Northeast Baptist Association
2024 Annual Meeting
“Who’s Gonna Fill Those Shoes”
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Hosted by Calvary Baptist Church, Elko, NV
Minutes prepared by NEBA Clerk, Janet Lee Royal
In Attendance:
Robin Stork, Director of Missions, NEBA and Pastor of Spring Creek Baptist Church
Margie June Stork
Ted Angle, Nevada Baptist Convention
Cindy Pearson, Administrative Assistant, NEBA
Tim Royal, NEBA Church Planting & Missions Chairman and Pastor of Impact Church
Janet Lee Royal, NEBA Women’s Ministry Director and Clerk
Jeff Johnson, NEBA Moderator and Pastor of First Baptist Church, Winnemucca
Dana Johnson
Charlie Vaughn, NEBA Vice Moderator and Pastor of Austin Baptist Church
William Cox, NEBA Board Member and Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Mission, Battle Mountain
Loretta Cox
Darrell Carnley, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Elko
Deanna Carnley
Anthony Marshall, Owyhee Baptist
Joan Terry, Calvary Baptist
James Terry, Calvary Baptist
Andresa Dinwiddie, Calvary Baptist
Tony Evans, Calvary Baptist
Nathan Jones, Calvary Baptist
Don Edwards, First Baptist, Carlin
Clark Kafton, Wildhorse Mission
Reta Meyers, Spring Creek Baptist
Pat Paradis, Calvary Baptist
Scott & Robin Richey, The Bridge
Jaden Hill, First Baptist, Battle Mountain
Jeff McQueary, Calvary Baptist
Karry McQueary, Calvary Baptist
Meeting opened with worship hosted by Calvary Baptist Worship Team.
CALL TO ORDER:
Jeff Johnson, Moderator, welcomed us and called the meeting to order with a word of prayer.
Worship continued.
THEME INTERPRETATION:
Robin Stork, Director of Missions, welcomed us and introduced the theme, “Who’s Gonna Fill Those Shoes?”
The purpose of this theme is what the singer, George Jones, the apostle Paul, and NEBA are all facing—the future of organizations.
In Titus, the leaders were challenged to go to every community on the island—go appoint elders. When you start a new church, you don’t have leaders. Every church needs leadership—raised up and taught. NEBA, likewise, has many churches that are very old with older pastors—churches that need repair and pastors that need leadership.
Northeast Nevada is a different culture. The gambling, the red-light district—there is much in Nevada that turns pastors away. In our area, we have elevated incomes and high housing prices.
There is an issue in what churches can pay to attract pastors and what upcoming pastors are willing to sacrifice. The income median is not reflected in our church’s budgets.
Robin considered the various churches within our association and mentioned the need for more churches—church plants. So, who is going to fill those shoes?
It’s time to start looking locally by reaching out to the local community. An indigenous person, hand-trained will have more impact than someone from the outside.
Titus 1:5—Paul was not going outside Crete; he was raising up leaders within the community. DISCIPLESHIP!!! Discipleship is not bible study (that’s only part of it)—discipleship is bringing a person alongside, living life with him; building a relationship and through that relationship mentoring and training and teaching him along the way.
Jesus, as our discipleship maker example: He ate with them; walked with them; taught them how to be with people; took them on mission with Him; and taught them about the Kingdom. Paul did the same thing.
Robin’s greatest goal as DOM for nine years is that churches will have someone to step in and lead the church and fill the pulpit because they have leadership. Not have to call Robin because pastors have not raised up leaders within their church body.
If our churches are going to survive and thrive in our rural environment, we must look at other options. Refer back to Titus 1:5. Raise up and train up leaders from within our churches and communities.
Raise up leaders. If we don’t raise up equipped leaders, who will people be sitting under? Look at who’s leading the show. Is the right person leading? Is the equipped, called person leading? Anyone is trainable if they have the right attitude. Start identifying leaders and raise them up. Pray, pray about potential leaders within your church and community.
Walk alongside them. Challenge: find three men who could be leaders. Call them up once a month and go get coffee. Let them know how you feel about them. Urge them; encourage them. This is the first step of mentoring.
Be aware of who you have—speak to them; encourage them. Seek out ways they are gifted and can serve.
Our association and the Nevada Baptist Convention have resources for those who desire training as pastors and lay leadership. As pastor of Spring Creek Baptist, Robin, along with a number of other pastors and churches, is going through the Regenesis process. This program is comprised of the NBC revitalization team along with the Texas convention to revitalize churches—training, mentoring, partnership. Per Robin, we are trained up to do this in our church then go out and equip other churches.
Robin briefly mentioned the NAMB (North American Mission Board) replanting process—refer to the NAMB website for this article.
The average NEBA church has less than 50 people each Sunday. This is very common in Nevada.
Increase Church Family Relationships—come alongside a church—mentoring and discipling a church. Providing what they need to become self-sustaining.
Robin closed with the challenge: Find new ways to effectively create ministry opportunities and raise up leaders. Ask yourself: “Who’s Gonna Fill Those Shoes”?
BUDGET PRESENTATION:
Jeff Johnson asked us to turn to the green tab in our booklet and introduced Tim Royal, Bookkeeper.
Tim gave his financial report starting with the 2024 Projection and 2025 Budget Proposal. Tim then referred to the Balance Sheet to discuss the Fund Balances Unrestricted. Charlie Vaughn thanked Tim for the budget and all his work.
Jeff Johnson asked for additional explanation for background of South Fork property and the funds. Nearly $50,000 from the sale of the South Fork property was returned to the NEBA General Fund. The remaining balance will go to church planting as per the original agreement.
Sidenote: NEBA is all about church planting—steps in whenever a church is being planted. This association is very much alive; very much about church health; very much about discipleship; very much about partnering with the church.
Jeff Johnson made sure a quorum was present. All in favor of passing the 2025 budget, all said amen (the vote was unanimous).
BREAK
Jeff Johnson thanked the worship team who opened us back up in song. Thanks so much to the Calvary Baptist Worship team for their joyous singing and leading us.
ANNUAL MESSAGE
Darrel Carnley, Elder and Teaching Pastor at Calvary Baptist, Titus 1:1-5
Pastor Darrel shared the protocols of bears in Alaska. When you live in bear territory, you have to conform to those protocols.
The same is true with pastoral ministry. There are dangers associated with the landscape of church leadership.
Topic: Loneliness and Discouragement
TITLE: LEFT BEHIND. Paul leaves Titus behind. He greets him and then leaves him and explains to us why. Paul used Titus (Gal 2) as an example of grace.
Consider where the sovereign purpose of God has placed us. Island of ministry in the middle of nowhere. Alone.
- Loneliness. In ministry, we find ourselves alone. Separate from people we love and those who have mentored us. We can feel as if God has left us. Mother Theresa—loneliness is the greatest disease of mankind.
Preparing to be in the presence of people can be a lonely place to live.
We need to take off our masks and not be so serious. To overcome loneliness and despair, take off your mask and surround yourself with people who can walk the journey with you. This creates a place of shared experiences and understanding that we are not alone.
How is the state of your soul? Bring a few trusted people (one or two) who can walk by your side. We all experience seasons of great loneliness—we are often the only person that knows what we are going through. Allow a trusted few into your life to walk this journey with you so that you are not overcome by loneliness.
- Discouragement
Titus is understudy to the greatest apostle who ever lived, Paul. The apostle of apostles is asking Titus to pick up the baton. Expectations high (following in Paul’s footsteps). Self-imposed standards and goals. No one feels the burden more to make something happen in the local church than pastors do. We can be overwhelmed by the quantity of what needs to be done. The desire to create something from nothing. To turn this ship around. The desire for God to be proud of us. Also the desire to let those around us (Hebrews—great crowd of witnesses) say that we did a great job and handled things well.
Too often, however, we expected one thing in ministry and got another.
So easy to get caught up in the gloom, despair and agony of ministry. Spiritual dryness; depression (lack of motivation); insomnia; irritability.
Titus probably experienced some of that discouragement as the baton was passed to him.
- Good New
Titus 1:4—grace and peace
This is how we deal with loneliness and discouragement. We have a resource—PEACE FOLLOWS GRACE! The gospel can be taught that works are blended with grace—NO!!! We can be taught that we have to add to God’s grace through our achievements to feel good about ourselves. The harder I work the more God will love me. Again, NO!!!
We understand that grace was all about getting into the family; but we add that works is all about staying in the family. As leaders, we are under the gun to make things happen in our churches.
Paul writes to Titus what he needs to take to heart. All by grace—God doing in us what we cannot do ourselves. Titus 3:4-7
When we are handed the baton, we think we need to take it on ourselves. That’s not grace. What about when people are not being baptized or coming to church. Your grace is not based on performance—it’s GRACE!!!
God loves you regardless of the condition of your church. He loves you with His grace.
God doesn’t want another preacher; He wants a son.
Closing: Quote from Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund.
We need to understand that, however long we have been walking with the Lord, whether we have never read the whole Bible, or have a PhD in it; we have a perverse resistance to His love. Out of His heart flows mercies; out of ours, reluctance to receive it. We are the cool and calculating ones, not He. He is open armed. We stiff-arm. Our naturally decaffeinated vies of God’s heart might feel right, because we are being stern with ourselves, not letting ourselves off the hook too easily. Such sternness feels appropriately, morally serious. But the Bible takes us b the hand and leads us out from under the feeling that His heart for us waivers according to our loveliness.
NEVADA BAPTIST CONVENTION REPORT
Jeff Johnson introduced Ted Angle to share about NBC and state news and events.
Ted shared his journey as a laymen in the church. There are faithful, available, teachable laymen in your church—FIND THEM!
Reminded us about the NBC Annual Meeting Monday, October 14 and Tuesday, October 15 with the Evangelism Training Monday 2:30-4:30 pm followed by a Rural Replant Workshop after the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Ted wants us to know that he is available for all pastors in NEBA in whatever they need.
NOMINATIONS:
Assistant Treasurer/Secretary—Cindy Pearson
Moderator—Jeff Johnson (2nd term)
Vice-Moderator—Charle Vaughn (2nd term)
MESSAGE
Jeff Johnson introduced Pastor Tim Royal.
Tim shared how those who have gone before us in NEBA have impacted our lives for all time.
TITLE: SPLASH—we want to make the biggest splash we can as followers of Jesus.
Show—live outloud; I am not ashamed of Jesus.
People—the only treasure. Only people last—nothing else lasts. Ministry rides on the rails of relationships. If you are trying to stand alone, you are limiting your effectiveness in ministry. Matthew 6:19-20 Be hoarders—HOARD PEOPLE! For all eternity! Create as many possible avenues as we can to share the gospel because people are God’s treasure. John 3:16—all about God’s love for people. 2 Tim 2:1-2 The unity of love between those in the church is everything. A house divided cannot stand and a house united cannot fall. God does not breathe on disunity.
Love—love is seeking the highest eternal good for another regardless of the cost to yourself. The measuring stick of love is the cross. Matthew 22:37-39; 1 John 4:7-8. You can set boundaries, but you have to always love. 1 John 4:10—what love is—we can only love because of God. Show love through meeting needs; reconciliation; genuine care. Sharing the message of the Kingdom is love. Again, the measuring stick of love is the cross.
And—in Alabama, 1 SBC church per 1,600; in Nevada, 1 SBC church per 18,000. We have a lost state. We need to give people heaven. Love for people is directly connected to sharing Jesus.
Share—the greatest splash is made when we share. Law of the harvest: whatever you sow you will reap. When you eat your seed, you have eaten your future. Too often we live with a scarcity mentality (yet, we have a God who is able). The law of the harvest is a farmer’s law; we live in a society of fast food. We plant and we WAIT for God to work. We give out the Word of God, then we wait for Him. 1 Peter 3:13—always be ready to give a defense. Share not just Jesus but all the resources we have to further the Kingdom. Hold onto your life and you will lose it; lose it and you will gain it. The law of the harvest is sharing—giving away. Mathew 6:33
Him—stop living in a scarcity mindset. Remember who you are—you are His heir. Rev 5:11-14—THAT IS OUR GOD!! We live in abundance—remember Who He is. We share the lamb of God; the lion of Judah; the lover of our souls; the sovereign One; The Lord of Lords; the King of Kings; the Messiah.
I am not ashamed of His Good News. I want to live outloud and show Him. I want to treasure His greatest treasure. I want to desire the thing He taught us on the cross—love.
SPLASH!!! Pray to the Lord of the harvest.
Put your “YES” on the table (for Jesus and only for Jesus) and make a SPLASH!!!
We shared a time of kneeling at the altar of prayer.
CLOSING:
Jeff Johnson asked for closing comments, mentioned the 2025 Women’s Conference packets available in the foyer, and made a motion to close the meeting. Tony Marshall closed us in prayer and blessed the food.
Meeting adorned for lunch.
