Coordinators for Project Thessalonica visited the SC Baptist Convention (SCBC) in March to discuss the convention’s partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB) to share Jesus in South Asia.

Project Thessalonica is “a vision to lead the church to engage every people group and city in South Asia with a church-planting movement strategy.”

During the meeting, the coordinators reported that one fifth of people on earth live in South Asia and one billion people live in India, which is a third of the size of the United States.  Also, 25 percent of the world’s lost population live in South Asia.  They explained that the purpose of Project Thessalonica is to mobilize associations and churches to do missions by training church members to plant churches in the South Asia region, where the predominant religions are Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The training includes ten days of intense on site workshops in the chosen priority city, where church members learn that churches can plant churches just as church planters do.  During the training, attendees learn how to develop a “master plan” that helps with establishing goals, finding resources, creating opportunities from obstacles, developing action plans, and evaluating progress. 

The coordinators encouraged that teams of ten or less should make the short term missions trips to plant.  Also, it is advised that the team (made up of at least one or two of the same members) goes to the same mission field at least three times each year.  The group should be comprised of people who can serve in the following positions: researcher, prayer coordinator, logistics coordinator, financial manager and team leader.

The coordinators report that churches in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are using the Project Thessalonica model, which is based on 2 Timothy 2:2

Project Thessalonica is one strategic way that associations and churches can participate in the partnership between the SC Baptist Convention and South Asia that will officially begin in January 2005, and will last for at least three years under a signed covenant.  The South Asia focus countries are the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan.

Another upcoming way that church and associational leaders can be involved as we begin the partnership is to take a “Vision Trip” in November 2004 with Dr. Jerry Rankin, president of IMB or in January 2005 with Dr. B. Carlisle Driggers, SCBC executive director-treasurer.  The purpose of the trips will be to asses the needs and explore ongoing strategic relationships.

For more information about Project Thessalonica or the South Asia partnership, contact the Missions Mobilization Group, SCBC, at (800) 723-7242 (in SC) or (803) 765-0030, extension 5620, or email debbiemcdowell@scbaptist.org.