Representatives from several ministry groups of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) gave updates to messengers during reports throughout the 2018 BSCNC Annual Meeting held Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 5-6 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Following are highlights and summaries of those reports.

Church Planting and Missions Partnerships
Describing the present day as a “redemptive moment in history,” Chuck Register, executive leader for Church Planting and Missions Partnerships, structured his report around the theme that “immigration is a gospel issue.”

“We must view our foreign-born neighbors through the lens of Scripture,” Register said.

Register highlighted the growing population of international residents in North Carolina, the United States and North America, and shared updates on how N.C. Baptists are engaging them with the gospel through church planting, collegiate ministry and more.

Register said there are more than 1.5 million foreign-born residents in North Carolina, which include 162 unreached people groups that have been identified throughout the state. Of those unreached people groups, 86 have been engaged with the gospel, Register said. 


Since 2014, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has welcomed 494 new churches and 65 percent of those are non-Anglo congregations, Register said. Those new churches have resulted in nearly 25,000 professions of faith during that same time period, Register said.

Additionally, the number of college campuses in North Carolina that have a reproducing gospel presence has grown from nine to 51 since 2014, Register said. North Carolina also ranks third in the number of international students reached with the gospel.

Evangelism and Discipleship
Lynn Sasser, executive leader for the Evangelism and Discipleship Group, shared how several BSCNC ministry teams are helping N.C. Baptists break down cultural barriers, love their neighbors and engage people with the gospel.

Sasser reported on a new initiative related to training in the area of cultural mastery, and he reported on how God is working in the lives of youth and students, as well as in the area of church health and revitalization.

Sasser said that since 2014, more than 1,800 students have made professions of faith in Christ during youth weeks that are held annually at Fort Caswell through the state convention’s Youth Evangelism and Discipleship Ministry, also known as Be Do Tell. Additionally, more than 7,700 other youth rededicated their lives to Christ and more than 1,200 others responded to a call to ministry during the same time period, Sasser said.

Sasser also said that since the convention launched its church health and revitalization ministry in December 2015, more than 2,100 leaders representing nearly 850 different churches and Baptist associations have been assisted in revitalization efforts.

“Our heart is to help you become a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and create a disciple-making culture in your church,” Sasser said.

Baptists on Mission
Richard Brunson, executive director for N.C. Baptist Men (NCBM), also known as Baptists on Mission, shared an update on NCBM’s 18 different ministries, including the recent disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Brunson said N.C. Baptist disaster relief volunteers served more than 1 million meals to hurricane victims in eastern North Carolina and have completed more than 3,000 recovery jobs including mud-outs, tear-outs and more.

Brunson said more than 2,000 jobs remain open and lots of volunteers are still needed to serve.

For more information on how to get involved with Hurricane Florence relief efforts, visit the Baptists on Mission website.