By Mike Book, President • BMA of Arkansas
Greetings again, BMA of Arkansas family. The 77th Annual BMA of Arkansas meeting is just a couple of months away, Nov. 5-6, 2026, on the beautiful Central Baptist College campus in Conway.
One special opportunity during this year’s meeting will be a three-hour Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship mini-training from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Mitchell Lecture Hall. Marquise Grant, youth pastor and elder at First Baptist Church in Blackwood, N.J., and Larry Barker, vice president of strategy and training for BMA Global will lead the session.
The training is sponsored by Healthy Church Solutions, and there is no cost to attend, and no advance registration is required. Seating is limited. Participants will receive Good Soil handouts, including the Good Soil E&D scale.
The training fits well with this year’s “Into His Harvest” emphasis by helping equip believers to share the gospel clearly, understand where people may be spiritually, and help them take steps toward faith and discipleship.
What is Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship (E&D)? I’m glad you asked!
Good Soil E&D uses the Lord Jesus’ Parable of the Seed and the Soils to teach three important aspects of evangelism and discipleship. In His parable, Jesus defined the seed as the message of the gospel. Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize three responses associated with the “good soil.”
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it…” (Matt. 13:23 NKJV). Understands means to “mentally grasp, fully comprehend, put the facts together.”
“But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it…” (Mark 4:20). Accept means “to receive with open arms, welcome, or embrace.”
“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it…” (Luke 8:15). Keep means “to hold firmly so as to not be snatched away.”
As Good Soil materials state, “Good Soil E&D is a careful attempt to try and assure that the people to whom we minister clearly understand, genuinely embrace, and firmly hold on to the gospel.”
The Good Soil approach uses the Bible’s redemptive story from Genesis through Revelation. Rather than assuming everyone begins at the same place spiritually, it helps believers recognize where a person may be, listen for barriers or questions shaping that person’s worldview, and help them take a meaningful next step toward faith.
As people encounter the Bible’s redemptive story, they can begin to have their own “aha” moments as truths that once seemed disconnected begin to fit together. Gospel conversations become less about presenting a memorized formula and more about helping someone understand who God is, why sin matters, who Jesus is, and how the message of Scripture points to salvation in Him.
While we all know there is no one and only “right” method to share the gospel and make disciples, Good Soil E&D recognizes that people often come to trust in Jesus after taking several steps toward understanding and accepting the truth of the gospel.
And once that glorious rebirth happens through faith in Jesus, there are many more steps on the path of discipleship that a new believer needs to take. Good Soil intentionally connects evangelism and discipleship, providing a framework for helping people continue growing after they come to faith.
Materials such as The Story of Hope and The Way to Joy are designed to support those conversations and help people move from understanding the gospel toward growth as followers of Christ.
This three-hour session is designed as an introduction to Good Soil E&D. Those interested in going further can let the Good Soil team know at the meeting. Heidi Sorrells and the team will gauge that interest and use the response to help plan a full eight-hour Good Soil workshop in early 2027 for those who want additional training and certification.
Please make plans to attend this free training from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Mitchell Lecture Hall during the BMA of Arkansas meeting. You will learn practical ways to use the Bible’s redemptive story to help people understand the gospel and take their next steps toward Christ — including how, in eight words, to share the big story of the Bible.
I hope to see each of you there.
