Why Do We Exist?

Jul 1

3 min read

Updated: Sep 30

Hey Pastors and Ministry Leaders,

Last week we gathered for our Northwest Baptist Convention Executive Board Meeting. While there were reports to hear, budgets to review, and decisions to make, what encouraged me most wasn’t any one presentation. It was the unmistakable sense of unity around why we exist.

Together, we celebrated God’s faithfulness as we learned that, through the generosity of NWBC churches and careful stewardship, we are in a strong financial position. We celebrated the work God is doing as we talked about new opportunities to encourage pastors and ministry leaders, help churches take their next step toward greater health, planting churches, and sending missionaries throughout the Northwest and around the world.

As I listened throughout the meetings, I found myself reflecting on a simple question.

Why do we exist?

It’s an important question.

One that every church

Every ministry

Every association

Every convention should ask from time to time.

Because when our purpose is clear, our priorities become clearer, our decisions become easier, and our impact becomes greater. And when we’re aligned around God’s mission, we become far more effective together than we could ever be apart.

Over the past year, our staff has spent a great deal of time praying, listening, discussing, and seeking God’s direction as we worked to clarify who God has called us to be and how we can best serve our family of churches. Throughout that process, we’ve been grateful for the wisdom and input of our officers, Executive Committee, Executive Board, and many pastors from across the Northwest. Together, we’ve sought to discern a vision that faithfully reflects God’s calling for our family of churches.

The answer is beautifully simple.

Our vision is to work with God and His churches to extend His Kingdom.

I love that statement because it reminds us of three important truths.

First, this is God’s mission before it is ours. We are not asking God to bless what we are doing. We are joining Him in the work He is already doing.

Second, God’s primary instrument for accomplishing His mission is the local church. Every healthy church, regardless of its size or location, plays a vital role in making disciples, proclaiming the Gospel, and bringing hope to its community.

Third, God never intended for us to do this alone. Throughout the New Testament we see churches encouraging one another, partnering together, sending leaders, caring for one another, and advancing the Gospel side by side. That’s what we seek to do as a family of churches across the Northwest.

Everything we do flows from that vision.

Whether we’re encouraging leaders, helping churches become healthier, developing new leaders, planting churches, or sending missionaries, our desire is the same: to work with God and His churches to extend His Kingdom.

Over the next several weeks, I’d like to unpack that vision together. We’ll talk about why we invest so intentionally in leaders, why healthy churches matter, why church planting and missions remain essential, and why I believe God has uniquely positioned our family of churches to make an eternal impact throughout the Pacific Northwest.

My prayer is that these conversations won’t simply help us better understand the Northwest Baptist Convention. I hope they’ll remind us why God has brought us together in the first place and encourage us to continue moving forward as a family of churches on mission together.

Thank you for faithfully serving where God has placed you. Lisa and I count it a tremendous privilege to serve alongside you.

by Faith,