For a number of years now, even before I became the NAB executive director in April of 2021, the NAB International Office has been a virtual office. The Executive Team serves virtually in various states and provinces where NAB churches are located, as do many of the staff. We have still been times when we have had an occasion to use the International Office building space in Roseville, California, but it has mostly been in a limited capacity. I have increasingly been led to pray we would have the opportunity to use this office space for ministry. Very specifically, I have been praying for the possibility of using this space for an NAB church plant. Grace Collective using this space seems to be an answer to this prayer.
—Dr. Harry Kelm
NAB Executive Director
Grace Collective Church is an NAB church plant that officially launched in April 2025 in Roseville, California, one of the fastest growing cities in our state. Thousands of new residents are arriving each year, many of them families choosing Roseville due to the excellent schools, abundant sports programs, and family-friendly neighborhoods. City leaders estimate that more than 15,000 new homes will be built over the next decade. All this makes Roseville a place of incredible opportunity for Gospel ministry.
In 2022, Jenn and I moved to Roseville with our three kids to pastor a church. This past year, God stirred in us a new calling to begin a fresh work in West Roseville. After a season of prayer and discernment, we attended the NAB Fit Assessment in February 2025. The encouragement and support we received there gave us the confidence to take a bold step of faith. With a launch team of fifty people, we planted Grace Collective Church.
Church planting is both exhilarating and humbling. We began in a rented office space that served as our gathering place for Sundays, as well as midweek ministry. God quickly blessed us with a vibrant young adult ministry. Each week, around forty Sierra College athletes gather in our space for Bible study, discipleship, and encouragement. Yet, we also realized the limits of our rented space. We lacked visibility in the city, and our Wednesday night time slot was about to be lost. We prayed that God would provide the right solution.
It was during this time I had the privilege of meeting with Kent Carlson, NorCal regional minister, and Stu Streeter, NAB VP of Ministry Advancement and Church Multiplication. . . .
In addition to the first module of Blue Ocean happening in October, there are a number of other events happening this fall being hosted by the Missional Initiatives Team, all of them open to anyone in the NAB and completely online (so no travel necessary). Register by September 30.
- Reframe – Training to provide an evaluative framework to help you and your church assess your evangelistic equipping efforts.
- Over Zoom – October 1, 8, 15, & 22
- Taster Table – Weekly gatherings intended to create space for those in church leadership to look at a different way of being God’s people amid seismic cultural shifts. Register by October 1.
- Over Zoom – October 2, 9, 16, & 23
- Blue Ocean – A one-year introduction to what it means to join God on mission, be formed into a follower with the character of Christ, and learn to reach friends and neighbors with a robust Gospel in our culture.
- In person – October 21–24; February 1–4; & May 5–8
- Book Study – A discussion group for the book Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling by Alan J. Roxburgh and Roy Searle.
- Over Zoom – October 30, November 6, 13 & 20
You can find more details about each of these events by clicking on any of the events or by following the link below.
see all the upcoming missional events
The ministry of White Cross connects churches, groups, and individuals in North America with hospitals, health centres, and guest/rest houses in West Africa – primarily in Cameroon – by providing medical supplies and relief goods. White Cross is split into a Canadian and a US side to make it easier to ship goods to Cameroon without needing to needlessly cross the US–Canada border. Both White Cross Canada and White Cross US are gearing up to ship containers to Cameroon.
- White Cross Canada – Based out of Edmonton, Alberta, they are hosting a workday on September 23 to help prepare for the November shipment. (There will also be a workday on October 14.) If you are interested in joining them for the upcoming workday, scheduling a time to volunteer, or other ways you can help, you can reach out to them at info@whitecrosscanada.ca.
- White Cross US – Based out of Bismarck, North Dakota, they sent one containers this week and are working on another one later this month that will be full of items donated by a small town hospital. You can reach out to them about volunteer opportunities or ways you can help this ministry by emailing them at whitecross@centurybaptist.org.
You can click on the link below to find out more about ways you can help, even without needing to travel to Edmonton or Bismarck for workdays.
find out more about white cross
The next issue of Onward – the free(!) NAB magazine full of news, stories, and updates from the North American Baptist family – is nearing completion. We are so excited to share this issue with you, but it’s not set to arrive in mailboxes across Canada and the US until mid-October. To receive your free copy if you aren’t already on the mailing list for this biannual publication, simply follow the link below, select the box for Onward, and fill out your name and address. To ensure you receive this upcoming issue, sign up by September 12!