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IS PAIGE PATTERSON AN ARMINIAN? 16
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Newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention N MORE NEWS AT TEXANONLINE.NET
BAPTIST UNIVERSITIES
Appeals court hears ETBU, HBU present case against HHS contraceptive mandate By Bonnie Pritchett TEXAN Correspondent HOUSTON The U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit heard arguments April 7 from lawyers representing two Texas Baptist universities demanding an exemption from the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) contraceptive mandate and the “draconian fines” levied for non-compliance. In a press conference outside the U.S. court house in Houston, representatives for the schools said their identity as Christian institutions and financial solvency is threatened by the government’s demands. A federal judge in December 2013 ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University, exempting the schools from compliance with the HHS mandate requiring employers to provide for their employees insurance coverage for contraceptives, includ-
TELL ME THE OLD, OLD By Keith Collier Photos by Austin Stone Story Team
See HHS, 2
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. 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. “I pitched the vision to (our pastors),” Bush recalls, “and they took a risk.”
Initially starting under the church’s missions department, Bush launched the Story Team with a few volunteers. One of their first major projects was telling the stories of individuals in the church who responded to a challenge to go as missionaries to unreached people groups around the world. In time, the scope of their work quickly expanded to telling testimonies of church members and how the gospel intersected their lives. Over the past five years, Story Team has produced more than 200 stories and expanded its volunteer base to more See AUSTIN STONE, 6
SBC ANNUAL MEETING
REGISTRATION OPENS FOR SBC ‘GREAT AWAKENING’ By Baptist Press
Through online registration at the website’s “Messenger” tab, each messenger COLUMBUS, Ohio Registration for messen- will receive an eight-digit registration gers and local hotels has opened for the code to present at the annual meetSouthern Baptist Convention annual meet- ing’s Express Registration lane in Coing at the Greater Columbus Convention lumbus, preferably a printout of the Center in Ohio’s capital city. church’s credential. The code will be The June 16-17 sessions, to be led by SBC entered into a computer at the SBC President Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas, will registration area and a nametag will be themed “Great Awakening: Clear Agree- be printed. The appropriate churchment, Visible Union, Extraordinary Prayer.” authorized representative must comRegistration for the Columbus meeting plete all online registrations. once again will offer an online opportunity for churches to register their messengers at See SBC, 10 sbcannualmeeting.net.
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ing abortifacients. The federal government appealed, forcing the universities to continue to defend in court their identity as Christian institutions. “It’s not just a simple matter. It’s not only a theological matter, as important as that is today, or only a matter of a sincerely held religious belief,” HBU president Robert Sloan told reporters outside the courthouse following the hearing. “In some ways our right to exist as an institution to hold these beliefs and perhaps even our very survival as a whole is at stake.” Sloan said East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University v. Burwell “is clearly a matter of religious freedom.” HBU’s Christian underpinning and pro-life values “are not incidental” but “core convictions at the very heart of the Christian faith,” and compulsory violation of those convictions by the federal government is unconscionable. “When somebody comes and tells me that my school has to do something it doesn’t want and it’s infringing on [the] rights given to it by the very supreme law of the land my heart breaks,” HBU freshman Jasmine Kelley told the TEXAN following the press conference. The government major was among a hand-
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ful of HBU students who attended the press conference in defense of their school. Attorney Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, defended the two universities in the case. The non-profit law firm defends the religious expression of people from a variety of faiths and, most notably, successfully defended the craft store giant Hobby Lobby before the U.S. Supreme Court against the same mandate. “We’re in court today because [the universities] have been put to a terrible choice between following their most deeply held religious convictions and paying outlandish fines,” Rassbach said. The non-compliance penalty of $100 per employee per day totals $12 million and $8 million a year, respectively, for HBU and ETBU. Scores of other private religious institutions around the country are in the same fight, and at least one of those cases will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. “Our clients have a religious objection to abortions,” said Rassbach. “They don’t want to pay for abortions. They don’t want to help people get abortions. They are not looking to impose their will on anyone else. They just don’t want to be involved,” said Rassbach. He argued the compliance exemption afforded churches should also apply to all religious institutions like his clients. The imposition of government re-
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HBU President Robert Sloan, surrounded by HBU students, tells media outside the U.S. Court of Appeals that the HHS mandate threatens the very existence of religious education institutions like HBU and ETBU. PHOTO BY BONNIE PRITCHETT
quirements antithetical to a religious institution’s mission also illustrates the need for religious liberty legislation on the state and federal level. But in recent weeks religious liberty laws have come under fire. Legislatures in Indiana, Arkansas and about 10 other states including Texas are drafting laws giving legal protection to individuals and businesses against government intrusion in matters of religious convictions. The religious liberty laws do not codify an individual’s or business’s “right to discriminate” as charged by detractors. Jonathan Saenz, an attorney and president of Texas Values, told the media, “The reason we are here today is because we have a federal law called the Religious Freedom and Restoration
Act … that gives private, religious institutions a fighting chance in court when the government comes calling.” Rassbach said Becket Fund attorneys have relied on the federal RFRA law in arguing all of its cases across the nation. “It never occurred to me that the government would try to force HBU to change its mission,” said Morgan St. John, an HBU senior education major. Joshua Jones, a senior government major, said he has seen the devastation caused by abortion and will fight any government mandate that makes him or his school complicit in its administration. Mon ‘Sher Preston agreed. The HBU alumnus and director of student involvement and leadership told the TEXAN she
was encouraged by the students’ willingness to take a stand on behalf of their convictions and their university. In its effort to force religious entities to comply with the mandate, the government has put itself in the position of determining which institutions are and are not guided by deeply held religious convictions, Rassbach explained. “It sets a very dangerous precedent,” Rassbach said, “for the government to come in and say, ‘Well, we just don’t think you’re really religious.’” He said the government can ferret out fraud,“ but what they can’t do is question the validity of those beliefs.” Asked if the universities could fulfill the mandate by hiring a second party to administer the contraceptive mandate, Rassbach said, “There is nothing wrong with having some insurance regulation, but when you say we have to go out and get an insurance company that is going to provide this stuff, we’re morally complicit. You don’t just say we have to outsource our consciences to somebody else.” He said the circuit judges were very engaged during oral arguments and asked “very penetrating questions of all parties.” “I’m hopeful that we will have another ruling in our favor,” he said. “We were right back in December of 2013. And we’re right today. And we’re going to be right again tomorrow.”
Pastor shuffles life, ministry priorities in wake of cancer diagnosis By Sharayah Colter
For almost 30 years, Bill Simmons has been “running hard” and “getting after it” as pastor of River Hills Baptist Church near Corpus Christi. His answer to people and projects was a regular and dependable “yes.” But after a year of not feeling well led to a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma that had metastasized to both lungs, a lymph node near his heart and an adrenal gland on his left kidney, much of this activity came to a grinding halt. “After my diagnosis, I wondered if I still had a purpose or point in life,” Simmons recalled. “I had never felt this way before. After I was diagnosed, I just wanted to pull inside myself for a couple of days. However, God, in his still, small voice spoke to me and let me know that people are watching me and wondering if I am going to be able to live out what I have been preaching all these years.” Simmons visited a Christian counselor who told him that
he had an opportunity to prepare the church for his leaving, whether leaving meant retirement or death. With Bill Simmons that clarity, Simmons recognized that the Lord was giving him “his marching orders and a new lease on life.” “Dealing with an incurable disease, the Lord has taught me that priorities change,” Simmons said. “Things that I once thought were important don’t seem so important anymore and vice versa. God’s sovereignty is more evident to me now, and this comforts me.” As the pastor’s health declines, the church has rallied around him. Between staff members taking on more responsibilities to lighten Simmons’ load and a prayer team dedicated to meeting with him weekly, support from the church has been plentiful. A married couple in the congregation who are both medical
doctors even ing such a dif- which he now sends to others “THINGS THAT I helped Simficult time has in his church or community ONCE THOUGHT mons get schedbeen beyond who are diagnosed with canuled for the valuable. cer, and John Piper’s booklet WERE IMPORTANT tests that led to “My whole Don’t Waste Your Cancer. DON’T SEEM his diagnosis. family has been The pastor said a church SO IMPORTANT With his strong through member gave him a sign that ANYMORE AND “new normal,” this journey, he hung on his office wall that VICE VERSA. GOD’S Simmons’ minand this has offers a daily dose of encourSOVEREIGNTY IS istry to those in been very help- agement to keep pressing forhis church conful and encour- ward. It reads: “No matter how MORE EVIDENT TO tinues, albeit in aging to me,” you feel, get up, dress up, show ME NOW, AND THIS a different form. Simmons said. up and never give up.” COMFORTS ME.” Delegation has Simmons has In keeping with that manquickly become also found sev- tra, Simmons is certain that a key and vieral books to be the Lord has a purpose for brant aspect in a great source every person for every day leadership of the church as of encouragement to him and of life, until death. Convinced staff members step up to share specifically recommends two of this, Simmons says he will a greater piece of the ministry of them to others who find continue to fulfill the work load. While the pastor can no themselves in similar situa- the Lord has given him so longer physically do all he pre- tions. He suggests A Bend in long as he allows and howviously did, he now has more the Road by David Jeremiah, ever he directs. time to prepare sermons and disciple people—especially the younger people such as the RHBC interns. Simmons, who will soon celebrate 41 years of marriage to his wife, Susan, says her help in recent months has been Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/SBTexan incalculable. While she has alFollow us on Twitter: @SBTexan ways been a wonderful wife, he said, her care for him dur-
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MAY 2015
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NEW OBAMACARE TAX LAW MAY AFFECT CHURCHES “GuideStone health plan participants, and the organizations that employ them, can continue to pay for coverage as they have in the past and meet the guidelines under current law,” said Harold R. Loftin Jr., GuideStone general counsel. “For churches and ministries that use other providers, it’s important for them to review the IRS Notice as well as work with their legal and accounting advisors to ensure they are compliant by the end of the grace period on June 30, 2015.” The IRS notice clarifies guidance on the one-employee health plan exception from the market reform provisions of the
Baptist Press NASHVILLE A new tax rule in conjunction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may affect many churches that pay or reimburse individual health insurance premiums and imposes daily fines beginning June 30 for those not in compliance. GuideStone Financial Resources health plan participants should notice no impact as a result of the rule known as IRS Notice 2015-17, GuideStone said in a March 2 press release. Other churches whose employees do not participate in a group health plan could be affected.
Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as well as reimbursement arrangements for Medicare and TRICARE. The notice also provides relief for small business employers that had maintained premium reimbursement arrangements in 2014 and during the first half of 2015. Prior to the notice and its provision of this transition relief, some organizations could have been subject to penalties up to $36,500 per year, per participant, per violation, GuideStone said. GuideStone’s health plans, including the personal plans, are considered group coverage for purposes of federal law, and organizations that offer Guide-
Stone’s health plans were never at risk of penalties imposed by the Affordable Care Act. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) points out a viable option for churches affected by the rule, which is to increase employees’ overall taxable compensation without requiring that the additional income be used to purchase health coverage. Employees would then have the option of using the funds to purchase coverage, the ECFA said in a March 9 press release. Some noncompliant reimbursements will still not be granted any relief from tax penalties, the ECFA said.
“For example, the transition rules do not apply to employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees or to reimbursements of out-ofpocket medical expenses made through noncompliant, standalone health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)—regardless of employer size,” according to the ECFA release. GuideStone has made available resources on its website to help churches and ministries understand the Affordable Care Act and its requirements on employers and employees. More information can be found at GuideStone.org/healthreform.
Key Baptist leaders to speak at MBTS symposium By MBTS & Baptist Press
tial contribution to the SBC for years to come,” Allen said. Allen noted the symposium is open to anyone who would like to attend. “‘The SBC and the 21st Century’ is for pastors, denominational servants, laypersons and anyone else who cares about our collective work as Southern Baptists,” Allen said. “We designed the symposium for key SBC stakeholders to speak to urgent denominational matters in a way that serves the entire SBC. It is going to be a special two days, and I believe that God is going to use it in a profound way to impact our Southern Baptist Convention.” The event will be available via livestream, through postings on the school’s website, and each presenter’s paper will be compiled into a book. “We are pleased to be partnering with B&H Publishing to produce a book that will stem from the conference. The book will be released at the 2016 SBC Annual Meeting in St. Louis,” Allen said. “We believe
KANSAS CITY, Mo. A collection of key Southern Baptist leaders that includes Frank S. Page, Ronnie Floyd, Paige Patterson, Thom S. Rainer, R. Albert Mohler Jr. and David Dockery is slated to speak at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Sept. 2829 symposium, “The SBC and the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal & Recommitment.” Midwestern Seminary President Jason Allen, who will also present a keynote address, announced March 18 the symposium will be the first edition of a triennial symposium held on the Kansas City, Mo., campus. He said the symposium is designed to address the Southern Baptist Convention, its heritage, identity and future. “Nothing quite like this has been held for some time within the SBC, but I believe engaging these issues is integral to our Southern Baptist work, and the opportunity is ripe for this event to make a substan-
the presentations taking place at this symposium will serve to strengthen the SBC, and the release of this book will extend its reach.” Floyd, SBC president, said, “I am convinced this gathering has the potential to be a defining moment for each of us who are seeking God’s future for our convention.” Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said, “We desperately need this kind of event to have a clear understanding of where we have been, where we are, and where we need to go. My prayer is that it will result in our being more effective in accomplishing the Great Commission of our Lord.” Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said, “This is the right time for Southern Baptists to ask hard questions, think seriously about the future, and talk about what faithfulness to Christ will demand of us. (The symposium) is the right conversation at the right time.”
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Speakers and their topics for the conference: u Jason Allen, “Training the Next Generation of Pastors, Ministers, & Missionaries: Southern Baptist Theological Education in the 21st Century” u Frank S. Page, “The Cooperative Program and the future of Collaborative Ministry” u Ronnie Floyd, “Kindling Afresh the Gift of God: Spiritual Renewal, Strategic Reinvention, & the SBC” u Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary, “Guard What has been Entrusted to You: Counsel to a new Generation of Southern Baptists”
u Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, “By the Numbers: What SBC Demographics Tell Us about our Past, Present, and Future” u R. Albert Mohler Jr., “Southern Baptists and the Quest for Theological Identity – Unavoidable Questions for the 21st Century” u David Dockery, president of Trinity International University, “Who are Southern Baptists? Toward a Trans-generational Identity” Panel discussion sessions: u Allen, Floyd, Mohler, Patterson, and Page, “Passing the Baton: Raising Up the Next Generation of SBC Leaders” u Anthony Jordan, John Yeats, Paul Chitwood, Tim Lubinus and Jim Richards, “The Future of State Conventions” u Allen, Rainer, Floyd, and Mohler, “Facing the Future Together” More information, including a full schedule of events and how to register, can be found at mbts.edu/sbcsymposium.
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AN UNRULY EVIL Gary Ledbetter Editor
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. James 3:8-9
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rethren, when James warned that not many of us should be “masters,” or teachers, he was talking to us, the yakky vocations that talk and write and pontificate as a way of life. Not that we should not speak— James was a pastor himself— but that the calling comes with great responsibility to “bridle” our tongues. I need to point out a way that an increasing number of us fail in this regard. Maybe I could be so bold as to call it slander. Do you get email forwards of lurid political rumors? I get several a day. In addition, I speak with people who receive those forwards and take what they say as fact—particularly if they say what we already want to
believe. Many of those rumors will be against Barack Obama, among conservatives and against any number of conservative villains if you are on the other side. If it suits your view of politics to view President Obama as a Muslim or Dick Cheney as the one who dynamited the levees in New Orleans, you’ll pass it along to those you think are like minded. I’ve occasionally heard this stuff from the pulpit but more often in smaller groups or, like I said, email. Should you say something about someone in email or in a select group of your bros that you wouldn’t dare say from the pulpit? Well, are you a teacher or influencer when you’re not in the pulpit? Is there an occasion when your responsibility to disciple your family, friends or wife becomes less important than your responsibility to be clever? Knowing that it makes me a hypocrite, I must conclude that the warning from James is not limited to our time behind a pulpit, lectern or music stand. Perhaps it’s a worse thing when we turn those guns of ignorant malignancy against our Christian brothers. I can think of prominent friends who somehow move people to
say nearly blasphemous things against them. On one occasion, a friend called me to complain against a well-known Baptist, calling him a liberal—and not in a nice way. The column in question was on my desk and had not been read by the plaintiff. I read it to him, and it backed him off. I asked how many people he now needed to call to take back his accusation. To his credit, he was embarrassed and repentant. I’ve seen it happen often, as recently as yesterday on a conference call with 200 pastors. May I humbly suggest a process that can help you avoid having to apologize so often? Read the source—Really, this is minimal, but it is the place many slanders fall apart. Consider the source—Some lurid rumors come from nearly crazy people who believe the worst about their enemies, and yes they are in print, but … The Internet is awash in insane rumors beyond your imagination. It’s an unreliable source fueled more often by volume than not. First-person columns can be unreliable sources as can blogs. Anyone can say anything in print. Put a little more stock in sources with a publisher interested in not being sued out of existence.
Consider the significance—Is this bad thing you hear about a person important? If Barack Obama is a Muslim or a Kenyan, at this point, so what? He’s president, and he will be until his successor is inaugurated. Is this your only or most significant disagreement with the president? Does it matter that Hillary Clinton once worked for a Republican or that Russell Moore once worked for a Democrat? I don’t see how either fact supports a pertinent argument. Consider the context—If you clip the above paragraph just so, you’ve caught me saying “… Barack Obama is a Muslim,” but is that what I said? It is not. If you don’t know the context of an outrageous quote, don’t believe it or spread it around. Consider the object and the objective—Rumors often have victims and agendas. If you spread the rumor, you are piling on the same victim and serving the same agenda as whoever started the rumor. You often don’t even know who that person was. You may not know the originator of a slander, but do you even know the victim(s)? Sometimes that makes a difference. It is easier to rip someone if you’ve never met him and
have no reason to see him as a brother or as someone who needs mercy as badly as you need it. Consider the impact—The things we say can damage the effectiveness of our leaders, and it can undermine our own credibility with those who trust us. If it’s true and in context, a damaging revelation can still be unworthy of being shared. Apply the same test to the things your pastor may know about the congregation. Does he know things about his family or his fellow church members that he would be wrong to say from the pulpit? He absolutely does. The standards for him and for you are not different. I could go on, but I won’t just now. If you’ll do at least some of these things before you jump on a nasty bandwagon, you’ll have fewer regrets. And it’s really OK if we don’t say just every negative thing that passes through our minds. I’m preaching to myself here at the beginning of another dreadful presidential election cycle. Yes, we’ll talk about politics, but join me in trying to speak the truth and to speak it in love, even in the midst of the coming storm of noise.
Heart for Worship Sookwan Lee
Pastor, Seoul Baptist Church, Houston and SBTC vice president
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want to share one thing I felt during my recent visit to Mozambique, Africa. One of our supporting missionaries ministers about a 30- to 40-minute drive from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. If poverty is evident in the capital, Maputo, the surrounding area goes without words. There are buses on the main road, but normally, people need to walk about two to three miles to their homes. The road is unpaved so there are thick layers of dust on the road. The road in the village is made of sand, which makes walking difficult, just like walking on a sandy beach. Houses are made of blocks, but most of them have no windows and have
dirt floors. They have electricity, but only a few houses in the village have running water. Imagine how the village people come to church on Sunday. Except for the few people who live near church, most of them have to walk at least two to three miles. During the hot summer, walking on hot sand, their feet will be covered with dust and their bodies will be covered with perspiration. After worshiping for two hours in the slate-roofed church without A/C, everybody is drenched with sweat. In this situation, however, everybody comes to church fully groomed almost without exception. Many ladies wear traditional African clothing, but quite a few wear Western-style dress or suits with their hair completely dressed. Many men wear suits with ties. They are dressed in “Sunday clothes,” which are reserved for special occasions, carry Bibles
Jim Richards, Executive Director
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Gary K. Ledbetter, Editor Keith Collier, Managing Editor Tammi Ledbetter, Special Assignments Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Gayla Sullivan, Circulation Manager Russell Lightner, Layout & Design
and come to church with happy hearts. As I passed by them in a car, thinking how hot and uncomfortable they must be, their heart for worship really touched me. Since I did not attend church during my childhood, I do not have childhood memories of going to church. However, many have similar experiences where they dressed their best to go to church. A book titled Keeping Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn describes a similar experience. When she was young and poor, she had one special dress that she could wear only on Sundays. Whenever her parents bought her new clothes it was invariably for Christmas or Easter, and the clothing was only for church until she would get another one. “I do not regret that my family were poor at that time,” she wrote. “If we were rich, this valuable lesson could not be
Contributors: Andrew Hebert Sookwan Lee Bonnie Pritchett Alex Sibley Tom Strode Art Toalston
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learned. … It was important to prepare the dress on Saturday evening to be ready for Sunday to show respect to my Lord and to look my best before him. With such preparation, I could deeply feel the presence of God during worship. Even from the time of young age, I understood that the wild and noisy play did not go with the holy place.” We believe the heart is more important than outward appearance. We also think that concentrating on the outside could cause a hypocritical attitude. As a result, we disregard formality. Some claim that clothing does not matter since worship is to be done by spirit and truth. Some also stress that daily life is important and not just Sundays. However, I wonder whether we have lost our reverent heart for worship along with this casual attitude and if that has possibly ushered in a time
when it is more difficult to experience the presence of God when we did not take time to put on our “Sunday clothes.”
PA S T O R P R AY E R G AT H E R I N G S : DAY S O F P R AY E R A N D FAST I N G MAY 4 | FBC Bowie (Mike Henson) MAY 18 | FBC Farmersville (Bart Barber) JUNE 8 | FBC Moody (J. Tom Shelton) JUNE 25 | Central Baptist, Bryan-College Station (Chris Osborne) sbtexas.com/prayer
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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MAY 2015
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HONORING WOMEN THROUGH BIBLICAL MANHOOD Jim Richards Executive Director
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ay 10 is Mother’s Day, which brings memories of my godly mother. She went to heaven 11 years ago, but although she is dead, she continues to speak (Hebrews 11:4). The biblical truth she instilled in my life is still speaking. The moral character she demanded is still speaking. The compassion for the less fortunate she demonstrated is still speaking. Yes, I was blessed to have a wonderful mother. She was strong willed, fiery at times and driven. She passed a little of that along to me as well. At the same time,
she “submitted graciously to the servant leadership of her husband” as the BFM2000 states. She presented a paradoxical paradigm. I can also celebrate Mother’s Day with my children for my wife, June. In many ways she is the polar opposite of my mother’s personality. She is easy going and non-confrontational. I know no sweeter person than my precious June. She has been a quiet rock for me through almost 42 years of marriage. Her powerful prayers have carried me through numerous stupid decisions, and she has endured hardships of my causing without placing blame. What can I say; she is a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10). Additionally, I have had the privilege of watching our
ON THIS MOTHER’S DAY, HONOR THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE, MEN. STEP UP TO BE WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE IN LEADING YOUR HOME. two daughters become mothers. Both of them have taught their children to pray, Bible memorization is a regular activity, and all three grandchildren have professed faith in Jesus. In certain instances it is like watching my mother and wife as our two very different daughters nurture their children and manage their homes (1 Timothy 5:14). There is no greater joy than
to see your children walk in truth (3 John 4). Sadly, culture has changed much in the perception of what a mother should be. My mother worked outside the home. My wife for 10 years worked outside the home. I’m not talking about truncating women’s opportunities to advance a career. I am talking about believers who have bought into the degrading of women by the feminization of men. Let me speak in broad generalities. Most men are no longer seen as the spiritual leaders for the family. Often men abdicate the role of priest in the home. In an effort to treat women as “equals,” men sometimes forfeit their duty of providing and protecting. Yes, women are equal in standing before
God, but in function there are obvious differences. Confusion about gender roles may come from men not carrying out their God-assigned job. Political correctness has muted voices of biblical reason. People are afraid they will be marginalized if they speak the truth in love. On this Mother’s Day, honor the women in your life, men. Some influencers in your life may not have given physical birth, but they are worthy of recognition too. Step up to be what God has called you to be in leading your home. Start Bible reading and prayer with your wife and children. Be the priest at your family altar. We are one generation away from an inconsequential Christianity in America. It’s not too late to make a difference.
What’s different about this year’s SBC? Andrew Hebert
Pastor, Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Hobbs, N.M.
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ecently, I encouraged a pastor friend to attend the SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. He has attended SBC meetings in the past and did not see a compelling reason to attend again. His initial reaction to my invitation was, “What’s going to be so different about this year’s meeting?” I’ve had the privilege of serving as the chairman of the SBC Committee on Order of Business this year. Our committee has worked diligently alongside SBC President Ronnie Floyd to ensure that this year’s meeting is one of the most impactful gatherings Southern Baptists have ever experienced. There have been several encouraging trends over the past few years in SBC life. The 2015 annual meeting is a continuation and extension of those positive trends. This will be the 10th annual meeting I’ve attended. While still a relative newcomer, this annual meeting program is the most exciting I’ve seen. Here is what’s different about this year’s June 16-17 meeting: Visible Unity Everything about the meeting has been driven by the vision of our president to display visibly the unity we have in Christ. From a joint seminary report and presentation time
on Tuesday morning to a joint missionary commissioning service on Wednesday morning, our leaders will stand hand in hand, together demonstrating the unity of the Southern Baptist Convention. If Southern Baptists are going to reach the world for Christ, we will do it together. What messengers will see is not seminaries that are in competition with one another or entities that vie for the attention of the churches. Our leaders will stand united, inspiring the rest of us to embrace unity as we fulfill the Great Commission. Diversity One of the greatest moments I’ve experienced in my SBC journey was when Fred Luter was elected as our first AfricanAmerican president. The SBC’s intentional commitment to diversity over recent years has been outstanding. In that same vein, the great diversity of our convention will be on display at this year’s meeting. Our worship director is Julio Arriola, a native of Mexico who will lead us in inspiring and refreshing times of worship. Those who have been chosen to pray and read Scripture during the sessions represent not just the ethnic and racial diversity of our convention but also the diversity represented in our ministries—small and large church pastors from rural and urban areas, representatives of our associations, state conventions and seminaries—every person chosen intentionally to represent our diversity. Our Tuesday night session also is dedicated to reflecting
our commitment as a convention to racial reconciliation. Great Commission Emphasis Wednesday morning will be a historic moment that no one will want to miss. The entire morning will emphasize our commitment to the Great Commission. The climax of the morning session will be a joint missionary commissioning service led by Ronnie Floyd, David Platt of the International Mission Board and Kevin Ezell of the North American Mission Board. We will celebrate what God is doing through IMB and NAMB and will experience an unprecedented moment that will be the centerpiece of the annual meeting. Concise Business We have managed to fit almost every committee report and major business time into the Tuesday afternoon session, including elections of all officers. While time for business is important, we wanted to make it as efficient as possible in order to maximize the time during the rest of the program for elements that will enrich those who gather. One example of where we were able to add a new element is a special president’s panel on Wednesday afternoon on “The Supreme Court and Same Sex Marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future.” Along with the convention sermon, and reports and presentations from LifeWay Christian Resources and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Wednesday afternoon
“HOW THRILLING WOULD IT BE NOW IF SOUTHERN BAPTISTS WOULD GATHER AGAIN IN GREAT NUMBERS TO COMMIT OURSELVES TO THE FUTURE AS WE SEEK TO REACH THE WORLD FOR CHRIST TOGETHER?”
will provide a great resource for messengers to think deeply about cultural engagement. Extraordinary Prayer Ronnie Floyd has sounded a clarion call throughout the country for extraordinary prayer in anticipation that God can bring another spiritual awakening. In light of this, we will have dedicated times of prayer throughout the annual meeting. These moments will call us to serious engagement regarding our need for awakening as a nation. These moments will culminate in a powerful time together on Tuesday night as we host a national gathering of Southern Baptists for prayer for the next Great Awakening and to reach the world for Christ. This time of focused prayer we pray will be catalytic in the life of the SBC. Celebrating God’s Activity Henry Blackaby once said that we should find where God is at work and join him. God is at work through Southern Baptists all around the world,
from the work of local churches and national and international church planters to international hunger relief efforts. We will tell the story and celebrate what is happening through every aspect of Southern Baptist life. One great initiative we will celebrate will take place in the days before the convention begins. Many people, including a large number of college students, will arrive early to participate in the Crossover event, focused on reaching Columbus for Christ. We hope each messenger will walk away from the annual meeting totally refreshed and encouraged about what God is doing through the SBC. Come to Columbus The annual meetings with the highest attendance in the past were those during the height of the Conservative Resurgence. As a young Southern Baptist, I am so grateful for the many thousands who attended those meetings and secured a better future for our convention. How thrilling would it be now if Southern Baptists would gather again in great numbers to commit ourselves to the future as we seek to reach the world for Christ together? I believe this year’s annual meeting will be a high point in the history of our convention. Join me in Columbus to participate in what God will do! Andrew Hebert, pastor of Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Hobbs, N.M., is chairman of the Committee on Order of Business for the 2015 SBC annual meeting.
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AUSTIN STONE done for them, Bush says stories are “modern-day Ebenezers done than 50 writers, photogra- through a creative art form.” The guiding Scripture for phers, editors and filmmakers who commit four to six hours their ministry is Psalm 102:18—“ per month to “tell honest and Let this be written for a future encouraging stories of gospel generation, that a people not yet transformation.” These testimo- created may praise the Lord.” “The Psalmist has just been nies are told through a variety of media, including written sto- brought through this really difries, photo essays, audio stories, ficult time, and one of the first spoken word and films. Outlets things the Lord tells him to for their stories have included do is: ‘Write this down; I don’t Sunday morning bulletins, the want you to forget. And people church website, social media not yet born are going to worand their Story Team Weekly ship me because you wrote this down and because of what I’ve newsletter. Brian Lundin, an IT strategist done,’” Bush says. “When people’s lives are difficult stories on serious topfor Dell Computers, has been one of those volunteers for the changed by the gospel, that’s a ics such as depression, mental past four years. Having briefly story worth telling. The church illness, abortion and struggles studied journalism in college should never run out of stories with homosexuality. “Basically, interviewing in before finishing with a com- to tell; if it does, we’re in the a gospel storytelling sense is puter degree, Lundin joined the wrong ministry.” So, the Story Team focuses on gospel counseling,” Bush says. Story Team after taking a writing class in the church’s “Get telling the stories of The Austin “You’re taking people on this Stone’s members. This includes journey to get to where their Trained” ministry. raw, gutlife was changed “It was an outlet for me as a the and how the gosvolunteer who was doing some- wrenching aspects “WHEN PEOPLE’S pel changed them. thing else for a living but able to of pain and difLIVES ARE So once you take use my talent to serve the Lord,” ficulty associated CHANGED BY with a sinful, fallthem to this really Lundin says. THE GOSPEL, dark spot, you’ve “The best part about it wasn’t en world as well THAT’S A STORY got to help bring just the fact that I got to write, as the redemption WORTH TELLING. them back out. but it was the fact that I got and hope of the THE CHURCH You can’t just leave to meet all of these people gospel found in JeSHOULD NEVER them there.” throughout the church who sus Christ. RUN OUT OF “You cannot tell As a result, they God was doing amazing things STORIES TO TELL; have witnessed in their lives. To hear their sto- the light side of the IF IT DOES, WE’RE storytelling as ries firsthand and to be moved story without the IN THE WRONG a powerful tool by them and then have a chance dark,” Lundin says. MINISTRY.” As they’ve told in the church to to try to write something that build community, would relay that to the rest of stories with honencourage believthe body was fun, challenging esty and excellence, they’ve noers and challenge and an honor.” Lundin served as the writing ticed a culture of storytelling members to engage in the Great team leader for two years and develop in the church, where Commission locally and around recently left his IT job to join the people are actively sharing the world. Many of those now their struggles and redemption. engaging in missions and minStory Team full time. While they initially gathered istry have told the Story Team Modern-Day Ebenezers story leads from church staff that God used others’ stories to Driving every story at The and small group leaders, they inspire their own obedience. Austin Stone is a desire to now receive a bulk of their “They saw the stories of goers, “inspire our people and the leads from the story submis- and that was the first thing that church at large to worship Je- sion page on their website. made them think that they could sus for who he is and to help us “It’s fostered a culture that is do it themselves,” Lundin says. to remember what he’s done,” more open and more vulnerStorytelling in the Church Bush says. able than even we were before,” Although The Austin Stone “Storytelling is a form of Lundin says. worship leading; it helps move Bush believes church mem- is a large church in a city well our congregation, it helps bers trust the team with their known as a magnet for musimove the hearts of people all stories “because they see the cians and artists, Bush and Lunover the world who are en- kind of work that we’ve pro- din believe churches of any size, couraged and engaged by the duced; they hear how people anywhere can use storytelling stories to worship God.” have interacted with our art- to encourage and equip believRecalling the Lord’s command ists—we really train our artists ers. To this end, they have led in the Old Testament for Israel to pastor and gospel-counsel sessions on storytelling at the to erect Ebenezer stones so they people during interviews,” church’s annual worship conwould not forget what he had which has allowed them to tell ference and recently launched StoryTeam.org, a website dedicated to helping churches tell honest, gospel-centered stories. During an interview with the TEXAN, Bush and Lundin STORYTEAM.ORG shared advice from their own A CHURCH RESOURCE experience for starting a story team in your church. The Austin Stone recently For Bush and Lundin, it all launched StoryTeam.org, starts with support and buy-in a website dedicated to from leadership. Artists must helping churches tell earn the trust of leadership, honest, gospel-centered stories. and leaders must empower and trust artists. Additionally, pastors must believe that stories should inspire worship rather
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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 sixweek 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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The Austin Stone Story Team uses storytelling through written, photo, video and audio media to tell stories of faith in the church. Below are examples of an audio story, film, spoken word and photo essay.
BEING DIFFERENT
DUE DATE OF GRACE
Born with albinism and legally blind, Jimmie found himself growing up in a small Oklahoma town where people constantly ridiculed him for the way he looked. This led him to despise God and search for his identity in music and drugs. However, by the grace of God and through a discipleship relationship with an ex-drug dealer, Jimmie experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus, and his life is forever changed. Hear his story: soundcloud.com/storyteam/being-different.
JACOB CHEN: AN ADOPTION STORY Drawing on gospel parallels and the extent of God’s pursuit, this film follows one couple as they meet their newly adopted son for the first time. In two years, this story has gone viral twice and now has more than 6 million views. Watch: vimeo.com/36862661.
“I don’t want to do this, I change my mind.” The words fell out of Daphne’s quivering mouth as nurses ushered her into the dimly lit room and onto the blanketed bed.
“No, no, no. I don’t want to do this anymore!” “You can no longer make that decision,” the doctor responded.
JESUS, THE TRUE AND BETTER ADAM Spoken word is a poetic genre that has grown in popularity in recent years. Watch this spoken word presentation used at The Austin Stone during Advent: vimeo.com/113745885.
LIVING WITH CEREBRAL PALSY “The hardest thing is loneliness. I am my own greatest enemy when I am left to my loneliness.” Watch a brief photo essay about how Roger found hope in the midst of living with cerebral palsy: vimeo.com/29529450.
Daphne lay on that blanketed bed on May 10, 2007. Only months before, she received the news and quickly began planning for her new life as a mom. She loved kids— even worked with them daily— and now she was having her own. But it wasn’t long until her entire life crumbled at her feet, leaving her seemingly alone, fighting for the life that was now inside of her. She eventually caved and agreed to the wishes of her parents and the father for her to get rid of the baby. But the story doesn’t end there. ... Read the full story:
storyteam.org/stories/written
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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.
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RACIAL RECONCILIATION IS GOSPEL IMPERATIVE By Tom Strode Baptist Press
The gospel of Jesus is the solution to America’s racial divisions, speakers said during a Southern Baptist-sponsored leadership summit titled “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation” in Nashville, Tenn., March 26-27. Black, white and Hispanic pastors and leaders addressed the issue of racial reconciliation at the event conducted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Longtime civil rights leader John Perkins told the audience of about 500, “I think that we are putting reconciliation back where it belongs—within the gospel itself.” People make a “big mistake” in pushing “reconciliation out of the gospel,” out of being a part of conversion that is understood as a Christian is discipled, Perkins said in an interview with ERLC President Russell Moore. There is “no room in the gospel that minimizes its power [to reconcile],” he said. “That’s supposed to be that ongoing miracle. They will know we are Christians by our love. “I want to preach a gospel that is stronger than my black interests,” said Perkins, founder of the Christian Community Development Association. “I want to preach a gospel that is stronger than my economic interests. I want to preach a gospel that can burn through these racial barriers and bring blacks and whites into the kingdom.” Perkins, 84, returned in 1960 to his native Mississippi after
his conversion to Christ while living in California. He “went back not looking for the civil rights movement,” Perkins said. “It was beginning, but I went back there really believing that the gospel could burn through racial and cultural barriers and even reconcile us to God.” Probably the best way for racial reconciliation to be addressed from a gospel perspective, Perkins told attendees, “is to develop multicultural churches and be absolutely intentional.” “I don’t think we can go back,” Perkins said. “I think it’s too clear. We held down the truth in order to practice bigotry. ... “And if we go back, it’s going to be an absolute shame because it means we didn’t live by faith.” Moore sees ‘another chance’ Speaking on the second anniversary of his election as ERLC president, Moore said Christians must realize racial reconciliation is about the gospel. “The reason that we are here today is that these are not simply cultural issues, although they are. These are not simply political issues, although they are. These are not simply social issues, although they are. Above everything else, these are gospel issues,” Moore said. “The gospel is a matter of our adoption as children of God. It’s a matter of God ripping us out from one kingdom [and putting us] into another kingdom.” The ERLC announced in December it was changing the theme of its 2015 leadership
summit from pro-life ethics to racial reconciliation in the wake of grand jury decisions in the police killings of black men that provoked widespread protests and a nationwide discussion. The shift in plans followed refusals by grand juries in St. Louis County and New York City to indict police officers in the high-profile deaths of African-American men. It appears God is “giving us another chance to get this right, but in order to do that, we must repent, not just rebrand,” Moore told the audience. Moore addressed the Southern Baptist Convention’s history, noting this year is the 20th anniversary of the SBC’s racial reconciliation resolution. That 1995 statement expressed repentance for the convention’s past racism and asked AfricanAmericans for forgiveness. “We baptized the Southern way of life full immersion,” Moore said. “That’s still here with us, and I’m not just talking about the people whose bed sheets have eye holes. “We are not the state church of the Confederate States of America. And the cross and the Confederate battle flag cannot coexist without one setting the other on fire.” While there are things worth conserving, Moore said, “If what we are conserving is 1950s Dixie, then we’re conserving something other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we will be fighting God, and we will not win.” Speaking from Ephesians 3:113, Moore said the mystery being unveiled in that passage is
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—a lost and dying world that is in need of the gospel and in need of Jesus Christ—will see that Jesus and our love for each other, and because of that our testimony will even be stronger,” Richards said. Richards then shared about the SBTC’s Look Like Heaven campaign, which was launched in 2013. PHOTO BY ALLI RADER
John M. Perkins (right) is interviewed by Russell Moore on “The Civil Rights Movement after 50 Years” during the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s “Gospel and Racial Reconciliation” summit. PHOTOS BY ALLI RADER
not only “a gospel that you hear but a gospel that you see.” The apostle Paul isn’t calling for Jewish churches and Gentile churches, he said. Paul is saying “the church is a living representation of the kingdom of God,” Moore said. “If you want to know what the kingdom looks like, you ought to be able to see it within the church. The kingdom of God is not about coexistence. The kingdom of God is about reconciliation. And that reconciliation is within the church.
“The problem is that Sunday morning when we are signifying to the rest of the world, ‘Here is a picture of the kingdom of God,’ we gather with the same people we would gather with if Jesus Christ were still dead,” Moore said. At the close of the opening message of the summit, Moore invited attendees to the front to pray for racial reconciliation. Most of the audience knelt at the front or in the aisles of LifeWay’s Van Ness Auditorium to pray.
Watch all the videos from the “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation” summit at erlc.com/videos
Afshin Ziafat, a Frisco pastor whose family disowned him when he renounced Islam to follow Christ as a teenager, told ERLC summit attendees his salvation is thanks to a Christian woman in Houston who loved him, gave him a Bible and told him to read it despite his being Iranian. “[For me] it all goes back to one lady who understood the gospel and said I’m going to love this Iranian kid when it’s en vogue to hate people from Iran,” said Ziafat, who serves as pastor at Providence Church. PHOTO BY ALLI RADER
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FLOYD, 11 PASTORS TO LEAD SBC ‘CALL TO PRAYER’ By Art Toalston Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio For an “epic night of prayer” during the Southern Baptist Convention, 11 pastors have been named by SBC President Ronnie Floyd to help lead the Tuesday evening session, June 16, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in the Ohio capital. Floyd has titled the session, “A National Call for Prayer to All Southern Baptists for the Next Great Awakening and to Reach the World for Christ” on the opening night of the June 16-17 SBC annual meeting. “We will join together in the same room and around the world via technology for this one epic night of prayer,” Floyd wrote April 13 in his SBC President’s Page column. Two former SBC presidents, Jack Graham and James Merritt, will be among the evening’s leaders. Graham is pastor of the Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist Church; Merritt is pastor of the Atlanta-area Cross Pointe Church. “It is time to call out to God for the next Great Awakening and to reach the world for Christ,” Floyd, pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, wrote. “On Tuesday night, June 16, we will give the entire evening session of the SBC Annual Meeting to this national prayer gathering. … “We will gather to experience the presence of God based upon the Word of God. We will be challenged briefly by some of America’s great pastors, then
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Registration also is open for preschool childcare and children’s and youth programs in conjunction with the annual meeting.
launch into prayer sessions in response to God and his Word. We will also express our worship and praise to God together through music and singing.” Floyd also noted, “One of the unique moments of the evening will be when we embrace and celebrate our ethnic diversity, which may also involve moments of repentance and reconciliation. Each of us needs to be in this experience together, letting God do a powerful work in each of our lives and churches. Southern Baptists must lead the way in embracing and celebrating our ethnic diversity.” Encouraging messengers to shift their plans for dinner and fellowship in order to be in attendance, Floyd urged, “Please let nothing keep you from this extraordinary night of prayer together.” He also noted, “If you live within driving distance of Columbus, Ohio, and can’t attend the entire conference, at least come for Tuesday night.” The overall theme for the two-day annual meeting in Columbus is “Great Awakening: Clear Agreement, Visible Union, Extraordinary Prayer.” In addition to Graham and Merritt, other leaders (in alphabetical order) scheduled for the session are Timmy Chavis, pastor of Bear Swamp Baptist Church in Pembroke, N.C., and chairman of the SBC Multi-Ethnic Advisory Council; Steve Gaines, pastor of the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church; David Galvan, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bau-
tista Nueva Vida in Dallas; J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C.; Paul Kim, pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass.; Vance Pittman,
pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas; Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Penscola, Fla.; Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla.; and K.
Marshall Williams, pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia and president of the National African-American Fellowship.
Floyd, in preparing for the Columbus annual meeting, has said it will be “a national gathering of Southern Baptists to pray for the next great move of God in America and to reach the world for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Distinctive facets of the annual meeting will include:
u a Tuesday evening session to be permeated by prayer, building on the convention’s Great Awakening theme. u a Wednesday morning “church and missionary sending celebration” of Southern Baptists’ work toward fulfilling the Great Commission—and a call to heighten their efforts
even more to reach the nations for Christ. u a Wednesday afternoon panel discussion on “The Supreme Court and Same-Sex Marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future.” Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, has released an ebook to provide spiritual prep-
aration for the annual meeting. Titled “Pleading with Southern Baptists To Humbly Come Together before God in Clear Agreement, Visible Union, and in Extraordinary Prayer for the Next Great Awakening and for the World to Be Reached for Christ,” the ebook is available for free download at pray4awakening.com.
PRE-REGISTER YOUR CHURCH MESSENGERS FOR THE 2015 SBC ANNUAL MEETING IN COLUMBUS, OHIO The Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention consists of representatives, or “messengers,” as they are called, from cooperating churches, who gather to confer and determine the programs, policies and budget of the convention. Each church may be represented by up to 10 messengers, depending on church
size and Cooperative Program giving amounts, ensuring equal accessibility for small and large congregations alike. Messenger cards that certify the information required by Article III of the SBC Constitution and SBC Bylaw 8 can be obtained by any church from the state convention with which they are affiliated. Members interested in becoming messengers should contact their pastors for information on the appropriate process of approval applicable in their church.
HOW DOES IT WORK? 1. When you pre-register your church messengers, each messenger gets a unique 8 digit “Registration code.” 2. Print the messenger registration cards, and give it to your church messengers. They must bring the card along to the meeting. 3. Church messenger will present the registration card, and after validation, they’ll be given their credentials, ballots, and name tag.
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COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS NAMED FOR 2015 SBC By Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd has named the members of the Committee on Resolutions for the June 16-17 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Floyd, pastor of Cross Church, in Springdale, Ark., appointed the committee in keeping with the provision in SBC Bylaw 20 that its members be named 75 days prior to the start of the annual meeting. Floyd named Steve Gaines of Tennessee as committee chairman. Gaines is pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova. The other committee members, in alphabetical order, are: u Berta Delgado-Young, communications editor, Pre-
stonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas u Jason Duesing, provost, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.; Antioch Bible Baptist Church, Gladstone, Mo. (membership in process due to ministry relocation to Kansas City from Fort Worth, Texas, where his formal membership is still at Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas.) u Eric Geiger, vice president, LifeWay Resources Division, Nashville, Tenn., and teaching pastor, New Vision Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, Tenn. u Matthew Hall, vice president for academic services, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.; Clifton Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
u Steven Lee, pastor, Redeemer City Church, Washington, D.C. u Kathy Litton, pastor’s wife and leader of ministry to pastors’ wives, North American Mission Board, First Baptist North Mobile, Saraland, Ala. u Stephen Rummage, pastor, Bell Shoals Baptist, Brandon, Fla. u Rolland Slade, pastor, Meridian Southern Baptist, El Cajon, Calif. u Jay Shell, attorney, Batesville, Ark.; member, West Baptist Church, Batesville, Ark. The committee’s composition, according to Bylaw 20, must include at least two members who served the previous year, with Hall and Shell meeting this requirement. Bylaw 20 also stipulates that the committee include at least three SBC
Executive Committee members. This year they are Rummage, Shell and Slade. The procedure for submitting resolutions is as follows according to Bylaw 20: u Proposed resolutions may be submitted as early as April 15 but no later than 15 days prior to the SBC annual meeting, giving the Resolutions Committee a two-week period in which to consider submissions. The committee also may propose resolutions for consideration during its deliberations. Resolutions may not be submitted during the annual meeting. u Proposed resolutions must be accompanied by a letter from a church qualified to send a messenger to the SBC annual meeting certifying that the individu-
al submitting the resolution is a member in good standing. u Proposed resolutions preferably should be submitted by email or mailed to the Committee on Resolutions in care of the SBC Executive Committee, 901 Commerce St., Nashville, TN 37203. The drafts must be typewritten, titled, dated and include complete contact information for the person and his or her church. u No person will be allowed to submit more than three resolutions per year. u If a properly submitted resolution is not forwarded by the Committee on Resolutions to the SBC annual meeting, a two-thirds vote of messengers would be required to bring the proposed resolution to the convention floor.
SBC children’s, youth registrations open By Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio Registration is open for preschool child care, Giant Cow Children’s Ministries, Children in Action Missions Camp and Youth on Mission in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2015 annual meeting June 1617 in Columbus, Ohio. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief child care volunteers will care for preschoolers; Giant Cow Children’s Ministries (formerly Children’s Conferences International) and Woman’s Missionary Union will guide the Children in Action Missions Camp and Youth on Mission curricula and activities. Preschool child care and activities for children who have completed grades 1-6 will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the annual meeting site. Youth who have completed grades 7-12 will worship each morning at the
convention center before going into the community for handson mission projects. Pre-registration is required and available online at sbcannualmeeting.net under the “Children/Youth” tab. Early registration is encouraged, as space is limited. No onsite registration will be accepted. Preschool child care Child care for newborns through age 5 will be available for $25 per child during the SBC Pastors’ Conference, June 14-15, and an additional $25 per child during the annual meeting. In addition, a $10 nonrefundable registration fee will be charged per child. Lunch for preschoolers will be available Monday-Wednesday for $6 a meal. Parents should pay all related fees when registering to insure their child’s participation. The SBC will verify regis-
trations with an emailed confirmation packet, including a parent’s handbook. With a theme of “creation,” all lessons, games and rooms will help in teaching preschoolers about creation. Giant Cow Children’s Ministries Giant Cow Children’s Ministries will minister to children ages 6-12 during the Pastors’ Conference at a cost of $32 for Sunday evening and Monday combined, or $27 for Monday only. Registration at the door will be $35 for both days, or $30 for Monday only. Registration is open at thegiantcow.com. Children in Action Missions Camp Children in Action Missions Camp will be offered Tuesday and Wednesday for children who have completed grades 1-6 by May/June 2015.
The theme “The World—Always on God’s Mind” is designed to challenge children to realize their place in answering the Great Commission. “Children attending the Children in Action Missions Camp will learn that they have been on God’s mind from the beginning and are called to answer the Great Commission,” Heather Keller, camp coordinator and national Woman’s Missionary Union children’s consultant, said. “In addition to Bible studies, children will visit with missionaries representing both the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board,” Keller said. “Children will also participate in worship sessions, games and recreation, crafts and mission projects.” The cost is $40 per child, in addition to a $10 non-refundable registration fee per child. No lunch, only snacks, will be provided. Parents will need
to pick up their children both days at the conclusion of the morning session. Youth on Mission Youth on Mission will be available Tuesday and Wednesday to youth who have completed grades 7-12 by May/ June 2015. “Youth on Mission will have the opportunity to study the Bible together, hear testimonies from North American and International missionaries, and gain a greater understanding of how God can use them in his work in the world,” Suzanne Reece, national WMU student ministry consultant and Youth on Mission coordinator, said. Students will serve through hands-on missions projects in Columbus. The cost is $55 per youth in addition to a $10 non-refundable registration fee per youth. Lunch and snacks will be provided both days.
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BAPTIST BRIEFS Full versions of these stories and more can be found on Baptist Press: bpnews.net
SOUTHERN SEMINARY STUDENT WINS $34K ON ‘JEOPARDY!’ Years of watching “Jeopardy!” and playing trivia games paid off for Jacqueline Hawkins, a student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, when she won $34,101 over two days on the popular game show, which aired March 25-26.
CP 2.49% AHEAD OF PROJECTION AT MID-YEAR POINT
‘PRAY FOR MARRIAGE’ ERLC URGES FOR SUPREME COURT
The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is inviting Christians to pray regarding what might be a landmark decision on marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ERLC launched its Pray for Marriage initiative April 7, three weeks before the high court’s April 28 oral arguments involving same-sex marriage. The justices are expected to issue an opinion by late June or early July.
BAPTISTS SIGN SCOTUS GAY MARRIAGE CASE BRIEF Noted Southern Baptist leaders have signed a Liberty Institute friend-ofthe-court brief defending the freedom of speech of those who support and teach the scriptural truth that marriage is between a man and a woman. The brief was filed in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, a consolidation of four individual cases challenging biblically based marriage laws in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. The case could answer questions left standing after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, appearing to leave individual states the right to define marriage within individual state jurisdictions.
MIDWESTERN NAMED AMONG FASTEST-GROWING SEMINARIES Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ranks among the fastest growing seminaries in North America, according to report published by the Association of Theological Schools. The article by ATS, an accrediting agency, expounded upon “Why 100 Member Schools have Grown,” saying 37-percent of its 273 institutions have grown over the past five years—with 12 of the 100 schools experiencing growth of at least 50 percent. Among these 12 schools in the March 31 report is Midwestern Seminary.
OHIO PASTOR CHAD KECK TO BE 2ND VP NOMINEE Ohio pastor Chad Keck will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June, a fellow Ohio pastor announced April 7. Keck has been pastor of the Daytonarea First Baptist Church of Kettering since December 2010, having earlier served churches in Florida, Texas and Tennessee during 14 years in the ministry. He also is a former collegiate ministry event coordinator for LifeWay Christian Resources. David Starry, pastor of First Baptist Church in Vandalia, Ohio, also in the Dayton area, said in relaying the nomination announcement that Keck “has a deep love for the local church, a Great Commission mindset and a strong commitment to personal evangelism.”
‘SABBATH REST’ SESSIONS HELD AT SOUTHEASTERN
In a “Sabbath Rest and Flourishing” conference, the importance of finding rest in a 24/7 world was set forth at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The two-day conference at the North Carolina campus was held in partnership with Blessed Earth, an organization dedicated to serving God and caring for his creation. Matthew Sleeth, Blessed Earth’s executive director, was the keynote speaker amid five learning sessions, musical worship, discussion time and videos from the “Sabbath Living” curriculum developed by Sleeth.
Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 2.49 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection, and are 2.10 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page. “This report marks the first time since 2008 that CP contributions have increased over the previous fiscal year’s mid-point,” Page said, “and is the highest mid-year total since March 2012. This should drive us to our knees in gratitude to God and is truly a cause for celebration.”
GLORIETA SUIT DISMISSED; NOTICE OF APPEAL FILED The U.S. District Court for New Mexico has dismissed all claims in a lawsuit against LifeWay Christian Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee, and the Glorieta 2.0 ministry that bought Glorieta Conference Center from LifeWay 18 months ago. Federal Judge James O. Browning issued the rulings in a suit filed by an Arkansas couple, Kirk and Susie Tompkins, who had been leaseholders at the conference center. Within hours of the ruling, the Tompkins filed notice of appeal to the U.S. District Court of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit in Denver.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary hosted “Intersect: The Wisdom Forum” to discuss the intersection of faith, work and economics, attended by more than 400 pastors, students and members of the local community in Wake Forest, N.C. The March 13 session, part of a partnership between SEBTS and The Kern Family Foundation, included eight brief presentations about how a person can impact God’s kingdom through work.
UMOBILE GRAD IS FIRST NFL FULL-TIME FEMALE OFFICIAL The NFL’s first full-time female game official, Sarah Thomas, is a former University of Mobile athlete. Thomas, who played b a s ke t b a l l at UMobile from 199295, will be a line judge for the 2015 season. Based on performance, she will have the opportunity to move into other roles, including the highest position of referee. The NFL made the formal announcement April 8, capping days of speculation by sports media outlets.
LONGTIME SBTS PROF WILLIAM R. CROMER JR. DIES AT 91 William R. Cromer Jr., who was the longest-serving Christian education professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died on March 25 in his Louisville home at the age of 91. During Cromer’s 41-year tenure, more than 10,000 students came through the seminary and more than 4,000 sat in his classroom, R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary, estimated during the professor’s March 28 funeral service in Southern’s Alumni Memorial Chapel.
SURVEY: AMERICANS SEE VALUE IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE The overwhelming majority of Americans say they find value in attending church, a new LifeWay Research study shows. Two-thirds of Americans think attendance is admirable; only 11 percent consider church useless. Even among nonreligious people, 80 percent believe church attendance is acceptable, and 43 percent label it admirable. Just 29 percent call it useless.
But despite their professed fondness for church, Americans are more likely to believe attendance is declining (55 percent) or the church is dying (42 percent) than growing (36 percent) or thriving (38 percent), according to the LifeWay survey of 1,000 Americans from Sept. 19-28 of last year.
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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.”
ENTHUSIASTIC REVIVAL SPARKED DURING RESURRECTION-FOCUSED REVIVAL IN HOUSTON By Sharayah Colter Staff Writer
In the week leading up to Easter, Sagemont Church in Houston held a Resurrection Awakening where they saw Buddhists, Muslims, children, adults, senior citizens and church members profess Christ as savior. By the end of what
Pastor John Morgan called a “different kind of revival,” 77 people came forward to be saved, 70 were baptized, 43 rededicated their lives and 90 joined the church. Morgan said before he got the idea for the resurrectionfocused week, he had come to realize that pastors place a lot of emphasis on the cross
but in doing so often leave out the best part—the defeat of the cross and death by Jesus’ resurrection. Laughing, Morgan said messages focused on the resurrection are so uncommon that his church might even think he had forgotten when Easter falls if he preached about Jesus’ rising from the dead
anytime other than in the spring. So, he set out to mix things up and called several past presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention, the current president and a few other leading preachers and evangelists and enlisted their help, asking each of them to come and preach, focusing their sermons on Jesus being alive.
Morgan said that in the few days that have passed since the week of services, each one of the preachers have called back at least two and even three times to marvel at the way the Lord manifested his presence and how the people so enthusiastically responded in revival.
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GET TO KNOW OUR SBTC TEAM NAME: JOB:
AMANDA KENNEDY
RECEPTIONIST
CHURCH: FOUNDATION
BAPTIST CHURCH, EULESS
TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AT SBTC. As the receptionist, I get to help each caller and guest by directing them to the department or person who can help them best. I also assist other departments with whatever they need help with such as running reports, stuffing envelopes, collating copies and so much more. HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR THE SBTC? I have been with the SBTC for 10 years and three months! IF RESOURCES WERE NO OBJECT, WHAT ONE THING WOULD YOU LOVE TO DO? My husband and I dream of the day when we can be foster parents. Our hope is that when he is finished with school we will be able to make that dream a reality. THE BEST DAY AT THE OFFICE IS WHEN … I love the days when we have meetings in the building. I really love to get to know people and enjoy learning as much as I can about them. I really am the kind of person who never meets a stranger.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR JOB AT THE SBTC? I had no idea how small Baptist circles can be. The best example: Shortly after I started here, I mentioned to someone that I had lived in Rogers, Ark. during my junior high years. A coworker overheard me say this and interrupted to say that he lived in Rogers, Ark., during his junior high and high school years. It turns out we went to the same junior high at the same time and had many mutual friends. His sister and I were even on cheerleading squads and a basketball team together. ON A WEEKEND AWAY FROM WORK, WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE TO DO? I love to be with people on my weekends away from work. I love watching my son play baseball, going to garage sales and antique malls, and playing board games with friends, but the highlight of my weekend is getting to worship at church with my family. We have the privilege of being a small part of a church plant and love every minute of it.
SOUTHERN BAPTISTS OF TEXAS CONVENTION
2015 EXHIBIT
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Approved exhibitors at the SBTC Annual Meeting include (subject to available space) SBTC ministries, SBC agencies, SBTC ministry relationships (under the oversight of the Ministry Relationships Committee of the Executive Board), Baptist associational ministries, and any host church. All other entities desiring booth space must submit their request in writing to Joe Davis at the SBTC, prior to June 1, 2015. Entities or individuals may share exhibit space with approved exhibitors only with the approval of the Committee on Order of Business. For profit entities that have no formal relationship with the SBTC shall not be granted exhibit space. All exhibit material must be in agreement with the SBTC Constitution and Bylaws, which includes the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Fund raising or sales that do not conflict with SBTC priorities will be allowed in the exhibit area.
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CHURCH POSITIONS PASTOR u Memorial Baptist Church in Killeen, SBTC affiliated, is searching for Senior Pastor to lead in discipleship, evangelism, teaching, missions and service. Ten years of ministerial experience and formal theological education preferred. Send resumes and references to spsc@ membc.org, or mail to MBC, Attention: SPSC, 4001 Trimmier Road, Killeen, Texas 76542. u Calvary BC in Cuero seeking FT pastor. Seminary training preferred. Parsonage w/ utilities included. Send resume to PO Box 64 Cuero, TX 77954 or email
[email protected]. u FBC Greenville seeks senior pastor with heart to preach, teach, minister, evangelize and lead. Candidate should exemplify qualities from Pastoral Epistles with seminary degree and at least five years of experience. Church website is www.fbcgreenville.org. Send resume to
[email protected]. u Dolores Southern BC in southwest CO is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. We are a small but strong church with plans to grow. We seek a pastor who is able to help us spread God’s Word by demonstrating a strong foundation in prayer, preaching and teaching skills, and ministry to the congregation and the community. Email resume to
[email protected] u Forest Branch BC is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Send resumes to: Attn: Pastor Search Committee, Forest Branch Baptist Church, 3655 US Hwy 59 N, Livingston, TX 77351. u FBC Loraine seeks bi-vocational pastor in small West Texas community of 600. Candidate should exemplify strong spiritual leadership, be mission-minded and preach the inspired Word of God. Brick parsonage (3/2) provided. Send resumes to PO Box 369, Loraine, TX 79352. MUSIC u FBC Edgewood is seeking a man of God to serve as FT minister of music/ministerial assistant. Must love the Lord and be called by God into ministry. He will serve the church in leading worship by choosing scripturally sound music and will work with the pastor on out/inreach and teach adult Wednesday Bible study/prayer. Submit resumes/video of worship leading to fbcemusicministersearch@gmail. com. Attn: Gale Kimbrough, Chairman, FBC Edgewood, PO Box 355, Edgewood, TX, 75117. u FBC Mixon seeks bi-vocational worship pastor. We are a mid-sized church with Sunday worship attendance averaging 190. We are seeking someone with a blended worship style. Those interested in applying for this position should send a cover letter and resume to
[email protected]. For more information on the church go to: www.fbcmixon.org. COMBINATION u Impact Country Church is looking for a PT college/music intern to serve in helping start a children’s church for 1st-6th grades by leading worship time, leading college ministry team and doing outreach for both areas of ministry. Send information to Pastor Clark Stricklin,
[email protected]; 601 SW Alsbury Blvd, Burleson, TX 76028; 817-886-9940. u Calvary BC seeks FT music and education pastor. Duties include developing, coordinating, leading and prayerfully conducting music and education ministries. Must affirm Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Salary pkg $40-48k. A job description can be found at cbchamilton.org. Send resumes to search@ cbchamilton.org or 805 East State Highway 22, Hamilton, TX 76531. YOUTH u FBC Edgewood seeks a PT minister of youth who loves the Lord and has been called by God into youth ministry. He will lead, develop, promote and coordinate a balanced program of activities and discipleship ministry to students, 7th-12th grades. Send resume to:
[email protected] or Gale Kimbrough, Chairman, FBC Edgewood, PO Box 355, Edgewood, TX, 75117. u Calvary BC in Republic, Missouri, is accepting resumes for a FT minister to students. Send resumes to
[email protected] or PO Box
PAID CLASSIFIEDS u WORRIED ABOUT THE DECLINING VALUE OF THE DOLLAR? For 5,000 years gold has endured as “REAL” money! Would you like to know how to get the best gold at the best price and get paid to do it? 888-644-4408
421, Republic, MO 65738 attn: Search Team. For more information, call 417-732-1405. u FBC Archer City is seeking a FT student pastor to lead students to be disciples of Jesus Christ through worship, nurturing and outreach with commitment to teaching God’s Word. Please submit resumes to Adam Davis at
[email protected]. u Carey FBC, Childress, seeks a bi-vocational youth minister to lead 6th-12th graders on Sun & Wed, mission trips and camp, and lead them in participating in our outreach program. Salary BOE, housing provided. Send resumes to: Search Committee, Carey 1st Baptist, 7394 Loop 328, Childress, TX 79201 or email
[email protected]. More information found at carey1stbaptist.com. u FBC of Stinnett is seeking a FT student minister. Send resume to: FBC c/o Personnel Committee, PO Box 1316, Stinnett, TX 79083, or email to:
[email protected]. u Central BC, Hermleigh, seeks PT youth minister. Needs to be able to prepare lessons for Sunday morning youth group, Sunday evening youth group and Wednesday evening youth group. If interested, call Pastor Joshua Smith at (325)863-2305 or send an email to
[email protected]. CHILDREN u Patterson Ave BC in Comanche, OK, seeks energetic PT children’s minister to lead volunteers and kids 1st-6th grades. Find more info at pabcfamily.com. u Collinsville Crossroads Church in Collinsville is seeking PT children’s minister to lead our Wednesday night children’s ministry and worship leader who can lead worship while playing an instrument for Sunday morning service. Contact Keith Byrom at
[email protected]. u Immanuel BC of San Angelo is seeking an ordained minister to serve as our minister to children. Ministry would include children from birth to 6th grade. We have an active, growing church and community. Send resumes to IBC, Attn. Tommy Richardson, 90 E. 14th St., San Angelo, TX, 76903 or email:
[email protected]. OTHER u Lamar Street Baptist Church in Sweetwater is seeking a full-time family pastor. The ability to lead music is a plus. For a job description and/or to submit a resume with a cover letter direct your correspondence to
[email protected]. u Memorial Baptist, Killeen, seeks a church administrator with two years of administrative leadership experience, strict confidentiality and strong communication skills to supervise multiple ministries, function as staff liaison to multiple committees and be responsible for personnel management, office management, properties management, utilities and contract management. Send resumes to
[email protected]. u Bi-fork Association is seeking a FT director of missions. We are looking for a candidate ready to lead the associational office to be a resource to both churches and pastors. Our main emphasis is a candidate who can guide in providing and organizing opportunities for cooperative missions. Please forward all questions and resumes to:
[email protected]. u Gregg Baptist Association in Longview seeks resumes for director of missions. Must have a heart for encouraging and networking churches (both SBTC and BGCT). Will provide administration and leadership to fulfill the vision of the GBA. Resumes accepted until May 30, 2015. Send to: Carolyn Anderson,
[email protected], or 121 Gilmer Rd., Longview, TX 75604.
ANNOUNCEMENTS u From Bill & Bettye Roberts (Native American Partnership Missions) NAMB: Now accepting donations of large pinto beans & fortified dry rice (5 or 10 lb bags) for the Navajo people. Needing help with deliveries to the Navajo Reservation in both New Mexico and Arizona. Note: If teams can’t go to the reservation, items can be delivered or shipped (postage paid) to Bill & Bettye Roberts, 361 Harris Lane Whitewright, TX 75491.
u AFFORDABLE WEBSITE DESIGN AND PRINTING: Done by a Christian-owned business to meet all your church’s needs. We print banners, business cards, door hangers, brochures, postcards and much more! References available. Free shipping on most orders! Contact David (409) 622-2197 southeasttexasdesign.com.
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ESL INSTITUTE PLANNED FOR SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Special Assignments Editor FORT WORTH Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary approved an English as a Second Language Institute, passed a nearly $36 million budget, hired five new faculty and elected officers during their April 15 spring meeting. The ESL Institute will assess international students’ skills in English for undergraduate and post-graduate work and develop an Intensive English Program to achieve written and oral English competency. In addition, a newly approved BA concentration in ESL teaching certification in the College at Southwestern will equip students to teach ESL in a missionary context. Describing it as an “aggressive ESL program,” Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson said, “It will help us in a number of ways with student recruitment, ministering to the wives of many students who come here with no English language at all and ministry to the community.” Trustees elected to the seminary faculty Madison Grace as assistant professor of Baptist history and theology, Ross Inman as assistant professor of philosophy and Dale Johnson as assistant professor of biblical counseling. Newly elected to the College at Southwestern are Mark
Janzen, assistant professor of history and archaeology, and Stephen Mizell, assistant professor of humanities. The Board modified the bylaw article outlining the composition of the student body to allow a “modified criteria for admission” for “limited special circumstances” such as those involving online education and the Darrington prison extension program. Current policy requires that students profess a divine call to Christian ministry and show church endorsement. Previously, an exception was granted by the president to allow a Muslim student to study archaeology in the Ph.D. program after having worked with the school’s Tel Gezer dig in Israel. Patterson apologized to trustees and Southern Baptist Convention messengers to last year’s annual meeting for
having assumed he had the authority to allow exceptions. New bylaw language clarifies that trustees must approve any modified criteria for exceptional cases. Patterson will refer to the action during his report to SBC messengers in June. Newly elected officers include Chairman Lash Banks, pastor of Murphy Road Baptist Church in Murphy; Vice-chairman Tony Mathews, pastor of Garland Baptist Fellowship in Garland and Secretary Danny Johnson, director of missions for Pulaski Baptist Association in Bryant, Ark. In other business, trustees reduced requirements for the doctor of educational ministries degree from 44 to 36 hours, approved candidates for spring and summer graduation, and authorized construction of Mathena Hall once funding reaches a level of 90 percent of
Criswell College plans major renovation to Dallas campus By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Special Assignments Editor DALLAS The Board of Trustees for Criswell College approved a plan April 2 for a major renovation of the existing campus at 4010 Gaston Avenue and the construction of 180-bed campus housing. Board member Jeff Nyberg of McKinney described support for the plan as “a vote for the urban vision of our president.” Efforts to relocate the campus by acquiring property north of Dallas were set aside last year and trustees rallied behind newly elected
“GOD HAS JUST BLESSED THIS PLACE FOR A LOT OF YEARS, AND THERE’S NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT’S NOT GOING TO CONTINUE.”
Criswell College President Barry Creamer in his call to remain at the current site east of downtown. “God has just blessed this place for a lot of years, and there’s no reason to believe that’s not going to continue,” stated Ed Rawls, chairman of the properties committee. The board anticipates construction to begin in the summer of 2016. School administration is working with Hoar Program Management and PBK Architects in preparing plans for renovation. The board resolution approved “the recommended renovation of the educational building and proposed advancement toward residential housing, including the adjacent property acquisitions within the constraints of available capital resources.” In addition to approving a $6.15 million budget for 2015-16, the board updated bylaws on first reading. Included are a process for presidential assessment and clarification of what constitutes conflict of interest for trustees. Other changes address the elimination of term limits for the board chairman, action by
two-thirds majority written consent, and the removal of references to vice presidents for development and business administration. A new mission statement expands on a commitment to gospel ministry preparation to “provide ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as Christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.” The board approved Scott Bridger to return to Criswell College as associate professor of world religions and global studies, promoted David Brooks to senior professor of Hebrew and Old Testament and Kirk Spencer to senior associate professor of science and history. Candidates for 2015 graduation in May were approved as recommended by administration.
costs. The facility will house the College at Southwestern, Roy Fish School of Evangelism & Missions, and the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement. Trustees upgraded the security force to establish a police department, hired the firm of Guinn, Smith, and Company to conduct annual audits of the seminary and the development foundation, and granted authority to sell E.D. Head apartments as well as a house located beyond the campus area. Student Services Vice President Steven Smith was granted a year-long sabbatical as recommended by the president. In his report to the Board, Smith spoke of 100 students and professors preaching a collective 500 sermons in churches across the United States during spring break. The annual Revive This Nation effort yielded 71 professions of faith and 235 other spiritual commitments. The Board also heard a report from its Executive Committee that Patterson received “an exemplary commendation” in his annual performance based on appraisals submitted by trustees.
Online degree launched at Jacksonville College
Jacksonville College has begun offering its first fully online associate degree program. Registration is underway with tuition rates reduced for the May 14-29 Maymester and both summer semesters. “This approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools shows their faith in the educational degree we are providing our students,” stated JC Academic Dean Lynn Nabi. Jacksonville College subscribes to the Texas Common Course Numbering System, and core course credits easily transfer to participating institutions. Designed to benefit students who have difficulty commuting to the East Texas campus, Nabi said the degree allows them to attend virtual classes on their own schedules. Summer Pell Grants are available to students who qualify. Course schedules, new student application and class registration are available at Jacksonville-college.edu. Jacksonville College is owned and operated by the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas and is affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
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Lubbock pastor Jon Randles dies after battle with cancer
S O U T H E R N
Managing Editor LUBBOCK Jon Randles, pastor of Victory Life Church in Lubbock, died April 1 after an extended battle with cancer. He was 58. Randles was known for his passion for evangelism, discipleship, missions, church growth and student ministry. Randles cofounded Paradigm Bible Study in Lubbock in 1997, which has reached thousands of college students at Texas Tech University and other campuses. He traveled for many years giving talks at public and private high schools as well as businesses. He was also a soughtafter speaker for college athletic teams, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) events, Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) conferences and student camps. Randles pastored three Texas churches between 1977 and 1993 before staring the Jon Randles Evangelistic Association. He served as director of evangelism for the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 2007 to 2010 and became pastor at Victory Life Church in February 2014. In March, Randles was privileged to serve as chaplain for both the Texas Senate and the U.S. Congress. He was a graduate of HardinSimmons University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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SWBTS Q&A ANSWERS QUESTION, ‘IS PAIGE PATTERSON AN ARMINIAN?’ By Alex Sibley SWBTS
By Keith Collier
B A P T I S T
At a Grindstone Q&A discussion on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, March 26, Truett Theological Seminary professor Roger Olson attempted to convince Southwestern President Paige Patterson—as well as attending students and faculty—that Patterson is an Arminian. Author of Arminian Theolog y: Myths and Realities, Olson has devoted more than two decades to clearing up misconceptions about Arminianism, and in the process of doing so, he has asserted that many evangelical Christians, whether they realize it or not, are Arminians. The discussion began with Olson justifying his position that Patterson is an Arminian. He explained that he defines Arminianism, along with every other theological category, by what he calls “prototypes”— that is, founders of movements rather than the most recent people identifying themselves with the movements. In the case of Arminianism, Olson appealed to Jacob Arminius himself. After meticulously
researching Arminius’ writings, Olson defined an Arminian as “a protestant Christian who believes that God graciously grants us the opportunity and the ability, in spite of our radical fallenness, to freely accept his offer of salvation or turn it down.” “So I don’t believe that Arminianism is first of all belief in free will,” Olson said. “It’s belief in freed will by prevenient grace—by the grace of God that frees the will from the bondage to sin and enables the hearer of the Gospel to either accept or reject the offer of God’s grace.” Olson asserted that when Arminianism is defined by Arminius and his earliest followers, Patterson should have no problem identifying himself as an Arminian. Patterson questioned why he cannot simply identify himself as a Baptist, electing not to identify with either position. Although Olson
Taylor named ‘Man of the Year’ by Grand Saline Chamber of Commerce
Richard Taylor receives the ‘Man of the Year’ award at the Grand Saline Chamber of Commerce’s pirate-themed banquet, March 27. Left to right: Crystal Goodson, Ramona Taylor, Richard Taylor and Mike Rogers. PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGICAL MEMORIES BY CARA
By Keith Collier Managing Editor GRAND SALINE The Grand Saline Chamber of Commerce awarded Southern Baptists of Texas Convention church planting associate Richard Taylor with its “Man of the Year” award during the chamber’s 58th annual banquet March 27.
Taylor has served as interim pastor of Main Street Baptist Church in Grand Saline for about a year, and the congregation has flourished under his leadership. Taylor’s ministry at the church has been a model for racial reconciliation and was featured in the August 20, 2014 edition of TEXAN Magazine.
Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson discusses the Arminian view of salvation with Truett Theological Seminary professor Roger Olson during a Q&A forum on Southwestern’s campus, March 26. SWBTS PHOTO
acknowledged that such labels are indeed unimportant, he noted that when Christians discuss such matters as soteriology, election and atonement, they tend to fall into one camp or the other, whether they realize it or admit it. “So of course you can choose not to adopt these labels,” Olson said. “I would argue [however] that there are certain issues where it’s either/or. Either Christ died for everyone, or Christ died only for the elect. I don’t see how you can believe both or neither. So I would say that, whether you know it or not, if you’re an evangelical Baptist and really think about soteriological issues, you lean one way or the other.” Over the course of the nearly 90-minute discussion, which involved a time for Q&A with the audience, Patterson, in spite of Olson’s argument, maintained that he is not an Arminian. One particular point with which Patterson took is-
sue is Arminius’ lack of conviction regarding the perseverance of the saints, or eternal security. Arminius, as well as his earliest followers, never expressed certainty regarding eternal security. When Olson related this information, Patterson said with a laugh, “Thank you, Dr. Olson, for rescuing me from the Arminian charge, because I do emphatically believe in the perseverance of the saints—or at least the perseverance of the Savior. Arminius had not made up his mind; I have made up my mind.” At the end of the evening, Patterson noted to the audience that the preceding discussion is proof that people of opposing viewpoints can “carry on a decent discussion” and may even learn something. Among people of faith, he said, “there is no excuse for not having conversations like this.” Watch video of the entire session at theologicalmatters.com.
FBC IOWA PARK CELEBRATES 125TH ANNIVERSARY SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards presents a plaque to Glen Pearce, pastor of First Baptist Church of Iowa Park, in honor of the church’s 125th anniversary.
