renaissance churches + discipleship + equipping + my story and struggle with sexual addiction + recruiting that works - children's ministry

Transcription

1 a publication of the southern baptists of texas convention discipleship renaissance + equipping churches + my story and struggle with sexual addiction + recruiting that works - children's ministry

2 from the sbtc We are confessional The SBTC is a confessional fellowship. The current Baptist Faith and Message (2000) is our statement of faith. Affiliated churches and ministries express their agreement by affirming the BFM2000. This provides a set of parameters. Every affiliated church or ministry is assured they are connecting with a group of like-minded believers. We are cooperative The SBTC gives the highest percentage (55%) among state conventions out of budgeted receipts to the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBTC supports SBC agencies and ministries in North America and around the world. The SBTC invests the Texas budget allocation (45%) to assist in church planting, evangelistic efforts and strengthening existing churches. Colleges and family ministries also receive funding. We are responsive The SBTC Disaster Relief Ministry has aided in disasters from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to Hurricane Harvey of They were the first to respond to Harvey and of the last to leave. The Disaster Relief Ministry s purpose is to prepare, equip, train and mobilize churches and volunteers to fulfill the Great Commission by meeting real needs and sharing the hope of Jesus Christ to those whose lives have been impacted by disasters. Our Directors Tony Wolfe Director Pastor & Church Relations twolfe@sbtexas.com Pastors Associations Kenneth Priest Director Church Revitalization kpriest@sbtexas.com Mark Yoakum Director Church Ministries myoakum@sbtexas.com Sunday School Church Growth Church Administration Discipleship Age-Graded Ministries Worship Shane Pruitt Director Evangelism spruitt@sbtexas.com Evangelism Student Collegiate We are committed The SBTC is committed to provide ministry assistance to the local church. Whether it is small groups, Sunday School, Women s Ministry, Ethics and Religious Liberty, Student Camps, Pastoral Care or over 100 different local church ministries the SBTC staff is dedicated to help the church be gospel centered. The staff of the SBTC is here to serve you our pastors and churches. Please do not hesitate to let us know how we can serve you. Doug Hixson Director Church Planting & Missions dhixson@sbtexas.com Mike Gonzales Director En Español mgonzales@sbtexas.com

3 contents 4 discipleship renaissance I believe we are living in the midst of a Discipleship Renaissance. I believe this resurgence is tied to a recommitment to this idea Jesus called us to make disciples, not just converts. These disciples are meant to be learners who grow in their commitment to follow Jesus with all their lives and help others to do the same. reaching generation z 32 four barriers you must overcome to engage the next generation 6 10 men: hunters. gatherers. providers. protectors. explorers. inventors spiritual conversations at home - family ministry 30 church security high school speakers compete for college scholarships teaching begins at the door - children s ministry 14 my story and struggle with sexual addiction - men's ministry 42 recruiting that works - children s ministry to help ministries grow, develop a plan to train and build leaders women s ministry: titus 2 mentoring women s ministry in smaller churches three ways you can help your husband ways to introduce kids to missions The Great Commission is an active commandment from Jesus. How can we help kids understand it and live it? how authentic christianity is the answer for students in this chaotic world building a youth ministry that echoes in 3 simple steps college ministry: get in the game 28 equipping churches reaching the campus unreached serve, love and serve again builders and boomers 58 dealing with grief in the church sbtexas.com 1

4 discipleship discipleship renaissance By Spencer Plumlee Pastor, First Baptist Church Mansfield Ibelieve we are living in the midst of a Discipleship Renaissance. If you type the word discipleship into an Amazon search, hundreds of books and resources will immediately appear. We ve also seen a number of disciple-making ministries and leaders assemble in the now-annual National Disciple Making Forum (discipleship.org). While there has been interest in this topic in the evangelical world for some time, even the Southern Baptist Convention has seen a surge of interest. In 2016, Southern Baptists appointed a Disciple-Making Task Force, led by Robby Gallaty, charged with creating a transferable process for disciple-making. Their report was published in 2018 and can be found at 80by20.org. Why this Discipleship Renaissance? I believe this resurgence is tied to a recommitment to this idea Jesus called us to make disciples, not just converts. These disciples are meant to be learners who grow in their commitment to follow Jesus with all their lives and help others to do the same. Included in this idea is a growing clarity that a Christian is more than an attender who made a decision years ago. After all, James tells us that faith without works is dead. (James 2:17). This clarity compels churches to change their ministry scorecard to include not just conversion but also clear goals connected to discipleship. For years, we have celebrated conversions and baptisms as the ultimate goals of the church. While this should never be diminished, many of us are coming back to the clarity of the New Testament witness concerning the task of the church baptism isn t the finish line, it s the starting line. 2 sbtc church ministries

5 discipleship Clarify the goal: disciples, not just converts. The reason so many discipleship efforts fail is that we are murky on the goal and the gospel we present. If you want to instill a discipleship culture in your church, don t start with a program or even a process. Start with theology. If the gospel you preach results in people thinking all they need to do is pray a prayer or fill out a card, you will never create a culture of discipleship in your church. We do not preach a worksbased salvation, but we don t shy away from calling people to what the Bible calls them to conversion and disciplediscipleship should always include a commitment to evangelism. Thus, when we use the word discipleship, we should reject any notion that seeks to separate evangelism from this process. What is Discipleship? Discipleship is the process of helping others follow Jesus in such a way that they help others follow Jesus. Embedded in this definition is the idea of multiplication. We are investing in people in such a way that they in turn invest in others. This process is not merely a series of classes or the newest DVD teaching series. Discipleship is focused on helping believers live in light of the forgiveness they ve received. This always includes a vertical dimension as we help each person in his or her walk with the Lord. But it also includes a horizontal element that moves believers to invest their lives in others. As a result, discipleship should always include a commitment to evangelism. Thus, when we use the word discipleship, we should reject any notion that seeks to separate evangelism from this process. How do you bring the Discipleship Renaissance to your church? Let me make five suggestions about implementing a discipleship culture in your church. Spiritual Rhythms of Multiplying Disciples A free resource that lays the foundation for understanding your identity in Christ and your impact in the world. A great tool to begin a disciple-making ministry or develop new disciples in an already established ministry. For a free copy go to sbtexas.com/rhythms sbtexas.com/rhythms sbtexas.com 3

6 discipleship ship. The immediate need is theological precision concerning the reality of real faith producing real change. Subsequently, we need a resurgence in courage to call nominal faith false faith. Cultivate something to pass on. As you continue to fight for clarity about the gospel, I would encourage a very personal step in this journey. Make sure you have something to pass on to others. Often leaders fail to invest in others because there is not much in their lives worth passing on. Is there a robust commitment in your life to the Bible? What about holiness? Is the way you treat your wife and children something worth passing on? Offering the newest DVD study on a Sunday night is often an easy way to avoid looking in the mirror and asking hard questions. Pray and find fourth soilers. In the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about a fourth type of soil that produces a crop 100-fold. Pray for God to direct you to the people in your church who display this multiplying fruit. Who are the people who seem to be hungry for God s word? Who are the people who are always willing to serve and help? They may not be the most visible, outgoing leaders. Pray for God s guidance. Start meeting with these people regularly. Once you ve identified some key people in your congregation, start investing in them. Set the goals, frequency and accountability structures for this meeting. This doesn t have to be something incredibly complicated. Start simple. How can you help one another grow in your walk with the Lord? How can you hold one another accountable to invest your lives and the gospel into other people? Seek out resources for big picture help. When you start to think about changing your ministry scorecard so baptism is the starting line and not the finish line, it can be overwhelming. This is where great organizations like the SBTC can help immensely. Reach out to Lance Crowell at lcrowell@sbtexas.com for help on thinking through disciple-making in your local context. Start making disciples by beginning with an individual or small group. It s more than learning about God, it s growing in a relationship with God (worship, Word, prayer) and living that out in the world (missions, evangelism, ministry). Go to sbtexas.com/online for training helps - search discipleship. Helping Churches Make Disciples that Make Disciples Contact Lance Crowell lcrowell@sbtexas.com Signup to receive SBTC discipleship updates, resources, event info and other opportunities. sbtexas.com/discipleship 4 sbtc church ministries

7 annual meeting 2019 october first baptist church, odessa Sesión En Español 27 de octubre sbtexas.com 5

8 men men: hunters. gatherers. providers. protectors. explorers. inventors By Eric Reed Minister to Men & New Christians Houston s First Baptist Church Throughout history men have played a substantial role within culture. They have led in industries, institutions and innovations. Yet as we move toward the second decade of the 21st century we find a growing trend within the church of the West. The men who helped build products, processes and companies are bored, restless, disengaged and rarely lead and serve within the church. At least, that is what we are hearing regularly. But is this the real story? We have created a culture that reduced men s service and leadership to either funding our dreams and visions or being a cog in a machine they do not understand. But what if we began to create a different culture? A culture that emphasized the roles of a man, empowered men to solve problems and celebrated all that is good and noble within masculinity? Over the past decade, we have been on that journey at Houston s First Baptist Church. The results have been encouraging with over 55 percent of volunteers and service coming from our men. We witnessed our men lead the church to prayer gatherings for real needs while simultaneously stepping up to meet needs through service. Men have helped initiate ministries to veterans, prisoners, widows and single parents. There are two forms of service which happen within any church. Organic service (seeing and meeting a need without any form of prompting from the staff) and organized service (opportunities set up for our men to easily plug into and serve). In this short article, I will focus on organized service and leadership. Most men live up to or down to the vision of manhood we teach, model and celebrate. If we do not like what we are discovering within our men, we must ask ourselves how we contributed to the issues we 6 sbtc church ministries

9 men see. How we answer the following questions will affect our churches for decades, and as leaders we must answer them honestly. y How do we see men and manhood in general? y What are we praying that God truly does in the life of the men in our church? y Why do we want men to serve? y What are we calling our men to do? Six Keys That Help Men Lead There are lots of reasons men do or don t lead. The following keys are not exhaustive, but do form a good basis to examine our discipleship culture. 1 A compelling vision of manhood In Genesis 2:15, we see God place man in the garden for two functions: to work and watch over the garden. In the simplest way man was to be a servant (working) and a leader (watching over) in God s kingdom on earth. He was to lead, serve and advance all that was good and noble. Shifting from a consumer mindset to a co-laborer is essential. 2 A legitimate opportunity to make a meaningful impact The reality is that men love to solve problems. While married men can attest that this doesn t bode well for us in a relationship with our wives, it can be foundational in mobilizing men. Micah 6:8 presents a simple three-part call to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. These words are gritty, earthy, active and dangerous. We will not advance God s kingdom without complete engagement. We will have to roll up our sleeves and do something. Men desire to do this. Areas like serving widows and single moms, mentoring fatherless kids, fighting sex trafficking, etc., all create rally points for men. 3 Liberation from shame and guilt For so many men, past and present sins form barriers. Shame is a vampire to the soul. How often have we heard, If you knew what I d done, you wouldn t want me to serve? As we teach, train and disciple our men, we must be sure we are allowing the gospel to be the center of it all. When men are forgiven and employed spiritually in meaningful ways, they have a greater goal than porn, anger or drugs. 4 Margin created through prioritized living The reality is that even if men embrace their role to lead, they will find Gives men a proper framework of what it means & what it looks like to be a biblical man. This free resource is designed for men of all ages, single or married. Get your copy of the DVD & leaders guide at SBTEXAS.COM/MEN WRITTEN BY ERIC REED & DON MUNTON Published by SBTC Men s Ministry sbtexas.com 7

10 discipleship serving an uphill battle due to the limited resources of time and money. We must help our men say Yes to the right things. To quote Dan Erickson, I do not fear failure. I fear succeeding at the wrong thing! The role of a mentor can be invaluable in this process and the earlier we start the better off the church will be. 5 Being equipped for success If you ve ever seen a swim meet for very young kids, you have witnessed the fine line between drowning and productive movement in water. Most men do not desire to be hard-working, well-intentioned failures. As pastors, we must give training needed for success in the areas men serve. It is what Christ did. It is what we must do too. 6 A prayerful, personal invitation from a respected leader We are called in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. In the arena of laboring for a change in culture and discipleship, God must be right in the middle of it all. To ignore his ability to transform lives is to operate faithlessly in the futility of our flesh in a battle that must be won. Coupled with prayer must be a personal invitation. The reality is men are built for invitation. Honor them by affirming their value and asking them to serve. In our church, men who were completely disengaged have come alive once invested in and invited. When I see men awaken to their identity in Christ and begin to lead in meaningful ways, my heart rejoices and worships the Lord. It is the most rewarding part of pastoring men. My prayer is that you would take a few simple steps forward in hope. God is already at work, I promise. Let s partner with him and see a genuine movement among our men which will reverberate for generations. When I see men awaken to their identity in Christ and begin to lead in meaningful ways, my heart rejoices and worships the Lord. Your new partner in ministry. Search: SBTC ilead ideas leadership education application discipleship sbtexas.com/apps 8 sbtc church ministries

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12 family What s a good way to help families begin to engage in spiritual conversations at home? Social Media Plans are one of the most effective ways. Parents are inundated by social media, that these daily reminders are great for nudging them. Jeff Land, Children s Pastor, Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Sugarland, Texas spiritual conversations at home Another busy evening or morning of ministry draws to a close as volunteers and ministers do one last sweep to make sure the boys and girls have been collected by their parents. Doors are locked, left-behind jackets and sippy cups are collected, and the inevitable smattering of church or curriculum-generated take-home pages are picked up from the foyer floor or retrieved from trash cans. It is disheartening to feel like children and parents are not interested in spending any more time contemplating the implications and applications of what boys and girls just heard about during your ministry session. By Kelly King former Children s Minister, DFW Many parents genuinely do not know the purpose of what you are sending home. Some parents are just trying to make sure they gather their children, assorted bags and backpacks, Bibles, etc., and are juggling to keep their child s latest masterpiece from dripping on their car floorboards. Trying to formulate a comprehensive spiritual follow-up plan for their children is not what many well-meaning moms and dads are thinking of as they rush home for lunch and naps. Ministers and teachers walk a delicate line with parents and caregivers on how to have spiritual conversations at home. Sometimes sharing suggestions and tips for how to develop spiritual habits at home are received as admonishments or guilt trips by hyper busy families. Ministers and volunteers succeed best when they can appeal to broad levels of understanding and comfort levels of working with children. Many parents express that they do not feel like kid people and are uneasy about how to engage their own children spiritually. Through one-onone conversations and group encounters, work to find out what each parent would consider an entry-level activity and try to gently encourage his or her growth from that starting point. What works for one family might never work for another family. Use a variety of methods in hopes of giving each family in your ministry a few ways to find success at home. Based on your situation in ministry, decide to begin or improve one or two of the methods below to help your families have meaningful spiritual conversations. 10 sbtc church ministries

13 family Make sure you communicate why and what you are sending home to parents. A quick mention that their child enjoyed today s activities and you think he or she might enjoy an activity on the take-home page will pique a parent s attention. While most adults are exposed to a variety of social media each day, some parents like to receive information about their children that way and some do not. For those who do, most curriculum companies provide a social media plan for ministers and volunteers to use. Check out your curriculum s home page or enhanced CD for ready-to-use posts and communiques for parents and kids. Each week pick a few parents to and give them a heads up about a particular activity on their child s take-home page. Ask them to try it out and let you know how it went. Give them a fun hashtag to use to post their results. Older preschoolers and grade school classes can compete to see how many can bring back a signed and completed copy of their takehome pages. When you get to a set number of pages you receive in a month, your class can have a special treat. This gets both the parent and child to at least take a look at their take-home page for a month... That s a start! Younger children enjoy knowing something their parents don t know. Challenge the boys and girls to ask their parents to find something in the Bible that is slightly obscure. If you find something that works, do it again! Some churches make their own placemat type take-home pieces for preschool families to use throughout a one-month period. They include Scripture, games, easy mealtime conversation starters, etc. Make things simple. Suggest just one or two activities per week. Families are busy and don t need to feel guilty for not accomplishing 15 additional things. Explore the armor of God, with four lessons focusing on the six elements of spiritual armor outlined in Ephesians 6. Designed for families to use at home, with applications for children, infants through teenagers. Available for free in our family app, as a free digital download, or purchase a printed copy through sbtexas.com. sbtexas.com/armorofgod sbtexas.com 11

14 family If you are able to make home visits to your new set of students for the coming year, leave a sample take-home page with parents and encourage them to find a landing place in their home for Bible activities. Sympathize that you know Sundays are busy and you don t imagine the family is racing home after church to start working on homework. Encourage parents that you are available in a supporting role to help reinforce what boys and girls learn on Sundays as well as however they teach the Bible to their children. Many publishing companies provide free downloads for families around Christmas, Easter and other special days. Make a point to provide those to parents on Facebook and through in plenty of time to use them with their kids. If you have a monthly parent info newsletter you mail or out, consider dropping in a success story of something you have heard that families enjoy doing together. Share helpful articles outside of your weekly or monthly communications, trying not to inundate parents and caregivers to the point where they start ignoring you or unsubscribe! Here is where you can find a few articles to get you started: sbtexas.com/livingthebibleforlife. Children + Family MINISTRY LUNCHEON april 4 sbtc offices, grapevine register online cost free sbtexas.com/family 12 sbtc church ministries

15 Designed for Any Family (life applications for children infant through teenager) Library of Family + Marriage Helps Family Devotionals How-To s for Family Devotions Marriage Devotionals A Free Resource Search: SBTC Family sbtexas.com/familyapp sbtexas.com 13

16 men my story and struggle with sexual addiction Josh Proctor director, joshproctor.com Ministries My name is Josh Proctor and I was addicted to porn for several years. By God s grace I have now been walking in freedom for many years. This is my story. I had been caught looking at porn before. I knew this dishonored God and it hurt my wife. I made a promise to never look again. I put strong boundaries and accountability in place, and this would help for a few months. Out of nowhere one day I would be triggered. I could have been triggered by something that was in my environment or something more emotional in nature. Either way, I was unaware I was being triggered. I just knew I was tempted to give into lust and I fought to not give in. I knew I needed to contact my accountability, but I felt guilty for needing them. I was fighting, but I was fighting alone. When temptation would arise I would give in, but struggle would soon lead once again to overwhelming guilt. Grief and sorrow would flood my heart as I thought about having to confess to God and my wife. I was overwhelmed with shame. Guilt says I did something wrong, but shame says there is something fundamentally wrong with me. I felt dirty and tried to cover up and hide because I was afraid. I found myself pulling away from both God and my wife. Why? I was guilty over what I had done and ashamed over what I had become. I purposed in my heart to try harder with my boundaries and accountability. However, the shame haunted me and, before I knew it, shame itself served as the trigger. Shame led me back to the very thing I hated doing and I found myself without hope. This feeling was so demoralizing that porn was the only thing that seemed to give me temporary relief. I finally got caught again but this time would be different. I would really try harder with my boundaries and accountability. Eventually, I could not keep it up and the cycle repeated itself. Each time I fell into another cycle the shame only intensified. Fortunately for me, the Lord allowed me to get caught in my sin and through that I saw God s truth in Genesis 3 like I never had before. God revealed to me that shame led 14 sbtc church ministries

17 men Learning how to let Jesus meet me in my sin and shame took time. Genesis 3 was a turning point on my road to crush the cycle of shame and walk in the freedom that Jesus gives. I found hope and was finally able to experience what it meant for my heart to be at rest. This is the hope and freedom that only Jesus can give! me to cover up, hide, be controlled by fear and blame others. I saw in Genesis 3 where God met Adam and Eve in their sin and shame. Yes, there were consequences to their sin, but God still came to be with them. God covered their shame and nakedness better than they ever could have. I saw this in Genesis 3, and it changed my life. God sent Jesus to meet me in my sin and shame. Because I had committed my life to Jesus, God did not see my sin; he saw Christ s righteousness. Amazing. This was a game changer. I still had boundaries and accountability because I needed them, but this time was different. In the past, shame was the driving force to put those boundaries up. Now the purpose in my heart was to try harder. This time shame did not control me or lead me to sin. When I felt ashamed I was reminded that Jesus met me there and not my shame. I was in Christ s righteousness and wanted Christ to empower my life so I could live righteously. I was not running from Jesus; I was letting Jesus run to me. Learning how to let Jesus meet me in my sin and shame took time. Genesis 3 was a turning point on my road to crush the cycle of shame and walk in the freedom that Jesus gives. I found hope and was finally able to experience what it meant for my heart to be at rest. This is the hope and freedom that only Jesus can give! The SBTC has developed a free resource to help those working to find freedom from addiction. To begin this process, go to cravefreedom.com. My story and more helps can be found at joshproctor.com. A FREE 30-day sexual detox tool.? cravefreedom.com sbtexas.com 15

18 leadership to help ministries grow, develop a plan to train and build leaders Lance Crowell Church Ministries Associate, SBTC Where do you get help and training for your ministry? How do you build up and develop your leaders? Working with churches there are several things that become apparent about the needs in churches. One recurring theme involves the need for more training and development helps. Many volunteers and staff members struggle to advance their ministries because they are not sure of the next steps. One of the best things a pastor or leader can do is to provide learning and modeling opportunities for the people God has given them to care for. Church ministry is busy and oftentimes leaders are focused on getting to the next week just surviving the next event. This has been dubbed by author Charles Hummel the tyranny of the urgent. In other words, the next task takes on a greater importance because it has to be done now. There are a number of long-term goals which need to be developed, but the focus is on what has to be finished today. Developing leaders has become more and more difficult in today s world. Gathering them together has also become an ever increasing challenge. Many do not focus on learning new information today because they don t think it s necessary. Thus, even when training or materials are provided, leaders don t see these as vital for their work unless they are dealing with a crisis. As a result, we often don t provide enough resources to assist leaders more than once a year. How can this mentality change? How can we equip our leaders in areas where they don t even know they need equipping? Here are four basic suggestions: 1 Work to cultivate lifelong learners Very early in ministry, one of the best bits of advice I was given was to always be a learner, to never quit working to become better and more effective at what the Lord called me to do. This is solid advice, but it is something we have to work hard to develop in leaders. They may not have a natural proclivity to continual learning, but through modeling learning methods, bringing in great speakers and discussing personal development, we can help create a training culture in the church for those who serve. 16 sbtc church ministries

19 there s training for that. online training sbtexas.com/onlinetraining A training platform enabling churches and leaders to receive and provide basic leadership tools for their ministries. all videos are FREE. no user account needed. However, you can set up account to bookmark favorites and access our free Learning Paths portion. learning paths Curated video courses and tools created to further the spiritual development of church leaders and Christians. paths include: Disaster Relief Phase 1 Training Church Revitalization Teaching & Preaching Series Stand Firm Apologetics Course (English & Spanish) Saving Men in a Hyper Sexualized Culture Helping Men with Pornography and Sexual Addiction To see a library of free courses, visit the online training page and click the Learning Paths tab. Were you unable to attend one of our conferences, or are you looking for training in a host of ministry areas? + Preschool/Children + Young Adult & Preteen + Collegiate + Men & Women + Family & Single Adults + Evangelism + Adult Sunday School + Discipleship + Worship + Missions + Administration + Communications + Leadership & Pastoral + Church Revitalization + Spanish + & More Made possible by your Cooperative Program giving. sbtexas.com 17

20 leadership 2 Provide basic training One of the best things a leader can do is take a video camera, or even a phone, and record short training segments for the leaders in their ministries. The production value on these does not need to be high. Leaders are not expecting well-produced videos; they just need help from you. Culturally, people are used to watching very low-quality videos from places like YouTube. The key is to be consistent, helpful and brief. Consistent Do it regularly. The more you provide training videos the more normal it will become for leaders in your ministry to watch them. If they expect them from you, you have developed a culture of consistent helps. If the videos are a surprise, they are less likely to engage. Helpful Do it with a purpose. Make sure whatever you record is worth your leaders time. If 3 Tap you provide content which will not help them or it is info they can get from other places, you may soon lose your audience. Brief When a leader sees you have sent them a video, they will quickly determine if they have time to watch it based on a few basic parameters: Do they care about the topic? Do they trust you? Do they have the time to watch it? If a video is more than 7-8 minutes long most people will not watch it. They may save it for later or decide not give it their time at all. into another resource for more helps It can be difficult to find great training for the areas a church leader might need. Sometimes the content is outdated or not helpful for the needs of a particular church. In addition, it can be expensive and beyond the budget of a local church. This is what led the SBTC to develop an online venue with hundreds of free training videos for leaders. They can be found at sbtexas.com/online. 4 Develop accountability for the training provided One of the essential aspects to any form of training is to provide accountability and follow-up. If there is no venue to dialogue they will not grow nearly as much nor see it as vital. Accountability is the glue which helps leaders focus on becoming better leaders. One way of providing accountability is to allow them to discuss the content they have been viewing. Another suggestion is to place a coach over several leaders who can interact periodically and discuss the videos and their applications. In the end, one major goal in leadership development is to develop lifelong learners who will understand that constant training is an essential component of leadership. As we work to develop leaders, may we cultivate them with the heart and mentality to grow and pass along what they have learned by using online tools and resources to aid them wherever they lead. leadership conversations sbtexas.com/lc Released EVERY MONTH on the FOURTH THURSDAY Conversations between ministers, pastors & church leaders All sessions are archived on our online training site. Join our list for updates and new online content online@sbtexas.com. 18 sbtc church ministries

21 the sbtc app event calendar archived sessions TEXAN online advance now podcast video/media other sbtc apps Search SBTC to find these resources 1cross revitalization family ilead FOLLOW US sbtexas.com/apps sbtexas.com 19

22 women women s ministry: titus 2 mentoring Laura Taylor Women s Ministry, SBTC We have influence with someone whether we like it or not. Who has made the biggest influence in your life? Your mom, sister or your girly friends? Think about all the women who have influenced you and how you can influence others for Christ. Titus 2 mentoring is a way to encourage and influence others through one-on-one time together. Why Mentoring? 1. Because it is modeled throughout Scripture y Jacob/Laban Jacob worked for Laban for the reward of his wife and he learned about managing a household and farm and the value of hard work although we know Jacob exceeded his mentor in management! y Jesus/Peter, James and John Jesus poured into many but he mentored these three (Mark 13:3-23; Matthew 26:36-38, Luke 9:28). y Paul/Timothy Paul spoke of his mentor relationship with Timothy and instructed him. He encouraged Timothy with valuable life advice (2 Timothy 2:1-2). y Elizabeth and Mary The mother of our Lord was young and inexperienced. She needed the mentoring of one who could relate but was a few steps ahead. 20 sbtc church ministries

23 WOMEN S MINISTRY resources Zone Representatives Women located across the state offer leadership and support to churches in their zones. Visit sbtexas.com/women and click on Who is My Regional Rep? Ministry Guide Information on biblical womanhood, building and maintaining a women s leadership team, managing finances, event planning, connecting generations, mentoring, starting a women s ministry and more. Contacting Laura Taylor for a PDF ltaylor@sbtexas.com Tea Talk An online resource to help start small group conversations. Go to sbtexas.com/teatalk. Bible Study Library Video driven Bible studies are available to be checked out. Contact Judy Van Hooser at jvanhooser@sbtexas.com Online Training Provides access to short sessions in various areas of women s ministry and personal growth. Go to sbtexas.com/online Facebook Group A private group for conversations about women s ministry. A great place to share ideas and encourage others. Search for SBTC Women s Ministry All Made possible by your Cooperative Program giving. sbtexas.com/women sbtexas.com 21

24 women 2. So the word of God will not be dishonored MacArthur says, This is the purpose of godly conduct to eliminate any reproach on Scripture. For a person to be convinced God can save from sin, one needs to see someone who lives a holy life. When Christians claim to believe God s word but do not obey it, the word is dishonored. 3. A command of Scripture God commanded his people to live a life which gives allegiance to God, teaching and modeling that in their day-to-day living (Deuteronomy 6:5-7; Titus 2: 2-5). What is Mentoring? y Living an authentic life together y Role modeling y Using been there, done that experiences to help others through similar experiences y Coming alongside someone and walking through life with them y Not a hierarchical relationship y More, How can I help you? than, What should I teach you? y Primary means of passing on knowledge and skills of life How do I Mentor? y Living life together, walking side by side with someone. You may be a little older than another person or in a different season of life, but you enjoy common things like going to Starbucks and having conversations about fashion and kids and marriage. y Sharing and encouraging a godly life. You may be the same age and in the same stage of life, but you are more spiritually minded than that person and able to bring encouragement toward a more spiritual response to life. y Encouraging through different season of life y Being flexible y Being humble/transparent y Being hospitable Titus 2:3-5 gives curriculum for mentorship. 1. Qualities of a Mentor The older women in the church were given a responsibility of teaching and encouraging younger women to have the same qualities as the men mentioned in the verse above (temperate, dignified, sensible sound in faith, love, in perseverance) plus some additional ones. Other specific qualities to center on with younger women are: y Exhibit Reverent (holy behavior) respectful behavior, living reverently, knowing God is watching all the time y Do not be malicious gossips (false accusers) or engage in character assassination picking up gossip and spreading it y Do not be enslaved to much wine, don t be a drunkard y Teach what is good; to encourage the young women; mentor them. Paul s emphasis is a one-on-one, informal setting Mentoring is a wonderful opportunity to invest in the lives of others and bring glory to God. Ask the Lord to bring those into your life that he would have you influence. 2. Qualities we are to teach and model according to Titus 2: y To love her husband, have a tender affection for her husband as her friend and partner. y To love her children and train them, provide for their needs, discipline them, and demonstrate God s love in concrete verbal and physical ways. y To be sensible, of sound mind and good judgment (translated discreet ). Be self-controlled in your eating, speech and responses to others (Prov.11:22). y To be pure in mind and heart and full of good moral behavior (1 Peter 3:3-6). It is purity of life and character both in attitude and actions. y To be workers at home, caring for/working at home and managing the household. A woman s first responsibility is home-making (not housekeeping). y To be kind toward family, not running the household with an iron hand, but in kindness, good natured, not run by emotion but in the Spirit (Prov. 31:26). y To be subject to their own husbands. These words are the same as a military concept of being in subjection to, willingly and lovingly to her husband. Where do I begin? Mentoring is a wonderful opportunity to invest in the lives of others and bring glory to God. Ask the Lord to bring those into your life that he would have you influence. Study Titus 2 and ask the Spirit to guide you. Here are a few quick tips: y Share your successes and struggles, being honest and real. y Share what you do and how you do it, including life skills and experiences. y Make adjustments to find out what works best, being flexible and adaptable. God bless you as you mentor! Contact Laura for more information at ltaylor@sbtexas.com. 22 sbtc church ministries

25 February 1-2 Lakeland Baptist Church, Lewisville Provides encouragement for all women, emphasizing training in ministry and leadership. Breakout sessions cover a variety of topics that equip, enrich and give creative ideas to aid them and their ministries. KEYNOTE Andrea Lennon Women s Ministry Specialist, Arkansas Baptist State Convention & founder of True Vine Ministry Register online COST $30 sbtexas.com/women sbtexas.com 23

26 Igrew up in a small suburb of Atlanta, Georgia and attended a small church start from the local First Baptist Church. After entering the ministry, I again attended a small rural church. I love the family atmosphere of a small church even though in the family you are more aware of the conflict and struggles than you would be in a larger church family. All that to say, I can relate to some of the challenges of ministry in a smaller environment where resources are limited and volunteers are few. Here are some steps that may be helpful in beginning or enriching women s ministry in a smaller church: 1 Don t be a lone ranger. Enlist a team, whether you enlist just one or four. Are there any women in your church who have a heart for women or who are already ministering to women in your church, such as a Bible study leader or Sunday school teacher? Observe their personal relationships with the Lord. Pray for God s direction. Ask them to pray about their involvement. Consider spiritual gifts as you seek team members. 2 Once you have a team, shepherd them. Spend time with them. Invest in their lives. Plan things (a Bible study or prayer time, separate from planning meetings for WM) to enrich all your lives. When you invest in them, you will have leaders who are leading in the Spirit rather than under their own power, and you will work better as a team. As your team matures, encourage them to shepherd others. 3 Make WM about relationships, not programs or numbers. Titus 2 gives us the challenge of mentoring spending time together, sharing life experiences and learning from each other. The heart of women s ministry is relawomen women s ministry in smaller churches By Laura Taylor Women s Ministry, SBTC tionship building. Events with relationship building in mind will encourage communication. Share testimonies and provide interaction to allow bonding, enriching women to be more like Jesus. We need each other and as we grow in our personal walk, we can help others to grow. What activities will encourage growth in the Lord? 4 Network with other churches. Find out what others are doing in your community and join them or invite them to what you are doing. Connect with other WM leaders for support and encouragement. Look for resources around you. Along these lines, check out the SBTC Facebook page and Roundtable Conversations to become connected. SBTC has a resource library of Bible studies you may borrow. Lifeway has online Bible studies available. Just because you are in a smaller church and can t afford to have Beth Moore come to your retreat doesn t mean you can t have a vital, growing women s ministry. If your women s ministry only consists of your team members, you are still being effective in ministry. Jesus poured his life into a few and then they poured into a few, and those few a few more. Women s ministry can start with a small team, a leader who is investing in a few, and then blossom to a great ministry reaching women in your church and community. 24 sbtc church ministries

27 March 12 First Baptist Church, Waskom March 19 Memorial Baptist Church, Spring March 26 Central Baptist Church, College Station October 11 Greenwood Baptist Church, Weatherford sbtexas.com/women Conversations between women s ministry leaders presenting new ideas and solutions to build support for leaders in smaller churches, to make them aware of resources to aid them in ministry. 6:30pm Meal provided September San Marcos Take a break from the daily life of ministry and be refreshed through fellowship with other pastor wives. For senior pastor wives only. sbtexas.com/women sbtexas.com 25

28 women three ways you can help your husband By Susie Hawkins teacher and author, Dallas, TX Then the Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him. -Genesis 2:18 THE MAN AND WOMAN were to work and watch over the garden of Eden, fulfilling the mandate God had given them. God s words are as true today as they were then it is not good for man to be alone! Adam needed a helper, a companion that corresponded to him, and Eve fulfilled that function perfectly. There are volumes of commentaries that explain the theological implications and foundations of the creation passage, but there is also a very practical dimension regarding the wife s creation as her husband s helper. What is a helper, anyway? Very simply, a helper does for you what you cannot do for yourself. Ministry marriages offer unique opportunities for wives to make significant contributions to the kingdom, particularly as helpers to their husbands. It should be noted, however, a pastor s wife is first and foremost a helper to her husband, not the church. This is especially important because of the high stress of ministry life. I am convinced that one of the most important things ministry wives can do is find practical ways to be helpers to our husbands. All wives have the responsibility to develop their own skills and find their spiritual gifts to be used in kingdom work. However, sometimes we may overlook some of the more ordinary ways we can strengthen and encourage our husbands. It is also good to remember that while a pastor may have church employees, officers or volunteers in supportive positions, their roles differ enormously from his wife s. Admins, staff, and other church personnel bring their own skills to the operation of the church, but no one has a role like the pastors wife. Only she knows her pastor-husband s deepest desires, his griefs or wounds, his dreams and his personal prayer needs. Only a wife can bring the physical, emotional and spiritual comfort and encouragement that a husband needs, no one else can fill that place but her. Here are three suggestions I ve found to be effective: 1. Express appreciation to him daily. I am the first to confess I have not been good at doing this myself. Years ago an older woman remarked to me, I know I should say something affirming to my husband every day but for some reason I just don t remember to. Every day is so busy, the demands are so great, it just slips my mind. Her statement resonated with me then and still does now as it likely does most wives and moms. We have good intentions, but somehow busyness and distractions crowd them out. I was thinking about this recently and decided right then and there I would send my husband a text saying how much I appreciated his provision and care for our family, which I did. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was barely thirty seconds later when I got a 26 sbtc church ministries

29 women No, it is not good for man to be alone. Adam needed a helper and our husbands do also. May the Lord give us the grace, the creativity and the godly love to do it well. reply from him in all caps, WHAT S WRONG?? I got the message. We all respond to appreciation it energizes us, encourages us and keeps us focused on God s many blessings to us. Your affirmation may often be the only encouraging thing your pastor husband hears all day. 2. Help your husband process criticism, difficult decisions or stressful circumstances. Listen to him. I am still learning to do this, because each season of life brings its own challenges. There are times when husbands ask for our opinions and want to have a conversation on some level. But there are other times when they do not need us to say anything but to just listen. Listening is a skill that all husbands and wives must cultivate. Don t preach to him or remind him of what he said in his sermon last week. Don t scribble Beth Moore quotes on sticky notes and leave them on his desk or in the bathroom. Just listen and be quiet. If he is angry or hurt over criticism, hear him out before speaking. There will be a time to offer suggestions or help him see the other side of a matter. I have learned to ask myself a few questions when criticism comes my way. Who said it? Is the source a person whose opinion and judgement I respect? That will determine how much value I give it. Is there any truth in it? Admittedly, this question is more difficult to grapple with, because it requires taking a hard look at my own blind spots or weaknesses. Both husbands and wives need to have the honesty and gentleness to help each other see truth and respond in a biblical manner. 3. Don t underestimate your own influence. We can influence our husbands to be all God wants them to be by tending to our own spiritual lives. While on the surface this may not seem to be a factor in being a strong helpmeet, it actually is the most important action we can take. Gary Thomas, the author of Sacred Influence, has written an outstanding book on how important a wife s spiritual influence is on her husband. His premise is this: God, not your marital status or the condition of your marriage, defines your life. Our first calling is to the Lord Jesus, to follow him with all our hearts, seeking to be like him. Influencing our husbands in this way does not have the end game of manipulation finding ways to get him to do what we want. By living out our faith daily and growing in our relationship with Christ, we silently call our husbands to be the best they can be (the principle of 1 Peter 3:1). C.S. Lewis said, A woman s heart should be so close to God that a man must seek him to find her. The Bible is full of stories about wives who had powerful influences on their husbands, beginning with Eve in the garden. We are only three chapters into the Bible when we see the devastating influence of Eve on Adam. The patriarchs, Job, Solomon, King Ahab and Jezebel, King Xerxes and Esther, Abigail and Nabal, and Pilate and his wife are just some of the stories that testify to the crucial influence of a wife good and bad. Wise and discerning women are women of virtue and stability and will have positive effects on their husbands when they are not even aware of it. Someone once said, Character brings respect and respect grows influence. When this happens, wives become sources for their husbands encouragement, rather than a drain on them spiritually and emotionally. The Proverbs 31 woman had quite a list of virtues, but her actions were specific ways in doing her husband good and not harm. That is the best definition of being a helper, in my opinion. Ministry marriages in particular exist in a unique culture of spiritual leadership. Finding ways to help our husbands work through the stresses and workload of pastoring strengthens them in their task. No, it is not good for man to be alone. Adam needed a helper and our husbands do also. May the Lord give us the grace, the creativity and the godly love to do it well. sbtexas.com 27

30 equipping equipping churches Mark Yoakum Director of Church Ministries, SBTC It happened again last year. A pastor called about his church s need for Sunday School leader training. He asked if the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention could help. I explained that we just did a training in his area in August just two weeks earlier. He shared that although he had heard of EQUIP, he thought it was for someone else. EQUIP is a conference to train leaders for all aspects of ministry in the local church. It applies to small churches as well as large churches, although most of the attendees come from small-to-medium-size churches. EQUIP covers 21 different categories of conferences and has over 250 breakout sessions led by 95 specialists in those areas. This year will focus on Reaching Generation Z. There will be leaders lunch panel to discuss Reaching Generation Z and several breakout sessions. EQUIP will offer 38 breakout sessions for leaders in preschool/ children. For Student and Collegiate ministries, EQUIP offers 17 breakout sessions. Adult leaders can choose from 44 breakout sessions focusing on anything from reaching Generation Z to reaching and involving senior adults. There are 15 sessions for men s ministry leaders, 14 sessions for women s ministry leaders, 12 sessions for discipleship leaders, 12 for family ministry leaders, and eight sessions for worship ministry leaders. EQUIP will feature 25 sessions on evangelism and 30 sessions on leadership. EQUIP has a track for en Español, Asians, and Black equipping churches. This year we have sessions for preschool and children s leaders in Korean. Thirty-eight percent of the leaders for EQUIP come from churches that are not Anglo. We have training for Sunday School churches and rural and urban churches using home groups. EQUIP is a conference which will help your church! 28 sbtc church ministries

31 leadership training for all aspects of ministry conference Reaching Generation Z AUGUST 10 champion forest baptist church, houston 8:45am-3pm Breakouts for staff, volunteers & lay leaders in these areas of ministry: + preschool/children + children s music + preteen + student/collegiate + adult sunday school + adult home groups + single adult + men + women + discipleship + family + communication & tech + worship + evangelism + leadership + library + pastoral + missions + en español + asian equipping churches + black equipping churches Made possible by your Cooperative Program giving. sbtexas.com/equip sbtexas.com 29

32 Does your church have a documented constitution & bylaws? Are they up to date & are you operating by them? church constitution & bylaw help For help, complete the request at sbtexas.com/administration Are you aware that some county tax accessors will tax your church unless your constitution and bylaws are on file with the state of Texas? The SBTC will help a church write or rewrite its constitution and bylaws. The specialist will work with the church about the various changes that need to be made and then walk the them through filing these new documents with the state of Texas. Our specialists are seasoned church business administrators who understand how to work with churches. Informing and educating church leaders and administrators about church and pastoral tax laws, tax seminars include new or revised laws and procedures for the upcoming year. COST $15 10am - 3pm Lunch provided 1.14 SBTC Office, Grapevine 1.15 Clay Road BC, Houston 1.16 University BC, San Antonio 1.16 Friendly BC, Tyler 1.17 Denman Avenue BC, Lufkin 1.23 Sherwood BC, Odessa 1.24 Redbud BC, Lubbock 1.29 Hyde Park BC, Austin sbtexas.com/tax 30 sbtc church ministries

33 A DEACON ON PURPOSE FOUR BIBLICAL ESSENTIALS The deacon serves as an extension of the pastor s long arm of ministry in the local church. It is our pleasure to offer deacon training for your local congregation in a biblical, cost-effective format. Order resources & request training online at sbtexas.com/deacon look like heaven Revelation 7:9 Encouraging cross-cultural interchange among churches with a special emphasis every July. As you celebrate these exchanges, please send photos, videos and/or testimonies so that we may highlight some of them during our annual meeting in November. Ideas include: Pulpit, praise team or choir swap Joint revivals & worship services Coffee or breakfast with other pastors For more info contact Richard Taylor rtaylor@sbtexas.com sbtexas.com/looklikeheaven sbtexas.com 31

34 equipping reaching generation z Four Barriers You Must Overcome to Engage the Next Generation Steve R. Parr Georgia Baptist Mission Board Irecently graduated from the rank of parent to grandparent. Hooray! This is going to be fun. My hope is to be as irresponsible a grandparent as possible, offering ice cream for breakfast and cake for lunch. That is somewhat different from my approach to parenting. I can best illustrate the difference by sharing something that happened in me the moment I became a parent. Though I never knew it was there, God turned on a switch of protection in my heart when my first child was born. If I was driving down the road and a car pulled out in front of me, my right foot would immediately depress the brake, my left hand would grip the steering wheel and my right hand would move to protect my child. All this occurred in under one second and was instinctive. To prove my point, if you were with me in the same circumstance, my right foot would depress the brake, my left hand would grip the steering wheel, and my right hand would grip the other side of the steering wheel. In other words, you are on your own. Whether or not I am old probably depends on how old you are. I don t consider myself old but I am getting older. Aren t we all? As I have aged, I have noticed other switches which have been activated in my heart and if I am not careful, they can be an impediment to my effectiveness as a leader with a younger generation. 1. Sentimentality I get more sentimental as I get older. Part of me yearns for things to be like they used to be. Something in me seeks to return to the past but I cannot live in the past and be effective in the future. 2. Status Quo I like change as long as I agree with it. It seems I have a harder time agreeing with change as I grow older. However, I cannot stay as I am and circumstances cannot stay as they are if I am to be effective in the future. 3. Satisfaction I like being comfortable. I am a big fan of air conditioning, comfortable chairs, cold soft drinks and indoor plumbing. That is just the tip of the iceberg. I must stay focused on the reality that while comfort can be a great blessing, it is not the mission. The mission is to influence as many people as I can to follow Jesus and to grow in their faith. 4. Skepticism While the years are a blessing, they also come with many letdowns and disappointments. It is easy to be cynical when people latch on to fads I have seen come and go. If I am not careful, I will not give younger leaders a chance to lead and I must if I desire to help them to progress in their journeys of discipleship. I think the key here is to know yourself and acknowledge these barriers. I am personally more concerned that the next generation is reached with the gospel and that they thrive in their mission than have my nostalgic notions go uninterrupted. Sentimentality, the status quo, satisfaction and skepticism all have their place. They can serve you well. But be cautious that they serve you in a way which does not hinder God s greater purposes. Which is the greatest challenge to your leadership? 32 sbtc church ministries

35 MAY 6-8 EMBASSY SUITES SAN MARCOS Early Bird by 3/1 $139 Two Nights Double Room $159 Two Nights Single Room Church and denominational assistants will have the opportunity to learn from instructors and others in their field, with free time to relax, shop and fellowship. General by 4/2 $169 Two Nights Double Room $189 Two Nights Single Room *Daily breakfast and lunch on Tuesday are included with registration sbtexas.com/assistants An evangelistic tool designed to share the message of the gospel in multiple languages through video/audio presentations. 1cross.com sbtexas.com 33

36 church security church security By Mark Yoakum Director of Church Ministries, SBTC One of the first mass shootings I remember is the University of Texas Tower shooting on August 1, Charles Whitman killed 16 and wounded 31 before a policeman shot and killed him. Others I specifically remember are: June 22, 1980 Former High School teacher Alvin Lee King III, went into First Baptist Daingerfield, killing five and wounding 10 others before being taken down by two deacons, whom he killed. He escaped across the street at the fire department. He was sent to a state hospital, treated for mental illness and returned for trial, but he hanged himself in his cell in January, It is one of the first mass shooting incidents in a church in Texas. September 15, 1999 On Wednesday night at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, a lone man entered the worship center where the youth were meeting and killed seven and wounded another seven. He then sat down at the back of the worship center and shot himself. March 8, 2009 Terry Sedlacek entered First Baptist Church Maryville, Illinois, and shot Pastor Fred Winter. He was taken down by some men, but managed to stab two of them. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity six years later. June 17, 2015 Dylan Roof, a 21-year-old male, entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina. After sitting through a Bible study, he shot and killed nine before escaping. He was arrested the following day in North Carolina. Nov. 5, 2017 First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs. Devin Patrick Kelley shot and killed 26 and wounded 20 before being wounded and later killing himself. These are not all of the shootings or assaults but a sampling to share that churches are not immune to shooters and places of worship have to take precautions. Other churches have avoided an incident by following some basic steps. 1. Have a uniformed police officer visible every Sunday and other times when the congregation gathers. This could a layperson in the church who just comes in uniform, or the church might need to hire an off-duty police officer. That presence will ward off some evildoers. In case of an incident, that person can call for additional help much faster than a 911 call. 2. If possible, have a police car parked very visibly in the front parking area of the church. 3. Enlist a church safety or security team to assist in looking for possible perpetrators. Parking teams, greeters and ushers who are properly trained can add great support to the security team in your church. 4. Do not leave your church staff secretary alone and vulnerable in the church office on weekdays with unlocked doors. Install a locking system where she can buzz in people she knows. Have a video doorbell she can use to find why the person needs to enter the church. 5. Have a plan of action in case of an incident. The plan should include a lockdown procedure of the nursery and children s areas. 6. Have an assessment done by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention to help you see your strengths and your vulnerabilities. A church cannot guarantee an incident will not occur. A couple incidents above involved someone who was having mental problems. But a church should do all it can do to ensure a safe place of worship. 34 sbtc church ministries

37 church security CHURCH SECURITY Can my church be prepared? How do we avoid an incident? What s our first line of defense? The SBTC will send a security specialist to review the security measures in place and recommend procedures you might want to consider. We will help cover the cost to train your staff, lay security team and church to prevent a tragedy. sbtexas.com/security sbtexas.com 35

38 administration consultations Need help knowing how to complete your IRS Form 941? Budget is shrinking, but not your staff? From collection to spending, how should you protect your money? The SBTC will send a specialist to review your practices and train your assistant on how to handle offerings, request funds, along with accounting and handling payables. Our specialists are seasoned church business administrators who understand churches. For a FREE one-day consultation, complete the request form at sbtexas.com/administration facilities consultations Our specialists are seasoned architects and building contractors who understand churches, having both seminary degrees and actively pastored churches. Complete the facilities request form at sbtexas.com/facilities 36 sbtc church ministries

39 The Reach Cities Initiative is a strategic process to mobilize churches for church planting and revitalization in Texas. Church Planting + Replanting Church Revitalization Mission Team Opportunities reach austin Area Population of 2,000,000 11th largest city in the United States 34% speak a language other than English at home 68% White, 35% Hispanic, 8% Black, 6% Asian/Other 41% lost & unchurched reach el paso Population of 885,226 82% Hispanic 13% White, 3% Black 2% Asian 98% lost & unchurched reach houston The most diverse city in North America (2010 Census) Population of 5,000, % Hispanic, 31.9% White, 18.7% Black, 9.5% Asian/Other 68% lost & unchurched reach rio grande valley Population of 1,353,541 90% Hispanic 1.2% Asian 0.5% Black 81% Catholic 11% claim no faith Steve Cochran Austin Strategist scochran@sbtexas.com Chuy Avila El Paso Strategist cavila@sbtexas.com Ben Hays Houston Strategist bhays@sbtexas.com David Ortega Valley Strategist dortega@sbtexas.com sbtexas.com/reachcities sbtexas.com 37

40 Catch the vision! Each year SBTC high school students win college scholarships through the SBTC Speakers Tournament. Is your church giving your youth this opportunity? The Speakers Tournament is more than winning scholarships. It is about the life skills and communication skills the students have an opportunity to develop. They will write an original speech on a biblical topic, format the written version and present the speech from memory. These are skills students will use immediately in college and throughout life. Students are judged on delivery, expressiveness, poise, confidence and personal appearance. The written copies of their speeches are judged on originality, organization, grammar and choice of resources. On top of this it all happens in four to six minutes. The skills practiced here help students in whatever dream they pursue. What I have heard over several years of listening to speeches are messages prepared and spoken from the hearts of our youth. In my own family I have seen my shy, soft-spoken daughter become confident in front of a group, using those skills as a young adult in college, in her career and in her life. My son has taken leadership roles in his church and used many of the skills learned in this program as he taught college students. How blessed I am to see my children continuing to grow in the Lord. Now back to the four to six minutes. Yes, each speech is only four to six minutes long. It is amazing what spiritual truths and inspiration are presented in such a short time. Resources for starting a Speakers Tournament organization for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are found on the SBTC website. The list of topics for 2019 is now available. Also listed are step-by-step instrucspeakers tournament high school speakers compete for college scholarships God s word is alive and it lives in us. We must be ready to speak the truth within us. Marcia Wood SBTC Bible Drill and Speakers Tournament Specialist, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano tions for planning and conducting the tournament for your church. Like Bible Drill, there are church, associational and semifinal competitions. The top 12 participants from across the state compete in the State Finals competition, with the top three receiving money toward college. The winner presents his or her speech at the National Invitational Tournament. There are many things pulling at us for our time. When the youth participating in the Speakers Tournament arrive for the competition they have made a choice to excel in this activity. They will never look back and think, I wish I hadn t spent time learning God s Word and its truths. I wish I had not spent time learning to present myself in a way that glorifies God. That just won t happen. God s word is alive and it lives in us. We must be ready to speak the truth within us. 38 sbtc church ministries

41 SBTC State VBS Trainings State VBS trainings offer in-depth training and ideas for churches and associations in many areas leader enlistment, decorating, music, worship, missions, bible study, recreation, crafts and more! LifeWay COST $75 Jan LifeWay Preview* Sugar Land BC, Sugar Land Jan LifeWay Preview* Travis Avenue BC, Fort Worth SBTC COST $15 Mar. 2 Trinity BC, Longview Spring BC, Spring Mar. 30 University BC, San Antonio First BC, Odessa sbtexas.com/vbs *Please note the LifeWay Preview event is sponsored by LIfeWay. Check the website for complete list of tracks offered at each location. Bible Drill + SPEAKERS TOURNAMENT April 5-6 First Baptist Church, Euless April Spring Baptist Church, Spring First Baptist Church, Odessa April 27 SBTC State Finals SBTC Offices, Grapevine Bible Drill is a Southern Baptist Convention program involving older children, youth and high school students in systematic memorization and location of certain scriptures. The Speakers' Tournament provides opportunities for high school students to write and deliver a four to six minute biblical speech on provided topics. SBC chuches are welcome to participate in the regional and state finals competitions provided by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention through Cooperative Program giving is BLUE CHILDREN Grades 4-6 YOUTH Grades 7-9 HIGH SCHOOL Grades YOUTH SPEAKERS TOURNAMENT Grades sbtexas.com/bibledrill sbtexas.com 39

42 children Consider using the following ideas as you begin teaching at the classroom door: y Designate the same teacher to greet children each week if possible. Seeing the same face each week can be comforting to the child and the parents. y Greet the child by his name. Then greet his parents. Smile and genuinely communicate you are happy they are at church. y If possible, greet the child at his level. If you are physically able, bend down to the child s eye level to greet him. y Engage the child s attention by showing him the teaching picture or another teaching activity for the day. y Share the Bible verse for the day with the child. teaching begins at the door By Delanee Williams Ministry Specialist, LifeWay Kids As teachers, you are constantly teaching through your words and actions. We want our teaching to have a positive impact on a child. Greeting a child at the classroom door as he arrives has many benefits. Most importantly, the simple action of greeting children and their families at the door communicates you are happy they are at church. A teacher can set the tone of the class for the day when she physically greets a child at the door. A child can sense the teacher is happy he is at church. In addition, when a teacher greets the child at the classroom door, he helps a child feel comfortable who may be experiencing anxiety. y Post a sign outside the classroom next to the door sharing the Bible verse and other activities the child will experience during the teaching session. Make sure to list any items on an allergy alert if necessary. y Sing a song or sing words to a familiar tune such as, I am glad you re here today, here today, here today. I am glad you re here today. We will learn about Jesus. (Sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb ) Use the opportunity to build connections with the family, welcome the child, and begin teaching. By following the above suggestions, you as a teacher are not only teaching the child, you re showing parents ways to teach and connect with the child. Which of these ideas could you implement as you teach? What other ideas can you think of to use to teach at the door? 40 sbtc church ministries

43 Provide + Protect Protect the infants, preschoolers, children and students in your ministries - provide sexual abuse awareness training to the adult volunteers in your church. ministrysafe.com developing the next generation of leaders for high school & college students july 8-12 tate springs baptist church, arlington early registration - $75 by april 30 general registration - $85 by july 1 sbtexas.com/lead sbtexas.com 41

44 children recruiting that works Miriam Johnston Children s Ministry Director, Bear Creek Church, Katy Volunteer recruitment is one of the greatest challenges in ministry; volunteers make ministry happen. When there are numerous open volunteer positions, it is easy to get the mindset of filling holes. Remember that you are giving people an opportunity to serve the Lord through these specific ministries. Invite them to be part of what God is doing. There are many ways to get your message to the congregation: bulletin inserts, pulpit announcements, small group announcements, church newsletter, church s, etc. All these methods have the potential to produce some volunteers; but will these individuals have the skill set, ability, or personality to be effective and successful in the role? As a ministry leader, it is important to seek out individuals whose giftings align with the needs of each open volunteer position. If people are invited to serve in an area that will use their strengths, they are more likely to say yes. For each open position, make a list of the ideal talents, skills and other factors you would like to have in a volunteer. Then start making a list of people who fit those criteria. Be sure to get outside your normal network of people by asking other church members and some of your current volunteers for suggestions. Unless you are in a very small church, there are likely people in the church you do not know. Some of these people unknown to you may be the ones God has called to serve in your ministry area. Now that you have a list of qualified people (or maybe just one), it is time to make the contact. A phone call is the best method to use because it allows for more dialogue to occur. It is also much easier to build rapport over the phone than by or text. When you speak with a potential volunteer, be prepared to give him or her as much information as possible about the position. Let that person know about the time commitment, preparation involved, with whom he or she will be working, any required training involved, other time commitments outside the regular weekly time, etc. It is important to give a potential volunteer as much information as possible when you are asking him or her to prayerfully consider serving. Also, be sure to let him or her know why you feel he or she is a good fit for this position. Remember that the easiest way to recruit volunteers is to retain the ones you already have! Be intentional about building relationships and investing in the volunteers in your ministry. It is worth the effort. While recruiting volunteers can be challenging, it can also be extremely rewarding! Pray diligently for the Lord to lead you to the right people, and invite them to be part of what he is doing. 42 sbtc church ministries

45 SBACS is a national alliance of schools from preschool through university and includes churches, foundations, corporations, educators and families who want to advance a nationwide system of Christian schools to reach and disciple America s children for Christ. SOUTHERN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS Workshops & Seminars Check out for more dates and locations or call (407) sbacs.org The SBTC supports and encourages Christian schooling and homeschool families by partnering with SBACS to: Help pastors and congregations start new Christian schools Strengthen existing Christian schools by providing information, training, consulting services and resources Promote kingdom education and Christian schooling as a powerful emerging model for reaching and discipling lost children and families, equipping them for service in the body of Christ Advance a biblical worldview and understanding of education Assist Christian colleges and universities in finding and recruiting Christian school and homeschool students We want to connect with you! Designed for preschool and children s ministers seeking to expand their ministries, this network provides support through conferences, training, consultations, and curriculum. us, we want to include you in our network. sbtexas.com/children SBTC Children s Associate Karen Kennemur kkennemur@sbtexas.com sbtexas.com 43

46 children 3 ways to introduce kids to missions By Bill Emeott Lead Ministry Specialist, LifeWay Kids The Great Commission is an active commandment from Jesus. How can we help kids understand it and live it? Growing up in my family meant missions was a way of life. We were led by our parents to understand, participate in and practice missions. Weekly we attended mission education programming at our church that often encouraged mission action. Both my parents participated in domestic and international mission trips. We always understood that the Great Commission was an active commandment, not just knowledge of a biblical location (they taught us that too, by the way). Over the past few years I ve grown concerned over the lack of knowledge our kids have and what I believe will result in a lack of passion for missions. Here are three areas I think we might concentrate on to increase awareness and very possibly aid in allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to some of our kids and whisper the calling of full-time mission service. 1. Mission Education How will they answer if they do not know? When polled, most full-time missionaries share that they sensed a call to mission work as a child. Within the Southern Baptist denomination, many share that it was in Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action (SBC missions education programs for children) that they first realized God was leading them to full-time Christian service. 44 sbtc church ministries

47 children Helping kids at an early age become aware of mission work both around the world and in their communities can help to establish lifelong passion for and practice of missions. Find creative ways to help kids become aware of and understand missions. Consider the resources mentioned above or seek out other resources which fit your ministry DNA to help establish a consistent effort in missions education. Helping kids at an early age become aware of mission work both around the world and in their communities can help to establish lifelong passion for and practice of missions. 2. Mission Projects Kids today struggle with being self-centered. Mission projects (both local and international) can help raise kids awareness of others needs and how they might actually help meet those needs. Local nursing homes, pregnancy resource centers, rescue missions and children s homes are always thankful for resources collected and donated to their cause. At your next fellowship include a request for items agreed upon with an agency of your choice as a ticket to enter. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, baby bottles, disposable diapers or any item collected can serve as a mission project to help heighten awareness of mission needs in your community. Financial offerings can assist these organizations, too. A penny drive, a walk-a-thon, or a jump rope challenge can actively encourage kids to personally participate in mission projects. 3. Mission Trips Mission projects allow kids to understand needs but mission trips actually involve kids in mission action. Mission trips help kids understand the principle, where the rubber meets the road. Mission trips can be anything from delivering the items collected through a mission project to actually participating in an off-site mission trip. Several churches sponsor family mission trips where families go to a mission field (around the corner or around the state) and serve a need together. I m also hearing more and more about preteen mission trips. Several Kid Min leaders are organizing groups of older children to go together to serve others through a hands-on experience. Then Jesus came near and said to them, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20). How are you including your kids to missions in your ministry? Resource for Educating Kids on Missions in Texas A resource for educating kids on missions happening in Texas Features videos and stories that highlight missions in Texas Great component for summer programs, VBS missions rotation, mission moments, Wednesday night or Sunday programs Download the curriculum and videos at sbtexas.com/missions4kids sbtexas.com 45

48 students how authentic christianity is the answer for students in this chaotic world By Garrett Wagoner SBTC Student Ministry Associate We live in a world full of confusion and chaos, and with social media and smart devices constantly reminding us of this, it seems impossible to escape. Whether it is riots, protests, political uproar, or natural disasters and school shootings like we ve seen recently, students are looking for a cause and a message to clear up the confusion and bring change and relief to the mess. People involved in student ministry often ask: What are students looking for in our ministries? Is it flashier programs? A new curriculum? From my observation, I say that it is authenticity from adults and people who call themselves Christ-followers. With this confusion and misunderstanding, students are really confused about what authentic Christianity really is. By reading and studying Isaiah 61:1-4, the answer to everyone s cry of hope and justice is found in the authentic message of Christianity. As leaders of the next generation, we need to be intentional and clear with the Gospel message. We also need to be in the lives of students incarnational and model a Jesus lifestyle to them. What is our message? Let s brush up on it. The Good News is that God has a Message in the middle of the Mess! This was written in a very difficult season in the nation of Israel s history. The people this was written for were in despair and had no sign of hope. God doesn t spare us from messes, but He speaks to us in the middle of our mess and gives us Good News. When I say God, I mean Yahweh, the Lord who created everyone and everything, the One and only true God! That s who s speaking in the message, and it s Good News! The good news is about what God did through Jesus the Messiah and how He brings salvation and rescue in the midst of our brokenness through the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Note that this was written about Jesus around 1,000 years before He came. The definition of the word poor in this passage is those that have been hit hard by life s calamities. What can Jesus and His Good News do for us and the world? 1. He heals our brokenness The word poor not only means without material things but it means those who ve been hit hard by life s calamities. Do you have an inward brokenness that nothing can fix? The only answer is the healing power of Jesus Christ! 2. He frees us from oppression Oppression exists in many forms: racism, sex trafficking, addiction, abortion, pornography, abusive relationships, bullying and the list goes on. The reason why Jesus came is to set us free, 46 sbtc church ministries

49 students and freedom can only be found in His name. Jesus came into the world to destroy the works of the devil! 3. He gives us true justice and hope Justice is a popular word, and everyone is looking for hope. The good news is Jesus is going to make all wrongs right. He already began the process 2,000 years ago, and He will finish the process when He returns. The end of the Bible states that Jesus will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who gave their life to Him. The question is which side of right and wrong are you on? 4. He has the only cause that can bring real change Right now, everyone loves causes. They love to rally around causes and start them. We live in a cause driven generation. Recently when I was eating outside at Chipotle, someone was holding a sign protesting eating meat, however, there is only one cause that can change the world and that s the cause of Christ. What does His cause do? What is His mission? What should His people be about? They build up the ancient ruins and raise up the former devastations and repair ruined cities of former generations. This is what students are begging for in our culture, and in Isaiah 61:4 this is what it says about the mission of Jesus and His people. Jesus has a movement, where one day people from all nations, races, tribes and tongues are going to bow at His feet. Students are longing for this very movement and many of them are trying to find it in other movements will die out or are destructive to human life. I know many students have seen so many professed Christians do anything but this. They call them hypocrites, but students need to see that we are broken people just like non-christians. If you re a leader of students, I want to call you back to what we are supposed to be about, and that s Isaiah 61:1-4. If you re a non-christian, It s important to communicate to students and clear up any misunderstanding by pointing out the four things I mentioned above from an Old Testament passage that gets right to the point. It says this is what the Bible, Jesus, and His people are really about. In Luke 4, Jesus walked into the synagogue and picked up a scroll containing Isaiah 61:1-4, read the scroll, put it down, and stated that He was fulfilling this thousand year old prophecy right before their eyes in the ultimate mic drop moment. Jesus would later pass this mission on to His disciples, who have passed it on thousands of years to Jesus present day followers. It s now my mission, and it can be your mission. Where do we go from here? 1. Commit yourself to Jesus to take the Good News to the next generation even if you re not a youth pastor. It s not only the youth pastor s job to reach the next generation but it is the entire Church s job. 2. Make it a priority in your ministry to communicate the Gospel clearly, give students an opportunity to respond, and mobilize students with this message to reach their peers. You need to work to build a culture of evangelism in your ministry. Students who have completed six through twelfth grade are challenged to develop and strengthen their relationship with Christ through his Word. Youth Week is a high-energy camp experience that includes fun-filled activities, inspiring worship services, team building times and biblical seminars. It is our goal to see students return to their homes transformed into devoted followers of Christ. AUGUST 5-9 sbtexas.com/youthweek sbtexas.com 47

50 students building a youth ministry that echoes in 3 simple steps By Angela Sanders angelasanderswrites.com Bible study, big events and fellowships Junk food, big laughs and photo ops Summer camp, small groups and mission trips Sleepless nights, tearful prayers and budget sweats T his is the world of youth ministry, but what s it all for? What s the goal? Well, the goal is not to create the most exciting atmosphere, although there s much to be said for fostering an environment conducive to community and learning. It s not to draw the largest crowds to your programs and events, although every body present represents a soul who needs Jesus. It s not to teach the most engaging and culturally relevant lessons, although students need to know that Jesus is still the answer. It s not even to produce young adults able to do what you do how you do it, although the church desperately needs organizational leaders. No, the ultimate goal of youth ministry is the advancement of God s kingdom for his ultimate glory. How do you reach a big goal like that? The process is much simpler than we sometimes make it. Teach your students to SHARE the gospel. Pick a plan Roman Road, FAITH, One Hope (skopos.org) Don t just churn out church mice. Produce, with the Holy Spirit s help, young men and women equipped, willing and able to direct the world s attention to God s divine perfection, the greatest display of which is the gospel we re called to preach, prove and illustrate. 48 sbtc church ministries

51 students and teach it to your students. Let them practice on each other regularly, and use it yourself when presenting the gospel. Hopefully this is happening every time you meet. If so, your students will pick up the script without even meaning to, just like they can t help learning the latest ear worm. Then, when the opportunity to tell someone about the single greatest display of God s grace and mercy in history presents itself, they ll be ready. Teach your students to PROVE the gospel. If you didn t grow up hearing it, the story of Jesus death and resurrection is a lot to take in. Most people need proof before they ll believe it, much less put their faith in it. The only readily available proof we have that the gospel is true, is the presence of a supernatural Holy Spirit in our lives made possible by our faith in it. When we ignore the Holy Spirit and live life by our own rules and/or under our own power, our gospel message falls flat and people have reason to doubt; but when we let him shine through us by obeying God s Word consistently, we prove the gospel true. Teach your students what the Bible says and urge them to obey it so the skeptics will have no excuse. Teach your students to ILLUSTRATE the gospel. Even those who believe the gospel sometimes have a hard time believing God had them in mind when he sent Jesus to do what he did. When we dole out grace by treating people better than they deserve to be treated and extend mercy by showing compassionate restraint in all situations, we give those people reason to believe they are part of the world God loves (John 3:16). When we forgive, believing and acting as if people don t owe us for their mistakes, we demonstrate the nearness and accessibility of salvation. Love your students and teach them to love others completely, unconditionally and self-sacrificially like Jesus did. Together become beacons that illuminate God s path to eternal freedom from sin and its consequences. Want your youth ministry blood, sweat and tears to count for something? Don t just churn out church mice. Produce, with the Holy Spirit s help, young men and women equipped, willing and able to direct the world s attention to God s divine perfection, the greatest display of which is the gospel we re called to preach, prove and illustrate. The Father will take it from there. January VENUE 510, BURLESON REGISTER ONLINE AT SBTEXAS.COM/MOVEMENT sbtexas.com 49

52 collegiate college ministry: get in the game By Andy Abramson Founder, Elementum, Austin A year ago we moved our family to Austin. Over the last several months, we ve jumped into a local church that does a tremendous job engaging college students. But as much as I love what we do, our church will never be able to reach every college student in Austin. As church leaders, the temptation can be to look at other churches down the road that are engaged with college students and release our responsibility to also engage with them. The past several years, I ve spent time with over 100 different churches helping them build ministries, develop leaders and strategize how to engage with college students. My message always has been the same; it s not the responsibility of one church to engage with college students, it s the responsibility of every church. It s not just the church down the roads responsibility to engage with this age group but it s the responsibility of your church as well. I think it is first essential to redefine the paradigm of what ministry is. For most of us, when I say get in the game with college ministry, we equate that to a program, a meeting, a group or a class. Many of you start to think about the addition of another responsibility to your already full plate. When I say college ministry, it may be a specific organized program targeted to that age group, or it could be something more organic. What if college ministry in your church context looked like being intentional with every college-age person who came into your College students are the most strategic group for the advancement of the gospel. You get a unique opportunity to shape college students through the gospel and be a part of launching them all over the world into their kingdom purposes. church? What if every time a college student came to your church they were invited out to lunch by someone in your congregation? What if members of your church who have spare rooms were willing to open them up for college students to live with them? What if once a week you opened up your dinner table to invite a college student in and had them bring their laundry that needed to be done? Sometimes we make college ministry so complex. I am by no means diminishing the opportunity the church has to be more strategic by creating intentional environments to reach, disciple and equip college students? But if your church isn t ready for that step or you need a starting point towards something more formal, begin by engaging every college 50 sbtc church ministries

53 collegiate student in your church relationally. For many of us in the church we need to better understand the strategic opportunity. I love to have people reflect on when they were years-old those critical years in which you were moldable, teachable and longing to be a part of something significant. At that time in your life your values were flexibility, fluidity and spontaneity. College students are the most strategic group for the advancement of the gospel. You get a unique opportunity to shape college students through the gospel and be a part of launching them all over the world into their kingdom purposes. A couple years ago, I was in Iowa with other leaders who are passionate about college students. During our time there I met a young man who was just about to graduate, who was radically changed by Jesus Christ. As we began to talk he shared with me that after he graduated his desire was to be a part of a church plant and was willing to look for a job that coincided with where the next church was going to be planted. He was allowing the mission to shape the next steps of his life. Many of us believe that this is a rarity. But this isn t uncommon with young people who are being transformed by Jesus. For those of you are not yet convinced to get in the game with college students, think about the unique role that they can play in your church. More than ever, I m convinced that young people in their 20s offer something important to the body of Christ. They offer energy, creativity and spontaneity to your church. Often I see these aspects being infused into the life of the body because of the involvement of college students. They are an infectious group of people. A few years ago, I was on a mission trip with high schoolers, college students and a few adults. I recall what the adults were like following this trip. Thanks to their time with other young people they came back transformed and looking at life in a new way. College students offer so much to the body of Christ. My hope in writing these words is that it would cause us all to reflect on ways that we can engage with young people in their 20s. If you re an individual who is part of a local church, my prayer is that you would begin to ask the question, What is my part in the game? How can I take part in ministering to college students? For those you who are church leaders, my prayer is that you begin to ask questions about what role your church plays in ministering to college students. Let s stop sitting on the sideline and all get in the game! Your SBTC State Missions Offering WEEK OF PRAYER SEPTEMBER sbtexas.com/reachtexas sbtexas.com 51

54 collegiate reaching the campus unreached By Mitch Tidwell Collegiate Associate, SBTC If we continue to do what we have always done we will continue to get what we ve always gotten. I m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and I recently watched their series on Amazon Prime called All or Nothing. It chronicles the life of the 2017 Dallas Cowboys and it gives a heavy dose of their head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett s motto is fight. If they lost, the Cowboys didn t fight hard enough. The problems weren t in the philosophy or the strategy, but in the fight. The Dallas Cowboys have been average to above average at best for Garrett s tenure. One could certainly argue, it takes more than fight to make it to the Super Bowl. Humor me and let me play arm chair coach for a second. They need to keep fighting, but they likely need to address and adapt their philosophy and strategy. Alan Hirsch writes in his book The Forgotten Ways that 90 percent of churches (and ministry types) are structured like a contemporary church-growth model church/ministry. Simply defined, a contemporary church-growth model church models itself around a come-and-see approach. In the United States roughly 40 percent would be interested in being a part of this type of church. It doesn t mean 40 percent of the U.S. population is going to this type of church, but they would be interested in this type of church. If what Hirsch writes is true then that means that 60 percent of our population What if you began to reach a people group that was much different than the one you re currently reaching? The campus might take notice and see a unity and peace that is not present in our culture. would never want to be a part of most of the ministries we have going today. We can continue to fight but I would argue we need a philosophical and strategic change in our approach. The picture Hirsch paints is likely similar to the picture on college campuses today. Don t get me wrong, we are reaching a lot of students. But, we are missing a lot of students as well. Where do we go from here? Here are three things to consider, among many other things the Holy Spirit may bring to you: 52 sbtc church ministries

55 collegiate Gospel Ground ourselves in richness of the gospel. It is good news of great joy for all people. If the gospel is for all people then we must do what we can to develop our ministries in a way we can reach all students of the campus. How are do we continue to engage the 40 percent but also the 60 percent? Adapt If we continue to do what we have always done we will continue to get what we ve always gotten. We must adapt to remain nimble to the changes in the college campuses and to the needs of the campus. This might mean continuing with come-and-see type ministries such as worship services and worship nights, but also beginning go-and-tell-type units across campus to reach pockets of students who would never step in the doors of our churches and ministries. We need to let go of some control and release the students to carry the gospel forward. Diversity The college campus is one of the most diverse places. If diversity is not present in our ministries it must change. If we have worship environments filled with middle class white kids, we likely will not reach anyone that doesn t look like that. We re hindering our reach by being focused on a small piece of the population pie. What can this look like? Imagine if you equipped your students to incarnate themselves on the college campus? The influence of your ministry wouldn t rest on a nightly event, but it would have a 24/7 impact all across the college campus. The gospel would find itself filling cultures and sub cultures you would never be able to impact with a singular event. What if you began to reach a people group that was much different than the one you re currently reaching? The campus might take notice and see a unity and peace that is not present in our culture. A diverse ministry gives the university a more robust look at what the kingdom of God really looks like people of all background, races, political views, gathering and scattering in worship to Jesus. May 15 SBTC Office, Grapevine The Hispanic Leadership Summit exists to create a network for pastors and leaders to share ideas, challenges, and resources in reaching the second and future generations of Hispanics in Texas effectively. sbtexas.com/hispanic-ministries For more information please contact Juani Shelton al or sshelton@sbtexas.com sbtexas.com 53

56 evangelism serve, love and serve again By Jaime Garcia Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Houston The church has been called not to just to be on mission, but to live out that mission in its city. Bethel Baptist Church has been given the biggest evangelistic platform our city has ever seen, due to Hurricane Harvey. As a pastor, my passion is to lead our people to be the church to those who are hurting, broken and forgotten. It takes sacrifice and intentionality to serve others. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, We must become all things to all people that by all means we might save some. The mission field is just outside our church doors, with so much of the community waiting to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why Bethel BC has intentionally served in the Hurricane Harvey affected communities. On Thanksgiving Day we served meals to over 1,200 people. At Christmas, we had a parade in a Harveyaffected community. During Easter, over 600 people attended an evangelistic event at our church. Houston has become the missions epicenter at this current season, and we are receiving missions groups to fulfill the mission call to serve. Taking the time to help someone with their hurricane-ravished home, or simply dropping off a bag of groceries, bridges the gap for the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is a testimony from Catherine, of First Baptist Church, Booneville, Mississippi. She spent a week doing missions in our Houston community and said, I want you to know I am hijacking #nothingisnormal for my Sunday School lesson. It s too easy to be content as long as it s someone else who is in need. Nothing is normal as long as there are people who need our help and need us to share God s love, and it shouldn t take the hurricane of the decade to make us look up and look around. Small needs can be just as much an opportunity to live and share the gospel as are the big needs. If we are open to God, he will use us. I believe that serving is the greatest joy in life, and if that s true for you, then go serve, go love and go serve again. 54 sbtc church ministries

57 evangelism DISASTER RELIEF TRAINING PREP TRAIN RESPOND Phase 1 Feb 2 Broadview BC, Abilene Mar 9 FBC, Wake Village Apr 13 Spring Baptist Church Sep 28 FBC, Alvarado Phase 2 Feb 1 Broadview BC, Abilene Mar 8 FBC, Wake Village Apr 12 Spring Baptist Church Sep 27 FBC, Alvarado For more info & to register for trainings sbtexas.com/dr Preparing, equipping, training and mobilizing churches and volunteers to fulfill the Great Commission by meeting real needs and sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with those whose lives have been or will be affected by disasters. sbtexas.com 55

58 senior adults builders and boomers By Billy Barnes Sr. Adult Associate, SBTC The senior adult population spans many different life experience and skill levels. This diversity makes it difficult to get all the senior adults involved in each program or activity in the church. The Boomer generation (younger senior adults, ages 52-70) are optimistic, 25% of them are college-educated are usually easily involved in cause-oriented activities. Their relationship to the church is declining and they must have an individualistic commitment to Christ. Traditional programing loses its effectiveness with Boomers. The Builder generation (older senior adults, ages 71-90s) is characteristically made up of steady leaders. They are patriotic, loyal and only 9 percent are college educated. Their relationship to the church includes corporate worship and respect for church leadership. They grew up attending Sunday school and being involved with all church activities. Boomers have good leadership skills but usually do not care to commit to a regular schedule of meetings or teaching. They normally prefer to serve in a team-teaching commitment or on a one-time mission project. Some of the Boomers have the added responsibility of caring for aging parents or taking care of their own grandchildren. Builders are normally good at leadership roles and love to commit to a regular schedule of meetings or teaching. They grew up prioritizing Christian duties in their schedules. They need to be involved in church ministry and community activities. They build relationships through care and support. The most pressing need they face is loss of health or death of a spouse. To get these two diverse groups of senior adults involved in your church, you have to first realize there is no one way to do this. You will need to first understand each age group s 56 sbtc church ministries

59 senior adults characteristics to have a ministry for them. When you recognize their strong points, you can set up a ministry for each age group. There are several ministry thoughts for Boomers. They do not want to be classified as senior adults. This age group is very good with intergenerational relationships. They are effective leaders in both evangelism and discipleship, and are very service-minded, whether it be a mission trip or a church work day. Organization and actually working at a planned activity are both things Boomers excel in. Since most Boomers are still employed, it is challenging at times for them to participate in activities. Ministry thoughts for the Builder generation include any activity involved with caring for another. They normally prioritize senior adult activities held at the church and plan to To get both age groups of your senior adults involved in your church, design programs for each group taking all their characteristics in mind. Be faithful to include them all in your programs and activities. attend. Volunteerism is another quality of the Builders as they readily help out in the church or the community. Many of this group are not able to physically go on a mission trip but will help with the planning, getting supplies together or other tasks to get a group ready. Most Builders are retired and have time to help with Vacation Bible School, Awanas, church library, or other programs sponsored by the church. Even though they may not be physically sound, they are always ready to help. Builders love fellowshipping with other saints and will make time to attend these planned socials. Day trips, yearly week-long trips, and retreats are all things they will participate in. This age group does like to keep busy with a purpose of serving the Lord. To get both age groups of your senior adults involved in your church, design programs for each group taking all their characteristics in mind. Be faithful to include them all in your programs and activities. The more people you get involved, the more successful your program will be FBC, New Braunfels 3.28 SBTC Office, Grapevine 9.12 East Texas 9.27 Houston 10.3 Lubbock Boomers and seniors are one of the fastest-growing segments in our society. Learn to engage this group to impact churches, cultures and communities. COST $15 10AM - 2 PM Includes Lunch sbtexas.com/sradults sbtexas.com 57

60 In March 2017, the senior adults of First Baptist Church, New Braunfels, had our yearly retreat at Alto Frio Encampment in Leaky, Texas. While coming home, some of them were on a church bus which was hit head on by another vehicle. Thirteen of the fourteen passengers were killed. This was a huge loss to our senior adult ministry, and our church as a whole, as each of these seniors was very involved in leadership. Many were in leadership in their Sunday school classes, others were involved in our senior adult choir. Several were on our senior adult ministry team and planned activities for our senior adults. They were all involved in serving the Lord wherever they were needed. The immediate need was to notify the family members and help them deal with the situation. The best comfort I was able to give the families was to let them know their loved ones had spent a glorious three days singing praises to God, studying his work and fellowshipping with other saints. I was also able to confidently tell them they could claim God s promise of their loved ones being in his presence since they had accepted Jesus as their Savior and lived life in sersenior adults dealing with grief in the church By Billy Barnes Minister of Sr. Adults First Baptist Church, New Braunfels vice to him. This is something each of these families could find great comfort in. As Psalm 37:39 says, But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, He is their strength in time of trouble. Also, Psalm 46:1 tells us, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The next step was to meet with families and help them plan a celebration of the life of their loved one. As you can imagine, 13 funerals at one time required quite a bit of planning and flexibility. With so much grief happening on a very regular basis, it is so important to be in contact with God through prayer as much as possible and dwell on his promises of hope. Hebrews 4:6 it states, Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. At this time, it was so helpful that we were able to celebrate the lives of those lost and not grieve as those with 58 sbtc church ministries

61 senior adults no hope. Even though we were all hurting from our loss, we did remember to forgive the one who had caused this terrible accident. There is always healing in forgiveness as the Lord has commanded us to forgive and be merciful to others. As it is written in Luke 6:35-38, But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. In March of this year, we had We continue to see the families at church and know that there is not only a void left in the families, but our church family as well. We continue to love on each other and be thankful that God is in control of our lives. All glory goes to God. a one-year memorial service at the Alto Frio Encampment during our regular retreat. We invited the families, the first responders and anyone who had been associated with the accident. We had 160 people attend this memorial service. At this time, we were able to put some closure the accident and be thankful to all those who had a part in helping our senior adults. We continue to see the families at church and know that there is not only a void left in the families, but our church family as well. We continue to love on each other and be thankful that God is in control of our lives. All glory goes to God. sbtc office, april 25 grapevine conference speakers Adam Greenway Billy Graham School Dean, SBTS Jim Richards Executive Director, SBTC Ron Hawkins Provost, Liberty University Eric Thomas Senior Pastor, FBC Norfolk, VA Susie Hawkins Author, Pastor s wife sbtexas.com/roleofthepastor 8:00-12:30 breakfast + lunch included free $ 10 livestream sbtexas.com 59

62 DISCIPULADO RITMOS ESPIRITUALES Un manual diseñado para servir como herramienta en la multiplicación de discípulos. sbtexas.com/rhythms UN DISCIPULADO VIBRANTE recursos disponibles en español sbtexas.com Este webinar con los pastores Eddie Lopez y Philip Levant examina el mandato, modelo, y los desafíos del discipulado. sbtexas.com/online EVANGELISMO 1 CROSS APP El 1 CROSS app está diseñado para facilitar compartir el evangelio con personas de diferentes culturas, idiomas, y religiones. El app contiene más de 45 testimonios en diferentes idiomas de personas que han sido transformados por Cristo. sbtexas.com/1cross IGLESIA MANUAL PARA BÚSQUEDA DE PASTOR Un recurso esencial para la iglesia local y el comité de búsqueda de pastor para ayudar en encontrar el siervo de Dios para su congregación REVITALIZACIÓN DE IGLESIA Un programa que ayuda a las iglesias que están declinando o experimentando estancamiento. Le ayudará a renovar la visión, misión, y propósito de la iglesia. EL PROGRAMA COOPERATIVO Visite nuestro sitio web para descargar videos, estudios, sermones, y testimonios sobre este mecanismo de recaudación de fondos de los Bautistas del Sur, que por más de 90 años ha apoyado los ministerios de la SBC. whatiscp.com/spanish/ CAPACITACIÓN Para ver otras ayudas ministeriales por favor visite nuestro canal de ministerios hispanos por la web donde encontrará videos de conferencias y entrenamientos en evangelismo, discipulado, ministerio, apologética, liderazgo y mucho más. sbtexas.com/online 60 sbtc church ministries

63 Es nuestro objetivo final apoyar y facilitar el cumplimiento de la Gran Comisión por medio de la iglesia local. Las Conferencias Regionales se han desarrollado con este propósito en mente: capacitar a los líderes y miembros de las iglesias al ofrecer seminarios prácticos, recursos bíblicos, y la inspiración para continuar la obra que Dios ha confiado a cada miembro. Esta formación se lleva a cabo en zonas claves en el estado de Texas, con la visión de extenderse y multiplicarse a otras zonas. 13 de abril Oak Meadow Baptist Church, Austin 21 de septiembre Bethel Baptist Church, Houston sbtexas.com/regional Temas Principales: Discipulado, Misiones, Evangelismo, Jóvenes, Enriquecimiento Matrimonial, y Desarrollo Pastoral. Para más información, comuníquese con Juani Shelton sshelton@sbtexas.com ext Número de teléfono gratuito Hecho posible por el Programa Cooperativo. 4 de mayo Central Baptist Church, College Station 22 de junio South Jefferson Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant 7 de septiembre Parkhills Baptist Church, San Antonio La conferencia de mujeres FLORECE es un evento de aliento espiritual lleno de enseñanza bíblica, música conmovedora y compañerismo con hermanas de otras iglesias que desean crecer en su caminar diario con Cristo. Y así, Impactar a sus hogares, iglesias y comunidad. sbtexas.com/mujeres Hecho posible por el Programa Cooperativo. Para más información, comuníquese con Juani Shelton sshelton@sbtexas.com , ext Número de teléfono gratuito sbtexas.com 61

64 4-5 de Octubre River Bend Retreat Center Nuestra conferencia de Hombres de Impacto está diseñada para que los hombres puedan ejercerse en el servicio a los demás y a entregar sus vidas para convertirse en los líderes siervos que Dios los ha llamado a ser en sus hogares, iglesias, y comunidades. Saturado con enseñanza bíblica, instrucción pertinente y actividades competitivas que fomentan un espíritu de compañerismo, esta es una oprtunidad que no se puede perder. sbtexas.com/hombres Para más información, comuníquese con Juani Shelton sshelton@sbtexas.com ext Número de teléfono gratuito Hecho posible por el Programa Cooperativo. Pastors and church staff of all ages are invited to gather and network together at these regional, laid back events. sbtexas.com/connect January 17 North Garland Baptist Fellowship, Garland April 11 First Baptist Church, Uvalde August 22 Denman Avenue Baptist Church, Lufkin October 10 Mission Dorado Baptist Church, Odessa Danny Forshee Pastor, Great Hills Baptist Church, Austin 62 sbtc church ministries

65 conferencia 10 de agosto champion forest baptist church, houston La conferencia EQUIP capacita a líderes para todos los aspectos del ministerio en la iglesia local. Este entrenamiento es para el beneficio de las iglesias pequeñas e iglesias grandes. Se ofrecen más de 200 sesiones de talleres para preescolares, infantiles, jóvenes, adultos, y adultos mayores. Se ofrecen sesiones especiales para la tecnología de la Iglesia (sitio web y redes sociales), y para diáconos, y seguridad para la iglesia. También se ofrecen talleres en español que incluyen temas del ministerio de varones, mujeres, discipulado, familia, y adoración. sbtexas.com/equip Hecho posible por el Programa Cooperativo. sbtexas.com 63

66 December 5-7 Spiritual refreshment, networking, giveaways + relaxation $ 50 SPOUSE INCLUDED SBTEXAS.COM/SMG moment mission movement june highland lakes, spicewood june camp zephyr, sandia july 8-12 highland lakes, spicewood july glorieta, new mexico 64 sbtc church ministries sbtexas.com/m3

67 HOME CHURCH PASTOR THE LOST NATION For 2019 events near you visit We invite you to join us for a couple s date where you can enjoy the company and fellowship of other ministry couples. Wolfes Hixsons Pruitts Gonzaleses JAN 18 Lufkin MAR 8 Austin APR 5 El Paso SEP 6 Midland SEP 13 DFW NOV 15 Houston W W W W W W H P G P en Español H P Register & view the schedule at sbtexas.com/datenights sbtexas.com 65

68 sbtc 45 percent sbc 55 percent reaching texas & touching the world Among state conventions, the SBTC gives the highest percentage (55%) of budgeted receipts to the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBTC invests the Texas budget allocation (45%) to assist in church planting, evangelistic efforts and strengthening existing churches % leadership Church Ministries Pastor/Church Relations Hispanic Ministries Church Revitalization 36.72% missional Missions Evangelism Church Planting 25.75% supporting Operations & Finance Ministry Relationships Communications 4.62% in state special allocation SBTC contribution for church/assoc. staff retirement & protection benefit We are stronger together through the Cooperative Program. CP SUNDAY APRIL 7 for more info visit whatiscp.com 66 sbtc church ministries