Chris Mills said he feels like he says this every year, but every year he’s more excited about the group of students who are scattered across the nation and world as summer missionaries. “We just seem to get a better and better group of students serving, so I’m excited about the stories we’ll hear from what they’ll get to see and do,” said Mills, student missions mobilizer for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. During REACH weekend in April at WorldSong Missions Place, 106 Alabama college students were commissioned at First Baptist Church Pell City to go to South America, the Middle ..read more

About five years ago, Zane Miles began to really see the significance of Baptist Campus Ministries and what they do on college campuses around the state. He had been discipling three guys in his youth group at First Baptist Church Guin, and when they graduated, two of them went to the University of North Alabama, and the other went to the University of Alabama in Huntsville. “What I had been doing in those guys’ lives, once they got connected with the BCM, it really started to produce that fruit in their lives,” said Miles, who now serves as senior pastor of FBCG. One of those guys — Nathan Ke ..read more

The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions called two new state missionaries in mid-May — Bryan Blass, who will serve as director of the office of LeaderCare, and Kennedi Kruger, who will serve as a Baptist campus minister for Auburn University. Both begin their new roles June 1. Ken Allen, who has been serving as director of the office of LeaderCare, is shifting into the role of director of the office of associational missions and church planting with the upcoming retirement of Rick Barnhart, current director of that office. Allen and Barnhart will overlap in the role for ..read more

One night following Jesus’ resurrection, after He had appeared to His disciples at least twice, Peter and some of the other Disciples were together. The gospel of John, chapter 21 includes, “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus.  5 “Men,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boa ..read more

More than a decade ago, Shannon Hughes struggled with something that she said has made her more prepared for campus ministry today — she thought she was failing at it. “A lot of circumstances made it a challenging situation for me personally,” said Hughes, who at the time was serving with Auburn University’s Baptist Campus Ministries. “Also, I was probably making it tougher, because I needed to seek out some help, and also I was not relying on the Lord like I needed to.” She was doing ministry in her own power. She struggled with anxiety and fear. She believed the lie that she was failing ..read more

Over the last several years, I have especially had the privilege of praying for church planters on a regular basis. Church planting is a spiritual engagement in darkness – to plant the Gospel in a community needing new Gospel impact. In praying for leaders, and godly men and women, I have used Proverbs 13 as a great guide and outline to pray more deeply. The following is a sequence that has been helpful though not comprehensive: VERSE 1 – Like David, may he respond well to God’s discipline and rebuke. The Lord disciplines those He loves, so may he experience and know of God’s love drawing him ..read more

Have you ever known a leader who was maddeningly insecure – about everything? They live among us. These are people in management or leadership positions who are wobbly and always teetering, questioning, seeking the right answer to appear. Never confident in their decision-making abilities. Honestly, we all – every leader at every level has a little insecurity inside. A little secret, that is okay and, in most cases healthy. I was once selected to serve on a Pastor Search Committee for our church. I tried to talk my way out of it. That did not work. Then I was elected to chair that committee. T ..read more

Few things bear more fruit and have a greater impact on a local church than systematically and consistently investing in men. By J. Josh Smith I am a fourth-generation pastor on both sides of my family. This means my father, both grandfathers, and both great-grandfathers were all pastors. I have a brother who is a pastor, three uncles who are pastors, and at least eight first cousins who are pastors or missionaries. All of that to say, when I became a first-time pastor, you would think I would’ve known what I was doing. At least, I think that’s what the first church that hired me assumed. But ..read more

Josh Meadows said he gets excited about YM Link on Mission each year because it’s a chance to introduce students to missions. But this year there’s double the reason to be excited — they’re expanding to two sites. Teams will serve in Huntsville June 17-22 helping homeowners with repairs. But students will also serve in Indianapolis June 4-9 helping churches do outreach as part of the Crossover event leading up to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. “The heart is that it would be an introduction to missions and to stepping outside your comfort zone and serving others,” said Mea ..read more

Have you ever questioned your salvation or had someone ask you how they can know for sure they are saved? 1 John 5:13 states, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” So, when people come to me with doubts, I take them through the book of 1 John. This Scripture was written to the early church (and to you and me) as an assurance of eternal life and a warning for those who were only going through the motions. Here are 12 signs of an authentic Christian: 1st Sign (1 John 1:1–4) You have encounters with Christ. This encou ..read more