wfn.org | ABCUSA: National Ministries Adopts Mission Priorities

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Richard.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

      American Baptist News Service			     
	  Office of Communication / American Baptist Churches USA
	  P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 
	   Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320 
		 Richard W. Schramm, Director (E-mail:
RICHARD.SCHRAMM@ABC-USA.ORG)

American Baptist News Service (11/18/02)--At the semiannual meeting of the
National Ministries' board of directors in Valley Forge, Pa., Nov. 16,
members voted unanimously to adopt five strategic mission priorities to
guide programs and ministries and serve as a blueprint for measuring
American Baptist home mission effectiveness.

Executive Director Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III said the priorities
seek to answer the question, "What parameters can we use to measure the
effect of our ministries with people so we can assure the best use of our
human and financial resources?"

Developed by National Ministries' staff following a yearlong organizational
study, the five strategic mission priorities are:
1. To plant disciple-making congregations at an exponentially growing rate
to act as catalysts for community transformation, in support of the American
Baptist NEW LIFE 2010 goals to start 1,010 new churches and reach 1,000,010
new disciples by the year 2010. 
2. To renew and resource congregations and their leaders, in partnership
with others, resulting in strong and healthy American Baptist churches.
3. To identify and resource new, emerging and growing people groups as
primary ministry channels through which National Ministries facilitates the
proclamation of the gospel, the starting of new churches, and ministering to
persons of special need.
4. To facilitate evangelism, congregational transformation, new church
planting and caring ministry partnerships and alliances with and among new
and emerging people group congregations and "dominant culture" congregations
for the furtherance of NEW LIFE 2010 and Encouraging Life in Christ goals.
5. To resource and deploy the staff of National Ministries effectively and
efficiently according to mission priorities and goals so that "cooperative
connections" are established, effectively communicated, and nurtured among
partners in mission towards the realization of NEW LIFE 2010 and Encouraging
Life in Christ goals.

Wright-Riggins said an "environmental scan" revealed that many American
Baptist churches stand in need of renewal: "They need our help and we must
give it to them." Despite limited budgets, the executive director said, "We
remain committed to all of our churches-and to NEW LIFE 2010, church
planting, evangelism, caring ministries and congregational transformation." 

Board members also unanimously adopted National Ministries' 2003 budget that
includes a $35,404 deficit and a 7 percent reduction in expenses from 2002.

At Friday afternoon's plenary session, ABMen President Cody Pollington
thanked National Ministries' board for supporting men's ministries and asked
board members to remind local church and region participants that these
ministries start at home. Pollington said: "ABMen is the men at the local,
grassroots level. It's time for men to recognize that ABMen needs to take
ownership of its ministry. I do not believe it can work any other way."
Wright-Riggins said that National Ministries' goal is to help the group move
toward becoming a self-supporting ministry.

Board President the Rev. Susan Maybeck reported on mission visits made by
the board's executive committee to Fairport Baptist Home, a senior housing
facility, and Cameron Community Ministry, a Neighborhood Action Program, in
the Rochester, N.Y., area. God is providing social service programs like
these in American Baptist regions and local churches across the country,
Maybeck said. Even so, she reported, "It's not enough." She challenged
members: "God has called us to do a ministry. We have to go hand-in-hand
with God. We have to be responsible and we have to be hopeful. Do you see
the vision? Do you see the ministry needs? Are we going to be about our
God's business?"

The board also heard home mission highlights from Aundreia Alexander, Esq.,
director of Socially Responsible Investing and Ecology. Because 100 percent
of National Ministries' Common Investment Fund is held in socially
responsible investments, Alexander pointed out its income not only funds
mission work but also provides a means to carry out mission. "Every dollar
we have invested is socially responsible; it is doing mission every day,"
Alexander said. "Money speaks and ours speaks for social justice."

In addition, National Ministries uses shareholder activism to carry out its
socially responsible investing mission. The current effort, said Alexander,
focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and high drug costs, price
constraints on HIV/AIDS/TB/malaria drugs in Africa and ethical practices in
extending patents, which delay consumer access to cost effective
medications. Future plans of this ministry include developing programs and
workshops that will educate individuals and groups at the local church level
about socially responsible investing.

02ABN170

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (610)768-2077; fax:
(610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org; richard.schramm@abc-usa.org