JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—More than half of Florida’s 16 million residents live in the state’s seven metro areas challenging Florida Baptists to reach beyond their traditional rural roots. Gated subdivisions, transitional neighborhoods and low-income communities dictate that Florida Baptists enlist creative methods to share the gospel with urban dwellers of extreme economical means.

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John Fleming, director of the Gulf Stream Baptist Association, estimates that half of Broward County’s two million residents live in apartments, condominiums and gated communities. Those homes are closed to outsiders making traditional methods of evangelistic outreach impossible. The challenge of taking the Gospel to these individuals requires creativity to “get into doors, get into homes, get into hearts and do ministry for the Lord.”

Several churches are accomplishing that in diverse ways, he noted.

Members of First Baptist Church of Weston in Broward County gain entrance into lavish gated communities by taking home-baked cookie-filled gift boxes to persons who visit the church’s community outreach events. “We go to their gates with a gift in hand and say ‘you’ve come to our house, now we want to come to your house and share a gift with you,’” said Pastor Rob Peters.

George Griffis, pastor of the Alpha and Omega Baptist Church, offers worship services and backyard Bible clubs in low-income multi-family housing located in Fort Lauderdale’s urban core. The pastor works closely with apartment managers to provide activities for the children, youth and parents, including music, aerobic and gymnastic classes, arts and crafts. “He gets into the communities that no one else could drive into,” Fleming noted.

“But there is a tremendous challenge in Broward County as density of population forces the building of even more condos, high rises and multi-family housing units,” he noted.

Leaders of the association face other issues as they try to positively impact the community for Christ. More than a fourth of the ethnically diverse population speaks a language other than English. Located in the metropolitan area are smaller municipalities with decaying inner-city cores. And as the population increases, available land to build new churches decreases.

“Florida is such a diverse state not just culturally but in demographics,” said Fleming. “One size does not fit all. Our typical traditional ways work in some areas but you have to go beyond that to meet the individual need of the community and that varies so much especially here in Gulf Stream.”

The missions challenge of the cities is a reality for Florida Baptists, said Tom Biles, director of missions, Tampa Bay Baptist Association. “Like most metropolitan areas, over 70 percent of the people that live in Hillsborough County are either spiritually lost or unchurched. One of the things we need to do here and across Florida is to ask God to give us a bigger vision, a bigger understanding of what we can do and how we can reach people with the cause of Christ.”

While the Tampa association copes with many of the same issues as Gulf Stream, assistance also is needed by churches in transitional, changing communities, such as First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs.

Located in a changing community in Tampa, former missionaries Ken and Linda Watkins sponsor vacation Bible schools, World Changers and tent revivals to help the congregation transition from an all-white, 1950s congregation to a 21st century church reaching its ethnically diverse neighborhood.

“They have limited resources and in their minds it’s like changing the wheels of a moving vehicle,” Biles noted. “But it’s a vital ministry and it’s important that all of our smaller churches realize that God can greatly use them right where they are.”

In this year’s Maguire State Missions Offering, $100,000 is being allocated to help churches in Florida’s seven strategic urban areas reach out to their community with ministry and evangelism projects. Struggling churches in changing communities, ministries to multi-family housing and closed communities and other creative and innovative programs will receive funding through the offering proceeds.

“The state mission offering is a vital catalyst that God uses to advance His kingdom throughout the whole state,” noted Biles. “The offering is especially helpful to us here. But the funds won’t just be used in Tampa, they will meet needs in the Panhandle, Miami and the along the east coast—right here where we live in our Jerusalem—Florida.”