In case you missed it: The Reaching the Nations in North America Conference took place several days ago. HERE is Seth Brown’s article at Baptist Press. Thank you, Seth; and thank you BP for posting this.
This was an important moment in the life of my denomination. The event was the first conference of its scope focused on reaching unreached people groups in North America. Different denominational partnerships (including many individuals) were involved. While the origin of the event may be traced to the North Carolina Baptist Convention, the partnership involved the Tennessee Baptist Convention, International Mission Board, and North American Mission Board. In fact, HERE is one of my favorite pics of the weekend showing the cooperation.
But, I’m guessing most Southern Baptists did not know of this event. Why so little attention for something so significant in the history of our denomination? Let me know what you find out.
The United States and Canada are home to the third and fourth largest numbers of unreached people groups, respectively. India takes first place, followed by China. Most evangelicals, including most Southern Baptists, do not know of this reality. Our expectation is to reach reached people groups in North America.
Some of you have asked about the videos. To my knowledge, the only recordings of the event are those of the three plenary sessions that the International Mission Board shared via Facebook Live. I think the videos will be posted on the IMB FB page. Until then, you may find them linked below:
My session: “Strangers Next Door: Migration and Mission-Our Response”
Jenny Yang: “Immigrants in the U.S.: A Missional Opportunity”
Ed Stetzer: “The Biblical Mandate for Diaspora Ministry”
If you are a state or Canadian convention leader, you need to contact Chuck Register for wisdom on how to plan such an event in your area. Chuck and Shirley Sells did an outstanding job. Seek their counsel.