Florida Baptist Convention wins two top awards at NAMB conference

By Mickey Noah, NAMB
Aug. 11, 2008

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Florida Baptist Convention was recently honored by the North American Mission Board’s church planting group for “being No. 1 in the commitment to expand the Kingdom of God” by planting 140 new churches in 2007 – an achievement that led the Southern Baptist Convention in new church starts.

Accepting the church planting award for the Florida convention were Emanuel Roque, director of the Language Church Planting Department; Rick Lawrence, director of the Church Planting Department; and Maxie Miller, director of the African American Ministries Division.

“The Florida Baptist Convention is fortunate to have some of the nation’s leading church planting practitioners and an executive director-treasurer, Dr. John Sullivan, who values church planting,” said Cecil Seagle, director of the Convention’s Mission Division, which oversees the state’s church planting strategy. “Recognition by the North American Mission Board is recognition of the outstanding work of Frank Moreno, Emanuel Roque, Maxie Miller, Rick Lawrence and their church planting teams.”

Moreno serves as director of the Convention’s Language Division.

NAMB’s evangelization group also honored the Florida Baptist Convention for the state’s increase in the actual number of baptisms in 2007 over 2006. David Burton, director of the Evangelism Division, accepted that award.

“We are very excited that Florida Baptists continue to be an example for the nation in the initiatives of soul winning and baptisms,” said Burton.

“Our work in Haiti has grown over the years and continues to provide strong baptism numbers, which when combined with the work of our Florida Baptist associations gave us the highest increase of any other state in 2007,” he explained.

“In the midst of a national downturn in baptisms, it’s refreshing and exciting to see many of our churches continue to be aggressive in their teaching and training church members to be active lifestyle witness,” added Burton. “I believe this is the reason many of our churches have high baptisms because they encourage their members to be soul winners.”

More than 500 attended the largest NAMB summer leadership meeting in the mission agency’s history in Atlanta, July 27-31. Representing Southern Baptists from each state of the Union, Canada and Puerto Rico, attendees included specialists in evangelism, church planting, ministry and academics from state conventions, local associations, all six SBC seminaries and NAMB.

NAMB also presented annual awards for outstanding achievements in evangelism and church planting to state conventions and individuals.

Steve Fowler, state director of missions for the Montana Southern Baptist Convention in Billings, Mont., was presented the “Dennis Hampton Rural Church Planting Award,” while Stanley K. Smith, state director of missions for the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania-South Jersey, was given NAMB’s “People’s Choice Award” for “excellence in mentoring and coaching peers across North America in church planting.”

The Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention was recognized for its 200 percent increase in the number of churches planted in 2007 over 2006.

In addition to Florida, NAMB’s evangelization group recognized three other state conventions for their increase in the actual number of baptisms between 2006 and 2007. These included the Georgia Baptist Convention, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

Four other state conventions were honored for “expanding the kingdom of God by the increase in percentage of baptisms between 2006 and 2007.” These were the Illinois Baptist State Association, Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, and the Convention of Southern Baptists of Puerto Rico.

The Kentucky Baptist Convention was recognized by NAMB’s Sending Missionaries Group as the state association mobilizing the greatest number of Mission Service Corps missionaries serving in evangelism and church planting during 2007.

NAMB also honored and recognized six individuals retiring this year: Darwin Bacon, state director of missions for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, 20 years of service; Dave Bennett, professor of evangelism at Southwest Baptist University and former director of evangelism for the Missouri Baptist Convention, 16 years; Dan Crawford, professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 23 years; Ted Lam, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, 20 years; Judy Rice, Alaska Baptist Convention, 42 years; and Bill Wagner, former professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, IMB missionary and president of Olivet University International, 50 total years of service.

Mickey Noah is a writer for the North American Mission Board. For more information, contact:770-410-6335 or mnoah@namb.net.