We Need To Renew Our Commitment To International Missions

During the IMB Pastor/Missions Leader Conference, I was stunned by the following information:

SBC Churches Involved in Inernational Missions (2006)
Limited = 51.5% (24,700)
Supporting = 48.5% (23,300)
Exploring = 9.5% (4,500)
Partnering = 1.0% (480)
Multiplying = 0.1% (50)

Definitions of Involvement Categories:
"Limited" means no discernible involvement with international missions either through prayer or through financial giving.

"Supporting" means some level of prayer and financial support.

"Exploring" means prayerfully investigating opportunities to be on the international mission field.

"Partnering" means prayerfully and personally engaging a specific UPG or segment in a church planting strategy. This includes both churches working with an existing missionary or the church working as the missionary with the UPG or segment thereof.

"Multiplying" means encouraging, enlisting, and equipping other churches to become strategically involved in international missions.

I was stunned to hear that more than half (51.5%) of the churches in the SBC do not financially contribute to IMB. Almost 25,000 churches have no discernible involvement in international missions. Less than 10% of our churches are actively looking into opportunities to go on the international mission field. Only 1%, (480 churches) are actively partnering with our missionaries to help accomplish the goal of communicating the gospel to all of the world.

I have been weeping over this information since I first heard it last week. Currently, the church that I pastor is in the "supporting" and "exploring" categories. It is my prayer that God will move the hearts of Lewisville Baptist Church to become a "partnering" and "multiplying" church in regards to our missions involvement.

Have the local churches, who comprise the SBC, lost their fervor for missions? I would like to hear what you think.

IMB: Helping SBC Churches To Be On Mission With God

While I was at the IMB Pastors/Missions Leaders Conference, I heard one major idea repeated over and over: the purpose of the IMB is not do missions for the churches; the purpose of the IMB is to encourage, enlist, and equip churches to do missions.


This way of thinking about IMB and missions is new for me. My view has been that the churches gives money to IMB so they can do missions on our behalf. That is an erroneous view. The more accurate, and I believe biblical, view is that the churches send people to to go overseas to do missions. IMB facilitates the churches' sending of its people to reach the world for Christ.


Here are a few sound bites that helped to drive that point home to me.


Ed Stetzer

"God is a sender, and those who love Him act as those who are sent."

"Fundamental to the nature of the gospel is the propagation of the gospel."

"People will not change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change."


Jim Haney (IMB)

"Don't go to another country just to do something; go to impact a people group."

"There's a difference between missions groups and engagement. Will you stay long enough to make a difference?"


Bill Jessup (Stafford Baptist Church)

"We don't have a Missions Pastor because every staff person is expected to be a Missions Pastor."

"The first priority in reaching an Unreached People Group (UPD) is to locate a person of peace."


Grant Lovejoy (IMB)

"70% of UPGs are oral learners."

"We need to model and teach reproducible methods that ordinary people can use."


J. D. Greear (The Summit Church)

"If your church were to disappear, would the community notice your absence?"

"You need to make up your mind that your church is going to 'bless your community.'"


Four Pegs of Global Mission Strategy (These are from J. D. as well)

1. Unity between three things.

a. community ministry

b. church planting

c. international missions



2. Lay leaders are key.



3. The local church must retain the intitiative.



4. Believe that the compassion and power of the Gospel is still at work in the world.

Jerry Rankin (IMB)

"Show love, share hope, and speak truth."

"Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

Free Books

At the Small Church Leadership Conference last March, we gave each attendee some free books. The free books included four from Dr. O. S. Hawkins, president of Guidestone. We still have about 150 of these books remaining and will gladly ship them to anyone who wants them. The books are:

"Good News For Great Days" (no picture available)

I received these books free and so I will freely give them to whomever wants them. These books are completely free to you. I will pay the shipping.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of these books, email me at lespuryear@hotmail.com and give me your mailing address and how many copies of each book you would like to receive.

IMB Pastors/Missions Leaders Conference - Day Last

It's Wednesday night and I'm sitting in my hotel room in Richmond, VA. My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of days of the conference. We have heard great testimonies from Bill Jessup, pastor, Stafford Baptist Church, Stafford, VA, and from J. D. Greear, pastor, The Summit, Durham, NC. These two churches are doing frontline stuff with the IMB and it's very exciting.

We've also heard from many IMB leaders about what's going on in today's IMB. This is definitely not your father's IMB anymore. Churches are being invited to become Stategic Coordinator Churches (SCC). What this means is that a church adopts a UUPD (Unengaged Unreached People Group) and the church is the missionary for that people group. They do all of the strategy as well as the field ministry. Of course, the church has to go through some training from the IMB, but that's to be expected. This whole idea truly excites me as to the possibilities for the future. My wife and I have begun praying that God will show us what UUPD He would have us adopt and engage on the field as our church works as a SCC.

The great thing about this concept is that any size church can do this. If you even think your church might be led to become a SCC church, I would encourage you to contact your IMB Church Services Group representative.

Here is the information for contacting your Church Services Group representative as they are assigned by region and states.

Region 1 - CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV
Joe Dillion, mobilization consultant
jdillon@imb.org

Nancy Chaffin, mobilization specialist
nchaffin@imb.org

Region 2 - IN, KY, MI, OH, TN
Mike Lovett, mobilization consultant
mlovett@imb.org

Brenda Helms, mobilization specialist
bhelms@imb.org

Region 3 - FL, GA, SC
Gib Gerlach, mobilization consultant
ggerlach@imb.org

Wendy Houston, mobilization specialist
whouston@imb.org

Region 4 - AL, AR, LA, MS
Eric King, mobilization consultant
eking1@imb.org

Region 5 - Canada, CO, IA, IL, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, OK, SD, WI, WY
Elvin McCann, mobilization consultant
emccann@imb.org

Anita Mahoney, mobilization specialist
amahoney@imb.org

Region 6 - NM, TX
Randy Newberry, mobilization consultant
rnewberry@imb.org

Mary Jo Hines, mobilization specialist
mhines@imb.org

Region 7 - AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, WA
Barbara Smith, mobilization specialist
bsmith@imb.org

Being a Good Dad

These are pictures of my two sons with my two grandchildren. Jon is in the top photo with his son, Jack. Rob is in the second photo with his daughter, Robin. In the past few weeks, I have had an opportunity to spend some extended time with both of my sons and granchildren. During that time I made a major discovery. My two sons are wonderful Dads. Both of them are much better Dads than I was at their ages.

Jon (36) and Rob (33) are patient, loving, kind, gentle, and wise with their children. I'd like to say they take after me but that would not be telling the truth. Their good parenting skills come from God through their mother. I married way above my head when I married my wife, Debbie in 1970. She is not only a great mother but she is even a better grandmother. My wife is the most mature Christian I have ever known and I value her counsel greatly. Have a look at the three most precious people in my life in the photo below. Thank You, Lord, for my family.

Baptism and CP Questions

I do not plan to spend the rest of the month addressing things I am against. I would much prefer to do things in a positive way and discuss things I am for. I knew there would be some who would look for anything negative to say about me and I guess that goes with the territory. Therefore, I am going to answer three questions being raised about my beliefs and my leadership as a pastor. This will be my only foray into answering negative charges.

1. I do not support paedobaptism. I believe that believer's baptism by immersion is the only proper method of baptism. I completely affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

2. I do not support covenant theology. I completely affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

3. In regard to CP, I am a huge supporter of the Cooperative Program. When I arrived at my church in 2005, they were giving 5% to CP. In 2007, we increased that percentage to 6%. In 2008, we have increased our CP percentage to 8%. Currently, it is our plan to increase CP percentage in 2009 to 10%. The church where I pastor is a wonderful church. Our people are some of the sweetest and kindest people you will ever meet. Unfortunately, prior pastoral leadership was not very attentive to CP giving. We are adjusting our giving percentages to meet our new goal of 10% CP giving. Thank you, Lewisville Baptist Church, for your positive response to supporting the Cooperative Program.

Now if anyone has any questions about what I support instead of what I am against, I will gladly answer such questions.

IMB Pastors/Missions Leaders Conference - Day 1

The conference began with a wonderful supper. Debbie and I were seated at a table with a young couple from Delaware, a couple from Tennessee, another couple with IMB representing Middle America and the Caribbean, and an IMB church services guy from Memphis, TN. We enjoyed great conversations about what God is doing both here and abroad.

After supper, Dr. Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer spoke. Dr. Rankin brought an encouraging message based on 2 Sam. 5:24. He continually used the refrain "I hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees" to emphasize his seeing God at work in marvelous ways. He made an interesting statement that "more progress has been made in reaching people for Christ in the first eight years of the 21st century than in [Dr. Rankins'] lifetime." Impressive.

Ed Stetzer was his usual jovial self. He pointed out the four commissions of Christ in John 20:19-21; Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; and Acts 1:6-8. He said that every commission of Christ always includes the promise of peace and the promise of His presence. Ed is always good for memorable quotes. Here are three that struck me.

"God is a sender, and those who love Him act as those who are sent."

"Fundamental to the nature of the gospel is the propagation of the gospel."

"People will not change until the pain of remaining the same exceeds the pain of change."