News, stories and blog

Missions

From Isolation to Connection: A Couple's Journey Back to God and Each Other

After experiencing a dramatic conversion 20 years ago, Sebastian found himself struggling to connect with God and slowly drifting back into old habits. His wife, Gosia, tried to convince him to go to the Polish church she attended with their kids at times, but Sebastian had trouble understanding the messages and an even harder time connecting with believers there. They discovered an international bible study run by global workers Lemuel and Brittany at Szczecin Baptist Church, and God brought renewal and hope into their marriage and family. They have learned to study the Bible together, pray as a family, and now that they have experienced genuine Christian community, they both have a passion for sharing it with others.

Mar 11 2025

A Call for Right Now

God is calling you. He is calling you to build bridges of Gospel peace among people of other political parties, of other faiths, of other cultures. The vast majority of Christians live in their silos, quietly praying, “Here am I, Lord, send someone else.” But God is looking for you.

Jan 16 2025

The Bridge is You

As much as we need bridgebuilding, we need to become bridges ourselves. We need to radically explore our own worlds, our habits, our connections and ask ourselves the hard question: am I living as a bridge or am I living as a silo?

Oct 15 2024

A Collaborative Effort: Meet the New Biblical Diversity Team

The 51�� Biblical Diversity team is spearheading a vital mission: uniting churches and communities around God’s heart on cultural and social issues. The leaders of this initiative, Pastor Rod Hairston and Pastor Jim Eaton, bring a wealth of experience and a shared passion for biblical diversity, each offering unique perspectives shaped by their personal and professional journeys.

Sep 24 2024

International Missions (IM)

The Unreached Among Us

Twin Cities Church Seeks to Reach 9,500 Thai

Sep 20 2024

International Missions (IM)

Churches partnering from across the pond

The pastors of King’s Church have a desire to raise up and train workers and send them out to the harvest field, and they’re eager to collaborate with church leaders.

Aug 21 2024

Church planting & multiplication

God turns 51�� PacWest’s five-year goal into a three-year accomplishment

51�� PacWest’s church planting efforts aren’t stopping. Several more church planters are in the pipeline.

May 12 2023

Missions

From refugee to missionary: A tale of determination in pursuit of God’s work

Yana Osipenko’s path into ministry resembles a saga. Her story is a testimony of faith and perseverance.

Apr 9 2023

Satan’s worst nightmare

24 hours of unbroken prayer sees more than 350 believers from five continents pray for 51��

Mar 28 2023

Missions

First Baptist Glenarden kickstarts Turkey-Syria Crisis Response giving

51�� president asks churches to unite to make a collective physical and spiritual impact during tragic circumstances.

Feb 16 2023

51�� vision & mission

Are you a pietist?

Understand the concept of pietism, how it shaped 51��’s unique history and how it helps us continue to be a spiritually dynamic movement.

Feb 15 2023

Missions

Sharing more than s’mores

How a ministry that started with marshmallows is building toward a movement of next-generation gospel leaders.

Sep 9 2022

Missions

51�� establishes fund to assist gospel leaders and others in Ukraine

51�� ministry partnerships in Ukraine date back several decades. Now it is time to help ministry leaders stand strong and provide hope in their war-torn country.

Feb 27 2022

Church planting & multiplication

Focused and fearless: Unleash conference unleashes church leaders

Eight hundred ministry leaders find renewed passion, refocused priorities at Unleash.

Feb 3 2022

Church planting & multiplication

51�� launches five-year church planting goal

Districts, national office praying for, working toward greatest season of church planting in movement’s history

May 25 2021

Church planting & multiplication

Clean hands, clear vision and community concept: how new churches are reaching their neighbors

Launching in the middle of a pandemic, new 51�� churches are building 51��s with their neighbors in new and creative ways.

Mar 25 2021

Church planting & multiplication

Church planting: How it looks different in 2021

Fusion of cultural forces generates reflective zeal for starting churches.

Mar 5 2021

Church planting & multiplication

51�� churches to church planters: “You are not alone.”

Why 51�� churches gave more than a half-million dollars (and counting) to future churches

Feb 25 2021

Missions

A prayer for more workers to share the good news with Deaf people

Only 2% of the 70 million Deaf people worldwide know who Jesus is.

Feb 4 2021

Missions

Theological education in the Philippines comes from the cloud

“We are here for the church planter, Sunday school teacher and the mother who wants to train her children.”

Jan 27 2021

Culture & society

Further thoughts on the assault on the Capitol building

After making an initial statement last week, 51�� president Scott Ridout shares further thoughts and a call to the church following the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Jan 13 2021

Diversity

What is ‘Minnesota Nice,’ and how did a 51�� church reach its multi-ethnic community by shedding the label?

Community of Nations Church’s name change goes beyond symbolism as it transitions to multi-ethnic in leadership and practice.

Dec 16 2020

Missions

Biracial 51�� leader builds initiative to love Quechua people in South America through words and deeds

Former hockey prospect sets sight on a different goal: building bridges for the gospel between people of different cultures.

Oct 22 2020

Church planting & multiplication

Utah church planters tell Jesus’ story: the beauty of grace in life’s rugged mountains

“We’re the most religious state in the country, but we’re the least evangelical.”

Sep 21 2020

Leadership

Cowards & killers

Based on whether or not they reopen their church building, pastors are being divided into two camps by their members: cowards and killers.

Sep 17 2020

Missions

Bringing Jesus to unreached peoples in least-reached places

How your church can help accomplish the Great Commission.

Sep 4 2020

Diversity

5 biblical ways to take action against injustice and racism

It is one thing to know the truth of Scripture — it is a completely different skill to know how to apply it to our present situation.

Jun 26 2020

Diversity

New Testament: Bible verses about diversity

Walk through New Testament Bible verses about diversity, race and unity.

Jun 18 2020

Diversity

Old Testament: Bible verses about diversity

Walk through Old Testament Bible verses about diversity, racism in the Bible and biblical diversity.

Jun 13 2020

4 questions leaders must ask before reopening the church

Before making the decision to reopen your church building, ask these four biblical questions.

Jun 5 2020

Response to the death of George Floyd

A response to the murder and senseless killing of George Floyd.

May 27 2020

Church strengthening

Leading courageously during times of uncertainty

Dr. Bruce Hopler encourages pastors and church leaders to trust God as they lead their people through unchartered territory.

Mar 25 2020

51�� responds: Coronavirus

51�� president Scott Ridout responds to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus.

Mar 6 2020

Church planting & multiplication

Pastor turned church planter brings hope to the Hillside

Mark Pavola resigned from his position at Bayside Baptist Church in Superior, Wisconsin, to start a new church across the river.

Mar 5 2020

Diversity

51�� forms its first Diversity Advisory Council

Members will provide support and advice to the vice president of Biblical Diversity, as well as advise, assist and advocate for the mission and vision of the Office of Biblical Diversity.

Mar 4 2020

Missions

51�� missionaries host Macedonia’s first Night to Shine

Guests with special needs experience God’s love and hear the gospel message during an unforgettable prom night experience.

Feb 26 2020

Church strengthening

3 ways pastors can prepare their people for Easter

Church leaders need to equip them to share Jesus, worship Jesus and know Jesus in his word.

Feb 24 2020

Missions

How you can engage the world’s least-reached peoples

51��’s U.S. Engagement Team can help unleash your church’s untapped missions potential.

Feb 21 2020

Discipleship & spiritual formation

Why are we surprised when God is God?

These 21 Days of Prayer stories from our churches show what a gift-giving Father our God is.

Feb 17 2020

Latest news

BGC Canada leaders train at 51��

51�� president leads two-day leadership training for representatives of longtime 51�� ministry partner BGC Canada.

Feb 12 2020

Missions

51�� leaders help train West African pastors

A gospel movement is beginning to sweep through this spiritually dark region.

Feb 11 2020

Missions

6 missionary appointees commissioned during Launch

Learn about these appointees and how you can partner with them to reach people across the street and around the world with the gospel.

Feb 1 2020

Discipleship & spiritual formation

21 Days of Prayer coming in January

As we begin the new year, 51�� churches and missionaries from around the globe will embark on 21 Days of Prayer. You can join us through our daily blog posts or by downloading a free prayer guide.

Dec 31 2019

Diversity

Watch Night Service has special meaning for African-American Christians

The annual New Year’s Eve tradition commemorates and celebrates the night of December 31, 1862, when slaves received the official word of their freedom.

Dec 30 2019

Church strengthening

10 things to consider at the start of a new year of ministry

With a new year comes new opportunities. Take time to consider how you and your church can follow the Lord boldly, intentionally and expectantly in the new year.

Dec 20 2019

51�� vision & mission

Who is 51��?

Our churches and missionaries come together around something greater than a compelling mission. What brings us together is Christ’s completed work on the cross.

Dec 13 2019

Missions

North and South American missionaries come together

It’s the first time they have gathered in one place to build and strengthen 51��s and experience the reality of what “better together” means.

Dec 5 2019

Discipleship & spiritual formation

What are you praying for?

51�� churches joining us for 21 Days of Prayer in January are excited to see how God will display his power and faithfulness.

Dec 4 2019

Church strengthening

Church, you’re probably playing the wrong game

Like sports, ministry is full of highs, lows, winning streaks and slumps. Too many pastors and church leaders have a football mindset when they should be thinking in terms of baseball.

Nov 25 2019

Missions

How you can pray for missionaries today

As Christ-followers, we know that missionaries need prayer. But, often, we don’t know what to pray for. In this story, our global workers share specific ways you can pray for them today.

Nov 14 2019

Culture & society

Souls at war: What veterans need from the church

In a deep and almost incomparable way, soldiers have seen the world for what it really is. They need affirmation that they are no more broken than our collective humanity.

Nov 6 2019

Church planting & multiplication

A God-sized goal: 5 million new churches

GACX members, including 51��, are helping launch disciple-making and church planting movements where there are few or no new churches.

Nov 1 2019

Discipleship & spiritual formation

Come and dine: A call to eat God’s word

Have you been eating the word of God lately? Have you received it with joy, digested it, taken it to heart and applied it to your life?

Oct 17 2019

Diversity

A call for lamenting

After another senseless loss of life, may God grant us the courage to speak up, the compassion to pray and the concern to mourn and hope for better days.

Oct 14 2019

Missions

51�� churches making global gospel impact

Our missionaries are penetrating intense spiritual darkness around the world. How can you and your church support them?

Oct 11 2019

Pastors call Unleash conference ‘encouraging, motivating, insightful’

51�� ministry leaders reflect on the 2019 event in Orlando, Florida, and look forward to the 2020 conference in Long Beach, California.

Oct 2 2019

Church & pastoral health

Strengthen your ministry through Unleash peer-to-peer groups

Ministry can be a lonely journey, but you don’t have to do it alone. And you shouldn’t.

Sep 19 2019

Missions

How your church can focus on missions

The new 2:10 Missions FOCUS strategy and coaching helps 51�� churches examine how God has uniquely equipped them to reach the nations.

Sep 11 2019

Leadership

Seven steps to empowering people in their giftedness

It is our job as leaders to encourage, equip and help people discover and exercise their diverse Spirit-empowered gifts for the betterment of the whole.

Sep 5 2019

Missions

‘Now I know that the cross isn’t shameful’

51�� missionaries in Macedonia use a summer camp to open a little girl’s eyes to the hope of the cross.

Aug 27 2019

Missions

Stepping onto the mission battlefield

David Connell and his family decide to leave behind their “comfortable Christian” life to serve as 51�� missionaries to the Dominican Republic.

Aug 15 2019

Church strengthening

8 questions effective spiritual leaders ask

Healthy ministry leaders should be actively asking strategic questions as to how they can actively engage in the work of God in their unique calling.

Aug 7 2019

51�� responds: El Paso, Dayton tragedies

51�� president Scott Ridout pens an emotional response to the latest mass shootings and offers four next steps God has laid on his heart to take in the wake of the tragedies.

Aug 4 2019

Missions

Historic 51�� global workers gathering held in Germany

More than 130 people, representing 20 countries, attend the week-long Europe/Mediterranean/Africa Summer Gathering 2019 in Neustadt, Germany.

Jul 31 2019

Church strengthening

Raising leaders vs. valuing excellence

Every ministry leader has to balance the tension between raising leaders and valuing excellence.

Jul 18 2019

Church planting & multiplication

From atheist to church planter

Charlie Salamone was a passionate and outspoken critic of Christianity. Now, he wants to plant 100 churches in 10 years.

Jul 12 2019

Missions

Cameroon churches unite to celebrate prisoners’ baptisms

A young man in Cameroon decides to follow Jesus and then shares his faith with local prisoners.

Jul 2 2019

Diversity

Cuatro razones para convertirse en una iglesia bíblicamente diversa

Para que el evangelio tenga un impacto en una sociedad diversa, debemos comprender cuán importante e imperativo es convertirse en una iglesia bíblicamente diversa.

Jun 25 2019

Diversity

Four reasons to become a biblically diverse church

For the gospel to have an impact in a diverse society, we must understand how important and imperative it is to become a biblically diverse church.

Jun 25 2019

Coaching & covering

Why residencies? Developing future church leaders and planters

Church residencies provide a launching pad for those who have been called to vocational ministry.

Jun 19 2019

Discipleship & spiritual formation

51�� chaplain finds beauty in the barrenness

During his deployment aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star on Earth’s southernmost continent, Jonathan Alexander uses the beauty of God’s creation to point people to the hope of the gospel.

Jun 14 2019

Church strengthening

Interim pastors play vital role in pastoral transition process

When a pastor announces he is leaving or retiring, the church often wants to find his successor as soon as possible. Not so fast, according to Tom Harris, executive director of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM).

Jun 6 2019

Missions

It’s our turn to fulfill the Great Commission

Nearly every two seconds, someone dies, doomed to spend an eternity separated from God, not because they rejected Jesus — but because no one ever told them who he is.

May 31 2019

Culture & society

Confessions of a combat veteran on Memorial Day

“For combat veterans, Memorial Day is painful.” 51�� Chaplain (Major) Jason Hohnberger shares how you and your church can show your love — and Christ’s love — to veterans.

May 24 2019

Missions

Unjust jailing leads to gospel proclamation

A 51�� missionary’s addiction recovery program in Argentina helps four men find Jesus. What God did after they were arrested rendered our missionary speechless.

May 23 2019

Diversity

The ABCs of biblical diversity

When the church assesses, believes and changes, it moves from where it is to where God intended it to be as a vehicle of salvation for the world.

May 15 2019

Diversity

El ABC de la diversidad bíblica

Solo un rápido recordatorio: ¡la diversidad bíblica es idea de Dios!

May 15 2019

Church & pastoral health

5 Bible truths to help pastors prepare for succession

Succession planning is personal long before it becomes tactical.

May 8 2019

Evangelism

51�� churches make the most of Easter opportunity

The “Big 3 Weekends” — Christmas, Easter and fall kickoff — present a unique opportunity to invite neighbors, co-workers, relatives, friends and classmates to church and introduce them to Jesus.

May 3 2019

51�� vision & mission

51�� pastors, planters share why we’re ‘better together’

The church is not a building you sit in; it is a movement you choose to be part of. When you join 51��, you become part of a movement of like-minded, Bible-believing churches focused on the mission of Jesus.

Apr 26 2019

Church planting & multiplication

Minnesota church ‘pivots’ to reach more people for Christ

“The world is not going to come to us on their own so we must go to them,” Free Grace United senior pastor Eric Dykstra said.

Apr 18 2019

Diversity

Six dividends of joy for biblical diversity

Churches that are deliberate and determine to plant and grow biblically diverse congregations can expect the dividends of joy in at least six ways.

Apr 9 2019

Diversity

Seis dividendos de gozo para la diversidad bíblica

Las iglesias que esta determinadas y decididas a plantar y desarrollar congregaciones diversas bíblicamente pueden esperar los beneficios del gozo en al menos seis maneras.

Apr 9 2019

Missions

The power of saying ‘yes’ to God

What’s the difference between sharing the gospel 28,609 times and sharing it zero times? It may surprise you to learn that it’s just one person saying “yes” to God.

Feb 27 2019

Diversity

Five strategies to honor biblical diversity in the church

How can a church reflect the racial and cultural diversity of its community?

Feb 13 2019

Diversity

Cinco estrategias para honrar la diversidad bíblica en la iglesia

¿Cómo puede una iglesia reflejar la diversidad racial y cultural de su comunidad?

Feb 13 2019

Evangelism

God’s House Orlando reaching entertainers with the gospel

Entertainment industry veterans Sammy and Shannon Pawlak find a creative way to share Christ with entertainment workers in their community.

Feb 6 2019

Missions

God is transforming Muslims’ lives in the Mediterranean

A reconciliation only made possible through the amazing grace of God and the blood of Jesus. A family transformed by the power of the gospel. These are just two examples of the amazing things God is doing through 51��’s Great Sea Initiative, which is starting and strengthening churches among the 300 million Muslims living in the Mediterranean Region.

Jan 4 2019