Archive for March 2009
3,000 students, adults hit Gulf Coast for ongoing Ike relief
BOLIVAR PENINSULA?As many as 3,000 students and adults, about one third from Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches, gave up their spring break vacations?camping, visiting theme parks, relaxing from school work, or sunning on the beach?to work at the beach, or, at least, what's left of it on Bolivar [...]
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Texas evangelist marking 1,000 revival meetings
LONGVIEW?Two teen-aged boys sat next to another during lunch at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas. They pressed the claims of the gospel to the heart of a 16-year-old sophomore, Billy Foote. They consistently invited Foote to their home church, where he eventually repented of his sins and trusted [...]
Continue ReadingNeeds for 'Ike babies' remain full-fledged
GALVESTON?Last November, the TEXAN published an article regarding the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Center's ministry to disaster-stricken families in Galveston County. However, the center's Executive Director, Christy Anne Dickson, said the situation has gotten worse for families, particularly for those with infants. In mid-March, 1,400 families who lost everything in [...]
Continue ReadingIn near reversal, state school board approves 'examining all sides' of science theories
AUSTIN?One day after failing to uphold a 20-year-old requirement that Texas public high school students evaluate the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories, including evolution, the State Board of Education on March 27 ratified new standards requiring biology students to "analyze, evaluate and critique" scientific theories. Additionally, the language, approved [...]
Continue ReadingStem-cell hypocrites?
A recent online discussion of President Obama's rescinding of his predecessor's ban on government funding of embryonic stem cell research prompted an arresting question. If pro-lifers are so het up about embryo-destructive research, will we reject treatments that grow as fruit on that poisonous tree? My head says a quick [...]
Continue ReadingA short-cut to nowhere
Watch the news. The proposal in Delaware to start a state-run sports lottery is just another barrage from the "whatever works" philosophers of government revenue enhancement. A state might raise some money in this way but historically, a small percentage makes it to the good works touted to justify the [...]
Continue ReadingEurope tour reminder that remnant remains
Last month June and I did something she claims we have not done in 35 years; take a real vacation. On the trip she was waiting for me to preach somewhere, make a meeting or go to a convention session. It seems that as far back as we can [...]
Continue ReadingExpository preaching preferred in over half of churches reaching young adults
More than half the churches effectively reaching young adults use a more expository teaching style, according to a study by LifeWay Research that formed the basis of the newly released book "Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them." Written by missiologist Ed Stetzer with co-authors Jason [...]
Continue ReadingTexas church revamps for family integration
PORT ARTHUR?"Gone are the days when Christians understood that the home?and not the Christian church or school?is principally and primarily responsible for the education, evangelism, and discipleship of children and that our ecclesiology should reflect that reality." These words, taken from the foreword of a new book, "Turning the Ship," [...]
Continue ReadingRidgewood, Port Arthur, revamps to retain teens and disciple parents
What is Age-Integrated Discipleship? Come see it in action! Four times a year (Jan. April, July and Oct.) Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, holds an open house for visitors to get a first-hand look at family-oriented discipleship and how it impacts church life. Visitors will: 1. Stay a Saturday night [...]
Continue ReadingLegislators seek to reduce suffering by reducing divorce
AUSTIN?Conservative lawmakers are pushing legislation to reform Texas' family law code, one bill at a time. While previous legislative sessions have passed bills pertaining to healthy marriages and promoting premarital counseling, the 81st session of the Texas legislature is considering a bill that would encourage couples headed toward divorce to [...]
Continue ReadingActs 1:8 SENT Conference equipping Christians to live 'missional' lives
The annual Acts 1:8 SENT Conference, sponsored by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, will mark its fourth year when the event is held April 17-18 at Houston's First Baptist Church. SENT is more hands-on than a typical missions conference, the music is oriented toward the youngers in the crowd, [...]
Continue ReadingHispanic church helps start Russian church across town
LEWISVILLE?In its eight-year existence, El Companerismo Biblico El Camino of Lewisville has planted and supported churches and ministries around the world. The Spanish-language church's latest ministry project, a Russian-language church plant, is only 20 miles away in distance but a world away in culture. The two churches may seem an [...]
Continue ReadingRemember what CP makes possible
April 26 is Cooperative Program Day. The Cooperative Program is an awesome tool for God's churches to accomplish Acts 1:8 missions and ministry in an efficient way. With the economic uncertainty we all face difficult times. Some say the place to cut the budget is with "charitable" or "discretionary" [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC student ministry unveils strategies to equip parents, encourage students
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is drawn from several student ministry articles featured in the current issue of Texas Baptist Crossroads magazine. The more detailed articles in Crossroads deal with a shift in how churches disciple and minister to students and offer advice for churches transitioning to a home-based student ministry. The [...]
Continue ReadingTexas follows national trend among states attempting to strengthen marriages through public policy
Texas joins a long line of states introducing legislation to save families by strengthening marriages. And although only three states have enacted marriage covenant laws?Louisiana, Arkansas and Arizona?the last two decades have seen both federal and state legislators initiating public policies to restore marriage to its once-honored position. "Men and [...]
Continue ReadingIn Austin, 230 renew vows at Baptist church
AUSTIN?While Texas lawmakers wrangle over the appropriate direction for family law reform in the legislature, one church is already hard at work building a foundation to strengthen marriages in the heart of the state's capital. At Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, the covenant nature of marital and family relationships was [...]
Continue ReadingFirst Person: How understanding covenant restored our marriage commitment
Riddle me this: A divorced man and a divorced woman, Christians, get married while understanding for the first time the biblical definition of covenant marriage. It's a second marriage for each of them, but neither has been married to anyone else. Who did they marry the second time? Well, [...]
Continue ReadingBaucham challenges fathers to recover role in preparing children for marriage
Taking a marriage covenant seriously begins long before vows are exchanged. In his new book "What He Must Be," author Voddie Baucham observes: "Little thought is given to preparing our sons to be husbands. Thus, they meander through life without the skills or mind-set necessary to play this most [...]
Continue ReadingAuthority to define marriage rests with church, prof says
WAKE FOREST, N.C.?Mindful of proposed Texas legislation that seeks to strengthen marriage, Christian ethicist David Jones urges Southern Baptists to employ a biblical understanding of marriage prior to supporting family law reform. Expectations that the state is able to provide lasting solutions to the spiritual problem of martial decay [...]
Continue ReadingMission groups consider new locations away from Mexico
The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention encourages churches and mission groups to exercise discernment when traveling to Mexico. According to the travel alert from the United States State Department, people traveling to Mexico, especially communities along the U.S. border, need to be aware of certain dangers. These State Department [...]
Continue ReadingSpirit empowers witnesses, stirs hearts, preachers say
EULESS?Near-capacity crowds attending the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention's Empower Evangelism Conference, held Feb. 16-18 at First Baptist Church of Euless, were reminded by a notable lineup of preachers that included Jonathan Falwell, Lee Strobel and Jerry Vines that evangelism requires the Holy Spirit empowering his witnesses and stirring [...]
Continue ReadingDecision on Fort Worth church postponed by SBC Exec. Committee
NASHVILLE, Tenn.?The Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee voted unanimously without discussion to continue to study whether the convention should remain affiliated with Broadway Baptist Church, a historic Fort Worth congregation that was involved last year in a controversy over whether homosexual couples should be pictured in a church directory. The Executive [...]
Continue ReadingIs there a church within your church?
The February meeting of the SBC Executive Committee included five hours of subcommittee and workgroup discussions of a motion to disfellowship Broadway Baptist Church of Fort Worth. You can read more about the specific case elsewhere. I was drawn aside by the answers church representatives gave about their membership. [...]
Continue ReadingSouthern Baptist leaders grateful for CP as 'gift from God for challenging times'
NASHVILLE?One by one, the heads of Southern Baptist Convention entities took a seat at a table Feb.16 across from members of the SBC Executive Committee's Cooperative Program (CP) Subcommittee, which is tasked with recommending the funding percentage each entity receives from Southern Baptists' cooperative missions giving program. Without exception, each [...]
Continue ReadingPastor: Seize the spoils of prayer's battlefield
EULESS?"Evangelism is going to the battlefield where prayer has been and picking up the spoils of war," Don Harms told those gathered at the Empower Evangelism Conference on Feb. 17. "Real evangelism is preceded by prayer." Harms, pastor of First Baptist Church, Porter, in suburban Houston, began his sermon titled [...]
Continue ReadingLearn to live like you're dying, preacher says
EULESS?Using country music singer Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dyin'" as a setup for his testimony and 2 Timothy 1 as the text for his sermon, Sammy Gilbreath pleaded with those attending the SBTC's Empower Evangelism Conference to live with eternity in mind. Gilbreath had a blood clot [...]
Continue ReadingStrobel: Be prepared for opportunities
EULESS?Be prepared, because the Holy Spirit may ambush you with opportunities to share the gospel, Christian apologist and author Lee Strobel told those attending the Empower Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church of Euless. Strobel, author of bestselling books "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for the Faith," told [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC Hispanic Evangelism Rally
The Hispanic session of the Evangelism Conference, held Feb. 15 at First Baptist Church of Colleyville and Feb. 16 at the Campus West facility of First Baptist Euless drew 1,000 people and resulted in approximately 100 salvation decisions after evangelist Alberto Mottesi (middle photo) preached. In top photo, participants sing [...]
Continue ReadingCP missions leaders recognized
EULESS?Leading churches in Cooperative Program (CP) missions giving were recognized during the annual CP Luncheon Feb. 17 at First Baptist Church of Euless. The lunch was held during the Empower Evangelism Conference. CP leaders in per capita giving for 2008 were: (100 members or less) First Baptist Church, LeFors; (101-250) [...]
Continue ReadingTexas pastor raises concerns about book 'The Shack'
KATY?Randy White, pastor of First Baptist Church of Katy, has written an open letter to the trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources after trying to get the company to remove a fictional bestseller from its shelves. White's letter expresses his theological disagreement with some of things taught in the popular [...]
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