By Michael R. Smith, Reprinted with permission by The Pathway

As 2022 draws to a close Rodney Hammer, executive director of the Blue River-Kansas City Baptist Association (BRKC), prepares to leave that work to move full time in 2023 into leading an organization he founded at the association – Restoration House.

Restoration House, rebranded this year as REHOPE, ministers to adult and children survivors of sexual trafficking. It was spun out of the association and is now a stand-alone ministry.

“It’s been a joy,” Hammer says, of serving the association.

Gregg Boll, BRKC associate director of missions, says Hammer’s leaving marks “the end of an amazing era of ministry at BRKC under (his) competent, visionary leadership.

“Because of his leadership, BRKC ministered to our churches and pastors in the most timely and essential ways; ministries that other associations and even state conventions quickly emulated because they recognized their value to pastors and churches.”

However, Boll says, “Dr. Hammer’s greatest accomplishment while at BRKC is the founding of Restoration House.

“A ministry that began eight years ago with prayer, a small financial gift and two donated homes is today a 17-acre, multi-facility operation that is known and sought out by others in the anti-trafficking movement for their expertise and knowledge.”

Hammer leaves the associaiton to work as REHOPE’s president.

“I’ve actually been doing two jobs,” he says, “the executive job (for the association), and leading the growing Restoration House ministry to survivors of human trafficking.”

Because the need is great, he sees REHOPE expanding its ministry size and location. He says there are only about 200 organizations serving 1,000 victims of human trafficking across the country, plus other groups focused on prevention and education.

“Up to two million people – some would take four million – are trafficked in the U.S.,” Hammer says, “and there are only 1,600 beds in the entire country that are trafficking specific, long-term, residential recovery programs for survivors of human trafficking.”

“There’s a massive gap in the need for…a faith-based, Christ centered ministry to address that.” To that end Hammer sees REHOPE expanding within the Kansas City area and possibly across the country.

REHOPE’s women’s facility has already grown from serving six women to 18. Over the next two years it will expand to eventually help 50 women. The children’s facility serves seven girls, but will expand next year with a separate house to aid seven boys. The children’s campus is operated in partnership with the Missouri Baptist Children’s home.

REHOPE is an evangelistic ministry as well as a healing one, Hammer says. “Twenty-two women have given their lives to Christ. Kids (are) liberated from satanic and demonic oppression.

“We’ve seen God do some amazing things,” he says. “It’s a hard work. A very hard work. Complex PTSD. Long-term trauma. Neglect. Abuse. We bring the gospel and hope into that situation. It’s a long, hard road, but (survivors) can hope again with the Word.”

Referring to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., which combines learning, teaching and healing in one location, Hammer envisions REHOPE as “the St. Jude’s of anti-trafficking…a central location with global impact.”

“We envision developing that here in the metro area, then exporting that around the country,” he said.

REHOPE has various operations. REHOPE Farms serves adult women survivors. REHOPE Youth serves children trafficking survivors, boys and girls age 11-17. REHOPE Market and Café is a coffee house that also sells survivor-made goods and products. REHOPE University, a new work, “will be a digital university with subject matter experts from legal, political, law enforcement, medical, psychological and victim services,” – all with a Christ-based foundation.

Boll says the association under Hammer’s leadership has had other successes as well. “BRKC has been a trend setter in ministries such as church planting among immigrant groups in KC, church revitalization, leadership development, and in creative responses to the challenges the COVID pandemic handed our churches.”

Hammer says the association’s success is a result of the member churches’ common objectives to share the gospel through resourcing churches, equip leaders, practice gospel outreach, assist community transformation and plant churches.

The united vision of the associational pastor, he says, is “anchored in the gospel and in God’s Word. Then you’ve got room within that shared vision…for various approaches, methodologies, ethnicities, personal preferences.”

“One of the things I enjoy about our association,” Hammer says, “is that we have quite a bit of diversity – ethnically, racially, linguistically. We have everything from hard core inner city to open country churches.”

Throughout the association, he says, there’s’ as much mission work and diversity as he found in international missions work.

Before joining the BRKC staff, Hammer and his wife Debbie served 18 years with the International Mission Board – 10 years in Chine and southeast Asia, and eight as the regional leader for central and eastern Europe.

He lists some of the association’s accomplishments as expanding outreach to college students, starting multi-cultural church planting with a central planning center, and opening the International Welcome Center to serve refugees and immigrants.

The association also launched Equip With Power and Encouragement meetings to provide training and fellowship to pastors, hosted two annual leadership events and an appreciation banquet for pastors and church staff and provided one or two annual church training events.

“There are no words,” Boll says, “that adequately express our gratitude for Dr. Hammer’s and Debbie’s tireless service to the churches and pastors of BRKC and to the Kingdom!”