Statement of Belief: Baptist Faith & Message
Area: The Northwest Baptist Convention (NWBC) is a part of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). NWBC's five regions span Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho.
What's happening in church planting?
“You’ve been adding. It’s time to start multiplying.”
These are the words Church Planting Director Gary Irby heard over 30 years ago as God was preparing him to step into catalytic leadership with initially Seattle Church Planting, and later the Northwest Baptist Convention. God may be giving you a similar call to the ministry of “multiplying” through the starting of new churches. The purpose of starting new churches is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lead people into a life changing relationship with Him. Through this effort, new churches begin.
Here in the Northwest, we do not start churches to reach the “churched,” but instead to reach those who are at the heart of a very secular, post-modern society. The Pacific Northwest is not a “post-Christian” society. It is a “never-was-Christian” society. In many parts of the Northwest, only 4% of the population is active in an evangelical church. Only 10% go to a church of any kind at least twice a year. God has started dozens of new churches in recent years among several groups, including Southern Baptists. Southern Baptists, through the leadership of the Northwest Baptist Convention and and in partnership with the North America Mission Board, have seen scores of new churches since the year 2000. T
he hope… the dream… is that a true God-led movement is developing to a point that the region is transformed to a place where it is evident that God reigns. The Northwest could literally could use thousands of churches today to help accomplish that transformation.
