MMO History

The Legacy of Rheubin L. South
MBC Executive Director from 1975-1986

Rheubin L. South became executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention in 1975, coming to Missouri from Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Ark.

When South arrived, each Missouri Baptist entity promoted its own offering. As missions causes multiplied, the different offerings became burdensome to Missouri Baptist churches. Having separate offerings meant that Missouri Baptist entities and other ministries were competing against each other.

So, South rallied support for combining all the offerings into a single annual campaign. Each ministry would benefit from combined promotional efforts, and the burden on churches and individuals would be reduced.

In 1985, messengers to the MBC Annual Meeting approved combining the offerings into the Missouri Missions Offering. The following year, South died. During the 1987 annual meeting, messengers voted to name it in honor of the late missions champion: The Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO).

Since then, MMO has helped missionaries, universities, benevolent organizations, and other ministries help churches transform lives and communities with the gospel across Missouri. “I can’t really explain what it does to my heart,” said Verna South, South’s widow, who passed away in 2019. “It’s a wonderful legacy.”