FRANKLIN — Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Memphis has a strong heritage and culture of giving to missions causes throughout the state, the nation and the world.
Ten years ago, Kirby Woods gave more than $2.3 million or 41.37 percent of its total receipts to missions, including more than $51,000 through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.
In recent years the church experienced a dramatic decline in both members and giving . By 2021, total mission expenditures had dropped to $88,210 or 4.65 percent of its total receipts.
There were two years in that stretch where Kirby Woods gave nothing for state missions before giving $7,409 through GOTM in 2022-23.
Two years ago, Kirby Woods called Jared Kress as pastor. Kress had served as an intern at the church during some of its peak years between 2012-15. He was part of a church plant in Colorado with the North American Mission Board with Kirby Woods as the sending church.
Kress was well aware of the mission heritage of Kirby Woods and knew of the decline. He had prayed for Kirby Woods as he transitioned to a senior pastor role in San Antonio, Texas.
Kress shared that Kirby Woods contacted him about returning to their congregation.
“They knew my history with the church and that I was a cultural fit and shared their love of missions,” he said.
“It was important for them to know someone who shared their vision and values to come back to lead them in that. So, that’s what I have been doing the past two years and it has been a wonderful time,” Kress acknowledged.
One of the first areas to show significant improvement was the church’s Global Impact Offering. Instead of collecting an offering for each of the major SBC mission offerings (Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong) as well as GOTM, the church collects one major offering in the fall during a major missions emphasis that includes a Global Impact Conference and sermons by Kress on missions.
Last year’s Global Impact Offering raised $74,000 for the three major offerings and a local fund at the church used to supplement mission teams the church sends out.
Each year the church revaluates the offering and the percentages that go to each recipient, the pastor said. Last year, GOTM received 10 percent of the offering. Kress led out in the effort to increase the GOTM percentage to 25 percent for 2023-24.
He cited a strong relationship with Danny Sinquefield, former pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Bart-lett, who now serves as Harvest Field One team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
“Danny specifically has made it a priority to reach out to me as I’m a new pastor in this area. He has encouraged me.
“He has kept me updated on things happening with Tennessee Baptists and he has gone out of his way to make me feel a part of the TBC and to ask my opinion on things,” he continued.
His second reason for increasing giving is the BlueOval City Initiative. BlueOval City is the site of a massive Ford automotive plant currently under construction in West Tennessee that will ultimately bring thousands of new residents to the area.
Kress has attended several meetings about BlueOval City.
“Every time I come away from these meetings, I am thankful for Tennessee Baptist leadership because they seem like they are ahead of the game. They know what’s coming and what God is going to do in West Tennessee,” he observed, adding that he wanted himself and Kirby Woods “to be a part of what God is going to do in BlueOval City.”
Through Sinquefield’s efforts, Kirby Woods has been paired up with a small rural church in the BlueOval City area. “We want to help them prepare for all the new people who are going to move in. We’re fully invested in what’s coming,” he said.
The pastor noted he really did not have to convince his church of the importance of giving money for missions in Tennessee. “They were excited to do it.”
When this year’s Global Impact Offering concluded, Kirby Woods had given $111,000. GOTM’s portion of the offering totaled $27,767.
“That’s pretty generous for a church that averages between 250-275 people on Sunday morning,” he observed.
Kress said the offering is a testimony “to the generosity of Kirby Woods and for the fact that we are very much alive again.
“We’ve been through difficult times in the past few years … and are so excited that we’ve got our feet back under us again. Giving to missions is just one example of God restoring us. We have a church that loves missions.” B&R