Ministers in Crisis
One of the eight recipients of funds from the annual Arizona Mission Offering is the Ministers in Crisis Fund. Many pastors go through times of overwhelming crisis. The story of Jeff Vanderford, 11-year pastor of Authentic Life Church in Tucson, is a great example of this. A few years ago, Jeff faced a difficult medical crisis. A few years later, his church faced a difficult time, and then Jeff lost a beloved grandparent. Jeff found himself dealing with a sense of anxiety he had experienced before. He called David Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network, to inquire about pulpit supply while he traveled to officiate his grandparent’s funeral. After one conversation with David, he was soon receiving a pastoral call from Associate Executive Director Monty Patton. David and Monty utilized the Ministers in Crisis fund from the Arizona Mission Offering to come alongside Jeff with counseling services. This resource, funded by the faithful gifts of Arizona Southern Baptists, is designed to help ministry leaders in situations like Jeff’s, where they or their church may not have the financial resources to meet pressing needs. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and have ranged from counseling services to help with devasting expenses in the pastor’s home to medical expenses.
How to Pray
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That Arizona Southern Baptists would faithfully give to the Arizona Mission Offering through their local church.
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For our Arizona Southern Baptist pastors and the tremendous challenges they often face leading their church.
Request Prayer Guide
Join us in praying for Arizona missionaries by requesting a printed copy or downloading a digital copy of the 2025 Missions Prayer Guide.
Weekly Reminders
Each week we will send an email that highlights this week's prayer focus. It will also include links to the bulletin insert and PowerPoint slide that you can use with your church to engage them in praying for Arizona missionaries.