The World Baptist Fellowship begins another year of ministry, as do our churches and families.  I believe 2017 will be an instrumental year for our network of churches to take significant steps forward in clarifying and carrying out our mission of partnering together to plant multiplying churches across the country and around the world.

The single greatest challenge and opportunity involves the approval of a new constitution (by-laws).  The WBF Officers and Board of Directors are working together to draft a clear, updated document that will accomplish several objectives:

1. Clarify our mission and vision: Why do we exist? Where are we going?
2. Constitute a new Executive Board that will represent our affiliate ministries, our regional fellowships, and our missionaries
3. Create a simple fellowship structure that will allow our national fellowship and regional fellowships to function effectively and efficiently, and lead projects and efforts that further our mission

In the coming weeks, we will be posting the proposed constitution online for pastors and church members to review, and presenting it to the Nominating and Resolutions Committee.  At the upcoming Hilltop Conference (April 24-26) we will make some printed copies available upon your arrival.  It is important that you come and participate in this important WBF meeting as we will be voting on the approval of this new constitution.

I am excited about what these changes will allow us to accomplish as pastors and churches, and how they will benefit our worldwide missionary efforts.  The impact we can have as we partner together is exponentially greater than any efforts we could attempt on our own.  May God make 2017 a transformative year in the history of World Baptist Fellowship.