t until we accepted the challenge
that we began to see how this all fit with Acts 1:8,” says
Hamilton, minister of missions at the Southeast Louisiana church. “This
was a way of being more stratetgic and not scattered all over the place
with our missions efforts.”
Hamilton believes participating in missions efforts
around the world is not an option, but rather is Christ’s commandment
to all Christians.
“If a church’s isn’t about (Acts 1:8), they don’t
need to be a church,” Hamilton explains. “We are part of God’s family
and we all have a part to play in spreading the gospel. It just has to
happen.”
While such churches as Eastwood and First, Gonzales,
are in full force with the Acts 1:8 Challenge, churches like Hessmer
Baptist Church and Hill Memorial Baptist Church in Ferriday just
recently indicated their willingness to participate in the challenge.
Since Hessmer Baptist Church signed up last spring
to participate in the challenge, Pastor Norris Landry says his
congregation’s excitement about missions has escalated.
Even before the church agreed to participate in the
challenge, a small number of its members participated in overseas
missions efforts. Missions efforts in its Jerusalem and Judea have
included pariticpating in a One Day prison camp at Avoyelles
Correctional Institute and the formation of a clothing and food
ministry in Mansura.
“Folks are excited about what the scripture says in
Acts 1:8 and we feel like it will open further doors to see what God
will do in the lives of our church and those we minister to,” Landry
explains. “We are beginning to see what God can do through our
church and I know he could do the same through yours if you decide to
sign up for the Acts 1:8 Challenge.”
Randy Williams echoes the thought.
Already, Hill Memorial participates in
missions trips to Mexico twice a year and distributed Bibles in town
three times annually. But he said his church can do more and the Acts
1:8 Challenge may be the key.
“This challenge will energize our congregation to
have a burden for souls and a heart for evangelism,” says Willams,
pastor of Hill Memorial. “We are commanded to fulfill the Great
Commission, which will get our church more involved in missions work at
all levels.”
(Those churches interested in more information about
the Acts 1:8 Challenge or who want to register may visit
www.ActsOne8.com, lbc.org or call the LBC missions and ministries
office at 1-800-622-6549.)