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College groups minister to Harvey victims; Alabama crew stays despite tornado back home By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent HOUSTON Even after an EF-3 tornado—one of 13 tornadoes to strike northern Alabama March 19—ripped through their college campus, tearing roofs off dorms, downing trees and damaging cars, Jacksonville State University students elected to remain in Houston to help hurricane victims rather than return to assess their own damaged living spaces. It was not the spring break most expected. But in terms of mission and camaraderie, it delivered. The 28 JSU students and sponsors deployed to Houston with the North American

Mission Board’s Send Relief/ GenSend initiative. They joined 320 college students from across the nation to spend one of three spring break weeks in Texas rebuilding neighborhoods devastated last September by Hurricane Harvey. While Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency back home, the JSU students learned of their state’s plight. Gary Brittain, JSU Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) director, asked the group what they wanted to do. They voted to stay in Houston, while Brittain and three students returned to Alabama to check on the college. See REBUILD, 3

GenSend students from Alabama repaired sheetrock in the homes of residents still recovering from last year’s Hurricane Harvey. PHOTO BY MARTY LITTLE

SBC Dallas theme: ‘Testify! Go. Stand. Speak.’

By Diana Chandler Baptist Press DALLAS “Testify! Go. Stand. Speak.” will be the theme for the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 12-13 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, SBC President Steve Gaines has announced. Evangelism is the urgency of the theme anchored in Acts 5:20, SBC President Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis, told Baptist Press. “Fulfilling the Great Commission has always been at the heart of who Southern Baptists are,” Gaines said. “However, as research from (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President) Chuck Kelley has shown, our baptisms are the lowest we have seen in 70 years. If we want to see that trend turn around, we must refocus our efforts on evangelism, telling a lost world about the hope that is found only in Jesus Christ.” To accomplish the goal, Gaines said, Southern Baptists must be willing to go

See TESTIFY, 15

SCHOLARSHIPS NAMED AFTER SWBTS ALUMNI

AFRICANAMERICAN SCHOLARSHIPS DOUBLE TO 20 By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Associate Editor FORT WORTH In anticipation of doubling the number of scholarships offered to African-American students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, trustees there approved the president’s recommendation to name them in

honor of two alumni, Eugene Florence and Shadrach Meshach (S.M.) Lockridge. “We started last year making 10 of our scholarships directly available to African-Americans and this year we are adding 10 more,” SWBTS President Paige Patterson announced during the April 10-11 trustee meeting at the campus.

At the age of 100, Florence was awarded a master of divinity degree in 2004 for coursework he had completed in 1951. At that time, during the period of segregation, the seminary did not offer a master’s degree program but instead had night classes available for blacks to earn a diploma. He preached in chapel in 2006—at

102 years old. Over the course of 70 years, Florence pastored four churches in Texas. Lockridge, a Texas native who began his ministry in Ennis, pastored Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego for 41 years and was best known for his message “That’s My King,” See SWBTS, 7

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COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS NAMED FOR 2018 SBC By Baptist Press TEXAN Correspondent DALLAS Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines has named members of the Committee on Resolutions for the June 12-13 SBC annual meeting in Dallas, including two Texans, Candi Finch, assistant professor of theology in women’s studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and Jason Paredes, lead pastor of Fielder Church in Arlington. Jason Duesing of Missouri was named as the committee’s chairman by Gaines. Duesing is provost and associate professor of historical theology at Midwest-

ern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and a member of Antioch Bible Baptist Church in Gladstone, Mo. Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church, 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. The other committee members, in alphabetical order, are: Ken Alford of Valdosta, Ga., Byron Day of Laurel, Md., Willie McLaurin of Franklin, Tenn., Chris Metcalf of Lihue, Hawaii, Adron Robinson of Country Club Hills, Ill., Alicia Wong of San Bernadino, Ca., and Curtis Woods of Louisville.

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 twoweek 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 individual 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.

EC elects diverse presidential search committee By Baptist Press NASHVILLE The six-member committee charged with nominating the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is marked by racial and gender diversity as well as a mixture of clergy and laypeople. The presidential search committee was elected during a special called EC meeting in Nashville April 17. The meeting—prompted by the March 27 departure of former EC President Frank S. Page—also included reports from EC chairman Stephen Rummage and interim president D. August Boto. See related Baptist Press report. In executive session, the EC voted to grant limited post-employment benefits to Page, which include money for marital counseling, five years of Medicare supplemental coverage and some ECprovided computer equipment he had used in his home.

Presidential search committee The six elected presidential search committee members, which include two African Americans and a woman, are: u Joe Knott, an attorney from Raleigh, N.C.; u Adron Robinson, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills, Ill.; u Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla.; u Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, Calif.; u Steve Swofford, pastor of First Baptist Church in Rockwall; and u Carol Yarber, a retired medical administrator from Athens, Texas. A total of 18 EC members were nominated from the floor to serve on the search committee. Following nominations, each EC member present was permitted, in accordance with EC bylaws, to vote for as many as six nominees. The EC’s bylaws permit a seven-member search committee, which would include six elected members plus service by the EC chairman in an ex officio capacity. However, some EC members expressed a desire for Rummage to continue serving on the committee after his term as EC chairman expires in June. Rummage’s election to the search committee will allow him to continue serving on that body until its work is completed.

If the search committee is still working in June when a new EC chairman is elected, that person will become an ex officio member. ‘Very difficult weeks’ In his report to the EC, Rummage thanked committee members “for praying for me, for our Executive Committee and certainly for the family of Dr. Page in these last several weeks. These have been very difficult weeks for all of us, and yet we have seen the Lord show himself strong on our behalf and known his presence with us throughout this time.” Boto said the EC staff will be “aiming for normalcy” during his interim presidency, including preparations for June’s SBC annual meeting in Dallas and “performing our duties each week until then and thereafter in the manner that our churches and our entities have grown to expect and depend on.” Boto added he is “declining in advance if anyone were to suggest that the search committee consider me” as the permanent EC president. Page’s post-employment benefits Page’s post-employment benefits included “an amount of money to pay for or substantially subsidize the cost of qualified, experienced, and well-regarded spiritual and marital counseling,” with “a like amount of money to provide counseling for any other persons that may have been immediately involved in the circumstances surrounding Dr. Page’s departure,” according to the recommendation approved in executive session. The five years of Medicare supplemental coverage for the Pages will be funded by the EC “at a cost not to exceed $3,900 per year per person,” the recommendation stated. The computer equipment given to Page “has a combined value of approximately $750.” Page also will receive an unpaid portion of his salary for the last three days of March. Fighting back tears as the meeting closed, Rummage told the EC to a standing ovation for his leadership, “I know for all of you this has been a difficult day. It’s been a difficult day for me. I am sorry we’ve had to deal with what we’ve had to deal with today.” Presidential selection process The process for electing a new EC president is specified in EC Bylaw 6.5.2.

The EC presidential search committee comprises (clockwise from left) Stephen Rummage, Adron Robinson, Rolland Slade, Steve Swofford, Joe Knott and Carol Yarber. PHOTO BY REBECCA MANRY

“When prepared to do so, the [search] committee shall offer” during an EC meeting held in executive session “a nominee for the office of president,” the bylaw states. “No other nominations may be offered. Following the committee’s report, the [EC] shall have the opportunity to hear and question the nominee and to discuss the nomination prior to voting by ballot whether to elect the nominee.” If the nominee “receives a majority of the votes of the [EC members] present,” the bylaw states, “the nominee shall be elected. If the nominee is not elected, a new presidential search committee shall be selected” and “the nomination

process shall be repeated.” The Executive Committee president is the EC’s chief executive officer, reporting directly to the EC and serving as an ex officio member of the full body, its officers committee and all other regular committees, workgroups and special committees, according to the EC Bylaws. According to the SBC Constitution, the EC president also serves as treasurer of the SBC. Under SBC Bylaw 18, he is responsible for fulfilling 14 duties given to the EC, as well as the mission statement and ministry assignments listed in the SBC Organization Manual. In addition, he is chair of the Southern Baptist Foundation’s board.

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Peggy Colbert of Calhoun, Ga., marveled at the students’ determination to finish the job. She served as NAMB site director at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Northwest Houston where the GenSend volunteers were housed. “Some had lost everything in their dorm rooms. Most knew nothing about their cars from the hailstorm, and they stayed working every day,” Colbert said. Their work involved replacing sheetrock, and taping and mudding seams. Few students had prior construction experience, but they learned on the job, supervised by experienced disaster relief (DR) construction crew chiefs. “They don’t know what they are going back to,” Colbert said ahead of the group’s March 23 departure. The students’ story has not gone unnoticed by the media, Colbert added, noting that members of the group had been interviewed by local news outlets. “They are an incredible group of students, committed to God,” she said. The JSU students were not the only ones sacrificing their vacations, Colbert noted, explaining that over the threeweek GenSend initiative, 31 crews of 10-12 college students worked out of Champion Forest. Colbert served as site director all three weeks.

Jacksonville State University students from Alabama elected to remain in Houston to help hurricane victims rather than returning to assess their own damaged living spaces. Pictured are Elizabeth Rains, Olivia Willoughby, Caleb Howell and Brandon Stevens.

“To think they would pay to come sleep on the floor of a church to work on houses during their spring break, incredible,” Colbert said of the students from 15-20 colleges from the Pacific Northwest to New York and New England. “Some didn’t know what a hammer was before they came, and they most certainly did not know what a trowel was or a Tsquare,” Colbert chuckled. “We were quick learners,” said JSU sophomore Olivia Willoughby of Huntsville, Ala., whose crew worked on two houses. Willoughby said staying in Houston was an easy decision. “The city [Jacksonville] has a curfew. If we went back, there was really nothing we could do to help. Here we can be productive. It really helps take our minds off what we will confront when we drive back,” Willoughby said.

“We had seen the pictures [of JSU]. We knew how bad it was. We all realized there was nothing to do there. It was pointless to go back when there’s people who need help,” said JSU freshman Elizabeth Rains of Scottsboro, Ala., whose dorm was damaged. Caleb Howell of Alexandria, Ala., said he lives at the BCM and confirmed the property had suffered uprooted trees, roof damage, interior water damage and the loss of a tool shed. Brandon Stevens, from Alexander City, Ala., is a JSU sophomore on his second mission trip despite dealing with cerebral palsy. He said such experiences will continue to figure in his future. “I want to be able to help Jacksonville every way I can,” Stevens said, calling his new skills of sheetrock installation

and mudding both useful and “interesting.” Colbert said she overheard Jacksonville students remarking how their newfound abilities will allow them to help restore their campus and town. Steve Turner, NAMB’s senior director of next generation mobilization, called the overall Houston effort “a wonderful partnership between churches, SBDR, the SBTC and Send Relief to bring students to the city, bringing help and hope to those affected by Harvey.” DR feeding crews from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention prepared meals for the Houston GenSend volunteers. GenSend volunteers were not the only collegians to assist Harvey victims over spring break, said Brandon Reed, SBTC DR consultant who coordinated operations out of FBC Humble. In addition to the student volunteers at Champion Forest, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship groups from the Northeast sent 150 students to Humble, north of Houston, where they were housed at FBC Humble. Members of the church prepared and served meals for the volunteers. InterVarsity brings nonChristians on outreaches, Reed said, explaining the organization seeks a “50 percent believer to non-believer ratio for the purpose of discipleship so non-Christians can see life lived out.” Some of the non-believers

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accepted Christ, Reed said, describing Stephanie, a New England coed who saw something different about “these Christians, the way they operate and do things,” that drew her in. “As a result of seeing God work through this rebuild process and sensing God at work in her own heart, she accepted Christ,” Reed confirmed. InterVarsity groups completed 37 work orders, helping the helpless and hopeless, such as Yvonne Price, a 78-year-old widow who contacted Reed for help months earlier. Finally, this March, sufficient resources and student labor were in place to fully insulate and drywall Price’s home, which had been stripped to the studs. “For most of these homes, if the students and volunteers aren’t available, the work won’t be done,” Reed said. “These folks don’t have the funding or resources to do it on their own. It’s a tough thing to watch but a beautiful thing to witness: we are part of a religion that is undefiled, serving widows and orphans.” Pat Brightwell, a Humblearea widow in her mid-60s, thought she was out of options and planned to sell what was left of her home. “Something told her not to,” Reed said, explaining that students reconstructed Brightwell’s kitchen and painted, enabling her to again occupy the house she thought was lost forever. “This is home again,” Brightwell told volunteers.

Spring break volunteers break in new SBTC DR ‘food truck’ kitchen By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent ROCKPORT “It’s a groundswell,” exclaimed Wally Leyerle, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief (DR) associate, of the spring break 2018 response of student and church groups from across the nation to Texas areas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Between NAMB’s GenSend and other church and student groups, at least 700 volunteers came to help rebuild at sites from Rockport up to the greater Houston area to Beaumont. “It’s been largely a churchto-church or student organization-to-church response,” Leyerle said, adding that SBTC DR has stepped in where necessary to facilitate the effort. “It was happening on its own, and we said, OK, let’s organize this so it can happen better,” he said, admitting there was “a ton of stuff” going on, more than could be readily tracked.

“It’s definitely a God thing, not a man thing,” Leyerle said. In one example, Coastal Oaks Baptist Church in Rockport reported that an expected 80100 volunteers from several churches were coming to work in March. Meal preparation would be a challenge, one that Leyerle and Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director, decided could be met by using the newest SBTC DR kitchen, a design also utilized by Oklahoma DR crews. “It’s a Cadillac,” said SBTC DR volunteer Ronnie Roark, praising the self-contained trailer unit that resembles a food truck. Roark supervised the kitchen’s inaugural deployment at Coastal Oaks, where volunteers cranked out breakfasts and dinners for crews staying at the church and working on rebuild efforts. The new kitchen functions well with three to six volunteers and can produce from 300-700 meals per day, Leyerle said. It features a grill, stove, oven, and is designed for people

to walk up and get their food. The DR “food truck” arrived at its home—Roark’s church, Salem Sayers Baptist in Adkins, 20 miles east of San Antonio— only a few weeks before the Rockport deployment. Members kept “pretty busy outfitting it with the basic stuff,” Roark said, adding that 8-10 Salem Sayers members underwent training in DR feeding March 10 in Pflugerville. “They got their training on a Saturday and were put to work the next week,” Roark said. The team and trailer “served well,” said Andy Barlow, Coastal Oaks associate pastor. “It seemed like they had done it a hundred times.” The churches bringing volunteers reimbursed Coastal Oaks for food, which the Roarks and crew cooked and served, their duties demanding daily runs to the nearby H.E.B. grocery store. “It never failed that someone at the store would come up and give us their thanks and ap-

The SBTC’s Tony Wolfe visits the work at Coastal Oaks. Pictured L-R are Wolfe, Coastal Oaks pastor Kevin Muilenburg, Connie Roark, Merial Edwards, Ronnie Roark in front of new DR food trailer. PHOTO BY VANESSA WOLFE

preciation, in our yellow DR shirts,” Roark said, calling it a “humbling experience to know what we are doing is making a difference.” “It was a blessing through and through,” Roark’s wife, Connie, added. The March 12-16 Rockport effort, where volunteers

cleaned out structures, rebuilt fences, replaced drywall, repaired interiors and did yard work, involved groups from Glenview Baptist in Haltom City, Collision Church in Alpine, Murphy Baptist in Murphy, LifeWay Fellowship of Killeen and Central Baptist of Round Rock.

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POLITICS, CIVILITY AND SBC LEADERSHIP Gary Ledbetter Editor

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he 1989 Southern Baptist Convention meeting was remarkable. We met in Las Vegas and had more than 2,000 people participating in a massive witnessing effort in that city. Before the evangelism push, Southern Baptists prayed for every name in the Vegas phone book. Evangelists contacted 120,000 homes and recorded more than 470 professions of faith. It was a vigorous political year as well. Florida pastor Jerry Vines was up for his second one-year term as convention president and his challenger was Texas pastor Dan Vestal. That year was my first in the SBC pressroom. An unprecedented thing happened that year in the presidential race: Dan Vestal’s supporters bought time on local television stations to support his candidacy for SBC president. It still sounds odd to me, but that effort shows how in-

tense the political climate was in the 11th SBC meeting of the Conservative Resurgence. That was an era of mass mailings, rallies, endorsements by SBC entity heads and a lot of back and forth in the media in hopes of winning the presidency. Vestal lost the 1989 election and the 1990 election in New Orleans before leading a few hundred Southern Baptist churches to form the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. When you read of those years and the decisions convention messengers made at very large gatherings, the political intensity of our day seems tame. But this year’s presidential election has its own drama—so much that the two candidates have urged their followers to tone it down a bit, to keep the debate civil. I agree with Ken Hemphill and J.D. Greear in urging a more kindly tone in our Baptist discussions. Two reasons make me compare it with the hardfought years of the resurgence: First, the issues between this year’s candidates and their followers are neither as distinct nor as basic as the is-

sues we debated in the 1980s and ‘90s. Clearly, both Greear and Hemphill are inerrantists and both are evangelistic. Second, many, me included, have had to repent of intemperate language we used in trying to win important points. In the heat of debate, the issue sometimes became about victory rather than about the truth. This second point remains valid more than 20 years after the resurgence was complete. I tremble to think what the years between 1979 and 1995 would have been like if we’d had social media. This year’s presidential election has been elevated in volume by our ability to say it immediately in a few words. Accusations have flown back and forth about who is being more political and who is being inappropriately endorsed. These activities and complaints are not new, even if they are magnified by media unavailable in 1989. In this and in other potentially divisive discussions within our convention of conservative evangelistic churches, here are some things to remember. We do not broadly disagree

about the nature of the gospel. Some talk as if we do. I’ve heard comparisons between those of one tribe and another in the SBC described in terms of who’s more committed to the gospel. This week I saw a blogger refer to his fellow Southern Baptists who preach a “truncated” gospel. The accusation was not specific enough to avoid painting most of us with the brush. It’s unhelpful posturing. When two people “agree to be nominated” for a position, they both want it. They may not have the same vision

Be a light in the NICU In your community right now, there are multiple families sitting in a similar room. The smallest things can make the biggest difference to a family in this position.

Autumn Wahl Guest Columnist

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nexpected tragedy strikes—that’s just life sometimes. As I write these words, I find myself writing with one hand while holding my one-weekold baby girl in the NICU with the other arm. And I must say, this is a pretty odd place to be sitting. The emotional roller coaster of thankfulness for a new baby, but also fear and uncertainty as she is hooked up to multiple wires and tubes has a way of making even the most confident adult feel rattled. In your community right now, there are multiple families sitting in a similar room. The smallest things can make the biggest difference to a family in this position. Here are a few fresh ideas

of things you can do to support families with babies in the NICU. u Crochet a ton of baby hats, tiny blankets, socks, etc., and deliver one to each room. u Collect a stack of puzzle books (crosswords, Sudoku, word finder) for the waiting room. u Gather small toys and coloring books with crayons to leave in the waiting room for children who are waiting on their parents. u Do a book drive and deliver children’s books to each room with a note written inside the front cover of the book saying,

Jim Richards, Executive Director Gary K. Ledbetter, Editor Tammi Ledbetter, Associate Editor Gayla Sullivan, Circulation Manager Russell Lightner, Layout and design

“We’re praying for you.” u Buy a small teddy bear or soft toy for each baby and deliver it to their rooms. u Create prayer request cards that you can leave at the nurses’ desk. Work it out with the hospital for a church staff member to come back by and pick up cards that have been filled out so your church’s prayer team can continue to pray. u Leave a stack of church pens and/or notepads to be placed in each room for families to use. u Is it near a holiday? Make (or take) a holiday-themed gift:

Correspondents: Bonnie Pritchett Jane Rodgers Kay Adkins Erin Roach Karen L. Willoughby

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mini-Christmas stockings, Valentine’s teddy bears, etc. uWrite encouragement notes with Scripture verses for the parents and siblings of the babies in the NICU. Get creative with simple things you can take or do to be an encouragement to families who are spending their days and nights with their newborn in the NICU. You most likely will not be able to communicate directly with the families in the NICU, but instead leave the items with the nurses. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to include a handwritten note with a promise of your prayers and an invitation to worship at your church on Sunday. And don’t forget to include something that shares the good news of Jesus. Autumn Wall, online at autumnwall.com, is an author, speaker, worship leader, pastor’s wife and mom of three in Indianapolis. She is the co-author of “Across the Street and Around the World”

for the role or even the same methods for telling their side of things, but the reluctant and noble candidate thrust into the spotlight by surprise is still a willing candidate. Some of the divisive language I’ve seen during this particular SBC presidential race has to do with one candidate “politicking” while the other candidate—what, just stands above it all? As I said, it’s divisive and untrue to speak this way. “Politics” is a neutral term. It refers to how people in community make decisions. It can popularly refer to a self-centered willingness to deceive for the sake of winning. That would rarely be a fair way to speak of our fellow Southern Baptists. Advocating for your view of our common work can be done in a God-honoring way. This is also politics. Name-calling and its ugly cousin, self-exaltation, are not politics. They are simply sin. When a decision at the SBC or in your church or in your family has been finalized, make sure you can still look at those who voted another way without guilt for what you said about them. That’s where I’ll leave it. As I said during the 2016 U.S. presidential race, we still need to work together and live together at the end of this. Unless you plan to leave if you don’t win a vote, don’t do anything you’ll regret in service to even a noble cause. Winning that vote will seldom be as impactful as you hoped. Losing will almost never be as bad as you fear. The relationships you hazard are going to last a lot longer than the consequences of most things we’ll decide at one vote.

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GOD’S WORD FOR FAMILIES Jim Richards Executive Director

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ay always brings thoughts of home to me. Mother’s Day is the centerpiece of the celebration. May is graduation month for many. Students leave home for college or begin a vocation at this point. When I pastored I tried to set aside a six-week span from the beginning of May until Father’s Day to have a family emphasis. We addressed singleness, senior living and everything in between. The circumstances surrounding family life have drastically changed but the basic needs have not. There has never been a time in our culture when the nuclear family was under attack like today. Marriage has been redefined by the Supreme Court to include same-sex couples. Cohabitation is acceptable to many. Divorce

continues to plague us. Yet the very foundation of our future existence as a society depends on the recovery of a biblical ethic for the family. Valentine’s Day 2018 was marred by a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that took the lives of 17 people. Finger pointing immediately began. Some blamed law enforcement agencies for their lack of response to warning signs. There were calls for stricter gun laws. Others said mental illness played a part in the tragedy. School officials were under scrutiny for their handling of the student’s disciplinary problems. Finally, someone pointed out that the unfortunate home life of the shooter was the real underlying cause. We may never know all of the factors behind this heartbreaking incident. We can be certain that a strong home life can prevent much deviant behavior and provide a nurturing environ-

Scripture gives us the answers to life’s hardest questions. Someone has said the Bible is the mind of God deposited in a book, delivered to the church to be dispensed in the world. When we listen to the Word of God, we hear a clear voice speaking into our current needs.

ment. God’s plan for the home is the hope for a well-adjusted coming generation. In Christian circles, marriage and family conferences are abundant. Sometimes neophytes without life experience or a scriptural basis write books on the family. We have one true guide for all things family, the Bible. Scripture gives us the answers to life’s hardest questions. Someone has said the Bible is the mind of God deposited in a book, delivered to the church to be dispensed in the

world. When we listen to the Word of God, we hear a clear voice speaking into our current needs. There is no quick fix. There is no panacea. We are all flawed people. Only a life that is committed to Jesus Christ can begin to experience the blessings God intended for the home. I have long been an advocate of family worship. Just as an individual believer must have a personal devotional time daily, the family needs regular family worship time. This worship

time is the foundational element of family discipleship. Regardless of whether you are single, widowed, an empty-nester or have a house full of kids, home is still where the heart is. Life’s guidebook, the Bible, gives us clear direction in every area of relationships. Only Jesus can produce joy in your life. Our spouse or children are not to be our fulfillment. God’s presence can enable us to have the type of home we all desire. By following the biblical principles in those family relationships you see God move in lives. Let’s do something about it. The SBTC Family App for your phone that can assist you. There are also many online resources for families at sbtexas.com. The hope of the next generation is today. Join me in redoubling our efforts to strengthen our homes. Pray for a revival of family worship as described in Deuteronomy 6. Let’s let God have his rightful place in our homes.

Bluebonnets and the Resurrection their departure got me thinking. The Bible is lush with plants. Joshua Crutchfield The Scripture utilizes floral imPastor, FBC Madisonville agery all throughout its pages to reveal God’s message and truth to his people. Even in the earlihis year’s bluebonnets est passages, we find God utilizhave nearly gone. Fami- ing trees, fruit, and vegetation to lies got their photos, portray life, fertility, and prospassersby took in their perity (See Genesis 1–2; Psalm 1; beauty, and then like the Eas- John 15; and Revelation 22). Yet, ter Bunny, the bluebonnets left we also find counter-images without a trace. Even I couldn’t such as famine and infestations help but be excited over the that portray death, infertility, three flowers that sprouted in and poverty (Genesis 3:17–19, my yard. But after the hard 4:12; Leviticus 26:14–20; James rains, they are now gone. But 1:10–11). Even now, the flowers

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of the field proclaim God’s message if we would listen. So consider the bluebonnets. Did you know that our state flower is an annual bloom? This means it goes from seed to flower then back to seed again in preparation for a future bloom. It is always a pleasant surprise to see the flowers emerge to life in the spring. Sprouting in the month of March, they cause us all to pause for a second and admire their beauty. By mid-May, the plants form seed pods that start green, but gradually turn brown. Around that time seed

This is God’s reminder for us concerning the Resurrection—it will happen expectantly unexpected and will be gloriously beautiful. pods release the seeds to the earth, and then you and I forget about them until they surprise us expectantly unexpected again next spring. Herein is the theological beauty of the bluebonnet—those seeds go to the ground and stay dormant for a season of nearly 10 months and then they spring forth from their previous shells, arrayed in beauty. This is God’s reminder for us concerning the Resurrection—it will happen expectantly unexpected and will be gloriously beautiful. Easter has come and gone like bluebonnets, but the resurrection of Christ is not simply an annual celebration. The fact that Jesus is the firstborn of the Resurrection provides us with a daily hope that the seeds planted in the ground will one day spring forth in full bloom. The initial seed of the gospel brings about sweet life to any who turn to Jesus and follow him (Matthew 13:23). And while those blossoms demonstrate the active power of God to create beauty, those blooms will eventually grow from life to death and then seeds will return to the earth where they began. The summer comes and scorches the ground; the fall marks the coming of winter, which then brings death. But

spring is coming. It is easy to grow tired and weary and to allow the fiery trials of life to discourage our efforts. Death is a constant enemy and Satan is an ever-present threat, but because of the resurrection of Christ, they operate as those already defeated (Hebrews 2:14–15). This is why Paul encourages us, after proclaiming death’s defeat, that we are to “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The work we do is difficult. Proclaiming the gospel and following Christ comes at a great cost. But remember, while seeds sown will eventually give way to death, they will also expectantly unexpectedly burst forth to glorious life and to a spring that will never end. So be encouraged and encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18), for while the grass withers and the flowers fade, God’s Word will remain and accomplish what it says. Then it will be as George Herbert so beautifully put it, “Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him a gardener.” Eternal spring is coming.

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Boy at center of heaven book controversy sues Tyndale

BRIEFS Southeastern Seminary trustees make history, elect female chair

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees in April elected a female trustee as chair of the board in what is believed to be a first for an SBC seminary. The chairwoman, Becky Gardner, has been a trustee since 2010. She is superintendent of Peoria Christian School in Peoria, Ill., and a member of Woodland Baptist Church in Peoria. She is believed to be the first female trustee chair for a seminary, according to the institution’s examination of SBC Annuals. —Baptist Press

Bill Hybels steps down amid misconduct allegations

Bill Hybels, the pastor who grew Willow Creek Community Church into one of the nation’s most influential megachurches, stepped down in April amid accusations of a pattern of sexual misconduct. Hybels, who has denied all of the accusations, called some of them “misleading” and others “entirely false.” In a meeting live-streamed at willowcreek.tv, he told the church: “I too often placed myself in situations that I would have been far wiser to avoid.” Hybels’ announcement came 18 days after the Chicago Tribune published a long but inconclusive account of allegations against him by a handful of former church members. Multiple women told the newspaper they experienced unwanted advances from Hybels. Hybels told the church in April, “I’ve been accused of many things I simply did not do.” He acknowledged that in some situations, “I communicated things that were perceived in ways that I did not intend. At

times, it made people feel uncomfortable. I was blind to this dynamic for far too long.” He also apologized for reacting in anger when accused: “I sincerely wish now that my initial response had been one of listening and humble reflection.” Hybels is stepping aside not only from the pastorate but also from hosting Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit, a two-day event in August that reaches hundreds of thousands of leaders worldwide. He emphasized that leaving was “my decision and mine alone, prayerfully made,” for the sake of the ministries caught up in the controversy surrounding him. “They can’t flourish to their full potential when the valuable time and energy of their leaders are divided,” Hybels said. After a time of reflection with counselors, Hybels said, he intends to return to Willow Creek as a member of the congregation. —Baptist Press

Survey: Most millennials don’t know what Auschwitz was Nearly 75 years after World War II concluded, a new survey finds that 41 percent of American adults and 66 percent of millennials do not know what Auschwitz—the largest and most-well-known concentration camp—was. The poll for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany was conducted by Schoen Consulting. It also found that 31 percent of Americans and 41 percent of millennials believe that 2 million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust—which is substantially less than the more accepted figure of 6 million. Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe something like the Holocaust could happen again, and 93 percent say it is important to teach about the Holocaust in school The poll involved interviews with 1,350 Americans Feb. 23-27. —Claims Conferences (ClaimsCon.org)

Rwanda closes 6,000 churches, arrests pastors An estimated 6,000 churches have been closed across Rwanda and six pastors arrested in a government crackdown that began in March with 700 closures in the nation’s capital of Kigali, according to news reports.

The six pastors, who reportedly tried to rally public support for the churches in Kigali, were accused of “masterminding” a plot to disobey the government, the BBC reported. The closures come as the Rwanda Governance Board (RGO) is conducting a national review of proposed new regulations controlling faithbased institutions, including requirements that pastors have theological education and that buildings have two bathrooms each for men and women, according to World Watch Monitor. Since March, the government closures have expanded across the nation to include 6,000 churches accused of not meeting certain structural and pollution regulations, the Associated Press said, based on reports from Kigali. RGO head Anastase Shyaka told the AP the list of closures was still being compiled. “The prayer houses were found in such poor physical conditions, and we are not targeting any religion,” Shyaka said. “We are closing prayer houses of all different denominations and asking them to meet existing health and safety standards for their followers.” Some of the closed churches were operating without government permits which must be renewed annually, Shyaka said. The new regulations the RGO is studying are expected to make it more difficult for churches to open and operate. —Baptist Press

Pro-life advocates hopeful for Supreme Court win in key case Free-speech and prolife advocates left the U.S. Supreme Court in March with multiple reasons to expect the justices will strike down a California law that requires pregnancy care centers to promote abortion services. Supporters of pro-life pregnancy centers in the case heard a centrist Supreme Court justice, then a liberal one, signal disapproval of the measure during oral arguments. Those pointed evaluations, plus the skepticism expressed by several other justices, offered opponents of the law strong hope the threat to such centers would die in this case. The law in question— California’s 2015 Reproductive FACT Act —requires licensed pregnancy centers to post a notice for or otherwise inform clients in writing of the state’s free or low-cost access to abortion and other family planning services. The law also mandates that unlicensed centers provide a notice they are not licensed medically and do not have a licensed medical professional. —Baptist Press

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Alex Malarkey, the boy who claimed in a bestselling book that he went to heaven while comatose from a car accident, is suing his publisher Tyndale House for damages including book profits from the sinceretracted story. The 2010 book The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven listed Malarkey as a coauthor with his father Kevin, but Malarkey retracted the story in 2015. “I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible,” he told Tyndale and book sellers at the time. In a lawsuit filed in April in DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton, Ill., Malarkey said his father fabricated and solely authored the tale based on Alex’s two-month coma, signed the book deal with Tyndale and received all of the profits due the authors, with no compensation going to Alex, who was 10 at the time of publication. Both

father and son were listed as the book’s authors, but in the lawsuit, Malarkey denies any authorship. The suit seeks compensatory damages “at least equal to the amount of profits derived from the sale of the book,” punitive damages “which will exceed $50,000.00,” and a permanent injunction for Tyndale House “to take all steps reasonably possible to disassociate Alex’s name from the Book,” according to 32page lawsuit. Tyndale House, in a statement, called the turn of events “a terribly unfortunate situation which deeply saddens” Tyndale’s entire staff. “Despite the claims in Alex Malarkey’s lawsuit, Tyndale House paid all royalties that were due under the terms of our contract on his book, The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven,” the publisher said. “Tyndale took the book out of print in 2015 when Alex said that he had fabricated the entire story. Any books still available from online vendors are from third party sellers.” —Baptist Press

Poll finds slight progress in church racial diversity Protestant churches may be a little more diverse these days. And that’s a good thing, their pastors say. Eighty-one percent of Protestant pastors say their congregation is predominantly made up of one racial or ethnic group. That’s down from 86 percent four years ago, according to a new study from LifeWay Research. It’s a small but significant step in a nation where Sunday mornings often remain segregated, said Scott McConnell executive director of LifeWay Research. “Protestant churches are still mostly divided by race,” McConnell said. “But they’re heading in the right direction.” Lifeway Research surveyed 1,000 Protestant pastors last fall about racial diversity in their congregations—and then compared the results to a similar survey in 2013. In the most recent survey, 93 percent of pastors — including 80 percent who strongly agree — say every church should strive to achieve racial diversity. Four percent disagree. Three percent are not sure. Four years earlier, 85 percent of pastors agreed churches should strive for diversity. That included 66 percent who strongly agreed, while 12 percent disagreed and 3 percent weren’t sure. —LifeWay Research

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which features a six-and-a-half-minute description of Jesus Christ that has been played in thousands of churches over the decades. Trustees also approved Patterson’s recommendation to move the J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies in Houston to Sagemont Baptist Church, at the church’s invitation. The move will provide more accessible facilities. The board authorized

CHURCH POSITIONS PASTOR u McNeil BC is seeking a FT pastor for a rural church, located 6 miles northeast of Luling. Worship attendance runs 70-80. Send resume to Milton Shaw at McNeil Baptist Church, 14304 FM 1322, Luling, TX 78648 or [email protected]. u Calvary Hills BC, San Antonio, seeks a FT pastor. Our pastor recently retired after 19 years of ministry at CHBC. Send resume to CHBC, Pastor Search Committee, 910 W Loop 1604 N, San Antonio, TX 78251. u FBC Rocksprings is seeking a FT pastor. Experience, education and a heart for youth ministry very important. Parsonage is provided. Send resume to FBC Rocksprings, PO Box 438, Rocksprings, TX 78880 or [email protected]. u FBC Mixon is currently seeking a FT pastor. If you are interested in this position please email your resume to kareni@ fbcmixon.org or mail to FBC Mixon, attn: Pastor Search Committee, 4975 FM 177 E, Troup, TX 75789. u FBC Rusk is currently accepting resumes for a FT senior pastor. Send to FBC Rusk, Attn: David Fulton, PO Box 258, Rusk, TX 75785 or [email protected]. u FBC Bloomington is seeking a FT pastor. Parsonage provided. Send resume to Darrell Whitfield, PO Box 2025, Bloomington, TX 77951. u FBC Post is seeking a senior pastor. The church runs an average of 100 and has blended-style worship. Please contact Delbert Rudd for more information at [email protected]. u Crescent Valley BC is seeking FT or bi-vocational pastor for a small community church. Please send resume

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the school to sell the current Broadway campus. A proposed budget of $35,947,605 was approved for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, down from the previous year’s $36,833,962 figure. Faculty promotions were approved for Mike Wilkinson from assistant professor of theology to professor of theology; John Yeo from assistant professor of Old Testament to associate professor of Old Testament; Matthew McKellar from associate professor of preaching to professor of preaching; and Terri Stovall from associate profes-

sor of women’s ministries to professor of women’s ministries. Michael Crisp was approved to occupy the Edgar “Preacher” Hallock Chair of Baptist Student Work. Trustees also approved graduates for spring and summer commencement exercises, a new social media policy and a reduction in the bachelor of humanities and biblical studies degree from 129 to 125 hours. Kevin Ueckert, pastor of First Baptist Church of Georgetown, was re-elected chairman. Connie Hancock, pastor of Springboro Baptist Church of Spring-

to [email protected] or CVBC Pastor Search Committee, 6679 ST HWY 185, Victoria, TX 77905. u Avondale BC in Sweetwater is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. We are affiliated with the SBTC and committed to the BF&M 2000. Send resume to Crowley_aubrey@ yahoo.com. Cell: 325-242-6657. u New Hope BC in Gary is seeking a bivocational pastor. Seminary experience preferred. Contact pastor search committee at 903-685-2741. Send resume by May 1 to New Hope Search Committee, PO Box 137, Gary, TX 75643 or email [email protected].

music, experience with technology, ability to read music, play an instrument and an interest in stage productions. Those interested may submit a cover letter, resume and references to pastortommy@ ibcfam.org. u Anderson Mill BC in NW Austin is seeking a college student or graduate to serve as an interim PT student ministry leader. Contact Rod Minor at [email protected]. u Indian Creek BC in Mineral Wells seeks a PT minister of worship who will be responsible for the life of music within the church and should be sensitive to the worship needs of the congregation. He will plan, evaluate, and conduct a comprehensive music ministry. Send resume to [email protected]. u Friendship BC in Weatherford is seeking a PT music minister to lead a blended worship in a rural church averaging 100 people. Please send resume to info@ friendshipweatherford.com or Pastor Kevin Welborn, 801 Friendship Rd, Weatherford, TX 76085. Church: 817-594-5940. u FBC Lillian (close to Mansfield) is seeking a PT minister of music. Average worship attendance is 100. Blended worship style. Please send resume to [email protected]. u Shenandoah BC in Cedar Park is currently looking for a PT/bi-vocational worship leader to lead a blended worship service on Sunday mornings and to lead a few songs before Bible study on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. If you’re interested in this position, please contact Senior Pastor Jeff Moore at SeniorPastor@ ShenandoahBaptist.com. u New Hope Southern BC in Kaufman is currently looking for a PT/bi-vocational worship leader to lead a blended worship service on Sunday mornings and lead with an acoustic guitar. Send resume to Jeff Campbell at [email protected].

MUSIC u Northview BC in Bryan is seeking a FT worship pastor. Submit resume to [email protected] or Worship Pastor Search Team, 1809 Tabor Rd, Bryan, TX 77803. u Hillcrest BC of Jasper is seeking a FT music minister. Salary beginning at $60,000, depending on experience/education. If interested, send resume to Hillcrest Baptist Church, 3196 US Hwy 190 W, Jasper, TX 75951 or to [email protected]. u Central BC in Itasca is looking for a community-focused individual to serve as worship leader. The desire to engage the whole congregation in worship through music will be a crucial component of this individual’s make-up. We are looking for someone to be part of a growing but rural community. Send resume to Matt Dugan at [email protected]. u Immanuel BC, San Angelo, a multigenerational church, is seeking a FT minister of music with some additional responsibilities determined by his giftedness. Must have experience in choral

CLASSIFIEDS u FIRM Baptist Area is accepting resumes for the position of director of missions for the area made up of Falls, Independence, Robertson and Milam Associations. The ideal candidate will have multiple years of pastoral experience, a love for God’s Church and for the pastors that lead. Email resumes to [email protected]. FIRM area offices are located in Cameron, Texas. u Valley View Southern BC in Snowflake, AZ is receiving resumes for a bi-vocational pastor until June 30, 2018. The candidate must be A Southern Baptist pastor in full support of the Cooperative Program and our mission opportunities and must agree to the BF&M 2000. Valley View SBC is located in a small town of about 2500 residents in northeastern Arizona. The church runs 25 in Bible study and 40 in morning worship. Submit a resume to Pastor Search Team, Valley View Southern Baptist Church, 1212 South Main Street, Snowflake, AZ 85937 or email to JoAnn Calvin at [email protected]. u New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, Portales, NM, is seeking mission-minded married couples (including families with up to 2 minor children living at home) to serve as house parents. Kingdom focus and a willingness to grow is a must. In addition to 40k starting salary, we offer great benefits including housing, utilities, food, medical insurance, 403(b) retirement contributions, plus more. For more information, please call 575-359-1254 or visit our website at nmbch.com. u Emmanuel BC in Weatherford, OK is prayerfully seeking an experienced FT senior pastor. Send resume to Pastor Search Committee, Emmanuel Baptist Church, 719 North Kansas, Weatherford, OK 73096 or email to [email protected]. u Believers Southern BC in in suburban Wichita, KS is seeking a FT minister of music to lead our growing congregation of approximately 300 in blended worship. Please email resumes or recommendations to [email protected]. u FBC of Joplin, MO is searching for a FT children’s minister. With our recent relocation and new children’s facility, this is an exciting opportunity in a consistently growing church. Details at firstjoplin.org/jobs. u Taylor Memorial BC seeks a Hispanic (bi-lingual) church planter targeting 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics in Lea County New Mexico. For more information or to submit your resume please contact pastor Zach Souter at [email protected].

COMBINATION u FBC Leonard is seeking a FT associate pastor/minister of students. Please email resume to [email protected] or mail to First Baptist, PO Box 1146, Leonard, TX 75452. u Good Shepherd BC in Silsbee is seeking a bi-vocational youth and music minister to organize and lead music during the worship services, organize a choir if possible, and teach and lead the youth. Send resume to [email protected]. u Southside BC in Henderson is accepting resumes for a FT youth/children’s pastor. Send resume to Brodrick Burks, 794 CR 342, Henderson, TX 75654 or [email protected]. u East Paris BC is seeking a worship/ media pastor. Please submit resume to [email protected] or East Paris Baptist Church, attn: Pastor Donnie Edwards, 725 N Collegiate Dr, Paris, TX 75460. u FBC Woodsboro is looking for a FT youth/ associate pastor. Interested candidates can send their resume to Jordan.newberry22@ gmail.com. STUDENTS u Hyde Park BC in Austin is seeking a FT student pastor to provide leadership to both the main and satellite campuses. Send resume to Frank Hixon at [email protected]. u College Hills BC in San Angelo is seeking a FT pastor to students to oversee the college ministry but primarily to disciple

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boro, Ohio, was elected vice-chairman and Philip Levant, pastor of Iglesia Bautista La Vid of Hurst, was elected secretary. All officers were elected by acclamation.

youth (6th-12th grades). Salary based on experience. To request an application call 325-949-5788 or email info@collegehillsbc. org. Applications are accepted until June 1, 2018. u South Side BC in Abilene is seeking a college pastor to assist the lead pastor by leading the college ministry, but will have additional associate responsibilities. Please contact [email protected] for more information. u Southside BC in Bowie is seeking a FT youth minister. Within commuting distance to DFW and Wichita Falls. Established youth program and very supportive congregation. Send resume to [email protected]. u FBC of McAllen is seeking a FT minister of students for grades 7-12. Salary is between $35,000-45,000 based on education and experience. Resumes and/or questions may be sent to [email protected]. u FBC Quitman is accepting resumes for PT youth minister. Please email a resume to [email protected], or mail to PO Box 1887, Quitman, TX 75783. u FBC of Gholson (Waco) seeks a PT youth minister to direct and evaluate a comprehensive ministry within the church directed toward youth and families. Please send your resume to James Stevens at [email protected] or call/text questions to 254-709-7273. u Antioch BC of Lovelady seeks a PT youth pastor to develop, implement and coordinate a comprehensive ministry that enables the church to fulfill its mission of reaching and teaching youth and their families. Email resume to jonathan. [email protected]. CHILDREN u Hyde Park BC in Austin is seeking a FT children’s minister to oversee both the main and satellite campuses. Send resume to Frank Hixon at [email protected]. u FBC Henderson is seeking a FT children’s minister. Send resume to David Higgs, 207 W Main St, Henderson, TX 75652 or email to [email protected]. OTHER u Nehemiah’s Vision, Inc. is seeking a FT assistant executive director for operations in the Disaster Recovery Rebuild Ministry, at the home office in Vidor, TX. Please call 409-617-1038 and/or send resume to Julie Reid at [email protected] u A 10-15 hours per week pastoral intern position is being offered by Good Shepherd Community Church, located in the center of Dallas. Receive training in worship service construction, theology and preaching with hands-on practice in evangelism, visitation and teaching. Call Jeff Gregory with any questions at 214-324-9915. Send resume to [email protected]. u The Mount Church in Keller is seeking a church planter who will serve on the ministry staff during the equipping phase for 6-12 months. During the preparation and launch phase, the church planting pastor will build and develop a launch team, launch the church and lead as the lead pastor and primary teaching pastor. Send resume to [email protected]. u Normandale BC in west Fort Worth is seeking an administrative assistant. If you have a passion to assist a church in making disciples in big ways, contact Pastor John at [email protected].

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TEXANS HELP MEXICO CITY TEAM STRIVE FOR GLOBAL IMPACT

A dozen people work together to equip new believers to take the gospel to unreached pockets of Mexico City and the world.

By Erin Roach TEXAN Correspondent MEXICO CITY When you’re a team of 12, how do you even start to reach a city of more than 28 million people? That’s a question Todd Beel’s team in Mexico City asks itself a lot. He and fellow IMB missionaries in the megacity hail from places ranging from Colombia to Cuba and from Korea to Texas. They represent a diverse collection of backgrounds and skillsets all working together. Some work with young families, others specialize in theological training, or working with university students. Some team members are single, some are married and some have children. But they all have one vision—to see the world worship Jesus, and for it to start right where they are. “This is a massive city,” Beel, the team leader, said. “There are

unreached people and places within it, and we want to take the gospel to those places.” The team is seeing it start to happen already, and they’re seeing new believers catch a vision for reaching the nations. That’s exactly what they pray for. “Because this is a worldclass city, it has connections around the world and people are coming and going every day, so this city has a reach worldwide,” Beel said. Beel’s wife, Anne, grew up in Houston. He attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Fisher, Texas, in the Hill Country, was their base for about eight years when they returned to the United States, and they plan to spend their next stateside assignment in Houston, he told the TEXAN. From the Beels’ home in Mexico City, they can spot planes coming in every five minutes or so. “Each time, that’s another couple hundred people

IMB missionaries pray that God removes the veil that prevents unbelievers from knowing him and place a burden on their hearts for him and for the truth of God’s Word.

“Because this is a world-class city, it has connections around the world and people are coming and going every day, so this city has a reach worldwide.” —TODD BEEL, IMB MISSIONARY

coming in from Europe, multiple cities across Europe, cities across South America, many cities in the United States and Canada,” Beel said. Each time one lands, the vast city opens its arms to a little more diversity, and each time the task of reaching them for Christ gets a little bigger. But that’s exactly why the team is compelled to be there. “Those are people coming and going all day long for business, work, sports and study,” Beel said. “It’s kind of like, ‘Who has the Lord brought to this city today who needs to be reached with the gospel?’ Many of them are coming

from unreached people groups around the world.” And as those planes leave again, they could be taking the gospel back with them, he said. That’s the hope of the team, a dozen people working together to equip new believers to take the gospel to unreached pockets of Mexico City and the world. Will Wright, a 20-something who recently joined the team, said it’s a big vision, but at the micro level, he can already see God at work. Wright has been working to build a strategy to reach the city’s universities, and in getting to know the students, a recent conversation turned

into a four-hour discussion about the gospel. The next thing he knew, a young man named Daniel chose Christ over all the other things that had seemed good in his life before. “Within a very short amount of time, there’s drastic changes in his life,” Wright said. “He’s wanting to live for the Lord. I see him broken over the sins of other people. I see him with a passion that other people come to know the Lord.” Wright, Beel and others are praising God for those kinds of transformations and hoping to fan the flames of that kind of passion into a fire that reaches the whole world for Christ. “I’m just excited to think about the potential in what may be happening in the years to come, not only within but also without, as the people of the city, those who will come to know the Lord or already do, are mobilized to make a difference,” Beel said.

Livestream for MLK50 surpasses 1 million views By Tom Strode Baptist Press MEMPHIS, TENN. An evangelical Christian conference honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. found an audience that far surpassed even the 4,000 people gathered April 3-4 at the Memphis Convention Center. The number of views of the conference’s proceedings by live video streaming exceeded one million, The Gospel Coalition (TGC) announced April 9. By comparison, TGC’s 2017 national conference recorded 57,000 livestream views, according to the organization. The massive online audience viewed the event—“MLK50: Gospel Reflections From the

Mountaintop”—on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of King, the leading light of the civil rights movement who was shot down April 4, 1968, in Memphis. TGC and the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) co-hosted the conference, which was held in conjunction with many remembrances in Memphis of King. The conference not only honored King’s life and ministry but assessed the state of racial justice in America and what is required to achieve unity. Rooting their appeals in the gospel of Christ, speakers and panelists told the Memphis and online audiences that Christians must pay a price

to gain racial unity and white evangelicals need to repent of their failures on the issue. Conference organizers pointed to the work of God and a new desire to overcome racism in explaining the livestream popularity of the conference. “We earnestly planned for this event for almost two years, but we attribute the high attendance and incredibly big livestream audience to a movement of the Spirit of God,” said Daniel Darling, the ERLC’s vice president for communications. “This moment—50 years since the death of Dr. King—and the rising racial tension in America have brought us to a unique place. “There is a fresh hunger among believers to see the church of Je-

sus Christ live out the gospel and display what the multi-ethnic kingdom of God looks like,” Darling told Baptist Press in written comments. “We are overjoyed that God has given us an opportunity to obey the gospel demands and work for racial justice in our communities. We hope that this event is just the beginning of a movement of repentance and action in churches and communities across the country.” The conference included the announcement of an initiative and the collection of an offering to benefit Memphis: u Conference hosts unveiled the MLK50 Dream Forward Scholarship Initiative, which will enable minority students in Memphis to receive financial

aid to participating Christian colleges, universities and seminaries. As of April 12, $1.516 million had been raised, with more than 20 schools participating. Several are Southern Baptist seminaries and Baptist colleges or universities. More schools are expected to join in the effort. u Attendees gave to an offering for the Memphis Christian Pastors Network during the conference. The offering to the network, a multi-ethnic coalition seeking to foster racial unity and meet needs in the city, totaled $17,082 as of April 12. Video of the conference’s keynote sessions—as well as audio or video of the breakout sessions— is available at thegospelcoalition. org/conference/mlk50.

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sbtexan

AFTER SBC 2018, VISIT YOUR SEMINARY IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

• SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY • 110 Years of Service • 8 Presidents • 47,000 Graduates • 7.5 Billion Reasons • 1 Unwavering Passion... to reach the lost by equipping God-called men and women for ministries that fulfill the Great Commission and glorify God.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

• Complimentary round-trip transportation from convention center • Complimentary Texas barbeque for the first 3,000 guests • Open House – 200 acres of Baptist history including Lottie Moon’s house from P’ingtu, China; a state-of-the-art library housing fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls; Martyrs’ Walk, commemorating SBC martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice to spread the Gospel; and a simulated Qumran archaeology dig site (children get to excavate!) • A Conversation with Living Legends– past SBC presidents during the Conservative Resurgence (1979-2000) discuss the “Battle for the Bible”

THURSDAY, JUNE 14

• Open House – you own the campus; come explore it! • Texas hospitality

Register at swbts.edu/sbc2018

facebook.com/swbts

@swbts

@southwesternseminary

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CATCHING UP AND LOOKING UP WITH BILL SUTTON A self-described ‘traditionalist’ looks to the future By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent McALLEN At 6-foot-2, 75-yearold Bill Sutton towers over most people in more ways than can be measured by a yardstick. The TEXAN interviewed the veteran preacher and a leader in the Conservative Resurgence at McAllen’s Trinity Baptist, where he began pastoring in 2010, two years after his retirement from First Baptist of McAllen. Sutton, a preacher’s kid who never wanted to be a preacher, enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after failing a U.S. Army physical because of old football injuries. He graduated from SWBTS in 1967, meeting his future wife just before his final semester. When the TEXAN caught up with him recently, he was planning to go to one of several businesses he runs with his sons and was sporting a denim shirt, jeans and ball cap, typical Rio Grande Valley farmer attire that would never find its way into his pulpit. “I am a traditionalist,” said Sutton, who wears a suit every Sunday. “A coat covers a lot of fat. Most preachers look a lot better in a coat and tie than they do in a polo shirt and jeans,” he added, chuckling. Names evoking Baptist history trip lightly off Sutton’s tongue. Vance Havner and Homer Lindsay, Sr. visited his childhood and adult homes during revivals. R.G. Lee conducted the wedding ceremonies for Sutton and his wife, Martha, and for Martha’s parents. His father-in-law was Lee’s physician and friend. Sutton pastored FBC McAllen from 1986-2008 and served

on the SBTC Executive Board during the early days of the convention. He had been retired for about two years when Trinity called. Attendance ran about 60 “on a good day” when he arrived but has since doubled. Sutton’s tenure has featured the relocation of the 75-yearold church from a landlocked urban site to a 10-acre property fronting Freddy Gonzales Road, a prime tract carved from the dairy farm of the deacon who donated the property and whose home is next door. A predominantly Asian church also uses the facility. Trinity’s neatly painted building sits back on a manicured lawn with a color-matching portable structure behind. To the side, playground equipment, given by a bank that acquired it from a restaurant,

is being painted and artificial turf laid beneath. A new blue mosaic tile baptistry with a fountain, visible from the road, graces the building’s front. “Baptisms ought to be public,” said Sutton, who likes baptizing outside. The baptistry was paid for by donations. “People just continued to give. We never asked for money.” A church’s curbside appearance is important, he said. “Go look at the local Mormon assembly hall. They keep their property up great. No Mormon church, which doesn’t preach the gospel, should have a better appearance than the church that does preach the gospel,” he said. Sutton knows his age and music preferences limit the demographic the church will easily reach. Attracting some younger people with “a missionary spirit” may be key, he said.

“I am just doing what I know to do. What I’ve done. There is a community that likes that. I’m not competing with any other church. I am competing against the devil. He’s got his hand in everybody’s pocket he can stick it in,” he said. When Sutton arrived, Trinity gave about $1,200 per year through the Cooperative Program; now the church gives $12,000. Sutton was at Florida’s First Baptist Pine Hills (now First Baptist Central Florida) in the 1970s at the dawn of the Conservative Resurgence and recalls meetings throughout the denomination among likeminded preachers fearful of increasing denominational liberalism. His Florida church ran a bus from Orlando to Atlanta for gatherings. Preachers needing a ride stood along the highway, waving white handkerchiefs. “All the way through Georgia, we’d pick ‘em up and never charge a dime,” Sutton recalled. The bus would be full by Atlanta, where Bill Powell and others would speak. After Adrian Rogers, a friend then pastoring in Florida, was called to Bellevue Baptist in Memphis, “it became easier for guys of our persuasion to get into large pulpits,” Sutton said. “That thing began to snowball,” he said of the resurgence, and soon well-known Baptist pastors—“big boys,” as he calls them—joined. “The big boys weren’t the infantry. They didn’t start it. But … when it came time to have officers for the infantry, they stepped in and that’s when the thing began to march.” When asked if younger Southern Baptist preachers understand the theological battles of a generation before, Sutton expressed doubt: “The people behind us were never in the fight and they don’t know what we bled and died for. They don’t know what it was like.” He laments the loss of the days when preachers would stay a week at his home during revivals. He grew up in contact with great men of faith and tried to provide the same for his children. Personally know-

ing men like R.G. Lee accounts for some of his denominational loyalty, an intimacy now practically lost, gone the way of week-long revivals. “We don’t have revivals. We have people come in Saturday night, preach Sunday morning and they’re gone,” he said. Among other heartaches, Sutton admitted, was seeing his alma mater, Baylor, and other Baptist colleges leave the convention. Sutton laments the loss of denominational spirit among Baptists, the kind of unity he experienced when fighting for orthodoxy. He fears that Baptist history and heritage will be lost. To address this, he is working with Bob Pearle, pastor of Fort Worth’s Birchman Baptist, on a devotional book to highlight great moments in Baptist history. Modern schedules and family commitments have diluted denominational loyalty and encouraged detachment, Sutton said. “I was born in a Baptist hospital. I went home to a Baptist parsonage. I went to a Baptist college. I went to a Baptist seminary. I am tied,” Sutton said, adding he believes that younger members don’t feel the same sense of “indebtedness” as did prior generations. Revivals and even Sunday night services seem things of the past, he said, because people don’t have time. The changing paradigm of Baptist life is one reason he retired from FBC McAllen. “I saw all this coming and I didn’t like it,” he said. “I didn’t want to fight it.” Even so, Sutton is cautiously optimistic about the future of the SBC and SBTC, calling the formation of the SBTC— which he served as inaugural vice president—unavoidable. Otherwise, “all that would have happened was people like me would have given lip service to the denomination and pastored an independent Baptist church.” The lack of denominational commitment motivates his work on the devotional book. If a generation does not “know history,” it will “relearn history from experience,” he said.

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ROWLETT CHURCH PLANT, BUOYED BY CP, GIVES BACK By Kay Adkins TEXAN Correspondent ROWLETT In mid-March, the 130-member congregation at Rowlett Friendship Baptist Church celebrated its second anniversary—an event Pastor Alton McKinley credits in part to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and Cooperative Program support. McKinley had been serving as an associate pastor under Pastor Terry Turner at Mesquite Friendship Baptist, the mother church of RFBC. Three years ago, they began planning a church plant, and in March 2016, the Rowlett church launched with McKinley leading as a bi-vocational pastor. A full-time employee at the Veterans Administration, one of McKinley’s challenges as a church planter is time. After a full day at his job, he invests another four or five hours doing church work “in study as well as just making sure the church is open for business,” he said. Describing the labor involved in planting a church, McKinley

said: “You are establishing every ministry until that ministry is up and running—even the nursery. In an established church, the ministries and the bylaws and procedures are already in place. In a plant, the pastor has to establish all of that. “Four out of 10 church plants do not succeed,” he said adding, “It is only with the support of the SBTC, and churches that support the SBTC and the Cooperative Program that, two years in, we are still a vital church plant.” Through CP, the Rowlett church has received financial support, mentoring support and a much-needed weekend retreat for McKinley and his wife. The SBTC’s Church Planter Retreat, held in San Antonio last spring, provided training and refreshment to 200 pastors and their wives, all free of charge because of CP funding. McKinley said, “It was an opportunity for my wife and myself to just relax, refocus and reenergize. You don’t know what a blessing it is until you see other church planters who are

Church planters and their spouses gathered for this year’s Church Planting Retreat in the Hill Country of Texas. PHOTO BY CALEB LASATER

struggling with the same things you’re struggling with, and you are able to sit down and discuss things that will make you better in your ministry, make you better in the kingdom.” He added, “It was a powerful weekend for me and my wife.” In one impactful breakout session for McKinley, church planting pastor Damon Halliday talked about the need for persistence. The pastor of Key-

stone Fellowship Church in Fort Worth recounted how in five years, after persistently getting the word out, passing out fliers and serving hotdogs at community outings, the church now has more than 600 attending. It resonated with McKinley. “I looked back over the last year and saw how our persistence got us from 60 to 130. We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing.” RFBC now enjoys a bless-

ing: Being able to help support other churches through their own CP giving. “Our church is overwhelmed that a church plant less than two years old is now giving to support other churches. My wife and I have benefited from CP giving, and we are advocates for it. Any church not doing it, you are missing out on a blessing for someone else and for yourself in advancing the kingdom.”

Get equipped to do the work Equip Conference helps churches get vital training to fulfill their gospel mandate By Karen L. Willoughby TEXAN Correspondent

Participants come away from Equip each year with more enthusiasm, knowledge and tools to do the gospel work of local churches, organizers say. This year’s Equip Conference, planned for Aug. 11 at North Richland Hills Baptist Church, will include 91 speakers and 254 breakout sessions, said Mark Yoakum, director of church ministries for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. “The purpose is to train all church leaders,” Yoakum told the TEXAN. “We say it’s ‘Leadership training for all aspects of ministry.’” Equip, where eight conferences were combined a decade ago to become a one-stop event, has grown steadily each year, and last year saw 1,400 people from the SBTC’s 2,650 churches, Yoakum said. “The biggest satisfaction is NORTH RICHLAND HILLS

the excitement of the leaders as they leave, knowing they now know what to do and are excited to go back into their church to serve,” Yoakum said. “The SBTC exists to serve the Baptist churches of Texas, and training church lay leaders to do the ministry of the church is of utmost importance.” Equip is held in even-numbered years (such as 2018) in the northern half of Texas, and in odd-numbered years in the southern half of the state. Several pastors and church staff members spoke of the satisfaction they receive from taking church members to Equip, no matter if they come with one or two church members or a whole busload. “The value of this training is that it trains up leaders,” Scott Maze, pastor of North Richland Hills Baptist Church, told the TEXAN. “For every person who says they want to do a par-

ticular ministry in the church, Equip provides the ‘this is how you need to do this.’ “We want leaders from every strata, every generation, learning, getting new tools and fresh motivation as well,” continued the pastor, who had led several breakouts over the years. “We have experienced people from all over Texas and the South leading, which normally would be very costly both in money and the volunteers’ time. To hear a different voice teaching, training, educating and equipping? It’s invaluable.” Karen Tayne, family minister for preschool at MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Irving, said she would be leading four breakouts this year, her first time to teach at Equip. “I enjoy being able to invest in others as well as hear what is happening in local churches,” Tayne told the TEXAN. “As a presenter, it is exciting to equip

and encourage those in the field. Equip, which has training available on every area of ministry, is a wonderful opportunity to hear the latest trends and be reminded of the basics.” Several church leaders spoke of a continual increase over the years in the effectiveness of their Sunday School and other ministry programs because of things learned at Equip. “Our members are always excited to go to Equip, and inspired and excited by being there,” said Terry Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church in Mesquite. A frequent presenter in the men’s and pastors’ tracks, and with his wife, Nancy, in the marriage and family track, he will typically take about 40 people to Equip. “It’s a great time of knowledge as well as to enjoy time with other churches and to be blessed by some great teachers,” Turner said. “It gives our church a chance to have fellowship with other believers and with each other.” The one-day, six-hour event includes a Chick-Fil-A box lunch. North Richland Hills Baptist Church will have ample signs to help attendees find session locations. Each breakout room will have audio-video

equipment, Maze said. “The Lord has blessed us with a 200,000 square-foot property with enclosed heat and air,” the pastor said. “This is the big training, all in one house: Men’s, women’s, security, educating teens, children. It’s a one-stop shop.” Keynote speaker this year is David Fleming, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, a multicultural, multi-site church that has helped plant churches in New Orleans, Seattle, St. Louis, Long Island, Haiti and Chile. The featured ministry categories—each of which have several breakouts—include children, preschool, children’s music, preteen, student, collegiate, adult Sunday School, adult home groups, single adults, men, women, discipleship, family, communication, technology, worship, Asian, Hispanic and Black equipping churches, evangelism, SENT missions, ESL, leadership, library and pastoral. Cost: $10/person if paid before Aug. 6; $15 after, and at the door. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Aug. 11; general session starts at 9 a.m. Childcare will not be provided. For more information see sbtexas.com/equip or call Yoakum at 817-552-2500.

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SMALL-TOWN CHURCH REMAINS TOWN HUB By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent CARBON Jody and Wendy Forbus left their small hometown of Carbon, Texas, in 1989, intending never to return permanently. They came back eight years later to take over a start-up church, among the first supported by the fledgling Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Today, Carbon Community Baptist Church continues strong, with 150 active members from Carbon, Gorman and Eastland: a hub of energy in a town with a population under 230. “It all happened nearly at the same time,” Jody Forbus told the TEXAN. “When the SBTC was forming, we were forming as well… so was our association [Cross Timbers Baptist Association].” Forbus praised the SBTC’s “instrumental” assistance in the church’s early years, calling the convention’s provision of a building grant and monthly support, “our survival.” Forbus assumed leadership in May 1997 of the small congregation pastored for eight months by Buck Landingham. Forbus knew the members; the nucleus attended a Friday night Bible study he had driven from Stephenville to teach the prior year. His parents were among that original group which met in an abandoned peanut weigh station. The years were unkind to Carbon. When the peanut industry dried up and the school district was absorbed by Eastland ISD, people pulled up stakes. “We once had five churches here,” Forbus said. “Now there are only two, a full gospel church and ours.” When the “faithful few” decided to start a church from the Bible study

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group, Forbus told them to find a pastor. Landingham came. With $5,000 donated by a relative of local businessman Ike Whitson, the group bought the abandoned threestory school with its gymnasium and 14 acres from Eastland ISD. After Landingham left, the church called Forbus, who packed up his family and came home. The large old school building was dilapidated, its windows broken, its third floor home to roosting pigeons for years. “You can imagine the mess,” Forbus said. Help arrived from an Abilene congregation, who sent teams to assist in the clean-up, an effort facilitated by Forbus’s father-in-law, Dwaine Clower, pastor of Pioneer Baptist Church in Cross Plains and Cross Timbers director of missions. CCBC converted a classroom for worship, adding a piano and pulpit before Landingham’s departure. The school proved problematic to heat and cool, prompting the church to quickly launch a building project with a grant from the SBTC. The structure was later expanded, with SBTC help. The school is still used part of the year. The once pigeon-infested third floor serves as a dormitory for two three-day overnight camps for preteens and secondary students sponsored by the church each June since 2000. A K2nd grade day camp is held between the preteen and youth camps. Campers enjoy swimming in the pool and the one-acre tank adjacent to the gym, bouncing on an inflatable blob in water dyed vivid turquoise for camp. “The camp is for kids who could not afford to go to camp,” said Wendy Forbus, adding that an annual spring commu-

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Jody and Wendy Forbus (right) assist customer Don Massengill at the Carbon Ag & Outdoors. Jody, pastor of Carbon Community Baptist Church, said he and his wife purchased the local business as a way to further connect with their community. “This ag center is an outreach. When we bought it, our mindset was to reach the community,” devoting “our lives to Carbon.” PHOTO BY JANE RODGERS

Summer campers zipline above the tank at Carbon Community Baptist Church. PHOTO COURTESY OF CCBC

nity fun run/5K provides scholarships. Camp is the capstone of a children’s and youth program to which the church busses dozens of kids from nearby Eastland for a Wednesday night meal and activities. But on New Year’s Day 2006, such outreach nearly went up in flames. “As we came out of church Sunday morning … someone said it looked like a big thunderstorm was headed our way,” Jody recalled. The thunderstorm was actually an enormous wildfire which swept east of Hwy. 183, “shaving off Carbon,” destroying 60 homes, including the Forbus residence outside town. This baptism-by-fire saw CCBC become a distribution and collection center for donations. Although they had lost everything, the Forbuses, like many residents, rebuilt. Jody recalled encouraging visits from Jim Richards, SBTC executive director. “Dr. Richards gave me a full [set] of commentaries, Genesis to Revelation, because I had lost all of my books. We had a revival and he preached,” said Jody, who is now chief of the Carbon Volunteer Fire Department, which holds fundraisers at the church twice yearly. Five years ago, the Forbuses made a further commitment to the community by purchasing a local business: Carbon Agri Center, now Carbon Ag & Outdoors. The all-purpose hardware, feed store, agricultural supplier, deer processing plant and fertilizer company has become a hub as locals gather

“Dr. Richards gave me a full [set] of commentaries, Genesis to Revelation, because I had lost all of my books. We had a revival and he preached.” —JODY FORBUS, SPEAKING ABOUT THE SBTC’S OUTREACH TO HIS CHURCH AFTER A WILDFIRE DESTROYED MUCH OF HIS COMMUNITY IN 2006

for coffee mornings and afternoons in a town whose last eatery closed years ago. “They like the free coffee,” Jody chuckled, adding, “This ag center is an outreach. When we bought it, our mindset was to reach the community,” devoting “our lives to Carbon.” The purchase enabled Jody to resign as a contractor for a healthcare company and stay in town rather than traveling. Congregational growth coincided with the acquisition of the business. Now with a bi-vocational associate pastor and youth volunteers, and a revamped deacon structure, the church is populated mostly by adults in their forties and younger, including many new believers. “We baptized 22 last year,” Jody said of his congregation of ranchers and farmers, their land dotted with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush each spring: signs of new life near a church filled with the same.

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MIKE GONZALES TO BE NOMINATED SBC FIRST VICE PRESIDENT By TEXAN Staff DALLAS Mike Gonzales, director of Hispanic Ministries for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, will be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Texas pastor Juan Sanchez announced April 18. Gonzales served as a missionary to Spain for 15 years with the International Mission Board and later became an IMB trustee from 2005 to 2013 with committee assignments relating to the regions of East Asia, Europe, South America, American Peoples and European Peoples. Gonzales led mission and crusade trips to Australia, Mexico and Cuba. Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin and SBTC president, said of Gonzales, “Mike has been a faithful brother and faithful missionary; he has a daughter on the mission field. I think that speaks volumes, not just of the character of someone but of a

basic parenting commitment.” His pastoral experience includes Primera Iglesia Bautista Mike Gonzales of Pleasant Grove in Dallas and Primera Iglesia Bautista in Cameron. He also served as a minister of music and youth for La Loma Baptist Mission in Fort Worth, Mision Bautista el Calvario in Dallas and Primera Iglesia Bautista in Wichita Falls. Gonzales served as an ethnic consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas Evangelism department, area director of retirement services and church marketing at GuideStone Financial Services and director of missions for Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association in Weslaco before joining the SBTC staff in 2004. Noting the relatively rapid growth of Latin American Christianity, Sanchez contin-

“My relationship with Mike has grown as we try to encourage these Hispanic pastors on the front line as they pastor their churches, care for their families and face [a wide variety of ministry challenges]. That’s why I think the work Mike is doing is important work.” —JUAN SANCHEZ, PASTOR OF HIGH POINTE BAPTIST CHURCH IN AUSTIN AND SBTC PRESIDENT

ued, “I have a real concern for equipping pastors in North America. That is what Mike is doing through the SBTC. The Hispanic pastor in North America, in Texas, has a very hard life. My relationship with Mike has grown as we try to encourage these Hispanic pastors on the front line as they pastor their churches, care for their families and face [a wide variety of ministry challenges]. That’s why I think the work Mike is doing is important work.” Gonzales served on the Board of the Baptist Spanish

Publishing House Foundation from 2000-2004 and 20152018, having just completed a year as president. Gonzales was tapped to serve on the national Hispanic Task Force for the North American Mission Board from 2004-2005 and the SBC Executive Committee Hispanic Advisory Council from 20112015. He also served as a trustee of Howard Payne University from 2002-2004. A member of First Baptist Church of Colleyville, the church reports baptizing 80 in 2017. First Baptist gives approximately 10 percent of its

undesignated receipts to missions annually, the church told Baptist Press. For the church’s 2016-2017 fiscal year, it reported 2.2 percent in Great Commission Giving, including 1.7 percent through the Cooperative Program out of $4.3 million in undesignated receipts. That CP total included gifts through both the SBTC and the BGCT. Gonzales earned two degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, including the M.Div. and M.A. in missiology. He was awarded a B. A. from Howard Payne University and also received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from HPU. He also serves as a frequent Spanish language columnist for Baptist Press, the news services of the SBC Executive Committee. Gonzales and his wife, Dalia, have one daughter and two granddaughters. Their daughter serves with her husband in Spain where they are IMB missionaries.

SBC candidates announced for first and second VP By Baptist Press DALLAS California pastor A.B. Vines will be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, according to former SBC President Johnny Hunt. Pastor of New Seasons Church in San Diego for the past 13 years, Vines has shepherded the church from being an African American congregation of 67 members to becoming a multiethnic church of 1,800 members with five campuses, including Arabic- and Spanish-language campuses, according to information provided by Hunt and the church. Vines currently serves as president of the California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC) and trustee at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). A former president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC, Vines has chaired the SBC’s Credentials Committee and served on the Committee on Committees. In 2017, New Seasons recorded 14 baptisms and an average worship attendance of 578 at its primary campus, according to the church. For 2016—the last year for which data is available from the SBC’s Annual Church Profile—New Seasons classified $127,737 as Great Commission

Giving, 16.5 percent of the church’s undesignated receipts. Included in that figure are community feeding and clothing ministries, at least two church plants, mission work in Africa and support of a school in the Philippines, the church said. By convention action in 2011, the SBC defined Great Commission Giving as comprising “contributions to any Baptist association, Baptist state convention, and causes and entities of the Southern Baptist Convention.” New Seasons told BP it gave $6,000 through the Cooperative Program in 2017, approximately .8 percent of its undesignated receipts. It reported an additional $2,500 in giving to its local Baptist association and nearly $80,000 in total missions giving amid a building program that increased designated receipts. Prior to the building program, the church had given $32,170 through CP in 2014, according to the California convention and ACP data. Vines told BP he “would love to support” SBC causes with larger monetary gifts, “but due to the fact that a lot of the SBC entities do not have a clear sense of the African American context and our African American experiences, I have to go and develop my own [ministries] so I can support those that

are important to our community and to our culture.” If elected, Vines said, “I’m going to encourage” the convention to “bring excluded groups to the table” and “realize that different cultures have different needs and situations, and you can’t pigeonhole everybody into one box.” Vines serves on advisory boards for the ERLC and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Center for Pastoral Leadership and Preaching. He was a member of SBC Executive Committee African American Advisory Council and serves on the EC’s permanent Convention Advancement Advisory Council. He holds a doctor of ministry degree and a master’s degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary in Camilla, Ga., and an undergraduate degree from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Oklahoma pastor Felix Cabrera will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Alabama pastor Ed Litton announced. A Puerto Rico native, Cabrera planted Spanish-speaking Iglesia Bautista Central (IBC) in Oklahoma City in 2015 and has seen the congregation grow from about 12 in worship attendance to more than 200, according to information released

by the church. Cabrera also is co-founder of the Hispanic Baptist Pastors Alliance and founder of the RED 1:8 Church Planting Network, which has helped plant 34 churches over the past five years in North America, Puerto Rico, Latin America and Spain. Cabrera, 39, is among the “powerful young leaders of a new generation that leave me with an impression of hope for the SBC’s future,” said Litton, a former SBC Pastors’ Conference president. “He demonstrates to me the beauty of God’s diverse, multiethnic church and he is exactly the kind of man that we should be learning from and following.” During Cabrera’s pastorate, IBC has been recognized twice by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) for being among the state’s top churches in baptisms per capita, IBC reported. The congregation baptized 10 people each of the past two years, according to data from the SBC’s Annual Church Profile (ACP). IBC has classified 15 percent of its undesignated receipts for 2018 as Great Commission Giving, including 7 percent through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified program of funding missions and ministries in North America and across the globe.

During its first two years as an independent congregation, IBC gave 7.9 percent and 9.4 percent respectively of its undesignated receipts through CP, according to a report from the church confirmed by the BGCO and ACP data. Amid a move in 2017 to “a new, higher-cost facility,” IBC stated, the church’s Great Commission Giving decreased temporarily to approximately 5 percent and CP giving to 2.9 percent. Cabrera has served on the SBC’s Resolutions Committee and Committee on Committees as well as the ERLC’s Leadership Council and LifeWay Christian Resources’ Hispanic Pastoral Council. Additionally, he is part of Southern Baptists’ Hispanic Leaders Council, a group comprising leaders of various Southern Baptist Hispanic ministries seeking to bring focus and cooperation to their work. Cabrera holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico, a master of arts in pastoral counseling from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of arts in church planting from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Cabrera is pursuing a doctor of ministry degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as an adjunct professor in the Spanish-language graduate program.

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NEB., TENN. DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD By Samantha Gobba WORLD NASHVILLE Nebraska and Tennessee this month joined more than a dozen states that have cut funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, a pro-life campaign that has seen mixed results. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts approved a budget that prohibits Title X funding from going to abortion providers, directing $1.9 million toward centers that neither refer for nor perform abortions. Planned Parenthood criticized the move, saying it would “block health

care” for at least 8,000 people. But Nebraska Right to Life director Julie Schmit-Albin said the law will prevent “illegal melding of Title X funds to support abortion activities.” Use of federal funds to perform abortions or to fund entities that perform abortions is prohibited by federal law, but Planned Parenthood claims it uses its $60 million in Title X funding and $390 million in Medicaid reimbursements for other services. In part because of that claim, many states’ efforts to direct Medicaid or Title X funding away from the abortion giant are tied up in court battles.

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sins, God will hear us and will forgive our sin and heal our land.” Hundreds of seminary students will CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 converge on Southwestern Baptist where God commands, to stand for gospel Theological Seminary in Fort Worth the truth amid conflicting cultural trends and week prior to the annual meeting, partnering with area churches to present to audibly speak the gospel to the world. “As my former evangelism professor the gospel to neighbors. On Friday, June Roy Fish always said, ‘You can’t serve 8, evangelism training will be offered to Jesus with a zipped lip,’” Gaines told BP. Crossover volunteers at nine “launch” “It is our prayer that Southern Baptists churches spread across Dallas-Fort will be challenged to boldly testify of Worth with compassion ministries and direct evangelism occurring Saturday. the work that Christ has done for us.” Crossover concludes at Harvest AmerAttending the meeting will offer spiritual and practical benefits, said Gaines, ica at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with who completes his second year as SBC an evangelistic message by Greg Laurie. Registration for Crossover is available at president in June. “As we meet we will conduct business harvestamerica.com/crossover. Additional annual meeting details and hear from each of our entities, but most importantly we are going to come are available at sbcannualmeeting.net, together to cry out to the Lord,” Gaines including registration for messengers, said. “Our country needs a spiritual childcare for preschoolers and children, awakening, and if we humble ourselves, and a listing of events including the Paspray, seek his face and turn from our tors’ Conference June 10-11.

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2018 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, 2018. 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.

“The policy doesn’t directly name Planned Parenthood and, legally, they can still compete for the funds. But they are a bottom tier contender, and during the last seven years, no Title X funds have been directed by the state of Tennessee to Planned Parenthood facilities anywhere in our state.” —BRIAN HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF TENNESSEE RIGHT TO LIFE

Undeterred by those challenges, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed two pieces of legislation that defund Planned Parenthood in different ways. The first bill codifies an administrative policy from 2011 that prioritizes federally qualified health centers over other facilities, including abortion providers. Brian Harris, director of Tennessee Right to Life, said the state has 187 federally qualified health centers, and only four Planned Parenthood facilities. The health centers “are far more accessible and offer comprehensive services,” he said. Tennessee’s policy has directed $1.1 million away from Planned Parenthood every year, without directly targeting the abortion giant. “The policy doesn’t directly name Planned Parenthood and, legally, they can still compete for the funds,” Harris noted. “But they are a bottom tier contender, and during the last seven years, no Title X funds have been directed by the state of Tennessee to Planned Parenthood facilities anywhere in our state.” The second law could face a tough legal challenge, as it blocks state funds from going to abortion providers. Similar measures in other states have had

mixed success. Of the 16 states that have either legislatively or judicially redirected some or all funding from Planned Parenthood to other entities, at least a half-dozen have had federal judges block the laws. The clash over funding has gone all the way to Washington: At the end of 2016, the Obama administration issued an order prohibiting states from withholding Title X funds from abortion providers, an 11th-hour rule that President Donald Trump overturned a month later. Americans United for Life Chief Legal Officer Steven Aden said he expects the Supreme Court to examine the funding conflict sometime next year. Kansas has appealed a federal court ruling against its redirection of Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood. Louisiana plans to file its own petition later this month, Aden said. Federally qualified health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities 20-to-1 nationwide, and they offer a full range of healthcare, not just reproductive-related services, Aden noted. That makes redirecting funds beneficial not only from a moral perspective, “but it’s also good fiscal policy and it’s good healthcare policy,” Aden said.