WHEREAS, The Kentucky Baptist Convention mission statement is “created by churches, for churches, to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ;” and
WHEREAS, The Great Commission is fulfilled when believers joyfully encourage unbelievers to repent of their sins and place faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins; and
WHEREAS, “Soul-winning” is our great privilege and a critical dimension of our high calling to live for Christ, and the New Testament employs the words “winning” and “persuading” to express the spiritual discipline of evangelism, by which we implore unbelievers to respond to the message of grace and peace through union with Christ (Romans 5:l; 1 Corinthians 9:19-22; 2 Corinthians 5:11, 20): and
WHEREAS, The soul of every person will spend eternity in hell unless that person believes the life-changing message of the gospel (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 16:19-31; Romans 10:14-15; Revelation 20:11-15); and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures teach that a clear and complete invitation to receive Jesus Christ must be offered genuinely to all people (Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-22; Acts 1:8; 2:26-39; Revelation 22:17); and
WHEREAS, As spiritual leaders of their churches, pastors bear dual responsibilities not only for proclaiming the gospel publicly but also for sharing the gospel personally with lost people under-girded by prayer (Romans 5:11-21; Colossians 4:2-6); and
WHEREAS, Though Kentucky Baptists have historically challenged themselves in personal evangelism, baptisms, and discipleship; nevertheless, there has been an alarming downturn among Kentucky Baptist churches in baptisms since 1980, even as the population of the United States has grown in ethnic diversity; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, meeting on November 12, 2019, at Immanuel Baptist Church, understand “evangelism” as the intentional, consistent, and verbal declaration of the gospel to unbelievers in the power of the Holy Spirit; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we articulate from the Scriptures the death, burial, and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins as the heart of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-5); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we acknowledge salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone, wrought by the Holy Spirit as people repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and confess Him as their Savior and Lord (John 14:6; 16:8-11; Acts 2:37-38; 4:12; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8 Titus 3:4-7); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all pastors to present publicly the gospel message as the Spirit gives unction, making an appeal for hearers to respond to the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ followed by baptism and regenerate church membership; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all pastors to lead the way in personal evangelism by consistently sharing the gospel with persons outside of the church, and encouraging church members to do likewise; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all Bible study teachers, campus missionaries, and small group leaders to explain the meaning of the gospel and regularly invite unbelievers to respond to love; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all congregations to prayerfully set goals and implement intentional, evangelistic strategies such as “Who’s Your One?” or “Three Circles” and other gospel-centered, faithful evangelistic initiatives that aim to increase the number of people they reach and baptize in the coming year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we commend and prayerfully support the North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, state conventions, associations, and local churches in their efforts to train, equip, and mobilize Southern Baptists in the task of evangelism; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That our pursuit and obedience to proclaim the gospel will come from our great love for Jesus, our desire to glorify God, and to advance God’s kingdom.