Month: November 2021

SBTC AM 2021: Pastors ‘just learning how to pray’ seeing God move in huge ways

FLINT—It’s noteworthy when some of the most recognizable pastors and leaders in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention gather on the same stage to talk.

But when several admit publicly that after years – decades – of following Christ and leading churches that they’re only recently learning how to truly pray, it’s compelling.

Such was the case when men like Todd Kaunitz, elected as SBTC’s president only hours earlier, and Nathan Lino, who pastors a church located in one of the fastest-growing regions in America, said they’ve seen their ministries and lives transformed by a laser-focused commitment to prayer. Their comments came during a panel discussion, “Keeping the Basic: Evangelism and Prayer” at the SBTC annual meeting Tuesday.

The topic of prayer took center stage during the discussion – underscoring the growing importance it seems to be having among SBTC leaders. As SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, one of the panelists, said, “Once you pray, evangelism takes care of itself.”

Panelist Jason Paredes, pastor of Fielder Church in Arlington, said God began to do something in his heart regarding prayer about seven months ago. Describing himself as a driven “doer” who found himself pushing himself and his staff with far more intensity than he was seeking the Lord in prayer, Paredes said he began to realize he was creating a culture that was damaging to his church, his staff and himself.

Damon Halliday, pastor of The Key Church in Fort Worth, said he was a “drive-by pray-er” until falling under conviction at a conference on prayer. As a result, he went back to his church and apologized to the congregation for “trying to pastor without praying.” He encouraged pastors who currently feel like they’re falling short in prayer by saying God will do miraculous things if they just begin praying in simplicity.

“What can we ever do for the kingdom if we never have a conversation with the king?” he asked.

Kaunitz said his church, New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, recently emerged from a 21-day period of prayer and fasting. In the two weeks or so since, he said the church has seen 78 people make professions of faith in Christ – a large number of which are longtime members of the church and even several church leaders. Kaunitz said one of those leaders told him, “I’ve been leading Bible study for 45 years, but I’ve never met Jesus.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Kaunitz said. “All I can tell you is we have seen a manifestation of God that I can’t explain.”

Lino said his church, Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, likewise has seen hundreds saved and experienced medically-verified healings after making prayer its central focus.

“I’m literally pastoring a different church now,” he said. “I literally have a different marriage, a different family.”

SBTC AM 2021: Panel says Christians should ‘anticipate’ persecution

FLINT—Christians should anticipate persecution inside and outside the United States, agreed all members of a panel on the topic held Tuesday during the morning session of the SBTC annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church.

Nathan Loudin, pastor of Austin’s Milwood Baptist Church and Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee chair, moderated the panel which included Keisha Russell, an attorney with the First Liberty Institute; Bob Fu, Tiananmen Square survivor and founder of ChinaAid; Juan Sanchez, pastor of Austin’s High Pointe Baptist Church; and Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville.

What the Bible says

Asked to provide a biblical perspective on persecution, Fu described Christian persecution as “an organized, deliberate act of harassing, oppressing or even killing … followers of Christ because of their godly lives in Christ and faithfulness to Christ.” Persecution can range from passive to active, Fu noted. He discussed the increasing persecution of believers in China, calling it the “worst in 40 years,” a “second Cultural Revolution” not seen since the first during Mao Zedong’s rule.

Fu offered examples of modern persecution in China: Chinese children forced to sign forms renouncing their faith; pastors imprisoned, churches destroyed and crosses burned.

Legally speaking

Sanchez said Christians “are called to suffering” yet “drawn to comfort.” He praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state legislators who support religious freedom. Nonetheless, Sanchez said, pastors must “equip our people with the mindset” to prepare for persecution.

“We see ourselves as Israel in Jerusalem,” Sanchez said. “We are more like Israel in Babylon.”

Russell, likewise, complimented Texas for its stance on religious liberty yet cautioned pastors and churches that their ministries and social services—thrift stores, daycares—are vulnerable to attack. She noted as a positive example the recent Supreme Court case of Fulton v. Philadelphia, where SCOTUS ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services when the city of Philadelphia announced it would no longer contract with CSS because it did not place children with same sex couples, in apparent violation of Health and Human Services regulations.

Russell warned about the “direct targeting” of Christian groups by opponents, adding that “legally things really are hopeful. We do win a lot of these cases.” However, popular opinion is less certain. “We don’t win in terms of the popular option in the media,” Russell said, citing smear campaigns, demonization of Christians by the media and cancel culture. “Take your voice,” Russell urged. “There is nothing more powerful than when the Word of God comes out of our mouths.”

She also described the targeting of Christian groups by agencies such as the IRS, which recently attempted to remove the tax-exempt status of Christians Engaged, an organization promoting civic and voter involvement. The IRS letter informed the group that its biblical platform was aligned with the Republican Party.

“We’ve got to be firm and willing to stand up for ourselves or these things will happen,” Russell said.

Leading into persecution

“Do churches in small towns escape persecution?” Loudin asked Barber.

“I don’t think there’s anywhere you can go where you are isolated from cultural trends,” Barber replied, noting social media and the internet. “We don’t want to be isolated. We want to be connected to the world.”

Barber discussed incidents of persecution he and church members had experienced on mission trips, including the hostile reaction of a refined older woman in Montreal who resented the idea of Christians coming to assist after a flood.

Barber recalled baptizing a young woman in a river in Senegal as a crowd of young men shouted jeers from a nearby bridge, calling her a “fool” and reminding her that she would be staying in Senegal after the missionaries had departed.

The truth is, Barber said, that when we lead people to Christ, we also lead them into persecution. “If your church gives a dime to the Cooperative Program … you are leading people into persecution.” Enduring persecution is part of the Christian walk, and churches must be ready to “stand up [for] and stand behind” new believers.

Recommendations for pastors

When asked by Loudin about recommendations for pastors and churches, Russell urged them to be sure the church’s governing documents and articles of incorporation are in order and that employees sign the statement of faith.

Clarity in terms of beliefs and practices is important. “The law protects the devout, not the wishy-washy,” she said, adding that Firstliberty.org offers examples of governing documents, statements of faith and scripture references. “Everything has to be clear about what you believe and who you are,” she said.

“Membership in the local church matters,” Sanchez added, noting that people sometimes join churches to raise issues. He stressed the importance of vetting new members and having them sign the church covenant and statement of faith.

“Loose membership has turned into serious litigation problems for local churches,” Loudin added, directing the audience to two articles in the Persecution Journal.

How to respond

Fu, who was arrested in 1996 because of his involvement in a house church in China, affirmed the place of forgiveness: “Persecution is not a choice. Persecution is not an exception. It is the norm” according to what the Scripture tells us from Paul to Peter.

Parts of American society have already entered into the active persecution of Christians, Fu said. The “most powerful weapon of resistance is the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ,” he added, giving the example of a Chinese Christian school leader sentenced to seven years in prison yet writing poems of praise to God while incarcerated.

“When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile. He entrusted himself to the God who loves justly,” Sanchez reminded all, quoting 1 Peter 2:11-12.

“Smile at your persecutors in the name of Jesus. Have healthy ecclesiology …. Go on mission trips and learn how the international church interacts with persecution,” Barber added, ending with a semi-serious admonition to “have Keisha’s [Russell] number in your Rolodex.”

SBTC AM 2021: New Beginnings’ Kaunitz elected SBTC president

FLINT—Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, was elected convention president during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting Tuesday morning.

Kaunitz will succeed Kie Bowman, senior pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin. Kaunitz has been pastor at New Beginnings since 2010 and was nominated by Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston.

Kaunitz was the lone nominee.

“I can tell you with confidence, he will serve our convention of churches well,” Stephens said in nominating Kaunitz. “I believe this not because he has earned this or because he deserves it, but because Todd is leading the way in the things that are most important to us.”

Kaunitz is a current member of the SBTC Executive Board and previously served as secretary. He has stated that he intends for his platform to be a continuation of that of Bowman, namely, to challenge affiliated churches to pray so that they may see a great movement of God.

Stephens said Kaunitz is a leader in missions and evangelism not only in his community, but statewide. Stephens noted that New Beginnings was meeting at a single location with about 450 people when he arrived as pastor but has grown to more than 2,600 members with 1,400 people baptized meeting in two locations under his leadership.

“If there’s anything that 2020, and now 2021, have revealed to us, it’s that when times get hard, when pandemics come, and when there’s social unrest, it reveals the true condition of the church,” Kaunitz told the TEXAN in September. “We are seeing that we have operated way too long in our own effort, and God is giving us an amazing opportunity to see a spiritual awakening that will not happen outside of God’s people praying.”

Kaunitz is a graduate of East Texas Baptist University. He and his wife, Adrian, have three children.

SBTC AM 2021: Resolutions, president’s election highlight Day 2 business

FLINT—The torch has officially been passed. Or rather, the mantle has been placed.

The first day of the 2021 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting ended with a ceremonial placing of the mantle from its outgoing executive director, Jim Richards, to his predecessor, Nathan Lorick.

Richards, who will continue to serve the SBTC as executive director emeritus, and Lorick each delivered sermons during the evening. Richards urged messengers to press on for the sake of the gospel, holding fast to biblical integrity and the cooperative spirit that undergirds Southern Baptist work. Lorick urged messengers to unify and seek the presence of God together, saying the greatest tragedy in the SBC is “not statistical, but spiritual.

“The greatest tragedy in the SBC might be that we have a generation that has never experienced the manifest presence of God together,” he said. “…Don’t let our generation serve and never experience a powerful move of God together.”

On deck for today

Though Monday was a relatively light day, messengers will conduct the remainder of business today. The last opportunity to introduce motions will be this morning shortly after 9, and messengers will consider the Resolutions Committee Report at 3:15 p.m.

Kie Bowman, senior pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, will deliver the President’s Message at 11:10 a.m. Messengers will consider the election of Bowman’s successor, Todd Kaunitz of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, later in the day.

Other sermons today will be delivered by Joe Lightner, president of Jacksonville College; Lakan Mariano, senior pastor of College Hills Baptist Church in San Angelo; and Ed Johnson III, pastor of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in DeSoto. Lorick will provide the closing challenge and lead a prayer service with Matt Boswell leading worship to close out the evening.

Panels, panels everywhere …

Four panels will be offered throughout the course of the day. A “Persecution of the Church in America” panel moderated by Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Chairman Nathan Loudin will be held at 10:25 a.m. on the main stage. Three panels will follow at lunchtime: “Keeping the Basic: Evangelism and Prayer” (CLC); “After Covid: Rebuilding the Pastor and the Church” (Kids Center); and “The Church & Worship: A Conversation with Matt Boswell” (Lighthouse Building). The panel with Boswell will be offered during Session 1 only, while the other two will be offered both at 12:15 p.m. and 1:10 p.m.

By the numbers

On the registration front, there are 777 registered messengers and 168 registered guests for a total of 945 people. Of the registered messengers, 639 pre-registered online. There are 326 total churches represented at the annual meeting.

SBTC AM 2021: Richards, wife honored for faithful years of service to SBTC

FLINT—The voices of neither Jim nor June Richards were heard from the podium during a recognition dinner held in their honor to kick off the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church Monday evening.

Instead, one by one, a stream of testimonies given both in person and via video spoke of the Richards’ kingdom faithfulness over the course of a half-century of ministry – nearly half of which was spent serving the SBTC.

Richards, SBTC founding executive director, announced at last year’s Executive Board meeting following the annual meeting in Austin that he would begin the process of transitioning out of convention leadership. With Nathan Lorick having been named his successor earlier this year, Richards has now shifted to the role of executive director emeritus.

Harold Harper, a longtime family friend who emceed the dinner, said Richards had one request – “make it about God.”

And so it was.

It was about God when Carlo Sciara, who has known Richards since high school, recalled hearing the news that his 17-year-old friend had given his life to Jesus in 1970. Just a few months later, a teary-eyed Richards drove up Carlo’s driveway in his gold Chevy Nova to tell him he had surrendered to preach.

It was about God when John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, talked about how Richards spent many years in his native Louisiana battling “theological liberalism and institutional cronyism.” As a result, Yeats said, Louisiana became an “anchor of biblical inerrancy” – a fact that would many years later make Richards the candidate to become the SBTC’s first executive director in November 1998.

And it was about God when Brenda Senn and Katera McMillan, via video, told of the quiet but strong faithfulness of their friend, June Richards – whom they described as a “prayer partner” and “prayer warrior.”

“When you call her and ask her to pray and tell her you have a prayer need,” a tearful Senn said, “she’s doing it.”

For his part, Lorick described Richards as a mentor and friend who exhibited diligence, wisdom, integrity, excellence, and respect. Isaac Newton, Lorick noted, is quoted as having once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

“Whatever the Southern Baptists of Texas will ever be,” Lorick said to Richards, “it’s because me and countless others that you’ve poured into are standing on the shoulders of you, our spiritual giant.”

The Richards were honored once more from the main stage during the evening business session. Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation Executive Director Bart McDonald presented a check in the amount of $250,000 to fund the Jim and June Richards Ministry Endowment, which will directly fund gospel ministry. Afterward, SBTC Executive Board Vice Chairman Caleb Turner read a resolution expressing gratitude to the couple for their many years of service.

Richards: ‘Stay faithful! Jesus is coming!’

Jim Richards became executive director of a new fellowship of 120 churches 23 years ago this month. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has since grown phenomenally—a leading state convention in size, giving and ministry innovation.

Earlier this year, Dr. Richards welcomed his successor, Dr. Nathan Lorick, who became SBTC’s second executive director in July. Dr. Richards serves Dr. Lorick in an advisory capacity currently and will become executive director emeritus Jan. 1, 2022. The Richards family recently moved to East Texas, nearer their kids and grandkids, and Jim is keeping a busy preaching schedule.

The Texan asked Dr. Richards a few questions about his time leading SBTC and his thoughts about the current state and future of Southern Baptist cooperation.

Southern Baptist TEXAN: What makes you happiest about the time you led the SBTC?

Richards: The most rewarding part of my service for the SBTC was seeing churches being convictional about the Word of God and affiliating with the convention. Each autonomous local church had to make a decision: “Are we going to identify with a confessional fellowship of churches or remain in something less?” Normative-size churches and large churches came in huge numbers to be together for missions and ministry in Texas, America and the world. From 120 founding churches to now 2,700 churches, the SBTC is comprised of congregations that love the Lord Jesus and his Word.

Are Southern Baptists headed for another battle for the Bible? Another Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-type fracture?

Every day is a battle for the Bible because Satan never rests. There are always people in the church leading people astray. We never can hang a banner that says “mission accomplished” until we see Jesus.

All the identified groups (within the SBC) I know of affirm biblical inerrancy. I don’t see a departure. I do think there are subtle indicators that culture is influencing the direction of interpretation. In order to maintain some interpretations, biblical inerrancy will be undermined. We have to stay on guard.

(A fracture) is more likely to happen if (dissenters) coalesce around more than one or two social issues. Commonality over a broader base of issues is necessary to form a group that survives. In 1998, when the SBTC began, there was a problem with whether or not the (existing) convention was going to affirm biblical inerrancy. That was a no-brainer that provided a stack pole for churches to rally around. At that time, the current social issues were not as prominent. Because of that one clearly defined issue, it was easier for hundreds and even thousands of churches to come together.

Can you think of one or two things that surprised you as the convention grew and matured?

After 51 years in the ministry, little surprises me. I did find one of the most difficult tasks was to serve the SBTC while the SBC and other factors out of our control impacted our ministry. Being supportive of the SBC while doing what was best for the SBTC at times was a balancing act.

On a positive note, through more than two decades, I was able to see a new generation of leaders grow up. There are some extremely gifted young leaders who are committed to cooperative work. Pundits had predicted the demise of convention ministry. The young leaders will prove them wrong.

What is the greatest challenge on the horizon for Southern Baptists?

In one word—unity—we find the greatest challenge for Southern Baptists. The SBC is made up of a wide diversity of constituents. With the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 as a basis, churches must be willing to tolerate one another on a number of issues beyond the faith statement. There are danger signs about matters that fall outside the BF&M 2000 in the SBC. Valid concerns have to be addressed. Unfortunately, at times when these concerns are confronted, it is the right message but the wrong messenger. If I had a solution on how to bring the varying agenda-driven groups together, I would do it immediately. It is sad to see the greatest missionary force for the gospel threatened by infighting.

Have difficulties related to our strong connection with the SBC been a challenge to our unity?

When the SBC sneezes, we catch a cold. When there is a policy misstep that is unacceptable to local pastors and congregations, we are so closely identified with the SBC that the repercussions fall on us. Even when SBTC leaders would disagree with an SBC position, it still adversely affects the state convention. We are inextricably tied together—not just in giving, though that is a major portion of it—but through our vision for national and international missions. We are sometimes caught between the churches that generally appreciate how the SBTC has helped local churches and churches that are disenchanted with an SBC action or leader.

What’s the most encouraging thing you see happening in the SBTC?

Nothing excites me more than our new leadership in the person of Dr. Nathan Lorick. He is connecting with pastors and churches all across our convention. His winsome ways and strong convictions are the tools God will use to continue building the SBTC. He sees the landscape with fresh eyes. He brings new energy to the same task of keeping the churches moving forward together. He is leading well.

I believe the SBTC—not only in Nathan Lorick, but in other leaders of his generation—has a bright hope and future. This is true of the SBC, as well. These young men and women, if they’ll stay the course, and not deviate from who we are, and keep our core values, the future of the SBTC is bright.

What valedictory charge would you make to our fellowship?

The apostle Paul, in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders [Acts 20], captures some of my feelings. He loved the leadership and the church. It has been my privilege to watch the faithfulness of pastors in out-of-the-way places serve Jesus and proclaim God’s Word. My heart is knitted to them. Seeing churches determine that their beliefs align with the confession of the SBTC has blessed me beyond words. Having relationships with great leaders has been equally rewarding. Echoing Paul’s concerns to the Ephesians, I caution the pastors and churches about those who would lead the churches away from this strong fellowship. Stay faithful! Be courageous! Keep serving! Jesus is coming!

Lives ‘forever changed’ as SBTC DR Ida response resumes

GOLDEN MEADOW, La.—“Blue tarps everywhere. Piles of debris that were once someone’s life. Houses moved off foundations, roofs torn off and laying in yards that are a block away from the original homes. Homes with walls missing, twisted metal that once was a carport or storage shed or someone’s mobile home.” So wrote Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteer Sue Robinson in late October of the lingering devastation from Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29.

Robinson spent five weeks in the Bayou State, arriving in Alexandria with three other SBTC DR volunteers even before Ida struck, to help Louisiana Baptist DR establish a statewide response.

After weeks as an incident management team leader in the Alexandria area, Sue Robinson joined relief efforts in Golden Meadow, where teams from Texas and other states conducted feeding and recovery efforts until the end of October, when operations paused for lack of available volunteers from Texas and other state conventions.

Nov. 7 saw a resumption of that work with Baptist DR recovery teams from the Kansas-Nebraska convention and First Baptist Pflugerville arriving, supported by a feeding team from the Pflugerville church. Other DR volunteers on site include a shower/laundry unit manned by volunteers from Calvary Baptist of Beaumont.

Another SBTC DR recovery crew is scheduled to rotate in Nov. 14 as teams try to complete the remaining 36 job requests from survivors.

The Golden Meadow deployment has been fruitful. Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director, praised not only the volunteer DR crews but also First Baptist Church of Golden Meadow for its outreach to the community.

“The church, under Pastor Matt Chouest, has done a tremendous job of serving the community from the beginning,” Stice told the TEXAN.

A large distribution center located in church facilities served as a clearinghouse for supplies for folks in need who did “drive-thru shopping,” giving their lists to church volunteers. Church members gathered the needed items from the organized stockpile and loaded goods into cars, a system geared for efficiency and to maintain COVID protocols, Stice explained. The distribution has been scaled back as needs have decreased.

COVID protocols have been observed during the entire Ida deployment, Stice confirmed, noting that SBTC DR teams had ministered in 17 different during the Ida crisis.

In addition to the lengthy Golden Meadow deployment, SBTC DR crews have served in the following locations and capacities: incident management at Forest Hill near Alexandria; laundry and/or shower support at West Monroe, Denham Springs, Minden, Gonzales; mass and quick response feeding at Denham Springs, Gonzales, Houma and Jean Lafitte; recovery work at Hammond and Morgan City. SBTC DR has also rented or provided equipment as needed in New Orleans, Ponchatoula, Jean Lafitte and Houma.

The area near Golden Meadow is scenic, despite the reminders of the recent storm. Shrimpers cast their nets along the nearby intercoastal waterway. The beauty is beyond the physical, however, as many in that area of the Bayou State have trusted Christ as Savior or renewed their faith through prayer with Baptist chaplains and DR volunteers.

“There were seven salvations the week I was there,” Stice said.

“Lives are forever changed,” Sue Robinson affirmed on Facebook.

“Many unsaved survivors both saw and were told of Jesus’ wonderful grace and mercy, with several accepting him as their Savior and Lord,” SBTC DR volunteer Joe Hartness also posted on Facebook. “And isn’t this what we’re about, fellow volunteers? Sharing Christ’s amazing love.”

SBTC DR Ida response as of Nov. 1

Volunteer Days

Volunteer Hours

Meals Prepared/Served

Spiritual Contacts

Professions of Faith

Churches knock on more than 11,500 doors to share the Gospel

GADSDEN, Ala. (BP) – A recent evangelism initiative through the Etowah Baptist Association brought thousands of residents into direct contact with the Gospel, while spurring many church members toward witnessing as a lifestyle.

“One-fifth of Etowah County has no religious affiliation,” said Craig Carlisle, EBA director of missions. “Our churches knocked on over 11,500 doors during September and it led to a lot of gospel conversations. Pastors were encouraged by it.”

Carlisle introduced the idea, called Gospel to My Neighborhood, to pastors in the spring. Churches would be assigned according to their zip code with an ambitious goal of reaching 25,000 homes. It was promoted throughout the summer and preceded by an Aug. 29 rally featuring a message by Shane Pruitt, National Next Gen evangelism director for the North American Mission Board.

Carlisle will present Gospel to My Neighborhood to other associational missionaries from throughout the state at a meeting in January.

They may have fallen short of the goal regarding number of homes reached, said First Baptist Rainbow City pastor Dave Roberts, but some increases can’t be tabulated in numbers.

“This got us to go out and meet our neighbors – to knock on their door, introduce ourselves and invite them to come visit,” he said.

Roberts was retired when he preached in view of a call to become pastor at First Baptist on March 8, 2020. The following weekend, the one when many churches chose to temporarily halt in-person services due to COVID-19 concerns, First Baptist met to vote Roberts as their next pastor. Roberts himself was not in attendance that day, so his first sermon as the church’s pastor came through an iPhone in an empty sanctuary on March 22.

Twenty years ago, First Baptist had 400 members. That number had dropped greatly when Roberts arrived, so the first thing he addressed was the need for evangelism.

“That first week, I established a GROW team,” he said. “God Rewards Our Work when we’re faithful and we needed to get going. Our folks were hungry to get out and do something.”

Making inroads through the GROW team has helped bring 12 new members to the church, bringing that total to around 44.

Evangelism, he added, is about “doing what you can with what you have. Our GROW team may not lead 1,000 people to Jesus, but we’re going to establish a plan. We’re going to share the Gospel, plant seeds and let them know Jesus loves them.”

In September, those seeds were planted through doorway discussions and bags left on doorknobs, primarily at three apartment complexes near the church. Within 15 minutes on the first day that teams from First Baptist delivered bags including candy, bookmarks with Bible verses and a copy of the Gospel of John, a phone call came to the church.

“It was from the wife of a retired pastor who lived in one of the apartments,” Roberts said. “She said she hadn’t seen a church involved there for 10 years and wanted to thank ours for doing that.”

Matt Wethington, pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Southside, was encouraged to hear Carlisle’s plan when it was first pitched to pastors earlier in the year.

“I was so excited when Craig told us about it, to see his passion and heart for this community to be reached with the Gospel. He had prayed through and thought through it and set a goal to knock on every door in our county. I was grateful for his vision and leadership on that,” he said.

Although Southside members had taken part in outreach efforts in the past, participation had lagged, he said. Gospel to My Neighborhood gave them something to rally around, with at least 50 adults and students meeting on most weekends (one was rained out) during September to knock on more than 600 doors, handing out gift bags with information and inviting others to church.

“Our folks got really excited about it,” Wethington said. “It created a lot of energy and unity on those Sunday afternoons.”

Roberts said visitors to a Sunday service haven’t materialized yet, but both churches reported good crowds for recent fall festivals. “However God decides to use us, we’re OK with it,” Roberts said. “We’re about kingdom growth, not [individual] church growth.”

Wethington said he has already witnessed a change at Southside Baptist among those who took part in the effort. Now comes the next step of how God is going to bless it.

“We’re prayerfully ready to reap some fruit from it,” he said. “But whatever God does, it was good for our people.”

Houston church experiences record 601 baptisms so far in 2021

HOUSTON, Texas (BP) – There was only one word to describe this past Sunday (Oct. 31) at Champion Forest Baptist Church as 112 people were baptized — special. The baptisms brought the church’s total for the year to a record 601.

Senior pastor Jarrett Stephens said some people were scheduled to be baptized this past Sunday, but he decided to make an open invitation for anyone who had never been baptized to come do so. This led to a total of 112 baptisms among the church’s three campuses.

Stephens began his time at Champion Forest this January and credits the intentionality of both his staff team and the congregation for carrying on the Great Commission legacy of their previous pastors.

“I am the church’s fourth pastor in their 51-year history, and there was an evangelistic zeal in the heart of the church when I got here,” Stephens said. “They’ve always been about missions about evangelism, that’s kind of the heart-beat of this church. It’s certainly in the DNA of our people.”

One of the ways Stephens said he wants to continue that is to provide a time for people to respond to the Gospel presentation at the end of each service and then to follow up right away with baptism.

Creating a culture that celebrates genuine life-change is something he hopes will sustain the spiritual growth of the church.

“We see in Acts when someone followed Jesus, in every case they followed in believer’s baptism immediately, and baptism is simply a way of identifying with Christ,” he said.

“The Bible says all of heaven rejoices, and so we want to rejoice at what heaven rejoices at. You replicate what you celebrate, so we to celebrate lives being changed by the Gospel.”

Stephens said it was the North American Mission Board’s “Who’s Your One?” evangelism emphasis that helped the church’s efforts during a year where people were still dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic.

“I love the initiative of Who’s Your One? and I think that’s been an incredible initiative for us, and it’s elevated the role of personal evangelism in the church and specifically praying for those who are lost,” Stephens said.

“I think the Lord was preparing this place for a harvest. I believe coming out of COVID, people were searching and people were hungry. … I think God is honoring the prayers of the people here at Champion Forest.”

Beyond the immediate first step of obedience in baptism, Stephens said another important emphasis for the church is discipleship.

He pointed to two examples — a man who was saved this week during one of the church’s services and is already meeting with him for discipleship, and another man who was saved this past May. Stephens discipled him and said it’s clear to loved ones and those around him that “he’s a different guy now.”

Although this past Sunday and the entire year were “special” for the church, Stephens concluded there is no special strategy they have been employing to see this number of baptisms.

He gave God all the glory for the year that has been at Champion Forest, saying all his team has done is try to be faithful and watch God do the work.

“I believe this is because Champion Forest people have prayed, and they’re inviting their friends and neighbors and the Gospel is doing its work,” Stephens said. “There’s nothing special in what we’re doing outside of preaching God’s word and calling for people to respond to it.

“When you see people baptized, it’s a reminder of the mission that Jesus gave us. The Great Commission is the greatest mission statement that all of us can rally around.”

Pastor to Pastor: Getting your ministry focused on prayer

Fellow church leaders, if you struggle to lead God’s people to pray together, you are not alone. I do, too. A year ago, Jesus Christ directed me to some pastors who taught me best practices for doing so and it is not an overstatement to say that a weekly prayer meeting completely revitalized our congregation, post-COVID. Here are a couple of those best practices that I’ve learned:

1. Make Prayer as Much a Priority as Preaching

The pastor must decide in his heart to be as zealous about planning and leading corporate prayer as he is preparing and preaching sermons.

Kie Bowman (senior pastor, Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin) showed me the definite article in Acts 6:4 in the Greek New Testament before the word “prayer.” The definite article does appear in our English translations in Acts 2:42—“the prayers”—and refers to the disciples gathered to pray. In Acts 6:4, the pastors of the early church knew their primary responsibilities were twofold: to plan and lead corporate prayer gatherings and to prepare and preach sermons.

Vance Pittman (senior pastor, Hope Church in Las Vegas) describes the local church as an airplane with the two wings of corporate prayer and the public proclamation of the Word. The wind of God, the Holy Spirit, comes underneath these two wings and lifts the plane into the air where we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, transcending the brokenness of this world. A local church can have the most technically sound preaching, but until it learns how to pray together, she’s a one-winged airplane … grounded.

As a pastor, I’m learning to devote as much spiritual, emotional, mental, and financial capital to leading corporate prayer gatherings as I do preaching the Sunday morning sermon.

2. Consider the Lord’s Prayer Template

The following three phases of prayer seem to trigger the movement of the Holy Spirit: personal consecration; talking to the Father about what matters to him; and finally, talking to the Father about what matters to us.

It seems this is at least in part what Christ taught us in the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father who art in heaven” means we ought to first pray our way to renewed personal intimacy with the God of heaven and earth. This of course includes fresh humility, repentance, and surrender. Then in Phase Two we ought to pray “Hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” meaning we ought to talk to the Father about the things that are on his heart. For example, our personal holiness, evangelism, global missions, a greater desire to fast and pray, greater repentance of sin and personal surrender, and the like.

Then finally in Phase Three, we ought to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This is when we talk to our Father about the things on our heart, from big to small.

My church family is learning that the more we desire to gather together to pray like we desire to gather together to hear the Word preached, and the more we pray through this three-phase paradigm, the more we experience the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. If you’d like to know more, please email me at nlino@nehbc.com.

Nathan Lino is senior pastor at Northeast Houston Baptist Church.