Pictured above: Attendees listen during a main session gathering. The recent Global Impact Conference was sponsored and coordinated by the Marion Baptist Association, Global Frontier Missions and First Baptist Church of Dunnellon. (Photo Submitted)

Equipping and motivating everyday Christians to answer God’s call to missions was the purpose of the Global Impact Conference held recently in Dunnellon.

“We wanted to inform the body of Christ about what God calls us to do, who we are to reach with the gospel, and how we are supposed to do that,” said Amie Bricker, a local mobilizer for Global Frontier Missions, which organized and sponsored the conference with the Marion Baptist Association and First Baptist Church of Dunnellon.

“We wanted to inform and equip with practical ways to reach the nations,” she said, referencing God’s call to missions found in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The event began Friday evening as attendees shared a meal together and then dug into Scripture, like Matthew 28:19–20, for the biblical basis of missions, discussing God’s purpose, plan, and mandate to go and make disciples of all nations.

The main group sessions on Saturday included “State of World Evangelism,” “God’s Heart for Foreigners,” and “How to Get Involved in Missions.”

Breakout sessions were held in the morning and afternoon where attendees learned about mission opportunities from the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the International Mission Board (IMB), local churches, and other participating mission organizations such as:

• ITEC, a mission organization in Dunnellon, works to inspire, equip, and guide churches and individuals—both in the U.S. and abroad—who are interested in making a long-term impact through short-term training trips.
• T4T Global, a Christian ministry emphasizing Training for Trainers (T4T), focuses on rapid, multiplication-based evangelism and discipleship.
• Global Frontier Missions focuses on missionary training, short-term missions, and discipleship among unreached people groups.
• Wycliffe Bible Translators provides Bible translations for people groups around the world.

Bricker presented information about Global Frontier Missions and discussed the importance of prayer in missions.

“We start with prayer, and that is the foundation for everything we do,” Bricker said. “I encouraged them to start with prayer, to start a prayer group at their church, to get together and pray for the nations. That laborer that you’re praying for could be you. You could be the one that God sends out.”

Near the end of the event, attendees participated in an open-mic format where they shared what they had learned and what their next steps would be.

“I just felt like those I interacted with were truly interested in missions,” said Mark Weible, director of the Marion Baptist Association. “There was a real sense of excitement in the room and a willingness to see how they could get involved.”

About 50 to 60 people attended the conference, representing 16 different churches, Bricker said.

“I was so encouraged by all the different churches represented at this conference,” Bricker said. “This message about informing and equipping the body of Christ went far beyond First Baptist Church of Dunnellon and a couple of area churches. It reached 16 different churches, including one outside of Florida. That is so exciting to think about.”