MMBB News & Notes: Spotlight on Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula

Bringing people together and building communities is a lifestyle for Regional Executive Minister of Nebraska,Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula.

Last November after serving as Transitional Executive Minister, Rev. Mamula was called to fill the role permanently. One of his goals in the new position is to strengthen relationships between the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) across Nebraska. “Many churches don’t interact with each other any more like they did in the 1900s,” explained Mamula. “‘Churches helping churches’ is the ABCUSA of Nebraska motto. We are stronger together and poorer when divided.” As the son of a father in the military, Rev. Mamula grew up all over the country and attended chapels on the base, giving him an ecumenical experience. His mother grew up Baptist and the family attended a small Southern Baptist church in Arkansas. When Greg was a sophomore and junior in high school, he attended his first ABCUSA church in Western Massachusetts. It was there he realized you could think deeply about your faith and felt the calling to serve God.

Rev. Mamula is passionate about the health of rural pastors even though the size of the state can be a challenge to the community building mission. Nebraska is 450 miles long and 250 miles wide, he commented, noting that 89% of Nebraska’s cities have less than 3,000 people and hundreds have less than 1,000. Most Nebraskans live on the Eastern side of the state, with 1 in 3 living in Omaha or Lincoln. To give a sense of the vast territory Pastor Greg explained that Cherry County, the largest of the state’s 93 counties, is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

“There needs to be a balance between autonomy and interdependences that strengthens autonomy by finding ways of sharing expertise in the ABCUSA way,” said Greg. “These ways can foster a sense of connection and support to prevent isolation and its many ill effects.” On the western side of the state churches are one to two hours apart. For example, in one county, the Arthur Baptist Church, located in the middle of Arthur County, is the county’s only ABCUSA church. To reach people spread out among the county’s 718 square miles Pastor Blake Wilkes’s sermons are both live on YouTube and Facebook then later posted on Apple podcasts. Using the Internet in creative ways can foster community inclusion, pointed out Pastor Greg, who also has a podcast, Mission in Five. The podcast is Nebraska centered but is still a worthwhile listen for anyone outside the region. Earlier this year, the podcast featured a Lenten series called Facing Jerusalem, which highlighted a scripture reading followed by a panel discussion.

“There needs to be a balance between online and in person,” he noted. Some in person activities he encourages are pulpit swaps, where pastors exchange preaching at each other’s services, and doing the same Lenten series. He emphasized that he is always trying to find new ways of bringing the gospel to life. Rev. Greg’s commitment to building up communities started when he first came to Nebraska and served as the associate pastor of Family and Youth at First Baptist Church, North Platte. He and his family sat on plastic chairs in their driveway and said hello to those who walked past. They were also hosting dinners with people from the church. Greg described the dinners as “Gathering together won’t solve the systemic issues facing our nation, but building community and coming together with trust and not fear makes us able to partner together and achieve great things.”

“just life food, nothing fancy. Even with pizza and potlucks, the kids running in and out…these dinners were life giving affirmations.” When they left North Platte to serve the region, Rev. Mamula brought these practices with him.

Pastor Greg reported that the Nebraska region is more diverse than most people know. Nebraska is home to the third largest Karen population in the US. The Omaha Kanyaw Baptist Church has 500 members and three pastors. The region also serves African-nation, Burmese, African American, Chinese and Latino populations. “We are blessed with strong diversity,” said Greg, noting he would like to see members of each to participate at the 2025 Biennial Mission Summit. Since 2024 is an election year, it is even more important to reach across the table, said Greg, stressing how it is essential to accept each other’s differences and realize we are not as different as we may at first believe. “All four of the Nebraska region ABCUSA staff members are under the age of 45, making them the youngest ABCUSA team and brings another type of diversity to the region.” continued Greg.

“What can we do in the world that we might never see happen?” he asked. “Gathering together won’t solve the systemic issues facing our nation, but building community and coming together with trust and not fear makes us able to partner together and achieve great things.”

But first we have to learn to live in love and not fear.” In 2007, he earned a master’s in divinity from Baylor University’s Truett Baptist Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas where he was again shown the ABCUSA way. After graduation he came to Nebraska to serve as the associate pastor of Family and Youth at First Baptist Church, North Platte. Pastor Greg refers to then senior pastor at First Baptist, the Rev. Dr. Tom Wiles, as a good mentor. In 2012, Greg took on the role of associate executive minister and region missionaryfor ABCUSA Nebraska. He is the author of Table Life: An Invitation to Everyday Discipleship published by Judson Press, and co-editor/co-author of Conflict Management and the Apostle Paul with Dr. Scot McKnight. He is also a contributing author to #InThisTogether Ministry in Times of Crises by Curtis Ramsey-Lucas. Rev. Mamula regularly publishes articles in Word & Way and The Christian Citizen. He is a faculty mentor to students at Kairos University in Sioux Falls, North Dakota.

Pastor Greg is looking forward to partnering with MMBB and is appreciative of the value MMBB offers to pastoral leaders in the region. He believes the partnership will also be a strategy to build new relationships.