NEW YORK CITY (BP) — Stand in the middle of New York City’s Times Square and look out 75 miles in every direction. Listen also for the sound of the city’s 800 languages bubbling up from a mix of cultures, worldviews and beliefs from around the globe now at home in New York City.

Welcome to “not the Bible Belt.” Welcome to the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (MNYBA).

George Russ, MNYBA executive director and a native of Queens, New York, reminds volunteers, workers and church planters that sharing the gospel in a place where evangelicals are a small minority can be a challenge.

“There’s no one starting point,” Russ said. “You have to find out what the starting point is and that takes time, intentionality and a little patience … You’ve got to be willing to be uncomfortable.”

Born in the Jackson Heights community of Queens, Russ returned home to NYC after seminary as a pastor, then served 30 years with the state convention by appointment with the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board). As Russ transitions now to retirement, he is completing 16 years as director of MNYBA, an association of about 240 congregations, many of which are ethnic-focused and language-specific.

Reaching those in NYC who think Christianity is irrelevant or unimportant requires more than simply “explaining the gospel better,” Russ said. While apologetics has its place in the diverse context, “relational apologetics” — when a church engages a community through meeting needs — shows others the relevance and importance of the Christian faith, Russ explained.

While the work in metro New York may not be easy, Russ is quick to point to a biblical truth.

“There are always people ready to be won to Christ. Always. God is always working in people’s lives,” Russ said. “That’s a basic, bedrock thing we believe about God. He has not left Himself anywhere without a witness.”

Reaching the ‘world’ in New York

Grace Harris, MNYBA communications director, came to NYC six years ago from Atlanta to attend film school and serve as an intern at the association. She soon realized two things: she had fallen in love with New York City, and she had never fully committed her life to Christ.

Harris was baptized in an inflatable hot tub and decided NYC was home. 

“I wasn’t called up here necessarily to do ministry,” Harris admitted. “Once I was up here, I was called to stay. It’s been a really cool opportunity to see how God works in such a cool place.”

Harris attends One Community Church in Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway, a neighborhood known for its artistic flair and, at one time, its crime. Once a quarter, the church opens its space for community members to showcase artistic and musical talent. The church uses the opportunity to make connections for the gospel.

“You have to be a part of the community,” Harris said. “You have to be in the community.”

Russ said secular culture understands the church and its message better when it “gets outside the four walls.” Russ noted the impact MNYBA churches are making through community initiatives such as job training, tutoring or after-school programs. 

One initiative is “Coats for the City,” a partnership with North Carolina Baptists to distribute coats to immigrants unprepared for New York winters. Last December, 500 volunteers gave away almost 10,000 coats at 30 locations across the city as they prayed with others, shared the gospel and gave away the “Jesus Film” in different languages.

The MNYBA motto of “Local churches with a global impact” highlights the Great Commission opportunity that the churches take seriously, Russ said.

He explained that immigrants living in NYC often come from countries closed to the gospel, but when they return home with their newfound faith in Christ, they become “church planters” in places missionaries cannot reach.

“If you are serious about reaching the world for Christ, then reach the world in New York City,” Russ said.

Busy, but lonely

Wes Costello, MNYBA director of collegiate programs and housing, noted the similarity between college ministry with turnovers every four years and planting a church in a city that is constantly changing.

“New York is such a busy city. It’s easy to retreat and be a recluse in your dorm or apartment and really have no personal interaction,” Costello said. “We live in a city of loneliness.”

As collegiate teams partner with MNYBA on mission, Costello guides them to approach every interaction “with a humble attitude, praying for the Holy Spirit to open doors.” Conversations often begin simply with a smile, Costello said, adding, “That may be the only smile they get that day.”

Though New Yorkers may not interact well, they have a sense of community and a “passion for their neighborhoods, a passion for where they live, a passion for their barbershop,” Costello said. “They take ownership of these kinds of things,” he added.

Costello said he has a vision for what can happen when believers join in with the community and then watch as God transforms lives.

The next right leader

As MNYBA searches for a new executive director, many recognize in Russ qualities that have served the association well.

Grace Harris noted Philippians 2:3 to describe Russ’s unselfish investment in the association’s pastors and churches.

“Doing ministry in New York is hard and you can definitely feel alone,” Harris said. “George’s No. 1 priority is preventing loneliness and reminding pastors in our association that they’re not alone.”

Wes Costello — originally from Alabama and serving in NYC for five years — expressed gratitude for Russ’s willingness to walk alongside each staff member and pastor.

“Every question we had, every challenge we ran into, he’s been so great,” Costello said. “A leader leads in how they love and how they encourage. That’s definitely George.”

Augustine Hui, senior pastor of Brooklyn Chinese Baptist Church, a Brooklyn native, and member of the association’s search committee, said the committee is praying first for “someone that above all loves Jesus and is willing to get down into the trenches with the churches.”

“The metro New York area is full of gospel potential that requires a steady and consistent hand,” Hui said. “The new leader must also be someone who understands or is willing to learn the cultural dynamics at play in each unique church in the Metro area.”

The position of executive director is not easy, Hui explained, and requires someone able to embrace the different cultures represented in each church.

“No two churches in the metro area are the same,” Hui continued. “What unites us is the gospel and the willingness to step into the trenches with each other despite tertiary theological differences. Pastor Russ has been able to navigate that well.”