One church’s willingness to mentor another is redefining what it means to be ‘on mission together.’ This summer, First Baptist Church of Clyde joined Lake Hills Church to serve internationally. Together, they engaged communities in the Dominican Republic with the gospel and service.

For decades, First Baptist Church of Clyde gave sacrificially to international missions. In the 1950s and 1960s, it pledged 50 percent of its total budget toward missions. By 2024 that percentage declined as the church navigated different seasons.

“We had a heart for missions, but we were stuck,” said Pastor Byron Burnette. “We didn’t know how to go from mission-minded to mission mobilized.”

Burnette connected with Jason Miller, a regional catalyst with North Carolina Baptists, who suggested the church participate in Coats for the City, an annual evangelistic outreach in New York City. That December, eight members traveled to New York to serve residents and distribute coats. 

The trip “ignited a fire for missions in our church,” Burnette said.

When they returned home, FBC Clyde’s mission team challenged the congregation to mobilize locally. They completed eight community projects. 

With a heart to become ‘an Acts 1:8 church,’ Burnette joined a vision trip to the Dominican Republic in September 2025 with LoveServes International. With a fresh vision for serving internationally, Burnette began preparations for a summer mission trip. But he soon realized he needed support to pull it off.

This time, Miller connected Burnette with Ian Walker, pastor of missions and connections at Lake Hills Church in Candler. Lake Hills had been partnering with LoveServes for years. Walker invited FBC Clyde to join Lake Hills’ trip this summer, creating an on-ramp for the smaller congregation.

Burnette and Blake Garnes, a lay leader and missions organizer at FBC Clyde, attended each of Lake Hills’ trainings and learned how to promote the trip, fundraise, train missionaries and oversee travel logistics. 

“He took our church under his wing and discipled us to build a mission program to glorify God,” Burnette said.

“Partnering with Lake Hills helped us get unstuck. If you are a church trying to figure out how to move from the sanctuary to the streets, from the church to the community, or from giving to going, go mimic another church that does it well. Discipleship shouldn’t only happen within our churches, but between our churches as well.”

In July, their combined team of about 20 people spent a week in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. They organized youth ministry programs and a Vacation Bible School for about 200 children, completed construction projects and home visits for evangelism, and worshiped with a local church.

Walker witnessed a young team member overcome evangelism anxiety. Garnes encountered profound faith among the people they served. One night, he met a newcomer struggling with addiction and had a chance to share how God rescued him from similar struggles. 

“People always think when they go on a mission trip that they are going to help someone that is less fortunate, but that is not the case,” Garnes said. “We do give to others, but what is given to us is so much more than a new roof or a concrete floor.

“People pour so much love into you, and God fills you with the Holy Spirit. You can’t help but to continue to share the good news of God.”

Walker encouraged other churches to consider similar partnerships. 

“What would it look like to take on a kingdom mindset and come alongside several churches to invite, equip, and train them to mobilize?” Walker said. “Maybe they can’t send 15 to 20 members on a mission trip, but maybe they can send three to five, together being able to send an effective team.”

Burnette hopes the vision extends beyond this trip, and that FBC Clyde would “have a heart for seeing people transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Acts 1:8.” He also hopes to model Lake Hills’ support to other churches, helping them mobilize for missions. 

Ready to mobilize your church? Connect with your regional Great Commission catalyst or explore trip opportunities, including Coats for the City, at ncbaptist.org/missionsengagement.