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| Bill Mackey Reflects on 10 Years as Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director |
| Release Date: 02/08/2008 |
 LOUISVILLE—Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director Bill Mackey marked 10 years in that role on Feb. 1. The following interview highlights his first decade of ministry in that post as well as his goals for the future of Kentucky Baptist ministry:
Q: During your first year as executive director, you highlighted your desire to focus on the four major goals of spiritual foundations, vision and values, relationship and service. How has that been achieved in KBC life over the past decade?
First, I want to thank God for the privilege of serving Him with Kentucky Baptists. I do not know of any other place where I would rather serve, and I am confident that my wife, Kay, feels the same way. We love Kentucky Baptists and their hearts for missions.
I shared those four objectives during the KBC Executive Board meeting when I was being considered for this role, and it has been gratifying to see growth in those areas over the past decade.
I believe our commitment to the spiritual foundations is evident in how we serve and lead KBC churches. For example, our staff has provided leadership in prayer through countless prayer meetings, seminars and events such as our statewide prayer tours and the “With One Voice” simultaneous prayer event.
In 2003, the KBC Mission Study Committee developed a new mission statement, objectives and goals to guide the work of the KBC. Our staff has also developed vision, values and priority concerns to guide our work.
Throughout my time here, I have tried to strengthen relationships by being available, accepting all possible engagements, writing notes, attending events, trying to be inclusive of everyone, meeting with entity leaders, and utilizing committees to deal thoughtfully with potentially divisive issues. In the second month on the job, we arranged 44 listening sessions across the state, which helped initiate relationships.
We’ve maintained a strong focus on serving and strengthening the churches through training, seminars, leadership development, supporting church staff and helping churches be strategic in ministry.
Q: What do you consider your greatest accomplishments so far as executive director?
It has been very gratifying to help lead Kentucky Baptists in working together to avoid major distractions and unnecessary hindrances to our mission. Our mission plan has helped strengthen this unity by providing direction and focus. It is rewarding to see a strong emphasis on evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, missions, networking and strengthening churches. I also am grateful to see strategic and intentional church planting, expanded use of technology, improved communications, record attendance at training events, staff connecting with leaders in the field and with young leaders, and a renewed climate for innovation. We’ve also enjoyed excellent cooperation with our associations, institutions and agencies as well as SBC entities.
I am grateful for an excellent staff that is committed to Jesus Christ and that believes in high values of integrity, service and teamwork. I am also grateful to God for Kentucky Baptists who make all of this possible through their gifts to the Cooperative Program.
Q: What are the biggest challenges or disappointments you have experienced in your role?
Perhaps the biggest challenge has been the inability to reach our potential in baptisms. Baptisms are plateaued at about 17,500 per year, but I am still hopeful that we can reach 20,000 and move toward the goal of 25,000. It also has been challenging to deal with staff reductions due to limited growth in CP funding and yet try to maintain ministries and services. However, I am very proud of our staff for their positive and innovative responses to these challenges. We continue to search for ways to help revitalize churches through consultations, creativity and our recent “Comeback Churches” emphasis. We have worked hard to help everyone feel included and represented.
Q: Baptisms generally have plateaued in recent years in Baptist life despite ongoing convention efforts to encourage increased baptisms. What do you see as primary reasons for a lack of increased baptisms and how can the current trend be corrected?
It is harder to reach people today due to distractions and the time needed to build relationships and trust. Some who are “dechurched” need time for wounds to heal and an opportunity to experience church in a loving and meaningful way. The truth must be shared in love.
Several things that could help correct the trend include: 1. Renew the conviction that people are lost without a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. 2. Focus on receptive people and engage the harvest fields now (John 4:35). 3. Try new approaches. Every church needs a signature and effective ministry in the community that serves and attracts people. 4. Make evangelism a priority for leadership, witness training, small groups, budgeting, preaching and scheduling. 5. Prepare for new believers as a couple prepares for a new baby, and I believe that God will provide.
Q: The KBC’s five-year “Kentucky Baptists Connect” ministry emphasis has been a major focus in Kentucky Baptist life the past few years. What is your assessment of its overall ministry impact so far?
Staff reports indicate we are on track to meet goals in missions including new ministries and church planting, leadership development, networking and strengthening churches. The goal for church planting was increased recently upon recommendation from KBC staff and the Mission Advisory Committee. We continue to strive toward the evangelism goal of 25,000 baptisms per year by praying for God to move upon His churches and by developing outreach strategies. Assimilation and discipleship concerns have remained a priority, and we are looking for a way to measure the 80 percent assimilation goal. The impact factor related to funding in the Mission Study Report has been addressed recently by the new staff position for the promotion of CP, stewardship development and legacy giving. Three major research projects have identified concerns related to the unchurched, communications and discipleship. Overall, the “Connect” emphasis has created a sense of unity, priority and direction for Kentucky Baptists, as well as the KBC staff and ministries.
Q: Church planting, including starting and supporting “high impact” churches and ethnic congregations, is a primary “Connect” strategy. Why is it important to put time, energy and financial resources into planting additional churches throughout the commonwealth?
- Lostness. Only 12.3 percent of Kentuckians are in church on a given Sunday. More than 2 million Kentuckians do not indicate a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.
- Aging denomination. New churches reach people more quickly than established churches. They also innovate more easily and can help revitalize the denomination.
- Cultural diversity. Different expressions of the New Testament church will be needed to reach the different generational, ethnic and interest groups.
- Ratio of churches to population. Church planting must exceed population growth in order for lostness to be reduced. Other churches will fill the gap.
- Pattern of the New Testament. By the time the reader gets to Acts 9:31, the number of churches is being multiplied.
Q: The percentage of local churches’ undesignated receipts given through the Cooperative Program has gradually declined during the past decade from 10 percent to a current level of just over 7 percent. Why is it important for churches to strengthen their CP giving and what are realistic strategies to help that happen?
Churches need to strengthen CP giving for some of the following reasons:
Some ministries and missions initiatives do not have special offerings and depend completely on CP gifts. These Acts 1:8 efforts deserve generous support.
CP gifts provide the infrastructure for the promotion and channeling of all missions funding, the organization and administration of missions by all entities, and funding for missions education and seminary training.
State conventions, along with associations, have the primary assignment of helping strengthen churches. Our churches are the source of missionaries, ministers and funding for state, national and international missions.
There are billions of people to be reached for Christ and 3,000 new missionaries are needed to reach and develop new believers for Jesus Christ in unreached people groups.
There are several realistic strategies that could help strengthen CP giving:
Encourage churches to support CP giving on a percentage basis. An increase of 0.25 percent in church contributions would provide an incredible $800,000 for missions.
Communicate the results of CP missions to churches and individuals.
Help people understand the value of cooperation and the roles at each level.
Help local churches with stewardship development and local giving.
Continue to involve church members and leaders in missions experiences.
Q: International partnership missions has been a major emphasis among Kentucky Baptist churches in recent years. How crucial is that involvement for the sake of global missions and what do you see as the future of such efforts?
It is crucial to continue involving church leaders and members in partnership missions. Personal involvement helps advance the cause of missions and develops a greater passion for support of missions. Many people who participate are later called to missions as they become aware of options for service. Due to the limited number of career missionaries and the number of unreached people groups, less emphasis will be placed on countries and more attention will be given to people groups. Churches, associations and conventions will be called upon to take on this responsibility. State conventions may also help fill the gap where some international Baptist conventions need assistance, similar to the KBC’s current work with Tanzanian Baptists.
Q: How do you perceive the current level of unity or division among Kentucky Baptist leaders in light of the convention’s political diversity?
Kentucky Baptists have always worked hard to cooperate despite cultural, regional and theological differences. It is important to recognize there are bigger missional concerns that should draw us together under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to accomplish the mission He has for us. We can come together on the essentials of God’s Word and recognize there is room for disagreement on non-essentials. We must continue to be intentional about including all who support the mission and making sure they are represented as much as possible. It will take a great deal of love and maturity to cooperate as current theological differences increase, but personal preferences must give way to trust and cooperation to the glory of God and the fulfillment of His mission. It is my prayer that Kentucky Baptists can come together as brothers and sisters in Christ and relate in Christian love and trust based on biblical guidelines.
Q: What are your primary hopes or goals for the future of Kentucky Baptist ministry?
It is my prayer that the ministry will continue to be strong and focused on reaching people for Christ, developing them as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ and mobilizing them in missions and evangelism in Kentucky, across North America and around the world. I pray KBC ministries will continue to serve and strengthen churches as they seek to fulfill God’s mission. I pray that the KBC will continue to assist churches with innovation in evangelism, starting new ministries and churches, developing leaders, networking, sharing best practices and providing resources on the website. I pray that the churches will continue to recognize the KBC as a trusted partner in channeling mission gifts for KBC and SBC missions and ministries, and as an effective provider of innovative services. And I pray that as churches and leaders come to understand the partnership at all levels that they will be willing to grow in their financial support of missions, ministries and evangelism through the Cooperative Program.
originally printed in the Jan. 29, 2008 edition of the Western Recorder |
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