‘We listened’: Video at annual meeting explains restructuring

DULUTH — “Your staff is always available and responsive.”

“Focus on doing fewer things better.”

“You’re very helpful during crisis or transition.”

“Let’s sell that building and decentralize!”

A video presented to attendees last week at the Georgia Baptist Convention annual meeting summed up the sentiments of those attending Listening Sessions earlier this year as well as outlined the ongoing restructuring of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. 

It outlined the Mission Board’s two key initiatives – Church Strengthening and Pastor Wellness – in order to resource churches in fulfilling the Great Commission. Those efforts are guided by three principles:

• Pastors are our heroes.
• Churches are our priority.
• Georgia is our mission field.

The most feedback from the Listening Sessions concerned helping churches increase baptisms and salvation. Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., pointed to the new format as helping get resources to churches more quickly. 

“The reality is how can a guy in Duluth, Georgia have a clue what’s going on in Savannah. So what we have to do is … decentralize our staff [and] get them closer to the church and the pastor so that we’re able to minister to them and resource them and encourage them and bless them.

“… We’ve got to change and shift the way in which we actually do our work.”