Texas churches advocate convictional participation in local, national politics
David Roach | TEXAN Correspondent
Although some churches shy away from the political arena, a slew of Texas churches are showing how Christian congregations can legally and effectively engage their culture through politics.“As you’re going, be a witness,” Ben Smith, retired pastor of Lakeland Baptist Church in Lewisville, said. “And that includes the political arena. It’s not exempt from that.”Smith, who pastored Lakeland for 32 years beginning in 1974, led the congregation to adopt a Global Impact Strategy that encouraged members to vote, run for office and push for public policy advocating righteousness and justice.Lakeland ...
State missions offering surpasses $1.1 million, seeks sequel in 2009
Jerry Pierce | Managing Editor
The annual Reach Texas Offering for state missions marked two milestones this year by surpassing $1 million for the first time and exceeding its goal of $1.1 million.With the Reach Texas Offering week of prayer scheduled for Sept. 21-28 and a new offering year beginning Sept. 1, SBTC M...
The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s executive board passed a resolution during its summer meeting Aug. 12 that expresses its desire to be a part of the solution to an ongoing discussion about the future of Criswell College in Dallas.The school is the convention’s only affiliated...
BROWNSVILLE—On July 23, Hurricane Dolly brought little of the destruction to Texas that other hurricanes had brought, but for the residents of northern Mexico, devastating flooding occurred. In the aftermath, south Texas churches did not hesitate to help their Mexican neighbors. &...
The SBTC Executive Board, meeting Aug. 12 at the SBTC offices in Grapevine, elected three ministry staff members to fill positions vacated recently, heard reflections from the executive director on 10 years of serving the convention, and honored outgoing board members for their decade-long service....
It’s Friday Night Lights time in Texas. For those of us who are football fans there is an allure to the stadiums during the fall of the year. Because I have a son who plays football, you know where I will be on game night.Nathan is our late-in-life blessing. Our daughters were 15 and 11 when ...
For most college students, the dog days of summer mean lakeside fun, long evenings with friends and time at that pesky part-time job. But for one group of students from Dallas’ Criswell College, summer took on a new meaning. Nine students and two professors embarked on Criswell’s first ...
ARLINGTON—“God has abundantly exceeded all of our expectations for the Student Evangelism Conference,” said Matt Hubbard, interim student evangelism associate and coordinator of the Engage student revival ministry. A record number of students from across Texas came to the two-day SEC Au...
When Doug Hixon, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Pampa, mentioned taking the gospel to a group of bikers who gather by the hundreds of thousands by riding in on their hogs every summer to a small town in South Dakota, several members of his church were worried.But when the worry...
CORPUS CHRISTI—Asian pastors from around the state gathered in Corpus Christi in late July for the fourth annual SBTC Asian Pastor’s Family Retreat.Some 136 people from 12 ethnic groups attended the conference. Forty-six Asian Baptist churches are affiliated with SBTC.Speakers at the co...
Orality Network offers training in DFW Sept. 15-18
Tammi Reed Ledbetter | News Editor
Hundreds of educators, executives and Christian leaders regard the art of storytelling as one of the most effective ways to reach a world of people and cultures that rely heavily on oral communication. Many of these proponents of an evangelization method known as storying will gather in...
DALLAS—Following a unanimous vote by the Criswell College trustee executive committee, Mike Tirone has been elected as the new general manager and senior vice president of radio station KCBI (90.9 FM) and Criswell Comminications.Tirone has 17 years of broadcasting experience. He is a graduate...
DALLAS—Criswell College President Jerry Johnson resigned Aug. 5 during a called meeting of the trustee’s executive committee, citing philosophical differences with the chancellor and the trustee board.The Texas native and Criswell graduate resigned following a publicly aired disagreemen...
