A year of transition and progress for the KBC in 2019 – Kentucky Today

By MARK MAYNARD, Kentucky Today

The year 2019 was one of transition and forward progress for the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

The commonwealth's largest protestant denomination welcomed a new executive director-treasurer in a year where Kentucky Baptist churches redoubled their evangelistic efforts to introduce communities to Jesus, planted churches in record numbers and generously gave in abundance to the Cooperative Program.

Gray to lead KBC

Todd Gray became the new executive director-treasurer in July following a seven-month search. He came in with a passion for evangelism and has stressed to the more than 2,500 churches in the KBC to engage with the lost and reach every home in the commonwealth with the gospel.

Were commanded to go anywhere we can go with the good news of the gospel, he said. Take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost. Weve been found because we know the Savior. We know how a lost person can become a found person. So the onus is on us to take that message.

Gray led by example by traveling to communities and knocking on doors with pastors from small churches and big churches throughout Kentucky. Regional consultants were actively on the road, visiting pastors and helping churches with next steps in the process of starting a new program, finding staff or dealing with controversial issues.

An emphasis on church planting

The KBC partnered with local churches and associations to work with more than 60 church planters across Kentucky. The group effort is striving to see churches into planted and revitalized in more communities than ever. One great example is Highview Baptist in Louisville as they recently launed their Valley Station campus an autonomous church.

Record-setting Cooperative Program giving

It became a year where Cooperative Program giving set records as churches gave more money than was expencted to the partnership effort. Half of the money given by churches to the Cooperative Program stays in Kentucky. The other half is forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for efforts such as the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board.

Sunrise reaches milestone in adoptions

Sunrise Children's Service, an agency of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, celebrated their 500th adoption. The agency has been serving children and families in Kentucky since 1869. Sunrise serves Kentucky through adoption, foster care, therapeutic residential care for children and more.

More than 600 lives transformed by the Gospel at Hillvue Heights

Hillvue Height Church in Bowling Green shared in God's faithfulness as they baptized more than 600 people in the fiscal year that ended in 2019. Pastor Steve Ayers said the congregation set and prayed toward a goal that only God could achieve.

Kentucky Baptist DR continues to lead the way

Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief work remained the gold standard in the country and brought relief both in the United States and abroad behind able director Coy Webbs guidance. Hundreds of people received prayer, food and more through the work of KBC DR workers in 2019. Dozens came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ through the compassion of the ministry.

KBC Church takes on drug epidemicLed by Pastor Casey Carver, Inez Baptist Church stood up to the drug epidemic plaguing the eastern Kentucky community. Carver helped the church launch a Christian-based drug rehab facility in a local hotel that was once a hot-spot for drug dealers.

Tent revival on the banks of the Ohio

Members of Pleasant Valley Church prayed and planned a tent revival on the banks of the Ohio River in Owensboro. Little did they know how God was going to move. Church leaders say God used the multi-night event in September to bring dozens of people to faith in Jesus Christ.

Seven years of debt eliminated in just 24 months

The members of Versailles Baptist Church initially planned to take down their $1.6 million debt over seven years. God has different plans. Through the faithful and generous giving of church members, the debt was eliminated after 24 months in April.

Patterson to lead KBC's evangelism team

When Todd Gray became the executive director-treasurer of the KBC there was a need for someone to lead the KBC's Evangelism Team. The position was filled in December by Rob Patterson, a former IMB missionary, associate pastor at a number of churches and, most recently, as the KBC's regional consultant in central Kentucky. He officially begins in the role on January 1. One of Patterson's first roles will be to help facilate a major outreach event in Owensboro in November in connection with the Crossover events prior to the 2020 KBC Annual Meeting there.

To learn more about the work of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and her 2,350 churches, find them online here.