WHEREAS, Scripture declares that Christ commands His church to make disciples of all nations and that we are called to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28-18-20; Acts 1:8), and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptists have endeavored since 1837 to spread the gospel across Kentucky and around the globe, and
WHEREAS, Jesus regularly identified himself with rural and small places like Nazareth (Matt. 2:23), and
WHEREAS, over 75 percent of all towns and cities in the United States are small non-urban communities of no more that 25,000 people, and
WHEREAS, approximately 19 percent (or 60 million people) of the population in the United States reside in rural areas, and approximately 41 percent (or l..8 million people) of the 4.5 million population in Kentucky reside in rural areas, and
WHEREAS, rural church pastors often suffer from isolation and loneliness, lacking ministry partnerships and resources, and
WHEREAS, every person in a rural community is made in the image of God and needs to hear the gospel.
Therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Kentucky Baptist Convention meeting in Bowling Green, Kentucky, November 15, 2022, express our commitment to and recognition of the mission field in rural places, and be it
RESOLVED, that we pledge to continue to support the work of the Cooperative Program to help spread the gospel in rural places, and be it
RESOLVED, that we encourage our churches to look for opportunities to establish, help, and revitalize churches in rural communities, and be it
RESOLVED, that we state our support for the work rural churches do to spread the gospel, and be it
RESOLVED, that we pledge to remember that all of mankind is made in the image of God and deserving of our love and gospel outreach, regardless of the size of their community, and be it
RESOLVED, that we encourage and celebrate the work of the North American Mission Board, the Kentucky Baptist Convention, local associations, rural churches, and their ministry leaders in their ongoing efforts to spread the gospel, plant new churches, and revitalize established ones in rural places, and be it finally
RESOLVED, that we urge all Kentucky Baptists to dedicate our time, money, and lives to the furtherance of the good news of Jesus Christ across every area of the world, home and abroad, in city centers, suburbs, small towns and rural places.