June 2007

At National Ministries, we seek to be faithful to a faithful and loving God.

Over the course of our 175-year history, The American Baptist Home Mission Society and the Woman’s American Baptist Home Mission Society (National Ministries) have sought to embrace and articulate the hopes and aspirations of many generations—to inspire, educate and empower churches, to minister to the diverse and special needs of all people, and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.

We have sought to be faithful to a faithful God. And that faith has found expression from 1832, through the appointment of our first home missionary, Thomas Ward Merrill, to today, through the denominational declaration of NEW LIFE 2010: We are all called to be missionaries on the doorsteps of our homes, workplaces and churches.

Most recently, we have wrestled with new words and phrases, as well as methodologies and strategies, for being faithful to God for new generations. We see our mission as transforming leadership and transforming lives. Now, more than ever in the life of our denomination, National Ministries is strategically positioned to actively develop and network Christ-centered leadership for the transformation of persons, congregations, communities and cultures.

In 2006 we made extraordinary efforts to increase the capacity of leaders to excel, especially in the areas of work with and through children and youth. It had been almost 10 years since the denomination, at the national level, had staff with program portfolios devoted to children and to youth. But our successful nationwide searches last year resulted in calling the Rev. Dorian Mendez-Vaz and the Rev. Reginald Fletcher, respectively, to these positions.

It was also a year of preparation and foundation building for National Ministries to engage American Baptists in making a difference in the lives of children living in poverty. We worked closely and cooperatively with the 1997 Edwin Dahlberg Peace Award recipient, Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund and member of Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington D.C., to identify the needs of our nation’s children and strategize ways American Baptists can help to change the course of their lives. Working with nine ABCUSA regions and the internationally acclaimed organization Future Search, National Ministries made plans for a denomination-wide training and mobilization event—“Transforming Communities for the Children”—in the spring of 2007.

As ever, National Ministries has a heart for transforming churches that find themselves stuck in old paradigms, unable to figure out what it takes to engage in vibrant ministry and mission in new social and cultural contexts. Addressing that need, the Rev. Dr. David Laubach, National Ministries’ associate executive director for Program Ministries, authored 12 Steps to Congregational Transformation: A Practical Guide for Leaders (Judson Press, 2006). Drawing on his pastoral experience along with 21 years serving the larger American Baptist family, Dr. Laubach identifies in this book the top priorities for church leaders who are passionate about fulfilling their congregation’s mission in the world. Thomas G. Bandy has said of this work, “In the end, this book is not just about twelve steps. It is about ‘stepping out.’ It is about walking with Christ into mission, and doing what the church is supposed to be about.”

It has been my privilege to serve within the compassionate and courageous environment of National Ministries for 15 years. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Baptist Churches USA (established in 1907 as the Northern Baptist Convention) and the 175th anniversary of The American Baptist Home Mission Society, may God find us faithful still. Thank you for your prayers, your partnership and your financial support of this important ministry.

With abundant hope,


Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III
Executive Director