neighbors & Nations partner update & prayer guide – Fall 2025
God has entrusted the task of protecting and advancing the gospel to the church. Faithful churches will disciple its members to be saturated in the gospel, informed by a devotion and submission to God’s Word. Healthy, reproducing churches teach God’s Word to others and bear witness to the gospel of Jesus in the world.
Follow the prompt each day to learn about a way that TCBC is working to help plant healthy churches. Pray the same things for each church or organization:
- submission to the authority of God’s Word
- equipping of their members to be doers of God’s Word
- steadfastness in their conviction to sound doctrine
- revealed in God’s Word
- boldness in the public proclamation of God’s Word
- for their evangelism to be centered on God’s Word
Download a PDF version of this guide here.
Sunday, November 16
Pray for TCBC to faithfully proclaim the gospel and call our neighbors and the nations to repentance and faith in Jesus. Pray that you will be a faithful ambassador of the gospel where you live, work, play, and go.
Monday, November 17
Overland Church in Durango, Colorado was planted in March 2024. This growing church is currently meeting in three worship gatherings, serving over 40 students in their student ministry, and reaching over 50 students in their college Bible study.
Tuesday, November 18
TCBC has supported the ministry of City View Church in Atlanta, Georgia since 2023. 2025 has been an important year for the church as they moved to morning worship gatherings, sent 10 members on mission trips, welcomed their first pastoral intern, and added new deacons.
Wednesday, November 19
TCBC has long partnered with the IMB Team in Kaabong, Uganda led by Shaun and Elizabeth Noble to plant churches among the Karamojong people. In July 2019 there was only one church with one pastor serving this people group. Through the faithful teaching of God’s Word and investment in future pastors, there are now 7 churches advancing the gospel in villages where there was little gospel influence.
Thursday, November 20
The Fort Church actively ministers to the needs of the Bloomingdale community of Kingsport and introduces them to Jesus. A key aspect of church multiplication is the revitalization of historic churches in small towns across the country.
Friday, November 21
Hampton Community Church was planted in January 2025. The surrounding communities are home to about 12,500 people – over half are not following Jesus and are in desperate need of the gospel. TCBC has provided financial support, assistance in facility preparation, leader training and equipping, community outreach resources, and flood recovery aid to this new church.
Saturday, November 22
More than 7.6 million people call the San Francisco Bay Area home. This region contains the most unchurched population in the country. TCBC has served new Bay Area churches with the Send Network Bay Area Team by underwriting, staffing, and teaching at an annual retreat for planters and their families.
Sunday, November 23
Seminaries are key to preparing future pastors and church planters for ministry. They ensure that these leaders will be rooted in God’s Word, helping them grow in interpretation and application of God’s Word personally and in leading churches to love and obey God’s Word.
Monday, November 24
TCBC partners with the IMB City Team in Bogotá, Colombia to strengthen new churches by participating in community outreach events, sponsoring seminary training for new pastors, equipping in healthy discipleship, and supporting a church planting network.
Tuesday, November 25
The North American Mission Board’s Send Network seeks to plant churches in strategic, influential cities throughout North America. Pray for the gospel to be advanced through the starting of new churches to reach the millions of lost and unchurched people with the gospel.
Wednesday, November 26
Planting Appalachian Churches (PAC) was formed in 2020 to see gospel-centered churches planted throughout Appalachia. This organization strives to help local congregations identify, assess, and equip leaders to plant new churches. TCBC is a founding and member church of PAC.
Thursday, November 27
Pray for the gospel to be proclaimed this Thanksgiving day!
Friday, November 28
TCBC has the privilege of being involved in connecting church planters to international missionaries. The goal of the Send Network Global Engagement Team led by Pastor Mike Laughrun is to help new churches engage in global missions from the earliest days of their church by helping them prioritize reaching the nations through global vision trips to develop partnerships.
Saturday, November 29
Pray for local churches to prioritize the advancement of the gospel as the mission of the church and to grow in submission and obedience to God’s Word.
neighbors & Nations reading and prayer guide – Fall 2024
Neighbors & Nations is the weeks of November 17 and 24 with an emphasis on the Go pursuit Train Leaders. We will consider how we take next steps in advancing the gospel by being challenged to Pray, Give, and Go.
During Neighbors & Nations, we will read Scriptures that teach through seven principles of training leaders and pray for several partners and members who serve as examples of this pursuit.
Each of these 14 days from 11/17 -11/30, read and meditate on the Bible passage and then follow the prayer prompt. The first 7 days from 11/17-11/24, you can also watch a very short video about one application of that principle and then pray. You can also view the entire YouTube playlist.
Fasting is a discipline that can often accompany prayer. View this Fasting Guide for tips if you’d like to participate.
Our hope for these two weeks of focused prayer is that we would set our minds on the mission of God and our faithfulness in striving to advance the gospel among our neighbors and to the nations.
Sunday, November 17
Leaders need to be trained in order to lead faithfully.
Read: Hebrews 5:11-6:2
Example: The Tri-Cities Leadership Training Program exists to train leaders by pairing the expertise of a seminary with the practical experience provided in the local church. To date through the LTP, we’ve trained over 70 local church leaders who have served within the Tri-Cities, across the United States, and around the globe.
Prayer: Pray for the current and future students of the Leadership Training Program. Pray that by grace-fueled effort and pursuit they would continue to grow into faithful, biblically qualified church leaders who model the character of Christ, know the Bible and sound doctrine, teach biblical doctrine while refuting false doctrine, and lead their family and the church to maturity well.
Monday, November 18
Training leaders helps reach the unreached with the gospel.
Read: Revelation 7:9-17
Example: TCBC partners with IMB missionaries in South Asia to reach 23 unreached people groups. Our Go Trip teams help them expand their efforts to share the gospel in villages, strengthen existing churches, train leaders, encourage pastors and missionaries, and meet physical needs.
Prayer: Pray for wisdom for this IMB team to best utilize the mission teams that come to assist them and for their national partners to boldly persevere despite persecution as they attempt to advance the gospel among their people. Revelation 7 tells us that people from every tribe and tongue will stand before the throne of God and worship. Pray that unreached people groups would be reached with the gospel and for the hearts of the South Asian people to be softened and receptive to Christ.
Tuesday, November 19
Training leaders protects the church from immaturity and heresy.
Read: 2 Peter 2:1-3
Example: Pastor Gene and Gayle Mermilliod recently traveled to visit our IMB partners in Kaabong, Uganda who serve among the Karamojong people. The Karamojong people are immersed in a culture of alcoholism, witchcraft, and sexual immorality, which provide unique obstacles seeking to share the gospel with them. Training leaders in this context helps to plant churches in new villages, assist the young churches in raising up elders, and resource leaders to travel to another part of the country for seminary training.
Prayer: Pray today for the IMB Team’s resolve to persevere as they serve the Karamojong people. Pray for these young churches and new leaders as they learn and begin to teach God’s Word. Pray that the Lord would send more workers to join this team in this difficult part of the world. Pray that the pastors trained will be well-equipped to deal with the specific strongholds and cultural beliefs that are prevalent among the Karamojong people. Pray that they would be bold to proclaim truth and to call people to respond to the gospel of Christ.
Wednesday, November 20
Training leaders helps the advancement of planting new, healthy churches.
Read: Colossians 1:3-14
Example: TCBC is partnering with several other local churches to help plant Hampton Community Church in Hampton, TN in January 2025. Adam and Mckenzie Stine received theological training and ministry coaching through their completion of the Tri-Cities Leadership Training Program in May 2023. We rejoice with new healthy churches starting and serving our area with the good news of the gospel.
Prayer: Pray for Adam and Mckenzie as they continue to build relationships with the people in Hampton in preparation for planting a new church next year. Pray for their marriage and family and those of their core team. Pray that the Lord would give them favor with people in the Hampton community and that from their first day as a church they would pursue health and growth in Christ.
Thursday, November 21
Training leaders serves the church locally.
Read: Titus 1:5-11
Example: Local churches are led by qualified leaders. At TCBC, we are led by our elders and are faithfully served by many teams of leaders, including our Go Group leaders. Every Go Group is led by a disciple-maker who is intentionally helping everyone in the group take their next step of growth in Christlikeness, seeking to add, expand, and restore edifying pursuits.
Prayer: Pray for our elders and the more than 60 Go Group leaders currently serving at TCBC. Pray for their continued growth in maturity and the health of their families and Go Groups. Pray as they lead their groups to replicate, intentionally multiplying groups and helping more and more people take their next step of growth in following Jesus.
Friday, November 22
Training leaders serves the church globally.
Read: Matthew 28:16-20
Example: TCBC Pastor Mike Laughrun also serves as the Director of Global Engagement for Send Network, the North American church planting organization of the Southern Baptist Convention. Send Network partners with the International Mission Board to take trips each year that introduce 100 church planters from all over the country to missionary teams all over the world. The aim of these trips is that every Send Network church plant will begin to actively work to advance the gospel in strategic global locations.
Prayer: Pray for Pastor Mike and the Send Network Global Engagement Team as they seek to lead these church planters to develop a heart for the nations
Saturday, November 23
Training leaders equips the next generation to be disciples sent out to work for the glory of God.
Read: Psalm 127:1-5
Example: Chase and Madelyn Bartlett were discipled, equipped, and sent out by TCBC in May 2024. Chase is serving as the Next Generation Director with our church planting partner Overland Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. TCBC desires to train members to be faithful disciplemakers, help them discern their giftings and callings, and release them to pursue next steps of fruitful ministry to advance the gospel.
Prayer: Pray for Chase and Madelyn as they continue to learn to pastor and serve in a new context. Pray for the families of Overland, that they would be faithful to train their kids to know, love, and follow Jesus. Pray that more and more children and teenagers would grow up to be exemplary in their pursuit of following Jesus and would be sent out to serve in various places with the gospel. Like the picture in Psalm 127, they are arrows meant to be shot out for the glory of God. Ask the Lord to do this work in our families!
Sunday, November 24
Leaders need to be trained in order to lead faithfully.
Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Prayer: As you read the qualities of the false teachers in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, pray against each of them for the church’s leaders. Pray that they would not be lovers of self, proud, arrogant, ungrateful, etc. Pray that our leaders would hold fast to the Word of life even in the midst of persecution. Pray that we would embrace and pursue the teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness of Scripture.
Monday, November 25
Training leaders helps reach the unreached with the gospel.
Read: Romans 10:9-17
Prayer: Pray for the billions of people around the world who are currently unreached with limited or no access to the gospel. Pray that through His church, the Lord would raise up leaders to go and preach to them, and that the proclamation of the Word would lead to their believing in Christ.
Tuesday, November 26
Training leaders protects the church from immaturity and heresy.
Read: Ephesians 4:11-16
Prayer: Pray for the maturity of leaders in our church and other churches. Pray that they would be faithful to diligently pursue equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Pray for the saints, that we would pursue growing up into maturity as defined by full and complete Christlikeness. Pray that we would be spiritually discerning and would not be susceptible to false teachers who will lead us to be tossed to and fro.
Wednesday, November 27
Training leaders helps the advancement of planting new, healthy churches.
Read: Acts 2:37-47
Prayer: Thank God for the gift of His church. Ask God to raise up leaders to start new churches in areas that need to hear the gospel and to grow as faithful Jesus followers. Ask God to give His church a zeal to grow in Him and a sense of responsibility to help one another grow.
Thursday, November 28
Training leaders serves the church locally.
Read: Acts 1:1-8
Prayer: Pray for the other healthy, faithful local churches in our area. Pray that our community would be changed with the gospel because of the work of these churches to make Jesus known throughout the Tri-Cities.
Friday, November 29
Training leaders serves the church globally.
Read: Psalm 67
Prayer: Thank the Lord for our mission partners around the globe who are faithfully pursuing training leaders. Thank Him for how this expands our local church’s impact, giving us access to serve and reach people with the gospel who we would otherwise never have access to. Pray that through their work, the nations would come to know God and His works and rejoice in Him.
Saturday, November 30
Training leaders equips the next generation to be disciples sent out to work for the glory of God.
Read: Psalm 78:1-8
Prayer: Gospel missions begins in the home. Pray for parents and families, that they would be resolved to teach and talk with their children about who God is and what He has done. Pray that as a church, the Bible would be our final authority in our families and parenting and that we would treasure Christ above all else.