Chicago is known for its many names: The Windy City, Second City, Chi-town, Heart of America. Chicago is also known for many things: deep-dish pizza, hot dogs, Chicago Cubs, and Lake Michigan. The list goes on.
Amidst Chicago’s various names and iconic sites, there is something much less known about this great city. What is less known, you ask? Jesus. The metro population of Chicago makes it the third largest city in the United States at 9.5 million people. However, only 9.1% of the population is affiliated with an evangelical church. Furthermore, there is only 1 SBC church for every 34,348 people in metro Chicago.
The KBC is entering a new partnership with NAMB in Send Chicago. In conjunction with the lead Chicago Send City Church, Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, the KBC is beginning this partnership with the prayer and intention that many KBC churches will make the short trip up to the Windy City for gospel engagement.
With only about 25 church plants in metro Chicago, more work is needed to impact this great city with the gospel. Coming alongside a church planter and new plant is a tremendous way in which KBC churches can have tangible gospel presence in a city only about 300 miles away.
While NAMB has selected Chicago among 31 other cities in North America as a strategic place for gospel advancement, the KBC is joining efforts here and praying that God will bring a fresh wind of gospel engagement to the 3rd largest city in the US.
Why is the KBC choosing to partner in Chicago? Because we believe in cooperative missions, not just our dollars but our efforts as well. Our mission as a convention is simple: created by churches, for churches, to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
Created by churches
We exist as the Kentucky Baptist Convention because Baptist churches throughout Kentucky desired to cooperate for the furthering of the gospel. The KBC owes its existence to Baptist churches.
For churches
Baptist churches created the KBC for churches. In other words, the KBC was created not to be served by the churches, but to serve the churches.
To help churches
Thus, the KBC exists to help churches do what God has called the church to do—the Great Commission. Because the KBC was created by churches, for churches, the convention exists to help churches. Helping mobilize churches for the Great Commission is the mission of the KBC.
Reach Kentucky and the world for Christ
God did not give the Great Commission to a denomination or mission boards; He gave it to the church. Denominations and mission boards are helpful insomuch as they help churches reach those across the street and across the sea with the gospel.
We desire to connect KBC churches to gospel partnerships in Kentucky, North America, and the nations. We want to resource, train, and introduce KBC churches to missionaries, church planters, established churches, and ministries in order to develop relationships that will further the gospel around the world.
We believe one such needed place to connect KBC churches in making Jesus known in the US is Chicago. With well over 90% of the city not connected to a gospel-centered church, Chicago needs some wind, a fresh gospel wind that blows throughout the city. Will your church be part of seeing this wind blow? Learn more about partnering in this city or other KBC partnerships at www.kybaptist.org/vision.
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