Our calling is to serve North Carolina Baptist churches in their health, mission and efforts to impact lostness in their own communities and beyond. Back in 2015, author and professor Chuck Lawless wrote an article entitled 10 Traits of a Healthy Church. Reading it caused me to reflect upon the work we do here at the convention and how we are currently serving churches across the state in their appointed mission.

When your church supports the Cooperative Program, you’re serving alongside us as we minister to build strong and healthy churches across the state. Taking some of the points from Lawless’ article, I want to tell you about a few of the ways the convention is serving and strengthening churches across North Carolina.

Healthy churches have a clear outward focus.
We understand that healthy churches focus on the needs both outside the church building and within their own communities, or harvest fields. Healthy churches see and understand how their community is changing and that their calling is to befriend their lost neighbors and to share the gospel with them. To accurately see these communities, the Strategic Focus Team is tasked with sharing a missionary approach with churches to engage specific pockets of lostness.

Healthy churches have a recognized strategy for producing disciples.
The DiscipleNC ministry partners with churches to train, equip and send others to share the gospel and make disciples. Gospel Conversations Training can teach your church members what to do and say to share the good news of the gospel competently and confidently. This training includes a time for practice and follow-up processes for strategy and accountability.

Healthy churches’ worship is God-centered and vibrant.
The Worship and Music Ministry at the Baptist State Convention partners with ministry leaders to equip churches in renewing their corporate worship so that people will encounter the transforming power of Jesus Christ. If you’re looking to strengthen your church’s worship experience, they have upcoming events to equip and serve every facet of worship ministry.

Healthy churches’ small groups (and Sunday School classes) do outreach.
Small groups and Sunday School classes are effective when they are on mission to reach others in the community for Christ, help them grow in their walk with Him and equip others to do the same. The convention provides coaching, consultations, training events, resources and more related to small groups and Sunday School classes in the local church.

There are many other indicators of a healthy and vibrant church as well as more ways that the convention is serving churches across the state.

How can we serve your church in its divinely appointed mission?