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‘AGENTS OF MERCY’ First seminary prison program in Texas graduates 33 inmates
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PASTORS GATHER TO HEAR, PRAY FOR REACH HOUSTON INITIATIVE By Keith Collier Managing Editor
By Keith Collier Managing Editor
Robed in caps and gowns over their white prison uniforms, 33 inmates in Texas’ maximum security Darrington Prison Unit made history May 9 as they received bachelor’s degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, becoming the inaugural graduating class of the state’s first seminary prison program. “I’m overwhelmed at what God has done,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during the ceremony inside the prison’s chapel. “Only God could do this.” Patrick served on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee prior to being elected Lt. Gov. last fall. He and Senator John Whitmire, who chairs the committee, were the legislative heads behind the creation of the program, which began in fall 2011.
Each year since, a new class of 40 students has been added to the program, and the current number of enrolled students stands at 114. Looking at the graduates, most of whom will be deployed in groups of four or five to assist chaplains and minister in six other state prison units, Patrick called them “prison apostles”
and charged them to “be models and examples of what Christ can do in [people’s lives] if they will give their [lives] to him.” This summer, approximately two-thirds of the graduates will be transferred to six maximum security facilities in Huntsville and Tennessee Colony to reproduce the ministries—and the
5Graduates of Texas’ first-ever prison seminary program bow their heads in prayer during the commencement ceremony inside Darrington Prison Unit in Rosharon, May 9. SWBTS PHOTO/MATT MILLER
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TELL ME THE OLD, OLD BY KEITH COLLIER PHOTOS BY AUSTIN STONE STORY TEAM
Leading others in worship with the artistic talents God gave him has always been a passion for Steven Bush. For more than a decade, that included playing bass alongside Aaron Ivey and other members in the band Spur58, but shortly after moving to Austin in 2008, God gave him a new vision for leading others in worship through honest, creative storytelling.
HOUSTON If you ask the average Texan to name the most diverse city in the United States, he will probably say New York or Los Angeles. If you ask him to name the third most populated city, he will likely say Chicago. However, few Texans realize the answer to both of those questions is in their own backyard: Houston. According to 2010 census data, Houston has surpassed New York as the most ethnically diverse city in the country, with between 250-300 languages spoken. And while Houston proper has already surpassed Chicago proper in population,
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Bush and his family moved to the Texas capital to serve with Ivey and others in the worship ministry at The Austin Stone Community Church. The church already had a filmmaker on staff producing missions videos, but Bush, who had taken up photography a year before, saw a great opportunity to empower volunteers in the church to tell written and photographic stories, which could be produced in a shorter timeframe than most film projects. See AUSTIN STONE, 3
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rely on each other, support each other, but rely ultimately on God. You will be an inspiration to others. You will allow God to work through you to reach hundreds and thousands of others. “Before you know it, you will have peers in every one of our units across the state. Imagine the profound impact that God will have through you and others that follow you. I couldn’t be more proud of you.” Just before graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson gave a final charge to “his children” from Micah 6:8. Patterson pointed to the graduates’ academic achievements in the strenuous, 125-hour degree and said their education could be a “stepping stone to greatness,” but it would only be so if they Underclassmen in Southwestern Seminary’s Darrington seminary extension were “agents of mercy … (who) program celebrate as they watch a live video feed of the prison program’s first walk humbly with God.” graduation ceremony, May 9. SWBTS PHOTO/MATT MILLER “You have done a great deal to educate the mind,” Patterson CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 said, “but this program is a little radical changes—that have been mates. “But … nothing is more im- your case that in a few years, different, isn’t it? Because the witnessed in Darrington. The pressive and moving than to be a if you continue to turn people program has not just been about rest will remain at Darrington part of this program. … I’m a better around and behave like I know the mind; it’s been about the to mentor underclassemen in man, a better senator, and a better you will, work with the war- heart. And, oh, how you’ve done the program. Christian because I’m here partici- dens where you are sent, and so unbelievably [well]. I thank In a press conference, May pating in this program.” are responsible for your fami- God for every one of you today.” 7, Whitmire described the reWhitmire said the seminary lies, I’m going to continue to Brandon Warren, who has markable change in culture at program demonstrates that work in Austin and say, ‘Okay, served as the program’s adthe Darrington Unit over the Texas is “tough on crime” but the nature of the crime is impor- ministrative assistant from past four years as a result of also “smart on crime.” He told tant, but there are other factors. its beginning in 2011, is also a the program. “When we started graduates that he plans to use You’ve got to give my ministers Master of Divinity student at this, (Darrington) was one of their success in changing prison the chance after they’ve saved Southwestern’s Houston camour toughest, problematic units, culture to argue for changes in souls in other prisons to save pus. Warren is not unfamiliar and I’m here today to announce the state’s guidelines regarding souls on the streets of Houston.’” with prison, having served that it’s now one of our best.” consideration of parole, which Texas Department of Crimi- eight years at a different facility During the graduation, Whit- is largely based on the nature of nal Justice (TDJC) Executive before his release a number of mire, who has served in the Texas the crime committed. Director Brad Livingston chal- years ago. Like many of the men Senate for 30 years, recounted “I know up to this point that lenged graduates to take what in the Darrington program, he the history of the program. “I you are demonstrating that they have learned and apply it found faith in Christ while in have scores of programs that I’ve you are a good risk for soci- to the ministries they will have prison. Before serving at the worked in,” he said, citing drug ety,” Whitmire told graduates. in the prison. Darrington program, he wrote and alcohol programs, policies “You’re going to leave here and “What you’ve accomplished theologically rich corresponfor pregnant inmates and other minister at the other units and is extraordinary, but it’s just dence courses on basic Chrismajor initiatives to clean up the turn lives around and save lives the beginning,” Livingston said. tian doctrines for use in prisons prison system and rehabilitate in- from crimes. I’m going to make “As you go out into these units, across the state. At Darrington,
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Warren oversees students’ coursework, grades papers, assists professors and serves as a liaison between the school and the prison. As a way to honor the men in the Darrington program, with whom he has built strong friendships, Warren delayed his graduation from Southwestern and received permission to receive his master’s degree at the prison graduation ceremony. As he walked across the stage, the chapel erupted in applause. Attended by state dignitaries, friends and family of the graduates, seminary faculty, and friends of the Heart of Texas Foundation, the graduation was a celebration of what many described as a miracle. The vision for such a program came from Grove Norwood, executive director of the Heart of Texas Foundation, who had experienced a similar program by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisiana’s Angola Prison. He gained the support of Senators Patrick and Whitmire, who visited Angola to see if it could be reproduced in Texas. Norwood and the Heart of Texas Foundation have been the primary fundraisers of the entirely privately funded program, which uses no tax payer dollars. The funds raised have gone to support educational materials, computers, books for the prison’s seminary library and other program needs. Other major contributors to the budget have been Southwestern Seminary and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, who initially gave a $116,200 grant in 2011 to provide library books, classroom furniture, technology and half of the ongoing costs for professors’ salaries and travel expenses for the first two years.
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ated with a sinful, fallen world as well as the redemption and hope of the gospel found in Jesus Christ. Modern-Day Ebenezers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “You cannot tell the light side Driving every story at The “I pitched the vision to (our Austin Stone is a desire to of the story without the dark,” pastors),” Bush recalls, “and they “inspire our people and the Lundin says. took a risk.” As they’ve told stories church at large to worship JeInitially starting under the sus for who he is and to help us with honesty and excellence, church’s missions department, to remember what he’s done,” they’ve noticed a culture of stoBush launched the Story Team Bush says. rytelling develop in the church, with a few volunteers. One of “Storytelling is a form of where people are actively shartheir first major projects was worship leading; it helps move ing their struggles and redemptelling the stories of individuals our congregation, it helps tion. While they initially gathin the church who responded to move the hearts of people all ered story leads from church a challenge to go as missionar- over the world who are en- staff and small group leaders, ies to unreached people groups couraged and engaged by the they now receive a bulk of around the world. In time, the stories to worship God.” their leads from the story subscope of their work quickly exRecalling the Lord’s command mission page on their website. panded to telling testimonies of in the Old Testament for Israel “It’s fostered a culture that is church members and how the to erect Ebenezer stones so they more open and more vulnergospel intersected their lives. would not forget what he had able than even we were before,” Over the past five years, Story done for them, Bush says stories Lundin says. Team has produced more than are “modern-day Ebenezers done Bush believes church mem200 stories and expanded its through a creative art form.” bers trust the team with their volunteer base to more than 50 stories “because they see the writers, photographers, editors kind of work that we’ve proand filmmakers who commit duced; they hear how people “WHEN PEOPLE’S four to six hours per month to have interacted with our artLIVES ARE CHANGED “tell honest and encouraging ists—we really train our artists BY THE GOSPEL, stories of gospel transformato pastor and gospel-counsel tion.” These testimonies are told people during interviews,” THAT’S A STORY through a variety of media, inwhich has allowed them to tell WORTH TELLING. cluding written stories, photo difficult stories on serious topessays, audio stories, spoken ics such as depression, mental THE CHURCH word and films. Outlets for their illness, abortion and struggles SHOULD NEVER RUN stories have included Sunday with homosexuality. morning bulletins, the church “Basically, interviewing in OUT OF STORIES TO website, social media and their a gospel storytelling sense is TELL; IF IT DOES, Story Team Weekly newsletter. gospel counseling,” Bush says. Brian Lundin, an IT strategist “You’re taking people on this WE’RE IN THE for Dell Computers, has been journey to get to where their WRONG MINISTRY.” one of those volunteers for the life was changed and how past four years. Having briefly the gospel changed them. So studied journalism in college once you take them to this rebefore finishing with a comally dark spot, you’ve got to help puter degree, Lundin joined the The guiding Scripture for bring them back out. You can’t Story Team after taking a writ- their ministry is Psalm 102:18—“ just leave them there.” ing class in the church’s “Get Let this be written for a future As a result, they have witTrained” ministry. generation, that a people not yet nessed storytelling as a power“It was an outlet for me as a created may praise the Lord.” ful tool in the church to build volunteer who was doing some“The Psalmist has just been community, encourage believthing else for a living but able to brought through this really dif- ers and challenge members to use my talent to serve the Lord,” ficult time, and one of the first engage in the Great Commission Lundin says. things the Lord tells him to locally and around the world. “The best part about it wasn’t do is: ‘Write this down; I don’t Many of those now engaging in just the fact that I got to write, want you to forget. And people missions and ministry have told but it was the fact that I got not yet born are going to wor- the Story Team that God used to meet all of these people ship me because you wrote this others’ stories to inspire their throughout the church who down and because of what I’ve own obedience. God was doing amazing things done,’” Bush says. “They saw the stories of goers, in their lives. To hear their sto“When people’s lives are and that was the first thing that ries firsthand and to be moved changed by the gospel, that’s a made them think that they could by them and then have a chance story worth telling. The church do it themselves,” Lundin says. to try to write something that should never run out of stories Storytelling in the Church would relay that to the rest of to tell; if it does, we’re in the Although The Austin Stone the body was fun, challenging wrong ministry.” is a large church in a city well and an honor.” So, the Story Team focuses on Lundin served as the writing telling the stories of The Austin known as a magnet for musiteam leader for two years and Stone’s members. This includes cians and artists, Bush and Lunrecently left his IT job to join the the raw, gut-wrenching aspects din believe churches of any size, Story Team full time. of pain and difficulty associ- anywhere can use storytelling to encourage and equip believers. To this end, they have led sessions on storytelling at the church’s annual worship conference and recently launched STORYTEAM.ORG StoryTeam.org, a website dediA CHURCH RESOURCE cated to helping churches tell honest, gospel-centered stories. The Austin Stone recently During an interview with launched StoryTeam.org, the TEXAN, Bush and Lundin a website dedicated to shared advice from their own helping churches tell experience for starting a story honest, gospel-centered team in your church. stories. For Bush and Lundin, it all starts with support and buy-in
from leadership. Artists must earn the trust of leadership, and leaders must empower and trust artists. Additionally, pastors must believe that stories should inspire worship rather than just serve as a commercial for particular ministries within the church. “The first thing would be to have church leadership really consider whether or not they value story and why they do it,” Bush says. “Is it a marketing tool, or are they actually wanting to tell stories because it’s out of a heart of inspiring people to worship God for what he’s done?” Second, they say churches should not feel intimidated if they do not have members with skills in video. Too often, Bush says, churches think they need outstanding videos to communicate good stories. “I would encourage churches that video is not the magic bullet,” Bush says. “Story Team’s platform has been built on the written word because we’ve consistently been able to put out written stories with photographs for the last three years or so, and that has helped shape the culture of who we are.” While he agrees that films are powerful, Bush says Story Team can only make a few over the course of the year because of the time, energy and money needed to produce quality films. “Not every church is going to have a filmmaker sitting in the pews, but I’m pretty sure every church in America does have someone that has a gift of writing or photography,” Bush says. “If a church has a writer and a photographer, they’ve got a story team. Even if you do one story a month or one every two months, you’re still creating these Ebenezers that your church is going to be able to rally around and celebrate.” Lundin agrees, noting that only two of their volunteers write for a living. The rest are teachers, stay-at-home moms, college students, etc. Team leaders should identify people who may not think they’re artists and “fan the flame” of these giftings. “If you find the talented junior in high school who loves his English class or the English teacher who loves grammar and to edit, that’s the bones of
your story team whether they see themselves as artists or not,” Lundin says. In this same vein, Bush and Lundin say churches must glorify God by striving for excellence in every story, which requires budgeting for storytelling and giving time to develop stories. For example, every written story has about a six-week life cycle, which includes interviews, story submissions and several rounds of edits and revisions. Films have a longer cycle, often following a story for three to nine months, treating it like a short documentary. Additionally, leaders must see their role as pastoring and shepherding the volunteer artists. “We want to steward well what God has given our church when it comes to artists,” Bush says. “We’ve created a way, an avenue, for artists that aren’t necessarily musicians—photographers, filmmakers, editors, writers—who are serving God with their God-given gifts.” This stewardship involves ongoing training and feedback, building community among team members and encouraging collaboration between artists. For example, they encourage the writer and photographer to work together on the story, which produces a better story and opportunities for discipleship. “When we talk about our team internally, we emphasize investing in our artists as priority 1a, right behind the work,” Lundin says. “In encouraging collaboration, you start to build friendships and relationships and community within the team, which is really important for artists.” Finally, Bush and Lundin reiterate the need to tell raw, honest stories that are creative and theologically rich. “We’re going to fight to creatively tell the dark side of the story because when you do it makes Jesus look that much more beautiful when he steps into any story,” Bush says. “In the story arc for a believer,” Lundin adds, “all of our stories, all of our struggles are their own gospel storylines.” And telling these stories serves to build up the local church so that future generations may praise the Lord.
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WHEREVER HE LEADS, I’LL WHAT? Gary Ledbetter Editor
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’ve looked at a lot of resumes. One of my roles at Midwestern Seminary was answering requests for churches looking to fill ministry needs from our collection of alumni and students. Since that time I’ve served on a pastor search committee that received 300 resumes. Several of them were a bit more specific than was common earlier in my own ministry. Some institutions use a form to standardize the information that asks what types of ministry a candidate is willing to consider. A man may feel called to minister in the suburbs or the Southwest United States or even to certain sorts of people, though that is not as common. Perhaps we encourage this thinking by the questions we ask when someone expresses an interest in a ministry move. And I have had colleagues through the years that weren’t “called” to hospital visitation or helping with VBS, or in one case, to setting up chairs in the
fellowship hall. The job descriptions of those brethren were much more specific than mine, I’d suppose. But consider the claims of the called. Many of us prepare generally for the gospel ministry until we are called by a ministry to do things they need done. A candidate affirms, as does the ministry, the leadership of God in the call. Neither the ministry nor the new minister has any idea what the future holds, even in the ministry of the Word. Are there places too small or age-inappropriate for the minister to invest his time? Actually, I’ve heard some men speak as though they would set those kinds of limitations on their preaching ministries. I’ve known of people who were certain that they wanted to serve as overseas missionaries, specifically Southern Baptist missionaries, so long as they can do so in just such a way in just such a country. That’s not always possible, and it seems odd that someone who knows little except his own preferences would feel disappointed that leaders assigned the overall strategic responsibility cannot accommodate his preferences. A minister’s understanding of call can sometimes hold him back.
I find this attitude shocking. The men who taught me ministry would drop on me like a ton of bricks if I took that tone about serving God. And they should. Consider some important concepts in our call to ministry pulled from the ministry license that hangs on my wall. Gifts—Spiritual gifts are administered to Christians for use on behalf of the body of Christ for the glory of God. We do not acquire them through our own effort. They are given by the Lord for his purposes. Those purposes are not aimed at our fulfilling our own dreams; they are outwardly focused. Call—Our call does not originate within ourselves or even from our mothers or pastors. Our call to the gospel ministry or to a particular ministry originates with God, regardless of what human means he uses to put us in a place of service. If it was ours, we could add fine print to it regarding the where and how we’d prefer to serve. It isn’t, so we can’t. Preach—While we often think of this as a pulpit ministry, it is not always. I think preaching takes place in homes, on the street or in the workplace. It can be a spoken word, a written one
or a song, but it must have the gospel as its content and making disciples as its goal. And we often associate the gospel with either the Lord’s commission in Matthew 28 or that recorded in the first chapter of Acts. In both of those, the preaching and teaching of the gospel is loosed on the world in every place the Lord’s disciples go. The call to preach has no imaginable limits unless the gospel does. Called people should not easily imagine limits on their preaching of the gospel. Opportunity—My license says “as he may have opportunity” in reference to my preaching of the gospel. I think the word implies that I’m willing, even eager, to preach as often as possible. My friend Don has filled in for me a couple of times, and I was happy to hear him say, “I feel like I ought to say ‘yes’ if I can any time I’m asked.” That’s the way I view “opportunity,” although we often have a chance to make opportunities. A preacher who doesn’t want to preach, and to do so often, might not be called to preach. It’s not my experience that I get to pick where, to whom or even how. There’s a theme here. Our call, our giftedness, our mes-
sage and our opportunities all start with God. They are not ours to judge worthy or unworthy of our lives. If Christians are called to follow Jesus wherever he leads, so are those called to serve his church as leaders. Some guys are on the shelf because they consider some kinds of ministry outside their call. Are you a recent seminary grad? Look for limitations in your resume or in your attitude toward your call. Take the safeties off, and preach the gospel everywhere you have a chance, for free or for cheap. Your ministry has already started. Have you had trouble finding the spot or ministry you think is the best fit for you? Cut it out; I doubt that you know the best fit for you. Go somewhere where people will let you serve in some way. Find a ministry and let the position come in the Lord’s time. Be patient, yes, but in the meantime, while waiting for that place you’ve dreamed of to come along, preach the Word as you may have opportunity. It is the testimony of those who’ve persevered in ministry that you’ll find joy in that “meantime ministry.”
Reach Houston: Our Macedonian Call Nathan Lino
Pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church
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n Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his team were prayerfully trying to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit as to where they were to establish local churches next. SBTC pastors and their churches regularly do the same. There were so many opportunities before that mission team in ancient Turkey, just as they’re constantly before us in Texas. Yet, under the providence of God, Paul and his team were led to establish churches in strategic cities in Macedonia. This in no way indicated that other locations were unimportant but rather that the Lord was recruiting workers in a place
where he was ready to move in a very special way. The gospel ended up spreading to all of Europe as a result of the building of churches in Macedonia. In the spirit of the Macedonian Call, “Reach Houston” is an appeal to SBTC churches to “come over to Houston and help us” establish local churches in the biggest city in our state and one of the leading cities in our nation. After concentrated effort in Houston, our SBTC leaders plan to systematically call our missionary focus to move progressively through the other leading cities of our state, including Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. If we are going to dramatically impact our state, we have to influence our leading cities for our Lord Jesus Christ. The decision has been made to begin with Houston.
Jim Richards, Executive Director
Southern Baptist TEXAN
SBC 2015 COLUMBUS, OHIO
Gary K. Ledbetter, Editor Keith Collier, Managing Editor Tammi Ledbetter, Special Assignments Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Gayla Sullivan, Circulation Manager Russell Lightner, Layout/Graphic Artist
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I know what you are thinking: Houston has a church on every corner; how about “Houston churches come and help us!” But I want you to know, we really do need help establishing a greater gospel presence in our city.
Contributors: David Fleming, Nathan Lino, Jerry Pierce, Jimmy Pritchard, Jane Rodgers, Paul F. South
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Amidst extraordinary population growth, Houston churches are suffering as a whole. Many are plateaued or declining. If you take the number of healthy evangelical churches compared to our population size, we are in dire straits. And kingdom build-
ing must not be in dire straits in the biggest city of Texas. You can help us in a myriad of ways. Short-term teams from around the state can help us with direct evangelism efforts or do physical labor on church buildings in disrepair. Churches around the state can partner with a declining church in a revitalization relationship. SBTC churches can plant new churches in our city; sections of our city are without a strong, gospel preaching church. Soon, a city catalyst will be in place to give advice and direction on how we can build the kingdom in Houston. I appeal to you to prayerfully consider whether the Holy Spirit may be calling your church to join in the “Reach Houston” effort, that the reign of Christ might be strengthened in this leading city.
The Southern Baptist Texan is the official newspaper of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, P.O. Box 1988, Grapevine, Texas 76099-1988. Toll-free 877-953-7282, Phone 817-552-2500, FAX 817-552-2520. Email:
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WELCOME TO THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Jim Richards Executive Director
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hank you for making it to the SBC in Columbus. It is worth your investment to be a part of the concert of prayer and the celebra-
tion of ministry. Also, there are important business items that determine the direction of our work together. There are many points of fellowship where you can make connection. The SBTC has a booth in the exhibit area. It is a little bit of Texas in Ohio. Of course, it is a good place to reconnect with friends. The SBTC staff
at the booth is ready to assist you with ministry and mission needs in your church. We will be delighted to simply visit with you. On Monday night following the Pastors’ Conference session there will be Texas Reception in the McKinley Room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The hotel is connected to the convention
center, so you will have easy access. Please join us for food and fellowship. Please make this convention a time of prayer. Pray for God’s Spirit to move on the proceedings at the convention. Pray for God to bring unity to the fellowship. Pray for people to come to Christ through our witness. Pray with me that 30
million people will be saved in one year across America. This would match the percentage of the Colonial Awakening of the 1700s. It could start this week. Our hearts are one in that we want the name of Jesus to be exalted. Let your SBTC staff know how we can minister to you. We are stronger together!
Come over to Houston and help us! David Fleming
Pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church
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imilar to the Macedonian call, we’re issuing a call to one of the most fertile mission fields in America. Houston is the nation’s fourth largest city and is now recognized as the most diverse city in America.
The nations have literally come to us! I’m inviting you to come help us reach the nations, starting right here in the city of Houston. It was the great diversity of Houston, and its multicultural setting, that drew me to Houston in 2006. I had a strong sense of God’s call to step out of my mono-cultural comfort zone and step into the mission field that is the city of Houston. We are not with-
out our challenges, of course, but the opportunities are everywhere. God is working in Houston! As Jesus said, “the fields are ripe unto harvest.” But Jesus also said, “the laborers are few.” While we do have strong churches that are actively engaged in reaching Houston, there are not nearly enough of us to reach this great city for Christ. We need your help. We are praying to the Lord of the Harvest, that
he might send you and your church to be a part of this exciting SBTC church planting and revitalization initiative in the city of Houston. We need hundreds of new churches in greater Houston, and we need your help to plant and nurture them along. There is a place for you and your church to make a kingdom investment in the future of Houston. My hope is that we can not only reach
Houston with many, many more soul-winning churches, but that we can build a model here to reproduce in cities all across the state of Texas. This is our primary mission field, and we must work together to reach not only the city of Houston, but our state for Jesus. If we don’t, who will? So come on over to Houston and help us. ... The nations are waiting for you!
FAMOUS FIRSTS Jimmy Pritchard SBTC President
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hen something is accomplished or established for the first time, there are usually huge implications that follow. Once the first domino falls, the others will fall behind it. Consider some famous firsts and their implications:
4Somewhere during the years 27-28 AD, Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected from the dead. Others had been resuscitated, but he was the first to be resurrected. The Bible says that he is the first fruit of a great harvest, promising multitudes of people to follow in resurrection. The continuing implications of this famous first are staggering. 4In 1913, Henry Ford began mass-producing his Model T through an assembly line. You
can experience the implications of this famous first in every urban area in our country from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. daily. 4In 1954, Roger Bannister was the first to break the four-minute barrier in the mile run. It does not raise an eyebrow when that barrier is broken today. In fact, the eyebrow would be raised if someone won a mile race in over 4 minutes. 4In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to step onto
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the surface of the moon. The technological advances that were required to make this famous first become reality has resulted in our having almost as much technology in our smart phones as he had in his Apollo space craft. There is one more potentially famous first that could occur in 2015. The United States Supreme Court may well soon render a decision that redefines marriage/family and stamps federal approval on same-sex marriage. This famous first would redefine our nation’s concept of marriage, which has been understood and undebated since civilization has existed as the union of one male and one female in relationship as family. The biblical concept adds fidelity and lifetime commitment to the definition. It is still possible that the court will decide in favor of the traditional concept of marriage, but many believe a redefinition is a foregone conclusion. No one knows what implications this famous first would have on our culture or how many other falling dominos will follow. I shudder to think what will be unleashed in our country and even our world should this famous first occur. My concerns are not only in the practical implications but the spiritual applications as well.
Until the decision is rendered, we can pray that God will move upon the hearts and minds of the Justices. Should they come down on the side of traditional marriage we will rejoice. However, those pushing for this redefinition will not go away. Even if defeated this time, they will not give it up. Here are some of my thoughts on this famous first: 4We must show more resolve to stand for biblical truth than those favoring same-sex marriage hold for their agenda. 4The light must shine from exemplary families and homes built on the biblical perspective into the darkness of the culture. 4We must not cave in to the pressure that may be exerted on us to change our position. The gospel is at stake as marriage is designed to show the relationship Jesus Christ has to the church. To cave in is to deny or change the gospel. 4We are in desperate need of spiritual awakening. These times are desperate, but too often God’s people are not. Our nation may be about to change. The Word of God will stand above that change and truth will still be truth. As in every generation, God will have witnesses that to that truth. Let’s you and I be among them.
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CHURCH PLANTING
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B A P T I S T
T E X A N
sbtexan
Coastal Community
Church planter revives dying church on Galveston Island By Sharayah Colter
of the church, it says nothing about the congregation’s heart and hands in the comGALVESTON Aaron Sanders, munity. A fierce passion for pastor of Coastal Community evangelism, missions and Church in Galveston, says service colors every aspect of when it comes to theology, ministry at Coastal. their island church is as conserSanders said that even vative as First Baptist Church though he had previously of Anywhere, USA. But when it served on staff at a church becomes to methodology, Coastal fore becoming pastor at Coaststands ready to test the waters. al, his life shifted to a much “Theologically, we’re very more missional focus upon conservative,” Sanders said. moving his family to the gulf. “In terms of our methodology, Even though his former church we’re willing to experiment was largely outward focused, in order to reach our commu- his personal time had been innity. That’s allowed us to have vested in ministering to and some genuine relationships equipping his volunteer leadand conversations with un- ers, thus leaving him and his churched people.” wife little time to spend with Sanders says Coastal desires lost people. to be a “church for the un“When we moved here, we churched.” The congregation had to become much more has set its sights on those is- missional ourselves,” Sanders landers who would likely nev- said. “I didn’t just preach about er step foot inside a traditional being evangelistic in your lifechurch. Rather than drawing style; I had to become evangenew members to Coastal away listic. Personally, we’ve been from the already established able to develop genuine relachurches in Galveston, Sanders tionships with unchurched set about building the church people [here].” by bringing new Christians Coastal is now in the third into the body. year of an effort they call “We did a survey last spring “Servolution,” through which where we found out a snap- church community groups shot of people’s backgrounds,” serve other already established Sanders said. “Roughly 30 per- ministries and organizations on cent of our church members the island. Instead of reinventcome from an unchurched ing the wheel by starting projbackground. Fifty-four per- ects that other groups have alcent were churched, but new ready begun, Coastal members in town, moving here for work simply come alongside those or school. Only 16 percent of groups to serve and help in any our church came from other way they can. churches in the Galveston “Servolution has ripple efcommunity. We feel like those fects,” Sanders said of the effort are pretty good Coastal adopted percentages. It’s from other church“IT’S BEEN COOL been cool to see es’ models. “It esTO SEE THAT OUR that our growth tablishes goodwill GROWTH HAS has not come at with local organiNOT COME AT the expense of zations that later THE EXPENSE OF other churches leads to evangelisOTHER CHURCHES in Galveston. The tic opportunities.” IN GALVESTON. measuring stick One of those THE MEASURING for us is not just partnerships has STICK FOR US IS about how can we been with ADA NOT JUST ABOUT grow a big church; House, a drug HOW CAN WE it’s, ‘How can we and alcohol abuse GROW A BIG reach the island treatment cenCHURCH; IT’S, for Christ?’” ter for women in ‘HOW CAN WE The church has South Texas. The REACH THE ISLAND grown from 40 church has worked FOR CHRIST?’” people to about on the center’s 500 since launchfacility, and over ing on Easter Suntime, a relationship day, 2012. has blossomed beWhen describing the Coast- tween the two. While ADA al atmosphere around town, House is not a Christian-based Sanders simply tells people that facility, its leadership allows he preaches in flip flops. women being treated there to “That one statement alone attend church at Coastal and communicates that we’re ca- even provides transportation sual in our approach,” Sanders to the church. said. “It also connects to the “In the past year, I will have saltwater soul of Galveston.” baptized about 12 ladies who While “casual” appropriately live at the ADA House or who describes the “look and feel” are there for a season,” Sand-
Staff Writer
(Above) Tommy Brauer and other volunteers from Coastal Community Church paint the second story of the ADA House, an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment facility for women. (Right) Coastal Community Church Pastor Aaron Sanders explains the goal behind Servolution to volunteers at a rally before the event. PHOTOS BY ANDREW PEARLE
ers said. “We’ve seen a lot of life change take place. The ladies live all around. Some of the ladies who are from Galveston are now active parts of our church.” The church, a re-plant effort between University Baptist Church in Galveston and Brazos Pointe Fellowship in Lake Jackson, has become a picture of a successful partnership between a dying church and a church sensing the call to plant a new congregation. Sanders cannot say enough about the graciousness of University Baptist Church members in their willingness to lay down their congregation’s DNA in order to birth a new DNA that could make a fresh start in reaching the island for Christ. He says being clear about the fact that Coastal would not be a merger of two churches or of old ways and new but a clean
slate and a new identity made the transition seamless and ultimately a more effective gospel witness in the community. “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, how do we transition this older, dying church?’” Sanders explained. “We made it clear that it doesn’t really matter how things were done in the past. ... We had a clear picture of who we wanted to be as a church. It wasn’t harsh, but we were just very clear about that.” Sanders recalls one Sunday early in the rebirth of the church when the auditorium was so packed that they were bringing in chairs from his office and then finally reaching standing-room only. Sanders saw, sitting in the back, an older Filipino woman who had been a part of the original church and who had been serving that morning as a greeter. He watched as she burst into
tears and left the room, later explaining to him that she had been praying for that day for so long—a day when the church would thrive again and see marvelous works of the Lord as islander after islander accepts Christ and stirs the fires of revival in Galveston. She didn’t care that it was happening under a new name, he said. She was just so grateful to the Lord that the day for which she had prayed had come. “It’s a no-brainer,” Sanders said. “It’s a trade she would be willing to make a hundred times over.” While the church has outgrown the original church building and now meets at a local school, Sanders says eventually they will look for a new, permanent location. But for now, the casual, offsite parking islander feel fits like a sandal.
SBC 2015 EDITION
T E X A N O N L I N E . N E T
U NA NU E VA FA M I L I A :
ANGLO CHURCH PLANTS HISPANIC CONGREGATION TO REACH GROWING COMMUNITY By Keith Collier Managing Editor FORT WORTH Jose and Melissa Medina arrived in the U.S. from their native Puerto Rico in January 2012 with their two young children, two suitcases, a small amount of money and hopes for Melissa to become a schoolteacher in Dallas and Jose to attend seminary in Fort Worth. However, when those plans never materialized, the couple was left waiting on God’s direction. The Medinas began attending North Richland Hills Baptist Church, where church members welcomed them in like family, helping them find jobs and a home. Jose began working as a Spanishspeaking counselor, where he taught classes on domestic violence, substance abuse, and theft prevention. Medina was also introduced to Hector Mendez, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central in Fort Worth and church starting center Hispanic consultant for Tarrant Baptist Association. Mendez invited him to serve in his church’s youth ministry and even gave him occasional opportunities to preach. Around this same time, Normandale Baptist Church in Fort Worth desired to start a Spanish ministry to reach the growing number of Hispanics in its community but lacked financial resources and someone who could lead the effort. So John Mark Yeats, then-pastor of Normandale, contacted SBTC Church Planting Lead Associate David Alexander for help. A short time later, Medina found himself sitting at a table with Mendez, Alexander and Yeats to discuss the ministry at Normandale. All agreed it was a needed ministry and that Medina would be a great fit to lead it. When he was told that the church had limited funds for the ministry, Medina simply replied, “OK. I’ll do it without money. I’m going to do it for free.” Members at Normandale, however, insisted on taking up an offering and were able to provide some financial support for Medina and his family. Medina and his wife started Normandale Espanol, a Spanish ministry of the church, in February 2013. They led a Spanish-speaking Bible study on Sunday mornings and connected with Hispanic families involved in Normandale’s soccer ministry for children in the community. Through Medina’s connections at the counseling center, he also began to receive referrals for Hispanic families who could not afford the services but were open to free pastoral counseling. As he counseled families, he invited them to the Bible study at Normandale.
Spanish Ministry or Church? As the group grew, Medina and the pastors at Normandale were faced with a choice. “At some point, we had to make a decision,” Medina recalls. “Did we want
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Borderlands Vision To saturate the most underevangelized and under-churched region of Texas with the gospel of Jesus Christ through a focus on evangelism and planting healthy, multiplying churches. Why the Borderlands? 4The Borderlands include the top 8 most un-evangelized counties in Texas and 10 of the top 15 most unevangelized counties in the U.S.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Facts 4More than 1.3 million people 490% Hispanic with a growing Asian population 451% of population unchurched 4One of most poverty-stricken areas in Texas
“GOD IS SHOWING US THAT WE DON’T NEED MONEY, WE DON’T NEED SPACES, WE DON’T NEED MATERIALS; WE JUST NEED THE HEART.”
to be a church, or did we want to be a counseling ministry?” Through discussions with Alexander at the SBTC, they agreed that the best decision was to transition Normandale’s Spanish ministry to a church plant sponsored through a partnership with the SBTC and the North American Mission Board. They believed this strategy would best meet the long-term vision of reaching Hispanics while avoiding common concerns of a Spanish ministry becoming overdependent on the Jose Medina Anglo church, which often results in a lack of indigenous leadership and weaker financial commitment among the ministry’s members. Iglesia Bautista Una Nueva Familia— One New Family Baptist Church—officially launched in January 2014. Una Nueva Familia uses Normandale’s facilities, shares ministries to children and youth, and maintains a close relationship with Normandale, but it is an autonomous church. In addition to financial support, the SBTC provides ongoing coaching, resources and encouragement to Medina and Una Nueva Familia. Medina says the SBTC is “always open to help” when he calls. In describing the SBTC’s role, Alexander says, “We’ve trained Jose as a church planter. Our church planter training is principle-based, so the planter can take the principles and address them to their context. Our coaches are able to help the planter deal with those contextual issues.” Throughout the year, Alexander says, “Jose has grown in his ministerial experience and his ability to disciple somebody. Those things will continue to grow as he gets more experience with the work.” Medina uses his training as a counselor to care for his congregation. “I go to their houses, eat with them, have fun with them. I am their pastor, but I want them to see that I care,” Medina says. Still, the work is not without its challenges, as Medina strives to overcome cultural barriers and to help those from a strong Catholic background understand the gospel and what a relation-
HISPANIC MISSIONS
ship with Jesus is really about. Despite difficult days, he’s encouraged by lives that have been changed by the gospel, as church members shed the problems of their past and embrace new life in Christ. As examples, Medina points to men in his church who are being discipled and growing as leaders in the church. He also notes the 17-year-old single mother who came to faith in Christ at the church and is now actively connected with her church family. She was the first person baptized at Una Nueva Familia, and they’ve seen six others follow in her footsteps this year. Rapid Growth In less than a year, the fledgling Hispanic church has grown rapidly to around 50-60 people on Sunday mornings. In fact, they continue to outgrow classrooms at Normandale, but the limited finances and space concerns don’t seem to affect Medina, who says, “I just want to see the change in their lives.” Medina calls what God is doing in Una Nueva Familia “a miracle.” “God is showing us that we don’t need money, we don’t need spaces, we don’t need materials; we just need the heart,” Medina says. “If God touched me to do this, he will open the doors financially. I tell people not to put up barriers. Sometimes we put up the barriers.” If it’s just for one family, Medina says, it’s worth it. “We’re not thinking in material stuff; we’re thinking in how God changes lives. When I see families changing, when I see every Sunday the people are happy, why would we say we’re not going to do the church because we don’t have enough space or enough money to pay me per month—that does not make sense. Jesus didn’t pray in pretty places; he didn’t charge money to anybody; he did it for free.” Brent Lightsey, youth and missions pastor at Normandale, is excited about what God has done over the past year. “Each week there are 50-60 Spanish speakers coming to our building, growing in their relationship with Christ, who were not coming here a year ago,” Lightsey says. “Our church has a huge desire to reach our community. The language barrier does prevent many of us from actually talking to our Spanish-speaking neighbors about Jesus, but Iglesia Una Nueva Familia allows our church a practical way to still impact our community.”
Opportunities 4Join the Rio Grande Valley Prayer Network. Pray for a new vision and strategy for the Rio Grande Valley. 4Come down on a survey trip with your church team and see how God wants to use you to help impact one of the most strategic areas of the country. 4Make plans to join the harvest next summer on a volunteer trip to the Rio Grande Valley. 4Pray for workers for the harvest to start many new churches. 4Join the work as a church planter. Contact David Ortega | 956.874.3438
LAREDO
Facts 4Approximately 300,000 people 496% Hispanic; 95% lost 4One SBC church for every 8,400 people Opportunities 4Work with church planters and new pastors in parts of Laredo that feel just like Mexico. 4Work with young church planters. 4Help break up hard spiritual ground by prayerwalking in Laredo's middle-class, Englishspeaking northside. 4Train with missionaries in Laredo; use what you learn here and take it home with you. 4Come as a student missionary for up to a year of intensive discipleship, missions and church planter training. Contact Tom Lawton | 956.286.6273
[email protected]
EL PASO
Facts 4Approaching 800,000 people 4A bilingual city, mostly of young families 4One of safest large cities in U.S. Opportunities 4Strategic prayer walking through key neighborhoods 4Church planting partnerships 4Church planting ministries among Chinese, Korean, and Hindi people, and with Englishspeaking Hispanics 4Small construction projects 4Community block parties and VBS in city parks Contact Chuy Avila | 817.832.8875
[email protected]
FIND OUT MORE:
sbtexas.com/borderlands
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MISSIONS MOBILIZATION
S O U T H E R N
B A P T I S T
sbtexan
T E X A N
THE WASATCH FRONT FAST FACTS u A narrow strip of land
more than 100 miles long in north-central Utah
u Home to the state’s
major metro areas: Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden
u 2.8 million people u 80% of Utah's population u 98% don't know
Jesus as savior
Utah-Idaho partnership bears fruit along Wasatch Front
u 50 Southern Baptist
churches along the Wasatch Front share the gospel of Christ
u 15 church plants funded
by UISBC and NAMB's Send Salt Lake initiative
By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent SALT LAKE CITY
Nestled between the Wasatch mountains on the east and the Oquirrh range on the west, bordered by the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake at north and south, bisected by the Jordan River, lies the Wasatch Front, a narrow strip of land over 100 miles long in northcentral Utah. The Wasatch Front contains the state’s major metropolitan areas—Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden—and is home to 2.8 million people, more than 80 percent of the population of Utah, 98 percent of whom do not know Jesus as savior. NAMB Send Salt Lake missionary Travis Kerns and Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention (UISBC) Executive Director Rob Lee are determined to see the latter statistic changed. Along the Wasatch Front, more than 50 Southern Baptist churches preach the gospel to predominately Mormon or unchurched populations. Some 15 Utah church plants are presently funded through the UISBC and NAMB’s Send Salt Lake initiative, with church planting interns and apprentices in training to begin more. “We are trying to ramp up the number of church plants,” Lee told the TEXAN. “The SBTC has supported this ministry in UtahIdaho. Because of their missions giving, we are able to do more work here than we could otherwise do.” Utah-Idaho is one of three current partnerships SBTC has with the North American Mission Board. Several Wasatch Front church plants have SBTC ties.
“A big thank you goes to the SBTC for sending some of their best to plant churches,” Lee noted. Lee’s work as executive directortreasurer of the UISBC assists the 168 SBC churches and entities in a territory just south of the Canadian border all the way down to northern Arizona. Vision 2020, the UISBC state strategy, has set the goal of establishing 300 SBC churches and reaching one percent of the region’s population by 2020. “We have a long way to go,” Lee acknowledged. Kerns arrived in the Salt Lake area in July 2013. The self-professed “Mormon nerd” was a professor of Christian worldview and apologetics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., when NAMB President Kevin Ezell asked him to go to Salt Lake City as part of the Send City initiative. “It was hard for us to be comfortable in Louisville, knowing that in Utah 54 people die every day, and 53 of those die lost,” Kerns explained. “It’s a hard place to do ministry, the most beautiful ‘ugly’ place we have ever lived. And we love it.” Kerns describes his work as recruiting “planters and partners” and is quick to credit the SBTC’s involvement in securing both, noting his positive relationship with SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards. “The SBTC has partnered with the UISBC for three years, sending planters, funds and mission teams,” Kerns said. “It’s been great to be able to call the SBTC when we need help. When we see Jim [Richards] and staff at conventions, they make us feel welcome, like part of the family.” Among the SBTC churches supporting Utah church plants are StoneWater Church in Granbury, First Baptist Church in Keller, Redeemer Church in Fort Worth, Denman Avenue Baptist Church in Lufkin, Grace Community Church in Glen Rose and First Baptist Church in Petrolia. “FBC Keller has been extremely supportive of Desert Ridge Baptist Church in St. George,” Lee said. Desert Ridge, in southwestern Utah, is in a heavily LDS retirement area 110 miles from Las Vegas. “Brigham Young sent settlers there and wintered there.” Desert Ridge has experienced what Lee calls “slow and steady growth,” with pastor Michael Waldrop at the helm. The fastest growing church plant in the history of the UISBC is Lifestone in
Herriman, Utah, sponsored by Granbury’s StoneWater, Lee noted. Lifestone, founded in 2013, has quickly grown to nearly 100 members. Morgan Grace Fellowship, a church plant supported by Denman Avenue Baptist in Lufkin, is the only non-Mormon church in 97 percent LDS Morgan County. The pastor, Jeff Hurlbut, like many church planters, is bi-vocational, working in the local school district while his wife is a planner for the city of Morgan. Community involvement remains a key for SBC church planters whose evangelicalism is at odds with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “There’s no way to avoid the isolation except to get into the community and go to events. Put your kids in basketball or soccer leagues and get to know the people so they know you are not the weirdo next door, even though you are not into Mormonism,” Kerns advised. “Once Mormons get to know you as a human being, they will come around. It just takes time.” The children of church planters are sometimes ostracized, especially in middle and high school, Kerns said, making Utah “a tough place to live.”
The region is changing in a continually expanding economy. Forbes magazine rated Utah as the “Best State for Business” in 2014, and the strong economy is attracting outsiders, noted Ben Helton, Lifestone pastor. With the influx of new residents, Mormonism is slowly losing its grip in Utah’s largest cities, with more than a quarter of the population in the Wasatch Front identifying as religiously unaffiliated “Salt Lake City proper is not even 50 percent Mormon now,” Lee said. Lee, who has been in Utah since 1987, noted that Mormonism remains strong in rural areas even outside Utah. “Some places in Idaho are even more Mormon than Utah,” Lee added. “Utah Lake is fresh water. The Great Salt Lake has salt water. The Jordan River connects them,” Lee mused. In a region rife with biblical names and relatively little biblical knowledge, the area Mormons historically call Zion is poised for change. SBC church planters are ready to help that change include a movement to Christ.
Prior to the launch of Lifestone Church in 2013, Herriman, Utah, was the largest U.S. city without an evangelical church. Since that time, Lifestone has baptized 24 people, worships together in local rec center and hosts seven Bible study home groups in the community. By UISBC standards, where most SBC congregations number fewer than 65, Lifestone is a large church with an average attendance close to 100. PHOTOS FROM LIFESTONE CHURCH
SBC 2015 EDITION
MISSIONS MOBILIZATION
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‘GREAT TRIP’ TO ECUADOR FAR MORE THAN GOOD WEATHER, FRIENDLY FOLKS By Sharayah Colter Staff Writer
Majestic mountain views, balmy weather, hospitable locals and a room in the only air-conditioned hotel on the beach would typically amount to a “great trip.” Those elements, though, while true of Barry Calhoun’s trip to Ecuador, do not actually top the list of what made it a “great trip.” Calhoun, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention director of mobilization and fellowship, traveled to the South American country last summer with a mission team of 14 people as part of a threemonth sabbatical allotted to him by the SBTC. The trip was indeed great in the typical sense, he says, but so many other aspects of the time spent in Quito, Ecuador, made the trip truly “great”—a response he continually finds himself giving when asked, “How was the trip?” “What I mean is that all of the team members want to return, the leaders of the town have opened the door for us to return and to share the gospel and teach English, three people on the streets prayed to receive Christ, one pastor has already begun to learn Spanish by enrolling in a community college course, and one pastor wept on the plane ride back,” Calhoun said. “When you get that and all of the 40 people that participated in the English as a Second Language (ESL) training wanting you back, it’s a ‘great trip.’ When you are tasked to mobilize a state the size of Texas, and you see the eyes of leaders opened to missions opportuni-
“THE TEAM MEMBERS WANT TO RETURN, THE LEADERS OF THE TOWN HAVE OPENED THE DOOR FOR US TO RETURN AND TO SHARE THE GOSPEL AND TEACH ENGLISH, THREE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS PRAYED TO RECEIVE CHRIST, ONE PASTOR HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO LEARN SPANISH BY ENROLLING IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE COURSE, AND ONE PASTOR WEPT ON THE PLANE RIDE BACK.”
ties, most of whom had never traveled internationally before, it’s a ‘great trip.’ When you have one pastor say that now he sees the importance of giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) and the Cooperative Program (CP), it’s a ‘great trip.’” In November of 2013, the SBTC entered into a three-year partnership with the Republic of Ecuador in the northwest part of South America with the purpose of encouraging member churches to adopt unreached, unengaged people groups (UUPGs). There are approximately 11,250 people groups in the world. Out of
those, more than 6,500 people groups remain unreached. About 3,000 of those are unengaged, meaning no one is working among them at all. This trip set out to make a dent in that reality and to move Christians one people group closer to sharing the gospel with all nations. The SBTC, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Dallas Baptist Association all worked together to coordinate the trip to make it a logistic success and a spiritual victory. Calhoun’s own church pastor, Tony Mathews of North
Garland Baptist Fellowship, who had previously gone to Ecuador in 2013, also joined the team as well as Raymond Perry, pastor of Trinity Friendship Baptist Church in Wylie, for whom the trip was his first mission endeavor outside the United States. Perry, who had always been supportive of the CP in the past, expressed that the firsthand experience gave him an even better understanding of the importance of Southern Baptists’ cooperative giving strategy. Calhoun said Perry’s response is typical of people who
venture out of the country for the first time in an intentional missions effort. “For me, discipleship is about having a heart for what God has a heart for, and that is the nations of the world,” Calhoun said. “When people go on a mission trip for the first time, there is no need to [convince] them. Simply allow them to experience it in person, and they’ll develop a heart for the nations.” —With reporting by Dwight Baker
SBTC bolsters Montreal church planting initiative By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Special Assignments Editor HORSESHOE BAY, Texas Church planting efforts in Montreal gained ground when the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s (SBTC) Executive Board approved a $100,000 grant to the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to assist in coaching church planters and student missionaries as well as encouraging evangelistic opportunities for Montreal churches. Woody Wilson, a former International Mission Board missionary to France and church planter in Chicago, will serve as a Mission Ser-
vice Corps missionary with NAMB for Send North America: Montreal, one of the major city initiatives in the mission board’s evangelistic church planting strategy. Wilson will guide the process of moving student missionaries to internship opportunities, then placing them in apprenticeships that train them to plant churches. The SBTC board also redesignated a $250,000 grant approved last year to purchase property in Montreal for a church planter multiplication center and campus of La Chapelle Church. Instead of acquiring property, the change allows more flexibil-
ity for renting a facility and equipping new churches. La Chapelle, since its launch in 2013, has grown to more than 900 people in attendance, reporting over 80 baptisms and more than 200 decisions for Christ during 2014. La Chapelle will plant two new churches in the next 18 months. “There are a few places where God’s manifested presence has been made know in recent days. Montreal is one of those places,” said Jim Richards, SBTC Executive Director. “Partnering with NAMB, the Canadian National Baptist Convention and local Montreal pastors
we are seeing a rising tide of spiritual awakening in very unlikely place. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is privileged to be a part of what God is doing there.” NAMB president Kevin Ezell said SBTC’s partnership and funding will have a significant impact at a critical time.
“This is a game changer for church planting efforts in Montreal,” Ezell said. “I am grateful for Jim Richards and the resources he is sending. When God moves, we should be ready to act and that’s what the SBTC is demonstrating.”
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LOOK LIKE HEAVEN
S O U T H E R N
B A P T I S T
T E X A N
sbtexan
LOOK LIKE HEAVEN EMPHASIS MAKES STRIDES IN REMOVING RACIAL BARRIERS, RESTORING RELATIONS By Paul F. South TEXAN Correspondent HEMPSTEAD A town of 6,000, Hempstead, Texas, has made national news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Hempstead was known as a place where racial conflict routinely afflicted the community. “There’s a lot of poverty, a lot of brokenness,” said Kevin Jordan, pastor of First Baptist Hempstead. “There are absentee parents and kids who are virtually homeless. We deal with those issues. All of that swarms together for a volatile situation that the church exists within.” While First Baptist Hempstead is mostly white, the community is predominately African-American, Latino and Asian, changing over the years the way Texas has been transformed during the past three decades. Jordan and his flock are trying to reach out to Hempstead, as Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches across Texas seek to open arms and open doors to changing communities and changing cultures through the Look like Heaven emphasis, a five-year initiative that began in July. The goal of Look Like Heaven is to build cross-cultural relationships among SBTC pastors and churches, with the idea that greater diversity means greater opportunities for evangelism. “We’re hoping to show some of the diversity that is and has grown in the last number of years and hopefully to foster those who may not have stepped outside that comfort zone to go ahead and do that,” said Barry Calhoun, director of mobilization and fellowships for the SBTC and leader of the Look Like Heaven emphasis. As the face of Texas changes, the make-up of churches in the state needs to change as well, Calhoun said. Between 70 and 74 percent of SBTC churches are plateaued, declining or closing their doors, in part because those congregations have not reached out to their changing communities. Look Like Heaven hopes to change that. Look Like Heaven began under the leadership of former SBTC President Terry Turner in an effort to make Texas churches look like the communities they serve and like the kingdom described in Revelation 7—a portrait of heaven that includes every race, ethnicity, tribe, tongue and people group. “Hopefully this is a way to create and help foster some more inclusion in worship styles and in membership within some of our churches. If we can be intentional, hopefully we can break down any
“WE HAVE TO HAVE A TRUE, DOWN TO EARTH CONVERSATION ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS PEOPLE AND WHO WE ARE AS CHRISTIANS, BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE THAT EVEN TODAY, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVING HUMANITY. THOSE IDEAS ARE BAD THEOLOGY. IT’S BAD DOCTRINE. IT’S BAD STUFF THAT WAS EMBRACED DURING THAT TIME (IN THE PAST) THAT HAS TO BE OVERCOME.” —TERRY TURNER
walls that may perhaps still exist out there in some areas and in some of the leadership we have,” Calhoun said. “I think that’s where Dr. Turner wants to go. Dr. Turner is really going all out.” In Hempstead, the fields are ready for a Look Like Heaventype harvest. The town is 50 percent Hispanic, 30 percent African-American and 22 percent Anglo, with a smattering of Asian and other minorities. According to LifeWay Research data published by the TEXAN in 2013, Southern Baptist churches do not mirror the larger community. According to the survey, 85 percent of pastors say the church should strive for racial diversity. Yet, only 13 percent of pastors say they have more than one racial or ethnic minority in their congregations. The numbers may make the dream seem light years away. But Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, believes progress is being made. On a national level, SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page has taken steps to reach across ethnic and racial lines by initiating advisory councils for several ethnic groups. “The main initiative is for us to get to know each other in a better way,” Turner said. “I think so often when you are part of a majority-organized and-run convention, ethnicities that are minorities don’t always feel like their styles of worship, their methods of serving the Lord are always a part of the conventional movement. ... Too often, we don’t know one another or make allowances for worship differences.” Jordan learned a valuable lesson in his first year in Hempstead. Last March, a traditional four-night revival drew Anglo worshippers but did not accomplish a goal of drawing in African-American and Latino residents of Hempstead to hear the gospel. “We drew in Anglos, and we were glad to have them, but we didn’t accomplish our goal,” Jordan said. Later, at a basketball tournament where his daughter
was playing, Jordan noted that many in the African-American community flocked to the event, staying for every game. That sparked the idea for a church-sponsored three-onthree basketball tournament. On a Sunday, a young woman who played in that tournament, where the gospel was presented, received Christ. It’s a victory in a town where wins come hard. Jordan’s efforts to reach Hempstead in a variety of ways—from attending school board meetings, visiting with African-American pastors and even writing a newspaper column—have come with unexpected challenges. A young man who attended a service at Jordan’s church was asked to leave because of a behavior issue. The result? Jordan received a death threat. “That would be a surprise— the volatility of that situation and the enemy’s use of that volatility,” Jordan said. But there are more victories than ominous surprises these days in Hempstead. “I have African-American friends in town who call me their pastor even though they’ve never been to our church,” Jordan said. Turner and Jordan have partnered together as part of Look Like Heaven, preaching to each other’s congregation, igniting a serious conversation on race and ethnicity within their sermons. “For me, it’s depended on being a little more sensitive to the kinds of questions that our people need to be asking and answering,” Jordan said. “The divide in our churches is evidence to our culture that we don’t have a better handle on this than they do. That’s an affront to the gospel. That’s really a problem when even in our churches we can’t answer and effectively deal with the race issue.” Turner, whose parents were born near the turn of the last century at the peak of the Jim Crow South, believes there are remnants of the segregationist past that the church must overcome.
“We have to have a true, down-to-earth conversation about who we are as people and who we are as Christians. Because the history of the American culture has messed us up racially, I would imagine that even today there are unconverted people who question the validity of African-Americans having full humanity. These kinds of stereotypes and misnomers have been associated with America’s past bad theological beliefs. It’s bad doctrine. The residuals of America’s past negative thought patterns have to be overcome as we move forward.” Turner believes that if his parents were alive today, they would be encouraged by the Look Like Heaven emphasis. “Twenty or thirty years ago, we would never talk about something like this—Look Like Heaven. But today it’s possible because our communities are changing. “(My parents) would have loved it. They would have thought it was a great advancement for the society. They would have said ‘things are looking up.’” Even in Hempstead, a place with a troubled racial history
and the recent death threat toward Jordan, things are looking brighter. Jordan’s congregation has embraced efforts to reach the wider community that has the complexion of the old Sunday School song: “Red, brown, yellow, black and white …” “We are an Anglo church attempting to reach an ethnic community,” Jordan said. “We don’t have the answer for that. We have simply applied ourselves to taking the gospel to whoever will hear it from us. That’s as much of this story as we have. We have a lot of African-American kids and a lot of Latino kids. But we don’t have this thing figured out. We know only that we have made progress in being able to have a voice. “When we look at reaching our community, the Look Like Heaven campaign is simply reaching our community as it is. It’s a gospel application. We are an Anglo church in a diverse area, and we need to reach those folks (of other ethnicities). “The Look Like Heaven initiative is our obligation to take the gospel to everyone. That’s the message I would want people to take from this.”
Not only is racial reconciliation biblically based, but it is biblically mandated, SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards said at the ERLC leadership summit, March 27. “As we show our love one for another, the world ... will see that Jesus and our love for each other, and because of that our testimony will even be stronger,” Richards said. He then shared about the SBTC’s Look Like Heaven campaign, which was launched in 2013. Watch video of Richards’ session at http://bit.ly/1HxkJ3d. PHOTO BY ALLI RADER
SBC 2015 EDITION
T E X A N O N L I N E . N E T
CHURCH MINISTRIES
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SBTC worship ministry offers free A/V consultations to Texas churches By Sharayah Colter
owns or guidance in taking their sound, lights and video operations to the next level, Rex Lake was only 12 years Lake stands ready to help, often old when he recorded his first flying his own plane to consult 7-inch vinyl record. That same with churches on site. year he gave his life to Christ Lake, now retired, says in Tulsa, Okla. Six years later, at what first got his attention age 18, Lake got his first reel-to- was the realization that many reel recorder and a cheap micro- churches have current techphone. Since it cost him $45 an nology but not the associated hour to record in a studio and technical knowledge to use it he made $1.05 an hour working, well or wisely. it cost him a week’s wage to get “Having the latest, greatest just one hour in the studio. Real- technology does not necessarily izing that was not feasible, Lake equate to better sound or more learned the music business and engaging Sunday services,” Lake art of recording. said. “In fact, many churches By the time he was 26, Lake today experience technology had opened his own record- overload and become frustrated, ing studio, Lake Sound Inc., because after spending a lot of and publishing company, Artos money, the audio and video preMusic. Over the next 40 years, sentation is likely not any better the Lord blessed Lake’s efforts and may actually be worse.” and enabled him to develop the But, thanks to Lake and other business into a state-of-the-art SBTC consultants who travel digital facility that produced across the state, improvement hundreds of albums for Chris- is possible. tian artists. During that time, The convention, through Lake also expanded the business tithes and offerings given by to another publishing division, church members through the HeartSpring Media; a graph- Cooperative Program, offers ics division, Seed Studios Inc.; a the consultation service as a film production division, Eterne ministry to help churches use Films; and a 501c3 company, Got resources they already have to Life?®, which provide the best serves as a global possible audio/ “THE BOTTOM LINE evangelistic outvisual support reach. Along the for worship serIS FOR CHURCHES way, Lake also vices. The CoTO BE ABLE TO became a piPRESENT THE GOOD operative Prolot—something gram allows the NEWS OF JESUS the Lord now first—and often CHRIST IN A CLEAR uses in combinathe only—conAND CONCISE tion with Lake’s sultation needmedia industry ed to be providMANNER WITHOUT experience to ed at no cost to PROBLEMS FROM aid and benefit the church. THE SYSTEMS USED Texas churches. Church minTO PRESENT THAT In cooperation istry associate MESSAGE.” with the SouthLance Beauern Baptists of mont who coTexas Convenordinates the tion’s worship c onsultations technology ministry, Lake now on behalf of the SBTC says each uses his talents and skills along situation and set-up is different. with four other consultants “It is really based upon the to help churches troubleshoot churches’ needs, and they’re all media issues and configure different,” Beaumont said. top-notch audio/visual set-ups. Lake says his approach is to Whether a church needs help make a church’s system—be using equipment it already it new or old—meet the conStaff Writer
5Rex Lake stands next to his Cherokee 180, which he uses to fly to churches all over the state of Texas to help them with their A/V needs. 4Rex Lake, who opened his own recording studio at age 26 and spent 40 years in the music industry, uses his experiences and skills to help churches maximize their sound and video equipment. PHOTOS BY ANDREW PEARLE
gregation’s needs and to share the needed “how-to” technical knowledge to make it work well. “The bottom line is for churches to be able to present the good news of Jesus Christ in a clear and concise manner without problems from the systems used to present that message,” Lake said. “Everything involved in the presentation of that message including the A/V systems, operations and operators must be proficient and efficient for the task.” Randal Wilson, pastor of Carey First Baptist Church in Childress, said Lake came to help his church twice—once with equipment installation and an in-ear monitor system and another time to help train and coach members operating the sound board and serving on the praise team. Wilson said he thanks the Lord for Lake and his help.
“Rex is very professional, knowledgeable and personable,” Wilson said, adding that Lake even gave a guitarist tips on the best strings to buy. “He is welcome anytime.” Beaumont said that in addition to sound consultations, the SBTC offers other assistance to churches in the worship technology area as well. Innovate Praise, a technology training event for media teams and worship leaders, provides hands-on training in sound, lighting and projection systems for both novice media team members and experienced technicians. The next events will be held Sept. 18-19 in Houston. The convention also posts three-minute technology videos on its website at sbtexas. com/blog/worship. Topics such as setting the gain, microphones in worship and monitor mixing can all be found
there, along with a host of other helps. For churches, the help the SBTC offers can make the difference between under-utilized A/V capabilities and fine-tuned engineering. For Lake, the ministry provides an avenue to use a unique set of gifts and skills to the glory of God and the proclamation of salvation in Christ. “[When the SBTC] asked me if I would be interested in utilizing my audio/video experience, my sound engineering and musician knowledge, my time, my pilot skills, my love of music and my love of the Lord to minister to churches needing help with their A/V battle, it sounded like a match to me,” Lake said, chuckling. “It’s amazing to watch the Cooperative Program dollars at work and how God is using that process to empower churches across this great state.”
SBTC JOINS WITH AREA STATES TO PLAN 2016 CHILDREN’S MINISTRY CONFERENCE BROKEN ARROW, Okla.—Hundreds of children’s ministry leaders from at least five states will convene next year at First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Okla., for the “Heart of the Child” [HOC] children’s ministry training conference. The HOC event takes place every other year, and is organized by children’s ministry
associates from Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma in partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources. Emily Smith, the children’s and women’s ministry associate for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention said, “One thing that is always exciting about this conference is being able to see preschool and chil-
dren’s leaders come together from several states to be trained and energized in the areas they serve. We are planning for 8001,000 participants.” Conferences are provided for workers in every age group from birth through preteen, as well as family ministry. Special areas such as music, missions, Bible skills,
church weekday, camps and conferences for ministers are all a part of the mix.
The theme verse is taken from Psalm 78:4: “We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed.” Registration, conference and lodging information will be available this fall at heartofthechild.net.
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EVANGELISM
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EVANGELISM INITIATIVE CHALLENGES CHURCHES TO REACH 1 MILLION HOMES WITH GOSPEL BY 2018 By Keith Collier Managing Editor
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Evangelism Director Nathan Lorick believes Texas churches are poised to see the most comprehensive statewide evangelism effort in the history of the Lone Star State. During the SBTC Empower Conference in February, Lorick presented the “One in a Million” evangelism initiative, casting a vision for SBTC churches— large and small—to reach one million homes with the gospel over the next three years. “The One in a Million campaign is about a strategic approach to bringing our coalition of 2,500 churches together in one sacred effort to share the gospel in one million homes,” Lorick told the TEXAN. To accomplish such an ambitious task, the SBTC will sponsor two-day regional trainings where pastors and local church members will learn the personal evangelism method “Can We Talk?,” which was developed by John Meador, pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless. Meador’s church has seen an explosion of people coming to faith in Christ as a result of implementing the strategy in 2013. After being trained, participants will put their newly learned evangelism strategies into action as they go out and share the gospel. They will also develop a plan to train other church members and reach their communities for Christ after they return home. Registration for the trainings is $150 per person. Any staff member or church member can attend the trainings, but the SBTC will supplement $100 for se-
L O N E
POPULATION OF TEXAS:
L O S T N E S S
26.5 million
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS: LOSTNESS:
S T A R
8.9 million
68.49% (NEARLY 7 OUT OF 10 TEXANS)
APPROXIMATELY 18.1 MILLION
R E G I O N A L
u Aug. 21-22 • Lakeside Baptist, Canton u Sept. 18-19 • First Baptist, Odessa u Sept. 27-28 • First Baptist, Euless u Oct. 23-24 • First Baptist, Euless
“THE ONE IN A MILLION CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO BRINGING OUR COALITION OF 2,500 CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ONE SACRED EFFORT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN ONE MILLION HOMES.”
nior pastors of SBTC churches, reducing their cost to $50. Lorick believes the One in a Million strategy “has the potential to be the
T R A I N I N G S
u Nov. 20-21 • West Conroe Baptist, Conroe u Dec. 6-7 • First Baptist, Euless Registration: $150 per person $50 for senior pastors of SBTC churches
most effective strategic evangelism effort in the history of Texas.” Recent census data estimates nearly 9 million households in the state, yielding a population of 26.5 million or greater. Studies show that nearly 7 out of 10 Texans do not have a personal relationship with Christ, which tallies to more than 18 million people. Still, Lorick says, faithful prayer and intentional evangelism could produce an abundant spiritual harvest if workers are willing to labor in the fields. He has already seen it happening in churches across the state. “Imagine what Texas would look
like if we joined together to charge the gates of hell with the good news of Jesus Christ,” he said. “This can only be done by intentional evangelism.” “However, we must have pastors willing to be trained, to train their churches and to give their people a platform to share the gospel. “I am asking our churches to seize this moment. Let us join together in one focused effort to penetrate the darkness with the gospel and see Texas changed forever.” For more information, including registration for trainings, visit sbtexas.com/oneinamillion.
SBC 2015 EDITION
EVANGELISM
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THE GAMEPLAN AIMS TO TURN PERSONAL EVANGELISM ‘MOMENTS’ INTO A MOVEMENT By Jerry Pierce
Nathan Lorick’s prayer is that “God would take a moment and turn it into a movement”— the movement being a cycle of Great Commission events, namely praying for, evangelizing and discipling converts in a New Testament model. “Imagine church members going from not actually sharing their faith at all to now discipling someone they led to Christ by walking them through the process of knowing Christ and then making him known,” Lorick, evangelism director at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, explained. It’s called “The GamePlan”— not a program, Lorick emphasized—but an initiative to get churches and families on mission together in reaching lost friends and family members with the gospel and following up in discipleship. Tasked in his role with helping SBTC churches evan-
gelize their state, Lorick said the appeal of The GamePlan is its simplicity and intentionality. The materials needed are minimal—a card or refrigerator magnet with five blank spaces for names is all a participant needs. The plan consists of: 4identifying five lost people, 4committing to pray daily for them, 4planning for a moment of sharing the gospel message with them, 4presenting the gospel, 4plugging the new believer into a local church for baptism and discipleship. Lorick rolled out The GamePlan during the 2014 Empower Evangelism Conference with the help of Chan Gailey, former college and NFL head coach with numerous teams, including the Dallas Cowboys. Sometimes churches, and even pastors, lose their urgency for sharing the gospel outside the church walls and need
a renewed focus to help them, Lorick said. “This gives a pastor a simple way to get his people excited again about sharing their faith with others in a way that creates a buzz in the congregation and within families as moms and dads and their kids pray daily together over a list of people God has placed on their hearts. This initiative, especially with its sports theme, has a wide appeal,” Lorick said. The GamePlan materials include brochures with football, basketball and baseball themes
in English and a soccer theme in Spanish. There are also refrigerator magnets and pocket cards with five blanks for the names of the people each participant is praying for. Lorick said he is praying that those “moments” that lead to conversions will add up to a movement across Texas as people begin identifying and fervently praying for the lost and discipling them as reproducing believers. He knows of churches that are planning tailgate parties to kick off the initiative. Being in-
tentional is a significant part of effective evangelism, he noted. “Imagine a pastor asking his church members, ‘Who are your five? Who are you praying for?’ And, ‘How can I pray for them?’” The SBTC evangelism team is available to help churches implement the initiative. To order The GamePlan materials, visit sbtcwebstore.com. For more information on the initiative, visit sbtexas.com/evangelism. The SBTC evangelism team may be reached toll free at 877-953-7282 (SBTC).
FR EE DESIGNED FOR ANY FAMILY (AGE GRADED BRING IT TO LIFE APPLICATIONS)
GROWING LIBRARY OF RESOURCES AND HELPS FOR FAMILIES WEEKLY FAMILY DEVOTIONALS WEEKLY MARRIAGE PODCAST Available for: iPhone, iPad, Android Phone, Kindle, Android Tablet, and Windows Phone To download: search SBTC Family
sbtexas.com/familyapp Made possible through your Cooperative Program giving
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CHURCH REVITALIZATION
S O U T H E R N
B A P T I S T
sbtexan
T E X A N
CHURCH REVITALIZATION Kenneth Priest SBTC Director of Convention Strategies
church - a body or organization of religious believers re·vi·tal·ize - to make (someone or something) active, healthy, or energetic again
I
n exploring the definition of church revitalization, I prefer Ken Hemphill’s definition for the church: “The church is a covenant community of born-again believers empowered by Christ for the advancing of the kingdom through the discipling of all nations.” When we add the task of revitalization to this definition for church we get: to make ac-
tive, healthy or energetic again the covenant community of born-again believers empowered by Christ for the advancing of the kingdom through the discipling of all nations. Each year LifeWay Research makes available the Growth Status of SBC Churches. The most recent one is from 2013 data, and as expected, the numbers continue to reflect a need for spiritual renewal in our churches. The SBTC numbers are not much different from the SBC report, recognizing 26.2 percent of churches are growing within SBTC churches. This means 73.8 percent are in plateau or decline. The need is great. So what do we do? In Revelation 2:1-7, we have the account of the church in Ephesus. A wonderful church
by first impression, the text says, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.” And then we get the issue: “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” The abandoned first love seems to be that of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. With the present plateau and decline of so many churches, and specifically a continued downward slope of baptisms by SBC congregations, I believe it is safe to say this is our issue today.
In 2007, the SBTC launched the Ezekiel Project. This approach was based out of Ezekiel 37, the Valley of Dry Bones vision, which teaches us that new life can be breathed back into the church. As the SBTC has worked with churches around the state, we have seen successes occur in these methods. Our goal all along has been to not approach each church with a cookie-cutter mentality but to offer options on how the church can implement a revitalization work in its respective context. The SBTC has worked to expand its work in revitalization over the past eight years. Our approaches will continue to expand and to be customizable for the local church in its present context. What will remain true in every context is:
a) The church must place a priority on the Word of God (Nehemiah 8:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:10-17). b) The church must insure it has not left its first love (Revelation 2:1-7). c) The church must listen to the Lord. (2 Chronicles 7:14; Acts 16:6-10). d) The church must be about the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). When these things occur, we see the growth of the church (Acts 2:42-47). God desires for his church to grow and the SBTC wants to be part of helping our churches impact the communities where God has placed them, so we can Reach Texas and Touch the World.
New smart phone app helps pastors, churches with revitalization efforts By Sharayah Colter
The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention released a new app this fall designed to help pastors and congregations revitalize their churches. The app, which became available Nov. 13 for Apple, Windows and Android smart phones, is free and loaded with resources. Kenneth Priest, director of convention strategies for the SBTC, says the app has been built as an
introductory tool for pastors as well as an on-going resource to use in church revitalization. App features include videos from revitalization conferences, which Priest notes as especially helpful to pastors who are unable to attend an event in person but desire to glean from the content presented. Under the “resources” tab, pastors have access to articles, book reviews and the Sacred Struggles blog site, which is
written by Jim Baker, a retired executive pastor, and “offers guidance from a second chair leader on leadership helps, how to implement change, etc.,” Priest said. “This [resource] section also includes an area where a pastor can request a demographic report; and a church survey is listed here, permitting a pastor to answer some questions related to his present church and to give us a snapshot of what is
going on. It emails me so I can follow up and offer assistance to the pastor.” The SBTC will offer a revitalization conference Sept. 10 at Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble to foster conversations about strategic church revitalization topics. The event last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $20. For more, visit sbtexas.com/ church-revitalization.
SBC 2015 EDITION
MISSIONS
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FREE APOLOGETICS COURSE EQUIPS CHRISTIANS, CHURCHES ‘FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS’ By Erin Roach GRAPEVINE An online, videodriven apologetics course is available to churches to equip believers in sharing and defending the Christian faith at an increasingly crucial time. The Stand Firm Online Apologetics Course is a 16-lesson introductory apologetics course launched by the SBTC that can be used for group or individual study. The course is available at sbtexas.com/standfirm. Each video is about 30 minutes long and should be viewed prior to answering discussion questions in the study guide. Discussion leaders and individual students may research the topics by reading recommended books and visiting recommended websites.
“Thanks to Cooperative Program giving, both the videos and the study guide are downloadable for free,” Bruno Molina, a language evangelism associate at the SBTC, told the TEXAN. “I’d like to encourage all of our pastors, discipleship leaders and church members to take advantage of this vital resource made available for such a time as this.” Stand Firm is designed to strengthen Christians’ faith by presenting compelling evidence for the truths of Christianity and to equip Christians to share and defend the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “We really are living in a time when, as 2 Peter points out, false prophets rise among us who ‘introduce destructive heresies’ and ‘exploit you with false words,’” Molina
said. “Unfortunately, both Christians and non-Christians seem to know less and less about what the Bible actually teaches and, therefore, end up being deceived. “Nevertheless, as followers of Christ we are commanded to be faithful ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) who love God with all our mind (Matthew 22:37), ‘contend earnest-
ly for the faith’ (Jude 1:3) and ‘stand firm against the schemes of the devil’ (Ephesians 6:11),” Molina said. In “Lesson 1: A Rational Romantic Approach to Apologetics,” Paul Gould, assistant professor of philosophy and Christian apologetics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, talks about “pursuing and representing God with our hearts and our minds.”
Gould explains how Christianity is a perfect blend of reason and romance, and he helps churches think through how they can incorporate apologetics into their ministries. Subsequent lesson topics include “Does Science Disprove Miracles?” “Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?” and individual lessons on reaching out to Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religions. Other contributors to the course include Molina; Travis Dickinson, assistant professor of philosophy and Christian apologetics at Southwestern; Keith Loftin, assistant professor of humanities at Southwestern; and Rudy Gonzalez, professor of New Testament at Southwestern.
WHAT IS SBTEXAS.COM/ONLINE? SBTC Online is a web training platform that enables churches and leaders to receive and provide basic leadership tools for their local ministries. The focus is to help leaders as they work to disciple and develop followers of Christ. Because of the giving churches of the SBTC to the Cooperative Program, we are able to provide all the content at no cost to any leader or church.
INING
CE
S
TR A
• RES O UR
WHERE? SBTEXAS.COM/ONLINE
Questions?
[email protected]
SHARING This content was designed to be shared. Any video you watch can be distributed using social media. In fact, we want you to share it.
DEVICES This resource and web training platform will work online and on most web enabled devices.
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TEXAS
HOUSTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
the Greater Houston Area is expected to eclipse Chicagoland by the year 2020. With this expanding megacity in its midst, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention hopes to see a large-scale church planting and church revitalization movement similar to the model of the North American Mission Board’s SEND City strategy. More than 20 pastors met at Faith Memorial Baptist Church in inner-city Houston April 23 to hear the vision for the initiative called Reach Houston and to pray for God to move mightily in the city. “I am burdened greatly for this city,” SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards told pastors. He said that a “culture of prayer” must be the foundation for everything that is done to reach Houston “It’s through prayer and a burden that I came personally to the place that Houston needed this focus in church planting and re-
S O U T H E R N
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sbtexan
T E X A N
“THE NATIONS ARE COMING TO HOUSTON. THE CHALLENGE IS DAUNTING, BUT IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. WE NEED ALL KINDS OF CHURCHES TO REACH ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.” RICHARD TAYLOR, SBTC CHURCH PLANTING ASSOCIATE
vitalization,” Richards said. In describing Reach Houston as similar to NAMB’s strategy in other major cities, Richards clarified that SBTC can help facilitate the work, but Houston churches must embrace their role. “If you don’t own it, we can’t do it,” Richards said. “Our state convention doesn’t have the role of carrying out the Great Commission. The Great Commission was given to the local church; our role is to help you carry out
Houston pastors gather to pray after hearing the vision for the Reach Houston initiative, April 23. PHOTO BY GARY LEDBETTER
NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU.
1
the Great Commission, so we act as cheerleaders, coordinators, networkers, resourcers and whatever else we can be, but it ultimately will come back to you to reach Houston.” SBTC church planting associate Richard Taylor encouraged pastors to think of the possibilities for planting multi-ethnic congregations in a city where 1 in 6 residents have been born outside of the U.S. “The nations are coming to Houston,” Taylor said. “The challenge is daunting, but it’s not impossible. We need all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.” Kenneth Priest, director of convention strategies for SBTC, explained that similar to NAMB’s strategy, Reach Houston will employ a strategist who will live in Houston and network with churches in the Greater Houston Area as well as churches across Texas and North America to come to
Houston for church planting and revitalization. Richards noted that he hopes to have someone in the position sometime this summer. Northeast Houston Baptist Church Pastor Nathan Lino echoed the need for a strategist to work as a “central hub to coordinate the work.” “The thing that we lack in our city is that we’re so big—we’re bigger than some states—and we’re so spread out that none of us knows what each other is doing in church planting and revitalization,” Lino said. “We don’t have anyone who has eyes on the whole city. “I think this position being filled is one of the big next steps forward because until that person comes on, we’re still operating blindly in this city. It’s going to be a better use of kingdom resources in all of our churches if we have someone who’s a central hub.” Champion Forest Baptist
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SOUTHERN BAPTIST
TEXAN
TEXAN
MAGAZINE
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Church Pastor David Fleming challenged other pastors to embrace the initiative as a longterm strategy. “Since this is our backyard,” Fleming said, “I’d like for us to think in terms of sustainability. Let’s do something that’s lasting with an impact that’s ongoing. Let’s not set this up to generate quick results that dwindle. Let’s put the right resources in the right place to generate some sustainability over time.” Richards assured pastors that Reach Houston is not a shortterm plan. “We’re asking [the strategist] to come be a catalyst and coordinator for this effort without an end date. Our commitment is for that person to stay here for however long it takes. If God chooses to show his favor on this, then we’ll look at other cities in Texas, but right now this is it, and we’re committed as a convention staff for the long haul.”
The award-winning Southern Baptist TEXAN is the official newspaper for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and most widely circulated Baptist publication in Texas. Sign up to receive the print issue delivered to your mailbox.
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