ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Southern Baptists are gearing up now for a 2005 goal of baptizing 1 million people and beginning 100,000 new intentionally evangelistic Bible study groups. They also want to start 2,500 new churches in that single year, according to the Baptist Press.

To date, the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) best years for baptisms and church plants are 1972 with 445,725 baptisms and 1999's mark of 1,747 new Southern Baptist churches, according to statistics provided by the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

The new emphasis is called "What Now, America?" and for Canada, "What Now, Canada?" The efforts are being launched this year and will culminate in an evangelistic media campaign in 2005, according to the report.

Task force members describe the national campaign as a means to equip and mobilize Southern Baptists for an evangelism and church-planting movement unprecedented in the convention's 158-year history.

"We want every Southern Baptist to be involved in this exciting challenge to reach our nation for Christ, but this is not a program with assigned goals," said J. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention and chairman of the "What Now, America?" national task force.

"We believe God desires to do something greater than we can even envision," White said.

The task force is calling for at least 1 million Southern Baptists to commit this year to pray regularly for personal repentance, personal revival and a national spiritual awakening. The convention-wide prayer initiative, called "Be…One in a Million," is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Participants can register for the prayer initiative online at www.namb.net/prayer. Those who register will receive weekly prayer requests via e-mail throughout 2003.

Beginning in February, more information about the "What Now, America?" and "What Now, Canada?" efforts will be available online at www.whatnowamerica.com or www.whatnowcanada.com or by calling (770) 410-6305.