Larry:  Billy, how would you assess the health of the Cooperative Program today?
Billy:  The Cooperative Program needs attention.  But, I consider the glass half full rather than half empty.  Just because a physical body may have ailments does not mean that we give up on the body or consider it insignificant.  We look for remedies.  This is true for the spiritual body also as we are challenged to experience renewal.  And it is true for the Cooperative Program.

I have travelled over 20,000 miles and conducted 30 meetings since last year.  My assessment is that the CP needs attention.  That reminds us it is making an eternal difference for Christ 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year.  It is a great investment.  But, it needs attention.  I have determined this intuitively, through numerous interviews, and looking at statistics related to the CP.  We can back up to 1990 and determine that the Cooperative Program in Kentucky received 11% of all undesignated giving of the churches reporting.  In 2008, CP giving had dropped to about 7%.  That is a big gap.  Yes, from the percentage support aspect, CP needs attention.

Larry:  As you have shared, the Cooperative Program needs attention, especially on the giving side.  Is the CP worth saving?
      Billy:  Absolutely.  As I take a look at just one aspect, the portion that goes to the Kentucky Baptist Convention, it is important to understand about 90% of what we do as the Kentucky Baptist Convention is funded by Cooperative Program gifts.  And I would remind you the lost in Kentucky are just as lost as those in North America or other faraway places in the world.

      In Acts 1:8, Jesus says that we are to take the Good News to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.  We are to take the Gospel to our home area, our nation and around the world.  Acts 1:8 is not a pyramid approach or a step ladder approach to ministry and mission work.  The Acts 1:8 challenge is a simultaneous approach.

      The best way I know that Acts 1:8 can become a reality in any size church is through the Cooperative Program.  Two churches I pastored demonstrate the opportunities provided by the CP as faithful contributors to the CP.  Severns Valley Baptist Church will soon reach the $10,000,000.00 mark in total CP giving.  The Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Uno recently reached the mark of giving $1,000.00 a month to the CP.  I am excited about the level of giving of both churches.  They are both making a positive impact on carrying out the Great Commission.  They are pro ud of what, united with other Kentucky Baptist churches, they are able to accomplish and the way they are reaching the world for Christ.  They are grateful for training events and investments the KBC makes in assisting churches throughout Kentucky to be more effective.  As they observe the impact of KBC ministries to churches, Campbellsville and the Cumberland Universities, Oneida and the other KBC-related institutions and agencies, they know they are part of those efforts due to the CP.

      When they note the 5,400 NAMB missionaries and the 5,000 plus international missionaries, the church planting around the world and in North America, the reaching of people groups in the United States---and I could go on and on---all are m ade possible by the Cooperative Program.  Both churches along with a vast host of Southern Baptist churches in Kentucky, are all significant contributors to this cooperative effort that continues to achieve amazing results.

      I think of personal friends like IMB missionaries Ken and Beth Perkins and missionaries Rich and Susan Hutchinson who are laying their lives on the line for the cause of Christ everyday.  These missionaries and thousands just like them are exactly why I affirm the CP.  It is worth renewing our awareness of its effective and efficient means of doing the Great Commission.  It’s our responsibility to support these missionaries and those like them in North America and around the world.

      I do not wish to belittle the independent efforts of others in carrying out Acts 1:8.  But, I strongly believe that to make the most difference for the Kingdom of God requires a strong Cooperative Program partnership.  Many of our churches can do both, as Dan Summerlin at Lone Oak First Baptist Church in Paducah is demonstrating through strong support of the CP and personalizing Acts 1:8 missions that go above and beyond the CP.

      Partnership is key.  No large church can do it alone.  No small church can do it by itself.  We need each other.  And the CP is an instrument that God has given Southern Baptists that has made our partnership of churches lead the world in the sending of missionaries.

      Certainly CP needs attention.  But, it continues be a mighty force in reaching out to the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  If we give the right consideration to supporting CP, it will continue to be used by God as a great force for His Kingdom throughout our world.

Next week in Part III of this interview, Billy will discuss his strategy and how he sees the future of the CP.  He will also share some of his favorite stories about individuals impacted by the CP.

Larry:  Billy, Please share with our readers a brief history of your pre-KBC ministry.

Billy:  I started pastoring when I was a senior at Hart Memorial High School in Hardyville, KY.  I pastored two half-time churches:  the Hardyville Union Church and the Antioch Baptist Church.  After graduating, I attended Campbellsville University.  During those years, I was called to pastor the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Uno, a full-time rural church that ran about 75-100 in worship and in Sunday School. While a student at Southern Seminary, I served the Calvary Baptist Church in Glasgow.  After graduating, I became the pastor of the Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green.  While serving as pastor at Living Hope, we were involved in planting two churches with the Warren Association helping provide land for the second plant.  It was during this time I met Bill Jaggers who was serving as the Director of Church Planting for the KBC.  We quickly became friends through our passion for evangelism and missions.  Consequently, he invited me to serve on the KBC staff as an Evangelism Associate.  I served in that capacity for three years before becoming pastor of First Baptist Church, Mt. Washington,  It was during my time at Mt. Washington that I was elected President of the KBC in 1995.  In 1996, I was called to become senior pastor of Severns Valley Baptist church in Elizabethtown.  I served until January 1, 2008 and provided leadership for the relocation to their new campus.  I share all this to let you know of the investment I have been privileged to make through KBC churches and the Kentucky Baptist Convention.  Also,   I hope this illustrates how the Cooperative Program has made a tremendous impact on me through the churches I served, graduating from KBC-supported Campbellsville University and SBC-supported Southern Seminary and being on the staff of the KBC.  Later, when I completed my Doctor of Ministry Degree from Fuller and noted the financial investment compared to the cost at Southern, I became even more appreciative of Cooperative Program support in my life.

Larry:  Billy, prior to coming to the KBC as Executive Associate for Cooperative Program and Resources, you  were serving one of the most historic and exciting churches in the KBC.  You had moved the church to a new campus and the church was poised to continue growth at an accelerated rate and prepared for the anticipated future large growth related to Ft. Knox.  What were you thinking?

Billy:  Well, it was a God thing.  First, I was uniquely prepared for such an assignment based on my ministry experiences.  I also had a great passion for the Cooperative Program having witnessed how it had impacted my life during the years of my ministry and how it has literally impacted the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Several years ago, I was asked to chair a KBC Mission Board Committee to study the Cooperative Program in Kentucky.  Signs and trends were already appearing that the percentage of giving to CP was trending down.  The committee was charged with seeking ways to make CP healthier in Kentucky and to focus on the great ministry and mission causes supported by CP gifts.  

One of our key findings was to recommend the establishment of a KBC position to help in leading our state in CP understanding and giving.  When Georgetown College was removed from CP funding by mutual agreement of the College and the KBC, it was decided that some of these previously designated funds would be used to finance this new position.  It was then that Dr. Bill Mackey, the Executive Director of the KBC,  approached me about assuming the position.  His conversations with me pointed to my lifelong commitment to the local church, my passion for CP, and my understanding of KBC and SBC polity and function.  Obviously, this was a difficult decision for me.

Even though I was sensing God’s will that I should respond to this calling, I needed additional consent from Him.  Two facts served as that affirmation:  First, Severns Valley Baptist Church, despite the major move to its new site, was in good financial condition; secondly, Severns Valley Baptist Church was able to sell their former campus.  Sue Ann and I both understood these facts as being approval of being called to this new position at the KBC and we felt released to serve in this position.  Later confirmation came for me when Severns Valley Baptist Church called their new pastor, Bill Langley, with 100% of the vote and the baptism and other Acts 1:8 goals we established were all exceeded.

Next week:  Part II Billy Compton interview

      Several of our KBC staff have had the privilege and will have the privilege of sharing with associations, pastors and laymen across Kentucky with an overview or a specific conference related to “Find it Here”.

      A few examples:  Eric Allen conducted overviews, conferences on prayer walking and compassionate ministries in the following Associations:  Bracken, Long Run (churches), Taylor County, Casey and Blood River.  He is scheduled to share at Logan/Todd, Liberty, Warren, Daviess—McLean, Lincoln, West Kentucky, Severns Valley, Blackford, Breckinridge and Little Bethel in the next couple of months.

      I have had the privilege of sharing in Severns Valley, Green Valley, Bracken, Tates Creek, Booneville, Knox, Shelby (church), Laurel River, Owen, Ten Mile and Salem.  I am scheduled to share in Ohio Valley, Logan/Todd, Irvine, Muhlenberg and Lynn.

      In addition, Randy Jones is scheduled to share at Shelby Association and Ross Bauscher has shared in Lincoln, Freedom and Wayne and has 8-10 meetings scheduled in associations this fall.  Our KBC Regional Church Development Strategists have had numerous opportunities to share about “Find it Here”.

      In every location that we have been, excitement has been exhibited by pastors, DOMs, and lay people about “Find it Here”.  In many cases, leadership has shared that they had already been looking to do something like this before discovering the “Find it Here” process.  That is a strong affirmation that we are on the right track and that God is in the process.

      Reports are coming in that churches are being strategic about preparing for “Find it Here” planning and conducting witnessing training, prayer walking training, intentional and intense praying for lost people by name, and examining assimilation, follow-up and small group usage in their churches.  Significant plans are being made by associations and churches to participate in local media coverage for the “Find it Here” sowing process.  As of today, 54 Associations have been approved for financial grants from the KBC for local publicity of “Find it Here”.  In addition, NAMB will be unveiling their national campaign to key state leadership at a late August meeting and the KBC is working to supplement coverage in Kentucky.

      May God bless all we do with “Find it Here”.  And may many people far from God be brought into His Kingdom through this process and many believers grow in their discipleship as a by-product of this activity.

      If you need more information about “Find it Here” go to the KBC website   www.kybaptist.org and click on “Find it Here”.

     There were so many great things that took place during Crossover, that it would be impossible to write about them all in the space allocated for this post.  Let me highlight a few events and activities:  Hispanic outreach-The 9 Hispanic Southern Baptist churches were heavily involved in the Crossover event.  Members of these churches worked alongside volunteers from throughout Kentucky and the US in many evangelistic endeavors including block parties, concerts, evangelistic services and one-on-one evangelism.  The Crossover events ended with a huge Hispanic Festival in Iroqouis Park which recorded 1025 registrants and an attendance estimated to be around 1500.  115 professions of faith were registerd at the Festival and there were 318 Hispanic professions of faith recorded during the weeks activities.  The 9 Hispanic churches have already begun follow-up and discipleship processes.  Please be in prayer for them as they disciple these new believers and work with the residual harvest that will come from the Crossover efforts.  I am grateful for Carlos de la Barra, KBC Ethnic Associate and Joshua del Risco from NAMB for their great leadership during the Crossover Hispanic efforts. 

     Street Evangelism:  Many Long Run Baptist Association church members and volunteers from around the US worked in ICE Teams that were involved in engaging the lost with a gospel witness.  These volunteers included students from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  On Thursday of last week, several of the KBC staff (Eric Allen, Ross Bauscher, Scott Pitman, Ross Bauscher and me) joined the ICE Teams, heard some amazing testimonies about people who had made decisions the previous day, then went out to witness with the teams.  We had various experiences but I want to share a couple.

     One team met a guy outside a grocery store.  He was witnessed to and made a profession of faith.  As they were following up he told the group that he had actually been on the way to the grocery to steal a package of diapers for his baby.  He knew he could not do that now.  The group purchased those diapers for him before he returned home.  A second team sought refuge in another grocery store due to a horrendous thunderstorm.  One of the members witnessed to an employee who prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.  Another employee, who is a bi-vocational pastor, shared that he had been witnessing to this young man for a long period of time. He was so thrilled to know his friend had been saved.  Encounters like these two were repeated over and over during Crossover.  Somewhere between 1,025 and 1,035 professions of faith were recorded during Crossover.  Please pray for the Louisville Baptist churches as they do follow-up with these new believers and pray for the new believers as they begin their walk with Jesus.

     The Convention:  There were many high points during the convention.  Excellent preaching, excellent reports, business conducted mostly with a Christ-like spirit and a strong emphasis on the Great Commission.  During the IMB and NAMB reports, I sensed that I needed to go to one of those desparate places around the world and around North America where Jesus needs to be preached.  But then God reminded me that somewhere between 75-80 percent of Kentuck y is lost and I am in a position that can change that.  I prayed for wisdom and strength to reach the lost in Kentucky and to support our missionaries all around the world.  I pray you will join me in reaching people far from God with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

    The main purpose for writing those two blogs was to help DOMs, Church Planters (those who benefit and contribute to the CP) and other church leadership who need to understand that the support for the Cooperative Program is declining in order to encourage action to strenghthen the CP.  This was in no way an attempt to denigrate the CP.  I see the impact of CP every day in my work and the work of  my colleagues.  I hear about the impact of the CP from missionaries around the world.  It is evident that the CP is still being blessed by God and used by God in many ways.  My intention for writing the blogs was to wake up many of our leadership about the serious consequence to world missions if the decline of the CP continues which seems likely as indicated by the current trend in CP giving. 

     My conclusion:  There is a lot of misconception and ignorance about the Cooperative Program.  The cause:  many of our churches no longer have mission education as one of their core values.  The cure:  Mission education on every level and a strong effort by Pastors and church leadership, DOMs, State and National denomination leadership in becoming CP “experts” who are equipped to  lead their constituents in understanding the importance, function and effectiveness of the Cooperative Program and the essential part it plays in SBC life in enabling our churches to fulfill the Great Commission and in reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Next: A strategy.

     Let me assert:  The economy is not the most significant sign that the CP is in trouble.  Certainly our national economy has had a downward causal effect on the CP the last couple of years.  That concerns me, but I believe that our economy will get better and the pressures that comes with a bad economy will disappear.  What really concerns me is the continual downward trend in CP percentage giving by the local Baptist Church.

     The SBC facts:  1988-89 was the last church year that our SBC churches gave more than 10% of undesignated receipts to the CP.  The CP has incrementally decreased since 1981.  In 92-93, CP dropped to an average of under 9% of undesignated giving.  2000-01 the average CP giving dropped to under 8% and two years later it dropped to under 7%.  Last year it hit 6.082%, and it appears that this year's CP giving will most likely dip (maybe by a large amount due to the economy) under 6%.

     The KBC facts:  The good news is that the KBC churches did not fall below 10% (1998) as early as the average SBC giving. The bad news is that once we started the downward trend, we have fallen faster.  More bad news:    The giving dropped below 8% in 2004 and last year we dropped below 7%.  By the way, undesignated receipts in KBC churches have gone from $183,930,749 in 97 to $335,091,508 in 2008.  Tat's nearly a 100% increase in money coming into our churches while CP giving percentage has fallen.

     Now, if these statistics do not convince you that the CP is in dire straits--I probably can't convince you. 

     Next week, I will give you my opinion why I think this has happend and at some point I will suggest some ideas of what we can do.

      As I close, I want to make one final point absolutely clear.  I strongly believe in the Cooperative Program.  I believe that it has been and is the greatest missionary resource that has ever been developed.  I beleive that its inception was Holy Spirit led and that God has blessed the world through the giving and administration of Cooperative Program funds.  If it can be saved, I want to be part of its' salvation.  If it can't be saved and we need to scrap it and develop a new way of funding missions (Right now I can't envision another process that could replace CP effectiveness) then let's get on with it.  But let's quit ignoring the problem, get our heads out of the sand and do something about the problem.  This is the Great Commission issue.

He listened carefully as I explained that the CP is Southern Baptists’ method of supporting missions and ministries’ efforts of state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention.  He was somewhat amazed to know that the majority of Baptist associations do not get their support from the CP.

I patiently and passionately explained how CP works:  state and regional conventions retain a portion of church CP contributions to support ministry and missions in their areas and forward a percentage (different for different state entities) to Southern Baptist national and international causes.  I explained that the amount of the distribution is set by individual states and regional conventions at their annual meetings.

I continued to explain some of the “workings” of the way the North American Mission Board worked closely with state convention partners in funding and supervising state missionaries.  I wish that I had more time to talk with him as he seemed genuinely interested.

The most unfortunate thing about this conversation is that this young man’s CP knowledge or lack of it is symptomatic of a growing problem in our Southern Baptist convention churches.  This is sad because it could be a sign that the CP may be dying---or at least be very sick.

Another sign that the CP is in trouble is a report just released by the SBC Executive Committee.  The committee reported that as of May 31, year-to-date CP offerings are 2.74 percent below the same time frame last year.  Add to this, there has been a continuing trend of local congregations giving less of their undesignated receipts to the CP over the last few years.  Even though much of this year’s downturn could be contributed to our nation’s flagging economy, this trend down in percentage giving is the greater concern.

Other signs:  State conventions scaling back their budgets (KBC staff is operating on a 92 percent budget for 2008-2009).  This is true of the North American Mission Board (90 percent).  And headlines this week are that the International Mission Board (IMB) missionary appointments are being scaled back due to the economy.

If that isn’t enough---designated giving that includes the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, and other special gifts are 10.78 percent below gifts received at this point last year.

Again, the question that I started this post with:  Is the CP dying?  My fervent prayer is that it is not.  But, the signs seem to indicate otherwise.

     A number of years ago, during the period that Lou Anne and I were serving in Peru as IMB missionaries, we learned a strong lesson in the importance and power of prayer.  We had just completed four and one-half years serving high in the Andes Mountains in central Peru.  We returned to the US for "furlough" (called stateside assignment today).  One of the things that our Area Director, Dr. Bryan "Breezy" Brasington suggested we do was to take time out to evaluate our last 4 1/2 years of service--which we did.  I actually charted the major achievements on paper that spread over our term of service.  It was very evident that there was a two year period of that 4 1/2 years during which we saw significant advances in our work with the Quechua Indians.  During that period we were able to be involved in the planting of numerous churches, build a ministry center (with the help of many US volunteers), conduct several life changing community projects and lead a team of translators to translate the New Testament in the Quechua dialect of the Ancash Valley.  Professions of faith and baptisms reached an incredible number.  It was an amazing two years!

     Our next task was to try to determine what was different about those two years that separated them from the rest of that term.  As we examined that period we could not determine any significant increase in activity.  Neither could we attribute that period to a special time of ease of ministry.  In fact, those two years were probably the bloodiest of the nearly decade long civil war in Peru between the Shining Path Communist guerillas and the Peruvian government.  It was a dangerous time.

     But we did determine what was different about that 2 year period.  And it really was no surprise to us.  It was during that time that a group from a church in Richmond, Va. made a covenant with us to pray for us each day individually and to meet together on Wednesday nights as a group to pray for us.  We would keep them supplied with specific requests as we were able (mostly by ham radio--we had no telephone and internet had not been invented yet).  And they were faithful in their praying.  And God blessed!

     I have learned a lot about prayer over the years of my lifetime. Even though I haved discovered a number of biblical principles of prayer that I can be dogmatic about-- there is still much I don't understand about prayer.  But I do know this, when God's people pray, good things happen.

     That is one of the reasons that I am so grateful that Prayer is a key component of the Find It Here strategy.  Prayerwalking in particular is a key element of the Find It Here process as Kentucky Baptists will attempt to pray down every street and road in our state during September and October of this year.  I truly believe that this kind of praying will make a difference in the life of those participating in the praying and the lives of those in the homes that will be prayed over.  This praying will impact the harvest.

     One of my colleagues at the KBC, Eric Allen, has put together a "Pocket Guide to PrayerWalking" especially for the Find it Here prayerwalking efforts (These cards are available by contacting Eric at the KBC).  He writes on this extremely helpful card:  "More important than any strategy we create, our foundation must be in prayer.  Great spiritual dividends have resulted in the efforts of God's people touching a co mmunity through intercession.  So, as you walk, pray for impossible things to happen in your city and county (Luke 18:27)".

     What is your prayer life like?  Maybe today is the day that you need to make a decision to move your prayer life to a new level of intensity.  Some one's eternity may be impacted by your praying or lack of praying.

     Wait a minute!  Did I just write that this will be a great evangelistic thrust?  Is doing something so simple evangelism?  Some will disagree with me (and have), but yes this is evangelism.  It certainly isn't the only way to do evangelism and there are probably many ways that are much better.  Still, this is a method, and it is one that has the potential of involving every church member, young and old, in large and small churches in doing evangelism.

     What is my basis for declaring this process as evangelism.  One reason is the success that the Oklahoma Baptist Convention had with a similar process that they called Across Oklahoma.  According to the Oklahoma Baptist Convention Evangelism Director, after delivering 800,000 bags with Gospel presentations, they had a response rate of 1.5%.  That was the number of cards that were mailed back from people who had made professions of faith or wanted more information.  If we have that same kind of response in Kentucky and reach 1 to 1.5 million homes, we can anticipate somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 response cards being returned.  That's evangelism!

     Another reason for declaring seed sowing as a valid form of evangelism is tract/literature ministry.  Over the years, I have heard many testimonies of those who came to Christ because of a tract or some other piece of literature that was given to them.  A well written explanation of the plan of salvation backed by strong Scripture references have proved to be powerful evangelistic tools for many years.

     Probably the most compelling reason for a Seed Sowing evangelism project are the words of Jesus.  In Matthew 13 we find the Parable of the Sower.  Jesus compares the sharing of the message of the gospel to the spreading of seeds by a farmer.  An assumption of the parable is that there will be no harvest without sowing.

     Find It Here! is a sowing process and it is evangelism.  But it is much more than a sowing event.  It is a soil preparation event also.  It takes into account the condition of different soils with the ultimate goal of a great harvest.  Just as the farmer will break up the hard ground, remove the rocks and destroy the weeds, Find it Here! will do the same.  The Find It Here! soil treatment will be accomplished by Prayerwalking every street and road in Kentucky during September and October, 2009, conducting Find it Here! branded compassionate ministries throughout the year, helping churches prepare for the many facets of assimilation in the next 10 months, helping church members learn to share their testimonies and witness to those far from God, statewide mass media presentations of people who found it, and preparing to ramp up small groups in order to disciple the new believers.  Evangelism can't get any better balanced than this!

     I am so proud to be a part of a convention of Southern Baptist Pastors and churches who get this, who are ready to engage the lost through this sowing process, and who have already begun soil preparation for this great process!  I am also grateful to the vast majority of our associations and Directors of Missions who are assisting the churches of their association so that every home will have the opportunity to receive a Gospel presentation.  May God bless this process and may He receive the glory for what He will do!

However, the High Impact church planting process was birthed in 2004 as part of “Kentucky Connect”, the strategy plan of the Kentucky Baptist Convention that was initiated in 2005.  These church plants make up about 10% of the church plants that have had their beginning since January 2005.

As we are now in the fifth year (early in the fifth), I am able to make some evaluations of these church plants.  We now have 19 High Impact Churches with two to be approved on Tuesday, April 28.  The goal for the end of 2009 is to have 25 new churches in this category.

      After the first quarter’s report, here are some statistics that point to the success of this process.  Of the 19 churches, seven of the churches are averaging 60 or more attending the worship service.  Three are under 50, but they are all churches that were approved in 2008.  None of the three have had their official launch.  Two others launched in late 2008 or early 2009.

      Nine of the churches have attendance over 100, with three averaging between 100-150, two averaging 150-200, three averaging 200-250, and one averaging 350-400 during the first quarter of 2009.

      The 14 High Impact Churches that have been constituted since the inception of this process have a total of 1,056 members.  They baptized 168 new believers during 2008.  That is an average of one baptism for every 6.9 members.  That’s absolutely amazing and one of the reasons I strongly believe in planting new churches.  If our existing KBC churches had baptized with the same member/baptism ratio, KBC churches would have baptized 79,400 new believers instead of 16,000.

      And as important, lives have been changed by these new churches.  The planters have been fantastic, but all the glory goes to the Father!

      Please pray for these new churches and all the new churches and existing churches in Kentucky.  Let’s lift up Jesus together and watch what He accomplishes!

     A couple of lessons were learned in Texas.  First, size of church is not an obstacle.  Slide Baptist Church averages 28 in Sunday School.  Yet, Pastor Randy Bartley reported that 8 members distributed bags with a Gospel presentation to 1,400 homes.

     Another lesson learned is that age is not a limiting factor to the distribution of the gospel bags to homes.  Lois Langley of Redbud Baptist is 97 years old.  Even at her age, Lois was able, with the aid of a walker, to distribute the bags in her neighborhood.  On the other end of the age scale, 26 first through six graders from Redbud delivered 400 bags in about one hour.

     As I have travelled around Ky talking about this process in anticipation of the Kentucky Baptist campaign with prayer walking scheduled for September and October of 2009 and Gospel distribution scheduled for March, 2010, I have noted an excitement mounting throughout the state.  DOMs, Pastors and church members have expressed mounting conviction and excitement that this is a God thing.  There has been an estimate made that perhaps as many as 50,000 Kentucky Baptists will participate in the Prayer walking and the Gospel distribution.  This process will be the largest outreach project conducted by KBC Baptist churches in its history.

     Kentucky Baptist DOMs have been in the forefront of the planning of this process.  Several associations have already conducted training sessions for this event and the amazing preparation in anticipation of the harvest.  Prayer is being made that God will bless this process.  I believe He will!

     Kentucky Baptist DOMs will be utilizing their May DOM Leadership Event to learn from one another how to enhance the soil of their associations and how to conduct this massive sowing event.  Please pray for our DOMs and, if you have not already done so, begin praying for Kentucky Baptist's "Find It Here" campaign.

      This conference was a leadership event.  Conferences were designed to assist DOMs to be effective and relevant.  The DOMs were able to choose from conferences such as:  The DOM as Coach, Overcoming Conflict in Ministry, Achieving Kingdom Results, Legal Issues for the Church, Involving Young Pastors, The Acts 1:8 Challenge and more.

      I attended several of the conferences and found them to be very helpful.  As good as the conference proved to be, the best part for me was spending time with the DOMs and hearing about the exciting way associations are proving to be relevant and a tremendous support in Kingdom Growth.

      I especially enjoyed the Friday night meal that Kentucky DOMs shared at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Franklin, TN.  We were able to share with one another about our families and work and were able to watch the U of L blowout of Arizona together.  We also had a profitable discussion of the “Find it Here” campaign.

      Sunday was a day of observing leadership in action.  It began with worship at The Baptist Worship Center in Mt. Sterling.  This is one of the KBC-resourced High Impact church plants.  Travis Drake is pastor/planter.  The new church celebrated the remodeling of the sanctuary of the old First Baptist Church, Mt. Sterling.  Now that took leadership! 

I was there over a year ago when the plant was debating if they should buy this dilapidated facility.  At that time, it almost looked hopeless.  However, Travis led the church to buy the property and they have been renovating the facilities since the purchase was completed. The dedication service for the sanctuary Sunday proved that vision can come true with good leadership.

It was great seeing DOM Jack Fletcher (Red River) and Larry Cranfill (Minister of Missions, Porter Memorial Baptist Church, Lexington) present for this service.  Churches in Red River and Porter Memorial are the key partnering entities with this High Impact Church.  Glenn Cummings, the KBC Church Development Strategist for that region, was also there to demonstrate his support for the new church.

That afternoon, Lou Anne and I traveled to Maysville First for the spring meeting of the Bracken Association.  DOM Bill Boldt took a bold risk in leading the association to change the meeting time and format.  It paid huge dividends as the number of churches represented and the number of people attending proved to be a large increase over previous meetings.

Bill designed the meetings around the “Find it Here” campaign.  He had me lead the opening session on an Overview of the “Find it Here” process.  When I completed my session, Bill had recruited four people to lead breakout sessions on components of the “Find it Here” process.  Eric Allen from the KBC led a session on Compassionate Ministries, Jim McGee, former KBC Church Development Strategist led a group on prayer and prayer walking, Brian Dembowczyk (Pastor of Owensville)le d a session on how to make small groups successful and Pastor David Cheek (Mayslick Baptist)led a session on Effective Evangelism.  Bracken Association Baptists were able to choose two of these sessions to attend.  It was a great meeting and another example of what excellent leadership can accomplish!

On May 11^th and 12^th, Dr. Ed Stetzer, LifeWay’s Missiologist in Residence and President of LifeWay Research, will conduct seminars on Biblical Foundations of Church Planting, Planting Models, What Plants Look Like Today, Who me a Planter?, Church Planting Systems, Building Planting Teams, Church Outreach, Prospect Development, Launching a Church, Casting and Maintaining Vision, Assimilation in the Church and Key Values for Effective Planting.  In addition, a banquet is planned for Monday night at which Dr. Stetzer will conduct a Q&A Session.

On Wednesday, May 13^th, and Thursday, May 14^th, the format will change.  On each of these days, there will be two worship sessions and two keynote speakers plus at least eight breakout sessions.  On Wednesday, I will speak on lostness in North America with an emphasis on Kentucky, and Dr. J. D. Payne will speak on the Barnabas Factors:  Eight Essential Practices for Church Planting Teams.  On Thursday, Dr. Chuck Lawless will speak on The Church Planter and Spiritual Warfare and Jeff Eaton will speak on the Lord’s Mission Statement.

The Breakout sessions will be lead by real life church planters in Kentucky.  These  men, some who are veteran church planters, are somewhere between their first year and third year at their present church plant.  These are “fresh” planters who will be able to speak in the present tense about church planting.  The breakout session titles, leaders and brief description are listed below:

5 Questions I Need to Ask Myself before Planting a Church  In this seminar Pastor Daniel will be challenging you to examine five critical questions that all church planters must ask before planting a church.  Are you ready?  Come and be challenged as we explore Isaiah 45 and ask some tough questions!   Daniel Lucas, Crosspoint, Morehead, KY

Stewardship: Getting it Right in the Beginning   When should a new church plant begin talking about stewardship?  How should this be done?  Ideas for developing solid stewardship practices from day one.   Mike Osborne, The Journey, Boone County, KY

      To register for this event or more info, you can go to the KBC website or click on www.kybaptist.org/planting.  I hope many of you will make plans to attend.

     One of my colleagues at the Kentucky Baptist Convention e-mailed me a video that he had found on YouTube entitled, “Fainting Goats”.  This short two minute thirty-nine second video is about a type of goat that has a genetic birth defect that, when slightly frightened, will fall down and be briefly incapacitated.  These goats are known as miatonic goats, nervous goats, stiff leg goats and wooden leg goats.  Other than this strange affliction, they are very normal and very intelligent.

I have never seen one of these goats except on this video.  But, I have run across the two-legged version on many occasions.  I have seen them among would-be church planters and would-be missionaries, pastors and church members, ADOMs and denominational leaders.

These are the people who, when a great spiritual challenge is presented, for lack of a better word (and one that will fit with this video)---“faint”.  I have seen this in would-be missionaries and would-be church planters who “freeze” and just can’t seem to pull the trigger.  I see it in the ministries of some pastors and some lay people who just can’t make the leap of faith that is required to move their churches toward spiritual greatness.  I see it in ADOMs and denominational leaders who are just too afraid of risk to achieve real greatness and reach their potential for God.

A real life, real time example:  the “Find it Here” campaign.  I have been on board with this exciting Gospel distribution effort since I first heard about what Oklahoma conducted a couple of years ago.  Along with others on the KBC staff that were at the same meetings, we came back with the vision to do something similar to this in Kentucky.  I had the privilege of sharing this possibility first with DOMs in listening sessions and since then with several groups of pastors and lay people.  During the KBC Mission Board Meeting held in December 2008, the Board officially adopted the process for Kentucky.

The challenge of “Find it Here” is stiff!  To deliver a Gospel presentation to 1.5 million households in Kentucky will be a monumental task.  And quite frankly, “fainting goats” will not get it done!

Why do these two-legged goats fail when a big challenge is presented to them?  It could be they are afraid of failure.  I believe that fear of failure is a great sin of many believers.  Or maybe it’s their insecurity that makes them faint.  Or maybe they are fearful for their reputation, or think it’s a political blunder, or don’t think that people will follow if they step out and lead.  Or maybe they are just faithless.

I saw a real life goat a few weeks ago.  He was in a fenced in area near a pond.   The thing I noticed about him was that he was out front of a heard of sheep leading them to the water.  That’s the kind of goat I want to be and I hope you want to be.

Some believers remind me of these goats: a little bit of a scare, and they fall right over. (Click here)

                                                         Sowing the seed of the Gospel is the key focus of Find it Here, the KBC and Association 2009-2010 campaign process that has as its goal to distribute a simple presentation of the plan of salvation to 1.5 million homes in Kentucky during a two week period during March 2010.  The plan is that associations will divide their geographical areas into sections and assign those areas to participating churches for the purpose of going house-to-house and leaving a plastic bag with the Gospel presentation.  If this produces the same results as a similar event conducted in Oklahoma, there will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 16,000—20,000 lost Kentuckians who will make professions of faith or ask for more information about how they can be saved.  That will be a great harvest!

                                                         However, the harvest could be greater.  Much of the success will depend on the “soil” preparation prior to sowing of the seed.  Jesus, in His parables of sowing, shares about the four types of soil and the result of sowing seed in these areas.  He spoke of

1.    the path or the hard, compacted soil

2.    the rocky soil

3.    the soil covered with thorns

4.    the good soil.

All farmers have worked with these kinds of soil.  Most successful farmers will not sow seed in the soil until they have moved the soil from the first three categories to the fourth.  They do that by breaking up the soil with plows, de-rocking the soil by machines or by hand, adding fertilizer, and killing the weeds.  When farmers do this (and most successful farmers have a yearly and multi-year strategic plan to do this), the soil is prepared to receive the seed and produces a great harvest if it gets proper rain and other climatic factors are favorable.

While the two weeks in March 2010 are the scheduled times for the “sowing” of the Gospel seed” in the Find it Here campaign, the soil preparation must go on all this next year.  How can we do that:

1.    Prayer and Prayerwalking:  Praying for lost individuals can break up the hardest of hearts.

2.    Compassionate/Servant Ministries:  Churches conducting ministries that meet needs created by the “thorns of life” will find people receptive to the seed.

3.&nb sp;   Relationship Building:  Developing caring relationships with lost people will turn “bad soil” into “good soil”.

4.    Witnessing:  Some “soil” is already prepared.  But, they need someone to plant the seed.

During the next year, new churches and older churches can do many things that

can effect the productivity of the harvest.  The KBC is prepared to help churches and associations do soil preparation.  Now, let’s prepare the soil!

*   *   *   *   *   *

                                   May 11-14, 2009        

                             Sojourn Church, Louisville   

Jointly Sponsored by KBC and Campbellsville

University (Louisville campus)

For information and registration:  www.kybaptist.org/planting

One thing is clear and almost universal among the results of the process.  In nearly every case, the pastors have indicated that they are surrounded by lost people and that they struggle with how to do outreach and evangelism effectively in reaching these lost souls.  When you look at national baptismal rates, you will readily understand the pastors concern and realize that they are right on target.  We are losing the spiritual war!  There are more lost people now than ever before!  The church seems to be impotent in turning this around.

So what do we do?  Well, we need to pray.  That’s always the correct starting point---even though in reality it is often our last resort.

Maybe we just need to get back to the basics.  Outreach used to be the lifeblood of Southern Baptist churches.  Today’s truth is that most of our churches do not have any kind of outreach emphasis.

The Kentucky Baptist Convention, in the form of its leadership who comprise its Mission Board (made up of representatives from all our KBC Baptist Associations), voted in the December 2008 KBC Mission Board meeting to boldly step out with an audacious plan to attempt to place a Gospel presentation in the 1.5 million households in Kentucky.

The KBC staff has been at work trying to coordinate how we can do this---we have called upon our DOMs and Associations to be the coordinators of this process.  I am grateful to say that all but one association with DOMs has embraced this process.  I believe he will come on board when he understands what can be accomplished.  Of course, we are hoping every KBC church will be involved in this massive undertaking.

This process, which is called Find it Here. will be comprised of several key components:

·         Gospel distribution (bag and brochure)to every household in Kentucky (March 2010)

·         Prayerwalking every street and road in Kentucky (September/October 2009)

·         Harvest Sunday (Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010)

·         Follow-up of potentially 16,000—20,000 decisions and responses to the Gospel presentations

·         Find it Here. national, statewide and local media campaign

What potential this process has in getting Kentucky Southern Baptists back on

track!  It will cause us to examine every facet of a healthy church and what it will take to reach out to the lost, win them for Christ and assimilate them into the local Body of Christ.  My prayer is that every new church plant and every Baptist church in Kentucky will get on board and that the projection of 50,000 individual Kentucky Baptists being involved will be underestimated!  May God bless Find it Here!

      Stay tuned for more info. . .

*   *   *   *   *   *

                                   May 11-14, 2009        

                             Sojourn Church, Louisville   

                  Featuring Ed Stetzer, Chuck Lawless and others

      I read much of the book on Friday night and was able to take a strong look at the rest of it.  (I managed to finish completely reading the book yesterday).  What I found was a very practical, no-nonsense book on the characteristics and lifestyle that should be present in Church Planting Team Members.  And I was able to make a strong recommendation to the potential Church Planters to read this book before enlisting their team members.

      Basically the book examines the ministry of Barnabas and highlights eight essential practices of Church Planting Team Members:

·         Walking with the Lord

·         Maintaining an Outstanding Character

·         Serves the Local Church

·         Remains Faithful to the Call

·         Shares the Gospel Regularly

·         Raises Up Leaders

·         Encourages with Speech and Actions

·         Responds Appropriately to Conflict

The book concludes with some tools to help assess team members and evaluate the

team. 

      Although Dr. Payne has written this with an eye toward application in the church planting process, I believe these principles are also valid for any church that is utilizing the team or committee approach to lead their church and to the Associational DOM as he develops teams to assist in doing the work of the association.

      I hope that many of you will pick this book up and utilize its assessment ideas.

      The Church Planting Conference is jointly-sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Convention and Campbellsville University (Louisville Campus).  Students can obtain college credit for participation in the event if they choose. (Contact Campbellsville University Louisville campus for credit details).  The Conference will take place at Sojourn Church in Louisville.

      On May 11-12, Ed Stetzer will share on numerous topics.  There will be an evening meal on May 12^th at which Stetzer will do a Q & A session.  May 13-14 will take a different format.  There will be worship, two keynote speakers, and three breakout sessions each day.  During the breakout sessions, there will be numerous topics offered by “real life” church planters.  This should be a great event.  Even those not involved in church planting may find many of the sessions helpful in the realm of church growth.

      Registration will begin March 1^st on the KBC website.