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SBC DIGEST: NAMB evangelism kits free for pastors; SWBTS offers fully online worship degree; Illinois church building burns

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NAMB evangelism kits now free for pastors
By Brandon Elrod

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — The North American Mission Board (NAMB) announced Tuesday (July 28) that pastors can now get its evangelism kits for free. Four kits, which include resources designed to help pastors equip their congregations in the area of evangelism, are available now and can be ordered online.

“We know pastors are working hard to share the Gospel and equip their members to proclaim Christ effectively to their local communities,” said Johnny Hunt, senior vice president of evangelism and leadership at NAMB. “We want to help them continue to do that, especially during this time when the pandemic has, perhaps, required some to cut back in their budgets.”

Each kit is designed to equip believers with the knowledge and the tools they need to share the Gospel with friends, family and others in their community who need the eternal hope provided by the gospel.

“Everything we do at NAMB is about the Gospel,” said NAMB president Kevin Ezell. “This is a trying season in North America with so much tension and anxiety. Only the Gospel can give eternal hope. Our desire is to equip pastors and churches to share that hope.”

The first copy of each of these resources — “Who’s Your One,” “3 Circles,” “The Best News” and “Live This” — is available to pastors completely free, including shipping and handling, at namb.net/evangelism [2]. Standard pricing and shipping rates apply to additional copies.

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Southwestern’s renewed, fully online worship leadership degree provides flexibility for ministers
By Katie Coleman

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — A newly revised, 36-hour Master of Arts in Worship Leadership is now available entirely online and in a new eight-week structure in the School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, school leaders announced recently.

Joseph R. Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship, said the degree, designed to provide the core biblical and theological foundations for the church worship leader, is especially appropriate for the student already serving in a ministry position.

“The new online format offers maximum flexibility for worship leaders to pursue ministry training without having to leave their churches,” Crider said. “In addition, the new online format provides significant real-time interaction with our faculty during the eight-week session and, therefore, practical application of the course material can be made directly to the student’s ministry.”

The degree is designed to be transferrable to other degrees, including the new Master of Music in Worship Leadership (MMWL), a 59-hour degree for residential students. Crider said he anticipates that many students will choose to move to Fort Worth to pursue other residential degrees or to complete the additional 23 hours required for the MMWL.

The online format provides key training for worship leaders and includes online lectures, video conferencing with professors and students and one-on-one mentoring with faculty.

Read the full story here [4].

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Fire guts Illinois church building
By Dori Olmos/KSDK

DOW, Ill. — An early morning fire gutted a church in Jersey County, Ill.

Crews with at least two fire departments responded to Dow Southern Baptist Church at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Godfrey Fire Protection District shared photos of the fire on Facebook, showing large flames taking over the building.

The view from Sky5 Wednesday morning showed the fire had been knocked down, but the church was heavily damaged. The roof was almost entirely gone, part of a wall had collapsed and the inside of the church was charred and burned.

Read the full story here [5].