The Southern Baptist Convention’s national strategist for gender issues has released a statement condemning the harsh language of two independent Baptist pastors from North Carolina whose remarks on homosexuals and gender identity have gone viral on the Internet.

The controversial statements came from pastors of churches not affiliated with the 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention, but “they still stand as reminders to us—not only pastors, but all believers—that above all else we must represent the heart of Christ,” wrote Bob Stith, a retired Southlake, Texas pastor who has served the SBC in the gender issues role since 2007.

Stith, who has said he was once “negative and condemning” towards homosexuals, wrote in a May 23 statement released by the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission that Southern Baptists seek to be “proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions.”

“From the video clips it would appear that both men pastor fairly large churches. I wonder how many people in those congregations were gripped with the fear that their personal struggle might be discovered,” Stith wrote. “And how many have loved ones involved in homosexuality? I wonder about the loneliness and isolation they must have experienced, knowing they could never share those burdens.”

Pastor Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, N.C., described on one website as an independent, fundamental “KJV-only” congregation, drew attention from CNN’s Anderson Cooper and from other national media outlets after his rant against homosexuals went viral on the Web.

On May 13, Worley told his church: “I figured out a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers. But I couldn’t get it past Congress. Build a great, big, large fence 50 to 100 miles long. Put all the lesbians in there. Fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing with the queers and homosexuals. And have that fence electrified so they can’t get out. Feed ’em and you know what? In a few years they’ll die out. Do you know why? They can’t reproduce.”

After someone shouted “Amen!” Worley continued, “You might as well ‘Amen.’ I’m gonna preach the hell out of all of it!”

It’s not the first time Worley has advocated execution for homosexuals. “Forty years ago they would’ve hung, bless God, from a white oak tree! Wouldn’t they? Amen,” Worley is heard saying in a 1978 sermon linked from the website sermonaudio.com and reported by the New York Daily News on May 23.

Amid criticism and threats of protests, some of the church’s members voiced support for their pastor, according to WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C.

“He had every right to say what he said about putting them in a pen and giving them food,” longtime member Geneva Sims told the station. “The Bible says they are worthy of death. He is preaching God’s Word.”

Another pastor, Sean Harris of Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., has since expressed regret for his words, claiming he was taken out of context and admitting he spoke carelessly after garnering attention on YouTube.

During the sermon leading up to the vote on a North Carolina marriage protection amendment, which voters passed, Harris told his church that when young boys begin acting effeminate, dads should squash those tendencies by stating “‘Man up, son, and get that dress off you and get outside and dig a ditch because that’s what boys do!’”

“The second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist,” Harris said. “Man up! Give him a good punch, OK? ‘You’re not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male.’”

But in a subsequent YouTube video after news media scrutiny and outcry from homosexual activists, Harris tells an interviewer: “I have learned a lot from this, Justin. And I’ve learned that I need to be more careful and deliberate with my words. And I hope that if I take away anything from this incident, that I will be even better and more deliberate, more careful, with exactly the words I select.”

The SBC’s Stith responded to Harris by stating: “It is encouraging that Mr. Harris has backed away from those comments and pledged to be more careful. The real problem is the lack of understanding as to why this is problematic. Too many people, pastors and otherwise, have either said things like this or thought them, which is why I have consistently urged Southern Baptist entities to provide more training for our people.

“Don Schmierer’s excellent book ‘An Ounce of Prevention’ should be required reading for pastors—and parents. While this example is certainly extreme, I’ve heard far too many stories through the years of men and women who were wounded by well-meaning adults who employed some variation of this approach.”

Stith said he would “caution all pastors to be aware that in this cyber-savvy world, anything you say can be worldwide within moments. Paul says, ‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt’ (Colossians 4:6). Will your words meet that standard? Will they hold out hope to anyone in bondage? Will they bring honor to Christ?”

For more information on the SBC’s ministry to people struggling with same-sex attraction and gender issues, visit the website www.sbcthewayout.com.

Official Statement

The complete statement from Bob Stith, SBC national strategist for gender issues, reads as follows:

“Those of us who have served on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals have as a stated objective to help Southern Baptists be ‘proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions.’ Our goal has always been to help Southern Baptists and others develop compassionate hearts for those who struggle and their families.

“Unfortunately, the watching world too often has witnessed examples of the opposite. While I am grateful that the two most recent instances were not in Southern Baptist churches, they still stand as reminders to us—not only pastors, but all believers—that above all else we must represent the heart of Christ.

“The pastors’ comments that have rocketed across the Internet and been featured in so many news outlets also show a complete lack of understanding of how to minister to those struggling with this particular temptation. Real masculinity cannot be stereotyped. Attempting to force a sensitive son to share all of his father’s interests is a recipe for disaster. Children desperately need the loving involvement of their fathers, not their condemnation. (See Parenting the Sensitive Soul by Ricky Chelette.)

“Ironically, one pastor seemed to be arguing for a genetic causation. How else to explain his statement that the death of all homosexuals in one generation would eliminate future struggles with homosexuality? Even the American Psychological Association no longer argues for strict genetic causation. The sad truth is that the attitudes reflected in these comments are far more likely to exacerbate problems than to help them.

“From the video clips it would appear that both men pastor fairly large churches. I wonder how many people in those congregations were gripped with the fear that their personal struggle might be discovered. And how many have loved ones involved in homosexuality? I wonder about the loneliness and isolation they must have experienced, knowing they could never share those burdens.

“I would especially caution all pastors to be aware that in this cyber-savvy world, anything you say can be worldwide within moments. Paul says, ‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt’ (Colossians 4:6). Will your words meet that standard? Will they hold out hope to anyone in bondage? Will they bring honor to Christ?”

DENTON—Bobby Gene Bryan, 80, of Denton, a longtime pastor in Colorado, South Dakota and Texas and a leading figure in the founding of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, died May 16 at Denton Regional Medical Center.

Bryan retired from the full-time pastorate while at Cooper Creek Baptist Church in Denton in 1996 but continued to serve, perhaps most notably as chairman of the transition team that in 1997-98 helped form the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Born Sept. 11, 1931 in Dallas to Roberts Owen and Lucile Bryan, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and Howard Payne University. In addition to Cooper Creek, Bryan pastored First Baptist Seagoville, Emory Baptist in Emory, Eastern Hills Baptist in Garland, and Grace Temple in Terrell. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Krugerville.

Bryan was preceded by his wife of 50 years, Betty Sue Wilson Bryan. He is survived by second wife, Joyce Bryan of Denton; daughter, Darla Jeanette Melton of Emory; son, Stephen Gene Bryan of Winnsboro, La.; and stepchildren Geary Watson, Stephen Watson, and Melanie Sweatman.

Other survivors include a brother, Morris Wayne Bryan of Dallas, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, plus five step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.  

The funeral was May 19 at the First Baptist Church of Krugerville with burial at the Cooper Creek Cemetery.

Polish, Brazilian, Haitian, Romanian, African, Jew, Mainland Chinese, Slavic/Russian, Korean, Filipino, Hispanic, Japanese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Caribbean, Deaf, and Cambodian are just a few of the ethnic people groups who have been introduced to the Send North America strategy of the North American Mission Board in the past year.

With a commitment to mobilizing and equipping Southern Baptist churches to plant evangelistic churches throughout North America, NAMB is seeking participation from Southern Baptist ethnic church fellowships and African American congregations.

Forty ethnic leaders from across the U.S. and Canada heard from NAMB President Kevin Ezell last June as he underscored how important these leaders are in their spheres of influence and in NAMB’s new church planting strategy.

The new strategy will benefit ethnic networks and churches more than other groups, Ezell said, because “many of you are already established in the 26 ‘Send Cities’ we’re focusing on,” according to a report by NAMB writer Mickey Noah.

“We want to partner with you as we move forward,” Ezell told ethnic church leaders. “We need your help in encouraging your churches to step up to the plate and partner with us to plant more churches.”

With the creation of a NAMB-funded position for a presidential ambassador for ethnic church relations, the SBC entity will give special focus on ethnic churches and leaders to work together as a “Great Commission people with a Great Commission Heart,” the entity noted in its report to the SBC Executive Committee. Ken Weathersby, an African American, was named to that position in partnership with the Executive Committee.

The report also noted that five ethnic leaders currently serve on NAMB’s board of trustees.

“It’s about time Southern Baptists of all ethnic backgrounds worked together,” stated Paul Kim, a Korean multiethnic church planter and pastor in Boston who, at the 2009 SBC annual meeting, introduced the motion that led to the ethnic involvement study.

“That’s why I introduced the motion. We are all one family and can achieve more work for the kingdom together,” Kim said. He exhorted his counterparts to attend local, state and national Southern Baptist meetings. “Let people know who you are. Why do we even have so many ethnic fellowships rather than being one, working together?”

Weathersby emphasized, for example, that African American churches must plant Hispanic churches and Japanese churches must plant Korean churches and Slavic churches must plant Chinese churches—not just churches of their own ethnic groups. Working across cultures to plant new churches is what Send North America is all about, he said.

That’s been the approach of Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo, which sponsors Korean and Hispanic congregations, as well as hosting a service for Afrikaners on campus. The Hispanic congregation, Iglesia Bautista Fuente Viva, is starting a congregation for English-speaking Hispanics.

For over 17 years, Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo has used ESL as a vehicle for reaching 400 adults from 30 different countries, leading to 100 people professing faith in Christ and 25 baptisms. Over 125 members of Paramount are involved in the outreach effort, providing an opportunity to develop relationships that have attracted class participants to get involved in the church.

A combination of ethnic churches reaching people of their own ethnicity and working across cultures has been successful at the International Mission Board as well. Terry Sharp directs IMB efforts to strengthen relationships with state conventions and associations as they develop strategic mission involvement and engagement strategies with Unreached People Groups.

The Church and Partner Services office of the IMB has three departments that specifically relate to larger ethnic components in the SBC, according to the report provided to the SBC Executive Committee. Trustees, staff and hundreds of IMB missionaries come from ethnic minority backgrounds with Korean American missionaries represented at a significantly higher percentage than in the SBC as a whole.

“These ethnic missionaries maintain a close connection with their home churches, and specifically ethnic IMB events are frequently conducted in the churches and gatherings of SBC ethnic communities,” the report noted.

“For all of our folks it’s about strategy,” Sharp told the TEXAN. “Certainly, if there are projects they see that are strategic in those countries where they speak the same language, that would be very good,” Sharp said. “But Hispanics, for example, are serving in areas of the world that are Muslim and they’ve got more of an open door” than Anglos.

Jason Carlisle, missional church strategist, and Marcela Rivera, a mobilization specialist, both represent IMB in working with Hispanic churches to develop mission strategies overseas.

“African Americans can serve God all around the world, not just in places that have people of African origin,” shared Keith Jefferson, African American mobilization strategist for IMB. After returning from serving as a missionary among Brazil’s Quilombola people, Jefferson has been encouraging, challenging and training African American churches and people to be on mission with God.

“A missionary can be from any background because there’s someone that he can reach that no one else can reach,” Jefferson told IMB reporter Don Graham. “God uses our unique personalities to click with somebody in another country.”

As a Korean/Asian missional church strategist for the IMB, Gihwang Shin is encouraged by the response he’s seeing among mission-minded Korean Baptists.

“Some churches are really open to work cross-culturally beyond the Asian limit, so they go to Africa or South America to sponsor those churches,” Shin said. Many Korean Baptist churches have been successful in reaching Native Americans and are heavily involved with that ethnic group in the U.S. and Canada, he added.

Nearly 400 Korean Baptist messengers attended last year’s annual Korean Southern Baptist meeting in Carrollton, with 52 of the 190 churches represented accepting the IMB challenge to embrace unengaged, unreached people groups.

“I was amazed,” Shin said. “Out of 190 churches represented, it is a big number.”

Hyoung Min Kim, pastor of Denton Korean Baptist Church in Denton, has led his congregation to plant churches in Texas and sends teams overseas, and is eager to embrace unengaged, unreached people overseas. “To reach all the ethnic groups in the world, not just missionaries … but all the local churches should be mobilized in order to reach all of the world,” he told IMB reporter Alan James.
Prayer is the key to embracing the difficult places, he added.

“Without prayer it is impossible to reach those ethnic groups.”

More than 30 students participated in the state finals of the SBTC Bible Drill and Speakers’ Tournament on April 28 at the convention office in Grapevine. The Bible Drill is divided by high school and youth.

SPEAKERS
In the Speakers’ Tournament, Alexandria Crocker of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Arlington won first place, with a tie for second place between Connor Torrealba of Tate Springs Baptist Church of Arlington and Mikaela Wilson of Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Others receiving the rating of Outstanding were: Cameron Burleson, Cornerstone Baptist Church; Conner Chambers, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano; Dominique Clark, Cornerstone Baptist Church; Victoria Clark, Cornerstone Baptist Church; Zachary Coleman, Cornerstone Baptist Church.
Paris Riggs, also of Cornerstone, earned an Excellent rating.

Students receiving Superior ratings were: Rachel Haire, Tate Springs Baptist Church; Abby Jenkins, Galloway Avenue Baptist Church, Mesquite; and Haley Talkington, North Oaks Baptist, Spring.

BIBLE DRILL
In the Bible Drill competition, youth division, Tyler Lantz of Prestonwood Baptist, Plano, earned first place. A tie for second place was shared by John Christopherson of First Baptist Church, Euless, and Robert Hill, North Oaks Baptist Church, Spring.

Also earning Outstanding ratings were: Amanda Harris of Southside Baptist, Brownwood; Rohan Koripalli, North Oaks Baptist, Spring; and Emily Torrealba, Tate Springs Baptist, Arlington.

Earning Excellent ratings were: Anna Clark and Marie Clark of First Baptist, Buna; and Carolyn Johnston of Prestonwood Baptist, Plano.

Earning Superior ratings were: Ryan Green and Mackenzea Tait of Bethany Baptist, Breckenridge; and Jacob Walters of Timber Crest Baptist, Waco.

In the high school division, Brittanie Phelps of Lake O’ the Pines Baptist Church won first place. Second place went to Emily Christopherson, First Baptist Church, Euless; and third place went to Keerthi Koripalli, North Oaks Baptist, Spring.

Others earning Outstanding ratings were: Susannah Christopherson, First Baptist Church, Euless; Nathan Curb, New Hope Baptist Church, Gorman; Carter Lantz, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano; and Hannah Strebeck, First Baptist Church, Lavon.  

Excellent ratings were obtained by Danae    Best, First Baptist, Buna; Hannah Bransom, Providential Baptist Church; and Hannah Valles, Bethany Baptist Church, Breckenridge.

Earning Superior ratings were: Haven Arias, First Baptist Church, Brookshire; and J.T. Valles, Bethany Baptist Church, Breckenridge.

The task of making Southern Baptists and others aware of the Bible’s position on racial reconciliation and ethnic identity has received significant attention from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the SBC entity assigned responsibility for addressing moral issues.

Bulletin inserts, articles, sermons and an analysis of issues and answers related to racial reconciliation and ethnic relations are available at erlc.com/race.

“In focusing on the human rights and immigration issues, racial and ethnic peoples are most often at the center of that debate,” the ERLC reported.

Ethnic leaders have been among the recipients of the ERLC’s annual awards with China Aid director Bob Fu, a leading advocate for the persecuted church in his native Asia, receiving the John Leland Religious Liberty Award in 2007. Last year, New Orleans pastor Fred Luter received the ERLC’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his work in spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of New Orleans residents following Hurricane Katrina.

As part of the annual “data call” requested by the Executive Committee of the SBC, the ERLC and other Southern Baptist entities provided descriptive reports of participation of ethnic churches and church leaders in the life and ministry of the respective SBC entity. (See related articles on information provided by mission boards and seminaries.)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
As part of the Executive Committee staff, Baptist Press was asked to continue to provide news coverage to individuals of all ethnic groups and to carry stories that demonstrate “the wonderful works the Lord is accomplishing through the vital ministries of Baptists of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

According to the EC report, the convention news service extended the reach of Baptist Press en Español (BPEE), expanding the number of news stories translated from the daily BP lineup and increasing the number of Hispanic columnists that contribute to the weekly posting of BPEE, including the SBTC’s Mike Gonzales and Rudy González of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

BP also expanded the number of freelance journalists who write regularly for the news service, reflecting broader ethnic perspectives. Baptist Press has sought to carry regular news stories and features on a variety of churches and church initiatives that reflect the ethnic diversity found within convention work.

In late summer 2011, the office of convention communications and relations commissioned a series of 1,000-word essays on the various ministries of the SBC with a goal of translating them into the more dominant languages of first-generation immigrant churches that cooperate with the SBC.

People with a proficiency in English and the host language as well as conversancy with Southern Baptist doctrine, polity and perspectives are being enlisted to translate the brochures “Meet Southern Baptists” and “The Southern Baptist Convention: A Closer Look” into other languages. The Baptist Faith & Message confessional statement and an earlier version of “The SBC: A Closer Look” are available at sbc.net in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The communications office also seeks to represent visually the many faces of Southern Baptists in its photographic postings in the print resources it produces. Also, the SBC helps churches and church leaders seeking information about how to complete immigration forms for legal immigrants who serve as pastors and church staff for language churches, in a manner that reflects and preserves Baptist polity.

The Committee on Nominations now provides a way for nominees to indicate their ethnic identity, thanks to the work of EC staff. They also encouraged the SBC president to select qualified candidates for the Committee on Committees that represent the SBC’s ethnic mix, and asked the Committee on Order of Business to be as inclusive as possible in choosing platform guests at the SBC annual meeting.

GUIDESTONE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
GuideStone Financial Resources is actively working to promote and encourage ethnic churches and ethic church leaders to be participants and ministry partners with the programs and services offered.
Websites and printed resources are available from GuideStone in Spanish and Korean. The call center employs multiple Spanish-speaking representatives, as well as offering an Akorbi language line to assist callers in any of over 100 other languages. Retirement plan and mission/church assistance information is also available in Chinese, Vietnamese, and French Haitian.

Shawn Dorrough of Guidestone’s new business development office meets several times each year with the National African American Fellowship to promote products and services and assist those who are current participants. He also represents GuideStone at the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference held annually at Ridgecrest, attends and teaches sessions at state convention fellowships for African Americans, and participated in last year’s Ethnic Summit in Denver.

GuideStone’s Miguel Perez works with Confraternidad Nacional de Iglesias Hispanas Bautistas de Sur, a multinational fellowship of Hispanic Southern Baptists, through an annual pastors’ conference and meeting to promote GuideStone products and services. He is a member of the SBC’s Hispanic Consortium and represents GuideStone at the pre-convention Hispanic Celebration, various state convention meetings and regional conferences for Spanish-speaking participants.

While Perez attends the annual fellowship of the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches and SBTC’s Asian Pastors’ Conference, GuideStone is adding a Korean employee to work to enhance participation of individuals and churches in the Korean community.

LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES
“LifeWay Christian Resources is constantly alert to opportunities that present ways to help spiritually transform all peoples from all cultures and backgrounds by offering biblical solutions for life,” according to their report to the Executive Committee this year.

The church resources division provides material in 20 languages with two basic evangelism and discipleship resources, “Share Jesus without Fear” and “The Call to Follow Christ,” offered in 50 languages. CRD employees work specifically with African American and Hispanic churches, with several events designed primarily for African American churches, as well as an urban Sunday School curriculum. Age-graded Spanish resources, conferences and webinars for Sunday School, discipleship, VBS and leadership help equip Hispanic congregations.

Nearly 5,000 Spanish language products are available in LifeWay Christian Stores with nearly 1,700 Spanish products at LifeWay.com/Espanol. Depending on the cultural make-up of a community, stores have sections for Spanish language products and materials of particular interest to African American churches and members, as well as in-store clinics and events featuring Spanish and African American authors.

Products in over 27 languages are offered by B&H Publishing Group, which is also the largest commercial publisher of Spanish Bibles in the world. MyStudyBible.com offers online Bibles in Spanish and Chinese through the Technology Division.

The Transformational Discipleship project by LifeWay Research was offered in English, Spanish and French. Current projects relate to African American church planting, cultural and religious research in Brazil and exploration of projects in South Africa, Philippines and Australia.

LifeWay Christian Resources employs hundreds of ethnic minorities, regularly attends minority job/career fairs, and advertises for particular ethnic minorities.

The SBTC’s multiethnic ministries office is well aware of the cultural changes in Texas, and among Southern Baptists in Texas.

Jesse Contreras, multiethnic ministries associate, works with the convention’s network of Hispanic churches and helps coordinate numerous Spanish-language events. The multiethnic ministries office also links consultants such as E.W. McCall, who is a liaison to African American churches, and Hyoung Min Kim, a Denton pastor who works with Asian congregations, to a growing diversity of churches around the state.

Contreras said a friend recently commented to him that she observed in a well-traveled hallway on a Texas college campus not a word of English spoken for several minutes as students meandered between classes.

“Perhaps she had caught a glimpse of what it means when people say, ‘the nations have come to us,’” Contreras commented.

“Our multiethnic ministries department welcomes the challenge to come alongside our churches to help them engage their ever-changing multicultural community around them. Most of these churches want to share the love of Christ to their neighbors but are simply at a loss as to how to take the first steps to reach them.”

Contreras said churches should intentionally celebrate an ethnic presence and purposefully communicate the gospel in the language of the hearers.

“ESL, after-school programs, child care, computer training are just a few of the ways that churches can take the initial steps in being the hands and feet of Christ without speaking a different language or knowing the complete intricacies of a specific culture,” he said.

“How fitting to think that after several rebukes and corrections the apostle Peter with all of his background, stereotypes, and partiality towards the Gentiles declares, ‘I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right’ (Acts 10:34-35),” Contreras wrote.

Amid the diversity, the need for specific ethnic group ministries is still needed but it should not be understood as an ultimate goal, he added.

“Rather, it serves a strategic purpose in reaching the nations for Christ that are in our own backyard and incorporating them into the life of the larger body of Christ across ethnic, cultural, social, and demographic lines.”

Contreras said SBC resolutions and actions aimed at responding to increased diversity encourage all churches to “touch the nations in culturally sensitive ways and encourage believers to become cross-cultural ministers at home and abroad.”

The multiethnic ministries office hosts four regional weekend Hispanic conferences across the state throughout the year, in a format similar to the SBTC’s Equip Conference with breakout sessions on various facets of ministry.

Also, there is an annual Pastor & Wife Retreat, statewide Hispanic men’s and women’s conferences, and the Alto Frio summer student camp, which attracts not only Hispanic students but also Asian, African American and Anglos.

There are Spanish-language events around the SBTC’s Bible Conference in the fall and the Empower Evangelism Conference in the winter. The department also facilitates gatherings for the African American Fellowship and the Asian Fellowship during those fall and winter events.

Contreras said the three-day Asian Family Retreat (scheduled July 23-25 at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin) also attracts some Arab, Indian, Filipino, Nepalese, and Egyptian participants. SBTC has churches among those people groups, yet there is not enough representation to warrant a fellowship. So the Asian retreat is a venue to bring some of the groups into a larger fellowship as well, Contreras said.

E.W. McCall said he was thrilled to find a home in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention after retiring to Texas following 37 years as a California pastor and a trailblazer among black Southern Baptists.

One of the founders of the National African American Fellowship of Southern Baptists, McCall has a fondness for the SBC’s theological fidelity and its missions funding mechanism—the Cooperative Program—which he says is a gift from God.

These days, McCall, as the African American ministry consultant to the SBTC, is busy spreading his message among fellow African American pastors: the SBTC is a family worth belonging to.

“One of my passions is to help African American pastors see the value of being a part of Southern Baptists,” McCall said. “Once you see the benefits, the added value to your ministry, the blessing of the Cooperative Program, you feel proud because you know you are a part of something great. I’ve lived it and experienced it myself.”

There is still much work to do in forging relationships between the Anglo-dominant denomination and the growing number of immigrant ethnic groups and African Americans in its midst, but progress continues to be made, he said.

Upon McCall’s arrival in 2010, he took on the role of facilitator for the SBTC’s African American Fellowship and has been working to tell the SBC story to his colleagues, some of whom were already in the convention—some dually aligned with National Baptists—but not engaged in the missions enterprise or familiar with the history or mechanics of the Cooperative Program.

The African American Fellowship, McCall explained, “adds greatly to the larger group of the SBTC. It gives connection to the larger body and the African American pastors feel they are a part of something bigger.”

Southern Baptists do a good job of helping pastors with retirement, affordable life insurance, and a safety net for those pastors who retire without means. Add to that training events and relationships that add value to one’s ministry and church, and it is a message well taken, he said.

“I’ve had numerous pastors tell me, ‘I just felt disconnected and the fellowship connects.”

McCall told of one pastor he knows of whose church had given almost nothing through the Cooperative Program until getting to know McCall and other pastors through the African American Fellowship. Today that church is actively giving through CP to support missions in Texas and worldwide, he said.

“Leaders like Terry Turner (state convention president) and Tony Mathews (fellowship vice president) have been invaluable in telling the story of who we are,” McCall said. “The fellowship brings people together and helps them know how to operate in the Southern Baptist Convention, which is a benefit to everyone.”

In California, where ethnic diversity ran ahead of the rest of the country years ago, ethnic representation on state convention boards and committees has long been present.

Within the SBTC, it is running ahead of the rest of the SBC’s core states, but more progress needs to be made, he said.

In certain areas of the state, particularly outside the large cities, it is important that churches do more than merely welcome all kinds of people into their congregations; they must make them feel wanted.

“There is a difference. You can welcome people but not want them,” he said, and that cuts across all people groups, social classes, and churches.

The election of Terry Turner as SBTC president was “huge,” McCall commented. The expected election of Fred Luter next month as the first African American SBC president is historic and will have national and international ramifications.

“It speaks loudly to those constituents in the field that this is a push toward inclusiveness,” McCall said.