By Jeff Herring, Executive Editor • Baptist Trumpet
Every November, our BMA of Arkansas family gathers — pastors and lay leaders, missionaries and messengers, college representatives and ministry partners — for what we simply call “the meeting.” It’s the one time of the year when old friends catch up, new ones are made and our shared mission feels a little more personal again. Because the meeting is never just a meeting — it’s a family reunion on mission. It is a time to celebrate what God has done, renew our shared commitments and discern together what He wants to do next. And like any family gathering, what we bring matters.
Whether your church is big or small, whether you’ve been in ministry for decades or are just getting started, we need you there. The strength of our association isn’t found in our programs. It’s found in our people. When all generations come together, something powerful happens — we remember that this mission still matters.
Bring Gratitude Before You Bring a Motion
Before we bring reports, motions or recommendations, let’s first bring gratitude. God has been faithful — through another year of ministry, through transitions and trials, through every answered prayer. Paul wrote, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Phil. 1:3). That’s how I feel when I think about this association — hundreds of churches across Arkansas, working together for the sake of the gospel.
Every story you read in the Trumpet — from a baptism in a small-town church to an update from an international missionary — exists because our churches choose to cooperate instead of compete. That’s something to thank God for.
Show Up with Faithfulness
When we gather at Central Baptist College on Nov. 6, we won’t just be attending another meeting. We’ll be stepping into a living picture of cooperation. Every handshake, every prayer, every report tells part of the story of what God is doing through us.
As we gather, we’ll hear firsthand how God is using your faithful support to impact lives across Arkansas and beyond. We’ll celebrate the ministries that represent who we are and what we do together. This year, besides our normal business and reports from national departments, we’ll hear from:
• Paul White, BMA of Arkansas Missions executive director, and our state missionaries, sharing how they are reaching people with the gospel across Arkansas.
• Dr. Jeremy Langley, the new president of Central Baptist College, sharing how God is transforming lives through Christian higher education.
• Dan Carson, director of Student Ministry Matters, reminding us how we’re investing in the next generation of church leaders.
• And I will also offer an update on the Baptist Trumpet, showing how we’re keeping our churches informed, inspired and involved in the mission.
These aren’t just departments — they’re the heartbeat of how Arkansas churches disciple, send, educate and communicate. Each one depends on pastors, lay leaders and members who show up, pray together, and choose to keep building something bigger than themselves.
That’s what faithfulness looks like — pastors who shepherd without fanfare, volunteers who serve without spotlight, and members who simply keep showing up. It looks like you.
Fight for Unity, Not Uniformity
If there’s one thing we need more than ever, it’s unity — not uniformity, but unity rooted in the gospel. When we disagree (and we will), let’s do so with grace. When we debate, let’s remember that our mission is bigger than any motion. And when we leave, may our words build up, not tear down.
Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers “may be one… so that the world may believe.” The world isn’t watching to see if we agree on every point — it’s watching to see if we still love one another when we don’t. Let’s walk into this meeting determined to leave closer than we arrived.
Come Expecting God to Move
Let’s not come just to hear reports — let’s come to hear from God. What if the next movement of missions, the next revival in our churches or the next calling in a young heart begins with the prayers we pray together on Nov. 6? We don’t just come to do business. We come to do His business.
So, what will you bring to the meeting this year?
Bring gratitude.
Bring faithfulness.
Bring unity.
Bring expectation.
And above all, bring your heart — ready for whatever God has in store.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” (Eph. 3:20).
Staying Connected to the Mission
The Baptist Trumpet exists to help you stay informed, inspired, and involved in the work God is doing through our churches, missionaries and ministries.
As we gather this year, let’s do more than read about the mission — let’s live it together.
Stay connected.
Stay faithful.
Stay involved.
We’ll see you at the meeting.
