Missions 'Prime Time' for Revitalized Church

Chris Crain, a pastor in his mid-30s, was called six years ago to his first full-time senior pastorate. It was at a declining church in a transitioning community.

By "sticking to the basics," he has seen a revitalization in South Roebuck Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., and the launch of a second campus, North Valley, 18 miles away. An early learning center has been opened and another one re-established. All the while, the church has maintained its longtime commitment to missions through the Cooperative Program, the Southern Baptist Convention's method of supporting missions and ministries of state conventions and of the SBC nationally and internationally.

"I interview missionaries on my Sunday platform in 'prime time,'" Crain said. "Missionaries should not be relegated to evening services if we are serious about raising up a new generation of missionaries.

"The younger generation wants to do something, not sit in a room and look at a prayer map," Crain said. "Mission opportunities light fires of interest."

A missionary residence at the South Roebuck campus adds fuel to that fire, the pastor said, noting, "They infiltrate our church with enthusiasm for missions."

South Roebuck and its North Valley campus have plans this year for short-term mission trips to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, to the African country of Zambia and to Missouri as an outgrowth of the church's emphasis on missions.

"The Cooperative Program provides a way for churches of any size to get the Gospel from its Jerusalem to the ends of the earth," Crain said. "I think the Cooperative Program can survive and thrive in a changing world."

An important element in South Roebuck's new energy is being part of the Southern Baptist family, Crain said. "We exist to lead people toward connection with God and community with other believers," he said, quoting the church's mission statement. "It's all about connection and community."

Because of the Cooperative Program, Crain said South Roebuck is able to reach out regionally as well as globally, connecting with the entire Southern Baptist community -- working in obedience to God's command with all Southern Baptists to go, share God's love and make disciples.

"When we needed help to start our new campus, state missionaries were right beside us, giving us sound advice and wisdom," Crain said. "This is an aspect of the Cooperative Program most people don't think about: The state conventions use their share of Cooperative Program dollars to strengthen and start churches -- and to evangelize -- and all this strengthens us to reach out globally ever more effectively."

About 450 people participate these days in one of three worship services at South Roebuck's two campuses. When North Valley was started three years ago, about 170 were attending the downtown church.