SEND Baltimore

This is very interesting.  The North American Mission Board has decided to turn the focus on several urban environments throughout the USA because of the lack of churches in those areas.  Further, it is calling these cities 'SEND' cities, and has a plan to put 15,000 church planters in these cities over the next 10 years.  My brother is planning to be one of them in Baltimore and it is a city close to my heart as i grew up near there.   Below are some notes from a session telling about the spiritual lostness of Baltimore, and the plan to 'penetrate lostness' in this city.

I'm not serving at an SBC church, however, I am excited to see the NAMB bringing people and resources in the population centers that are un/de churched.  Jonathan Falwell was the presenter....

"The uttermost parts of the earth will never be found inside the walls of our church"

Churches per person Stats:

• Mississippi - 1 person for every 1,351 people
• NYC - 1 person for every 59,000+ people
• New Jersey - 1 person for every 76,000+ people
• Canada - 1 person for every 121,000+ people

Strategies in Baltimore are going to need to be different.

• 1 out of 2 people in Maryland live in Baltimore
• 2/3 African American, 1/3 Anglo
• 280 neighborhoods in Baltimore
• 8% of the 6 million in the Baltimore-Washington Area have a relationship with Christ

In the last year, 880 SBC churches closed their doors in this country.

"The only thing that can change the world, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed through the local church."

"We are not called to build a big church, we are called to build a Kingdom."