the importance of pastors connecting

Transcription

1 a publication of the southern baptists of texas convention band of brothers: the importance of pastors connecting + the urgent need for praying churches + the church in transition + the deacon s reward

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. Doug Hixson Director Church Planting & Missions dhixson@sbtexas.com 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. Mike Gonzales Director En Español mgonzales@sbtexas.com

3 contents 2 band of brothers: the importance of pastors connecting 32 take your nextstep in the right direction 6 11 minutes God is using for transformation 34 harvey 8 committing to faithful men: the next generation of pastors Young pastors are relatively few in our church culture. According to a study done by Christianity Today in 2017, only one in seven pastors in the U.S. are under the age of 40, with the average age being in strategic & prayerful partnership the pastors masters 52 the urgent need for praying churches steps to begin church revitalization why some pastors aren t ready to lead in church revitalization One of the most pressing demands facing our churches is the immediate need for powerful, congregational prayer. So, if promoting prayer in our churches is urgent, we should be able to find enough scriptural reinforcement to support that claim decisions that helped turn around my small town church 56 why fill out the annual church profile (ACP)? key ingredients to church revitalization: the sweet spot God can why refocus? 60 the church in transition 64 the deacon s reward 28 re-vitalization starts with re-visioning 66 three ways you can help your husband 70 be encouraged: there is purpose in the plan Pastor s wife, have you ever wondered what God is up to in your life? Maybe you find yourself praying specific prayers but getting nothing back no direction, not no, yes or maybe. Nothing. You feel as if God is not listening, or maybe he s even ignoring you? I have found myself in this place more times than I want to admit. sbtexas.com 1

4 pastor church relations band of brothers: the importance of pastors connecting By Rusty Mott Senior Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Kountze In the Spring of 2013, I found myself in rural Southeast Texas, a world removed from the vibrant urban area I had spent the last seven years of my ministry. As a first-time pastor, I had big plans for our young congregation. We were going to become a missional powerhouse, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth! Yet only a few months in, I was feeling discouraged and alone. Our congregation was growing, and from all outward appearances, the ministries of our church were thriving. But there were serious struggles with key leaders in the church. And a series of anonymous letters mailed to pastors and businesses in our region slandered me and my family. Less than six months into my pastorate, I was ready to throw in the towel. One of Satan s most effective tools against ministry leaders is loneliness. In a strange way, the feeling of loneliness actually causes us to withdraw from the few real connections we actually have. I was becoming increasingly withdrawn at home and with my circle of friends. And I was desperately trying to become what I thought my church needed me to be. Yet, through all of the wins and losses, I was losing my basic identity. But then, by God s grace, I met a group of friends that saved my ministry. When I arrived in Southeast Texas, I had the idea that I was going to help transform our local association. I was going to help the old guard turn over a new leaf. I was the youngest pastor in our area, and I was prepared to teach these old dogs some new tricks. I am forever indebted to these dear brothers who tolerated and loved me despite my youthful arrogance. In my time of great need, they were the ones there to help me. Many of them received the slanderous letter, but rather than sharing gossip with others, they called me and shared their war stories. When I seemed discouraged at meetings and gatherings, they 2 sbtc church leadership

5 pastor church relations By God s grace, I met a group of friends that saved my ministry. When I arrived in Southeast Texas, I had the idea that I was going to help transform our local association. I was going to help the old guard turn over a new leaf. I was the youngest pastor in our area, and I was prepared to teach these old dogs some new tricks. I am forever indebted to these dear brothers who tolerated and loved me despite my youthful arrogance. intentionally checked on me and encouraged me. Alongside these seasoned pastors, some younger pastors in our area began to develop friendships that are still strong today. With their love and support, I realized I was not alone. These brothers literally saved my ministry. For every story like this, there are countless other pastors who don t survive. Ministry can be physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting. Isolation and loneliness can creep in and steal the joy of ministry. It is in these seasons pastors need to know they are not alone. Through our local pastoral alliance, our local association and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, God has blessed me with many godly pastors and friends in ministry who are always available to encourage, humble and support me in my ministry. These connections have been strengthened by intentionally seeking to attend and participate in the work of these ministries. I have been blessed to serve alongside pastors who minister across the state from my church, yet through our service together, we have become friends. Social media allows me to stay connected with pastors across the street and around the world. God has blessed us with all of these resources and networks for such a time as this! Wise pastors will utilize these opportunities to develop a wide 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 sbtexas.com 3

6 pastor church relations community of friendships. Some call this networking, but I call it developing a band of brothers. The calling on a pastor s life can be overwhelming, but God has given us the opportunity to build community with each other for the sake of being encouraged and encouraging others. Not only do pastors encourage each other, but they can provide resources and wise counsel around a variety of topics. While I am thankful for blogs, books and magazines, there is great benefit in asking pastors in your own ministry context for wisdom and advice. On more than one occasion, I have called upon friends when I was struggling through a sermon or a plan for a new direction. The wealth of knowledge available through my band of brothers is a constant source of help. If you don t have a band of brothers, start developing one today. Where can you start? Your local association is a great place to begin. Another wonderful resource is the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. When I started attending and participating in the Annual Meeting and other special programs, I had no idea I would develop so many wonderful friendships! There are many opportunities to get involved and be a part of the work God is doing among His people. Just as the cooperative program shows us that we are better together in the area of missions giving and sending, creating community and networking among other pastors will multiply the effectiveness of your ministry for years to come. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works Hebrews 10:24 Just as the cooperative program shows us that we are better together in the area of missions giving and sending, creating community and networking among other pastors will multiply the effectiveness of your ministry for years to come. ministry to + through associations Toll Free Local sbtexas.com/pcr The PCR department of the SBTC is honored to partner with local associations in meeting the specific needs of our state s varying regional ministry contexts. Talk to your associational DOM or call the SBTC office to see how we might be able to partner with your local Baptist association for a specific event. 4 sbtc church leadership

7 W2 The purpose of the FMS is to encourage positive, long-term & healthy relationships that complement the kingdom of God within the context of the SBTC. W1 W3 S1 N1 S2 N2 N3 N4 E1 S3 E4 E2 N5 S5 S4 E3 Field Ministry Strategist Zones S6 S1 Don McElroy N1 Glen Pearce E1 Tom Shelton W1 JC Rico S2 Gilbert Chavez N2 Randy Austin E2 Wayne Livingston W2 Micah Meurer S3 Mitch Kolenovsky N3 Alex Gonzales E3 Gordon Knight W3 Paul Anderson S4 Dennis Parish N4 Weldon Doherty E4 John McGuire S5 Bill Collier N5 Roy Ford S6 David Loyola sbtexas.com/pcr Toll Free Local sbtexas.com 5

8 pastor church relations 11 minutes God is using for transformation By Ted Elmore Prayer Strategist, SBTC Eleven minutes. First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs. This span from 11:17 to 11:28 am on November 5, 2017 changed a community, a church, several families and many individuals forever. Yet, the glory of God was present in the home-going of 26 precious believers. It was a typical Sunday worship service at First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs with good attendance. Suddenly, shots rang out. What is this? Is it firecrackers? When people began to fall from their pews, it was obvious this was a new reality. Over 400 bullets were fired into the building from outside. When the shooter came in the church, he fired several hundred rounds inside the small structure. Although there have been church shootings in the past, no Texas congregation has ever experienced a tragedy of this magnitude. Twenty-six were killed inside the church 24 were members and two were known visitors. Another 20 were wounded and, miraculously, 12 were spared injury. The shooter, wounded by a neighbor who rushed to the church to assist, attempted to flee but wrecked his vehicle and took his own life. This accounts for a total of 27 dead. Julie Workman is a registered nurse and church member who serves as the volunteer children s leader. She began doing triage on the victims. But her steadiness was interrupted when she came upon the body of one of the children. Juan Gunny Macias, severely wounded and sitting on the pew in front of her, heard her scream. Julie said Gunny turned his head and said, Julie, this day did not take God by surprise. You have been trained for this moment. Do what you need to do to save lives! She said, I believe his words were from God. This is a story of the perseverance and faith of the saints in that church. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention s Pastor/Church Relations (PCR) department served this affiliated church; we came alongside a people and pastor who adopted the motto, the devil will not win. 5 A groundbreaking service for the new First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs started with a prayer walk on May 5, NAMB PHOTO BY ANDREW PEARLE The SBTC PCR established a presence the day of the shooting. Mitch Kolenovsky is the field ministry strategist in that zone, but was six hours away. I asked field ministry strategist Gilbert Chavez, who covers the zone just north, to drive from Austin to River Oaks Baptist Church, where crisis management and relief efforts were being staged. The following day, Jim Richards, Tony Wolfe and I made our way to River Oaks Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. One of our goals was to determine how the SBTC might best serve these churches. Chaos is a mild word to describe the scene. We participated in the planning of the community-wide prayer event, and local 6 sbtc church leadership

9 pastor church relations pastors asked me to lead that meeting. The next day we were apprised that Vice-President Mike Pence and his entourage would attend. At that point, all planning was subject to approval of the Secret Service. VP Pence s staff and the Secret Service were very understanding and helpful in many ways. The first step taken by Dr. Richards was to provide pastoral leadership by covering Pastor Pomeroy s salary for one year and providing secretarial help through December and January. Our field ministry strategists are parttime and limited in hours they may work. Therefore, Dr. Richards asked me to be the SBTC point person for all things Sutherland Springs. The old auditorium became their memorial to the fallen. SBTC affiliated congregations were asked to serve by providing lay persons to greet and pray with visitors to the memorial. We did not provide this daily, but on a very regular basis. Pastor Pomeroy tells us that over 30 people have come to Christ through the witness of the memorial. Weekly conference calls with the attorney (provided by the church s insurance company), Pastor Pomeroy, Pat Dziuk (who chairs the Restoration Committee of the church) and a representative from HEB groceries have helped ascertain immediate needs and meet them as much as possible. There were requests that came up in the course of the immediate recovery. A staff member was provided to spend six weeks as Pastor Pomeroy s associate. Pastor Pomeroy and two neighboring pastors and wives attended the Empower Evangelism Conference as SBTC guests. We had the privilege of serving the Restoration Committee and Pastor Kevin Cornelius of First Baptist Church, Karnes City in Wilson County to plan and provide a thank you banquet for First Responders on April 6, First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, invited church members, surviving victims and family members of victims to attend and fellowship with first responders. Almost 300 meals were served. Press releases designed by a professional on behalf of the church became a need. The SBTC s own Gary Ledbetter served in this role. The church broke ground May 5, 2018 in a new facility being provided by the North American Mission Board. Pastor Pomeroy asked that we begin with an extended prayer walk and time of prayer. God used this prayer time in a significant way to dig new wells of hope and establish spiritual boundaries. We continue serving First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs and are committed to doing so, at their request, as we move forward. Today, by God s grace, he is turning tears into testimony! CHURCH SECURITY Can my church be prepared? How do we avoid an incident? What s our first line of defense? sbtexas.com/security 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 7

10 pastor church relations committing to faithful men: the next generation of pastors By Michael Cooper Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church, Mabank What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 Young pastors are relatively few in our church culture. According to a study done by Christianity Today in 2017, only one in seven pastors in the U.S. are under the age of 40, with the average age being 54. This stands in contrast to the population trend of America, which projects that Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers as the largest generation. It seems like our culture is getting younger while the church is getting older. The Bible presents the remedy guard and share the good deposit of the gospel (2 Timothy 1:13-2:2). From one generation to the next the good deposit of the gospel must be passed down. As a result, God is calling younger pastors to stand on the shoulders of our older brothers and in the continuity of biblical convictions, carry the gospel to local communities around Texas. The NextGen Pastor s Network is one of the many ways the SBTC is seeking to aid younger pastors in the work of local church ministry. This focused effort on the part of SBTC leadership demonstrates the desire to see younger ministers equipped to serve in their given contexts. This opportunity is not only practical but also biblical. We all need a Barnabas (an encourager) and a Paul (a mentor). The NextGen Pastor s Network provides both for younger pastors. While one is in the trenches of gospel work, discouragement can creep in and our focus can wane. Yet this network provides personal resources and accountability in our calling to serve the local church. Here are three reasons why I am thankful for the Next- Gen Pastor s Network. Relationship Relationships are vital for ministry, especially for younger pastors. Many younger pastors (like myself) are at their first churches, fresh out of seminary and eager to serve. But the reality of the call weighs upon them and the difficulty of the situation becomes clear. What do you do? The NextGen Pastor s Network offers vital relationships to help you along the journey. The relationships fostered through conferences, meetings and conference calls are aimed at providing encouragement for those plowing steady in ministry. These relationships can extend from SBTC staff to a pastor across the state experiencing the same situation. I have personally formed relationships with other pastors because of the NextGen Pastor s Network. The point is clear; we need each other because we are stronger together. Mentorship Along with relationships come mentorships. It is one thing to know 8 sbtc church leadership

11 pastor church relations You can read all the latest leadership books and listen to the best leadership podcasts but nothing is better than learning from those who have led their respective churches. someone, but it is another thing to have a person speak into your life. This is accomplished through WebEx conference calls. Younger pastors have the opportunity to listen to brothers who have been serving our Lord for decades. I was personally encouraged during a recent conference call with Pastor Steve Gaines. Pastor Gaines simply said, Do you find yourself in a discouraging situation? Don t stop, keep going. God has you there for a purpose. The Lord used these words to bring encouragement in a difficult situation in my church. These men have been there and simply want to share out of their personal experience. As we stand on the shoulders of these men, let us learn from their experiences. Leadership Leadership is key in the local church, no matter the size of the congregation. You can read all the latest leadership books and listen to the best leadership podcasts but nothing is better than learning from those who have led their respective churches. Various opportunities during annual meetings and conferences provide the younger pastor the ability to hear different leaders tell their stories. I m convinced that leadership is caught, not just taught. By building the relationships and mentorships, learning leadership lessons from men like Juan Sanchez, Nathan Lino and Jim Richards is an invaluable experience. The Southern Baptist Convention at large is on the edge of seeing the Next Generation of pastors serve and carry on the ministry in local churches around world. The SBTC is making it possible for young pastors and leaders to learn from those who have gone before us. We shouldn t dismiss the prior generations of faithful men who served diligently for the gospel and biblical convictions. Rather the young guns need the old guard to help train, encourage and shepherd them into pastoral maturity. We young guns need to listen to them, and the NextGen Pastor s Network provides that opportunity. Video conference calls with leading ministry specialists. Special guests will both teach and field questions to maximize interaction. JAN 10 Jeff Iorg Gateway Seminary President, CA Interact with SBC leaders on contemporary issues in pastoral leadership. For pastors 40 years & younger. sbtexas.com/nextgen MAR 21 Steven Smith Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Little Rock, AR JUL 18 Russell Moore ERLC President sbtexas.com 9

12 revitalization 3 steps to begin church revitalization We must practice biblical, loving church discipline for the restoration of our brother, the health of the church and the building of the body (Matt 18:15-20) By Anthony Svajda Harvey Baptist Church in Stephenville, TX It has been my experience that every church is going through a process of revitalization in some form or another. I have never met a pastor who did not want his church to be healthier or to grow. Every church I have served in tirelessly worked to be more effective for the glory of God. We pushed because we knew church health and the salvation of souls hung in the balance. We worked hard in revitalization because we knew that churches that revitalize well in most cases experience biblical growth, and churches that do not work at revitalization end up in stagnation and death. Church revitalization must be a constant work of every church leader. But what does it look like to revitalize well? After leading churches in revitalization and working through countless hours of materials on church revitalization, here are three steps to begin the process of church revitalization. Step 1: Pray for Revitalization The starting point for any church that desires to begin the revitalization process is prayer. The early church was founded and flourished through the power of prayer (Acts 2:42) and churches today will do the same if they turn to the Lord in prayer. The church must first pray to know God s will and wisdom for the church. Just as Jesus model prayer is for Christians to pray for God s will to be done in the world (Matt 6:10), the pastor and church leaders must seek 10 sbtc church leadership

13 revitalization God s will for their church. The prayer for revitalization will then seek to align with God s will through a prayer of repentance. Repentance is required because there is no perfect or completely healthy church. Church leadership must understand there are issues from the past which the church needs to get right with God. Repenting of unconfessed sin or areas that are simply not in line with the Lord s will is a first step to getting right with the Lord. Along with seeking the Lord s will, church leadership should be praying for a renewed vision from the Lord. They should be asking, What does the future look like for our church and, how can we as a church get there? These questions must be open-ended in order for God to move and speak. If the leadership is unwilling to let God give his vision for the church or if the leadership tries to steer the conversation with God, they could miss his answer and direction for the future of the church. Once God s vision has been established the leadership must ask God for unity in the church through the revitalization process. Church revitalization is often a hard thing for church members because it requires a certain amount of change. Change in the church can quickly lead to fear and division and therefore church leaders must plead with the Lord to bring unity to his church. Furthermore, the church revitalization process requires prayer to access God s power. Scripture tells us that God is the source of church growth (1Cor 3:6) and the church must recognize God as the source of church growth by pleading with him for his movement among his people. Step 2: Seek God s Word in Revitalization God s Word plays a vital role in revitalization. God s Word has been used in the process of revitalization by many leading their congregations to new health (Ezra 6:18; Neh 8:1-12). The primary way to apply God s Word in revitalization is first look to the Word for guidance. Church leadership should ask, What are we doing that is against God s word? If there is anything there, they must stop and repent of it. This must extend to the congregation. Is there a brother or sister who is living outside of God s will and is not being confronted with the Scriptures? After all, we know that a RevTalks LIVE revitalization conversations January 31 SBTC Office, Grapevine 9am-3pm Kenneth Priest Rob Peters Mike Landry Gary Ward Tony Wolfe Lance Crowell March 7 North Oaks BC, Spring 10am-3pm Kenneth Priest Mike Landry Ben Hays April 4 Milwood BC, Austin 10am-3pm Kenneth Priest Gary Ward Steve Cochran April 9 Rio Grande Valley 10am-3pm Kenneth Priest Mike Landry David Ortega Doug Hixson April 11 Immanuel BC, El Paso 10am-3pm Kenneth Priest Mike Landry Chuy Avila Doug Hixson Register online sbtexas.com/revitalization sbtexas.com 11

14 revitalization Casting a vision of the church s bright future to reach the next generation for the cause of the kingdom and proclaiming salvation in Christ alone is the pastor s privilege and responsibility. little leaven, leavens the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6-7). Therefore, we must practice biblical, loving church discipline for the restoration of our brother, the health of the church and the building of the body (Matt 18:15-20). If a church is going to seek church revitalization, it must be committed to God s word personally. The leadership should then ask, what are we doing outside of God s word? We live in a culture of consumer Christianity and church leaders are tempted to incorporate anything into their churches that may attract new members. But for the church that is in need of revitalization, it must clear out what is non-essential and focus on what the Lord would have it do. There is great benefit for the church that obeys the Lord. Ministering through an evangelism program will always produce more profit for the kingdom than a coffee bar. Churches will do everything under the sun in the name of ministry but churches should be focused on what the Lord would have them do. Finally leadership must ask, Are we communicating God s word? There is nothing like the pure preaching of God s Word to bring life and vision to the people. Preachers who desire to have healthy churches must preach God s Word to their people. They are not to add to the Scripture their own opinions or logic, they are simply to read the text and share God s truth from it. The Scripture must drive their sermon. Step 3: Lead in Revitalization The pastor plays a vital role in communicating the vision of church revitalization. The pastor is the outfront and visible leader of the church. Therefore, the pastor is seen as the one leading the charge for church revitalization. He is delegating tasks and letting people know what needs to be done. There is also great power in the pulpit to steer the church and the pastor must utilize this power to lead the church in the process of revitalization. Casting a vision of the church s bright future to reach the next generation for the cause of the kingdom and proclaiming salvation in Christ alone is the pastor s privilege and responsibility. The pastor must have a clear vision for revitalization. When a church makes shifts to become healthy and effective the forces of evil always push back. This may present itself through spiritual warfare on the pastor s family or resistance to change from the church family. Regardless of the method, the pastor must have a clear vision of the Lord for the mission of revitalization. If the pastor does not know where the church needs to be revitalized, the church will lose sight of its mission and return to stagnation. But the pastor who is clear on what the Lord has said will remain committed and see his calling for church revitalization through. Church revitalization is hard work for a pastor. Churches consist of people who want to run the church their way, individuals who desire for nothing to change or grow, apathetic people who don t care whether the church grows or stagnates and others who desire to see their church grow but don t know how to go about it. Therefore, strong pastoral leadership is required for any efforts in church revitalization. Pastors must determine if they are ready and committed to lead the church to take on the mission of revitalization. Church revitalization takes time and if the pastor is already considering a move or is uncommitted to the church s future, it would be best for the pastor not to begin the process of revitalization with the people. The process of church revitalization is not an easy task. Leading a church through the many stages of church revitalization, namely, grieving the past, working through change, and envisioning a future takes patience and fortitude for even the most seasoned pastors. Theologically we must understand that while church revitalization is difficult, God cares about the health of his church. Jesus loves his bride greatly and he will return for her soon (Rev 19:7). He has even given her great, enduring power in a dark world and has promised her victory over the powers of hell (Matt 16:18). While the work of church revitalization is no doubt hard work, God has called us to the task and I believe the work is worth the effort. Anthony Svajda is currently serving as the senior pastor of Harvey Baptist Church in Stephenville, TX. He has a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Evangelism and Church Revitalization from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 12 sbtc church leadership

15 revitalization why some pastors aren t ready to lead in church revitalization By Chuck Lawless Southeastern Seminary I believe in church planting, and I also believe in church revitalization. We need to do both if we want to reach North America. I m particularly interested in revitalization because of the people and property resources available for kingdom work, but I m not convinced every pastor is ready to lead through a revitalization effort. Here s why: Should a pastor facing these concerns choose to not lead a revitalization? Perhaps, but not necessarily. He may simply need to recognize his tendencies, admit them, ask God to re-direct him when his thinking goes in the wrong direction, and build a team around him that helps to keep him focused. He may not be ready now, but he can get ready with the right support. 1. Revitalization requires a long-term vision for a church. It demands that leaders see into the future, seeing what they ve never seen: a church genuinely reaching nonbelievers and discipling new believers. Some leaders simply struggle seeing anything beyond their current situations. 5. It requires stick-to-itness. Revitalization often means casting a new vision, getting members on board, overcoming obstacles and working toward change. That s a lot of effort with seemingly several opportunities to just bow out gracefully. Sometimes it s just easier to leave than to try to redirect a church that s already been difficult to lead. 2. It demands patience. Revitalization is never an overnight process. For leaders who want results yesterday (and who serve in denominations that seem to reward results), the wait required for church turnaround can be too much. 6. It might mean hurting people you love. Churches in need of revitalization are often marked by sacred cows, inefficient systems, and an inward focus. Dealing with those issues always means dealing with people, and they re usually good people. Some pastors would rather plow around these issues but that approach seldom fixes the problem. 3. It requires prayer. More than one study has shown that pastors pray less than they want, and likely much less than their church might assume. Revitalization, though, often demands a miraculous move of God and that requires consistent prayer. The pastor who begins to crank up his prayer life only during revitalization isn t likely to maintain that prayer pace. 7. It requires taking a risk. Let s face it: some revitalization attempts don t work. It s possible a pastor will throw himself fully into this task, only to learn that his efforts make little difference. If this fear invades and dominates a pastor s mind, he s probably not ready to lead a revitalizing effort. 4. It might require asking for help. Many denominations and private consultants are focusing on revitalization but some pastors are unwilling to ask for help. Doing so, they think, is an admission of failure. Chuck Lawless, Dean and Vice-President of Graduate Studies and Ministry Centers at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, where he also serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions. In addition, he is Global Theological Education Consultant for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. sbtexas.com 13

16 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 14 sbtc church leadership An evangelistic tool designed to share the message of the gospel in multiple languages through video/audio presentations. 1cross.com

17 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 15

18 revitalization 5 decisions that helped turn around my small town church By Travis Stephens Executive Pastor Strong Tower Church Westmoreland, Tennessee first year of ministry, we had basically achieved average. It was at this point we knew we had to start making some changes if we wanted to see the church grow. In the past 12 years, I can say almost everything about our church has changed. The one thing that has remained the same has been our passion to uplift the name of Jesus and our passion for loving people. I have no doubt that these two things have been the cornerstones of our success. As far as the changes that have helped us grow, there are far too many to fit into one article. Maybe someday I ll write a book about all of them. But, I do want to share some of the major changes that I believe have made the biggest impact along the way. The small town church where I serve as executive pastor will turn 12-years-old this year. In those 12 years we ve experienced incredible growth in many different areas. We ve seen hundreds of people experience salvation and take their next step through baptism. We ve seen our giving increase tenfold. And we saw our average weekend attendance top 700 people, in a one-stoplight town with a population of 2,200. I believe small town pastors have amazing opportunities to do big things in their communities. I believe your small town church can make a big impact, and I believe your small town church can grow; I believe this because I m living it. But, before I get you too excited, let me warn you that it wasn t always this way. When Strong Tower Church was launched in 2006, we only knew one method of doing church, the way everyone else in our community was doing it. We launched with 87 people in attendance at our first service, and at the end of 2006, we had grown to 86 people. Best-case scenario at this rate was closing our doors after 86 years. Not exactly what you dream of when you plant a church. The Barna group said that in 2003, the average Protestant church size in America was 89 adults. So, after our 1. We stopped settling for good enough and started saying, Make it better. It is so easy in rural churches to settle for good enough. We did it for far too long. Our worship s not great, but it s good enough. We never get started on time, but it s good enough. Our coffee is not great, but it s cheaper and that s good enough. You get the point. As long as you re ok with good enough, you re going to have an average small town church at best. You have to change your mindset and your congregation s from good enough to let s make it better. 2. We started making kids ministry a priority. This is the first ministry I mention because I believe it s the most important. People will put up with a lot of good enough as long as you offer an excellent kids ministry. It needs to be safe, which means you have volunteers background checked. You also have a check-in system for kids so that a random stranger can t pick them up at the end of service. It needs to be fun, which means you 16 sbtc church leadership

19 revitalization have people who love kids and don t mind getting into the floor to play. And it needs to be a place where they can learn about Jesus on their level, which means you re teaching them in creative and practical ways. 3. Our pastor changed how he preached. He even changed how he was dressed while he was preaching. He went from slacks, shirt, and tie to blue jeans and a t-shirt most weeks. This made him more approachable because people felt like he was more like them. And it helped draw a younger crowd. We went from preaching mostly stand-alone messages to preaching sermon series. This created more interest because people knew what was coming up. It made it easier to invite people, and the messages became more practical. 4. We took our first impressions to another level. We had always been known as a very friendly church, but now we became more intentional about creating a great guest experience. This meant we not only had greeters at our entrances, but we also added greeters in the parking lot. We added a host team to connect with first-time guests, give them a tour of the facility and offer them a gift. We offered free coffee and doughnuts to everyone. We made sure our facility was clean and smelled good. We created an assimilation process to get first-time guests to return for a second visit and, hopefully, many more after that. 5. We moved to a more energetic style of worship music. I know this is a tough one for most small town churches, but I m telling you, it was a catalyst of growth for us. The majority of churches in our community were still singing the same songs they d sung for the past twenty years. We decided to offer something new and different. And as part of that, we also became very intentional about who we allowed to sing. It didn t matter if God had laid it on someone s heart to sing a special. If he hadn t spoken to us personally, then it was a no go. Now as you can imagine, this transition went over without the slightest complaint. Ha, wouldn t that be nice? But, that is never going to be the case. When you start changing things, conflict is going to happen, and you have to be able to handle that. Not every pastor can. Throughout the years, we ve had board members quit. We ve had families leave. We ve had hate mail written. We ve dealt with gossip and accusations and all sorts of fun things that go along with leading a church. We had to make the decision that seeing people come to know Jesus was more important than catering to people s preferences. If you want to move beyond average, you ll have to do the same. Reprinted from christianitytoday.com 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 Made possible by your Cooperative Program sbtexas.com giving. 17

20 revitalization By Eric Thomas First Baptist Church, Norfolk, VA key ingredients to church revitalization: the sweet spot When I was younger, I loved to play baseball. If you ve ever played, you know the joy of hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat. The sweet spot is where the bat makes the most effective contact with the ball. In church, the sweet spot is the optimum combination of factors to fulfill the mission most effectively. This is the point where the implementation of mission finds greatest agreement within the church. Every church has a sweet spot. The larger the sweet spot in the church, the greater the momentum for God s fame. In my mind, revitalizing a church is growing the people in the church toward mission over time for God s glory and his kingdom. The greatest wisdom to guide us on this journey is the teaching of Jesus to us. 1. Embrace God s glory as our highest ambition (John 17:1, 4). Oh, that I could spend every moment of my life to God s glory. David Brainerd God s great mission demands a great passion for God s glory. Any hope for a church to find life in any age is for God s glory to be her supreme goal. Jesus brought glory to God by doing the work God had given him to do,1 and he invites us to join him in his grand purpose (John 17:10). As Jesus prays, we hear him call us to put on the front burner of our hearts God s glory unveiled in our lives and through our church. 2. Share eternal life with those in our communities (John 17:2-3). The glory of God, and, as our only means to glorifying Him, the salvation of human souls, is the real business of life. C. S. Lewis Jesus brought glory to God by doing the work God had given him to do.2 What is that work? To give eternal life to as many as the Father had given to him. God sent Jesus to change lives for eternity.3 As it is for Jesus, so it must be for his Body, the church. We expand the sweet spot of the church and lead it on the pathway to revitalization when we set our hands and hearts to bring eternal life to all humanity.4 Make this the focus, the celebration, and the culture of the church; and the church will find hope and life. 3. Immerse the church in the joy of the Word and mission (John 17:13-18). It is the great delight of the friends 18 sbtc church leadership

21 revitalization of the Bridegroom to bring them in who are not yet at the banquet. Thomas Boston The church glorifies God when we develop missionary followers of Christ. Jesus unveiled the pathway to joy within his church: the Word and the mission. As we immerse the church in the Word, we amplify her joy through the truth, security, comfort and wisdom that God delivers. As we immerse the church in mission being sent by Jesus (John 17:18), we amplify her joy through faithful obedience to him and the transformation of those far from him finding life through Jesus. The church is built by the Spirit to find her greatest delight in God. When we lead the people in the church to embrace God s glory as her greatest ambition, to share eternal life with others and to immerse herself in the joy of the Word and the mission, then vitality will follow. The sweet spot for every church is where delight in God unveils duty to God so that we join hearts and hands together to bear much fruit for God s glory (John 15:8). 1 D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), Carson evaluates the intent of Christ s words, I have glorified You on the earth. The question is whether Jesus thought of his earthly ministry up to the point of his prayer, or proleptically includes his obedience unto death, the death that lies immediately ahead. With Carson, I believe that Jesus was envisioning the fulfillment of His earthly ministry, included the upcoming passion of the cross. 2 Carson, Carson evaluates the intent of Christ s words, I have glorified You on the earth. The question is whether Jesus thought of his earthly ministry up to the point of his prayer, or proleptically includes His obedience unto death, the death that lies immediately ahead. With Carson, I believe that Jesus was envisioning the fulfillment of his earthly ministry, included the upcoming passion of the cross. 3 Ronald E. Man, The Value of Chiasm for New Testament Interpretation, Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (April 84): He offers the following chiastic structure to the High Priestly prayer: A Father, glorify the Son (v. 1c) B The Son will glorify the Father (v. 1d) C Those given by the Father to the Son (v. 2a c) D Eternal life (v. 2d) D Eternal life (v. 3a) C Those who know the Father and the Son (v. 3b) B The Son has glorified the Father (v. 4) A Father, glorify the Son (v. 5). He writes: The central elements (D and D ) speak of eternal life, and the C and C elements describe those who receive it, from a divine perspective (given by the Father and the Son) and a human perspective (they know the Father and the Son). This central emphasis is an important observation in this first section of Christ s High-Priestly prayer, for it is only in this section that Christ asks anything for Himself. Yet even here the emphasis is on believers (those who have received eternal life), who are the focus of the rest of the prayer. The center point of the chiasm prepares for this focus in the prayer as a whole. Being given and knowing are prominent themes in the rest of the prayer as well (vv. 6 9, 12, 22 26). The emphases of this introductory structure in John 17 set the tone and theme of the whole chapter. 4 Carson, 556. Carson writes: the gift of authority to the Son, consequent upon his death and exaltation, has as its end that all those whom the Father has given to the Son should be given eternal life (v. 2). 10am Register online sbtexas.com/revitalization January 24 O.S. Hawkins Easter Code February 21 Matthew McKellar Preaching March 28 Bill Henard Reclaimed Church April 18 Matt Queen Evangelism June 27 Alan Stoddard + Kenneth Priest SBSG Prep Lab July 25 Lance Crowell + Karen Kennemur Family August 22 Art Rainer Stewardship October 24 Scott McConnell sbtexas.com 19

22 revitalization God can By Joey Hanner pastor, Union 3 Baptist Church, Gadsden, AL Imagine if you will, a church off the beaten path, running around 100 people, miles away from any town or major city. No red lights or sub-divisions, no big businesses or malls. A church that grew and relocated itself on 46 acres in 2008 and now has 82 acres, two services and a total of 700 on any given Sunday. God can. Imagine if you will, a rural church that begins to see people coming to the Lord, baptisms every week with the average being over 30 years of age and from has baptized over 1000 people and is growing and making disciples through one-onone discipleship. God can. Imagine a church with $850, in debt. In November of 2016 God gives a vision to pay that debt off. In January 2017 we declared every second Sunday as a celebration Sunday. All of the offerings taken on those Sundays were committed to the debt retirement. From January 2017 to May 2018, we have paid from $570, in debt to $0. All I can say is, God can. With so many decisions to trust Christ there were so many people to follow up on, to disciple and to equip for ministry. Since 2015 hundreds have been discipled one-on-one and have been trained how to share their faith and then disciple those they share their faith with. God can. Imagine a rural church, with a heart to reach people with the gospel, going to Uganda or the jungles of Peru. Three men set out to travel over 300 miles up the river Napo, reaching village after village with the gospel, then planting churches, discipling leaders and training the pastors of the churches along the river all the way to Ecuador. God can. My Name is Joey Hanner, the pastor of Union 3 Baptist Church, and I would love to tell you that when I came to Union in 2011 that I had everything planned out and all together. The truth is all I knew to do was share the gospel. As I look back over the last seven years I can now share what I feel is God s plan in growing any church in any place. My story is of a lost church member. On October 22, 1995, God reached down and saved me, my wife Connie and our marriage of 12 years. Within a couple of years, I was ordained as a deacon, a year later began to work with children and in 2000 surrendered to full-time ministry, in which I began to serve as the minister to students and later the missions pastor. God called me to be the pastor of U3B in April of Just like any church, there was no way to know what was in store for us. I remember sitting down with the deacons and leaders to work through a few details that I was passionate about. The most important would be the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ by each leader and their commitment to support me completely. When the leaders are going in the same direction God can use and grow his church, God can. The first thing that I ask God for was 10 soul winners that understood how to share the gospel and when someone was ready to respond to it. God soon blessed me with more than I had ask for. As we began to reach others with the gospel we began to see growing pains; such as, lack space, being too crowded, mature teachers, the need for more staff, etc. God soon began providing what only 20 sbtc church leadership

23 revitalization he can provide, we were blessed with square feet of education space for high school, middle school and adults. The building was put up in two weeks, thanks to Carpenters for Christ in Montgomery, Al., and was paid for in 18 months, God can. When you develop a strong evangelism program, which is the key to having a strong discipleship and revitalization in any church, you will reach and train the people you need. I was a lost church member who was saved, trained and equipped for the purpose of ministry. Today, that still works, most of our staff have been reached, trained and equipped for ministry in our church. God has a plan and he knows his plan for us and he will send what we need to serve him powerfully, remember God can. As we began to grow, I was invited to go to North Carolina to spend the weekend with a few pastors from Alabama and to hear from Billie Hanks about making disciples. I took in everything that was said and when I returned I ask my church, If you have been intentionally discipled by someone for ten weeks or more please stand. Only a few people stood that day and that is when I realized we had a problem and needed to do a better job at intentionally investing in those we reach with the gospel. Leaders began to use A Call to Joy to do one-on-one discipleship with others in the church. In just a few months many were being discipled and were discipling others. Our goal is to ensure that each new believer is connected to a connection group for the purpose of spiritual growth. We began to develop classes for new Today, I hear a lot about making disciples and I love it, but when our culture of making disciples is not baptizing people, we need to step back and see what we are multiplying. september speakers 1 Todd Kaunitz Lead Pastor, New Beginnings, Longview 2 3 Kie Bowman Sr. Pastor Hyde Park Baptist, Austin Joey Hanner Union 3 Baptist Church, Gadsden, AL sbtexas.com/revitalization sbtexas.com 21

24 revitalization believers, and new members that consist of eight weeks of very intentional teaching on vision, purpose, mission, spiritual gifts, giving and serving. This class has been very effective for the health of Union 3, for the members and for the staff. Today, I hear a lot about making disciples and I love it, but when our culture of making disciples is not baptizing people, we need to step back and see what we are multiplying. I also believe that every church is an opportunity for revival, but unless the gospel is the main focus, revival will never arrive for them. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:23, Now this I do for the gospel s sake, that I may be a partaker of it with you. Everything we do must be for the sake of the gospel, we must reach, teach, grow, revitalize and plant for the sake of the gospel. Today, when I ask many leaders in churches around our state, When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone, walked with them down the aisle of the church, encouraged them to be baptized and disciple them to grow spiritually? I get silence. So how can we equip people to do what we are not doing? As I travel around our country preaching the gospel and encouraging others to be an Acts 1:8 church I am watching God do amazing things. God told us in Acts 1:8 But, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. God gave us the power to be an effective witness for him everywhere and to all people. I feel the key to being effective in revitalizing any church is balance. I see leaders in the church today who claim that they are not strong or gifted in sharing the gospel. Sharing the gospel is not a gift but a command, the Great Commission. You cannot afford to have leaders who will not equip people in the area of sharing their faith. Our time is urgent, and today is the greatest day to share the gospel in the home. For many have said to me, My people will not share the gospel and I respond, Your people may not, but God s people will. I have yet to read about an effective disciple in the New Testament who did not share the gospel. church revitalization RESOURCES Revitalization App Revitalization training videos, event details & resources - search SBTC to find this resource. FREE DOWNLOAD sbtexas.com/apps RevTalk Podcast RevTalk Podcasts are designed to offer strategic thoughts on revitalization issues confronting churches today. Stay up-todate with the latest thoughts and trends in church revitalization. RevTalk Consultations One-on-one talks about revitalization in your church Mike Landry SBTC Revitalization Consultant Kenneth Priest SBTC Convention Strategies Director Gary Ward SBTC Revitalization Consultant 22 sbtc church leadership sbtexas.com/revitalization

25 april sbtc office, grapevine A time for pastors and wives to relax, be equipped and encouraged speakers 1 Adam Greenway Billy Graham School Dean, SBTS 2 Jim Richards Executive Director, SBTC 3 Ron Hawkins Provost, Liberty University 4 Eric Thomas Senior Pastor, FBC Norfolk, VA 5 Susie Hawkins Author, Pastor s wife Free for revitalization pastors. Registration for the retreat is open only to Senior Pastors in the SBTC Revitalization tracks. sbtexas.com/revitalization sbtexas.com 23

26 revitalization why refocus? ECM Records engineer Martin Wieland recorded the sold out concert, and years later convinced Jarrett to release the recordings to the public. For years he resisted such requests since, as he said, the music played was improvised on a certain night and should go as quickly as it comes. Jarrett finally agreed on publishing and his improvised work became the bestselling piano album in history and the bestselling solo jazz album in history. By Travis Stephens StrongTowerChurch.com A AS WE SAT TOGETHER in his London flat, John Stott once shared these words with me: Rob, the church is always in need of renewal, and God uses the pastor to lead His work of renewing His church. I have thought about that meeting with Uncle John on many occasions, but never more than I have in recent days. Culture is shifting, churches are struggling to understand their mission, and church leaders need to rethink, reevaluate and refocus on the biblical mission of the church. However, many pastors feel as if the challenges they face within their church are insurmountable. Let me tell a story and draw a few parallels. In 1975, jazz pianist Keith Jarrett was handed a mess, yet he embraced it, and it led to the greatest moment of his musical career. The American pianist contracted with Vera Brands, a 17-year-old concert organizer, to play in the 1,400-seat Germany Opera House in Cologne. Jarrett had requested a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand piano for the performance. The opera house staff instead found another Bösendorfer piano backstage, assuming it was the one requested. Unfortunately, the error was discovered too late to be corrected. The smaller piano was tuned and adjusted for several hours, but Jarrett concluded that, since the upper octaves were thin and the pedals did not work properly, he could not play the concert. Vera Brands pleaded with Jarrett to reconsider, and he ultimately conceded to her request. Jarrett modified how he played the instrument using only the lower octaves on the piano, and he also modified how he used the pedals to fill the large opera house with sound using a substandard piano. The opera house was flooded with a new sound and the crowd enthusiastically received Jarrett and his music. MOST PASTORS I KNOW feel like Keith Jarrett. They discover the reality within their church, and they feel as if they have been handed a mess. They are asked to do the most important job in the world (preach the gospel, disciple people, build a church, advance the kingdom) with less than the necessary resources to fulfill the task, and with so many obstacles that the task seems insurmountable. Most pastors are pastoring plateaued or declining churches. At the same time, they are being asked to keep up the same level of programing, activity and ministry, with fewer people and resources to do so. In addition to these significant resource challenges, most pastors also find they have not been adequately equipped to deal with the kinds of challenges they face every day: conflict resolution, leadership development, organizational design, systems development and fundraising. These areas of ministry are constantly cited as areas of great stress for pastors in their ministry. Because of these stresses and challenges, Corpus was established as a non-profit organization to help pastors address the challenges of body life within the church. Specifically, the ReFocus process was developed to help pastors address the challenge of renewing, resourcing, and retraining the church to fulfill its mission. The essence of the ReFocus process 24 sbtc church leadership

27 revitalization lies under the biblical heading of the Overseer. Both Peter and Paul group three words together to describe the full nature of a pastor s ministry. Pastors are described as Elders, Pastors and Overseers. The role of Elder, or teacher, is one for which pastors are usually wellequipped in seminary or Bible College. The role of shepherd, likewise, is one of which pastors have adequate examples from church experience and training in seminary and Bible college. But the role of Overseer is where most pastors feel ill-equipped to handle the challenges of ministry. And that is where ReFocus comes in. Equipping pastors to become effective overseers is at the core of the ReFocus training. Through the six ReFocus sessions, church leaders are guided through an array of tools to evaluate their ministry and to restore vibrancy, purpose and health to their church. Participants assess the current state of their ministry, consider how to position it for maximum impact, develop all of the directional aspects of ministry, create a custom plan for disciple making, tailor a leadership development strategy, and build a custom plan for implementation. The six sessions of ReFocus are: the discovery: A seven-step assessment designed to synthesize data and discoveries, helping pastors to accurately evaluate the current state of the church. the convergence: A series of sweet spot exercises that consider church purpose, leadership passion, and community potential; and which are designed to identify where to position the church s ministry for maximum impact. the pyramid: An in-depth series of exercises designed to develop all of the directional elements for the church, including mission, strategy, values, vision, annual plan, and goals. the path: A process that helps develop a customized plan for evangelism and discipleship. the ladder: Creation of a customized, multi-level plan for leadership development, using a four-fold framework (character, competency, chemistry, and concern for the mission). the toolkit: Practical resources and ideas to help pastors and church leaders launch their new vision and build momentum toward its fulfillment. These six steps of the ReFocus process help pastors and church leaders develop a plan to renew the church and return it to its God-given mission. And, at a foundational level, ReFocus also teaches pastors how to serve as the Overseer God has called them to be. I have found that many pastors think these overseer skills are difficult to learn or beyond their skill set, but they are not. As a matter of fact, when pastors recognize the impact that these skills can have on their ministry, they usually ask me, Why has no one ever taught me this before? This internal reaction, together with the Biblical examples out of which these skills are drawn, empower pastors to perform the most stressful parts of their jobs with both integrity of heart and skillfulness of hand. Though this part of a pastor s job may seem hard, once you learn it, you will never do ministry again without a clear framework for your pastoral leadership. I would like to close by telling you about an article that made a significant impact on my thinking about teaching these overseer skills to my fellow pastors: Dr. Daniel Oppenheimer teams up to make learning harder but ends up making it more memorable. Daniel Oppenheimer, an associate professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University, along with several associates at Indiana University, assessed whether changing the font of written material could improve the long-term learning and retention of information presented to students. Their research was based on the concept of disfluency, which occurs when something feels hard to do, but which has been shown to lead people to process information more deeply. Oppenheimer s team tested their theory by printing information in a hard-to-read typeface, making the material more difficult to read. True to the disfluency concept, the study found that students reviewing material in hard-to-read fonts did better on regular classroom assessment tests than did their randomly-selected counterparts reading the same material in easier fonts. Oppenheimer noted that making material hard to learn is contrary to the way that most educators teach, and that success is often defined as a student having a relatively easy time learning a new concept rather than being able to retrieve the information at a later time. The take home message for us, as we lead and revitalize churches and ministries, is this: We learn more when the task at hand is more challenging. It slows us down. It forces us to work hard. It makes us think more deeply. And that is exactly what the ReFocus training process does. ReFocus is designed to slow pastors and church leaders down, ask them to work hard on the critical aspects of their ministry, and think deeply about their work in the presence of God. If you would like more information about Corpus or the ReFocus training, please visit our website corpusvitae.org. sbtexas.com 25

28 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 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 26 sbtc church leadership sbtexas.com/looklikeheaven

29 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 27

30 revitalization re-vitalization starts with re-visioning By Todd Kaunitz New Beginnings Baptist Church, Longview VISION IS EVERYTHING! It is my conviction that many churches today are in decline is because they simply lack vision. You see, vision gives a sense of purpose and a common goal that can be shared by the congregation. It answers the questions, Who are we? and where are we going? The outcome is a singularity of purpose that creates momentum, and that momentum leads to a sense of vitality. This is the difference between healthy organizations and dying ones. It s also the difference between churches that are full of life and energy, and churches that are not. Far too often leaders will seek to revitalize their churches by changing events and programing instead of casting vision. This effort is an easy fix approach to revitalization. You know what I mean if you have every watched an infomercial on weight loss. They offer their magic pill solution to shedding the unwanted 20 pounds. Here is the promise: you will lose weight fast with very little effort. They make the promise that you can get the results you want with no change to your diet, and without exercise. The truth is, you can actually get results, but those results are short-lived. There are no short cuts to a healthy body. It requires eating right and exercise if it s going to be maintained over an extended period of time. The same is true for a healthy church. There are no magic pills! Programs are not the solution. Special events are not the solution. They will only give the appearance of revitalization, but it will be short lived. As soon as the shine wears off or the program comes to an end and the event is over, you go back to being the same church you were before. Rather than looking to programs as the key to revitalizing our churches we need to give our attention to vision. This is much more difficult to develop. Listen, this doesn t make programs or events bad to host or wrong to plan. They re great tools, but only in so far as they advance the vision. Vision matters most! Vision requires significant, long-game thinking, spiritual anguish and strategic planning. There are no short cuts to vision. It is developed through intense prayer, critical conversation and strategic leadership. However, when a vision is supernaturally infused into the heart of a pastor and a congregation, it changes the church. Here are four helpful keys to re-vitalization through re-visioning. 1. It must be Prayerfully Clear Vision that leads to revitalization does not begin with the latest leadership book, pastor s conference or being inspired by another church s clever slogan. It begins through prayer and fasting. As pastors, we are called to 28 sbtc church leadership

31 revitalization be the spiritual leaders of Jesus church. This vision flows from a deep burden for the broken and the lost around us. This burden is what drives us to our knees, asking the Lord to reveal to us how our church can make disciples who advance the Great Commission. That vision must be supernaturally infused into the heart of the pastor and into the key church leaders before it will ever be championed by the congregation. When the senior leadership receives a fresh vision from the Lord and the vision becomes prayerfully clear, there is a passion that becomes evident to the congregation and inspires them to join the efforts. 2. It must be Intentionally Concise This is an important and often-overlooked component of implementing vision that revitalizes a church. Far too many organizations and churches create very long and eloquent statements that sound really great but make the vision more complicated than clear. If a vision is going to be caught by the people, it needs to be simple, clear and easy to remember. We must be able to summarize in a very concise way the heart of what God has called the church to accomplish. If a vision cannot be easily communicated, it s never going to get the traction needed by the church as a whole. This requires writing, re-writing and re-writing even more until it you make it as concise as possible. For Example, our vision statement at New beginnings is simply to become an authentic Biblical community that transforms our city and impacts the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This statement took our leadership about six months to write. It required seeing what God called us to do and then months of working together to say it as simply and as concisely as we could possibly say it. As a result, our people remember it and are compelled to action by it! 3. It must be Strategically Communicated Implementing a vision that revitalizes a church is one of the most important and time-consuming parts of the process of re-visioning. It demands a strategic and careful plan of communication. One of the mistakes many pastors make is moving too quickly to implement what God has placed in their hearts. A fresh vision will always require the most hated word in church history, change. We must be willing to slowly and strategically implement the vision. I recommend the concentric circles approach. Start with the key leadership of the church. This should be a handful of godly and gospel-centered movers and shakers within the congregation. It could be your staff, elders, key deacons or small group leaders, but it must be the people who have influence and are spiritual leaders within the church. This should begin early in the process; these individuals are empowered to speak into the vision statement before its finalized, allowing them to have skin in the game. People will always be more eager to champion a vision they own. This is the longest part of the process because if you can get the key leadership of the church to help shape the vision, then you have immediately created momentum. You then move to the next circle of people, which is a larger group of leaders and volunteers, letting them know that they are getting a sneak peak of what is to come. This will allow them to ask questions and to process the vision. It will also let you know the resistance that you may face when you go to the church at large. Again, take time and walk humbly and slowly, allowing them to buy in to the vision and dream with you. Finally, present it enthusiastically to the church as a whole. By this time, you will have the influencers and church leaders already on board as you move forward. This type of strategic and patient approach to launching the vision will make all the difference. 4. It must be Faithfully Championed We all know that implementing change in any church is a difficult task, but leading a church that is in need of revitalization can be exceptionally difficult because the resistance to change is what most likely led the church to its current status. Expect resistance and conflict. There will be moments of disappointment and discouragement, but remember that every great movement of God encounters it. You see this in Jesus ministry, the ministry of the apostles, in the early church and in the life of great spiritual leaders throughout history. What anchors us to the task during these difficult moments is the conviction for the vision that God has placed in our hearts. Revitalization through re-visioning is not for the pastor who is climbing his way to bigger and better churches, but for the pastor who wants to pour his life into a local church for the long haul. It takes months to develop a vision, but it takes years to see that vision take root in the heart of the church. This is why the vision must be faithfully championed. Keeping the vision in front of the people, celebrating successes, enduring the resistance and slowly restructuring the church programing to align with the vision is pivotal. This demands a fearless focus, a relentless resolve and a humble heart to see it through. As I have already stated at the beginning of this article, vision is everything. And when a pastor or church leaders receive a vision from the Lord that becomes prayerfully clear, intentionally concise, strategically communicated and faithfully championed, the church has the opportunity to experience a fresh movement of God that revitalizes it to make a kingdom impact for the glory of God. sbtexas.com 29

32 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 leadership conversations Released EVERY MONTH on the FOURTH THURSDAY Conversations between ministers, pastors & church leaders sbtexas.com/lc All sessions are archived on our online training site. Join our list for updates and new online content online@sbtexas.com. 30 sbtc church leadership

33 March COST FREE Lodging & meals included. Feel like you are spreading yourself too thin? Would you like to connect with other bi-vocational pastors? Then join us to pause, refresh and revive! For bi-vocational pastors & wives register & view the schedule at sbtexas.com/pause FEBRUARY 25 Irving Convention Center During the Empower Conference Senior pastors and wives who are new to the SBTC, there s a special complimentary lunch and orientation just for you at the Empower Conference. We would love to meet you and answer any questions you may have about the convention or Baptist life in Texas. For details & registration, visit sbtexas.com/newpastor sbtexas.com 31

34 pastor church relations take your nextstep in the right direction By Deborah Smith Pastor/Church Relations Ministry Assistant, SBTC Tirelessly looking for a ministry job? Disappointed by the lack of available resources listing open ministry positions? Just finished seminary and wondering what s next? You are not alone. Hundreds of seminary students walk across a stage, receive a diploma and before they blink twice are moving back to their hometown to live with their parents, or they sit stuck at a job where they long to be somewhere else fulfilling their calling to full-time ministry. Granted, no job is perfect, and everyone should work unto the Lord regardless of their current situation. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Not too long ago, I felt like I was earning a paycheck at a job that I knew was not God s calling on my life. I was prayerfully longing for something like what the SBTC s NextStep Connections church job board now offers. In May 2017 I graduated from Southwestern Seminary with a masters of divinity and a concentration in women s ministry. Prior to graduating, I searched long and hard for women s ministry positions. Honestly, I searched for three years, was willing to go anywhere in the country and was prepared to finish school online. But it seemed like finding a paid position in that field with like-minded believers was almost like Jack finding magical beans. Feeling like God s calling on my life was a fairytale situation left me anxious and unsatisfied. However, finding ministry positions for which you are equipped and to which you are called is not impossible. It is a carefully crafted and prayerfully supervised ministry of the SBTC s NextStep Connections church job board. On November 17, 2017, the Pastor/Church Relations department launched its brand new job board just in time for the SBTC s annual meeting. Through the new job board we have been able to rejoice with many job seekers as they were connected with churches not only across Texas, but also in many other states across the country. Within only five months, the NextStep Connections church job board saw close to 500 job seekers, 130 employers, 150 jobs and 30,000 job views. Almost every day, new jobs are being added. Maybe you are out of practice or new to job searching online, and you do not have an updated resume. There s no need to worry. NextStep Connections allows you the options to upload, paste or create a resume. You are also able to personalize your account with a picture and other attachments, like a cover letter, that will help the church get to know you. Remember, this is most likely your first impression, and you want it to be a good one! Gone are the days of flinging your resumé into the webisphere hoping that a church somewhere will reach out, grab it and consider you for hire. Through NextStep Connections, you have the opportunity to apply for jobs directly. You can even sign up for 32 sbtc church leadership

35 pastor church relations Gone are the days of flinging your resumé into the webisphere hoping that a church somewhere will reach out, grab it and consider you for hire. Through NextStep Connections, you have the opportunity to apply for jobs directly. job notifications through text or for your area of interest, inside your own user-defined parameters. NextStep Connections affords you the peace of mind to know that every employer and every job seeker that registers through the job board affirms the Baptist Faith & Message All too often, finding a body of like-minded believers can be a challenge, but with NextStep Connections every user must affirm the Southern Baptist doctrinal statement of faith. Churches that register and post jobs through NextStep Connections will receive resumes from candidates who are specifically interested in their church and open positions. Remember, this is the first impression job seekers will have of your church as well. NextStep Connections allows employers to create a specific page telling job seekers about their church. They are able to upload logos, links to websites and social media, graphics and even videos of their church. Employers can personalize their profile as much or as minimally as they choose. We strive to best serve churches and ministers in all aspects of ministry. Through this new platform, I have personally been able to connect with churches and help them list their openings for senior pastors, youth ministers, administrative positions and so much more. Connecting with the churches has been such a blessing. Reflecting on my own recent job-search difficulties, I am honored to now be a part of a team and a system that facilitates timely, theologically conservative, ministry specific job search connections. What a blessing! If you are a job seeker looking to find God s place for you, or if you are part of a church with a job opening that you would like to list, visit the NextStep Connections church job board today at nextstep.sbtexas.com. Do not hesitate to contact the Pastor/ Church Relations team if you need help. Ask for Deborah! My favorite part of the day is when I have a chance to help someone. job seeker Apply with the click of a button next step CONNECTIONS church job board Manage your search process with application history & saved jobs Upload a resume or create one using our resume builder Create alerts to be notified when a new job is posted matching your criteria Receive alerts by or text message employer Free and easy job listing Free in-state advertising in the TEXAN Applicant tracking features nextstep.sbtexas.com Personalized employer profile page Link to employer websites & social media sbtexas.com 33

36 disaster relief harvey By Mitch Kolenovsky Senior Pastor, Forest Hills Baptist Church, Seguin During the second week of August 2017, a tropical depression made its way across the Lesser Antilles and developed into a tropical storm. Soon, it entered into the Bay of Campeche and began to intensify to hurricane status. The National Hurricane Center named the storm Harvey. As Harvey moved across the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists began to predict the storm would become the first major hurricane to strike the southern U.S. in twelve years. Soon, hurricane watches and warnings began to be issued along the Texas gulf coast. Evacuations along the entire coastal bend began to take place. Hurricane Harvey was to become the most financially devastating storm to strike the U.S. in recorded history. Three days before making landfall, as the field ministry strategist of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention serving the coastal bend area, I put a plan into action assisting local churches and their pastors in the region. As a field ministry strategist, it is my job to develop relationships with pastors and directors of missions in the area between Portland and Galveston and as far north as a line from Seguin to Katy. Knowing the major hurricane was headed toward my area, I began to contact pastors in the projected path of the storm. My mission was twofold: first, I was to determine if these pastors/churches needed assistance in evacuating and/or securing their church property. If so, I would work to get them the help they needed. Second, I was to establish 34 sbtc church leadership

37 disaster relief 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 35

38 disaster relief locations along the Gulf Coast where our disaster relief teams could be easily and usefully deployed if they were needed. Churches along the coast were contacted and permission to utilize their facilities, if needed, was secured and passed on to Scottie Stice, the SBTC director of disaster relief. As I made contact with pastors, I would encourage them and pray with them, assuring them that our convention would walk with them through the upcoming storm. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the early morning hours of August 26 near Rockport. Through developed relationships, many of the pastors had provided me with personal cell numbers and addresses, which became vital during the coming days. As Harvey came on shore many landlines, many of the internet providers and a large portion of the cell towers were suddenly off line. As I attempted to make contact with pastors, many of whom had evacuated, personal contact became impossible. Through those with whom I was able to speak, I pieced together areas of impact and the extent of damage. Close attention was given to our affiliated churches and pastors personal residences. As the days passed, contact with all of our churches was made and the determination that none of our pastors, their families nor staff members had been injured or killed. Disaster relief teams were deployed, and I began a systematic travel plan to survey the damage and encourage pastors. Traveling through the Coastal Bend area, I evaluated the physical damage to church buildings, parsonages and general areas of cities and towns. This information was relayed to our Disaster Relief Command Center from which resources to assist were deployed. I met with pastors whose churches I am privileged and blessed to serve the churches of South Texas as an SBTC field ministry strategist. Their journey to full recovery is not complete. Many still have a very long way to go. But the road to recovery has been made easier knowing 2,600+ sister churches in Texas and 47,000 more across the United States are at their side. were heavily damaged, prayed with them and encouraged them. As volunteer teams began to flow into the damaged areas, I met with them and prayed over them. Having personally experienced a complete loss of residence and property through a major flood event several years ago, I was able to empathize with pastors and staff members who had suffered great loss. I had dealt with insurance companies, FEMA and multiple other agencies through a major weather related disaster and was familiar with the process of moving through the red tape often encountered during the aftermath of natural disasters. I was privileged to pray with and encourage pastors across my region in a manner others could not. I had walked where they were walking, been where they were and experienced the pain, loss and frustration they were experiencing. During the days that followed, I worked on connecting affected churches with the multiple resources made available to them through the SBTC. Not only were volunteer teams joined with churches in need of assistance, but also many referrals were made for financial assistance through the SBTC s special Harvey Recovery Fund. I had the privilege of working with churches located outside of the hurricane s path to engage with damaged churches through our newly formed Texas Relief volunteer ministry and through the Adopt-a- Church initiative. I am privileged and blessed to serve the churches of South Texas as an SBTC field ministry strategist. Their journey to full recovery is not complete. Many still have a very long way to go. But the road to recovery has been made easier knowing 2,600+ sister churches in Texas and 47,000 more across the United States are at their side. 36 sbtc church leadership

39 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 37

40 pastor church relations in strategic & prayerful partnership By Roger Hollar Layman, Glenview Church, Fort Worth In January 2017, the pastor of 37 years retired from the pulpit of Glenview Baptist Church, Fort Worth. Of course, this was a major change in ministerial leadership. Certainly it was a change with which the church had not dealt in many years. In the course of time the church staff sought out assistance from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The response of the SBTC was immediate, compassionate and well-equipped to lend assistance. A representative from the Pastor/ Church Relations department, Ted Elmore, was quick to respond. The church staff and lay leadership were assured that any resources available from the SBTC would be at the church s disposal. Dr. Elmore met several times with church leaders and key ministerial staff. He answered many questions, prayed for us and shared vital insights from his own personal experience. He helped church leaders and staff to formulate a plan to establish an interim pastor search committee and, subsequent to that, a pastor search committee. The help provided was invaluable to all concerned. Once the interim pastor search committee was formed, Dr. Elmore came and spent two to three hours training the committee. In addition, a list of prospective interim pastors was made available to the committee. These were pastors who were SBTC-trained to do interim work. Several from the SBTC staff availed themselves to fill the church pulpit and make other referrals of other pastors available to fill the pulpit. Ultimately, Tony Wolfe, director of pastor/church relations department, became the interim pastor. Through an approximately oneyear interim, Dr. Wolfe provided excellent leadership, teaching, preaching and counsel. Mostly, he led us to pray diligently for God s will. When the interim search committee s work was finished, the church nominated and elected a pastor search committee. Again, a representative from PCR was sent to meet with the new committee. 38 sbtc church leadership

41 pastor church relations helping your church find a new pastor When a church is seeking a new pastor, it can be a difficult time. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is here to assist you and your church in this process. Step One Pray When a pastor announces that God is moving him to a new location, the church should immediately move into an intentional prayer strategy. Pray for your leaving pastor. Pray for his new church or role. Plus, pray for the man God is already working in to prepare him to come to your church. Step Two Discuss Have an open dialogue with church leadership and laity on the needs of the church. Many churches extend a call to the next best orator they hear. Take your time. Find the man God is preparing for your church. Make certain he is a good fit for the community. God uniquely gifts and equips each one of us, and he does the same for pastors. There is a man of God, whom he has already prepared, your church just has to go through the prayerful selection process. Step Three Communicate The search committee and other leaders should keep an open communication with the church body as a whole. The chair of the search committee should write regular updates in the church newsletter and worship folder, send quarterly letters to the congregation, and give reports from the platform. Candidates are not discussed in these communications, however the stages of the process are. Over communicating is fine, under communication hurts. The Pastor/Church Relations team stands ready to serve you and your church as you look for your next pastor. Here are some of the services we provide to your church: Pastor Search Team Training (includes on-site training and booklet) NextStep Connections Church Job Board A staff dedicated to helping you find the next pastor Recommendations for Pulpit Supply Interim Pastor Referrals sbtexas.com/pcr As the church is praying, discussing, and seeking; remember, God is already preparing His man for this role. Do not feel pressured to rush, and do not hesitate to ask for assistance. sbtexas.com 39

42 pastor church relations Several hours of training was provided to assist them in the process of seeking a new pastor. The training was thorough, complete and relevant to our task. Because of the training, counsel and support of the PCR department of the SBTC, our experience as a pastor search committee has been a most inspirational and memorable process for us. Our committee has been unified from day one. We were able to responsibly work through almost 300 resumé submissions and arrive, in a godly, unified manner, at the pastor God had chosen for our church. A process we expected to be at least 18 months was accomplished in 10 months. Here is a comment from our pastor search committee members regarding the assistance received from the SBTC: The PCR department gave us prayerful assistance. They gave us clear direction on the search process. The PCR department provided a helpful handbook to which to refer. The convention was very supportive, willing to serve and give helpful insight. The handbook provided, left room to tailor our process to our specific needs as a church. Prayers for us made a difference. Finding the will of God was paramount. One of the great encouragements that I received as the search committee chairman was the phone calls from a PCR field ministry strategist, Randy Austin. Randy, a former pastor himself, called me every four to six weeks to check on the committee, the church and the search process. He showed genuine interest and concern for the challenges of an interim transition. He would ask if there was ANYTHING he could do to help and what prayer needs we had. He never took more than about five minutes. Then, without fail, he would pray for us over the phone. Awesome ministry! I would conclude with this word from Jim Richards, executive director of the SBTC and friend of Glenview Church. He stepped into our pulpit more than once during our interim time. He preached a sermon on the partnership that the SBTC has with Because of the training, counsel and support of the PCR department of the SBTC, our experience as a pastor search committee has been a most inspirational and memorable process for us. its churches. His Scripture passage was taken from Ecclesiastes 4:9-11, Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor A threefold cord is not quickly broken. I can think of no better words to describe the relationship Glenview Church has had with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention: Strategic, Prayerful Partnership! church constitution & bylaw help For help, complete the request at sbtexas.com/administration 40 sbtc church leadership Does your church have a documented constitution & bylaws? Are they up to date & are you operating by them? 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.

43 Your new partner in ministry. Search: SBTC ilead ideas leadership education application discipleship sbtexas.com/apps 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 sbtexas.com 41

44 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 42 sbtc church leadership

45 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 43

46 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. 44 sbtc church leadership Para más información, comuníquese con Juani Shelton sshelton@sbtexas.com , ext Número de teléfono gratuito

47 A two-day training covering how to develop an ESL program for your church, student placement, lesson building, teaching techniques, evangelism and more. A one-day workshop equipping you to teach English on an international mission trip. Learn to teach using suggested resources and activities, proper preparations for the trip, what questions to ask before you go and when you arrive and where you will be teaching. There is no certificate awarded. For 2019 training dates visit sbtexas.com/mtraining 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. sbtexas.com 45

48 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 46 sbtc church leadership SBTC Children s Associate Karen Kennemur kkennemur@sbtexas.com

49 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 47

50 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 Children + Family MINISTRY LUNCHEON april 4 sbtc offices, grapevine register online cost free sbtexas.com/family 48 sbtc church leadership

51 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 3.14 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 49

52 pastor church relations I do not think I would have been able to have developed so many relationships and friendships with our leaders at the SBTC if it was not for this event. The Pastors Masters has made this possible for me, and I am sure for many other pastors. have to say that I do not think I would have been able to have developed so many relationships and friendships with our leaders at the SBTC if it was not for this event. The Pastors Masters has made this possible for me, and I am sure for many other pastors. There is something else that really means a lot to me regarding this golf event. It is promoted as a pastor/staff golf retreat. However, until recently, I have been the only staff member at my church since I ve served in my church bi-vocationally for seven years. The idea of having a staff has always been a distant dream of mine. I didn t think I would be able to attend without staff. So, I asked some men in my church that I had been discipling and equipping as leaders to go on this retreat with me. If anyone asked where they served they were to reply I am a Sunday school teacher with Joy Bapthe pastors masters By Teddy Sorrells Senior Pastor, Joy Baptist Church, Gladewater What is the Pastors Masters you may ask? Well, it is an annual four-man golf scramble the SBTC holds every year for pastors and their staff. I have been attending this annual event for eight years, and I have so many great memories. The SBTC serves the churches in our state with great care and concern. The state is a behemoth, geographically speaking, and our leaders work very hard meeting the needs of all the churches they serve. The Pastors Masters has made this possible for me and so many other pastors like myself to get to know these great leaders even though it may be difficult in such a large state. I have created some deep friendships within the SBTC because of this single event. I can remember having first met Heath Peloquin, former PCR director, at this event years ago. We have sense developed a long-lasting friendship, where we have both been able to encourage each other in our ministries. I can remember shaking hands with Nathan Lorick, former evangelism director, for the first time at this event. We still continue to reach out to each other as he serves the Lord in Colorado. I remember praying with Ted Elmore, PCR associate and prayer strategist, at this event as he encouraged me through a hard time in my ministry. Recently, Shane Pruitt, current evangelism director, spoke words of truth and purpose into the hearts of all the pastors sitting at the banquet. I would 50 sbtc church leadership

53 pastor church relations tist Church or I am the media guy at Joy Baptist Church. These were not lies, they were all true statements, but it made me feel way better about taking them. What I found out was no one really cared who you brought. Just that you would come, relax and enjoy yourself spending time with those valuable people in your church. We have now been attending the Pastors Masters for over eight years. I have had the opportunity over many years now to share this event with valuable leaders in my church. It has become such a time-honored tradition for us that I will have some of them asking in December, Hey Teddy, where will the golf retreat be held this year? I hope we can go back to Tour18. I love playing that course. The two days I get to spend with these men every year is priceless. This event has allowed me to invest my time into these men in an environment that promotes biblical discipleship. These men will go war with me and because of events like these I can reward their courage and loyalty. Finally, I would like to say the golf is not even the best part. Every year on Monday night before the Tuesday golf scramble is a banquet. This is a time of fellowship where we all come together for a meal and a word. This time of refreshing has over and over again spoken volumes to my heart and those who have attended with me. I can probably remember something about every speaker that has spoken on this night. I can remember Dr. Richards speaking out of the book of Judges. He preached for nearly 20 minutes on one sentence. The title of his sermon was The Shamgar Principle. I went home and the preached the very exact sermon at my church the following Sunday. I have men that still talk about the message that Scott Maze gave one year on spiritual awakenings. Year after year this banquet is the most anticipated moment of the trip. We get to come together with many others from across to the state. We catch up for a bit. The food is always great. The speaker seems to have always prepared a word that speaks to the hearts of everyone attending. It is always a great personal refueling for me and I am sure for many others. As long as the Lord is willing and the creeks don t rise I will continue to put this event on our church calendar because it has always been fruitful and beneficial not only for me but for those men I bring with me. MAY 6-7 TOUR 18, FLOWER MOUND $90 Includes round of golf, lunch + banquet dinner SBTEXAS.COM/GOLF sbtexas.com 51

54 prayer the urgent need for praying churches By Kie Bowman Senior Pastor, Hyde Park Baptist Church, Austin One of the most pressing demands facing our churches is the immediate need for powerful, congregational prayer. So, if promoting prayer in our churches is urgent, we should be able to find enough scriptural reinforcement to support that claim. The abundance of biblical teaching related to prayer reminds me of the story of a senior adult from the Midwest who had lived her life in poverty but had always dreamed of seeing the ocean. When her grandchildren took her to Florida and she finally stood on the beach watching the waves, she started to cry. When they asked her why, she responded, This is the first time in my life I ve ever seen anything there was enough of. Biblical support for the priority of prayer is like the ocean in this way there s plenty of it! We obviously can t review the hundreds of passages here, so let s zero in on one history-making prayer meeting described in the book of Acts. A friend of mine once observed that everything in the book of Acts happened at a prayer meeting, after a prayer meeting or on the way to a prayer meeting! In reality, Acts portrays the early church as a miraculous movement energized by passionate, constant prayer. For example, the city of Antioch was ablaze with evangelism, discipleship and church planting. After several months had passed in the furnace of revival, the leaders of the city-wide spiritual awakening paused for a prayer summit (Acts 13:1-4). Some of the early leaders present at the prayer meeting are unknown to us now, but Paul and Barnabas are no strangers. All present, however, were prophets and teachers, and they were clearly the human leaders of the explosive Jesus movement in Antioch. The prayer summit they convened changed the world. After what may have been a few days of prayer, a supernatural breakthrough occurred. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy 52 sbtc church leadership

55 prayer Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2). Can you imagine your next prayer gathering if the Holy Spirit shows up and speaks up? What would you do? What they did after receiving clear instructions to follow the Spirit s leadership is almost mind-boggling compared to our contemporary approach to prayer and church life. After the Spirit interrupted their worship and gave them direction, they continued praying! Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:3). Can you imagine the priority Can you imagine the priority of prayer when your prayer meeting is attended by the manifest Holy Spirit and your response is immediately to return to prayer? of prayer when your prayer meeting is attended by the manifest Holy Spirit and your response is immediately to return to prayer? Prayer was obviously a priority for them. As Jack Taylor once observed, If prayer is anything, prayer is everything. The early Christian leaders believed that. Do we? The task the Spirit called them to became Paul s first missionary journey. It was the first officially organized ministry to gentiles in the history of the church, and it was born in a prayer meeting. Christianity spilled out of what had been an exclusively Jewish context, and spread across the Roman Empire in a single generation because leaders HOME CHURCH PASTOR THE LOST NATION For 2019 events near you visit sbtexas.com 53

56 prayer set aside time for unhurried prayer. The repeated examples in Acts of the early church growing as a result of congregational prayer are too numerous to ignore. It seems apparent God s ideal picture of the church is a prayer movement since nearly every chapter of the first half of Acts is built around a significant prayer meeting. Therefore, if we want what they had, shouldn t we do what they did? Culture changes, circumstances change, leaders come and go, but God remains the same. In order to structure your own church around a prayer model, therefore, consider a few practical suggestions. 1 Recommit your own life to more prayer. Read more about prayer, listen to sermons on prayer, delve into Bible studies on prayer, teach on prayer and most of all pray! 2 Find a handful of other ministry leaders in your city and form a prayer group committed to meeting regularly for seasons of prayer there is power in groups! 3 Go where prayer is happening. Travel far if you have to. Learn from those already doing it. 4 Consider the cost of transitioning the ministry you lead into a prayer-based ministry. Most church services begin with prayer, have one more for the offering and finally close with a quick prayer as we re headed home. Face it that s fine but it s tepid. It s time to go bold. But remember, transitioning church culture takes time and involves sacrifice. Take the long view. One final observation from the book of Acts is stunning. We find prayer fueling almost every decision and action taken by the early church, but we almost never read about a leader or any other disciple praying alone. The Acts prayer model is clearly based on prayer meetings! Daily, personal prayer is essential for our own souls, but prayer meetings change the world. When reflecting on the upper room, for instance, Armin Gesswein once observed, When Jesus left the earth, the only thing He left behind was a prayer meeting. There is a rising tide of evidence that prayer meetings are impacting places around the world. It s time for it to happen everywhere. Prayer in our churches is urgent and in many ways it s up to us! A FREE 30-day sexual detox tool. 54 sbtc Made church possible leadership by your Cooperative Program giving.? cravefreedom.com

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58 pastor church relations why fill out the annual church profile (ACP)? By Tony Wolfe Pastor/Church Relations Director, SBTC The Annual Church Profile is of the utmost importance to our cooperative Baptist work. Just like your church tracks statistics, state and national conventions track statistics as well, for many reasons. The SBTC s online Church Portal makes this easier today than it has ever been (www. sbtexas.com/acp). However, even if you are not able to complete the ACP online, you can quickly record the information on the ACP card we provide and mail/ it the office. When your church reports ACP data through us, we share it with the SBC and with associational DOM s upon their request. This means that if you use our system, you only have to report one time. And we work very hard to make that one time as simple as possible. But why should I fill out the ACP? Why is it so important? I get this question often. So, here are 10 reasons to fill out the Annual Church Profile: 1 To celebrate what God has done Churches sometimes decide not to report ACP data when baptism or giving numbers are down. But the threshold for celebration in God s kingdom is one. We want to celebrate what God has done even when it looks like one baptism or one dollar. 2 To rejoice in cooperative effectiveness We want to celebrate the cooperative wins, too. But we cannot rejoice over what we do not know. Accurate yearly ACP data gives cooperating churches the privilege of rejoicing together in the collective wins. 3 To plan for ministry funding When you report your church s annual giving information, we are able to plan for and/or make necessary changes to our state convention s ministry model year after year. 4 To hold ourselves accountable As a pastor, no one from the convention office ever called to chastise or rebuke me. But the simple stroke of a few keys every year enabled me to rejoice in kingdom victories and to hold myself accountable for missed kingdom opportunities. 5 To better understand needs of the churches We want to provide services and support that our churches actually need. ACP data helps us understand those needs as they change through the years. 6 To keep contact info up to date Your SBTC staff tries very hard to keep in contact with every one of our churches. But when we work from old information (staff positions, contact numbers, s, etc.) this becomes difficult, if not impossible. 7 To identify trends through the years Narratives about the effectiveness of Baptist work are informed by ACP data. If numbers are not being faithfully reported, it is impossible to share accurate narratives about denominational trends. 8 To evaluate present strategies The ACP is our best mechanism for evaluating current statewide strategies for evangelism, revitalization and outreach. Accurate evaluations are impossible without accurate data. 9 To develop strategies for the future Trends are evaluated from the past, in the present, to give direction for the future. ACP data enables us to develop strategies for reaching people tomorrow whom we did not reach yesterday or today. To be part of something 10 bigger than myself The SBTC/SBC is a Great Commission movement of 2,600+ churches in Texas and 47,000+ across the United States. Filling out and reviewing ACP data every year reminds us that while we are individually strong in Christ Jesus, we are even stronger together. The SBTC Church Portal opens the ACP in August every year. If you have any trouble at all, or need an answer to a specific question, please call us in the Pastor/Church Relations office. We work to make reporting quick and easy every year. Thank you for your tireless effort in reaching Texas and touching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, thank you for your cooperation in filling out your congregation s ACP statistics every year. 56 sbtc church leadership

59 The SBTC Church Portal - an easy to use website for churches and associations to access and update their information with the SBTC. sbtexas.com/portal Update Church Info: addresses, phone numbers, s and more Maintain Staff & Leadership: view and update information for church staff and lay leadership View and input Annual Church Profile (ACP) data Access Reports & Resources: pre-filled giving form, ACP trends and more Associations can view and maintain information for their own organization as well as all of the churches in their association. Update association or church info including addresses, phone numbers, s and web site. Maintain Staff & Leadership view and update information for church staff and lay leadership. Remove staff and leaders that have left the congregation. Also, edit details for staff and leaders such as addresses and phone numbers. Ability to staff directly through the portal. sbtexas.com 57

60 sbtexas.com/portal View past Annual Church Profile (ACP) data reported. Key information by default and all data is available by selecting a specific year. Input Annual Church Profile (ACP) data when the reporting window is open. This is easier and more user friendly than using SBC Workspace. Access reports including five and ten-year ACP trending reports. Resources are also available including links and a pre-filled giving form for churches. 58 sbtc church leadership

61 annual meeting 2019 october first baptist church, odessa Sesión En Español 27 de octubre sbtexas.com 59

62 Communicate. The Bible teaches that good, open communication can provide wisdom leading to success (Proverbs 15:22). Opening the lines of communication between church leadership and church laity is vital in times of transition. Consider holding a listening sespastor church relations the church in transition By Tony Wolfe Pastor/Church Relations Director, SBTC Hearts were broken and spirits wounded as their pastor read his letter of resignation to the congregation. The Lord was transitioning him to another place of service in the kingdom. He and his family were moving on. The congregation knew this would eventually come. Their pastor s tenure had seen both seasons of rejoicing and seasons of difficulty. Through the years, this man dedicated their babies, baptized their youth, married their friends and buried their parents. His ministry had not been perfect, but he and his family had become an integral part of the life of this church. At the end of the worship service that morning, sitting in their pews, the congregants thoughts moved between the grief of losing their current pastor and the anxiety of searching for a new one. Transition: a simple word to speak, but a roller coaster of emotions through which to walk. Perhaps you have experienced a season of pastoral transition in your church. Perhaps you are walking through such a transition right now. The Pastor/Church Relations department of the SBTC is here to help. We believe in the local pastor and in the local church. We believe in you. And we consider it our great honor to walk with churches, and with pastors, through seasons of transition. Our department works hard to serve pastors and churches in transition: online job board, interim pastor training, search team training, pulpit supply and more. Whether you are a pastor or church in transition, the Pastor/Church Relations department of the SBTC has a field ministry strategist close by in your region ready to serve you in person, and our office staff is only a phone call away. For the church in transition, let me offer three suggestions. Pray. I often amaze myself at how quickly I can jump in and get down to business without being intentionally prayerful about things. God s Word clearly tells us to be prayerful in all things especially when peace and direction from God are needed {Philippians 4:6-7}. When a pastor announces that God is transitioning him to a new location, the church should immediately move into focused prayer strategy. Alone, in small groups and in the corporate worship gathering, set aside time to pray for your departing pastor, for his family and for his new place of ministry. Begin immediately to pray for the man God is already preparing to come as your next pastor. Pray regularly for your search team, for your interim pastor and for each other. Pray in faith. Pray with expectation. Pray often. 60 sbtc church leadership

63 pastor church relations Good communication facilitates an encouraging and positive environment, but bad communication (including no communication) facilitates division and discontent. sion or offering other opportunities for church membership to share their expectations/hopes for a new pastor. As the search team navigates the process, have a spokesperson share updates with the church regularly. Keep everyone in the loop as much and as often as possible. There are approximately fifteen conversations in the Gospels in which Jesus communicated to his disciples that he would be resurrected after his death and burial. He told them the plan fifteen times before it happened. And still, they were shocked and some did not immediately believe. Keep in mind, communication is a two-way street. Someone must transmit information properly and someone else must receive it properly. But even in our best attempts to communicate, we often get it wrong. Give grace here. Be open and honest in everything. Especially during seasons of transition when emotions are high and uncertainty is persistent. Good communication facilitates an encouraging and positive environment, but bad communication (including no communication) facilitates division and discontent. Communicate often. Communicate well. Give grace to all who hear. Stay Active & Stay Positive. When I was transitioning out of the pastorate to work at the SBTC, I challenged my church with these two things stay active and stay positive. It is tempting to become lax in attendance and giving patterns during transition. But in so doing, the congregant loses touch with the life of the church and, ultimately, with the Savior who is the head of the church. It is also tempting to adopt a negative outlook on just about everything. Transition can easily give way to negativity when the focus in the church is on anything but the gospel of When a pastor leaves, a time of transition in the life of the church begins. Many churches need transitional pastors with experience and ministry gifts that ensure high-quality leadership. sbtexas.com/tip sbtexas.com 61

64 pastor church relations Jesus Christ. Keep Jesus at the center of church life. You are Jesus church. You are his plan his only plan to take the gospel around the corner and across the globe. God has a man prepared for you, a pastor who will lead you into the future. You do not yet know who this man is, but God does, and he is actively working on your behalf to bring about his will in his time. Stay positive about the future of your church. Stay committed. Lean in with great expectation to the journey ahead of you. And watch how God proves himself faithful during this season of transition. Here s the truth. Two, five and 10 years from now you will look back on this season of transition and will see clearly God has been faithful to your church in every way. At that point, the only question remaining will be whether or not you have been faithful to him. Transition can be hard on a church. But in the fires of pastoral transition, renewed faith and refreshed joy can be forged in the life of a congregation. Every adverse circumstance is an opportunity for you to grow in Christlikeness, even this one. As you ask questions about your future pastor and about the transition process, don t forget to ask this important question, too: How is God using this transition to shape and mold me to become more like Jesus? As the church is praying, communicating and staying positive, remember God is at work right now preparing your next pastor. Whoever this man is, he is God s gift to you and you are God s gift to him. The SBTC will be honored to walk with you through this transition. We are only one phone call away. Two, five and 10 years from now you will look back on this season of transition and will see clearly God has been faithful to your church in every way. The SBTC has assisted Antioch Baptist Church during our transition. We ve been blessed by their willingness to provide assistance with pulpit supply during this interim period. pulpit supply sbtexas.com/pcr - Irv Atkinson, Deacon Antioch Baptist Church, Lovelady From our first Sunday without a pastor to today, 10 months later, the SBTC PCR team has faithfully helped us have a strong, challenging word from God in our pulpit each week. We are evidence that no place is too far and no church is too small for the faithful men of SBTC who have been called to minister to his church. - Jo McGuire, Member Cornerstone Fellowship, Haskell Contact us at sbtc church leadership

65 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 63

66 pastor church relations the deacon s reward By: Tony Wolfe Pastor/Church Relations Director, SBTC THE DAY WE MOVED INTO THE PARSONAGE, hands and feet from all the church s demographics came to help. Young men carried dressers and headboards all by themselves. Women graciously directed the placement of boxes so that we did not have to move them to their correct rooms after everyone left. Young children helped my boys break in the new back yard, keeping them occupied as the truck was being unloaded. Older men and women offered words of encouragement and endearment, the look on their faces telling the story of grateful expectation for this new season. Our new neighbors from across the pasture came to join the unloading party. Bro. Bob was becoming frail in his aging years. I would find out later that not too many years before, he and his wife Diane had donated the property on which the new parsonage sat. Bro. Bob helped us unload. And he helped us laugh. The next week he came to get my two young sons so they could help him on a very important fish-rescue mission. Some small bream had gotten trapped in a puddle beside his pond, after the flood waters receded the night before. He held onto my youngest son s leg and arm as he stretched across the pond and captured the bream in his free hand one by one. It did not take long for me to realize that Bro. Bob was a man highly respected in the church and in the community, and for some very good reasons. As the years passed, he became a regularly sought source of counsel to me. But time has a way of sneaking up on us. Knowing the younger men of the church around him were worthy, capable and a bit more energetic, Bro. Bob graciously bowed out of his deacon responsibilities, passing the baton to the next generation. That was a tough day for us all. But we honored him well and the church gave him the title Deacon Emeritus. Every Sunday Bro. Bob would find me after the service, shake my hand, look me in the eye and say, I love you, son. And I m proud of you. Bro. Bob was a deacon for over three decades. He knew how to encourage and support his pastor and his pastor s family. He poured his life out in service to his church. With every breath he led by example, served the membership, supported his pastor and protected the peace. When I have circumnavigated our son as many times as he, if the Lord allows, I pray the reflection of my past is full of what Bro. Bob has modeled. Faith. Grace. Truth. Love. Passion. Forgiveness. Patience. Friendliness. Compassion. What is the reward of a man such as Bro. Bob, who has sacrificed his life on the altar of service to the local church in this position the Bible entitles, Deacon? 1 Timothy 3:13 says, For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. The reward of the faithful deacon is twofold: a good standing and great boldness in the faith. A Good Standing. Paul uses a word here that is unique to this passage. It is a reward reserved for the deacon who has served well over many years a good standing. Such deacons, according to 64 sbtc church leadership

67 pastor church relations the King James Version, purchase to themselves a good degree. This good standing, this good degree, is not about a nametag to wear on the coat jacket or a plaque to hang on the wall. It dares not put a man on a pedestal or offer him a soapbox, for such things are foreign to the faithful deacon s spiritual DNA. Instead, Bro. Bob embodied well the truth that deacons always stand tallest on their knees. A good standing is about the respect, courtesy and honor with which church members value the work and the life of such a man. Those deacons who have purchased to themselves a good degree have not done so for the admiration or the recognition of men. But, almost ironically, their genuine humility in service to Jesus s bride has produced for them just that a good standing. Great Boldness in the Faith. The more a deacon serves the church faithfully, the more he is challenged to grow up in the faith. In the church, service often looks like apologetics. When a man assumes a biblical office, Satan draws a big red target on his chest. He ll fire flaming arrows from every direction long distance shots aimed right for the heart. Only a man who has learned how to consistently and skillfully wield the shield of faith will find those flaming darts extinguished upon contact. The deeper a man grows into the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the more his faith will be questioned and challenged in new ways. A deacon who has been a foot soldier on the frontlines of kingdom advance for decades will not soon encounter opposition that might shake his faith in the Lord Jesus. Like Bro. Bob, he is strong. He is wise. He is secure. He is bold in the faith. The mission of gospel advance in the 21st century warzone could use more warriors like this. One day Bro. Bob s residence will be where his citizenship has been since the day he gave his life to Jesus. All things considered, that day is much closer for all of us than we like to imagine. On that day Bro. Bob s rewards of a good standing and boldness in the faith will be added the reward of a victor s crown as he hears those words, Well done, my good and faithful servant. Of all the things this world has to offer, none is so great as to even compare against the glory awaiting the faithful servant of Jesus s bride. 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 sbtexas.com 65

68 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 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 reply from him in all caps, WHAT S WRONG?? I got the message. 66 sbtc church leadership

69 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. 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. 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 67

70 women 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. 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 COST $30 68 sbtc church leadership sbtexas.com/women

71 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 sbtexas.com/women Camille Minor serves as the Women s Prayer Network Catalyst. sbtexas.com/prayer She works directly with the SBTC Prayer Strategist to connect women and create a culture of prayer in churches. For more information Camille at cminor@sbtexas.com sbtexas.com 69

72 women be encouraged: there is purpose in the plan By Vanessa Wolfe Minister s Wife, Fort Worth Pastor s wife, have you ever wondered what God is up to in your life? Maybe you find yourself praying specific prayers but getting nothing back no direction, not no, yes or maybe. Nothing. You feel as if God is not listening, or maybe he s even ignoring you? I have found myself in this place more times than I want to admit. As a fellow believer who has the same struggle, I can tell you that this way of thinking is where Satan wants us to be. This is where he needs us to be in order to keep a foothold and wreak havoc in our lives. However, God never ignores or refuses to listen to his children. I once knew a young girl who, every Sunday and Wednesday, would anxiously wait for the church van to come and take her to a place she greatly loved. The people of her church were so loving. They served her in ways that, at the time, even she did not fully comprehend. The girl s home life consisted of a drug-addicted mother and two siblings. They lived in public housing and relied on the government to meet their basic needs. The church often made sure the girl and her family had food, clothes, school supplies and even toys, but more than all of this the church gave her love a love different than she had ever known. It produced a desire within her for that kind of love to be experienced in all of her life, not just at church. She longed for something more. There was once a woman, nearly 40 years-old, who had only recently come to terms with living a life of singleness. She answered the call to vocational ministry after graduating high school. As her ministry friends were marrying and having children, she too wanted a husband and a family. For most of her life she prayed for a husband and a family, but received the same answer over and over. While she decided in her head she would be content in the life of singleness, her heart longed for something more. There was once a pastor who overcame much in his life a 70 sbtc church leadership

73 women childhood of longing, an adolescence filled with heartache and a young adulthood turned upside down by the life-changing love of Jesus. One day, while faithfully serving the church, his world came crashing down. He was faced with a painful divorce a divorce that left him broken. Over time, God worked on his broken heart and eventually called him to a small church. He served faithfully, but his heart longed for something more. Who could have known these three people would have something in common? God ordained circumstances in each of their lives that gave opportunities to remain faithful to him, even through heartache and fear. The young girl, single woman and divorced pastor had two options: remain faithful or fall away. They each chose to remain faithful even though it meant further heartache, loss and obstacles to overcome. God did something amazing with their faithfulness to him, their heartache and their pains. He worked it together for good. The pastor met the single woman through a mutual friend and they were married. The small church that called the pastor was the same church the young girl attended. The pastor and his new bride eventually adopted the young girl. Because they each chose to remain faithful through their uniquely challenging situations, God used each circumstance for his glory and for their good. I was that little girl. The man and woman I now call Mom and Dad were the lonely, heartbroken individuals to whom God proved his faithfulness. Be encouraged. Could it be that God has ordained circumstances in your life that are testing you and requiring a great deal of faithfulness through the pain and heartache? What seems like unanswered prayers could actually be God saying, remain faithful and let me prove my faithfulness to you, through this, in a new way. Even when we cannot see how anything good can come from our current circumstances we must remain faithful to God. God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. Romans 8:28 says, We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Sometimes it takes decades for something good to come of our current situations. Sometimes God s glory and our good are brought to bear in ways we never could have expected. My own story is living proof that God works both in and through our sorrow, our pain, our heartache and our worry to bring about his perfect plan in his perfect time. I do not know what you are walking through in this season of your life. But God has called you to remain faithful to him now, and the time will come when he will work this all together for your good. Sometimes we do not even get to see the good that comes from our sufferings. But we have a choice. Be encouraged knowing that whether you can see it or not, your heavenly Father is working this all together for good. 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 71

74 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. 72 sbtc church leadership

75 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 73

76 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, and freedom can only be found in His name. Jesus came into the world to destroy the works of the devil! 74 sbtc church leadership

77 students 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. moment mission movement june highland lakes, spicewood june camp zephyr, sandia july 8-12 highland lakes, spicewood july glorieta, new mexico sbtexas.com 75 sbtexas.com/m3

78 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 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. person who came into your 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 76 sbtc church leadership

79 collegiate isn t ready for that step or you need a starting point towards something more formal, begin by engaging every college 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! 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 sbtexas.com 77

80 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 churchgrowth 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: 78 sbtc church leadership

81 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. counseling + conflict mediation church grant + emergency grant funds The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:17 We are here to offer help and guidance in those times of discouragement, disheartenment and distress, either in your personal life or church life. Contact Pastor/Church Relations at sbtexas.com/pcr sbtexas.com 79

82 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 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 80 sbtc church leadership

83 OUR VISION To see a church planting movement among the unreached people groups living in Texas TEXAS MISSIONS INITIATIVES sbtexas.com/txmi OUR MISSION Equip the local church to reach people groups in Texas, moving from friendship and spiritual conversations to discipleship and church planting CORE VALUES Treasure the body of Christ Depend on God through prayer Utilize all God-given resources Prioritize reaching unreached people groups The fields of Texas are white for the harvest. -John 4:35 Your SBTC State Missions Offering WEEK OF PRAYER SEPTEMBER sbtexas.com/reachtexas sbtexas.com 81

84 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 82 sbtc church leadership