ABOUT US
Our Call
After eight years in the ministry at Stamp Creek Baptist Church in Salem SC, God placed it in our hearts to do more for the cause of world evangelism. We began to pray about where God would have us to go, and also to consult with friends about different needs around the world. Our hearts were burdened for the country of Argentina. I resigned as pastor in March 2013, and moved my family to the Atlanta area to begin training with Vision Baptist Missions in Alpharetta, GA.
We are very excited about this opportunity to go to a country where so many need to hear the message of salvation. Our desire is to raise up a church-planting movement in Argentina. Raising up an army of strong national leaders is the only way to do this. The goals we will have are to learn the language and culture well, and then begin establishing churches and training leaders within the church. I count it a great honor to carry the Gospel of Christ, and I am greatly aware that with God all things are possible.
Our Testimonies
Shawn's Testimony
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I received Christ as my Savior as young man. I was raised in a pastor’s home and had heard the gospel preached since I was a small child. After my conversion I had a very strong and sincere desire to serve Christ.
At the age of 15 I began to have a desire to preach God’s word. I took every available opportunity I could get to speak: devotions at our Christian school, Sunday School class, and even conducting Wednesday night prayer meetings. At the age of 18 I announced my calling to preach and moved off to Bible college. While in Bible college I preached every Saturday at the Oconee Correctional Institute in Walhalla SC.
Before graduating I sustained a severe knee injury and had to return home to NC for the next year. During this time I conducted prayer meeting every Wednesday night at Canyon Road Baptist Church in Marble, NC.
In 2004 Emily and I were married and we moved back to SC so I could finish my education. It was during this time in our life that we began to have a desire for work in missions. An opportunity came for me to work in a church in Salem, SC. I began serving at Stamp Creek Baptist Church as associate pastor. I would become the Pastor two years later and remain there as Pastor for another six years.Over the years our desire to go into missions and church-planting grew.
So in the the month of February 2013, I gave our church my resignation, sold our house and moved to the Atlanta area to begin training for the mission field. “We finished deputation and moved to Peru in 2016 to start language school. After studying and working in the language for the last two years we are ready to move to Argentina and start a ministry there”
Emily's Testimony
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I was born and raised in Suwanee, Georgia. Although my family did not attend church when I was a child, I had the opportunity to be in Sunday School and church many times with extended family members and friends. Therefore, I grew up with a basic knowledge of Christ’s death and resurrection.
The first time I remember the Holy Spirit speaking to me personally about my need for salvation was when I was 16 years old, at a revival meeting at Old Suwanee Baptist Church in Buford, Georgia. Sitting in the pastor’s living room, following the last night of the revival, I asked the Lord to save me. While working toward a bachelor’s degree in Practical Christian Training, I met Shawn.
We were married in 2004. Almost immediately we began attending Stamp Creek Baptist Church, where Shawn was first associate pastor and then pastor for eight years. While at Stamp Creek, the Lord began to show us the great need for people to take the gospel to other parts of the world. We are excited and humbled that our family is able to participate in world missions in this way.
Our Children
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God has blessed us with five wonderful children; Ian, Bethany, Caroline, Savannah, and Madelyn. They are excited about going to Argentina and making new friends.
It is our prayer that God will raise them up also as useful servants of His in the ministry there.
Facts about Argentina
With a population estimated by some to be forty two to forty four million, Argentina is a highly urbanized country with fewer than one in ten living in rural areas. It’s government is classified as a federal presidential constitutional republic, and it is composed of twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires. Argentina’s economy is the third largest of Latin America, but has suffered under the recent recessions.
Argentina is made up of twenty three provinces. Out of the twenty three provinces seven do not have a gospel preaching Independent Baptist Church. Currently there is one Baptist Church for every seven hundred thousand people. The need for church planters in Argentina is very great.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina and is the second largest metropolitan area in South America. With 13 million people living in the metro-area it is more than twice as large as the metro-area of Atlanta GA. It is the center of Argentina’s culture and society often referred to as the Paris of South America.
Catholiscism
Estimates on Argentina’s religious makeup say that Catholicism makes up 70 to 90 Percent of the population.
The culture, society, and politics of Argentina are deeply imbued with Catholicism. It is said to be Argentine is to be Catholic. The Catholic church is financially supported by the government.
Minorities
Argentina has Latin Americas largest Jewish and Muslim population. The Muslim community is around 400,000 to 500,000 people and makes up around 1% of Argentina’s population.
Referrals
Pastor Guy Roberts,
Concord Baptist Church in Pickens, SC
Pastor S. J. Waters
White Oak Flats Baptist Church in Nantahala NC
I am persuaded to believe that Shawn and his wife Emily will perform a good work for Christ wherever God leads them. So with prayer and thankfulness I would highly recommend Shawn for missionary work, and pray that God will richly bless with many souls for their labor.
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Jeff Bush
Director – Vision Baptist Mission
Dear Pastor, I am pleased to recommend to you Shawn and Emily Bateman. Shawn and Emily are raising support to be missionaries to Argentina. I have had the privilege of watching God work in their lives as God placed a world vision on their hearts. Shawn is the kind of missionary you are looking for.
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Our Statement of Faith
The Bible
We believe that the BIBLE is the WORD OF GOD, and that it is divinely inspired. We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration, that it is the only complete and final revelation of the will of GOD to man, and the supreme, infallible authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We use the King James Bible for all teaching and preaching in English. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32
God
We believe in the Trinity, the unity of the Godhead. There are three persons: The FATHER, The SON, and The HOLY SPIRIT. They are equally perfect in every divine quality, and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (A) We believe in GOD the FATHER (B) We believe in JESUS CHRIST (C) We believe in the HOLY SPIRIT. Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24;
The Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
The Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus Christ is God. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28;
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26
Man
We believe that all men by nature, choice and practice are sinners, but that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We believe, therefore, that those who repent of their sins and by faith receive Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to receive Christ as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God. John 3:14,16; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15;
Baptism
We believe in baptism by immersion after salvation with no merit for salvation in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit). We reject infant baptism and any form of sprinkling for infants or adults. Baptism is an outward expression of our faith in Jesus Christ and simply a public testimony of what God has done by His grace. Romans 6:1-5; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 2;41; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 28:19-20.24; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 21-22
The Church
We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of professing, born-again believers in Jesus Christ, immersed on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that to those local churches we are committed, for perpetual observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and the enthroning of Him as Lord and Master. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26; Ephesians 2:19-22
The Church and State
We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from any ecclesiastical or political authority; therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions with each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other. Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17.
World Evangelism
We believe that the apostolic office ceased with the death of the Apostles. We believe that it is His church that He promised continual existence, to continue the work He started until He comes again. We believe that the ministry of reconciliation is committed to every believer and all are saints/ priests of God. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. Matthew 16:18; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10.
Second Coming
We believe in the literal return of Jesus Christ to the clouds to take all saved people from the earth before the beginning of the Tribulation period. We believe in his bodily/visible return with his saints at the close of the Tribulation period to rule and reign for a thousand years on earth. We believe that unbelievers will face God and be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment according to their works, not for salvation, but for their proper and rightful places in the lake of fire. I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 4:1, Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15.
Eternal State
We believe that all men by nature, choice and practice are sinners, but that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We believe, therefore, that those who repent of their sins and by faith receive Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to receive Christ as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God. John 3:14,16; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15;
Salvation
We believe salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11
Join our team
CHURCH ADDRESS
Vision Baptist Missions
P.O. Box 647 Dawsonnville,
GA 30534
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Our Mission Board
VBM was born out of the heart of a missionary to serve missionaries who had a desire to reach the world with the gospel in our generation.
Contact Us
828 538-4135
batemansinargentina@gmail.com
batemansinargentina.com
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