Why Does the Northwest Impact Offering Matter to ME?
with CHRISTIAN MICHAEL WILSON, Wesleyan Investment Foundation
“We already give to the Cooperative Program. Why should we be concerned with giving to the Northwest Impact Offering as well?”
It is a fair question. With Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon, the Cooperative Program, and other opportunities to support Southern Baptist ministries, it can sometimes feel confusing and overwhelming to keep up with every offering opportunity.
So why Northwest Impact? What does it mean for me, the average church member? Does it really matter?
Speaking from personal experience, it matters. It matters a great deal.
The Northwest Impact Offering is a major funding source for the ministries of the Northwest Baptist Convention (NWBC), which provides support, training, and encouragement for the approximately 500 Southern Baptist churches spread throughout Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho. But for me, the importance of Northwest Impact became much more than something I heard about through the convention. I experienced its impact firsthand.
In 2022, my church went through a major leadership crisis. During the early stages, our pastor stepped away for a much-needed season of rest. Lance Caddel, who was serving at the time as NWBC Church Health & Evangelism Director, stepped in to provide pulpit supply for several weeks. The convention also had financial assistance available for counseling and soul care for pastors, which proved to be a tremendous blessing.
Eventually, our pastor accepted a position at another church. At nearly the same time, our worship leader had a previously planned departure, and we learned that we would not be able to continue our lease at our existing facility.
Suddenly, the remaining leadership found ourselves asking a difficult question: Is this a sign that we should close our doors?
But God was not finished with us.
After more than 20 years of ministry serving as Church Planting Administrator, first with Puget Sound Baptist Association and later with NWBC, I had been privileged to see God work through difficult seasons in churches. I had learned that change does not always mean an ending. Sometimes it does, but it does not have to be a foregone conclusion.
I also knew there were resources available to help us.
Our leadership reached out to Gary Irby, NWBC Church Planting Director, for counsel and direction. He met with our leaders and eventually with our congregation, helping guide us toward a Transitional Pastor and a new meeting location.
Pinehurst Baptist Church, located just south of us in Everett, flung wide their doors and allowed our struggling congregation to begin meeting in their building on Sunday evenings. I will always be grateful for the way their leadership cared for us during one of the most difficult seasons we have ever experienced.
Gary served as an interim for the month of July, giving us time to seek a Transitional Pastor. In August, Tim Howe, NWBC Region 1 Catalyst, stepped into that role and began leading our church through the transition.
In just a matter of months, NWBC had provided tangible help through pulpit supply, financial assistance for counseling, consultation and guidance, and connections to potential Transitional Pastors. We also received consultation from Attorney Ashley Seuell of the Northwest Baptist Foundation, along with ongoing encouragement, counsel, and support from NWBC staff and other churches.
This was not simply an organization providing a service. It was the body of Christ helping one of its churches through a crisis.
And that is why Northwest Impact matters.
My church’s experience in crisis is only one facet of the resources we have in the Northwest Baptist Convention. Our connection with NWBC has provided opportunities in church planting, missions, disaster relief, collegiate ministry, women’s ministry, children’s ministry, pastor encouragement, and leadership development.
Our original church was planted in 2005 through the collaborative efforts of partner churches, the Puget Sound Baptist Association, NWBC, and the North American Mission Board. That partnership provided support for the church planter, his family, and the church planting team through relocation assistance, training, coaching, networking, equipment procurement, and more.
Years later, our church had the opportunity to help plant another church. One of our leaders felt God’s call to plant. He was shepherded through the planter application and assessment process and was funded by our church, NWBC, and NAMB. What we once received, we now had the privilege of helping provide for someone else. We joyfully sent him out to plant in 2015 along with a core group and resources, providing ongoing support and encouragement just as we had received from others.
We have also participated in an East Asia partnership, hosted Disaster Relief training, and connected with Northwest Collegiate Ministries as we explored opportunities to reach students at Everett Community College.
These experiences have taught me something important: we are part of something bigger than our individual churches.
Too often, church members may not realize how much support and connection is available through our partnership with NWBC. Some pastors are very familiar with these resources, while others may not know where to turn when a need arises. The average church member likely has very little understanding of what their church is a part of.
It’s a two-way street though. NWBC can only help when churches are connected, when needs are communicated, and when churches choose to participate. So why not take advantage of the opportunity to bless and be blessed that is afforded through the connection we have as partnering churches in the NWBC?
Northwest Impact provides resources that allow NWBC to strengthen churches across the Northwest through training, encouragement, church planting, evangelism, leadership development, and other ministry opportunities. It helps provide resources not only for churches that are thriving, but also for churches that may find themselves in a season of uncertainty, transition, or need.
I know this because my church was one of those churches.
The church that once wondered whether it should close its doors ultimately merged with Pinehurst Baptist, and in 2024 we called a new pastor for the merged congregation. God used other churches, pastors, leaders, and the resources available through our convention to help us navigate a season we could not have navigated alone.
So, why should your church support the Northwest Impact Offering?
Because somewhere in the Northwest, another church may be facing a season like ours.
Some pastors may need encouragement. Some churches may need help navigating a transition. Someone may be preparing to plant a church. A children’s ministry leader may need help training their volunteers. A church may be looking for ways to reach its community. A future pastor or missionary may simply need someone to help them identify if God is calling them.
The Northwest Impact Offering helps make those opportunities possible. My hope is that churches across the Northwest will not simply see Northwest Impact as another offering to add to the calendar, but as an opportunity to invest in one another and strengthen the Gospel work taking place in the region we call home.
Please prayerfully consider how your church can participate. And just as importantly, help your church members understand the many opportunities available through our partnership with NWBC.
Because when we give together, we are not simply funding programs. We are helping churches remain healthy, planting new churches, encouraging pastors, equipping believers, and extending the reach of the Gospel across the Northwest.
Together, we can pursue the dream of a disciple-making church in every community in the Pacific Northwest. Will you join us?
To give directly to Northwest Impact, as well as find additional offering details and promotional materials, simply visit https://www.nwbaptist.life/northwest-impact-offering. Checks payable to “NWBC” can also be mailed to NWBC, Attn: NW Impact, 6715 NE 63rd St, Ste 103-516, Vancouver, WA 98661-1980.
