Archive for June 2010
GCR report overwhelmingly passes after lengthy debate
ORLANDO, Fla.?After nearly a year of formulation and discussion among Southern Baptists and the pleas of proponents to "penetrate lostness," messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 15 adopted, after lengthy discussion, a list of strategic and organizational recommendations aimed at fueling a resurgence of global gospel advancement. The [...]
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Georgia pastor elected in runoff for SBC president
ORLANDO, Fla.?Newly elected Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright wants to see Southern Baptists return to their first love, radically reprioritize their lives, funding and ministries to fulfill the Great Commission, and directly participate in overseas mission work. Speaking to reporters June 15 less than an hour after his election, Wright [...]
Continue ReadingVacation Bible School remains tried-and-true summer ministry
After months of planning and volunteer gathering, put on your cowboy boots and head to the ranch or swab the deck for a high-seas adventure?it's time for Vacation Bible School. While the themes of VBS may vary, this weeklong ministry to children remains after many years a valuable summertime endeavor [...]
Continue ReadingDR efforts continue in Haiti, elsewhere
Disaster relief efforts continue to provide hope for Haitians affected by the January earthquake that wrecked the country. While construction projects are ongoing this summer as SBTC volunteer teams mobilize, more and more teams are focusing on reaching out in different ways. In many places, the work of demolition and [...]
Continue ReadingSBC 2010: It's history
Ever so often our Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting is especially significant. Our 2000 meeting, also in Orlando. was one of those, it was the occasion of the passage of our revised faith statement. Since then we've done important things?elected presidents, approved budgets, etc.?but this most recent meeting garnered more [...]
Continue ReadingAnd a word about Baptist Press
Regular readers of the TEXAN see several stories attributed to Baptist Press in each issue of our convention newspaper. Some of our writers also write for BP and the news service frequently uses articles we've prepared for the TEXAN. BP is the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Its [...]
Continue ReadingLa Importancia de Su Contribucin al Programa Cooperativo
Al ser parte de la Convencin de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas, su iglesia debe estar contribuyendo al fondo del Programa Cooperativo y as podr participar en la expansin del evangelio en este estado por medio de todos los servicios que el programa apoya. Desde su inicio, SBTC ha dado [...]
Continue ReadingMaking the spiritual jump from high school to college
As I was sitting down to write this article I got a call from a struggling parent who sent his child off to college two years ago. I know this family well?actively involved in church, did their best to raise their boys to fear and love the Lord (as all [...]
Continue ReadingGCR, retiring leaders among SBC highlights
ORLANDO, Fla.?Following a year of give and take over the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force ideas and recommendations, and two hours of reporting and floor debate on June 15, GCRTF chairman Ronnie Floyd took a page from 115 years ago when the Southern Baptist Convention was formed. "There was a [...]
Continue ReadingResolutions: Baptist divorce to Gulf disaster
ORLANDO, Fla.?Messengers to the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting passed, with little discussion, six resolutions on topics ranging from "the scandal of Southern Baptist divorce," to the proposed lifting of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, to the Gulf oil disaster. "What the committee tried to do this year [...]
Continue ReadingUnity, missions priorities for new EC head
ORLANDO, Fla.?Unity around the gospel and a new image before the world are priorities the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee will pursue when he takes office in October. "My hope is that we can have a unified voice at every level, hope that there will be [...]
Continue ReadingPastors Conf. focuses on mission, adoption
ORLANDO, Fla.?Under the banner of "Greater Things," speakers during the 2010 Pastors' Conference? held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., June 13-14?focused on the Great Commission and the launch of a national campaign to help pastors adopt children. Tony Evans of Dallas and Matt Chandler of Flower Mound [...]
Continue ReadingCharles, Andy Stanley address Pastors' Conference
ORLANDO, Fla.?Charles Stanley?long-time pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta?and his son, Andy Stanley?pastor of the Atlanta-area North Point Community Church?appeared together on the platform of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 14. Charles Stanley was honored on the 25th anniversary of his election to a second, one-year term as SBC [...]
Continue ReadingFrom conversation to prayer, Crossover 2010 reaches out to Orlando residents
ORLANDO, Fla.?A friendly conversation, a story, a realization and a prayer: that's the gist of what happens when one person shares and another accepts the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. And while the methods and venues may have varied, the scene played out 1,505 times June 7-12 as Southern Baptists [...]
Continue ReadingBrunson: Focus on Jesus Christ's pre-eminence
ORLANDO, Fla.?Preachers today are like Richard the Lionheart, who in 1191 could not win a victory of his own, but instead compromised with his enemy, according to Florida pastor Mac Brunson in his convention sermon June 16 to messengers at the SBC annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Brunson, pastor of First [...]
Continue ReadingPaid classifieds
CLASSIFIED ADS (PAID) Retired minister available for supply or interim (also lead music). Seminary graduate. Will travel 50 mile radius from Dallas. (972)475-4194 or jandcbrady@yahoo.com. Need work. For Sale: Cabin at Glorieta Lifeway conference center. Six apartments, two large dorms, large meeting area, sleeps 56. Contact Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, Hobbs, [...]
Continue ReadingGreat Commission Resurgence Task Force Report
Ronnie Floyd: Thank you Dr. Hunt. I would like to ask all the messengers if you would, stand to your feet, to get a copy of the Word of God and look with me at the 28th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. Jesus talked to us in a very [...]
Continue ReadingGospel unity, missions priorities for new EC head
ORLANDO, Fla.?Unity around the gospel and a new image before the world are priorities the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee will pursue when he takes office in October. "My hope is that we can have a unified voice at every level, hope that there [...]
Continue ReadingGCRTF report overwhelmingly passes after lengthy debate
ORLANDO, Fla.?After nearly a year of formulation and discussion among Southern Baptists and the pleas of proponents to "penetrate lostness," messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 15 adopted, after lengthy discussion, a list of strategic and organizational recommendations aimed at fueling a resurgence of global gospel advancement. The [...]
Continue ReadingFrank Page elected EC president
ORLANDO, Fla.--Frank Page was elected as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee June 14 in Orlando, Fla. A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Page will succeed Morris H. Chapman, who is retiring after 18 years in the position.Page, 57, most recently served as vice [...]
Continue ReadingImmigration 'Kingdom issue,' Land says
ORLANDO, Fla.--Immigration is "an important issue that has reached a critical phase," Richard Land told members of the National Hispanic Fellowship of Southern Baptist Churches June 13. Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, addressed the small gathering of Hispanic Southern Baptists at First Baptist Church in Kissimmee, [...]
Continue ReadingFrom conversation to prayer, Crossover reaches out to Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla.--A friendly conversation, a story, a realization and a prayer: that's the gist of what happens when one person shares and another accepts the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. And while the methods and venues may have varied, the scene played out more than 1,400 times June 7-12 as [...]
Continue ReadingChurch positions
PASTOR FBC, Georgetown, seeks FT executive pastor for dynamic, growing church. Report to senior pastor. Bachelor's degree from accredited college or university required; graduate degree in management and/or ministry preferred. Must have minimum of 10 years leadership/ management experience. Pastoral/life & organization/administration experience preferred. Strong communication skills necessary. Competitive salary and [...]
Continue ReadingChoosing a Bible no simple task
It is hard to believe that just over a century ago, there was only one popular English translation of the Bible. But walk into a Christian bookstore today, and there are dozens of versions and translations from which to choose. Bible translations are not a modern invention. In the third [...]
Continue ReadingEight years out, SBTC Disaster Relief having global impact
Disasters have their own schedules, striking anytime, anywhere, anyone. Recognizing the history of hurricanes along the Texas Gulf Coast as a continuing pattern, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention leadership prepared for future calamities by tapping in 2002 Gibbie McMillan as missions services associate to develop, among other assignments, a disaster [...]
Continue ReadingSouth Texas church spreads its FAITH south of the border
ROBSTOWN?When River Hills Baptist Church in Robstown, near Corpus Christi, offered to host a FAITH Sunday School evangelism training clinic in Monterrey, Mexico, they were wishing to help equip a church to share the gospel in its neighborhood. What resulted was the beginning of "something bigger." It doesn't take long to [...]
Continue ReadingTexas pastors assess GCRTF final report
The TEXAN invited the opinions of four Texas pastors who were among the 6,594 people who committed to pray for the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. The men were asked to analyze the seven components of the final task force report to be offered June 15 at the Southern Baptist [...]
Continue ReadingThat Bible you carry
What's behind the Bible you use every Sunday? You know that others in your congregation, maybe in your own family, use Bibles with different wording in many verses. Are those Bibles all equally reliable? The path between the pens of Moses or Luke and the Bible you use most often [...]
Continue ReadingSeminal events occurring in Orlando
Greetings from Orlando! Actually, I am still in Grapevine while writing this column but I wanted you to know that your prayers are needed for the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Fla., June 15-16. There are several seminal events about to transpire: ?A new SBC president will be elected. There [...]
Continue ReadingDemolition team grows church in Port-au-Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti?Over the last few months, volunteer work in Haiti has revolved around demolition. With so many buildings damaged beyond the point of repair, teams had to go in and tear down crumbling structures and clear foundations before anything could be rebuilt. Steve Dorman, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brownsville, [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC joins others in regional children's ministry conference
BROKEN ARROW, Okla.?More than 900 preschool and children's leaders from six states met at First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Okla., for a two-day conference called "Heart of the Child." The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention joined state convention leaders from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas-Nebraska in planning the bi-annual [...]
Continue ReadingBible tools for families offered
At a young age children love listening to stories and turning through pages in books. They excitedly point at pictures even before they can put words together to describe what they are thinking and seeing. But where should a parent who loves Jesus begin exposing children to the life-changing stories [...]
Continue ReadingBible societies exploiting technology to spread Word
Walk into any Christian bookstore in America and you will find shelf after shelf of Bibles in every shape, size, color and translation possible?Bibles tailored to every special interest group?women, men, children, teens, military, medical, and even sportsmen. These Bibles are no doubt a blessing for those who have both [...]
Continue ReadingNIV losing ground as new translations gain popularity among Southern Baptists
The high volume of sales of an inexpensive Outreach New Testament and the introduction of the ESV Study Bible has kept the English Standard Version (ESV) among the best-selling Bibles for several years, according to the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Data from Christian Booksellers Association show ESV in fifth [...]
Continue ReadingBible teacher offers suggested tools
Bible study teacher Barbara McKinney of MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Irving suggested these resources for personal Bible study: The Apologetics Study Bible (HCSB), B&H Publishing This is the one I use when I am looking for information on dealing with folks who want to argue the validity of the Christian faith. [...]
Continue ReadingSouthwestern journal promotes reading in an electronic age
FORT WORTH?A newly released edition of the Southwestern Journal of Theology encourages Christians from an electronic age to read broadly, not only from Scripture, but also from theological, biographical and literary volumes. "Since the Reformation, Protestants of different stripes have championed the clarion call, 'sola Scriptura,' " Mark Leeds, assistant professor [...]
Continue ReadingWebsite helps readers see how biblical storyline fits together
KANSAS CITY, Kan.?From the very first verse of Genesis to the very last verse of Revelation, the Bible is the story of God's love for mankind. However, many who read the Word don't connect the dots to see how the story fits together. That's where scripturestoryline.com comes in. The [...]
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