BATESVILLE, Ark. – Ronnie Toon has served as the associational missionary of the Independence Baptist Association for 21 years. He and his wife, Cheryl, have always had a profound love for the church.
“We found great joy and experienced fruitful ministry. The Lord used the ‘The Prayer of Jabez,’ 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, as a catalyst to explore future ministry possibilities. The good folks of Independence Baptist Association called us to serve them in August 2003. We feel this is the ministry we were created to do,” Toon said.
As an associational missionary, Toon said their goal is to be an Acts 1:8 association driven by compelling vision and effective strategy.
“Our hope is that the association be relevant to churches as a hub of ministry through which the Kingdom is enlarged, disciples are made, and that churches experience wellness and health,” Toon said.
A few of the ministries Independence Baptist Association is engaged in are:
- Our Father’s Table, a ministry to feed the underserved of the community.
- A Hispanic pastor serves Spanish speaking peoples of their community.
- Mission opportunities each year through partnerships in church planting in Colorado, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
- Serving their churches and community with counseling services onsite through Living Well Counseling.
- Providing chaplaincy services to the Independence County Sheriff’s department.
- Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief Recovery Unit.
“The great joy of our ministry lives has been to serve the churches of Independence Baptist Association. The churches are led by exceptional pastors and filled with wonderful people,” Toon said.