The Baptist Bible Fellowship International gathered on the campus of Mission University in Springfield, MO, April 28 – May 2, 2025, for a powerful and historic week of celebration, reflection, and vision casting. This year marked the 75th anniversary of both the BBFI and Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College). The theme of the week, appropriately titled “Legacy,” highlighted the faithfulness of God throughout the decades and the impact of generations committed to the Great Commission.
Preaching That Honored the Past and Propelled the Future
The preaching throughout the week reflected the legacy theme with compelling sermons from a lineup of respected pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders.
- O.S. Hawkins opened the week with a stirring sermon at Tuesday evening’s service, reminding attendees to live as true “VIPs”—Very Influential People—with vision, integrity, and purpose.
- Bill Dowell Jr., longtime pastor and professor, shared his journey with the Fellowship and emphasized the foundational influence of legends like G.B. Vick and John Rawlings.
- Ray Adams delivered a heartfelt, humorous message centered on remembering our roots and growing deeper in love with Jesus.
- Steve Doss, drawing from Matthew 25, called leaders to steward the gospel faithfully and remain mission-focused.
- Greg Stier, known for his passion for evangelism, preached a powerful message from Revelation 2 urging a return to a deep love for Christ that drives personal evangelism.
- Kent Jesalva, pastor from Cebu City, Philippines, closed the preaching lineup with a challenge from Acts 4 to live boldly and obediently for the mission of Christ.
Click here to watch each of these sermons.
Celebrating Missions Legacy and Future Impact
Missions continues to be the heartbeat of the Fellowship. During “Missions Morning,” the BBFI celebrated some amazing statistics from 2024:
- 99,117 professions of faith
- 13,353 baptisms
- 23,315 leaders in training
- 845 new missions or Bible studies
- 266 churches organized
- $37,142,905.85 given through the BBFI Missions Office
Several long-serving missionary couples were honored:
- Bob and Sandy Piatt – 50 years in Japan
- Willie and Sandy Falk – 50 years in Germany
- Leonard and Susie Smith – 50 years in Mexico
- Rickey and Angela Freeman – 30 years in Argentina
Missions Director Jon Konnerup shared exciting updates on completed short-term missionary apartments and retirement housing projects at the new BBFI Mission Office campus and missionary field reps gathered in the newly finished Event Center for the first time. Seven retirement homes will be ready by August.
Konnerup spoke on the impact of BBFI missions around the world. Many places where BBFI missionaries serve are now sending missionaries themselves. An update to the popular video From Everywhere to Everywhere highlighted this powerful work.
Click here to watch this video.
A Banner Year for Church Planting
Third Vice President Randy Abell reported exciting momentum in church planting. Over 30 new church plants have launched in the past three years, with four more on track this year. These new churches saw a combined attendance of over 3,700 on Easter Sunday alone.
Two new church planters were approved and introduced during Fellowship Week 2025:
- Pedro Morales, planting a new BBFI church in Baltimore, Maryland
- AJ York, planting a new BBFI church in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Both Morales and York represent the growing passion among young leaders to reach major metropolitan areas with the gospel.
In addition to new approvals, Scott Goodwin shared an encouraging update after recently celebrating the one-year anniversary of his church plant, New Life Baptist Church in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. His testimony highlighted God’s faithfulness during the crucial early stages of church planting.
Church planter Tim Hale, serving in Midlothian, Texas, also preached a challenging message from Galatians 5 during the session. He focused on the importance of living as a “Jesus neighbor”—demonstrating the love and freedom found in Christ to those in our communities.
The session concluded with a powerful moment of unity as all current BBFI church planters in attendance were invited to the front. Keith Buttram, pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas, led a heartfelt prayer over the church planters, praying for God’s continued blessing on their ministries and for even more laborers to be called out for the important work of church planting.
BBFI Business
President Jon Haley presided over the BBFI Business Meeting, which included updates from each of the BBFI entity leaders and BBFI vice presidents.
Phil Housley shared an update on “Church Development,” the newest arm of the BBFI, emphasizing the Fellowship EMT approach—Encourage, Mentor, Train—to support churches in crisis or transition.
A proposed BBFI Constitution and Bylaws Update was read, aligning governing documents with current practices. This proposed update will be voted on during the September 2025 BBFI business meeting in Tyler, TX. Click here to read the proposed BBFI Constitution and Bylaws Update.
Randy Harp, BBFI Central Office Director, reported several positive signs for growing health in the Fellowship, such as:
- Six new State Representatives were introduced, including three relaunching state fellowships (WA, IL, NY).
- Two new resources launched by the Central Office:
- Two new books were released through Tribune Publishers (click here to visit the new BBFI Bookstore:
- Growing in Wisdom – written by retired BBFI pastors and missionaries
- Banana Split Decision – written by Carol Levergood
- Online communication milestones were highlighted:
- Unique visitors to Tribune.org increased by 47% in 2024
- Approaching 100,000 emails were sent
Fellowship and Special Events
The week included several meaningful opportunities for fellowship and connection:
- Monday’s 75th Anniversary Banquet featured reflections from Keith Gillming on BBFI’s founding generation.
- Wednesday’s Retired Pastors Luncheon honored the legacy of those who’ve served faithfully for decades.
- A Ladies’ Meeting was held Wednesday afternoon, and late-night fellowship followed several evening services.
- Thursday morning’s Alumni Breakfast and Missionary Luncheon further reinforced relational and spiritual connections.
Commencement and Honors
The week concluded with the Mission University Commencement Ceremony on Friday morning. Retired pastor Rick Blue delivered the address and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity for his decades of ministry impact.
A Bright Future
Fellowship Week 2025 was a celebration of the past 75 years and a bold challenge to steward the next 75 with purpose. With strong leadership, a growing church planting pipeline, impactful global missions, and renewed emphasis on biblical training, the BBFI stands committed to equipping leaders who will continue the legacy.
Upcoming National Meetings:
- September 15-17, 2025 – Central Baptist Church, Tyler, TX
- April 28 – May 1, 2026 (tentative) – Fellowship Week at Mission University
- September 2026 – Boston Baptist College, Boston, MA
