Month: November 2021

Southern Baptist chaplain promoted to Air Force Chief of Chaplains

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chaplain Brigadier General Randall (Randy) E. Kitchens received a promotion after the unanimous consent of the United States Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Oct. 28. Roughly one year after being named deputy chief of chaplains for the Air Force, Kitchens was confirmed to become the Air Force’s next chief of chaplains, achieving the rank of major general.

Kitchens and his wife, Sherri, expressed their sincere gratitude to Southern Baptists for their faithful support and prayers during his decades of ministry as an endorsed Southern Baptist military chaplain.

“Pray for the Lord to give me wisdom as I serve the religious needs of our Airmen, Guardians, and their families and for the Lord alone to be glorified in my new ministry responsibilities,” he said.

The promotion was commemorated during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Monday (Nov. 8). General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the second-highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, promoted Kitchens.

Hyten is a former commander of Kitchens and a longtime friend. During his remarks, Hyten commended Kitchens for his years of pastoral leadership and ministry to the members of the Air Force. Reflecting on the ceremony, Hyten described the promotion as a “miracle” of God.

Doug Carver, executive director of chaplaincy for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), was in attendance. Carver served in the same position for the U.S. Army for four years before retiring from the armed services in 2011.

“What a tremendous honor for Randy, his family and Southern Baptists for his selection as the senior pastor of the U.S. Air Force,” said Carver. “Randy is the epitome of a Christ-follower and servant leader.”

In his role, Kitchens will establish guidance and provide advice on religious and moral matters that affect Air and Space Force personnel. Kitchens is also responsible for establishing “effective programs to meet the religious needs of airmen, guardians and their dependents,” according to the job description on the U.S. Air Force website.

Kitchens will now lead the Department of the Air Force Chaplain Corps, which is made up of approximately 2,200 chaplains and religious affairs airmen who serve in both active duty and reserve roles. He will also continue serving as a member of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, providing insight to the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on matters related to religion, ethics and quality-of-life.

Kitchens’ military service as an Air Force chaplain dates back to 1987 when he entered as a chaplain candidate, becoming a reserve chaplain in October of 1990 at the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver. Three decades of service took him around the United States and the world as he provided spiritual and ethical guidance during his various assignments.

Kitchens was born and raised in Macon, Ga., and came to faith in Christ as a child. After growing up as the son of a bivocational pastor, Kitchens accepted a call into ministry himself. It was while serving at a church in Key West, Fla., that he began meeting military families and embracing the call to dedicate his life to ministering to members of the armed services full time.

He will continue serving at the U.S. Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon located in Arlington, Va. Kitchens and Sherri have two married children and three grandchildren.

SBTC AM 2021: Messengers affirm Heartbeat Act, condemn sexual violence

SBTC Annual Meeting 2021

FLINT—The 2021 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention met Nov. 8-9 at Flint Baptist Church, south of Tyler, to celebrate the many “But God” moments (referencing Ephesians 2:4-7) experienced by churches and individuals who have weathered challenging circumstances by the strength of God’s faithfulness over the past couple of years.

Messengers approved a 2022 total budget of $26,555,573, reflecting a 1.51 percent increase from the preceding year. The SBTC will continue its practice of forwarding 55 percent ($14,385,565) of all Cooperative Program funds to the Southern Baptist Convention, while retaining 45 percent for in-state ministries.

The 10 resolutions approved by messengers included ones encouraging the promotion of the Annual Church Profile, affirming the Baptist Faith & Message 2000’s definition of pastor as a position for men, and urging prayer and aid for refugees.

Resolution 8 condemned all forms of sexual violence and called upon church leaders to take proactive measures to prevent sexual violence in their churches and communities and to support victims.

Also approved was a motion by messenger Michael Criner, pastor of Rock Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro, calling for newly elected SBTC President Todd Kaunitz to form a team to work alongside convention leadership regarding sexual abuse prevention and response. Criner was careful to point out he was not asking for an investigation or formation of a task force, but rather, studying how the convention can “better serve and be steadfast in equipping our churches to righteously” handle any allegation or instance of abuse and preventing “to the best of our ability” any future instances of abuse.

Criner said his desire would be that messengers “speak with a loud and unanimous voice that the gospel demands we do everything in our power to care for those who have been sexually abused.”

An effort by several messengers to replace Resolution 9 “On the Texas Heartbeat Act” failed after a lengthy and lively discussion.

SBTC messengers also approved resolutions of appreciation for host Flint Baptist Church, outgoing SBTC President Kie Bowman, Executive Director Emeritus Jim Richards and his wife, June.

The 2021 meeting marked the formal passing of the mantle from Richards to Nathan Lorick, who assumed his new role this summer.

Monday evening, Richards delivered his “valedictory” address on Joshua 4 as the convention’s founding director and Lorick gave his inaugural message on the transition from the leadership of Moses to that of Joshua. Lorick urged messengers to both remember God’s past faithfulness and, as a new generation, to “rise up and advance” with the “mission that God has always had us on.”

Sermons were also delivered by Bowman, pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin; Joe Lightner, president of Jacksonville College; Lakan Mariano, pastor of College Hills Baptist Church in San Angelo, and Ed Johnson III, pastor of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in DeSoto. Lorick and Matt Boswell—performer, composer and pastor of The Trails Church in Prosper—closed the annual meeting with a time of corporate prayer and worship Tues. evening, Nov. 9.

Also on Nov. 9, four panels discussed areas of concern to messengers and churches: the persecution of the church (see Persecution); evangelism and prayer (see Prayer); rebuilding the pastor and church after COVID (see COVID); and the church and worship for the Young Pastors Network (see Worship).

All told, the annual meeting registered 807 messengers and 219 guests for a total of 1,026 attendees representing 345 total churches. The 2022 SBTC annual meeting will be held Nov. 14-15 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.

Reporting by Jayson Larson, Gary Ledbetter, Jane Rodgers

Executive Board approves new Student and Spiritual Formations associates, Houston catalyst

SBTC Executive Board

FLINT—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board on Wednesday hired a trio of staff members they believe will lead key ministry departments into the future.

The board met at Flint Baptist Church the morning after the conclusion of the 2021 SBTC Annual Meeting.

Brandon Bales will be joining the convention as its new Student Associate. He previously served Associate Pastor to Teens at Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, a position he had held since 2012. Under his leadership, the student ministry there grew from 35 students to 120. He has also led 75 students on international mission trips and seen 70 others make professions of faith while leading that ministry.

Phil Todd will be joining the convention as Spiritual Formation Ministries Associate in the Church Health and Leadership Department. Todd has served as Executive Pastor at PaulAnn Church in San Angelo since 2003. He also has experience pastoring youth and leading small groups. At SBTC, he will be asked to serve pastors and churches by providing leadership in areas of spiritual formation including discipleship, small groups, Sunday School, and ministries for men, women, children, and senior adults.

Rick Lewis was called for the purpose of serving as Houston Regional Catalyst working in the SBTC Church Health and Leadership department. A native of Fort Worth, Lewis has spent the past six-and-a-half years in an associate role at Storyline Church in Arvada, Colo. He has also served as the founding executive director of Apostello Mission Network, a non-profit that networked and connected churches to God’s global mission, and as a senior pastor in Ken Caryl Church (Littleton, Colo.), Riverside Baptist Church (Denver, Colo.), Emmanuel Baptist Church (Sterling, Colo.), and Faith Baptist Church (Hugo, Colo.). As a regional church catalyst, Lewis will help promote convention conferences, workshops and training events and provide consultation for local church leadership.

TBHC approved for grant

The Executive Board also voted Wednesday to approve a grant of $80,000 to Texas Baptist Home for Children.

The grant was given for the purpose of “developing, promoting, and implementing the remodeling of its campus” in Waxahachie. The Executive Board’s Administrative Committee made the recommendation, and funds will be disbursed from its reserves.

In a letter shared with board members, TBHC President Jason Curry said continual growth and changes over time necessitate a remodeling of its campus. To do so, an architect would need to be hired to establish a plan of action for the remodel, create visual aids to share with donors and help determine the best ways to repurpose already-existing space.

“We are honored to partner with you for the sake of the Gospel, to bring attention to our children’s needs and make more people aware that they can make a difference,” Curry wrote.

Until 2021, TBHC had received a percentage of the SBTC in-state Cooperative Program receipts. Beginning in 2021, the home began receiving an estimated $90,000 each year, funded from 7.5 percent of the State Missions Offering. SBTC has funded a total of $1.25 million to TBHC ministry since 2005.

New officers and board members

New convention officers elected during the annual meeting are Todd Kaunitz, president (New Beginnings Baptist Church, Longview); Richard Lewis, vice president (Unity Baptist Church, Copperas Cove); and Moises Molina, secretary (Iglesia Bautista Jerico, Brownsville).

New board members introduced at Wednesday’s meeting are: Miles Arnold (member, FBC Prosper); C.W. Faulkner (pastor, FBC Wolfforth); James Jordan (associate pastor, Northeast Houston Baptist Church, Humble); Drew Rogers (associate pastor, Cedar Pointe Baptist Church, Cedar Park); Dusty Smith (pastor, Waddill Street Baptist Church, McKinney); Anthony Svajda (pastor, Harvey Baptist Church, Stephenville).

The Texan also covered the board’s affirmation of Julio Arriola being named director of the Send Network SBTC partnership. That coverage can be found here.

 

SBTC churches prioritizing prayer seeing spiritual movement like never before

Something is happening in churches across Texas.  

In many ways, what’s happening looks different depending on which church you’re looking at, but in other ways, it looks the same.

Regardless, there’s a common source that seems to be powering a gospel movement: a laser-focused, dead-serious, get-this-right-before-anything-else recommitment to prayer. 

Reports—no, testimonies—are being raised up from all corners of the state about God doing a work that hasn’t been seen by some in a long time, if ever. Marriages are being restored. Bonds are being broken. Lost causes are being found and falling into the arms of Jesus. 

Which is to say, lives are being transformed and, in turn, churches.

New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview and First Baptist Church of Farwell—located nearly 600 miles apart in two very different geographical areas of the state—are only two of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches that are experiencing a fresh movement of God after a recommitment to corporate prayer. 

In each, you’ll find a similar backstory: a discouraged shepherd, a church struggling to see the hand of the Lord moving among them and then a realization that the solution is not a better strategy or outreach ideas, but an all-in approach to leading their congregations into the beautiful simplicity of corporate prayer.

Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor at New Beginnings and SBTC’s incoming president, instituted a prayer meeting at his church in January in the midst of a season of discouragement. Russ Ponder—who pastored FBC Farwell for a decade before recently answering a call to lead FBC Hamlin—remodeled his church’s existing prayer meeting in March. 

"I really, truly believe that God is bringing about an awakening that we have not seen in a very long time in our nation."

In implementing the meetings, both men took what some might call bold steps. Kaunitz prohibited any other adult ministry activities to coincide with their Wednesday night prayer meeting to keep his congregation focused on the main thing. Ponder changed the focus of their meeting from praying mainly for those who were sick to praying over the Scriptures, singing praise and worship songs and confessing their sins to one another and to the Lord.

“That’s not necessarily a comfortable thing to do,” Ponder said.

Uncomfortable, but obedient.

As a result, both pastors are reporting a movement of God that each said they have not seen prior. Kaunitz said New Beginnings has had nearly 230 people make professions of faith in 2021—with salvations and baptisms happening on an almost weekly basis. One woman, he said, even got saved at the prayer meeting who “literally almost ran to the front of the room to give her life to Jesus.

“I feel like we’re just now scratching the surface, but we’re seeing the heart of God’s people transformed and changed,” Kaunitz said. “I really, truly believe that God is bringing about an awakening that we have not seen in a very long time in our nation. I’m hearing story after story after story of pastors who feel empty and depleted. The programs in their churches are great but the power of God is missing and (because of that) their hearts are being returned to prayer.”

FBC Farwell, located in a panhandle town of 1,300 right across the border from Clovis, N.M., has seen 18 people make professions of faith in Christ (with 17 following up with baptism). Thirty-one new members have joined the church since March—with about half that number being people who were unchurched and many others who returned to church after being absent for many years. The church typically has around 110 in attendance during Sunday morning worship.

The numbers of those who have joined the church is noteworthy, Ponder said, because they represent nearly triple the number of people who join on average annually.

"Man, I don't know. God is just blessing."

“I can’t explain it any other way than to say God is moving in a new way we haven’t seen in a long time,” Ponder said. “Man, I don’t know. God is just blessing.”

Ponder said he has been encouraged by the prayer leadership of other SBTC pastors such as Nathan Lino (Northeast Houston Baptist Church), Danny Forshee (Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin) and Kie Bowman (Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin). In fact, it was testimony on prayer given by Lino at the 2020 SBTC Annual Meeting that opened the door for the Lord to speak into Kaunitz’s heart about leading his own East Texas congregation to pray corporately.

The impact of those leaders, and the prayer efforts they are leading, is having a kingdom-shaking impact, Ponder said.

“I believe some of what we’re seeing at our church is an answer to their prayers,” Ponder said. “I believe we are directly benefitting from these pastors who are just calling out to God, crying out to God for a revival.”

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Julio Arriola servirá en SBTC como director de la alianza para plantación de iglesias de Send Network

Julio Arriola SBTC NAMB

FLINT—Julio Arriola regresa a un paisaje muy familiar.

Una vez que ponga oficialmente los pies en suelo tejano, descubrirá que la necesidad del evangelio es más grande que nunca.

Arriola, de 45 años, ha aceptado el llamado para servir como el director principal de Send Network de la SBTC, una alianza para la plantación de iglesias entre la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas (NAMB, por sus siglas en inglés) y la Convención Bautista del Sur de Texas (SBTC, por sus siglas en inglés). La Junta Directiva de la SBTC votó unánimemente la aprobación de la alianza con NAMB en agosto. Así mismo, el miércoles la Junta también confirmó a Arriola en su nuevo puesto.

Arriola será empleado de NAMB, pero trabajará desde la sede de la SBTC en la ciudad de Grapevine. Esta nueva colaboración le permitirá a la SBTC apoyarse en el amplio conocimiento y experiencia de NAMB para asesorarlos en las áreas de la plantación de iglesias, cuidado pastoral y capacitación de plantadores, así como en la recaudación de fondos.

Kevin Ezell, presidente de NAMB, dijo: “Estamos muy contentos de darle la bienvenida a Julio a la familia de NAMB. Su amplia experiencia y liderazgo en la plantación de iglesias proporcionará un indudablemente impulso a los esfuerzos de plantación de iglesias de Send Network y la SBTC. Para formar plantadores de alta capacidad, necesitamos líderes de alta capacidad —como Julio— que hagan lo que sea necesario para asegurarse de que los plantadores de iglesias estén adecuadamente preparados, capacitados y movilizados”.

Arriola dirigirá una alianza que permitirá a la SBTC ampliar sus esfuerzos de plantación de iglesias utilizando los recursos de NAMB en las áreas de evaluación, capacitación, asesoramiento, cuidado pastoral y apoyo a los plantadores de iglesias en todo el estado.

Arriola comentó: “Estamos muy contentos de estar de vuelta en Texas”. Nos encanta el lugar. Pero así como Texas es grande, también lo es su necesidad de Jesús, y plantar iglesias sigue siendo la manera más efectiva de alcanzar a la gente con el mensaje vivificante de Jesús — el evangelio.”

El mexicano aporta un impresionante (y práctico) conjunto de herramientas a la creciente red de plantadores de iglesias de la SBTC. Arriola tiene experiencia vocacional en iglesias de varios tamaños, ha plantado y pastoreado una iglesia que ahora es la más grande de Guadalajara, México (una ciudad de 1.5 millones de habitantes), y se le considera un líder influyente entre la población latina, que es uno de los grupos demográficos de más rápido crecimiento en Texas.

Arriola se desempeñó recientemente como director ejecutivo de Relaciones y Movilización Hispana del Comité Ejecutivo de la Convención Bautista del Sur, en Nashville, cargo que ocupó desde diciembre de 2019. Mientras estuvo allí, trabajó para desarrollar e implementar estrategias para la máxima participación e involucramiento de las congregaciones hispanas y los líderes de las mismas en toda la CBS, y su red de cooperación entre iglesias. Sus funciones también incluyeron la movilización de las congregaciones hispanas en áreas clave, incluyendo el evangelismo y la plantación de iglesias (de acuerdo con las estrategias de Send Network y Send Relief de NAMB).

El Dr. Nathan Lorick, director ejecutivo de la SBTC, mencionó: “En este momento monumental, Dios está llevando el mundo a Texas. Estamos muy emocionados de que Dios haya guiado a Julio Arriola para que se una a la SBTC a través de Send Network. Creo que hoy más que nunca veremos más iglesias plantadas.”

La necesidad de plantar iglesias en Texas es inmensa. De los 30 millones de residentes, se estima que 19 millones no han sido alcanzados. Según las cifras de la SBTC, 1000 personas se mudan a Austin semanalmente; casi 2000 se mudan a Houston semanalmente; y el área Metroplex de Dallas-Fort Worth (norte de Texas) registra casi 3000 nuevos residentes cada semana.

Estos nuevos habitantes son cada vez más diversos. En Texas viven más de 400 etnias que hablan más de 300 lenguas, lo que convierte al estado en uno de los conglomerados de personas más diversos del mundo. Arriola dijo que reconoce que la cosecha en Texas es abundante y, sin embargo, los obreros siguen siendo muy pocos. Razón de más, dijo, para “llamar a los llamados” y hacer que todas las etnias participen.

Arriola indicó: “La plantación de iglesias es un reto: requiere mucha oración, trabajo, dinero, planificación, capacitación y gente comprometida con la obra de Dios. Así que esta colaboración nos permitirá estar al lado de nuestras iglesias y sus plantadores a fin de proporcionarles un camino para plantar iglesias sanas y bíblicas. NAMB ha desarrollado evaluaciones, capacitaciones y estrategias que son inigualables y estamos listos para hacer que todo esto esté disponible a través de esta alianza”.

Los lazos de Arriola con Texas ya son fuertes. Él y su esposa, Carla, se casaron aquí y sus tres hijos (de 19, 17 y 15 años) nacieron en Houston. Arriola se ordenó en la Segunda Iglesia Bautista de Rosenberg en el 2003 y, tras un periodo de casi dos años sirviendo allí como pastor de jóvenes, se convirtió en líder de alabanza en la Iglesia Bautista Sugar Creek de Sugar Land. También obtuvo su ciudadanía estadounidense mientras vivía en Texas y alcanzó su maestría en Estudios Teológicos en el Seminario Teológico Bautista del Suroeste, en mayo de2020.

 

 

 

Julio Arriola to serve as director for Send Network SBTC church planting partnership

Julio Arriola SBTC NAMB

FLINT—Julio Arriola is returning to a very familiar landscape.

Once he officially puts his feet back on Texas soil, he will find the need for the gospel is greater than it has ever been.

Arriola, 45, has accepted the call to serve as the first director of Send Network SBTC – a church planting partnership between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC). The SBTC Executive Board voted unanimously to approve the partnership with NAMB in August and Arriola was introduced to the board at Wednesday’s Executive Board meeting.

Arriola will be employed by NAMB but will work out of the SBTC offices in Grapevine. The new partnership will allow the SBTC to lean on NAMB’s extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of church planting coaching, care and training for planters and funding.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Julio to the NAMB family. His extensive experience and leadership in church planting will undoubtedly add momentum to Send Network and SBTC’s church planting efforts,” said Kevin Ezell, president of NAMB. “In order to produce high-capacity planters, we need high-capacity leaders — like Julio — who will do whatever it takes to ensure church planters are adequately prepared, trained and mobilized.”

Arriola will lead a partnership that will allow the SBTC to extend its church planting efforts by utilizing NAMB resources in the areas of assessment, training, coaching, caring for and supporting church planters statewide.

“We are very excited to be back in Texas,” Arriola said. “We love Texas. But as great as Texas is, it also has a great need for Jesus, and planting churches is still the most effective way to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus — the gospel.”

The Mexico native brings an impressive – and practical – set of tools to the SBTC’s growing network of church planters. Arriola has vocational experience at churches of varied sizes, he has planted and pastored a church that is now the largest in Guadalajara, Mexico (a city of 1.5 million people), and he is considered an influential leader among a Hispanic population that is one of the fastest-growing demographics in Texas.

Arriola most recently served as Executive Director for Hispanic Relations and Mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee in Nashville, a post he held since December 2019. While there, he worked to develop and implement strategies for maximum involvement and participation of Hispanic churches and church leaders across the SBC and its network of cooperating churches. His duties also included mobilizing Hispanic churches in key areas, including evangelism and church planting — in harmony with NAMB’s Send Network and Send Relief strategies.

 

Julio Arriola SBTC NAMB
NAMB's George Ross (center) prays over Julio Arriola (left) alongside SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick. SBTC PHOTO

“In this monumental moment, God is bringing the world to Texas,” SBTC Executive Director Dr. Nathan Lorick said. “We are incredibly excited that God led Julio Arriola to come alongside of the SBTC through the Send Network SBTC. I believe we are going to see more churches planted than ever before.”

The need for church planting in Texas is immense. Of its 30 million residents, it is estimated that 19 million are lost. According to SBTC figures, 1,000 people move to Austin weekly, nearly 2,000 move to Houston weekly, and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex sees nearly 3,000 new residents each week.

These new residents are increasingly diverse. Texas is home to more than 400 people groups that speak over 300 languages, making the state one of the most diverse clusters of people in the world. Arriola said he recognizes that the harvest in Texas is plentiful, and yet the workers are still far too few. All the more reason, he said, to “call out the called” and get all ethnicities involved.

“Church planting is challenging – it requires lots of prayer, work, money, planning, training and committed people to do God’s work,” Arriola said. “So having this partnership will allow us to stand alongside our churches and their planters to provide a path to plant healthy, biblical churches. NAMB has developed assessments, training and strategies that are second-to-none and we are ready to make all of this available through this partnership.”

Arriola’s Texas ties are already strong. He and his wife, Carla, were married here and his three children (ages 19, 17 and 15) were born in the Houston area. Arriola was ordained at Segunda Iglesia Bautista in Rosenberg in 2003 and, following a nearly two-year stint serving there as youth pastor, became worship leader at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land. He also became a U.S. citizen while living in Texas and earned his Master of Theological Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2020.

SBTC AM 2021: Boswell urges pastors to ‘cast a theological vision for worship’ in their churches

Matt Boswell SBTC worship

FLINT—Pastors will see the intimacy and earnestness increase in their churches when they cast a theological vision for worship and reject anything that would threaten to turn it into entertainment, pastor and hymnwriter Matt Boswell said Tuesday.

Boswell spoke to a standing-room-only crowd during “The Church & Worship” panel held Tuesday during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church. Boswell is the founding pastor of The Trails Church in Prosper and a hymnwriter whose works include “His Mercy is More,” which gets regular airplay on Christian radio.

The panel was held in conjunction with SBTC’s Young Pastors Network and emceed by Spencer Plumlee, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mansfield.

While being careful to note that each congregation must carefully work within the confines of its unique context, Boswell said one of the biggest threats to the church today is worship becoming a form of entertainment. He said there’s a tendency for churches to drift away from the core biblical foundations for worship and gathering as a body.

“Sometimes it’s like the reason we gather is that we feel like we need to announce certain things so our church doesn’t miss it, or the most important thing this Sunday is to remind people to give,” Boswell said. “I just think those things break the heart of the Lord. We have a great reason to gather. So I think whenever the glory of God is not the center of the target anymore, and we make secondary things the primary thing, I think that’s the greatest threat we have.”

Boswell urged pastors to not give in to the temptation to withdraw from participation in the worship process, even if he does not have experience in that field of ministry. Though he has shifted into the role of lead pastor, Boswell said he still works in close contact with his worship team.

So how can a pastor strengthen his ties to the worship leader and team and, in doing so, strengthen the quality of worship in the church?

“What you do there is cast a theological vision for corporate worship and show the musicians how integral they are to that,” he said. “Tell them what their goal is – clearly defined – and tell them when they accomplish that.

“Care deeply about the worship of your church,” he added. “Don’t relegate it to someone else. … Worship is the culmination of your life together as a church.”

The greatest challenge, however, comes not from what is happening corporately but personally – at least as it pertains to spiritual matters, he said. When asked by Plumlee what has been most challenging about “moving from the second chair to the first” – from worship pastor to lead pastor – Boswell said, “It’s me. It’s shepherding, caring for my own soul and maintaining spiritual disciplines and practicing my own communion with Christ.”

SBTC AM 2021: Weary after pastoring through COVID? ‘Don’t quit,’ panel says

COVID pastors SBTC

FLINT—The COVID-19 pandemic affected churches in unprecedented ways – at least in modern memory. Shutdowns, declining attendance and, in some cases, reduced giving, combined with sheer exhaustion to challenge even the strongest spiritual community tested pastors and members in unexpected ways.

One of the presidential panels featured during Tuesday lunch at the 2021 SBTC Annual Meeting was “After COVID: Rebuilding the Pastor and the Church.” Moderated by Tony Wolfe, SBTC associate executive director, the panel included Danny Forshee, pastor of Austin’s Great Hills Baptist Church; Jacob Fitzgerald, pastor of Lufkin’s Denman Avenue Baptist Church; Ed Johnson III, pastor of DeSoto’s Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church; and Ramon Medina, Spanish pastor at Champion Forest Baptist Church of Houston.

What was surprising?

The pandemic brought the unexpected. Wolfe asked the pastors what they had found surprising about life and ministry during COVID. Forshee emphasized the weariness aspect of COVID. Fitzgerald said learning that “the church can thrive without passing the offering plate.” Johnson admitted he realized how impatient he was “in comparison to Christ.”

“Part of the congregation can disappear in a moment, but God takes care of his church,” Medina said.

Pandemic challenges and opportunities

Regarding the challenges of COVID, Fitzgerald admitted the difficulties of convincing the congregation to regather. “Habits have changed,” he said.

Forshee said about 60 percent of his congregation has returned to church. But other things have changed for the pastor and his work. “I can’t remember the last time I visited the hospital,” he added.

Medina agreed: “Pastoral care is a challenge for us.”

“Members have become more reclusive,” Johnson said. Especially for those who tend to be introverted, COVID has made it easy to isolate and harder to reconnect.

Opportunities arose despite the challenges. The pandemic precipitated an increase in the digital presence of many churches. Fitzgerald said his church’s online ministry “has exploded,” praising God for his goodness.

The pandemic also brought an increased awareness of mortality, a “good thing,” said Medina. “Many people understood that life on this planet is short,” he explained.

“What I see as an obstacle, God sees as an opportunity,” Fitzgerald said. To him, the pandemic “revealed the importance of connection with other pastors” and the importance of pastor health.

As for marriages, Fitzgerald said that his relationship with his wife was strengthened as they reconnected in family worship during COVID.

“It brought us closer together,” Forshee also said in agreement.

How are they reengaging church members?

Some church members remain hesitant to return to corporate worship. The pastors offered ideas about how their churches are reconnecting with their members. Medina stressed his church’s use of social media. “We use videos in social media to show people who have come back to the church having a good time,” he said.

“Relationships are vitally important,” Fitzgerald said, recommending prayer and the avoidance of judgment. “Pray that God will ordain Walmart and Lowe’s interactions,” he said, suggesting ways to encounter missing members outside church.

As for the ecclesiology of online worship, all panelists admitted wrestling with theological issues regarding digital church.

“Virtual church is a completely different thing than in person,” said Medina. “We don’t have church online; we have streaming. We cannot confuse the concepts.”

“Your website is the front door of your church,” Forshee said.

Streaming church has its limitations. “There are some things Jesus has given to a church to do; some of them can be done online and some of them cannot. The biblical command to gather has not been changed by the pandemic,” Johnson added.

Parting words

“It’s OK if you haven’t got it all figured out – nobody has,” Wolfe said, asking for parting advice from the pastors.

“Don’t quit. God is in control,” Forshee reminded the audience.

“Faithfulness to Jesus is its own fruit,” Johnson added.

SBTC AM 2021: Lorick urges next generation of believers to ‘rise up’

Lorick SBTC Annual Meeting

FLINT—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention must have a “singled-minded focus” of moving forward in advancing the gospel even as it celebrates God’s faithfulness in the past and undergoes a transition in leadership, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick told messengers during his Monday night sermon.

This was Lorick’s first annual meeting as executive director after he succeeded Jim Richards on April 1. Richards had served as executive director for 23 years since the formation of the SBTC in 1998.

Lorick, preaching a sermon from Joshua 1 about the transition in leadership from Moses, noted he was in high school when the SBTC was launched. The SBTC may be experiencing a transition in leadership, Lorick said, but it holds the same Christ-centered vision for the church it always has embraced.

Lorick encouraged the SBTC not simply to transition — but to “transition forward.”

“The future is not dependent on who occupies my position,” he said. “It is dependent on the churches being broken and burdened to reach 19 to 20 million lost people, to plant more churches than we ever have, to work every day to come alongside other churches – so that no church dies on our watch, in our state, in our generation.

“Now is the time,” he said, “that the new generation must rise up and advance forward with the mission that God has always had us on.”

The biblical story of the transition of Moses to Joshua, Lorick said, has application for the SBTC. Lorick spotlighted three “observations” from the text.

First, he said, “God’s faithfulness in the past gives us the anchor of hope for the future.” The Israelites, he noted, regularly remembered and celebrated the miracles of God past generations had experienced.

“They were able to look back and remember that the faithfulness of God showed up time and time and time again in the life of their parents,” Lorick said. “God has been so faithful to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. God has taken what was a small nucleus, a group of people standing firm on the Word of God, and he has, through his faithfulness, led us to the place where we are tonight.

“… God’s faithfulness in the past gives us the anchor of hope for the future. In order to move forward, they must always remember God’s faithfulness of the past.”

Second, Lorick said, “God’s vision for the past is transferable for the future.” The mission of the Israelites, he noted, was the same under Joshua as it was under Moses.

“It was a new generation. But it was the same vision of taking the Promised Land,” Lorick said. “… Though our convention is in a leadership transition, though it is just by nature shifting to a new generation, I want you to understand the vision is the same. We will be a network of churches that stands firm on the Word of God and serves churches with every fiber of our being.”

Third, Lorick said, “God’s manifested presence throughout the past will be our passion in pursuit in the future.” The Israelites, Lorick noted in referencing Joshua 1:17, wanted God’s presence to be with them in the same way it was with Moses.

“My heart,” he said, “is that the family of churches known as the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention … be mainly known [as] a network of churches that get on our face together all across our state and beg God for a fresh movement of His Spirit … to fall on our churches.”

Three pillars, Lorick said, set the SBTC apart: 1) a theological position anchored in inerrancy and the Baptist Faith & Message 2000; 2) a missional strategy that focuses not only on Texas but also the world; and, 3) a methodological approach that focuses on the local church.

“Southern Baptists of Texas, we must dive in and we must move forward – forward in reaching the lost, forward in planting churches, forward in revitalizing churches, forward in encouraging and equipping churches, forward in mobilizing churches, forward in missions,” he said. “… This is who we are, this is who we will be, [and] this is who we have been in the past. This is where we’re going – forward, together, for the glory of God.”

Richards gives ‘valedictory’ address

Richards spoke to messengers the same night as Lorick and preached from Joshua 4 in a sermon focused on what he called “remembrance stones.” God, in the passage, commanded the Israelites to take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan to create a memorial at Gilgal.

Richards noted the need to “reinforce the values” of the SBTC for the next generation – many of whom were children or teenagers when he became executive director.

“We are to be the remembrance stones for the next generation,” Richards said. “Just like Israelites in Canaan, we have battles to fight, cities to conquer and land to subdue. One day our time will be over. … When you are gone from this world, what will you leave behind? Will there be stones of remembrance or nothing of significance?”

Richards affirmed the biblical principles upon which the SBTC was founded, adding that the SBTC has always adjusted to ministry needs. “Have a kingdom vision. Be ready to look beyond where we are,” he urged, calling on “seasoned ministry leaders” to be flexible.

“The SBTC is always ready to change,” Richards said. “We can never get tied to something that hinders our collective work. We must always be looking for better ways to accomplish gospel advance.”

Finally, he implored listeners to “Commit yourself to stack God-honoring stones today and provide a ‘leave-behind’ for others to see Jesus.”

 

SBTC AM 2021: Messengers approve 10 resolutions

FLINT—In a sometimes-heated discussion, messengers approved the report of the convention’s Resolutions Committee Tuesday afternoon.

Three resolutions, No. 4 “On a Continued Commitment to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission due to COVID-19,” No. 6 “On the Office, Title, and Function of Pastor in the Local Church,” and No. 10 “On Biblical Fidelity,” were amended in small details received as friendly by the committee and accepted by the messengers.

An effort by several messengers to replace Resolution 9 “On the Texas Heartbeat Act” failed after a lengthy and lively discussion that required several extensions of the time budgeted for the resolutions report. Messengers representing the group Abolish Abortion Texas attempted to replace the committee’s commendation of the Texas law with a resolution condemning the Heartbeat Bill as compromised and “legitimiz[ing] the evil decision of Roe v. Wade.”

Other resolutions were passed:

  • In appreciation of outgoing SBTC President Kie Bowman; SBTC Executive Director Emeritus Jim Richards and his wife, June; and Flint Baptist Church, host of this year’s annual meeting.
  • Affirming the value of the Annual Church Profile used to track the cooperative work of the convention and urging associational and state convention leaders to promote participation in ACP by affiliated churches.
  • Calling on Southern Baptists to recognize the full dignity of refugees and to offer prayer and aid for them.
  • Condemning all forms of sexual violence and calling upon church leaders to take proactive measures to prevent sexual violence in their churches and communities.
  • Affirming the inspiration, infallibility, inerrancy, perspicuity, sufficiency, authority and necessity of Scripture.