SBCV celebrates 25 years of church planting at Annual Homecoming
By Timothy Cockes
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (BP) – The SBC of Virginia (SBCV) celebrated 25 years of church planting during its Annual Homecoming at London Bridge Baptist Church Nov. 10-12.
Brian Autry, executive director of the SBCV, spoke to nearly 1,200 messengers and guests about how the concept of churches planting other churches has been a crucial part of the convention’s ministry philosophy from the beginning.
“Since 1999, over 400 churches have been planted through the partnership of SBCV churches,” Autry said. “For 25 years now, SBCV churches have been sending and planting churches as they advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ together.”
Autry said more than 100 of those church plants have started within the last five years. He reminded attendees the SBCV is simply working to fulfill a mandate from God.
“Loved ones, churches sending people to our neighbors and the nations is not our idea,” Autry said. “It’s the very idea of God. It’s a Holy Spirit movement. This evening we come together to thank the Lord that He has made us, His people, to be His plan A, plan B and plan C. We must never forget that we are a sent people.”
In celebration of the convention’s legacy of church planting, the theme for the 2024 Annual Homecoming was “Advancing the Gospel Together.”
The convention celebrated another record year of giving and other significant financial milestones.
SBCV churches gave record totals to the Cooperative Program ($9,905,189) and the Annie Armstrong Easter offering ($1,385,530). Additionally, $3,646,718 was given towards the Lottie Moon Christmas offering.
All-time SBCV giving to the Cooperative Program has now surpassed more than $217 million since the convention’s inception in 1996.
Upon recommendation from the executive board, messengers approved the proposed Ministry Investment Plan (MIP) of $10,750,000 for the upcoming 2025 fiscal year, which is a slight increase from the 2024 Ministry Investment Plan.
Of the total adopted Ministry Investment Plan amount, $10.3 million comes from SBC of Virginia churches giving related to Cooperative Program contributions. The adopted plan will be distributed with 51 percent going to national Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program ministries and 49 percent distributed to state level SBC of Virginia Cooperative Program ministries. This is the same percentage of allocation as previous years.
Upon recommendation, 32 churches requesting partnership with the SBCV were approved by messengers, and 18 new church plants were announced.
This marks a combined total of 50 new SBCV churches, bringing the total number of affiliated churches to 864.
Current SBCV President Rob Pochek, senior pastor First Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Va., was unanimously approved by messengers for a second term.
Messengers then unanimously approved a new slate of officers to serve with Pochek.
James Taylor, senior pastor of Red Lane Baptist Church in Powhatan, Va., was named first vice-president. Jim Booth, senior pastor Staples Mill Road Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Va., was named second vice-president. Daniel Palmer, lead pastor of North Roanoke Church in Roanoke, Va., was named secretary.
Keynote speakers at the Homecoming included Dondi Costin, president of Liberty University; Shane Pruitt, Next Gen director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB); Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and H.B. Charles, pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.
Pochek closed out the Homecoming on Tuesday morning (Nov. 12) by reminding messengers of the imperative of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28.
“We spent the better part of two days thinking about what it means to advance the Gospel together,” Pochek said.
“Some of you may have come here hoping to find some new thing that you can take back to your Church to take your game to the next level. I want to go back to the basics. I want to go back to the original marching orders that we received from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Pochek encouraged pastors and ministry leaders in the room to remember that they are not alone as they seek to continue to advance the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission.
“SBCV, we exist to make disciples. It is a daunting task before us with 7 million people in our state who are apart from God, but thanks be to God that we are not doing this alone,” Pochek said.
“We do not pursue the Great Commission in our own strength, and we do not pursue the Great Commission by coming up with a better plan.
“You are not alone not only because you are surrounded by brothers and sisters in the SBC of Virginia, but because Jesus Himself promised that as you and I advance the Gospel through the local church, He is with us.”
The 2025 SBCV Annual Homecoming will take place on Nov. 9-11 at First Baptist Church of Roanoke, Va.
Ohio celebrates achievements in 71st year
By Karen L. Willoughby
NEW ALBANY, Ohio – Cooperative Program giving is up in Ohio churches, as are baptisms, new church plants and affiliations.
At SCBO’s Nov. 12 annual meeting at Jersey Church, messengers celebrated a 1 percent increase – $48,000 – over last year’s CP giving by churches. This maintains a 50/50 split in CP giving that began in 2016: half remaining in Ohio; half leaving the state for missions and ministries across the Southern Baptist Convention and its global missions thrust. The approved budget is $4,848.000.
“Since our beginning in 1954, Ohio Baptists have given more than $183,000,000 to missions through the Cooperative Program to not only reach the neighborhoods around Ohio, but the nations around the world,” Executive Director Jeremy Westbrook said.
Following Monday’s pastors’ conference, the Tuesday proceedings drew 79 guests and 254 messengers for the state convention’s annual gathering.
“The highlight of our annual meeting was hearing reports of increased giving to the Cooperative Program, a 96 percent increase in baptisms over the past two years, and 41 new churches in the state convention this year: 28 plants, five replants, and eight new affiliations through our Send Ohio partnership,” Westbrook said.
The worship team from Lifepoint Church in Mount Vernon, Ohio, led messengers in worship and all but one speaker was from an SCBO church or entity.
WMU Executive Director Sandy Wisdom-Martin addressed the messengers, and Westbrook brought his Executive Director’s report; Adam Purcell, pastor from Lifepoint Church in Mount Vernon, gave his president’s message; and Frederick Clement, pastor of One Family Church in Dayton, presented the annual sermon.
Disaster Relief Director John Heading reported Ohio DR deployed 15 times outside Ohio and seven times inside Ohio between January and September involving 30 teams, 68 gospel conversations, 34 Bibles given and six professions of faith.
Then came late summer rain and windstorms – hurricanes – up and down the East Coast. Volunteers on 42 Ohio teams deployed 27 times by the end of October.
Other staff and association reports can be found in the Book of Reports on Ohio’s website: scbo.org.
Business of the state convention included a discussion on policy related to a motion made at the 2023 annual meeting regarding the budget. Messengers were told the Executive Committee determined, “The Mission Council is required to release the budget to the messengers of the SCBO at least two weeks prior to the annual meeting every year.”
Messengers approved a constitution and by-law amendment that removed the position of “Historical Secretary” from the list of SCBO officers.
There was also a resolution “On the Lordship of Christ over all political powers” with six “whereas” statements and five “resolved statements,” each backed up by Scripture.
Officers reelected to a second one-year term: President Adam Pursel, pastor of Lifepoint Church in Mount Vernon; First Vice President Dave Welsch, pastor of First Baptist Church in Heath, and Second Vice President Karlie Hale, pastor of One Love Community Church, Cleveland, were reelected to their positions for a second year without objection.
Officers elected to a first, one-year term: Recording Secretary Charity Betts, a member at First Baptist Church in New Lebanon; and Assistant Recording Secretary Kay Arnold, a member at First Baptist Church of Lancaster.
“God is at work in our state. He’s at work in our midst,” Westbrook told his listeners. “This is a time to praise the Lord.”
The 72nd annual meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio is set for Nov. 10-11, 2025, at Lifepoint Church in Mount Vernon.
Stephanie Heading contributed to this report.
