Month: May 2025

As Southern Baptists gather to celebrate milestone, SBTC embraces ‘a profound responsibility’

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—It was not only a commemoration, but a renewed call to action.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders from across the country gathered Tuesday, May 13, to mark the 100^th anniversary of the 1925 SBC Annual Meeting. Messengers at that meeting adopted two foundational structures that have defined Southern Baptists since—the Baptist Faith & Message and the Cooperative Program, the latter of which funds worldwide missions.

Seventy-three pastors and leaders celebrated the anniversary by signing a Declaration of Cooperation thanking Southern Baptist churches for a century of generous giving, commending “all who promote, support, and renew their commitment to the Cooperative Program among our family of churches, mission boards, seminaries, entities, local Baptist associations, and state conventions,” according to a report in Baptist Press.

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Nathan Lorick was among those who signed the declaration. Other SBTC pastors who signed included Eddie Lopez, First Baptist Church Forney’s En Español pastor who also serves as the SBC’s second vice president, Caleb Turner, senior pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, and Hyoung Min Kim, senior pastor of Saebit Baptist Church.

Speaking about the adoption of BF&M and CP, Lorick said, “Both of those decisions have had a profound impact on the gospel’s advancement not only in our nation, but around the world … and now we share a profound responsibility to carry forward this legacy.”

Lorick said the 1925 SBC Annual Meeting had a tremendous impact on the SBTC’s founding in 1998, noting it laid the groundwork for the “missional cooperation and theological agreement” that unify more than 2,800 churches today.

“Considering this centennial anniversary year, I am thanking God for our Bible-believing and missions-sending Southern Baptist legacy and family,” he said.

During the event’s keynote address, SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg called CP a “never-before-attempted method” of funding shared ministry and mission efforts. A century later, what was once an unknown has become a “practical, proven” method to tell the world about Jesus.

“My appeal today is to reaffirm our commitment to cooperation and the Cooperative Program in its simplest form—a shared funding mechanism for state and regional conventions and the national convention to substantially provide the funding needed for all our work,” Iorg said.

When SBTC churches give through the Cooperative Program, 45% of undesignated receipts are used to mobilize SBTC churches and 55% is forwarded to the SBC to fund entities including the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board.

Lorick encouraged churches to continue to give through CP “to send the gospel to the nations.” He also reiterated a three-pronged way churches have been encouraged to mark the 100^th anniversary of CP:

Pray, asking God how they might give to mark the milestone year;
Plan a Cooperative Program Sunday on Oct. 5 to emphasize the impact of CP giving; and
Post stories on social media sharing how God has used CP to bless them using #cp100story.

Information from Baptist Press was used in this report.

In the UK, a promising development: more young people are interested in Jesus, the Bible

NASHVILLE (BP)—A curiosity about Scripture and God may be one of the leading factors behind a study that claims a “quiet revival” is expanding among young people in the United Kingdom, said an International Mission Board leader.

“In churches across society something amazing is happening, challenging long-held predictions about the future of Christianity in the 21st century,” said the report produced by the UK-based Bible Society. “Where once we saw aging congregations and a steady decline in attendance, we see dramatic growth, led by the young.”

That growth is showing among several key findings from the study.

An increase in church attendance among 18-24-year-olds from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024, with young men’s attendance jumping from 4% to 21%.
Among churchgoers, 67% read the Bible at least weekly, up from 54% in 2018. Bible reading has doubled from 6 to 12% in England and Wales.
A more diverse church has emerged, with 19% of churchgoers part of an ethnic minority. Among 18-54-year-olds, that figure rises to 32%.

Kenny Dubnick, the IMB’s European People’s Affinity cluster leader for the UK and Ireland, said most of the study’s findings reflect his own observations and those of other IMB personnel.

“On the whole, we are seeing an interest in spiritual matters, including Christianity, among 18-24-year-olds,” he told Baptist Press. “They are not necessarily interested in ‘church’ or religion, but in spirituality and Christ’s teachings. For many, they are initially often suspicious and cynical towards religion and the church, but not Jesus.”

Those observations generated changes in how to share the gospel.

“One of our primary evangelistic practices is to invite people to study the Bible,” said Dubnick. “Sometimes this is done in a formal gathering of 10 to 15 people who meet once a week for dinner and a Bible study.”

Those studies typically begin with about seven weeks of going through the gospel of Mark and usually meet in a home, pub, or community center. Those early gatherings are more informal, as missionaries meet almost weekly with individuals for one-on-one Bible study.

The American Bible Society, a separate organization whose founding was influenced by its UK counterpart, recently reported a similar growth in Scripture engagement among men.

Although women are still more engaged with the Bible, men are more likely to be “Bible-curious” and have surged in their Bible-reading practices from 34% in 2024 to 41% now. What’s more, Millennial men reported a 25% increase from in Bible use last year, while Gen X men reported a 29% increase.

Dubnick’s observations match the UK study’s findings on diversity and immigration. Christians arriving from elsewhere have helped spur church growth.

“We trust that the Spirit is bringing believers to the UK to spread the gospel among the Brits,” he said. “The UK was once a missionary-sending nation. Now, it is a missionary-receiving one.”

The UK study also put forward what it called “a clear difference between church-going and non-churchgoing Christians.” Namely, fewer Britons see themselves as Christians “by default.”

In 2018, 32% identified as Christians even though they didn’t regularly go to church. That number dropped to 27% in the recent study while reflecting increasing desires for discipleship and Bible study.

That mirrors Dubnick’s observations.

“In my 18 years serving in the UK and Ireland, every person I’ve seen come to faith in Jesus has done so via studying the Bible,” he said. “People are not interested in church or organized religion, but the Bible and Jesus are topics they are more willing to engage with.”

The latest report on Southern Baptist engagement indicates something similar.

While church membership continued a downward trend, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination recorded the highest number of baptisms in seven years. That came with increases in total worship attendance as well as small group or Sunday School participation.

“The Quiet Revival” also reported a deep desire “for meaning, order and belonging.”

“With the normalization of Christianity in culture, and the confidence and comfort of Christian friends to share their own faith experience, a large number of young adults now appear to be looking towards the Church as a space for finding healing and community as well as a deeper sense of meaning in their life,” it said.

Those thoughts reflect the Global Flourishing Study released on May 1 by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“Most of the countries that reported high overall composite flourishing may not have been rich in economic terms, but they tended to be rich in friendships, marriages, and community involvement—especially involvement in religious communities,” wrote the study’s authors.

The report also described young people as “struggling” in terms of mental health, with flourishing scores staying consistent from 18-49 years of age before showing stages of increase.

Matthew Spandler-Davison, a Kentucky Baptist pastor still heavily involved in ministry in his native Scotland, noted the encouraging signs of the UK study while calling for discernment and a “need to look beyond the surface.”

“In some of our church plants in Scotland, we have seen a growing group of teenagers interested and curious about the church,” he said. “However, many of them are navigating a syncretism in their belief and worldview. They’re piecing together their worldview from various voices, including online and social media influencers.”

The result is an amalgamation of different beliefs, with Jesus sprinkled in. This points to the ongoing importance of discipleship.

“It’s a gift to have them with us, but the exclusivity of Christ—that He alone is the way, the truth and the life—is a real stumbling block for some,” Spandler-Davison said. “We may see some drift away in the coming year if we are not clear about the claims of Jesus and the call to a life of repentance and faith in Christ alone.”

As in America, there are also long-held associations with organized religion keeping many from the church. White, working-class men in particular, said Dubnick, view the Church of England as the “Religion of the Royals” and are thus disconnected from it in almost every way.

There are others, though, such as many Anglican churches that are “doing a good job in contextualizing the gospel to the working classes.”

“These Anglican churches are committed to sharing the gospel in urban-deprived communities,” he said. “We are thankful for these Anglican brothers and sisters. The work is a marathon and not a sprint, but the Lord is at work!”

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

Join me at the SBC

Each June, thousands of Southern Baptists join together in a strategic city for our annual meeting. This year’s meeting on June 8-11 will be hosted in Dallas.

These will be incredible days in which we worship together, hear great preaching, and discuss significant matters pertaining to our shared mission. It is one of the highlights of the year for me. There is nothing quite like being in a room full of people passionate about reaching the nations together.

I want to invite you to be a part of this important meeting. There will be people gathered from every state to celebrate all that God is doing among Southern Baptists. The SBC Annual Meeting carries a full schedule with a lot of opportunities for attendees to gather information, share stories, meet new people, and be reminded of our mission.

One of my favorite parts of the SBC is connecting with new and old friends who travel in and listening as they enthusiastically share how God is at work in their churches. Every year, I leave encouraged by pastors, preaching, and hearing reports from our SBC entities. As we were recently reminded, the SBC is force for good.

Allow me to personally invite you to be in Dallas in June. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will have a booth in the exhibit hall. You are welcome to come and enjoy a time of fellowship and networking with our SBTC staff and pastors. We will also have a big Texas reception on Monday evening, June 9, following the pastors’ conference. The SBTC reception is fun and always has the best food!

Please join me in praying that God does a great work among us as we gather. These three days could very well be the spark to revival. I really hope to see you there. I love you and am so honored to serve you!

What I’ve learned as a teenager on the foreign mission field

Editor’s note: Bowles, 16, lives with her family serving with the International Mission Board in the Amazon region of South America. This article was distributed by the IMB and is being included in this month’s issue highlighting next gen ministries and perspectives.

Alcoholism has its claws wrapped tightly around the souls of the small town I grew up in here in the Amazon region of South America.

There are very few people whose lives go untouched by the darkness and destruction it brings.

Mario, too, was engulfed in the addiction. He spent days out drinking, leaving his wife and six children alone. Without support from the husband and father of the household, they struggled. They were a lost family, and Satan was hard at work to keep it that way.

Amid this darkness shone one light: Mario’s mother, Miriam. She was a woman on fire for the Lord. For years, she tried very hard to help her son come to know Jesus, but nothing steered him away from his addiction. In early 2018, my father and a pastor were traveling upriver by boat when a strong storm hit. Little did they know how this random boat stop would change many lives.

They stopped at Miriam’s farm and she kindly invited them into her home. As soon as she learned they were both pastors, she talked about how she wanted a church on her property for her family. Her enthusiasm and fervor for the Lord were contagious. After eight months, a church was built. My family and I took our boat to her house every Sunday for Bible study.

Nayli, Mario’s wife, and the children went to church every Sunday, but Mario wouldn’t. Nayli showed up with bruises and black eyes from Mario getting drunk and beating her. The children became good friends with my siblings and me. Even though we could not understand the situation they were in, the best we could do was love them.

“God used this story to show me He can use anyone to glorify His kingdom, no matter what sins have been committed. It can be easy to convince ourselves that we have veered too far off and that God can no longer use us.”

—Ruth Bowles Tweet

Whether it was the feeling of obligation or conviction, after a couple of months, Mario began to go to church. Slowly but surely, his heart softened. He began to want to go to church, becoming more eager and thirstier for the Word. We saw God working in his soul. Eyes that once glared with darkness and despair now shone with hope. After one year, Mario accepted Christ. A man who lived in sin and alcoholism won’t even touch a can of beer now. Mario is living proof that God can help people make 180-degree turns.

Mario is not the only person positively affected by his salvation. His wife and children no longer lived in fear of him hurting them. He began to work and provide for his family. Within four years of his salvation, his wife and three eldest children were also led to the Lord. He even baptized his two daughters, who are my friends. Mario broke the chain of alcoholism in his family, giving his children a chance to live for the Lord.

God used this story to show me He can use anyone to glorify His kingdom, no matter what sins have been committed. It can be easy to convince ourselves that we have veered too far off and that God can no longer use us. Mario and his testimony show us that no matter how big our sins are, no matter what life we lived before we found Jesus, God still has plans for us. 1 John 1:9 says, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When we repent, no sin is too big for God to cleanse us from. No mistake is too big to be left unforgiven.

With a campus on its doorstep, Huntsville church doubles down to reach swelling university population

Alex Sutton and Emily Lewis came to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville for more than just career education. Both were searching for something deeper: a growing relationship with Jesus.

With hundreds of others, they found just that—plus opportunities to lead and serve—at University Heights Baptist Church, a congregation with what college minister Jon Harding calls “a legacy of loving college students.”

UHBC is nestled in Huntsville’s University Heights neighborhood, “a minute behind the campus,” Harding said. The school has grown significantly in the last decade, its sprawl almost enveloping the church and providing a mission field in the congregation’s backyard.

The university’s growth has eclipsed that of the town in recent years. When Harding and his wife, Danielle, arrived in 2023, they found there were not enough local churches to disciple the burgeoning population of nearly 22,000 college students attending “Sam,” as locals call it, in person or online.

“When we landed [at UHBC] … the church was primed to reach the campus,” Harding said, noting “only a handful of churches” were extensively involved in college ministry. “More people are ready to respond to the gospel on the campus than there are people willing to proclaim the gospel. This generation is hungry to know who God is and to seek after Him. … The harvest is ripe.”

“More people are ready to respond to the gospel on the campus than there are people willing to proclaim the gospel.”

—Jon Harding Tweet

Harding’s goal was to revitalize UHBC’s legacy of sending out Christian leaders.

More than 200 students responded to flyers distributed on campus and attended a Welcome Home Sunday college ministry kickoff in August 2023.

“They just kept coming,” Harding recalled. After the service, students enjoyed a free lunch prepared by church member Dennis Coleman. Kids filled the fellowship hall and spilled over into classrooms.

The 2024 Welcome Home event attracted even more students. “The church provides the meal. We are blessed to be part of a church that makes this investment.”

In addition to Sunday services, college students attend TRUTH, a Tuesday night gathering featuring worship and teaching with an emphasis on gospel clarity. Last school year, TRUTH averaged 145 in attendance; this year, that number is closer to 175. Involvement in student-led small groups is also encouraged.

UHBC college students recently returned from a spring break mission trip to New Orleans, where they partnered with a church plant. Each summer, some in the college ministry serve with GenSend through the North American Mission Board, too, Harding said.

More than 60 UHBC students and student leaders attended the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Commons Conference in Houston in January, added Harding, who is part of the SBTC’s Collegiate Network. Two students accepted Christ at the 2025 conference.

“A surprising number of unbelieving students want to be part of the church,” he said. “Some have some sort of faith background, but it’s never actualized till their college years. We rarely receive a student who is ready to hit the ground running.

“Our mission is to invite students to belong to the family of God and then engage in the mission of God. We build everything around that. Discipleship looks like family. It also looks like mission,” Harding said.

“More people are ready to respond to the gospel on the campus than there are people willing to proclaim the gospel.”

—Jon Harding Tweet

‘You don’t know how this can change you’

Sutton, a senior from Sugarland studying international business and finance, said he was looking for community when he transferred to Sam Houston State.

“I was one of the first people in my family to pursue Christianity,” Sutton said. “I fell in love with going to church as a kid. Youth, small groups, VBS … I loved it all.” In high school, he remained part of the church his mother took him to when he was 8, but admitted he was “trying to figure out” his faith in high school.

“I was mostly trying to figure out what to do with my life. I lost my initial understanding and purpose,” he said, adding that he took a side trek from pursuing God’s will in favor of preparing for a career and getting a college degree.

Then he found UHBC and got involved in a small group, attending church on Sundays and TRUTH on Tuesdays. Eventually he became a student leader, serving Tuesdays and also leading small groups, coordinating prayer walks on campus with groups, engaging students with the gospel, and offering to pray for them.

“I gained a better understanding of leadership and ministry, a grasp of what it is to be in ministry,” he said. “After my first semester at Sam, I realized ministry is something I needed to do for my lifetime.”

Sutton’s advice to other college students? “Don’t be afraid to ask. Get involved [in ministry] wherever you can and whenever you can. You don’t know how this can change you till you do it. It changed my whole life.”

‘I went from 0 to 100’

Lewis, a sophomore from New Caney, also came to Sam and UHBC full of questions and doubt.

“I grew up in a household that practiced cultural Christianity,” she said. “We didn’t talk about Jesus … my parents told us we were Christian. We celebrated Christmas and Easter.”

The family seldom went to church, and when her parents divorced when Lewis was 5, she experienced anxiety that only escalated when she hit middle school and found herself surrounded by friends whose parents were together.

One evening, as an 11-year-old, she lay in bed distraught about her family situation. “I didn’t know how to handle my feelings. I was a child,” she recalled. “I reached out to Jesus and said, ‘I don’t want to feel like this anymore.’” A sense of overwhelming peace enveloped her.

During high school, she explored faith largely on her own, finally deciding that in college, she would become serious about Jesus. Again, alone in her dorm room, feeling anxiety about school and life, she felt “a pull” and determined “the only way for me to live is going to be living for Jesus.

“God, I want a relationship with you,” she said. “I don’t really have it. I know I want it.”

But how?

A conversation the next day in the campus student center changed her life. Lewis had thrown on her only clean top, a “What Would Jesus Do?” T-shirt. She and a fellow student struck up a conversation about her faith journey and he invited her to TRUTH. She agreed. Then doubt struck and she had second thoughts about attending.

A timely text from a female student offering to accompany her to TRUTH, combined with encouragement from her mom, who told her, “Emily, this is an answered prayer. You have to go,” convinced her to attend.

“I need to do this if I am going to be serious about my faith,” Emily told herself.

TRUTH changed her life, confirming the faith that had begun in childhood. “From that point on, I started walking with Christ. I went from 0 to 100 and was baptized three weeks later,” she said.

Today, Lewis leads small groups and serves on the college ministry’s core leadership team. She also teaches preschool to kindergarten Sunday school.

“I don’t just do college ministry. I wanted to serve in another way, too,” she said, adding, “College is a really important time for decisions.”

College ministry is healthy for a church, too.

“We have seen the college ministry infusing new life into the church,” Harding said, explaining that the second Sunday service is at 90% capacity.

It’s a win-win. For Huntsville, Sam, UHBC, and for eternity.

We are better together

“We have been committed to giving to the Cooperative Program since the beginning, and it is my prayer that our church will continue to be committed.”

Five years ago, as I sat in our church’s business meeting, these words were spoken by the pastor emeritus of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, Terry M. Turner. As our founding pastor was preparing for retirement, he wanted to ensure our church did not stray from the path of cooperation.

After he spoke those words, every eye in the room turned to me. I was the incoming pastor and, as most are aware, transition can bring about change. And at that moment our church wanted to know if a change in leadership would also bring about a change in what we supported.

This was my first major decision, and as my pulse quickened and my palms began to perspire, I spoke with a voice befitting a pubescent boy: “We will continue to give to the convention.”

At that time, I did not know the “why”—I just knew we would. However, since that time, I have discovered not just why we gave, but why we will continue to give.

We are convicted to cooperate

Thirty-four years ago, as a church plant out of Town East Baptist Church, we were required to give 7% of our funds back to the Southern Baptist Convention. During the early years of our ministry, we would have been unable to keep our doors open without the financial resources we received from the convention.

We know that without others cooperating back then, we may not have been in existence now. What was once done as a requirement is now done out of necessity. Giving through the Cooperative Program is a must—not a may—for our church.

We cheerfully cooperate

We’re reminded in 2 Corinthians 9:7 why cheerful giving is important: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Giving cheerfully is so much easier when we turn on the news and see disaster relief showing up in places our church is unable to go and sharing the gospel with folks our local church would never come in contact with, or when we see thousands coming together to worship, fellowship, and learn at our annual Empower Conference. Our giving is not a burden, but a blessing!

We will remain committed to cooperate

God has blessed our church and we are growing. However, as we’ve grown, new ministry needs have arisen. Our church needs a new parking lot and we need to expand our worship center. It takes money to do these things. It would be easy to stop giving through the Cooperative Program to help fund these projects. But we will remain committed to cooperate.

Why? As the leader of this local body, I have had the opportunity to see how we, as a cooperative convention, are better together. As a trustee for the North American Mission Board, I have seen churches planted and thriving in hard-to-reach areas. As an M3 Camp speaker, I have seen hundreds of teens saved. I have spoken with and heard the stories of International Mission Board missionaries, and I have sat in the classroom with and served alongside students from our seminaries.

We give with conviction, cheer, and commitment because cooperatively, we are better together!

What’s your Cooperative Program story?

Post your story to your social channels and use #cp100story.

Church’s commitment to Cooperative Program is ‘permanent,’ pastor says

Can’t stop, won’t stop

If there were a better way to invest in the global mission work of the gospel, Beaux Hinote, pastor of First Baptist Church in Justin, said he would urge his church to send its money there.

“But right now, I believe that is the Cooperative Program, and I cannot imagine a world without the Cooperative Program’s impact—from disaster relief to international mission work to church planting here in the states,” Hinote said.

“There is no greater missions organization in Christendom than the Cooperative Program in my eyes, by my metrics.”

A lot of great organizations exist, and FBC Justin partners with some of them, but “our commitment to the Cooperative Program is permanent,” Hinote said. “At this point, I don’t see us ever not contributing to the Cooperative Program in a real way.”

Hinote remembers a few years ago during a FBC Justin business meeting when someone noted the church gives 10% through CP and wondered if missions money could be allocated elsewhere.

“I cannot imagine a world without the Cooperative Program’s impact—from disaster relief to international mission work to church planting ...”

—Beaux Hinote Tweet

“I remember standing in front of the church during that meeting, and I said, ‘Listen, God has called us to give generously to the Cooperative Program, because here’s what it supports.’” He told a couple of stories of how missionaries influenced his life and how CP has enriched the congregations he has served.

“Resoundingly, the church said, ‘Yes, we need to keep giving to that.’”

Hinote, 45, grew up amid Royal Ambassadors, Girls in Action, and Mission Friends, he said, “where the Cooperative Program was on display weekly in my life through stories of missionaries and through writing to missionaries or doing a craft based on a missionary’s life.”

“The Cooperative Program, to me as a pastor, became real through the Royal Ambassadors program,” Hinote said.

But at First Baptist Justin, with about 400 attending on Sundays in a rural area-turned-thriving-suburban-community, as much as 70% of the congregation consists of new believers or people who have previously been nominally associated with the church.

“They have no idea what the Cooperative Program is,” Hinote said of many churchgoers. Sharing his heart about CP at that business meeting became necessary, and once people understood what it does, they were on board.

Hinote told of FBC Justin’s support of a couple of church plants in Texas supported by the North American Mission Board.

“God has used the Cooperative Program to help us raise up a generation of leadership in the church [that is] continuing to go forth and make disciples.”

—Beaux Hinote Tweet

“When you start telling those stories to the congregation and help them see these are people with real faces and real stories that are doing real gospel ministry, they’re like, ‘Oh, how can we do more?’” Hinote said.

FBC Justin has a legacy of ministering to the community well, the pastor said, and the financial stability of the congregation stems from the “thoughtfulness and the wisdom of generations of people who have been faithful to what God has called them to here in this community.”

A couple of years ago, the church realized a need for $80,000 to renovate the worship center. Hinote, with a goal of leading the congregation to do for others what they were preparing to do for themselves, challenged them to match that amount for community missions work.

Obviously, some church members were hesitant to raise $160,000 when the renovation cost was only $80,000, but they did it, and along the way learned “you don’t have to cut anywhere. You just have to trust that if God is leading you to do something, He’s going to supply for it,” Hinote said.

The worship pastor at FBC Justin has mentored a few young men, including one who had gone to Bible college but couldn’t afford seminary at Southwestern until “he was supplied grants and matching donations through the Cooperative Program to help him go to school.”

“God has used the Cooperative Program to help us raise up a generation of leadership in the church [that is] continuing to go forth and make disciples,” Hinote said.

If a church is struggling with whether to start or continue Cooperative Program support, Hinote suggests searching the Word of God.

“When we’re dependent upon God for life and we’re trusting Him to meet our needs, then the resources we have aren’t ours to dictate where they go,” Hinote said. “It is to see where God would have us invest them.”

Churches ‘Fill the Tank’ on Baptism Sunday, but that’s not the whole story

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.—Energy infused the worship center of West Edgecomb Baptist Church as the digital timer on the screen at the front counted down the minutes. The congregation had reason to celebrate on Sunday, April 27.

Five were baptized.

From the elevated baptistry behind the pulpit, Pastor Matthew Mayo said, “Every Sunday is Easter Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection.”

Sporting t-shirts with “Made New” and 1 Corinthians 5:17 across the front, the five—two children, two college students, and one adult man—answered the pastor’s questions and entered the waters of baptism.

Similar scenarios occurred in Southern Baptist churches across the nation as congregations observed Baptism Sunday, many posting photos on social media with the hashtag #fillthetank.

Southern Baptists celebrated baptisms amidst an encouraging trend in increased baptisms over the last few years.

Lifeway Christian Resources reported last year that the “total baptisms in Southern Baptist-affiliated congregations grew to 226,919 in 2023,” a nearly 26% jump from the prior year. Thirty-five of 41 Southern Baptist state conventions experienced “year-to-year growth in the total number of baptisms.”

Romans 6 inspiration

“Buried with Christ in baptism … raised to walk in newness of life,” said Rick Miller, pastor of Revive Church in McGehee, Ark., while baptizing three church members.

Marcus Haddock, an elder at Revive Church, joined the pastor in the water to assist in baptizing Brian Gilbert, a young man Haddock had coached and mentored. Gilbert requested Haddock’s participation.

Haddock invited Gilbert and his family to the church more than a year ago. On Baptism Sunday, Miller and Haddock baptized a joyful Gilbert.

Miller’s sermon, drawn from Romans 6, focused on baptism.

“Baptism identifies us with Jesus,” Miller said. “It is an outward demonstration of an inward transformation.”

He said to the baptism candidates, “This is your launching point … a step of obedience that God said to do,” and reminded the congregation that baptism celebrates the resurrection.

“You are not defined by your past sin,” Miller said. “Christ covered that at the cross.”

Pastor Jimmy King of Good News Baptist Church in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., also based his sermon Sunday on Romans 6. With a look of joy on his face, he baptized Steve Gillifan, according to a social media post by North Carolina Baptists.

“This is Fill the Tank Day, and at our church we’re fortunate that we can have our tank filled this Sunday,” King told his congregation before his sermon.

The rest of the story

For Slackland Baptist Church in Leesburg, Ala., Baptism Sunday brought a “celebration of the baptism and profession of faith” of member Isaac Barnett, the church announced on social media.

Jay Penton, pastor of Slackland Baptist, shared the rest of Barnett’s story with Baptist Press. Penton came to the church last October and met Barnett four months ago. The young man was “lying in a hospital bed in Birmingham,” paralyzed from the waist down following an accident. Barnett and his father had formerly attended Slackland.

“[Isaac] could only move his toes,” Penton recalled. “I sat with him an hour, prayed with him and left.” Within a week, Barnett texted the pastor that he had just walked to the end of the hall using a walker.

“Another week, and he is checking out of the hospital,” Penton said. The next Sunday, Barnett started coming to church using a walker, then a cane, and eventually without assistance.

“A few weeks ago, he was out back playing basketball with the youth,” Penton said. When Barnett told Penton that he had been baptized as a kid but “didn’t know what he was doing,” Penton shared the Gospel. Barnett accepted Christ the Wednesday before Easter and scheduled his baptism.

A prayer and family affair

Baptism Sunday was a multigenerational family affair for First Bethany Baptist Church in McCormick, S.C. Among the three members baptized were a father and son duo, Michael and Wyatt Pearce, in addition to young Dylan Weaghington. All three joined the church that day with their families.

After Michael was baptized by Pastor John Alexander, he stayed to assist in the baptism of his son Wyatt.

Oakdale Baptist Church of Rocky Mount, N.C., celebrated 10 professions of faith and baptized new believers on Sunday. The church said on social media, “We began praying in January for today and God answered our prayers with calling people unto Himself.”

Brandon Watson, who became the church’s senior pastor on Jan. 1 of this year, explained that he had asked the congregation to pray for “what God could possibly do” regarding the Fill the Tank initiative. Messages and Bible studies focused on the ordinance of baptism, especially in the past two weeks.

“It was a call to action for people to make a decision to respond to God in obedience through baptism,” Watson said.

He added that of the 10 baptized Sunday, some were young children raised in the church, some came to faith previously but had never been baptized, and one wished to be rebaptized after gaining a fuller understanding of its significance.

‘The water’s still here’

Back at Revive Church, not everything went according to plan the day Gilbert was baptized. Between leaks and partially opened drains, the baptistry had to be refilled three times. The heater tripped a breaker during the night and the baptismal water on April 27 was chilly.

“It was not warm,” Miller said. “We’ve joked that we are leaving the water in there till Mother’s Day, when we will baptize five more.”

Then, he told his congregation, “God invites each of us to follow Him. …Our answer should always be yes.”

Miller then said with a smile: “The water’s still here.”

This article was originally published by Baptist Press.

One year later, teen’s near fatal heart attack becomes a tool to point others toward Jesus

Joshua Nostrand remembers lying on a gurney just minutes after playing basketball at student camp, telling God at 14 years old that he trusted Him to decide whether he lived or died.

“It was calming for me to say to God, ‘I leave it all up to You. It’s not my choice,’” Joshua said, recounting the moments after he spent eight minutes in cardiac arrest.

The faith-testing incident happened just before the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s M3 Camp at Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center south of Austin last summer. In the immediate moments following the medical emergency, God put the right people in the right places at the right times to save Joshua’s life.

“We’re just in awe of the beauty of the gospel in this whole situation and the grace of God that is unmerited, and we’re very grateful for everything,” said Joshua’s father, Eddie, an associate pastor at Harbor Church in Magnolia.

Doctors determined Joshua sustained no brain damage despite being without oxygen for several minutes. The cause of the heart attack was attributed to a congenital heart defect.

He underwent emergency open heart surgery to correct the coronary artery problem and, after 10 days in the hospital, he was on his way to recovery.

Now Joshua is letting God use his story to strengthen him and others.

“This whole experience has helped me grow in the gospel,” Joshua said. “Of course there will always be rough roads, but I’m always led to that experience where I gave everything to God and He just healed me.”

Eddie recalled the moment in the hospital when he, his wife Bianca, and a doctor told Joshua he would undergo open heart surgery.

“He showed no fear, which was just incredible,” Eddie said. “He just said, ‘My life is in God’s hands.’ … As a father and a mother to hear their 14-year-old boy at the time say that was incredible, because I don’t know that I could have that [same] fearless trust and faith in that moment myself.”

Eddie remembers he had “never felt so helpless in the flesh” as he did when he saw his son in cardiac arrest and in the following hours.

“At the same time, seeing Joshua’s display of faith encouraged our souls that it truly is not in our hands, and whatever the outcome, we needed to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.

“That’s a verse that so many believers memorize but don’t have ample opportunity to apply in these kinds of scenarios,” Eddie said of Proverbs 3:5. “It’s easier to apply when the stakes aren’t so high.”

“Seeing Joshua’s display of faith encouraged our souls that it truly is not in our hands, and whatever the outcome, we needed to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.”

—Eddie Nostrand Tweet

A poignant picture of the gospel

The entire episode was “an incredible maturing process for us,” Eddie said of himself and his wife, and now “the time that we have with [Joshua] is precious to us.”

He has thought more of how God must have felt in giving His only Son to die for the redemption of sinners. Joshua’s incident “made the gospel more real than we could have expected,” Eddie said.

“It was like looking at the gospel like a multifaceted diamond. Though we saw some facets as clear as day in our hearts, this was another side to the gospel that we got to experience and see in clarity that encouraged us,” he said.

The reality of the apostle Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:21 that “to live is Christ and to die is gain” was underscored for the father by the faith of the son. Also, 1 Peter 5:7, the admonition to cast anxieties on the Lord, has been magnified for the family.

“Of course there will always be rough roads, but I’m always led to that experience where I gave everything to God and He just healed me.”

—Joshua Nostrand Tweet

“There’s a fatherly love that He has for His people, and the key to it is humility and not trying to take the circumstance by the reins and controlling it in your own strength,” Eddie said. “Humility is the best expression of faith in God.”

With life moving on in renewed faith, Joshua said he hopes to return to M3 camp this summer to complete the experience he expected last year and to share his story. That story has already had an impact on countless others.

Joshua heard from his siblings that some in their student ministry group gave testimony of being strengthened in their faith by his story. His 12-year-old sister spoke of the difference it made in her walk with Christ.

The Nostrands visited the helicopter crew that airlifted him from the camp to a children’s hospital to deliver hamburgers and express gratitude in the aftermath. A younger pilot “was almost teary-eyed” and said he had been struggling with his faith in Christ.

Hearing of Joshua’s “unwavering faith in God throughout the whole process” renewed the pilot’s faith and led him to want to seek the Lord again, Eddie said.

“It has just been an incredible testimony,” Eddie added, “of God’s love and provision and providence and sovereignty and grace in our lives to be able to share and connect to the gospel and really point people to the Lord and make sure God gets all the glory in this.”