Month: August 2023

Mandrell to Equip crowd: Pour into others and you’ll always be filled

HOUSTON—Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, challenged ministry leaders to remember the importance of caring about people during his keynote address at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Equip Conference held Saturday, Aug. 5, at Sagemont Church.

“Ministry is nothing short of showing people a visible picture of who God is,” Mandrell said.

Exegetical preaching is only half the job of a pastor, he added. Relationships with those to whom one ministers is equally important. Those called to ministry must love the sheep.

“If you are called to ministry, you’ve got to love shepherding,” Mandrell said. “And to shepherd means you’ve got to smell like sheep, which means you’ve got to be close to them all the time, not locked away in some room developing homiletical schemes. You’ve got to love people.”

Mandrell admitted the message he delivered at Equip was not the one he had originally prepared. Instead, he said he awakened that morning with another text “burning in his chest”—Romans 1. He called on ministry leaders and teachers to show human beings “what God looks like in a relationship.”

Seeing, strengthening, and celebrating

Mandrell focused on Romans 1:10-12, where the apostle Paul expresses an urgent desire to “see” the Roman Christians: to be physically among them, to know them, and to be known by them.

“If you’re going to go the distance in ministry, number one, you have to love seeing people. … Your eyes have to light up when people come into the room,” he said. “If you don’t love being with people, you shouldn’t be in people work.”

Pastors and teachers must not only see, but strengthen, people, Mandrell said, referencing biblical principles in a secular book, Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s The Power of Moments, to encourage a ministry of presence.

Ministry leaders must “show up and celebrate the highs” in the lives of those they shepherd. They must also “mourn with those who mourn” and be there for what Mandrell called the “grind,” encouraging the flock during trying life circumstances.

“Pastoring is not something that you do. Pastoring is something that you are,” he said.

A true shepherd not only sees and strengthens people, but also “selfishly longs for that moment when [people] get a spiritual win,” like a coach who is more excited about the game-winning touchdown than the quarterback who threw it.

Noting his own shortcomings when he had been called to change pastoral roles or initiated the exits of others, Mandrell stressed the importance of “leaving well,” challenging listeners to encourage—or “pour courage” into—other people, investing in their spiritual well-being and success.

Noting the examples of Jesus and Paul, who taught that true humility involves considering others greater than oneself, Mandrell said, “When you pour your life into other people, you’ll always be filled.”

What’s your story? Even into my 60s, God is still growing me

When I was 11, a group came to our church to lead a lay witness weekend—that was a thing back in the late 1960s—and I made a profession of faith. Uncertain about that decision, I made a real profession of faith when I was 30.

My wife, Lori, and I lived in Georgetown and we loved it. We had friends there and raised our family there. I worked for ACME Brick and stayed in that desirable part of Texas until I was in my mid-50s. I retired from that job earlier this year.

Well, there was a management position that came open in Beaumont about 11 or 12 years ago. They kept asking me if I would take this position … and I was like, “I’m not interested in going. I am 54 years old. I’m not interested in making a move like that, going to a place where I don’t know anybody.” But we visited just to placate management. My wife and I came over to Beaumont to visit so we could check the box [and be able to say], “Hey, we visited, we’re not interested. Thanks for asking.”

End of the story.

But that was just the beginning of it.

We came here on a visit, and on the way back, both of us were talking about how we were being drawn to Beaumont. As we got halfway home, I said, “That wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, and I’m really kind of being drawn there.” My wife agreed. I didn’t know one person in Beaumont. Not one. I really think it was the Holy Spirit leading us to Beaumont to sit under Chris Moody’s leadership at First Baptist Church. He is a fabulous pastor.

I didn’t get discipled until I came to First Baptist Beaumont when I was about 54, 55 years old. I never heard of it until I came here. And none of the churches I was in had a discipleship program like what we have here. We’d have Sunday school or small groups, but nothing like this.

I think the ministry is important because Jesus was a small group guy. He had the throngs of people who followed Him all over the place, and then He broke it down into 12 people and then into three. He discipled those three on a very personal level. He focused on them in a different way than He did the other nine. Our goal is to follow the Scriptures and follow His lead in small group discipleship.

"What’s my story? We trusted God as he uprooted us and moved us to Beaumont."

Allan Higgins Tweet

It makes a huge difference that my pastor is very serious about this ministry. When I was pretty new to the church and to my new job, Chris called me and asked me to join him and another man in a small discipleship group. The pastor would lead our group. So I agreed to do that with them. The drill is, you meet once a week and there’s memory verses you’re supposed to be prepared for every lesson. Some of the verses were pretty long. We were meeting at lunch at a restaurant, and I didn’t always have the memory verse memorized. So after about the third or fourth meeting, I got a call from Chris and he goes, “Hey, Allan, how’s your discipleship training going?”

I said, “Well, you know how it’s going.” I had missed some meetings and I wasn’t prepared. And he said, “Well, I’ve got somebody to take your place. Why don’t you step away from our group and then we can get back together again later when your work situation settles down and you have more time?” That was his way of kicking me out of his class.

I didn’t know Chris that well at the time, but when I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, “He’s serious about Bible study. He’s serious about people growing their faith.” I wasn’t offended at all. I was very appreciative of him demonstrating his commitment to discipling people.

About a year later I went through the program with our executive pastor, Mark Adams. And I’m now in my third cycle of facilitating younger men in our discipleship process. These young men are the age of my children, but I learn more about following Jesus every time I go through the material. I’m at a different stage of life than they are. It’s just very cool. I really enjoy it.

What’s my story? We trusted God as He uprooted us and moved us to Beaumont. I believe that was the whole point of us moving, to meet Chris Moody and to sit under his leadership at First Baptist Beaumont. I really think that is the biggest thing in my life that I’ve done—stepping out in faith like that and doing something that God used to impact my life.

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?

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Maximizing your kingdom impact

How much is a billion? While most of us can quantify it numerically, few have conceptualized it quantitatively. If I asked you to count to a billion, and you spoke in a regular cadence, you would reach a billion in 95.1 years—assuming you counted 24 hours a day nonstop.

How about the volume of a billion? The following may help. Ten oranges would fill a large salad bowl, a thousand oranges the bed of a pickup truck, and a million oranges an Olympic-sized swimming pool. A billion oranges? That would fill up a modern-sized NFL football stadium to the brim.

In his book, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, Niall Ferguson offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of money, banking, and finance. In 2007, the year leading up to the last major market correction and subsequent recession, Forbes magazine disclosed compensation packages for the top 10 leaders of major banks, investment houses, and hedge funds. Their compensation packages combined exceeded $5.2 billion. That is a lot of oranges.

I offer this introduction to pose a simple question: Have you considered the kingdom impact of the money under your control and your related investment strategies on those funds? I fully support and subscribe to a free market that determines compensation in response to performance. With that said, a significant amount of the liquidity on deposit in the commercial banking industry represents resources controlled and stewarded by Christians. The banks who, in turn, lend these deposits to a variety of borrowers have one objective—profits. Those profits fund salaries most of us cannot relate to in our everyday lives.

"Have you considered the kingdom impact of the money under your control and your related investment strategies on those funds?"

Bart McDonald Tweet

The Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation offers competitively priced certificates designed to attract liquidity from churches, Christian individuals, and faith-based institutions. Those certificates are used to provide financing alternatives to churches that are building, acquiring land, or renovating existing facilities. In offering competitive rates to investors and redeploying those resources to growing churches, investors and borrowers benefit and God’s kingdom is advanced. The resources stay within the kingdom and all surplus amounts generated from the foundation are utilized to fund kingdom endeavors.

How much is your bank paying on your individual passbook savings account? Do you have money invested in bank CDs? Would you be open to investing those resources in a way that directly impacts God’s kingdom? If you perform an administrative function in the church, how much money does your church maintain in its operating account? Designated fund accounts? Would your church consider an investment strategy that puts those resources to work for God’s kingdom until they are needed for your operations?

The foundation has 693 certificates issued with investments totaling more than $120 million. Only God knows the kingdom impact those resources have through the 79 loans the foundation has made to churches throughout the state. Opening an account is easy and access to your investments is available through automated platforms that can quickly move money in and out of these certificates as you manage your cash position. The foundation regularly runs promotional campaigns to remain competitive and attract new partners who desire to steward their resources in a way that maximizes a kingdom investment impact.

5 minutes with Caleb Turner

Caleb Turner became senior pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church this summer following the retirement of his father, Terry M. Turner, founder of the church. In the five years prior to his father’s retirement, Turner served in a variety of roles at the church, most recently as co-pastor for two years. Turner and his wife, Tamera, have three sons: Caden, 14; Cason, 10; and Camden, 6.

What is something you’ve been able to celebrate at Mesquite Friendship Baptist lately?

Exponential growth over the last few months. It’s a good problem to have. We ran out of parking. We are thinking through what to do in our building and in the area around us. We are grateful for an explosion of baptisms and attendance. We did two services for over 20 years. COVID brought us back down to one. Personally, I really like the atmosphere, the family feeling, of one service. When we went back to one service, we found there were people who had attended Mesquite Friendship for 10 or 15 years, went to two separate services, and did not know they were even part of the same church family. For as long as I can, I plan on knocking down walls and building a balcony before we go back to two services.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your ministry lately?

Spiritual development. Just the discipleship process, finding ways to fully implement it churchwide. It’s a difficult thing to do. The more you grow, the more you have the desire to see people grow spiritually.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned to this point of your ministry you know you’ll never forget?

How to love people through your own adversity. One day I was having a hard time emotionally and somebody gave me a call from the church and needed to talk. Just learning how to balance the reality of where I am with pastoring people even when I am sometimes hurting myself.

What’s one thing you want to see God do specifically at Mesquite Friendship this year?

We have decided for the next six months to be more intentional in our approach to reaching the community. One thing I would like to see is the Lord saving more lost people. I’d like to see the Lord prepare us to be more receptive to folks who don’t look like us, think like us, dress like us, and to see a greater increase in the lost coming to be part of Mesquite Friendship.

How can the other churches of the SBTC be praying for you?

I was first called to preach at 22. My prayer was that the Lord would give me wisdom to lead. I knew I would be placed in positions where I might be the youngest person. I don’t think that’s any longer the case. Just wisdom, that’s been my continual prayer. Wisdom and that God would always be glorified in everything we do.

Pastor, wife leave familiar surroundings to plant church in Brazoria

Trading comfort for a new calling

After 40 years of service to the Lord, including 12 as a pastor, Rey Cantú was called by God to plant Iglesia Bautista La Esperanza in Brazoria, located in the building of a church that closed prior to the global pandemic.

Cantú said people did not understand why, after a long career in ministry, he and his family would leave everything behind to start over. Leaving Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Freeport, where he had served since 1982, seemed like a step backward to many.

But not Cantú.

“I am not here to progress, but for the gospel to progress,” Cantú said.

Nueva Vida was where Cantú experienced his first call to pastoral ministry. On multiple occasions, the church found itself without a pastor and church leaders asked Cantú if he would be interested in stepping into the lead pastor role. He declined the first two times, feeling it wasn’t in God’s timing for him to serve as the full-time pastor, but agreed to serve as the church’s interim pastor. However, after the position came open again, and after six months of prayer, Cantú sensed the Lord calling him to accept the full-time role—beginning a 12-year journey leading the church.

Cantú spent those years working hard for the Lord, watering the gospel seeds planted by the church with sweat, tears, and prayer. That hard work was slowed significantly when Cantú became ill with COVID. The virus hit him so hard, he was forced to spend three months in bed. What could have been a discouraging time instead led to a transforming experience with God.

Even as he struggled to breathe, Cantú often went out onto his porch to talk to the Lord. “You have given me another chance to live,” Cantú would pray. “What do you want me to do?” He began to feel a change was on the horizon, and he would tell God, “I am ready for any change.” He assumed that change would happen at his current church.

But the Lord had another plan—for Cantú to plant a new gospel work at a location that Nueva Vida had once helped, but which had since closed.

“I didn’t know anything about church planting, but I obeyed His call,” Cantú said.

“The SBTC conference opened doors for us to partner in the kingdom of God, as we learned there how they supported church planting.”

—Rey Cantú Tweet

Cantú hadn’t yet shared with his wife, Juanita, what he felt like God was calling him to until a trip to a church planting and revitalization conference hosted by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Juanita initially did not understand why they would leave an established ministry where they had worked so hard for so many years. Her heart changed during the conference, however, when several women who had been a part of church plants shared testimonies of how they’d seen God work even as He moved them from location to location.

In the midst of those testimonies, Juanita thought, “I have not suffered compared to these women.” Then she offered her “yes” to the Lord.

Said Cantú: “The SBTC conference opened doors for us to partner in the kingdom of God, as we learned there how they supported church planting …. That’s where we saw God’s hand and His plan evolving.”

Upon returning from the conference, Cantú shared the new calling on his family’s life with Nueva Vida’s deacons. Together, they prayed and spent the next six months preparing the church for the transition. That included restoring the decaying building where the new church plant would be located. Other pastors in the area—many of whom Cantú knew through serving as president of the Gulf Coast Baptist Association’s Hispanic Fellowship—committed to pray and even offered to help with getting the new church off the ground.

Six months after they began renovations, Iglesia Bautista La Esperanza held its first service on Sept. 28, 2022. Two families were in attendance that day. Since the beginning, Cantú and his wife have made it their mission to visit homes in areas of Brazoria with the greatest needs. As a result of that work, God has continued to bring families and people from different backgrounds and cultures to experience Him moving in their lives. About 40 people regularly attend the church.

“God has been very generous with us,” Cantú said, noting many of the miraculous provisions that have helped La Esperanza do ministry. In one instance, a couple of neighboring churches provided not only supplies for a vacation Bible school, but a van to transport children.

La Esperanza opens its doors at 5 a.m. on Mondays for prayer, Wednesday evenings for Bible study, and Sundays for children’s and youth Bible classes in English, as well as a bilingual worship service. Cantú said the church seeks to be a beacon of light for Brazoria, proclaiming the hope they can find in Jesus. In a population of 3,000 people and 800 Hispanics, mostly Catholic, they have been able to share that light.

“There is a lot of brokenness, broken families that are hurting,” Cantú said, “but we pray that God will allow us to have a good relationship with the [community] and the families that attend the church who have not given their lives to Christ yet.”

Putting prayer back into its proper place

his past fall, God began to stir in my heart to host prayer retreats for pastors who are hungry for Him to move in a fresh way both personally and in their churches. This summer, we hosted two retreats with the support and assistance of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Both of these retreats—each an incredible 48 hours dedicated to prayer—were at capacity, with a waiting list of pastors desiring to attend. In these days together, we set time aside for personal spiritual renewal, repentance, and reflection. Each pastor was given uninterrupted time to personally commune with the Lord in prayer and the Word. God used that time in a powerful way, because we know the spiritual health of a pastor will directly impact the spiritual health of the church.

The retreat also included a corporate prayer meeting at the host church. The first retreat was held at New Beginnings in Longview where I serve, and the second at First Baptist Church Forney, where Nathan Lino is the senior pastor. This night of prayer not only served as a model for how to lead a prayer meeting, but also as a time to experience the power of God’s presence in a corporate setting. Additionally, we received some practical teaching from Lino, Fielder Church Lead Pastor Jason Paredes, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, and myself on personal prayer habits, preparing for a prayer meeting, and how to design an impactful prayer service.

Here are a couple of my takeaways from the retreats:

Personal prayerlessness is not an issue of time, but pride.

If we are too busy to pray, then we have bought into the lie that we can lead our ministries without the power of the Holy Spirit. What I have learned is if I am not careful, I will spend the majority of my time preparing the ministry but not the minister. This causes me to lead from a place of anxiety, exhaustion, and frustration. But when I prioritize personal prayer, it allows me to lead from an overflow of the Spirit’s work in my life. When my personal prayer life is vibrant, it impacts my whole congregation.

Corporate prayer must become the activity of first importance.

Throughout the book of Acts, you see that prayer was the highest priority within the local church. Every great movement of God through the early church was born out of corporate prayer. As we have elevated programs and strategies, we have programmed and strategized prayer out of our churches. Corporate prayer has now been minimized to brief moments in our ministries rather than the fuel that propels its movement. As a result, we are seeing declining attendance, fewer conversions and baptisms, and—most alarmingly—congregations lacking Holy Spirit power.

I want to encourage pastors to attend one of our retreats. The next retreat will be held at New Beginnings in Longview on Oct. 10-12. Limited spots are available, so register now at PastorPrayerRetreat.org. Let’s humble ourselves and prioritize prayer like never before, anticipating the great things God will do in us and though us!

Lone Star Scoop • August 2023

Former SBTC president Turner retires from Mesquite Friendship

MESQUITE After 32 years of faithful ministry at the church he founded, Terry M. Turner stepped down as pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist at the end of June 2023. The congregation celebrated Turner’s 32nd anniversary as pastor with a special church service on Sunday, June 25.

At the service, Alex Gonzales, SBTC church health and leadership associate, presented Turner with a gift from the convention. Daniel Alemán Jr., mayor of Mesquite, announced the street leading into the church’s property will be named Dr. Terry M. Turner Drive by the city.

Turner was further honored by his church with the title of pastor emeritus.

The prior evening, Turner and his wife, Nancy, were celebrated at a banquet at the church. Tony Mathews, SBTC senior strategist of missional ministries, spoke at the event.

Turner spent a decade as pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in his hometown of Guthrie, Okla., before moving to Dallas to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. While there, he earned two master’s degrees and a Doctor of Ministry. He was recruited by Town East Baptist Church to start Mesquite Friendship as an outreach to the African American community in Mesquite. With his wife, who earned a Th.M. from DTS and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Turner has served the church and community well.

The Turners have three adult children and eight grandchildren. Turner’s son Caleb succeeded him as pastor of Mesquite Friendship on July 1. As pastor emeritus, Terry Turner will remain involved in marriage and bereavement counseling at the church while continuing to pursue writing projects and genealogy research.

—Jane Rodgers

Bowman accepts call to lead SBC prayer effort

NASHVILLE Kie Bowman has been tapped to lead a prayer assignment given to the SBC Executive Committee (EC).

“Our scope in the prayer assignment is enormous and so are our possibilities. With nearly 50,000 churches, and over 6,000 missionaries on the field in North America and around the world, we have a lot to pray about,” Bowman said.

The additional ministry assignment given to the EC in 2021 instructs it to, “Assist churches through elevating the ministry of prayer [and] provide strategic leadership to lift up and promote coordinated prayer for spiritual awakening, ministry effectiveness, and the completion of the Great Commission.”

In addition to creating prayer resources, Bowman says he intends to “host training events and powerful prayer gatherings led by recognized SBC prayer leaders.”

Bowman retired in March 2023 from Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, where he served for 26 years. The Alaska native has written seven books and contributed to 13 others.

—Baptist Press

Busy summer brings blessings for SBTC DR

SBTC DR volunteers have spent a busy summer serving the Lord. Summer storms led SBTC DR to send volunteers to Winona, Hardin and Jefferson counties, Amarillo, Hawkins, Winnsboro, Spring, and Perryton. Volunteers also deployed to Bloomburg and Rotan, N.M., following tornadoes.

Additionally, SBTC DR completed work overseas in partnership with the Ukranian Baptist Union, associations, and churches, serving 12,000 refugees in shelters. SBTC DR provided eight loads of food shipped into Ukraine, helped purchase a vehicle to transport supplies into Ukraine, and helped provide $50,000 of generators for Ukraine.

“God has truly blessed the ministry of SBTC DR volunteers,” SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice said, adding that reports from the border, where West Brownsville Baptist and Pastor Carlos Navarro are actively ministering, have also been a blessing.

“On July 9, Carlos officiated funerals for two Venezuelan immigrants who were tragically killed by a driver who drove through a group of immigrants,” Stice said. “Carlos was able to bless the families of these migrants and reported 21 professions of faith at the funerals.”

—Jane Rodgers

Invest & Release

CrossCreek’s approach aims to multiply disciples, churches, leaders

rossCreek Church member Kyle Phillips, 67, grew up in a church heavy on community but light on Bible study. She accepted Christ as a teenager and a decade later, expecting her first child, fell in love with God’s Word.

“When I realized what I was missing, I was just like a sponge,” Phillips said. She and her husband, Jim, came to CrossCreek (then First Baptist Colleyville) 35 years ago. When Senior Pastor Craig Etheredge and Spiritual Development Pastor Glenn Underhill started the Grow Series discipleship training at the church in 2017, she was among the first recruits.

“The pastor picked the pilot group. He needed people who would turn and teach others,” Phillips said.

The Grow Series, a 21-week intensive three-book study authored by Etheredge, emphasizes knowing God and making disciples. Etheredege notes a high percentage of the church’s adults have participated in Grow Series groups and gone on to disciple others—even outside the church.

For Phillips, the series was transformative, and she has led 18 women’s groups since 2017. Of the 61 women who have participated with her, nearly half have gone on to lead groups of their own.

“The Grow Series is duplicable,” Phillips said. While she prefers the group dynamic, she has also done one-on-one discipleship using the program, as she has done with Ann.

Kyle and Jim met Ann and her husband on a cruise and struck up a friendship. One day, Ann admitted she struggled with anxiety. “I have no peace,” she said.

“I just listened and prayed,” Phillips recalled. After the cruise, Ann and Kyle stayed in touch. Eventually, Kyle phoned her friend and reminded her of that longing for peace. Would Ann be interested in studying the book of John? The answer was yes, and Kyle sent Ann a copy of the small booklet Explore, a precursor to the Grow Series that focuses on Christ.

The ladies completed Explore together over the phone, and Ann asked Kyle if they could do another study together. Ann also began attending church with her husband. During the second week of the Grow Series, Ann asked Jesus to be her Savior.

She has since been through all three books and is now discipling a friend.

“I never want to stop investing in people,” Phillips said.

“Our process is the ‘hub and spoke’ approach. Our goal is to create hubs in key locations where they will spin off multiple churches.”

—Craig Etheredge Tweet

‘Investing in leaders and raising them up’

Underhill and Etheredge say the same. Etheredge came to CrossCreek as pastor 16 years ago and soon brought along Underhill, who also serves as executive director of DiscipleFIRST, a training organization affiliated with CrossCreek.

“When I first came and brought Glenn, there wasn’t a disciple-making philosophy of ministry at CrossCreek,” Etheredge said. They saw the need to develop a firmer foundation.

“For three years, we didn’t preach about discipleship. We just did it,” Etheredge explained. “We were investing in leaders and raising them up.”

As an outgrowth of the emphasis on discipleship, CrossCreek also embraced church planting. To date, the church has sponsored 16 disciple-making church plants in such locations as New York City, Israel, Canada, Burkina Faso, Pennsylvania, and Zambia—with plants in Nevada and Montana soon to follow.

“Our process is the ‘hub and spoke’ approach,” Etheredge said. “Our goal is to create hubs in key locations where they will spin off multiple churches.” Already, the pastors are seeing generational growth as “first-gen” plants are producing second- and even third-generation plants.

“Our philosophy is to invest and release, not attract and retain,” Etheredge said. “The CrossCreek residency program, launching officially this fall, will be built around making and deploying disciple-making leaders.” Paid residents will undergo training, work in the church, assist with plants, and serve in various ministries from youth work to guest services to adult programming.

‘Embracing the lifestyle of a disciple’

DiscipleFIRST arose as an outgrowth of the pastors’ emphasis on discipleship. In 2013, they held a conference for CrossCreek leaders, bringing in like-minded speakers. Pastors heard about the event and asked to attend.

Etheredge and Underhill soon developed materials as demand for the conferences increased. With attendees flying in from across the country, DiscipleFIRST began hosting conferences in cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, and Houston.

The Grow Series developed from these events, and Etheredge and Underhill gradually replaced speakers with written material based on the intentional way Jesus developed His disciples.

Underhill describes the Grow Series as a fourfold pathway to discipleship that begins with Explore for the “irreligious and disengaged,” followed by other books designed, as their titles suggest, to help people learn how to Walk with God, Reach Their World, and Invest in a Few.

“We want to see them embrace the lifestyle of a disciple forever,” Underhill said. “Then they are ready to multiply.”

Etheredge offered the example of Zach, a high-level business leader on a corporate fast track. Underhill discipled Zack and a few other men. He invited Zach on a mission trip to Zambia, where Zach realized they were “fulfilling the Great Commission right now.” He left the corporate world, came on staff at CrossCreek, and discipled others, including Ben, who is now the DiscipleFIRST director of ministry partnership.

“We intentionally do not say one word about it in worship. … We want people to be invited into the process by someone God has placed on their hearts.”

—Glenn Underhill Tweet

Organic and unstoppable

With the Grow Series as the curriculum, discipleship at CrossCreek and in its plants is largely organic, Underhill emphasized.

“We have worked hard not to make it programmatic,” he said. “We intentionally do not say one word about it in worship. … We want people to be invited into the process by someone God has placed on their hearts.” As such, it can be hard to keep track of how many are discipling others.

In fact, the Grow Series has grown far beyond CrossCreek and DiscipleFIRST. Etheredge and Underhill admit they often hear of others outside the church using the material.

“We may never know this side of heaven,” Etheredge said of the numbers of those who have used the Grow Series. They do know more than 7,000 pastors and leaders have undergone face-to-face training. Factor in those who have attended webinars or used the publications and the number swells.

DiscipleFIRST now hosts 15-20 in-person trainings throughout the country annually, Underhill said, adding that it partners with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention as well as other Southern Baptist state conventions.

The SBTC was among DiscipleFIRST’s earliest partners, sponsoring and promoting conferences for Texas pastors and publishing Etheredge’s first book, Bold Moves, which details seven methods to make a church into a disciple-making congregation.

“The SBTC helped fan the flame,” Etheredge said. “We are very thankful.”

For more information on the Grow Series and DiscipleFIRST materials, visit disciplefirst.com.

25 years of answered prayer with Terry Turner

In November, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will mark 25 years
of answered prayer at its Annual Meeting at Cross City Church in Euless.
Each month leading up to the meeting, the Texan will feature a brief conversation with past SBTC presidents about how they have seen God answer their prayers for the convention over the past quarter century and how they are praying God will bless the convention moving forward. This month, we feature past SBTC president Terry Turner (2011-2013).

What were some of your earliest prayers for the SBTC?

Praying for sound doctrine led me to affiliate our church with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) over 20 years ago. I observed how false interpretations of Scripture were invading Baptist life. In addition, some in the church world were changing and becoming inconsistent regarding biblical inerrancy and infallibility. With the rise of false doctrine, many teachers and preachers, who shifted with every wind of doctrine, were becoming the norm.

How have you seen God answer some of your prayers regarding the convention?

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and SBTC opened a door. This was an exciting time for preachers like me who were called to start new congregations across Texas and the nation. The SBC, state conventions, and local associations provided the guidance, support, and financial backing needed to accomplish church growth. Praying for racial inclusion meant people from all nations would need to be considered if our convention was going to look like heaven. I watched how prayers were answered as African Americans and other ethnic groups gained leadership positions across the spectrum in SBC life. We have come a long way in this area.

During your service as president, how were you praying for the convention?

Praying for humanitarian efforts has been a source of joy in many hopeless situations as I prayed for our convention efforts to relieve the suffering of those hit by tragedy. With delight, I have led our church to support the Cooperative Program for 32 years of this ministry. We have considered the world’s needs for clothing, food, water, and shelter, along with the destruction created by natural disasters which frequently disrupt the lives of entire towns, cities, and states. I am thankful for our disaster relief volunteers who serve as first, second, and third responders to meet the needs of victims of calamity.

What is your prayer for the next 25 years of the SBTC?

In recent months, the rhetoric in our nation surrounding racial equality has been disturbing to the point of destroying the faith of many regarding convention work. I pray for biblical unity among all Southern Baptists, especially for the SBTC because of the kingdom-building ministries I have grown to love. How “can two walk together, except they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). May we always pray for spiritual unity, because prayer has made a difference in the continuation of sound doctrine despite all the attempts to change our biblical belief systems. Therefore, it has been my consistent prayer that the SBC, state conventions, and local associations would lead the way in race relationships because racial inequality and hatred are at the root of much sin in the church and America. “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20).

Pastors report feeling more loneliness, less support, Barna finds

NASHVILLE (BP)—A growing percentage of Protestant pastors report experiencing increased feelings of loneliness and isolation, while simultaneously feeling a decreased sense of support from people close to them, according to research by Barna.

According to the 2022 survey of more than 500 pastors done by the Barna Group, 47 percent of pastors reported they “sometimes” felt lonely or isolated in the past three months, while 18 percent said they “frequently,” experience these feelings.

This total—65 percent—of pastors reporting these feelings is an increase compared with the 42 percent of pastors who reported the same in a 2015 survey, where 28 percent answered sometimes and 14 percent answered frequently.

Mark Dance, director of pastoral wellness for GuideStone Financial Resources, said the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in the increase in feelings of isolation, but the issue has been around for ages.

“I think isolation has been a challenge on-going for decades, and of course that challenge was exaggerated during COVID,” Dance said.

“I’m not sure that isolation is unique to the ministry. I just think isolation is a challenge for everyone. What makes it unique is that pastors are surrounded by people constantly, and so in my opinion, isolation and loneliness are among the most preventable challenges a pastor has.”

Dance said one factor in the survey data may be a younger generation of pastors who are more willing to be transparent about their feelings or ask for help. He even wonders if some of the percentages should be higher.

“I wonder if the other percentage are being honest with themselves,” Dance said. “It is very normal to sometimes feel isolated. Some times are better than others. I would expect them to say sometimes they are lonely.”

The same survey showed 49 percent of pastors reported they frequently felt “well-supported by people close to you,” within the past three months. This is a noticeable decrease compared with 68 percent who answered such in the 2015 survey.

Dance said he often challenges pastors that feeling isolated starts with them, and they need to take an active role in seeking out people both inside and outside of their church who can “refresh” them in their ministry.

“When I speak to pastors, which is almost every week, I remind them of how dangerous isolation can be, but also challenge them to embrace the responsibility to change that,” he said. “Isolation is downright dangerous, but it is avoidable.

“The pain of isolation exceeds the awkwardness of church friendships, whether it’s staff friendships, member friendships or other pastors in your community. As Southern Baptists, we’ve got associations and state conventions that would absolutely fall over themselves if you called them or showed up for their things.

“We have people cheering us on from every corner of our convention, so if we are feeling isolated, make sure that we are not isolating ourselves, because it is one of the most preventable challenges out there.”

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.