by Wayne Faison, BGAV Executive Director

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Over the last three years, Virginia Baptists have been emphasizing and celebrating our three charisms that have resided in our DNA since our origins. In 2024, Virginia Baptists emphasized and celebrated freedom, which many deem as our first charism. In 2025, Virginia Baptists emphasized and celebrated missions, our second charism. Now, in 2026, Virginia Baptists all across the Commonwealth are emphasizing our third and final charism, which is heart for the not yet. Personally, I am so grateful that since our beginnings, God saw fit to anoint and endow us with these divinely wonderful charisms, which have stood the test of time for more than 200 years.

If you have not heard the story of my personal call to ministry: God used 2 Timothy 4:5b as the foundation of my calling in 1992, which reads in the KJV, “…do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” During these last 34 years, God has instilled in me a spiritual passion to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why I’m so excited that this year’s annual emphasis is “Heart for the Not Yet,” because it stirs up and heightens my evangelistic zeal to spread the Good News.

Recently, however, the Holy Spirit revealed to me a new meaning of heart for the not yet. After a few weeks of visiting many of our pastors and leaders, I was traveling down I-95 having a conversation with God. From the time the Lord saw fit to bless me to become BGAV’s executive director in 2022, I’ve been trying to figure out why so many of our pastors and leaders were struggling with their relational connection with BGAV. I have distinctly felt an underlying sense of quiet frustration. And I’ve been trying for quite some time to gain some semblance of understanding this relational reality. But during that conversation with God as I traveled I-95 that day, the Holy Spirit dropped two words on my spirit that I have never used—a phrase that has never appeared in my verbal repertoire. Those words were organizational despondency.

After doing some research, I found out that organizational despondency is “the state of low spirits or becoming disheartened” on the part of a person or group of people involved in an organization—primarily due to a lack of belief that their presence and participation there still matter or make an impact.  

I must confess that this newfound revelation has provided me with a renewed sense of purpose, focus, and direction. From this point forward, I am committing myself to a renewed sense of hope for the restoration of the collective hearts of Virginia Baptists—doing more with our churches, pastors, and leaders throughout our Commonwealth, as we all move forward toward our not yet—together.

Rev. Dr. Wayne Faison is BGAV’s executive director.

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