The Future of Baptists and Missions: What Is the Missions Future for Baptists? the Question Is More Than a Rhetorical One Or the Speculation of an Academician‪.‬

The question is being asked with more and more frequency by Baptist young adults who are seeking an avenue for their missions calling, by lay people who are confused and perplexed by the politicization of missions, and by missionaries who feel censured and their witness proscribed. The question is important to all Baptists, because it addresses issues central to their identity and calling. In fact, the manner in which Baptists answer this question will determine what kind of missions future there will be for Baptists. Baptists will do missions in the future because of a fundamental belief that humankind can only be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. This conviction mandates that Baptists proclaim the gospel to people of every tribe, language, and nation. The question is not whether Baptists will do missions but whether Baptist missions will be relevant in a changing world and a dynamic force for world evangelization.