MIAMI, Fla. – A group of Arkansas Baptists recently traveled to South Florida where they visited with and heard the hearts of church planters.
The group was led on this Send South Florida Vision Tour by Steve Lasiter of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) Missions Team with a goal to connect Arkansas Baptists with missions opportunities in South Florida.
Members of the group included Ed Byrnes of First Baptist Church in Bella Vista, John Holston of New Life Baptist Church, Jim Lagrone of Owensville Baptist Church, Jim Monroe of First Baptist Church in White Hall, Butch Reeves of Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, and Hayden Waller of Woodland Heights Baptist Church.
The purpose of the trip was for Arkansas Baptists to connect and understand the need that is present in the Miami metroplex area, where approximately 3 million people identify as “nones,” or a person with no religious affiliation.
During the vision tour, Arkansas Baptists visited 21 church planters in two and a half days. Lasiter said the majority of those church plants were not in an actual church building but instead backyards, schools, shopping centers, hotel conference rooms, etc.
Additionally, most of the church plants are multi-generational and multi-lingual, reaching second and third generations, emphasizing the importance of having multi-lingual services.
Several of the church planters and pastors shared needs related to prayer, youth camps, Vacation Bible School, food distribution, construction projects, and community outreach events as well as challenges in finding volunteers to lead, finding space to host youth activities and developing a bus ministry.
While still in Florida, Lasiter said Lagrone called home to schedule a missions committee meeting to discuss potential partnerships. On Thursday, Lagrone said they already have plans to return in June.
“That’s the whole point of these vision tours,” Lasiter said.
Lagrone said the trip was very well organized. He described it as the closest thing to a foreign mission trip in the states that he has experienced.
“We saw people all day long every day,” Lagrone said. “I was struck by the passion that those church planters have to make a difference.”
Initially, Lasiter said the group was to embark on this vision tour in October. However, Hurricane Milton postponed the trip. As a result, more people were given the opportunity to embark on the tour. The group was comprised of pastors, church leaders and laymen.
“I love that. It’s not reserved for the pastor. If you’ve got a desire for missions, let’s go and see what kind of connections God can do,” Lasiter said.
Additionally, Lasiter shared about Mission Connection, which occurs annually the Sunday evening before the Pastor’s Conference and ABSC Annual Meeting in October and is planned because of the Cooperative Program giving of Arkansas Baptists. By invitation, national and international missionaries and church planters are present and “connect” with Arkansas Baptists.
It was at 2024 Mission Connection that Lagrone met Florida Church Planter Joey Chafton, pastor of The Church at Oakland Park. They “connected” and that is what led Lagrone to register for the Send South Florida Vision Tour.
“He was just sharing with me his vision there, so it made me know that I wanted to know more about the experience. I wanted to know about what he was doing and what others were doing down there,” Lagrone said.
Partnership mission trips allow these leaders to consider the work God is doing and how their church can get involved.
To learn more about partnership missions, visit absc.org/partnerships