The vision of the MBC is to help churches to transform lives and communities with the gospel. In order for an association or local church to reach people with the transformative gospel of Jesus Christ, its leaders must have a plan. The main task of the Missions Mobilization Group is to connect you to missions locally, regionally, and abroad. When you give to the Cooperative Program, it enables our group to speak to associations, pastors, and congregations to help them connect with vetted partners domestically and internationally. We can help your church think through local outreaches in your own Jerusalem, connect to partnerships regionally, and extend your missions internationally. Jesus’ last words to the church were a reminder of how to carry out the Great Commission: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Burundi Missions Highlight Video
Jerusalem/Judea
When Jesus spoke the words Luke recorded in Acts 1:8, his disciples were standing in Jerusalem, a major city in the region of Judea. Jerusalem was special to the disciples because of its connection to the Temple/worship and to the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Jerusalem represents the communities where we live, grow in our faith, and stay connected to the local church. It’s the hub of our religious experience. So, when we talk about doing ministry in “our Jerusalem,” we simply mean being faithful to proclaim the gospel where we live. Judea, being the surrounding area, represents our commitment to spreading the gospel through strategic partnerships across Missouri. Within ministry across our local “Jerusalem” and further into our “Judea,” the clear proclamation of the gospel is the priority in engagement with the lost.
Samaria
When Jesus spoke Acts 1:8, Samaria represented an entirely different area located north of Judea. Samaria also represented a people group different than the pure Jews of Jerusalem. The people of Samaria looked different, talked different, and were the offspring of Jewish and Assyrian relationships from over 700 years prior to the days of Jesus. The Samaritans even had their own temple, separate from the one in Jerusalem. Samaria for us represents the area outside of Missouri, yet still within the borders of the United States. Different states have their own unique sub-cultures, loves, and state pride that are different from ours. Missouri Baptists have state-to-state relationships with other state conventions and the North American Mission Board. For example, we are in partnership with the Montana Southern Baptist Convention and the Minnesota/Wisconsin Baptist Convention. These strategic partnerships enable us to help churches in those states bring the gospel to the lost.
Remotest Parts
The Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys are examples for the church of what it means to take the gospel to the remotest parts of the world. As local churches, we are each called to spread the gospel to the nations. In the early church, we get glimpses of Cooperative Program-like work (Rom. 15:24), as many of the churches supported Paul’s efforts to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The MBC cooperates with strategic partners in the field that allow Missouri Baptists to safely travel abroad and support ongoing mission work there.
Would your church like to adopt an unreached people group? We can connect you. Would your church like an onramp to doing a soccer camp, or Vacation Bible School in a foreign country? We can connect you! Pastors, would you like to help train Baptist pastors abroad that have no way of going to bible college or seminary? We can connect you!
