Studies show that if you are involved in an accident your proximity to emergency medical care could be the difference between life and death. A hospital with a well-equipped emergency room and a well-trained staff in the closest city far away will do you little good. Local care is important. One of the reasons local churches matter so much is because they are “local”. While cities have grown remarkably in the last decades there are still many who live in small towns and rural communities. We must have churches close enough to impact the lives of these people. No church is “unimportant.”
The local church is where the gospel is declared and discussed. It is these local communities of believers who bear witness day in and day out to the gospel of Jesus. Nothing could be more important to a rural community than a local church with a vision to reach people with the life changing gospel of Jesus. It is our goal as a Fellowship to see churches planted everywhere.
My Father, Boyd Lyons, grew up in one of those rural areas. He was born and raised in the little town of Mark, Iowa. His grandparents lived beside a rural church. This is where his family worshiped. This is where my father gave his life to Christ and surrendered to preach. The story of this church is quite amazing. It was started in a log cabin in 1841. Today nothing in this little town still stands except the church. Mark Baptist Church continues to be a vibrant community of believers led by Pastor Jonathan Kaushal. This church over the past 177 years has sent out many pastors and missionaries. The people in this rural community had a vision to reach the world with the gospel. Partnering with the Baptist Bible Fellowship they have literally taken the gospel around the world. This church and many like it have been the backbone of our efforts in the Baptist Bible Fellowship.