BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — Highlighting Lifeway’s vision statement, President and CEO Ben Mandrell provided trustees with practical steps the organization is taking to serve 300,000 church leaders by 2030.
“While we want to serve as many Christians across the globe as possible, we know our central goal is to listen to the key ministry leaders in the local churches and to build impactful resources to make their jobs easier,” he said. “Ministry is rewarding work, but it’s also hard work, and having the right tools makes all the difference.”
To demonstrate the renewed focus on church leaders, Mandrell highlighted challenges identified by Lifeway Research for four key ministry leaders and resources the organization is producing to help address those areas.
For senior pastors, he noted that many find apathy within their congregations and leadership development to be ministry challenges. Mandrell said Lifeway is developing new resources to serve pastors in these areas and has created a new Church Equipping team to provide better thought leadership and training for pastors struggling to develop leaders and volunteers.
Church leaders ministering to the next generation can look to Lifeway for support and resources, according to Mandrell. Research indicates a growing number of kids have little to no church background. This is causing NextGen leaders to think of new ways to connect with kids and teach them the Bible.
“More and more kids are coming to church who have no idea who Jonah, Noah or Moses are,” Mandrell said. To help those ministering in this new environment, Lifeway developed Hyfi, a new ongoing curriculum designed to share the Gospel with kids and students in unchurched contexts.
When it comes to experiences for sharing the Gospel, Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a standout, Mandrell said. During 2024, Lifeway has been celebrating 100 years of ministry through VBS.
“Lifeway has been helping churches create a fun experience for kids to learn about God and hear the Gospel for a century,” Mandrell said. He noted the continued success of VBS, with more than 2.5 million kids engaging with Lifeway VBS curriculum each summer. “VBS remains one of the largest outreach efforts for Southern Baptist churches, leading to nearly 60,000 salvation decisions each year.”
Mandrell also drew attention to Lifeway’s support of those leading discipleship and small group ministry at churches. “Lifeway Research has been studying discipleship for nearly two decades,” he said. “It should come as no surprise that groups – Sunday school, small groups, life groups – are a powerful tool for discipleship in the life of the church. But leaders find it’s becoming increasingly difficult to move people into groups.”
With this in mind, Lifeway is focusing on providing training and resources for every area of discipleship ministry. “Discipleship is a key pillar of Lifeway. We want to do whatever we can to walk alongside discipleship leaders in the local church and serve them in their efforts to make disciples.”
In women’s ministry, Mandrell shared that many ministry leaders are having to navigate ministry alone. Citing Lifeway’s State of Ministry to Women study, Mandrell said only 5 percent of leaders report they are planning their women’s ministry alongside church staff. “That’s an incredibly low number and suggests that women’s ministry leaders aren’t supported well by other leaders in their church and that women’s ministry isn’t as integrated as it could be into the overall ministry strategy of the church.
“There needs to be more intentional investment made into women’s ministries and the women who lead them,” Mandrell said, “because they have a real impact on the spiritual health and vitality of women in the church.”
To support those leaders, he said Lifeway is committed to providing a wide range of training opportunities such as the Women’s Ministry Essentials conferences, one-day YouLead conferences and the Women’s Leadership Forum. For women’s leaders who may not be able to travel to events, Lifeway has developed Lifeway Women Academy, a series of online, on-demand training courses.
Additionally, Lifeway continues to invest in in-depth Bible studies for women. “As of last week, four of the five top Bible studies on the Amazon Best Sellers list for Christian Bible Studies were Lifeway Women studies: Revelation, Luke in the Land, Ephesians and When You Pray,” he said.
Financial update
Trustees heard a financial update from Joe Walker, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Walker detailed the elements of Lifeway’s fourth consecutive year of revenue growth. “This is a reminder of the Lord’s goodness to see how we’ve recovered since the impact of COVID-19,” Walker said.
He highlighted growth in several areas. Ongoing curriculum revenue has returned to pre-COVID levels after experiencing a 30 percent drop in 2020. This year, the area experienced year-over-year growth in each quarter. Additionally, Bible sales have more than doubled compared to 2019.
At the conclusion of Walker’s report, trustees approved a $319.4 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year, an increase over last year’s $303.2 million budget.
Other business
At the beginning of the trustee meeting, chairman Greg Kannady recognized Mandrell and his wife Lynley to mark five years since he became the president of Lifeway. Kannady noted the numerous difficult seasons for the organization at the beginning of Mandrell’s tenure, including a global pandemic. He thanked him for the courageous decisions he made over the years. “Looking back, we can see God’s hand was on these decisions as each of them led to Lifeway moving from a season of uncertainty to a season of financial stability,” Kannady said.
Trustees also affirmed Scott Pryjmak as Lifeway’s new chief people officer. Prior to this role, Pryjmak served as director of organizational development and talent experience for six years. He has held various human resources-related positions at Lifeway since joining the organization in 2011.
Seven new trustees began their term in June: Kimberly Boatwright, Millington, Tenn.; Randy Egan, Rio Rancho, N.M.; Michael Gentry, Decatur, Ala.; Joseph Han, Belmont, Mass.; Bryan Myers, Americus, Ga.; Kenneth Parker, Kearney, Mo.; Gail Tucker, Bowie, Md.
