Hawaii-Pacific signs agreement with Gateway Seminary
By Karen L. Willoughby
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii – A partnership between Gateway Seminary and the Hawaii-Pacific Baptist Convention was codified during the regional convention’s 83rd annual meeting Nov. 21-22 at the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa.
Gateway President Adam Groza was present (with other Gateway leaders) to sign the partnership agreement during the historic event.
When Dr. Groza asked, “Why don’t we have a Gateway campus in Hawaii?” my response was simple: “There’s no good reason. We’re ready,” Hawaii Pacific Executive Director Craig Webb told Baptist Press. “Dr. Groza’s vision for theological education in underserved regions aligns perfectly with our need to equip leaders across Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and Asia.”
As the seminary starts the accreditation process, the Hawaii campus will offer classes in the fall 2026 semester. This is Gateway’s fifth regional campus in addition to the main campus in greater Los Angeles.
At least 210 messengers from 61 of Hawaii-Pacific’s 136 churches, plus 81 guests, attended the annual meeting. The total includes 110 Southern Baptist churches in the Hawaiian Islands, sevenin American Samoa and Samoa, seven in Guam, and 12 across the Asia Baptist Network that includes Okinawa, Mainland Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.
“Anchored in the theme All Authority in Christ – Matthew 28:18 – this year’s annual meeting reminded Hawaii Pacific Baptists that our confidence for ministry flows not from our strength, but from the sovereign leadership of Jesus,” Webb said. “As we gathered from islands and nations across the Pacific, we experienced a Spirit-led unity and renewed sense of purpose under the authority of the One who sends us.”
Mark Clifton, executive director of Replant, Revitalization and Rural strategies for the North American Mission Board, brought the closing message. “His challenge to pursue revitalization, renewal, and Gospel faithfulness blessed and encouraged our churches,” Webb said.
In addition to greetings from SBC entities were state convention staff reports.
Four churches affiliated with HPBC in 2025; one plant started services. Six endorsed church planters are building core teams, and several new works are in early stages.
Business consisted of election of officers, approving four resolutions, and passing a $1,110,000 budget for 2026, down $57,005 from last year’s budget, with 20 percent of that again next year being forwarded to global missions causes through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.
New officers: President Shane Tanigawa, pastor of University Avenue Baptist Church in Honolulu; First Vice President Larry Hale, pastor of Eleele Baptist Church on Kaua’i; Second Vice President Henry Hanale Lindo, pastor of Kaunakakai Baptist Church on Moloka’i; and Recording Secretary Karla Jennings, a member at Kaunakakai Baptist Church on Moloka’i.
In a spotlight on Asia, Ben Howard, pastor of Yokohama International Baptist Church in Japan, moderated a panel featuring leaders from Koza Baptist in Okinawa, Tokyo Baptist Church, and Pyeongtaek Community Church in South Korea.
The panel highlighted ministry challenges and opportunities across Japan, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines, emphasizing trends with young adults, doors opened to unreached people groups, and church planting and missions partnerships.
In a spotlight on Guam and American Samoa, HPBC’s Robert Miller facilitated a panel with Pastor Mel and Rachel Hennegan of Gospel Life Guam and Pastor Ian and Amanda Richards of Guam Christian Life Fellowship, who shared the unique challenges and opportunities of ministry on Guam and how HPBC churches can pray and partner with them.
A three-year partnership with Tennessee has come to a conclusion. “It resulted in strong church-to-church relationships, Deaf Camp Hawaii leadership support from Tennessee churches, and significant investment in pastor training and VBS ministries,” Webb said. Steve Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, Tenn., brought greetings and prayed for Hawaii Pacific Baptists.
The Maui Fire Caring Ministry also concluded, which had built on the foundation laid by Hawaii Pacific Baptist Disaster Relief in the first months after the fires in 2023.
“The Maui Fire Caring Ministry, led by Pete and Donna Beal, took the extraordinary step of contacting 748 fire survivors over 14 months,” Webb said. “This systematic follow-up ministry communicated the love of Christ, shared the Gospel message, distributed Bibles, and provided practical assistance while building lasting relationships that continue today.”
The state convention’s Pu‘u Kahea Camp and Conference Center has been refreshed with the help of many volunteers and donations, and this year’s camping season saw nearly triple the number of attendees as last year. HPBC director of finance Monica Kang anticipates Pu’u Kahea breaking even for the first time in years.
Arizona Baptists focus on ‘four questions’
By Elizabeth Young and Johanna Willett/Arizona Mission Network
GLENDALE, Ariz. – With a theme of “We Connect,” Arizona Southern Baptists connected with God, the mission and each other at the annual meeting of the Arizona Mission Network of Southern Baptists held Nov. 13 at First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale.
A total of 267 messengers from 145 Arizona churches and 50 guests participated in the meeting, bringing the official attendance to 317.
Four questions
In his first report as executive director, Monty Patton shared four questions that he presented at the special-called meeting in August when he was elected. The four questions comprise the vision that guides the network’s mission of “working together to make disciples of all peoples in Arizona and around the world.”
1. Who’s Your One?
“Pastor, your church will not be an evangelistic church unless you’re an evangelistic pastor,” Patton said. “And if you don’t have somebody in your life that you’re constantly investing in, or even just by happenstance sharing the Gospel with, … your people won’t either.”
In partnership with the associational mission strategists, the AZMN will conduct two evangelism training opportunities in 2026, a Rural Evangelism Discipleship Summit in southern Arizona in August and Contagious Faith training throughout the state.
2. Who’s Your Next?
“Who are you discipling to be the next leaders of your church? Who are you discipling … to lead in the next generation of the Gospel?” Patton asked.
A Who’s Your Next? Discipleship Conference at Citypoint Church, Tempe, Feb. 5, will help church leaders be prepared to raise up future leaders.
3. Where’s Your Next?
“As you lead people to Christ, as you make disciples and make leaders, you have to decide where’s the next thing [you’re] going to be involved in for the purpose of pushing back darkness in our state, in our world,” Patton said. “Every church should have a next strategy.”
He pointed to the 2026 Missions Prayer Guide, which each week features someone serving in Arizona or Arizonans serving with the International Mission Board. Slides and bulletin inserts are available to help churches pray together.
“You need to be a people of prayer, because when we pray, the Holy Spirit tells us where our next is,” Patton said. “We believe that when the church begins to pray, they’ll actually be involved more in missions, they’ll want to give more to missions, they’ll want to pray more for missions and they’ll want to go more on mission.”
4. How Can You Help?
“How can you and your church help the other churches in our network with your expertise, with your training, with your investment?” Patton asked. “A lot of our churches have things that you do extremely well that can be a benefit to other churches.”
It requires humility and willingness to engage other churches to offer support, and it takes humility for churches to allow others to come and help, he said.
Officers
President Mark Mucklow, senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale, and First Vice President Mathew Mueller, lead pastor of Community Life Church in Peoria, were elected to second one-year terms. Trey VanCamp, lead pastor of Passion Creek Church in Queen Creek, was elected as second vice president. VanCamp succeeds Curtis Fahrlender, who is moving out of state. All three officers were elected by acclamation.
2026 budget
Messengers approved a 2026 operating budget of $4,362,820, which includes $3,757,037 in anticipated Cooperative Program giving from churches. The Cooperative Program portion of the budget is an increase of $15,277, or .4 percent, from the 2025 budget.
For the fourth consecutive year, the 2026 Cooperative Program budget continues the 40-60 percentage distribution between Southern Baptist Convention causes and Arizona ministries, respectively. Since 2013, the AZMN’s total rise in giving to the SBC has been 14 percentage points.
With the 2026 budget, Cooperative Program funds remaining in Arizona will be distributed as follows: Arizona Mission Network, 40.8 percent; Christian Challenge collegiate ministry, 6.3 percent; Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries, 7 percent; and the Arizona Campus of Gateway Seminary, 5.9 percent. When the value of campus expenses covered by the AZMN is included, Gateway receives 7 percent.
“Our 40 percent [to the SBC] is the largest percentage in the West by a pretty good margin,” Patton said. In addition, “No other convention gives more than $40,000 a year [directly] to Gateway,” he said. The 2026 budget calls for the Arizona Campus of Gateway to receive funds of more than $219,000, plus almost $41,000 in coverage of campus expenses.
“We do this because of the generosity of Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and to missions,” Patton said. However, churches can only be a blessing according to how their members give. The AZMN must “adjust according to the generosity of Arizona Southern Baptists,” he said.
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