By Wayne Faison, BGAV Executive Director

In my three related, previous articles published over the last three months, I wrote about how since the beginning of the year Virginia Baptists (aka BGAV) have been reinvigorating ourselves around one of our main charisms: missions. One of the ways we are doing that is by pairing our ministry teams under what we call “banners.” The names of these banners are as follows: Mission Development, Leadership Development, Church Development, Community Development, and Resource Development. Each of these banners is focused on moving God’s Kingdom forward for such a time as this.

How is each banner doing that? Well, I’m glad you asked. In my last article, “Mission Forward: Part III,” I spelled out the impact we are expecting each banner to make as they connect and develop congregations and leaders for this ever-changing world. In today’s article, I would like to reiterate those expectations in simpler terms. Often—and I’ll be the first one to admit to doing this—we sometimes talk about how we plan to do missions using more-complex-than-necessary terminologies and phrases that may seem irrelevant to church members and leaders. So I want to clarify here what we are expecting from each banner in more concise language.

When it comes to moving the mission forward, all five banners will be respectively aiding congregations and leaders in the following ways:

• Navigating Cultural Change (i.e., mission development)
• Leveling Up Their Skills (i.e., leadership development)
• Finding Their People (i.e., church development)
• Knowing Their Neighbors (i.e., community development)
• Getting The Tools They Need (i.e., resource development)

All these areas of development are critically important. But as the senior pastor of East End Baptist Church (EEBC) in Suffolk, Virginia, the one that resonates with me the most right now as it relates to missions is navigating cultural change. Most of the members at EEBC would agree that we are currently living in a season of uncertainty and change. Since change is inevitable, what EEBC members are seeking most are ideas on how our church can adequately adapt our mission in the midst of uncertain times. EEBC will definitely be reaching out to the ministry teams paired under the Mission Development banner for advice, aid, and assistance.

As BGAV’s executive director, I invite you to reach out as well to the respective banner that will help you and your church to meet your most pressing mission. We look forward to hearing from you soon!