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REACH TEXAS OFFERING EXCEEDS GOAL 3 JEREMY CAMP CONCERT ADDED TO ANNUAL MEETING 16 GLOBAL H UNGE R S UNDAY 7 OCTOBER...

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REACH TEXAS OFFERING EXCEEDS GOAL 3

JEREMY CAMP CONCERT ADDED TO ANNUAL MEETING

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GLOBAL H UNGE R S UNDAY

7 OCTOBER 2016

Newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention N MORE NEWS AT TEXANONLINE.NET

S P E C I A L R E P O R T: PA S T O R A L M I N I S T R Y • PA G E S 8 - 1 1

Pastors share how they lovingly shepherd the flock under their care By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent

The word pastor literally means “shepherd.” A pastor cares for the flock God has given him, with the good shepherd, Jesus, as the ultimate role model. For Jeremy Yong, pastor of First Baptist Church of Hacienda Heights, Calif., the idea of pastor as shepherd begins and ends with love of Christ and of one’s congregation. “By successful shepherding, I mean loving Christ’s sheep the way that Christ desires them loved,” Yong told pastors at the 9Marks First Five Years conference in Fort Worth, Aug. 16. Speaking on John 21:15-19, Yong said Jesus’ instruction to Peter to “feed my sheep” was a sign of love for him. The key to loving the sheep is loving the savior,” Yong said, adding, “Christ must be your love supreme. … This supreme love for Christ is what brings forth a love for his sheep.” See SHEPHERD, 8

EL PASO CONGREGATION BRINGS HOPE TO VIOLENT REGION IN MEXICO By Jane Rodgers TEXAN Correspondent EL PASO “When we arrived, several vehicles surrounded us and lowered the windows, [the men inside] displaying their firearms,” Zulma Molina said, describing the greeting her group received this July at the village of Huajumar, nestled in the Sierra Tarahumara mountain range of Chihuahua, Mexico, a region plagued by drug violence. Molina led 36 volunteers from Ministerios de Compasion El Paso, an organization associated with El Paso’s Immanuel Baptist Church, to the village of Huajumar July 23-31 to repair a church known locally as the “abandoned church.” They also brought Vacation Bible School to Huajumar and Yepáchic, a village an hour’s drive northwest. Both villages have fewer than 1,000 residents, Molina

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‘Culture of invitation’ leads many to salvations in San Antonio By JC Davies TEXAN Correspondent

Evangelist Tony Nolan speaks to a group of people who came forward to become Christians during a service at Castle Hills Baptist Church’s Leon Springs Campus in San Antonio. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CASTLE HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH

SAN ANTONIO After years of invitations to join a friend at church, Mary Grace Gonzales finally accepted the offer Aug. 28 to go hear a guest speaker preach at Castle Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, where her friend, Joy McAnear, is a member. Gonzales grew up in the Catholic tradition, knowing about the Christian faith since her childhood but never regularly attending a church. After enduring recent trials, Gonzales said

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she felt like her life was “all scattered,” but that Sunday at Castle Hills changed everything. As guest speaker Tony Nolan presented the opportunity to make a commitment to Jesus, Gonzales said she was moved. “I felt like I really had to make a commitment to God and stand up for him, and not just go wherever anything else leads me,” she said. “I had stood up before, but I had never really committed. This time, I am actually going to be baptized. That’s a big thing for me.” Gonzales is one of more than 100 people who made commitments of faith to Jesus during a recent weekend at Castle Hills. With summer winding down and a new school year beginning, church staff decided it was a good time to invite families and individuals from the community to re-engage in church. “It naturally kind of dips in the summer, and you’ll see an increase in attendance during this time of year, so we really wanted to capitalize on that,”

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said castle Hills campus pastor Jonah Easley. Castle Hills hosted a youth dodgeball tournament that Saturday night, where nearly 50 teenagers professed faith in Christ, followed by a breakfast the next morning and services at both campuses where guest speaker Tony Nolan presented the gospel, leading to many more professions of faith. “I think it’s very biblical to have opportunities for people to invite their friends to some kind of evangelistic outreach,” said pastor Matt Surber. “We had lots of participation from our people, both in serving and in inviting.” While Nolan spoke at the Leon Springs campus, Easley stood in the back of the room, watching and listening as Nolan invited the audience to follow Jesus. “When the hands shot up across the room, I was almost overwhelmed, not only by the number, but some of the people who raised their hand—blown away in a great way. … It was an emotionally overwhelming moment to see God do what God does, and for us to be a part of that,” Easley said. The weekend of evangelism outreach opportunities was

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part of an ongoing effort at Castle Hills to better engage the surrounding community, Easley said. The church has been around for more than five decades, but over the past two years has restructured into a multi-site church, which now includes two campuses, with plans for a third. “Our vision from the beginning has been to create a multi-site model to maximize our presence in the community, as we meet people where they’re at, not only spiritually, but geographically,” Easley said. By placing campuses throughout the city and providing many opportunities for evangelism, Easley said the hope is to create a “culture of invitation,” where church members don’t merely rely on church staff to do ministry but are actively inviting friends, neighbors and coworkers to join them in hearing the gospel. Seeing so many church members take this to heart during the recent outreach event was “very rewarding,” Easley said.

“We are called to equip people for ministry, and when we actually see them doing that ministry and grasping that this is a body-wide journey we’re on, it fills my heart with joy to see the body of Christ understanding what the body of Christ is supposed to do and who they’re supposed to be.” Moving forward, both Easley and Surber said following up with individuals who made decisions of faith at the evangelism outreach event is a top priority. “We saw a lot of people saved, so that’s great that they’re in the kingdom, but we want to

see the full gospel, the full great commission fulfilled in their lives,” Surber said. Ultimately, he wants to see “lives transformed with the gospel,” and disciples being multiplied, Surber added. “Hopefully, people who are saved and people who will be discipled will grow in God’s Word and can replicate that in other people, too. That’s when you really see the fruit is when somebody comes to an event like this and someone disciples them and leads them to Christ and then they end up doing the same thing, leading other people to Christ.”

Dozens of Louisiana flood victims turn to Christ through SBTC Disaster Relief efforts By Jane Rodgers Baptist Press LAFAYETTE, La. “I would go to hell,” a man replied honestly when Wayne Barber asked him where he thought he would be if he died. But the man, who was helping his sister with her flooded Louisiana home, changed his demeanor as Barber, a chaplain with Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief (SBTC DR), explained the gospel to him. At the end of their conversation, the man prayed to receive Christ. “You could just see the Holy Spirit working,” fellow chaplain Laquita Hunter said. “The man became cooperative.” He spoke of his intentions to tell his wife, a Christian, what had happened to him, noting, “She is probably not going to believe it at first!” This man represents one of more than 40 professions of faith SBTC chaplain teams recorded during their relief efforts in a 50-by-50-square mile section of Louisiana, stretching from Crowley east to Beaux Bridge and from Opelousas south to New Iberia, according to SBTC DR white hat Mike Jansen of Linden, Texas. Housed at The Bayou Church in Lafayette, SBTC teams prepared as many as 9,700 meals per day, which were then delivered by the Red Cross to families and indi-

viduals in need. Additionally, mud-out and clean-out operations began and chaplains offered the hope of salvation to all who will hear. SBTC DR deployed rapidly after Louisiana DR requested assistance. Jansen arrived on August 18 to take over white hat duties from Marvin Leleux of Louisiana DR. Wally Leyerle of First Baptist The Colony assumed white hat duties from Jansen on August 22. Some 30-40 SBTC volunteers have worked daily alongside teams from Louisiana, Jansen confirmed, adding that the number of actual volunteers varies daily as individuals rotate in and out. Cleanup efforts included assisting at least two churches, the Lafayette Korean Church and First Baptist Church Broussard, so those congregations could hold Sunday services. DR teams also focused on affected pastors’ homes to free preachers to minister to their congregations. “We are doing mud-outs and clean-outs, a little bit of tarping of roofs,” Leyerle said. “We are sending out our chaplains with assessors, and they are telling people about the love of Christ…. The Lord seems to be directing our people right where they need to go.” Barber and his wife, Ann, along with Hunter experienced divine guidance as they drove through affected neighborhoods.

“God turned us around,” Wayne Barber said, explaining a day he sensed the Lord telling him to “go back” and stop at a home they had passed. As they pulled into the driveway, a man in his 30s strode out to meet them. “I saw y’all drive by, and I saw y’all turn around,” the man said. “I knew you were coming back to talk to me!” Wayne Barber did talk to the man, and the man prayed to receive Christ. The man’s mother, a Christian who had long prayed for her son to come to faith, walked over from next door. “Every day before we go out, we pray for divine appointments,” Barber said. On another occasion, a woman in her 30s claimed that a negative experience with a pastor’s wife as a youth “turned her away from the church.” “She thought Christians were hypocritical,” Hunter said. Hunter presented the gospel to the woman, urging her to forgiveness. “We talked and she cried, then she accepted Christ.” Like so many flood victims, the woman had lost her home and possessions, but she found hope in the Lord. “We could tell, when we left, that her life had changed and was going to be different,” Hunter said. Names and contact information about all who pray to receive Christ are recorded and given to area churches for follow up, Barber said.

To learn more about how to sponsor a church or pastor’s home affected by floods in Louisiana, donate to SBTC DR work in Louisiana, or volunteer, visit bit.ly/LAfloods. Disaster Relief Training Opportunities Oct. 7 Phase 2 | FBC Borger Oct. 8 Phase 1 & Intro to DR | FBC Borger Oct. 20-22 Unit Director Training & Leadership Development | Location TBA Jansen described the work of SBTC feeding teams as exhausting, stretching from 3 a.m. till the evening to prepare lunches and dinners for pickup and delivery by the Red Cross to shelters and the community. “You know, it’s just an awesome thing to see the volunteers giving all of their time and energy to produce the food to see that the people of Louisiana have a hot meal.” Even the simple presence of helpers in the midst of disaster’s aftermath brings encouragement.

“Every time I go out in public and people see me wearing the SBTC DR shirt, I am constantly being told thank you for being here,” Leyerle said. “We are able to minister to people just by being here.” DR teams from Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas Baptist Men are working in other designated sections of the state. “It appears we will be there some time.” SBTC DR director Scottie Stice said, urging all available SBTC DR volunteers to consider deploying.

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said, adding that the area contains many illegal landing strips and is controlled by the drug cartel. “The main businesses are the drug plantation and trafficking,” she said. The mountains are “heavily patrolled by hit men,” Molina added. Police and army avoid the region, with its narrow, ill-maintained, single-lane roads. The area has a history of both Christianity and violence. “Years ago, when the [drug] violence was at its worst, the church in Huajumar was abandoned by pastors and missionaries,” Molina explained. “On the other hand, Yepáchic has an established little church, but people are terrified since the violence continues and killings happen on a daily basis.” Even getting to the remote villages proved a harrowing experience involving flat tires, burned out brakes and vehicles stuck in mud. About 30 minutes from their destination, a trailer axle broke, stranding part of the group in the mountainous woods. “It was about 7 p.m. and dark clouds were gathering in the sky. We realized the real danger we were in. We could hear the noises of wild animals; phones did not work; and we only had a couple of flashlights, light jackets and a blanket,” Molina recalled. “Our only hope was in the Lord, so we prayed and sang praises. Right there in the middle of nowhere, we lifted up our voices to praise God. Suddenly, a flash of light filled the sky and … hit the ground right next to us. We felt the ground tremble.” After three hours in the woods, help arrived and the group entered Huajumar late that evening, greeted by machine guns as they unloaded vehicles and entered the mold-ridden, leaky, foulsmelling church. “We could feel a very dark presence,” Molina said. “Although no one

By Keith Collier Managing Editor GRAPEVINE Receipts for the 2015-2016 Reach Texas Offering were finalized Aug. 31 and showed the largest giving year in the history of the state missions offering. The total amount given was

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$1,374,123.43, which was $74,123.43 over the $1.3 million goal. The statewide challenge goal for 2016-2017, which runs from September 2016 through August 2017, has been set at $1.45 million. For more information, visit sbtexas.com/reachtexas.

said anything, we all knew we were stepping into the enemy’s territory and war was declared.” The night was spent in some measure of unease and doubt, Molina admitted. “In the morning, the Lord renewed our spirits, and we got up ready to work. People looked at us with curiosity. … Little by

church and to do door-to-door evangelism. The group also held VBS in the afternoons and church services in the evenings at Huajumar. The danger was ever present, but God was glorified. “While all of this happened, we had what we called ‘personal security.’

little the church was filled with light,” as the group labored to scrub mold and repair the structure that Sunday, even holding a small celebratory service before preparing to start VBS the next day in Yepáchic, despite warnings of violence there. “We were told that it was not a good idea to visit there because the previous day [the cartel] had killed 23 people. But we could not cancel VBS in Yepáchic,” Molina said. “The local church invited the community, and children were waiting for us. So a group of brave warriors went to Yepáchic early Monday to conduct VBS,” while others remained in Huajumar to continue work on the

Everywhere we went, armed men were watching us,” Molina said. By week’s end, “we were exhausted but our spirit was filled with joy to see the abandoned church in Huajumar being transformed. More children and adults came to hear the Word of God. The last day, the church was packed, and it was beautiful to hear loud voices singing praises to the creator of the universe.” Members from a church in Juarez, Mexico, accompanied the group from Immanuel Baptist to Huajumar and Yepáchic, Immanuel associate pastor J.C. Rico said.

Mission trips to Mexico have become a mainstay of Immanuel Baptist. In July, some 33 members also trekked through the Sonoran desert on the church’s second annual family mission trip to Peñasco, Mexico, a coastal city of about 100,000, at the request of a local church to conduct Vacation Bible School. Immanuel BC’s involvement with the Peñasco church began when Rico was on vacation, attending a family wedding in the city in 2014. Rico had spotted the church on his way into town and decided to attend that Sunday. The pastor spoke on service and mission, ideas that Rico had been considering for Immanuel as well. Rico introduced himself to the pastor’s wife and inquired about mission opportunities in Peñasco. “We need help with VBS!” she exclaimed. “We have 200 kids and not enough workers.” The following July, more than 30 volunteers from seven Immanuel families spent summer vacation in Peñasco, helping with VBS in the mornings and enjoying time in the city or at the beach in the afternoons. In 2016, families from Immanuel led the VBS in Peñasco using LifeWay curriculum, Rico said. “After 1:30 p.m. each day, we were free to go back to the hotel, eat, have family time,” Rico added, calling the family aspect of the mission trip “just as important” as the VBS. Evangelistic opportunities came during down times, too. Last year, Rico presented the gospel to a local youth as the boy braided a souvenir bracelet for the pastor. The young man, Rogelio, prayed to receive Christ. “I got sunburned standing there, but it was worth it,” Rico laughed. This year, Rico’s wife led a local woman named Elena to Christ while the lady braided the hair of Rico’s daughter. Removing sunglasses to reveal two black eyes inflicted by an abusive husband, Elena shared her story with the Ricos, who ministered to her. A third Immanuel BC family mission trip to Peñasco is scheduled for July 2017.

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FEED THE SHEEP Gary Ledbetter Editor

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immy Draper’s Don’t Quit Until You Finish is a rich resource on pastoral ministry. The book’s theme seems to be that we should love the people God has entrusted to us. Jimmy Draper has modeled that priority through his years as pastor and Baptist statesman. You can see that genuine love in a pastor who has it, and you miss it in a pastor who doesn’t. It is the bottom line in pastoral ministry. People forgive someone who is diligent but not naturally gifted in preaching, as long as he loves his flock. The two or three men in my life I consider to be my “pastors,” though they live in various states, are not so because they are excellent preachers but because they listen, they love, they expend themselves

for others, they keep confidences—they are pastoral. The word “pastor” is a term related to the work of a shepherd. A “pastoral” scene is a rural one, perhaps a pasture. We have three churches in Texas called Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor (“Good Shepherd Baptist Church”), or some version of that. When Jesus restored Peter in John 21, he told Peter to feed his lambs, in response to the love Peter professed for the Good Shepherd. So I’m not particularly taken with the scholarly pastor who only, or prefers to only, fill the pulpit and study the deep things of God. It’s hard to be a good preacher or a pastoral leader if you don’t actually love the sheep enough to embroil yourself in messy lives that take away the time you’d otherwise spend on “more important” or “strategic” matters. It is true that “pastor” is only one word used to describe the role of a church’s undershepherd. He is also the overseer (bishop) of the church, and sometimes called an “elder.”

I recognize that there is significant overlap in these three titles; that’s one reason I believe they all three describe one who is simply the pastor. The role of the shepherd is indispensable, and perhaps the most difficult role for most of us to do well. There is a servant aspect— meekness and humility—that, while necessary in the life of a faithful bishop and effective elder, shines paramount in the shepherd as he visits and counsels and comforts and disciples and teaches the flock entrusted to him. Some roles of the pastor can be done pretty well without that servant spirit, shepherding will not be done at all without it. We know examples of men in large churches and small churches who are exemplars of pastoral ministry. You can tell what kind of pastor a man is by only a little association with him. Some pastors you’ve never heard of do a great job at pastoring their flocks in out of the way places. Although the CEO pastor seems to work best

in the suburbs, the true pastor is at home in all places—anyplace where there are people of God really. W.A. Criswell, in his Guidebook for Pastors, explains that the other things a pastor does are enabled by his daily service to his people, his relationships with them. He says, “When the pastor has established personal religious relations with his hearers, to them, even the simplest sermons are clothed with sacred power.” The significance of this ministry seems a pretty good argument for pastoral internships. Forming “religious relations” with people is not so simple as being nice or having a gift of gab. Experienced pastors emphasize that pastoral contacts (including I suppose, email and phone calls) should have a spiritual focus. I remember being an associate pastor right out of seminary. My pastor told me where my office was located and that I shouldn’t do anything troublesome to the church. That was it. My

first year of hospital visitation was a mess. I had no seminary preparation and no training in hospital visitation, so I learned it by trial and error. I visited rooms and homes with no clear idea of what I would say, or not say, except that I would pray with the people. Some of those visits were a waste. Later, I understood that I wasn’t anyone’s buddy showing up before or after a surgery, or in a bereaved home, or in the home of a discouraged church member. It was obvious to everyone else why I was there, so it was important that I was ready to be pastoral. Training and coaching could have been a head start on experience in my pastoral ministry. The bottom line is that we must do it. If we love people, we must do more than offer platitudes when we happen to see them in the hall. Pastoral ministry goes to find the lost or injured sheep entrusted to us by the Good Shepherd. That trust makes it a high priority indeed.

When Tears Arrive (Bereavement Ministry Ideas) Diana Davis Fresh Ideas

“He gives us comfort in all our troubles. Then we can comfort other people who have the same troubles. We give the same kind of comfort God gives us.” 1 Corinthians 1:4

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ou slowly hang up the phone and close your eyes. “Lord, use me!” you pray. “Help me know how to ease her pain.” When death comes to a member of your church or to an unchurched acquaintance, your acts of Christian ministry can remind the bereaved of God’s love for them. Those days between a death and the memorial service can be difficult. What role can you play? As soon as you learn of the death, ask God to give you wisdom in how to minister to the family. Try some of these fresh ideas:

The Hand Holder. Your presence means a lot. Never overstay, of course, but when you’re there during crisis, it’s a reminder of God’s love. Share a prayer. A hug. A tear. A Scripture written on a note card. The Food Organizer. Five dishes of macaroni might be too much of a good thing. If you’re organizing food for their guests or a funeral meal, consider using one of the many free online schedulers, such as TakeThemAMeal.com. The Book Sharer. Find an encouraging pamphlet or book to share. Be sure it’s heavy on Scripture, the best words of comfort! I often give Joyce Rogers’ book, Grace for the Widow to recent widows. On the inside cover, write a note to tell something you loved about the deceased. The Gesturer. Carefully observe needs, and help meet them. Do they need a pet-sitter? A phone answerer? Babysitter during funeral? Help with airport pickup? Mow the lawn. Offer to pick up kids at school. Deliver flowers from your garden

Jim Richards, Executive Director

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Gary K. Ledbetter, Editor Keith Collier, Managing Editor Tammi Ledbetter, Special Assignments Editor Gayla Sullivan, Circulation Manager Russell Lightner, Layout/Graphic Artist Lauren Reynnells, Intern

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to brighten their home. Write your phone number on a card and offer specific help. The Rolodex King. When requested, a member of our church would help a grieving family to finish making personal notifications. After they’d called their closest friends, the volunteer sits in the kitchen with their list, and completes the calls. The Bag Lady. Early preparation enhances ministry. Stock up on sympathy cards. Keep a frozen casserole, soup or cookies for quick crisis ministry. Prepackage a grocery bag with paper towels, plates, cups, napkins, toilet paper and plastic utensils, and when you learn of a death, deliver it immediately to help with their guests. Plan ahead. The Elephant. (No, I’m referring to memory, not size.) The moment you learn of the death, mark that date on your calendar each month for at least a year. This will remind you to pray, call, send a note or take him or her to coffee. Listen with love. Pray with them.

Correspondents: JC Davies Michael Foust Bonnie Pritchett Erin Roach Jane Rodgers

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When death comes to those around you, act quickly. Move gently. Love largely. When someone in your church or community dies, your timely

touch in Jesus’ name shows that you and your God truly care. © Diana Davis www.dianadavis.org This column is adapted from her book, Deacon Wives (B&H Publishing)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR I was saddened today as I visited local and national Southern Baptist websites—including our church, NAMB, IMB and our six theological seminaries—and did not easily find the answer that shares how a person can know God. Much information was directed to giving, becoming a part of our family, what we believe, how to become a Christian, and even one concerning good news. Yet, all of these are veiled expressions of how a person can know God. What if the visitor is not looking to give, become a part of our family, is not particularly interested in what we believe (such as spiritual gifts or the eternal security of the believer), is not looking to become a Christian, and imagines “good news” to simply be an expression of what we think is uplifting and newsworthy? Perhaps a person visits our websites because he knows we are religious and wants to find out how to know God; we must generate the answer as simple and concise as God does. We are changing our website tomorrow. Somehow, we missed it, but not for long! I encourage others to create a link on the opening page of their websites that answers the question, “How can I know God?” Sincerely, Matthew McCurley • First Baptist Church, Canadian, Texas

The Southern Baptist Texan is the official newspaper of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, P.O. Box 1988, Grapevine, Texas 76099-1988. Toll-free 877-953-7282, Phone 817-552-2500, FAX 817-552-2520. Email: [email protected]

Letters to the editor should be limited to 250 words and should refrain from personal attacks. Submit by email to [email protected] or mail to the address to the left.

Obituaries, memorials, and classified advertisements listing items and services for sale will be published at a cost of 30 cents per word with a minimum of $10. Copy must be submitted within three months of death or event. Submit information to [email protected] and mail check for full amount.

Individual subscriptions are free of charge within Texas. A $10 per year donation is requested for out-of-state subscriptions. Email changes to [email protected].

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WHAT I’VE LEARNED IN PASTORAL MINISTRY Jim Richards Executive Director

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his issue of the TEXAN is devoted to the pastor. In a land far away I was once a pastor. Actually that land faraway was Louisiana. All of my pastoral experience came in my home state. Watching the TV shows Duck Dynasty or Swamp People reminds me of relatives or church members. With that said, I really do love my home state. After answering God’s call on my life to the preaching ministry, I began as a youth evangelist and served on staff as a youth director (now known as student pastor). I planted a church and served several churches as pastor. Later I became a Director of Missions for a local association. For the last 18 years, I have had the privilege to serve you through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, but being a pastor was the most challenging for me. All of the churches I pastored would be considered small except for one. I pastored a 100-year-old church located 20 miles from town, and I served another church that was surrounded by cotton fields. The largest church I pastored was in a paper mill town. My last

pastorate was in a metro area, but we didn’t see the kind of growth I thought we should have. Although many factors have changed, the realities of pastoral life haven’t. I have a Ph.D. in the school of hard knocks. God had me repeat a few courses. I’m still learning, but here are few lessons I learned as a pastor. Every decision in the church is not a hill on which to die. The inerrancy of Scripture, exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ, and other basic Christian doctrines cannot be compromised. Even if you lose your church, you can’t abandon sound doctrine. There are too many street corners in America where you can preach instead of trading truth for a pulpit. Baptist doctrine is vital—the security of the believer, believer’s baptism and regenerate church membership are just a few that make us Baptists. However, tertiary doctrines are not places to sacrifice your ministry. Let God change the hearts of people. Learn to be patient. God can do his work in people when we can’t. Timing is everything. Don’t force an issue that can wait. Individually, extend grace to those you serve because you need grace extended to you. Work through key lay leaders to accomplish God’s work. There are decision makers in an established church that can

assist you in carrying out God’s plan. Don’t try to be the point man on every issue. Let laypersons advocate for you. Be a model for evangelism, missions and discipleship. If you never intentionally witness to people, neither will your congregation. If you want your families to deepen spiritually, you need to have a family worship time. Whatever you desire to see in your church members, you need to live it. Practical ministry is more caught than taught. Realize you will have your critics; never get bitter or retaliate. You will never win in the long run even if you win a battle with your critics. Your calling should be enough to keep you from quitting, but when discouragement comes, let God’s Word and God’s people be your strength. Reach out to a friend or contact the

YOUR CALLING SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU FROM QUITTING, BUT WHEN DISCOURAGEMENT COMES, LET GOD’S WORD AND GOD’S PEOPLE BE YOUR STRENGTH.

SBTC Pastor-Church Relations Ministry. They are a wonderful resource when you need encouragement. Find a support system to help you through the tough times. I had pastor friends with whom I met on a regular basis. It is not enough to have internet fellowship. You need someone you can play golf with, fish with or go to a game with. Touch from our pastor brethren can get us through the difficult days. Local pastors’ fel-

lowships are great. Your SBTC Annual Meeting is a wonderful time to hang out with others on the same journey. I don’t think I ever became a good pastor. Maybe God will allow me one more time before he calls me home to pastor in an obscure or tough place. Even in those places you can experience God’s favor. My prayer is that he will say at the end of my journey and yours, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

5 Reasons You’ll Want to be in Austin in November Nathan Lino

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y fellow pastors and church leaders, please consider coming to our annual meeting in Austin Nov. 14-15. If you have fallen out of the habit or maybe even never got into the habit, here are some reasons you should come. 1 The gathering of pastors and leaders from our 2,600 local churches in Texas will lead to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ. Pastors old and young leading churches that are inner city, urban, suburban, rural, and house churches, ranging in size from 20 to multiple thousands, is “other worldly” and can only be explained by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are secure enough through unity in primary doctrines, the gospel and mission that we are free to celebrate and enjoy vast methodological differences. 2 The Holy Spirit is going to speak to us from the pages of Scripture. I’m so excited about the preaching plan this year: The subject is the Holy Spirit. We have made sure the preachers are all very good preachers. The six sermons will be verse by verse through Romans 8. The stage is set for us to hear from the Lord. (Bonus: All the preachers in attendance will

leave with a six-part series on the Holy Spirit through Romans 8!) 3 You will receive deep, soul-level encouragement and renewal. We have intentionally designed times to address difficult ministry issues common to all pastors that often leave us hurt and discouraged. For example, during the Monday night session and again during the Tuesday President’s Lunch, we will address issues like loneliness, resentment, when our families hate the church, and the burden of unrealistic expectations. 4 We have a plan to bless and encourage the Christian community of Austin. The Tuesday night session will be a non-denominational worship gathering with three key pieces. Jeremy Camp will lead the singing to draw Christ’s disciples from all over the city. Then Austin’s prayer network will lead us in a time of prayer. If you aren’t aware of it yet, the Holy Spirit has prompted a unique prayer movement in their city. Anywhere from 2001,000 Christians from a variety of denominations gather regularly to pray for their city. Kie Bowman, one of our key SBTC leaders, is also a major player in the prayer network. Finally, Greg Matte, pastor of FBC Houston will preach. The event has the potential to draw many believers from all over the city

OCT. 23 - DAY OF PRAYER FOR SBTC ANNUAL MEETING

for encouragement in kingdom work. We want the kingdom of light to be greater and the kingdom of darkness smaller as a result of the SBTC annual meeting coming to town. 5 The essential administrative business of our annual meeting has been boiled down to a minimum and streamlined in its presentation. I believe that what will emerge from the reports and presentations is a picture of a convention of churches in which the Lord is clearly present and working. Make plans to attend our annual meeting. If you know of likeminded pastors whom you would love to see join the SBTC, this is the annual meeting to which you should invite them. See you there.

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BRIEFS Dorothy Patterson remembers Phyllis Schlafly, who died at age 92 Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the conservative group Eagle Forum who was known for her decades-long advocacy on behalf of the traditional family, died Sept. 5. She was 92. Called a friend and “profound influence” by leading Southern Baptist women, Schlafly opposed the mainstream feminist movement for more than 40 years. An attorney, speaker and mother of six, she also publically opposed abortion, same-sex marriage and communism. Dorothy Patterson, wife of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, said Schlafly was “a friend and mentor to me and thousands of other women over the decades.” “I learned from her a sense of priority for family commitments, the value of perseverance and the conviction that ultimately we were all accountable to God for upholding the creation order and the sanctity of life,” Patterson said. —bpnews.net

LifeWay film ‘The Insanity of God’ a surprise at No. 1

The LifeWay film The Insanity of God surprised movie pundits in August by selling out theaters across the nation and finishing

No. 1 in per-theater average, a result so impressive that an encore presentation was held Sept. 13. The missions-focused movie grossed an estimated $875,000, which would have ranked it at No. 8 for the night of Aug. 30 if one-night features were included in data used by sites such as BoxOfficeMojo.com. But the total gross doesn’t reveal the full picture. Insanity played in only 550 theaters, far fewer than the 3,000-plus theater count enjoyed by mainstream films. When looking at the film’s pertheater average—$1,590—The Insanity of God ranked No. 1, easily edging Don’t Breathe ($977), Suicide Squad ($385) and Sausage Party ($389). —Christian Examiner

SWBTS prof: What if aliens really are out there? Discovery of another planet that might support life has given rise to speculation about intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Proxima b, a potentially earth-like planet 4.24 light-years away, was announced Aug. 24 in the scientific journal Nature. John Laing, a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary theology professor who says he has “long been fascinated by the possibility of life on other planets,” said that Scripture doesn’t rule out the prospect. If God created other intelligent life forms, He likely did so on the fifth or sixth day of creation, “when sea creatures and land creatures were created, respectively,” said Laing, associate professor of systematic theology at Southwestern’s J. Dalton Havard School of Theological Studies in Houston. Any intelligent extraterrestrials are not likely to be created in God’s image, Laing said, noting that possessing intelligence is

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not the same as being created in the divine image. Humans uniquely are made in God’s image and therefore “the apex of creation.” “Consider angels: they are more powerful than we and they are intelligent and apparently have free will,” Laing said in written comments. “Nevertheless, they are not made in the image of God, and we are. I suspect non-human intelligent physical creatures could exist without being made in the image of God.” In considering the possibility of redemption for lifeforms on other planets, Laing said it’s important to remember the entire creation was affected by the fall and that “salvation is only available through Jesus Christ.” —bpnews.net

Russian antievangelism law ends Baptist ministry Russia’s new law prohibiting organizations from evangelizing outside church walls and without a government permit already has claimed one Baptist ministry. Independent Baptist missionaries Donald and Ruth Ossewaarde say police interrupted their Sunday morning Bible study that involved 15 students meeting in their home, and then arrested the husband and fined him 40,000 rubles, about $600. He said he will leave the country amid veiled threats against his life, even though he has appealed the charges against him. “I really think that the political situation in Russia has reached a point where they are going to, one way or the other, they’re going to get rid of me,” he told Baptist Press. “So I really decided to end my operations here. It’s sad because there are people here that really enjoy what we do. It’s a big part of their life.” Ossewaarde has conducted street evangelism, distributed printed materials and held weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings in his home. He has ended those outreaches, is awaiting a court date for his appeal, is trying to sell his apartment and house, and is making plans to return to the U.S. —bpnews.net

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‘I’m Not Ashamed’ spotlights Christian in Columbine tragedy Seventeen years after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, a new movie will tell the story of one of the Christians whose story inspired millions. I’m Not Ashamed will be released in theaters Oct. 21 and follows the story of Rachel Scott, who was killed that day and who refused to deny God in her final seconds. Most of the movie tells the story of Scott as she impacts others for Christ during her high school years leading up to that tragic day. It is rated PG-13 for thematic material, teen drinking and smoking, disturbing violent content and some suggestive situations. —Christian Examiner

Enrollments of SBC seminaries & non-SBC seminaries compared

When it comes to training pastors, Southern Baptist Convention seminaries compare favorably with North American seminaries, according to a comparative data analysis by Baptist Press. Accounting for all students, SBC seminaries enrolled more than 20,000 people in 2014-15, according to calculations by Charles S. Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It is an all-time record. When undergraduate students are removed from the total, leaving the traditional graduatelevel seminary population, there was a total headcount enrollment of 11,636 students at the six SBC seminaries last fall, according to data from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Two-thirds of those students (66.5 percent) were enrolled in degree programs that provide specialized theological training for pastors: the M.Div. (43.5 percent), the doctor of ministry and similar advanced ministry degrees (13.8 percent) and the doctor of philosophy and similar advanced research degrees (9.2 percent).

In comparison, 63 percent of students overall at the 272 ATS member schools were enrolled in the same degree programs. Over the past decade, the percentage of graduate students pursuing an M.Div. at SBC seminaries has held steady—up slightly from 42.5 percent in 2006 to 43.5 percent in 2015, with a high of 49.7 percent in 2011. By comparison, 41.5 percent of students at ATS schools were enrolled in M.Div. programs last fall, a figure that includes markedly more women than are enrolled in SBC M.Div. programs. —bpnews.net

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, affirm mobilization VP International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 27 new missionaries, five of them with ties to Texas, and announced a vice president of mobilization during their board meeting Aug. 23-24 near Richmond, Va. Edgar Aponte, who currently serves as director of Hispanic leadership development at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., was affirmed by trustees as vice president of mobilization. He will work with other executive leaders in the overall strategy of IMB with particular emphasis on the board’s mobilization efforts, lead teams and networks to mobilize churches in sending missionary teams, and develop relationships across the SBC. Prior to his work at SEBTS, Aponte served as the minister counselor for political affairs in Washington, D.C., on behalf of his home nation, the Dominican Republic. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a graduate degree in corporate finance and a master’s degree in business administration. He also earned a master’s degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and is completing a doctorate in theological studies from Southeastern Seminary. Trustees also appointed 27 new missionaries—three with Texas ties—during a Sending Celebration, which recognized both the new personnel and the churches sending them. —IMB

NASA astronaut tells chapel: You see God’s ‘design’ in space Speeding around Earth at 17,500 mph, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, an outspoken Christian, spoke from the International Space Station to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s chapel Aug. 30 via a downlink. Williams was interviewed by Southern President R. Albert Mohler Jr. The astronaut had previously spoken at the Louisville, Ky., campus. Williams set the record for the most time spent in space by an American on

Aug. 24, passing the 520-day mark set by Scott Kelly. “When I look out the window and I see this—all of the elements are what you would imagine you would see with a creative work by an infinite God,” Williams said, adding, “you see the design, you see the beauty, you see the purpose, you see all of those elements, you see order in all the details.” —bpnews.net

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CHURCH ADDS SPANISH SERVICE TO SERVE FAMILIES WITH ENGLISH AND SPANISH SPEAKERS By JC Davies TEXAN Correspondent FORT WORTH When Dave Koenig planted NewBrook Church in 2014, he had a vision to see Spanish speakers in Fort Worth reached with the gospel. Now, almost two years later, Koenig said his church is starting to see that dream come to life. When NewBrook launched, the church’s leadership hoped to reach out to the large Hispanic community around them. Koenig estimates about one-third of the population speaks Spanish in the county where the church meets. “Where we are, there are thousands and thousands of people that Spanish is their first language, a whole community that’s not being reached as much. … The number of churches we have in Fort Worth that are reaching the Englishspeaking population are great, but those reaching the Spanish-speaking population are much less,” Koenig said. Initially, most of the people who joined the church—including Koenig, who is a native English-speaker—did not speak Spanish. The congregation began hosting community events to connect with Spanish-speaking families living around the church, and through events like free movie nights during

the summer, friendships developed and more families began to visit NewBrook. However, as attendance grew, Koenig realized many of the families coming to church were split between Spanishspeaking and English-speaking members. “The wives and the kids spoke English, and very little Spanish, but the dads and husbands were fluent in Spanish and spoke very little English. … That family can’t go to a Spanishspeaking church because the kids don’t know Spanish and the wife isn’t very fluent in Spanish, but if they go to an English-speaking church, the husband is lost,” Koenig said. To meet the needs of these families, NewBrook hosted its first Spanish worship service earlier this summer. The service is now held monthly and follows immediately after the regular service in English so families with both English and Spanish speakers can attend a church together. “We’ve had Spanish speakers come to events over the past year, but now we finally have something in Spanish to invite them to. Even for people who are bilingual, it’s really important what their heart language is, their worship language. If someone is bilingual but they’re predominantly Spanish-speaking, then when they are worshipping in

Spanish, that’s when they feel the most connected to God.” Koenig said. NewBrook church is continuing to find new ways to expand its growing Spanish ministry, but it is not without dedication and a few challenges, Koenig said. Koenig studied Spanish in college, but continues to strengthen his language skills in order to preach in the Spanish services and to more effectively reach his Hispanic neighbors. “It’s been an incredible challenge, something that’s been exciting and fun, but it’s been challenging. I can’t exactly remove myself from the English-speaking world, but I try to immerse myself as much as I can in Spanish. I listen to Spanish radio all day. I read the Bible in Spanish now; I listen as much as I can to Spanish.” he said. While the church is celebrating what God has done in establishing a Spanish

worship service, NewBrook is still in the early stages of casting a vision for becoming a truly multi-cultural church, Koenig said. His dream is that one day NewBrook would not be “an English church that has a couple of people who speak Spanish, but we’re going to be a bilingual church.” Despite the difficulty of language learning and cross-cultural ministry, Koenig hopes these challenges will lead to NewBrook becoming a church that better reflects the community in which God placed it. “It’s been really exiting to see how we’ve grown to show diversity in culture and background,” he said. “That’s something people are excited about and comfortable with now, and I feel like that better reflects Revelation, where there are people from every tribe and tongue worshipping God together.”

Resources available for Oct. 9 Global Hunger Sunday By Lauren Reynnells TEXAN Intern

Global Hunger Relief (GHR) is sponsoring its annual Global Hunger Sunday on Oct. 9 to combat world hunger. Of the 7 billion people in the world, 800 million suffer from hunger. Global Hunger Sunday raises awareness of the high numbers of those in need. Global Hunger Sunday is a call to action for Southern Baptists. GHR is a joint initiative of Southern Baptist entities such as Baptist Global Response, the SBC Executive Committee, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the International Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, North American Mission Board and Women’s Missionary. GHR provides to local churches resources for Global Hunger Sunday, such as a poster, slideshow, promotional video, three versions of a bulletin insert and three hunger-related sermon outlines. GHR uses 100 percent of funds donated to address global hunger needs directly. GHR seeks to prepare and educate church leaders to effectively address global hunger. According to its website, “GHR-funded projects combat hunger in North America and around

the world in a wide variety of ways, from participating in disaster relief to addressing chronic hunger, from eliminating urban food deserts to helping women rescued from sex trafficking— and much more.” For resources and additional information, go to globalhungerrelief.com.

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The way pastors practically love their congregations was also the topic of a series of interviews conducted by the TEXAN with five experienced Texas pastors, each in his present position for more than a decade and serving different size congregations, numbering 150 to more than 1,000. Know your congregation Effective shepherds know their sheep, Mike Lawson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sherman, said. For Lawson, this includes learning people’s names; being present during major life events like weddings, funerals and hospitalizations; and “being willing to stay for the long haul.” “If you want to know people, you have to be willing to invest in lives over an extended period of time,” Lawson said. “I have never gone to a [church] planning to leave that place.” Manuel Martinez affirmed the value of longevity. Serving Primera Iglesia Bautista in Irving as associate pastor in the 1980s and later as interim created familiarity, which proved helpful when Martinez accepted the call as pastor in 2000. “Since we have been at the church such a long time, people have come know us, love us and respect us,” Martinez said. For Tim Skaggs, pastor of Brownwood’s Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, knowing the congregation started with mak-

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ing public his cell phone number. With Sunday morning worship attendance averaging 1,200, Skaggs recalled the advice of a pastor friend early in his time at Coggin Ave., who said, “Don’t be friends with your people.“ It was advice Skaggs found impossible to follow. “I can’t do that,” Skaggs told his wife. To the church secretary who cautioned against publicizing his cell number, he replied, “I want to be found. I want to be accessible.” Coggin Ave.’s weekly bulletin features contact information of all staff members, including Skaggs. “People call and text me a lot. Every now and then, someone will call me at home at night and apologize. I jokingly tell them, ‘Look, if people stop calling me, I am out of a job,’” Skaggs added with a laugh.

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an emergency, if something was going on with my family, the church knew that was where I was going to be.” Balancing priorities can be especially challenging for younger pastors. “For a young pastor just starting out, one of the hardest things [to] do is juggle church family and ‘real’ family,” Skaggs said. “Many times we have this messiah complex—we’re going to save the world. No doubt I put church before family early in my career.” “I made mistakes my first few years,” Earl Duggins of Kilgore’s Forest Home Baptist Church admitted. “I thought I was the only one who could get anybody saved. When you put God first, you’ll have the right spot for your family. Do not neglect the wife and children.”

Advice for young pastors Lawson recommended young What about the pastors pray regularly for a “sershepherd’s family? vant’s heart.” Referencing Jesus’ Of course, caring for the flock washing of his disciples’ feet, and sacrificially loving a con- Lawson said, “[Pedestals] are not gregation should not mean sac- where pastors belong. Pastors rificing a shepherd’s family on really belong on their faces [in the altar of duty. prayer, emulating] Christ as a Lawson told FBC Sherman that servant leader.” he would sacrifice neither family Duggins advised young pasnor health. Doing so would ren- tors to “make sure” of their der him “less effective.” calling. Quoting Proverbs 3:5The church encourages Law- 6, he added “Then, enjoy the son to follow these principles. trip. Just let God lead you and Early on, two ladies with whom guide you.” he teamed for an evangelistic Skaggs cautioned against outreach insisted he be with his being defined by the title of son at baseball practice instead. pastor, even though people “They called me on it,” Law- often define themselves by son said. “I am glad they did. their jobs. “Let the Word of From that point on, there was God define who you are and never a question that, except in how you live. … I had better make sure that Jesus defines me. … I answer to an audience of one. Hebrews 13:17 says I will give an account one day … to God, not to people or to the church.” Skaggs said this philosophy of answering to God rather than man influences how he shepherds. “People will disappoint me and hurt me. I will disappoint and hurt people. We are not perfect (but) Jesus FO REST H O M E B APTIST CHURC H never changes. He is the solid

“I made mistakes my first few years. I thought I was the only one who could get anybody saved. When you put God first, you’ll have the right spot for your family. Do not neglect the wife and children.” — E A R L D U G G I N S O F KI LG O RE’ S

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A Shepherd’s Primer Steve Dorman of FBC Brownsville offers the following five facets of shepherding.

1. Love people. Enjoy them. Love them in spite of their failures. Don’t burn bridges with people. Be patient with them. 2. Love God more. Enjoy your time in his Word each day. Be refreshed in his Word. Be grateful. 3. Know for sure you God has called you to ministry. If you don’t know this, you will be tempted to quit every Monday morning. There are easier and more lucrative ways of making a living. If you can do one of them and be content, then do it. 4. Pick your fights in church. If it’s a scriptural matter of great consequence to the congregation, then it’s a battle worth fighting. But if it’s merely a personal preference or something inconsequential, let it go. And when you have to fight a battle, first fight it alone in prayer. Then use the greatest force ever—love—to engage the enemy. Speak the truth in love. 5. Do the right thing because it is the right thing. Don’t expect rewards. Don’t expect allegiances. And certainly don’t expect favors. Do what’s right, because it’s right, and let God take care of the consequences.

rock. That is where I am going to put my hope.” Spending “quality and quantity time with Jesus” is essential, Skaggs added, emphasizing personal Bible study in addition to sermon preparation. “If Sa-

tan can’t make you bad, he will make you busy,” Skaggs said. “Remember, the pastoral ministry is not about you, it’s about God,” Martinez advised. “Let your people know you love them,” Lawson added.

SMALL-GROUP DISCIPLESHIP CULTIVATES HOLINESS By Mark Kelly TEXAN Correspondent FORT WORTH “Making disciples who make disciples” lies at the heart of every pastor’s mission in his congregation, two Texas pastors say. “Discipleship means radically different things to different people,” says Rodney Brown, pastor of Metro Bible Church in Southlake. “Our theme verse is 1 Thessalonians 2:8. Real discipleship is simply imparting the Word and imparting our lives.”

Chris Osborne says the emphasis on making disciples permeates everything they do at Central Baptist Church in College Station. “We are real serious about discipleship,” Osborne says. “We use our Sunday school classes. We have intergenerational small groups. I’m a book-by-book, verseby-verse preacher, so we try to really lay out the Scripture on Sunday mornings. We try to disciple the children all the way from preschool through high school.” Central Baptist’s adult discipleship program is built around a curriculum Osborne wrote himself.

“I noticed there was really good intensive curriculum and really good beginning curriculum, but there was almost nothing middle of the road, so I wrote my own,” Osborne says. “It covers basic doctrines, and I took a group of men through it for a year, then I took a group of women through it for a year. Then they were responsible for taking other people through.” Osborne encourages those he has discipled to teach the curriculum to groups of four or five: “That helps keep the discussion going; you’ve got better ideas

being offered. It’s easier for an introvert to lead it. Plus you get the material through more people that way.” At Metro Bible Church, discipling integrates with the pastoral care role of the church’s elder/deacon ministry. “We pastor our congregation through small groups, so each elder—and in our case we have highly qualified deacons—leads a small group,” Brown says. “Small group discipleship is not the end road I’m trying to get to, but that’s where it’s modeled well, in soul care.”

Brown’s congregation is largely composed of Millennials who are first-generation Christians and often feel they aren’t qualified or don’t know enough to “impart the Word” to others. “We try to make them comfortable and say it’s OK to come back and get answers,” Brown says. “And it’s not the venue. If you like to take walks with someone, if you like to get a workout with them, if you like gardening, if you’re a stay-athome mom—we have to get CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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Pastors play critical role as firstresponders in counseling members By Tobin Perry TEXAN Correspondent JACKSONVILLE For Mike Smith, a pastor’s counseling ministry is like the work of an emergency room doctor. “When someone comes to you, usually it’s an emergency,” says Smith, who serves as the president of Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas. “You then can refer them to the specialist. I tell people, ‘I’m here to listen to you. I’m going to pray for you, but it may be that when you share with me I’m going to have to refer you to someone else.’” Smith’s advice comes as more attention is being placed on the counseling ministry of local church pastors. Several highprofile pastors, whose children committed suicide after struggling with mental illness, have initiated a national conversation on the topic. After a 2013 Southern Baptist Convention resolution urging churches to demonstrate compassion for those with mental illness, SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page established a voluntary advisory council on ways to communicate better with Southern Baptists about mental health ministry needs. Page’s daughter, Melissa, ended her life at age 32. For the past two years, Saddleback Church has sponsored a mental health conference for church leaders after the son of its pastor, Rick Warren, committed suicide. Smith encourages pastors to have basic preparation for counseling needs, such as pre-marital counseling, hospital chaplaincy and basic introductory counseling courses. This preparation will help pastors identify issues and determine if they can handle them or need to refer them to a professional counselor.

“(Pastors) are wanting to meet the needs of the people and give help,” says Smith, who has served as a local church pastor, a director of missions and on the staff of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. “That’s good and admirable, but they need to understand their limitations. I think sometimes they tend to deal with areas they are not really equipped for.” Katherine Pang, a licensed psychologist and the director of the graduate counseling program at Criswell College, recommends pastors develop a strong referral list of counselors to whom they can send members. She suggests starting with people they know and entities they respect. She points out that schools like Criswell College can help identify biblical counselors who can help. She also recommends talking to deacons and other leaders in the church to see what experiences they’ve had with counselors in the area. She urges pastors to look at a counselor’s background before referring to them. Pang acknowledged that many pastors struggle with referring church members to counselors because they fear counselors might mess up their theology: “There are people who are grounded in the truth of God’s Word, and they are uniquely qualified to bring together both the truth of God’s Word with counseling theory and technique, which are important in helping people move through these issues, to be able to be where God would have them to be.” Frank Catanzaro, chair of biblical counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, says the most important part of preparing pastors for a counseling ministry is

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creative. Invite someone over in the afternoon when your kids are down for their nap and have them help you fold clothes. But go through the Word of God and challenge one another scripturally and do soul care.” Brown disciples members over nine months or a year, then delegates them to find others to disciple. He offers to be their “walker”—to join that new group and coach them as they lead that process. “I will show up 20 minutes early, and we’ll go over how

we are going to do it,” Brown says. “Then I will debrief with them later in the week. I’ll do this for several weeks, and then they’re on their own.” Brown followed that process with Chris Mordecai, a Metro Bible member who teaches fifthgrade science in Trophy Club. “I observed the way Rod was with me and the way he set me free to find a guy and be that way with him,” Mordecai says. “He called me to a life of holiness, of discipline, of giving up my life to serve the Lord, so the next call was for me to call someone else to give up their life to serve the Lord.”

“There are people who are grounded in the truth of God’s Word, and they are uniquely qualified to bring together both the truth of God’s Word with counseling theory and technique, which are important in helping people move through these issues, to be able to be where God would have them to be.” — KATHE RIN E PAN G, A LI CENSED PSYCHOLOGI ST AND T HE DI R ECTOR OF THE G RAD UAT E COUNSELI NG PR OGR AM AT CR I SWELL COLLEGE

helping them develop strong biblical knowledge. He compared counseling to discipleship, where pastors use Scripture to help people see where they need to make a change in their life. “I teach my students to listen, primarily, for unbiblical thinking and then to counter it with biblical truth,” Catanzaro says.

Mordecai was discouraged when several men he met with didn’t follow through, but then a man began attending the church who was “rough around the edges” but open to being discipled. “I don’t know what the difference was, other than this was just the Lord’s orchestration, but he embraced the idea and ran with it,” Mordecai says. “Now he is an example of what it’s like to give your all, serve the church, be constantly focused on others, and love the Lord. It was a blessing to be part of his growth.” Managing expectations is crucial, Brown points out. “If you disciple 10 guys, you probably ought to count on

“Whether you’re actually sick or not, I can’t deal with that because I’m not a medical professional. If you’re not thinking biblically, I can do something about that.” Another lesson Catanzaro teaches prospective pastors is to not be intimidated by people who come to them with a psychological diagnosis.

“When someone comes for help who has already received a diagnosis, it is not my job to evaluate the validity of that diagnosis but to listen for unbiblical thinking and counter with biblical truth,” Catanzaro says. “It has been my experience, that when people think biblically, joy replaces brokenness, even in that face of a trial.”

“Now he is an example of what it’s like to give your all, serve the church, be constantly focused on others, and love the Lord. It was a blessing to be part of his growth.” — C HRIS MORDECAI , A MET R O BI BLE MEMBER

two of them lasting long term,” Brown says. “You cannot take it personally when someone walks away. That’s why it’s so important on the front end that you’re really choosing, as best you can tell, the right people. You may spend three years

pouring into six guys, and five of them walk away. But look what that one guy is doing. He’s multiplied himself five times over!” Mark Kelly is a career Southern Baptist journalist and hosts a podcast at godsrevolution.net.

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Intentional modeling by pastors key to top evangelistic Texas churches “If the pastor doesn’t go, the people won’t go. The fact that I was willing to go gave them courage or motivation to go.” — D E WE Y DAVIDSON, FI R ST BAPT I ST CHUR CH OF QUI T MAN

By Tobin Perry TEXAN Correspondent BROWNSVILLE Pastor Carlos Navarro can remember when, early in his ministry, it was only he and his family doing evangelistic visitations at Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville. Yet Navarro remained committed to modeling personal evangelism for his congregation. “The people won’t do it if the pastor won’t do it,” Navarro said. “The example has to be set by the pastor. People tend to think it’s someone else’s responsibility. If pastors don’t preach evangelistically, practice evangelism and show a love for evangelism, why should the church care?” Throughout 24 years of Navarro’s ministry at Iglesia Bautista, God has rewarded that faithfulness. Today, Navarro says he has seen hun-

dreds of people come to faith in Jesus through the ministry of the church. With Southern Baptists struggling to push back declining baptism rates, throughout the country and in Texas, Nathan Lino, pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church, urged pastors attending the Empower conference earlier this year to do what Navarro has done—be intentional in both their personal and corporate evangelism efforts. “We need to be reminded of the essential nature of intentionality in personal evangelism,” preached Lino, the current president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. “You can do everything right, but if you lose intentionality, you lose the whole bag.” Lino encouraged pastors to develop a plan to share Christ personally as he shared his

own plan to have 52 evangelistic encounters each year, which he tracks on his phone. “What the concept of intentionality looks like with boots on the ground is a plan,” Lino said. “So maybe the greater question is, what is your plan to directly engage lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ?” Modeling isn’t just significant for adults but for youth as well, according to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Richard Ross. “Pastors may need to forget the word ‘send,’” Ross writes in his book, The Senior Pastor and the Reformation of the Youth Ministry. “Pastors cannot send teenagers and leaders to share their faith. They can only lead them.” Ross describes modeling as the “most powerful tool for helping students reach their friends for Christ.” He points

to a study by Dave Rahn and Terry Linhart that showed 85 percent of teens who had led friends to faith in Christ had previously seen an adult lead someone to Christ. In his work as interim pastor of First Baptist Church of Quitman, Dewey Davidson saw the power of modeling evangelism firsthand. The church baptized 95 people during his time as interim, which came after the church had split in half. Davidson led FBC Quitman in a variety of outreach projects, including regular doorto-door to evangelism, a harvest party and a showing of the movie Woodlawn. Most of the time, Davidson said, whole families got saved through these efforts. He surprised many in the congregation by participating in each of these opportunities. “If the pastor doesn’t go, the people won’t go,” Davidson said. “The fact that I was willing to go gave them courage or motivation to go.” Though personal evangelism has always been an important part of his ministry, Mark Broussard, pastor of Cedar Bayou Baptist Church in Baytown, says modeling personal evangelism became more fruitful when he was introduced to FAITH evangelism, an evangelistic process created by former SBC president Bobby Welch.

“When I started in ministry, I knew it was important for me to model this,” Broussard said. “But I’m a natural introvert. I knew this would be tough even while I was in seminary. That was confirmed when I got on the field.” As a seminary student at Southwestern, Broussard learned the CWT (Continuous Witness Training) method of personal evangelism, but it seemed daunting with the amount of Scripture required to be memorized. He figured if he had a difficult time with it, it would likely be hard to motivate church members to participate. But when Broussard discovered the FAITH plan in the 1990s, he found it much easier to model evangelism and train others in the process. When he became pastor of Cedar Bayou in 2000, he brought the plan with him. Thanks to the FAITH plan, Broussard has become a consistent modeler of personal evangelism. “I teach the basic class,” Broussard said. “It’s to show them I think this is important, to let them know I’ll be going out with a deacon or two every week. There was a time I went out a couple of times a week, just to let everyone know that this was important to me.”

PASTOR OFFERS ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE CHANGES IN A CHURCH By Keith Collier Managing Editor

Garrett Kell, pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., offers words of counsel to pastors during the 9Marks First Five Years Conference in Fort Worth, Aug. 16. PHOTO PROVIDED BY 9MARKS

FORT WORTH Having walked through the process of revitalizing a dying church, pastor Garrett Kell offered six principles for leading change in a church during a 9Marks conference in Fort Worth, Aug. 16, designed for pastors in their first five years of ministry. Kell, pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., said his first word of counsel was to pray. “Brothers, do you pray?” Kell asked. “I don’t mean do you pray during your service or do pray over your meal, but I

mean do you, in the quiet of your closet, in the solitude of your study, do you ask him who holds the keys of life and death, do you ask him, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do with your church? How do you want me to lead your church? How do you want me to love your church?’” Because pastors and churches are embroiled in a spiritual battle, they must use spiritual weapons, he said. “Prayerless pastoring is a form of unbelieving pride that trades God’s wisdom for our own,” Kell said. “Prayerfulness tempers our ambitions so we don’t CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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Pastoral visits offer hope in the midst of pain

Pastoral Tips for Visitation 1. Be pointed. Don’t just talk about the weather or sports. Speak of the Lord and bring hope to those with whom you visit.

By Sue Sprenkle TEXAN Correspondent

Chronic pain and sickness play tricks with your mind. You feel isolated. You think no one cares. You wonder where you can find hope.

2. Be polite. Good manners and social graces go a long way. Be yourself. Be relaxed. Be polite. 3. Be prompt. If you say you are going to be at a certain place at a certain time, be there. Time is one of our most valuable commodities.

Even if you are a strong follower of Christ or have a supportive family, you still aren’t immune to the mind games. Ken Lowrimore, a member of First Baptist Church in Houston, knows this firsthand. The 80-year-old has been battling Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for 20 years, undergoing 10 different rounds of chemotherapy. One thing that helps him is when his friend or associate pastor sits with him during treatments. “You sit there hooked up to poison for hours at a time, and your mind just runs away from you,” Lowrimore explains. “To have someone sit with you and talk makes all the difference. You realize someone cares. You are reminded that God does care about you as an individual, by this simple act.” Through a visitation ministry, pastors with a compassionate heart can show hurting church members love never fails. A visit from a cheerful person can change the course of a patient’s day. Jaye Martin has a new appreciation for this type of ministry in the church. The IMB trustee and member of Houston’s First Baptist Church has suffered severe and chronic pain for the past two years. The pain medication often clouds her thinking or leaves her unable to complete sentences.

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“Never before have I realized how quickly isolation can occur,” she says. “I have been abundantly blessed by the consistent contacts of the women’s ministry director, the executive pastor, ministerial staff, deacons and friends. The body of Christ has been wrapping its arms around me and a constant source of encouragement.” Martin understands that pastors cannot be “all things to everyone,” but they can make a touch point, whether it’s praying, calling, emailing or sending a handwritten note. “The important thing is that the pastor makes contact, then delegates to a deacon care team, pastoral ministries or members who have been trained,” Martin suggests. “As the body of Christ, I think all of us are responsible and all share the load.” Lowrimore suggests pastors teach their congregation how to do visitation, encouraging them to work alongside him and eventually letting them take over part of it. That’s how he got

Third, pastors must study the sheep that God has given into their care. Kell urged pastors to ask questions and listen to their church members. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 While pastors shouldn’t be run over people or outrun God. enslaved to people’s opinions, Prayer cultivates courage and they should be attentive and quiets anxieties as we battle willing to apologize when they make a mistake. against people’s opinions of us.” “Remember, brothers, that Second, Kell said, pastors must wisely choose which hills God’s people are not a project,” are worth dying on. While Kell said. “They’re not just a some are worth dying on imme- bunch of people to be manipudiately, such as gospel issues or lated into your little system what the church believes about of what you think a perfect God and his Word, others are church is going to look like. important but require patience Rather, they’re the beloved bride purchased with his blood. and slow application. “A loving pastor is the most “Everything we do is important, but not everything is welcomed preacher. How you lead people with love outside equally important,” he said.

involved with his church’s visitation. He believes pastors should encourage those who have been through different “real life situations” to go visit. One cancer patient (or survivor) can speak to another on a unique level. They can relate to the fears, mind games, chemo side affects, isolation, etc. They can give a personal testimony for “the big question: Am I ready to die?” The 80-year-old emphasizes the importance of prayer at the end of a visit. He says it doesn’t matter if the person is a Christian or not, they want prayer. It’s a symbol of hope. “People want hope. Christians have that hope. If you don’t share that when you visit someone, then you are doing a disservice,” says Lowrimore, who has prayed with more than 40 cancer patients to receive Christ. “Pastors, teach your congregation to share out of their own experiences. And above all else, teach them to always pray.”

the pulpit will warm their hearts toward you when you are in the pulpit. Brothers, lead God’s people toward change with love and instruction.” Fourth, Kell said, pastors must “teach people toward maturity.” “If you want to change something, teach on it over and over and over,” he said, adding, “Let God’s Word do the work; it changes people. … Open the Bible, and show people from the Bible what God’s Word says about his church and about them.” Fifth, pastors must be willing to consider what God might want to change in them first. “There is nothing like leading a church that will expose our idolatries and insecurities,”

4. Be short. Most likely the person you are visiting does not feel well. Do not linger, especially in hospital rooms. 5. Be purposeful. The overwhelming purpose of your visit is to share a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Keep this purpose at the forefront. 6. Be prayerful. Each pastoral visit, no matter the nature, should be concluded with prayer from the pastor for his people. Pray with and for your people at every opportunity. Excerpted from The Pastor’s Primer, by O.S. Hawkins (GuideStone, 2006)

“We tend to overestimate what we can do in the short run and underestimate what we can do in the long run.” —GAR R ET T KELL, PASTOR OF DEL R AY BAPT I ST CHUR CH I N ALEXANDR I A, VA.

Kell said. Pastors must walk in repentance and humility as they lead the congregation toward change. Finally, Kell instructed pastors to pace themselves with perspective. Too many pastors either steamroll church members or leave them behind when working toward change.

“We tend to overestimate what we can do in the short run and underestimate what we can do in the long run,” he said. “Love your people with the long view, and God will change your church.” To watch a video of Kell’s message or other messages from the 9Marks First Five Years Conference, visit 9marks.link/ FFYvideos.

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GET TO KNOW OUR SBTC TEAM NAME: LAURA ADKISON JOB: PCR MINISTRY ASSISTANT CHURCH: MACARTHUR BLVD BAPTIST CHURCH, IRVING

collection, pulpit supply and a host of other things. Our department also hosts an annual pastor golf tournament and the Pastor/Wife retreat. Both of these are fun events and allow us to get to know pastors, their wives and their staff on a more personal level.

WHAT DO YOU DO AS A MINISTRY ASSISTANT? I support the ministers in the Pastor/ Church Relations department. Our department is sometimes the first “touch” a church has with the SBTC. We work with churches in the affiliation process, ACP data

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR THE SBTC? 3.5 years

CHURCH POSITIONS

style. Please submit resume to musicsearch@fbcbc. org. Description of the position can be seen at www.fbcbc.org. u FBC Dumas is seeking a FT minister of music to give leadership to our total music ministry and lead in a blended style of worship. Please send resumes to Jerry Howe, PO Box 617, Dumas, TX 79029. u FBC Princeton seeks a PT music minister to plan, conduct and promote the music and worship programs of the church. Interested candidates should email a resume or questions to pastor@ fbcprincetontx.org.

PASTOR u Keys Valley BC is seeking a FT pastor. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume (including testimony and doctrinal beliefs) to [email protected] or Keys Valley Baptist Church, ATTN: Pastor Search Committee, 4393 W US Hwy 190, Belton, TX 76513. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Cayton, secretary, Keys Valley Baptist Church, cell: 254291-6570. u Shadycrest BC of Pearland is looking for a FT lead pastor. Please send resumes to keith@ keithfamily.net or mail them to Pastor Search Committee, Shadycrest Baptist Church, 3017 Yost Blvd, Pearland, TX 77581. u Hilltop Baptist Church in Frankston is seeking a FT pastor for a very small, growing church. We are located in the country, near beautiful Lake Palestine. Please submit resumes to Search Committee, Hilltop Baptist Church, 11269 CR 4117, Frankston, TX 75763 or email hilltopbaptistsearch@ yahoo.com. u Lake Limestone BC is seeking a FT pastor. Experience is required. The church is affiliated with the SBTC. This is a rural church with an average worship attendance of 70. Parsonage is included. Submit resume to [email protected] or Lake Limestone Baptist Church, 17905 Sterling Robertson Dam Road, Thornton, TX 76687. u Friendship BC in Weatherford, a growing rural church, seeks a FT senior pastor. Please send resumes to [email protected] or Friendship Baptist Church, 801 Friendship Rd, Weatherford, TX 76085. u St Joe BC near DeLeon is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. The church is a long-time established rural church. Send resume to [email protected] or PO Box 201 DeLeon, TX 76444. u Center Hill BC is seeking a FT pastor. Submit resume to [email protected] or Center Hill Baptist Church, PO Box 190, Oakhurst, TX 77359. Experience is required. Candidates must not be divorced and remarried. u Sylvester BC is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Parsonage available. Send resume to PO Box 8, Sylvester, TX 79560 or [email protected]. u FBC Coahoma is seeking a pastor. Please send resume to First Baptist Church, PO Box 376, Coahoma, TX 79511. MUSIC u FBC Queen City is accepting resumes for a FT worship leader for blended worship with modern instruments, praise team and choir. Music degree and ministerial staff experience preferred. Send resume, references and video sample to: [email protected]. u FBC Uvalde is seeking a FT associate pastor to lead blended-style worship. This position also includes some pastoral and administrative responsibilities. Visit our website at fbcuvalde.com. u FBC Orangefield is seeking a worship minister who oversees the worship/music ministry of the church by developing, coordinating, and administering Spirit-led worship, and providing leadership and supervision of musical programs, technical staff, and equipment. Complete job description is available at www.fbcof.com. Email resume to [email protected]. Church office: 409-735-3113. u Six Mile BC in Hemphill is seeking a minister of music to lead the adult choir and lead a blended music service consisting of southern gospel and contemporary music. Housing is available. If interested, please send resumes to Mildred Stoddard, 121 Forest Dr., Hemphill, TX 75948, (936) 201-9293 or (936) 676-2520 u FBC Bridge City is seeking a FT minister of music/ worship. Candidates should be able to lead the church’s music and media ministry in a blended

WHEN PACKING FOR A TRIP, WHAT ITEM MUST YOU ALWAYS BRING ALONG, THAT OTHERS MIGHT FIND SILLY? I usually bring slippers. And, I am also

COMBINATION u FBC Cameron is seeking a student and worship minister. The chosen candidate will join our new pastor to fulfill God’s mission in Cameron, TX by reaching lost and unchurched families. Contact pastor Dusty Smith at [email protected]. YOUTH u New Harmony BC in Tyler is seeking a FT youth minister with education and experience in theology and counseling. Bilingual is a plus but is not required. Send resume to New Harmony Baptist Church, 10251 FM 724, Tyler, TX 75704, fax to 903593-2500 or email to [email protected]. For questions or information, call our office at 903-593-5811. u Kirkwood Church in Houston is seeking a FT student pastor to work with high school and college students. Contact Pastor David Mai 281495-7783 or email resume to davidmai_79201@ yahoo.com. u Fellowship BC in Wills Point is seeking a bi-vocational/PT youth minister, disciple-maker, to lead our youth ministry. Email resumes to [email protected]. u FBC Gholson seeks a PT youth minister to evaluate and direct a comprehensive ministry with youth and families. For more information or to submit your resume please email pastor@ fbcgholson.org or call/text James Stevens at 254709-7273. u Luella FBC is looking for a PT youth minister. Must be at least 21 years old with some experience, a member of a Southern Baptist Church with a solid Christian background, and be able to pass a background check and drug test. Ordained minister preferred but will consider a student working toward ordination. Salary based upon experience. Send resume to Anna Atchley Garza, Luella First Baptist Church, 3162 State Hwy 11, Sherman, TX 75090 or [email protected]. CHILDREN u Harmony BC in Arlington is seeking a PT or bivocational children’s director for preschool thru 6th grade. Some experience required. Send resume to pastor Brian Grey at [email protected]. u North Hills BC in Whitesboro is accepting resumes for a PT children’s minister to organize and implement Sunday morning children’s church, SS outreach, Wed. night program and lead VBS team. Church is open to creative ideas for children’s ministry. Send resumes to: [email protected], PO Box 649, Whitesboro, TX, 76273, www.northhillsbaptist.com. OTHER u North Hills BC in Whitesboro seeks a PT paid piano/keyboard player for blended style worship Sunday morning only. Must be comfortable in diverse styles of worship with hymns, choruses, contemporary. Contact Kent Oliver 580-579-0840. ANNOUNCEMENTS u Lamar Baptist Church in Arlington extends thanks and appreciation to pastor Kevin J. Moore, Ph.D., for his first five years of loving, God-honoring leadership. A celebration will be held Sunday, Oct. 30 with an 11 a.m. service and 6 p.m. reception

a Premier Jewelry lady so I lay out the clothes I am taking on my trip and then pack coordinating jewelry for each outfit. In short, I travel with a lot of bling! THE BEST DAY AT THE OFFICE IS … when we have a baby shower or wedding shower for one of our staff, which has been pretty much one day a month lately! WHAT IS ONE THING YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR JOB AT THE SBTC? Well, I’ve learned a lot at the SBTC. Joe Davis knows the words to the

at Lamar Baptist Church, 1000 W. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX 76012. u Trinity BC in Corsicana will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 22 with lunch

Foreigner song “Urgent,” Kenneth Priest knows where all the best restaurants are located, and Mark Yoakum doesn’t like chocolate cake. ON A WEEKEND AWAY FROM WORK, WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE TO DO? I’m pretty much a home-body so I like updating our ‘80s inspired home we moved into a couple of years ago (where are Chip & Joanna Gaines when I need them?). In the summer, I enjoy floating on my Marilyn Monroe raft in our pool reading a book. During the winter I like cooking and watching movies with my family.

at 11:30 a.m. and a service of celebration at 1:30 p.m. All former pastors, staff and members are invited. Please RSVP by Oct. 16 to 1200 N. 13th St, Corsicana, TX 75110 or call 903-874-6637.

PAID CLASSIFIEDS u CUSTOM SCREEN-PRINTED T-SHIRTS FOR CHURCHES Great prices and free shipping across the state! Small and large orders welcome. Printed by Christian owned and operated business. Call Southeast Texas Printing Co. 409-622-2197. u CAREER OPPORTUNITY Immediate earning potential. Be part of the rapidly growing precious metals industry. Free training and ongoing support. Work from home. Rapidly growing international company. 888-644-4408. Call NOW! u BUSINESS FOR SALE Christian publisher, Nets $47K, Part-time from home. E-Z to learn. Will train. Established 14 years. Retiring. $24,900. Call 828-633-6382.

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LIFEWAY TRUSTEES APPROVE $501 MILLION BUDGET, HEAR REPORTS OF GROWTH IN RESOURCES DIVISION By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Special Assignments Editor RIDGECREST, N.C. After hearing reports from vice presidents, trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources approved a nearly one percent increase over the current year to set the total budget for 2017 at $501.3 million. LifeWay is projecting almost $10 million in revenue

growth from the resources division this year, continuing to see a turnaround in the sale of ongoing curriculum after earlier years of decline. Trustees also learned that LifeWay Christian Stores are undergoing a redesign with an interactive area for children and more specific categorization of adult books. “The majority of people are not actually

coming in for a specific book, explained Cossy Pachares, vice president over the retail division. “They have a life issue and are looking for a book to address that. By reflowing books to match issues such as grief, depression, marriage and finances, Pachares said, “We found the very best, biblically solid resources that address life issues. You

don’t want to trust yourself to what an Amazon review says. When we found gaps, we worked with B&H and other publishers to make sure we are impacting lives.” LifeWay President Thom Rainer announced the addition of Connia Nelson as the new director of human resources, bringing years of experience with Verizon Communications

where she served as senior vice president in the same capacity with 175,000 employees. All six Texans who serve as LifeWay trustees were present for the meeting, including Ken Carter of Lubbock, Brice Mandaville of Seguin, Brad McLean of New Braunfels, Bob Pearle of Fort Worth, Michael Stevens of Austin and Roger Yancey of Conroe.

O. S. Hawkins and Barrett Duke honored by ERLC trustees By Tammi Reed Ledbetter Special Assignments Editor NASHVILLE Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission trustees meeting Sept. 24-25 in Nashville voted to honor two men with Texas ties, approve a $4.09 million budget and affirm a longstanding policy opening their proceedings to the news media. Efforts to push back against an “overreaching government” in the area of health care prompted trustees to select GuideStone Financial Re-

sources President O. S. Hawkins as this year’s recipient of the John Leland Religious Liberty Award. Under Hawkins’ leadership, GuideStone filed a lawsuit against a mandate in the 2010 Affordable Care Act that would have forced the funding of abortion-causing drugs through its health insurance plans.

Trustees also recognized ERLC Vice President Barrett Duke with the Richard D. Land Distinguished Service Award. Duke served ERLC for the past 20 years in the areas of public policy and research and has directed the Washington, D.C. office since 2003. Duke told trustees he had been blessed in being a part of “what God is doing on the front lines of culture” at the ERLC, praising the staff with whom he has worked. He has been nominated to serve as executive director of the Montana Southern

Baptist Convention. Trustees met at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center just prior to the ERLC’s national conference addressing gospel-centered cultural engagement. They approved the 2016-2017 budget proposal of $4,098,948, a slight increase over the current year. In response to a motion presented by a messenger to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention seeking clarification from all entities, trustees and staff affirmed an

open media policy “grounded by the recognition of our responsibility to keep Southern Baptists informed of the work of the ministries it sponsors through its sacrificial giving to the Cooperative Program.” Texans serving on the 34-member board are Barry K. Creamer, a member of Lake Highlands Baptist Church in Dallas and president of Criswell College, and Kelly Hancock, a member of North Richland Hills Baptist Church, local businessman and state representative.

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ATTORNEY, FORMER FIRE CHIEF, HOUSTON PASTOR DISCUSS NEED FOR CHRISTIANS’ ENGAGEMENT By Bonnie Pritchett

as women to use the women’s restrooms and changing rooms. The 2014 controversy gained national attention when NASHVILLE Historically, Christians have attorneys for then-Houston Mayor Anoften found themselves at odds with so- nise Parker subpoenaed the sermons of ciety’s sexual standards. But, as a surge in five prominent pastors. civil lawsuits against Christians reveals, While Lino was not one of those subpoebiblically based sexual mores are often naed, the event underscored for him the deemed bigoted and their harshest critics fact that pastors do not have the option of claim religious liberty is merely an excuse sitting on the sidelines of cultural battles. for institutionalized LGBT discrimination. Erik Stanley, an attorney for Alliance During the 2016 ERLC Conference in Defending Freedom (ADF), said middle Nashville Aug. 25-27, an attorney, a Hous- ground in the debate over sexual orienton pastor, and an Atlanta layman ad- tation and gender identity (SOGI) laws dressed religious liberty issues and encour- is fast eroding. Stanley’s daily work deaged those gathered that relief may not fending Christians—like the subpoenaed be on the horizon but standing for truth Houston pastors, fired Atlanta Fire Chief despite the personal cost is its own reward. Kelvin Cochran, and a rapidly growing “Christ’s church is as much for those list of Christian business owners—can not yet in the church as it is for those be disheartening. But he noted circumalready in the church,” said Nathan stances in 2016 are little different from Lino, pastor of Northeast Houston Bap- the experiences of the Apostle Paul, who tist Church and president of the South- recognized the “unrighteousness of peoern Baptists of Texas Convention. “And ple who … suppress the truth.” Christ’s voice is as much for those not yet “We are at a cultural moment where in the church as it is for those already in simply proclaiming the gospel and livthe church.” ing it out in our daily lives [are] cultural Lino recounted his involvement with engagement,” Stanley said. “It brings Houston-area pastors to defeat a pro- us into conflict with the cultural and LGBT city ordinance that would have sometimes even with the legal authoriallowed biological males who identify ties in our culture.” TEXAN Correspondent

Truth and morality lie at the root of cultural conflict, not politics, he said. That makes a pastor’s call to his church and surrounding community all the more significant. “When Christ’s preachers are silent at the wrong time, their city—their society—is void of the voice of God,” Lino said. “And society begins to think that God has nothing to say about the values and morals and priorities of a culture.” Lino, Cochran and Stanley agreed that Christian cultural engagement is not a matter of “if” but “when” and, most importantly, “how.” The infusion of biblical truths tempered with grace should be a natural part of a Christian’s daily living. But matters central to the gospel like life, marriage and religious liberty compel Christians to speak directly to those issues, Lino said. Silence is not an option. Inherent in the freedom of speech is the freedom to hear, a notion lost on those who seek to squelch public discourse over issues of human sexuality and marriage, former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran said. The Atlanta mayor and city council fired Cochran in 2013 after he self-

published a men’s Bible study that had a brief mention of biblical marriage and sexual ethics. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution quoted Councilman Alex Wan, who is gay: “I respect each individual’s right to have their own thoughts, beliefs and opinions, but when you’re a city employee and those thoughts, beliefs and opinions are different from the city’s, you have to check them at the door.” In Cochran’s defense, Stanley disagreed with Wan’s statement, arguing Christians must push back on the notion that they cannot speak biblical truth at work, school or any public place. Cochran’s deeply held religious convictions, which he had applied as a firefighter and as chief and had earned him national recognition, suddenly made him a pariah. And it cost him his job. But Stanley, Lino and Cochran noted that kingdom consequences are always better than worldly consequences. “Culture is unfolding in ways that this country has never seen before. But we have no reason to be scared,” Lino said. “This is time to be exhilarated and emboldened. God is sovereign over all things, and we are the ones he chose to be here at such a time as this.”

Department of Education Grants Title IX Exemptions for Criswell College By Rob Collingsworth Criswell College DALLAS Criswell College received notification from the U.S. Department of Education in September that the school’s Title IX exemption request had been granted. Submitted in September of 2015, the request exempts the college from certain elements of Title IX, the civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Criswell is one of many evangelical schools that have sought exemption in light of the Obama administration’s 2014 reinterpretation of Title IX to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

According to Criswell College President Barry Creamer, the government has put undue burden on colleges to seek exemption from a law that should not conflict with religious freedom. “The government violates constitutionally protected religious liberties when it attempts to prevent a student from receiving federal funds to attend an institution in keeping with his or her religious beliefs,” Creamer said. Just one day after Criswell was notified of the exemption, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report that seemed to condemn schools requesting such exemption on the grounds of religious liberty.

“The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance,” said Martin Castro, who was named chairman of the USCCR during President Obama’s first term. “Our application for a Title IX exemption stems from the belief that every student should possess the freedom to attend a college that represents his or her views, including a traditional view of marriage and sexual orientation,” Creamer added.

While the exemptions allow the school to make distinctions in areas such as admissions, financial aid and hiring, the president unequivocally condemned bigotry and hatred toward members of the LGBTQ community, saying, “Active discrimination, violence, and bullying against members of the LGBTQ community are clear violations of the Christian mandate to love one’s neighbor and have no place in the life of a Christian individual or institution.” In 2015 Criswell partnered with the SBTC to create the Religious Liberty Endowment, which will ultimately eliminate student dependence on federal aid and render the exemptions unnecessary.

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ANNUAL MEETING LUNCHEON TO ADDRESS PASTORS’ STRUGGLES By Lauren Reynnells TEXAN Intern AUSTIN Southern Baptists of Texas Convention President Nathan Lino will emcee a president’s luncheon discussing “The Struggles of an Ordinary Pastor” at this year’s SBTC Annual Meeting in Austin, Nov. 15. The luncheon will be one of many meals and events offered during the Bible Conference and Annual Meeting at Great Hills Baptist Church. The President’s Luncheon will consist of five, 10-minute talks on common struggles among pastors, such as discouragement, neglect of self, hurting pastors’ wives, resentment and preparation. Speakers include Matt Carter from The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Josh Smith from MacArthur Blvd. Baptist Church in Irving, Nicole Lino from Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, Kevin Ueckert from First Baptist Church in Georgetown, and Chris Osborne from Central Baptist Church in College Station. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 per person.

The Ministry Café lunch will take place on Monday, Nov. 14, from noon–1p.m. and feature a panel discussion moderated by Danny Forshee and with speakers Steven Smith, Jim Henry and Rhys Stenner to offer fellowship and encouragement for pastors in discussing the Holy Spirit. Tickets can be purchased online for $5 per person. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Advance Now Chat & Chow dinner will have a panel discussion moderated by SBTC Missions Director Shane Pruitt considering “The Role of the Holy Spirit in Multiplication.” The dinner will be from 4:45–6:00 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online for $10 per person. Two ethnic fellowship dinners will be offered during the annual meeting. The Asian Dinner will offer a time to meet with Asian pastors on Monday, Nov. 14, from 4:30–6:00 p.m. The following day the AfricanAmerican Fellowship dinner will take place from 4:45–6:00 p.m. Richard Lewis, Jr, pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Copperas Cove, will speak at the

dinner. The cost of each event is $10 per person, and tickets must be pre-purchased online in order to attend. Criswell College will host their dinner and dialogue on Monday, Nov. 14, from 4:30– 6:00 p.m. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Dean of Preaching David Allen and Criswell College President Barry Creamer will discuss “The Extent of the Atonement: A Baptist Perspective.” The cost for attendance is $10 per person. Southwestern Seminary’s alumni breakfast will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 7:00–8:45 a.m. and the cost for attendance is free with online registration. Southern Seminary’s alumni breakfast will also be on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 7:00–8:45 a.m., however the cost for attendance is $10 per person. The speaker for this event will be Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin. For more information and to purchase tickets for meals, go to sbtexas.com/am16 and click on the “Meals/Events” tab.

Jeremy Camp concert added to Annual Meeting Christian music artist Jeremy Camp will be leading in worship during the Tuesday evening prayer and worship session at the SBTC Annual Meeting at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Nov. 15. Following the session, which begins at 6:40 p.m., Camp will put on a free concert.

Housing Assistance Available for SBTC Annual Meeting In order to assist bi-vocational pastors and other pastors who might be unable to attend the SBTC annual meeting this year for financial reasons, the convention is making a limited number of rooms available to address the need. Pastors needing housing assistance can contact SBTC Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis, [email protected], for details. Cutoff date for requests is Oct. 10.