Month: July 2026

Bible engagement increases sense of calling, promotes human flourishing, study finds

PHILADELPHIA—Scripture-engaged adults are more confident of their calling or purpose in life and thereby flourish, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in its latest release from the 2026 State of the Bible.

But those who are least engaged with the Bible often continue to seek a purpose or calling well into adulthood and score lower on researchers’ flourishing scale, ABS said of findings released July 9 in the study’s fourth chapter.

Adults with the strongest sense of calling score 7.8 on the human flourishing scale of 10, compared to a score of 6.1 among those with the lowest sense of calling, and also continue to flourish through life’s challenges.

Scripture engagement makes the difference, said John Plake, ABS chief Innovation officer and State of the Bible editor-in-chief.

“People with a strong sense of calling flourish more, and Scripture is at the heart of that connection,” Plake said. “And when life is disrupted by grief, job loss, or a serious illness, people who turn to Scripture find real comfort. Many don’t just endure the hardship; they come through it even stronger.”

Scripture-engaged adults report the highest confidence levels in their sense of calling, scoring 7.4 on researchers’ 10-point scale, compared to adults who don’t engage with Scripture, who scored 5.4 out of 10.

“People in the Movable Middle—open to the Bible and often curious about it but not committed—are the most likely to say they are searching for their calling,” researchers said in Chapter 4. “The Bible offers real insight to their big questions about life, purpose, and fulfillment.”

Scripture-engaged adults also view their calling as spiritual or inspired by God, ABS said, as Scripture records many examples of spiritual callings. The vast majority, 94%, of practicing Christians view the sense of calling from at least a somewhat spiritual lens, researchers said, compared to 70% of all Americans.

Evangelicals and Historically Black Protestants outpace others in finding their life’s calling, researchers said, with Mainland Protestants, Roman Catholics, and religious Nones citing less confidence.

The 2026 State of the Bible marks the first time ABS has studied how Scripture-engagement impacts calling, pointing out that one’s calling is not always seen in spiritual terms, nor is exclusive to Christianity.

“The language itself begs a question: Who or what is calling me? Whether people believe that’s God or nature itself or their own soul, the term carries the suggestion that we are uniquely suited to perform some task that benefits others,” researchers wrote. “As Christian thinker Os Guinness put it in his book The Call, ‘Deep in our hearts, we all want to find and fulfill a purpose bigger than ourselves. Only such a larger purpose can inspire us to heights we know we could never reach on our own. For each of us, the real purpose is personal and passionate: to know what we are here to do, and why.’”

Delving into the topic, researchers relied on four questions from the Brief Calling Scale, exploring whether people had found or were still searching for their calling, and added a unique question exploring whether adults view one’s calling as spiritual.

Research findings are based on 2,649 online and phone interviews conducted Jan. 8-27, using the nationally representative AmeriSpeak panel fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago.

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

The weight you were never meant to carry

Anxiety has become so commonplace that many people accept it as a normal part of life. We make jokes about being chronic worriers, but fear quietly steals our joy, clouds our judgment, and distracts us from the goodness of God. Like a cancer that contaminates our spiritual blessings, hidden anguish is not a minor problem to ignore.

Every generation finds new reasons to fret. Parents fear for their children. Students stress over grades. Workers wonder whether they will keep their jobs. Retirees question whether their savings will last. Even good news often gives way to fresh concerns. Mark Twain reportedly remarked that he had lived through many terrible experiences, most of which never happened. His observation exposes the deceptive nature of anxiety. Our minds often create disasters long before reality ever arrives (Proverbs 12:25).

Jesus addressed our common struggle in the Sermon on the Mount. He cautioned us against obsessing over food, clothing, tomorrow’s uncertainties, and even the length of our lives (Matthew 6:25-34). Worry never solves a problem. Anxiety will not add one hour to our lives, remove any of our future hardships, or strengthen us for whatever today’s responsibilities might be. Instead, fear shifts our focus away from the Father’s providential care and concern.

Combatting our internal dismay begins with an honest confession. The Apostle Paul commanded believers to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). Though we may understand the temptation to worry, we dare not justify it as anything other unbelief. Faith insists that God reigns over every circumstance, no matter how frightening or painful. Despite our rebellious instinct to live as if reality depends upon us, we do well to admit that our prideful delusion only leads to uncertainty and panic. A sincere acknowledgement of our weakness invites God’s strength into our struggle (Psalm 55:22).

The circumstances behind Paul’s words mark his command as even more compelling. Roman authorities held him in prison while he wrote the book of Philippians. False teachers troubled the churches he dearly loved, and execution remained a looming possibility. Even so, the faithful apostle refused to surrender his heart to fear because he trusted the character of God more than the uncertainty of his future (Philippians 1:20-21).

Calling out to God functions as the next step toward lasting peace. Through the means of prayer and supplication, we are to let our requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6). God never asks us to ignore our fears. He welcomes every burden, every question, and every concern we bring before Him. Our Savior even admonished His followers to ask, seek, and knock because our heavenly Father delights in giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:7-11).

Thanksgiving also transforms the way we talk to God. Gratitude reminds us of the Lord’s past faithfulness while giving us renewed strength to face whatever is ahead (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Likewise, prayerful worship deepens our resolve to embrace God’s direction and will before we know the outcome of our petitions. Making specific requests sharpens our dependence upon our heavenly Father because his specific answers serve as practical expressions which reinforce the realness of our faith. All the while, our confidence grows even as our anxiety subsides.

Regardless of what the outcomes might be, God breathes life into our prayers, making them the means of supernatural peace which guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). Though this holy serenity does not always remove our painful circumstances, the Lord strengthens His people in the middle of every trial (John 14:27).

Because he also understood the powerful connection between our thoughts and our emotions, Paul instructs us to dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Healthy thinking cultivates strategic prayer, resulting in confident living. Fear grows wherever lies dominate our minds, but joy flourishes wherever God’s truth takes root (Romans 12:2).

Seem too good to be true? Just look around. Birds never store food in barns, yet our heavenly Father feeds them every day. Wildflowers never toil or spin, yet God dresses the fields with their breathtaking colors every spring (Matthew 6:26-30). Each sunrise silently proclaims the Father’s loving care. Every blooming flower reminds us that our creator never overlooks our needs. Human beings bear God’s image, making us infinitely more valuable than any bird or flower (Genesis 1:26-28).

Every morning presents us with the same choice. We can rehearse our fears or remember God’s steadfastness. We can carry burdens that belong to the Lord or place them into His capable hands. Worry has never changed tomorrow, but trusting God changes us today (Isaiah 26:3).

God has turned a devastating loss into a testimony for His glory

Editor’s note: Lloyd Parnell, seen above in an older photo with his son, Chris, is a deacon and member of Cross City Church in Euless. He recently shared part of his testimony with the Texan’s Gary Ledbetter. 

My son Christopher was phenomenal. I mean, everything you would want from a son. He was a basketball player. I thought he was going to get a scholarship. Football, track—Chris did it all. Great looking kid. He was popular, had good grades, and went to church. He would take the books of the Bible and memorize them all the way through Revelation. And then he learned to do it backwards. 

As he moved on, I thought, “Man, this guy’s going to be phenomenal. He’s going to be a lawyer.” He wanted to be an athletic trainer. But his last year in high school, something happened to him and he was different. He would be late to class, wouldn’t do his homework right, let his car go down.

I said, “Hey, Chris, what’s going on?” But he never would say much. He wanted to go to Dallas Baptist University, so I put him through the first semester. He was good at soccer and traveled with the team playing, but he failed. I said, “That’s not like you. Man, that’s thousands we wasted.”

He decided to move to Austin after this first semester at DBU. At this point he did everything he did not do while he was growing up. He became a bartender down on Sixth Street. I mean, that’s a horrible place down there. And I’ve been there and seen it. There’s shootings, there’s drugs. Things went downhill from there so that 10 years later he’s on the street, using alcohol and drugs, and had developed all kinds of mental issues. As it turned out, he would come back and we took him in for a while—big mistake. After fixing sheet rock for a couple of months after he would put holes in the walls when he’d have a fit or something, I said, “Chris, we love you, but you got to go, man.”

He was on the street again—Houston, Austin, Fort Worth. He slept in the park and stole stuff to get by. We’d get him in a rehab center and he’d walk out. The last time he was in Austin he fell asleep on the state Capitol steps, probably drunk, and it was summer. The metal edge of the steps gave him third-degree burns on his legs and back so that he had to have surgery to save his life. We brought him home again for recovery, but he began doing the same old stuff and I had to send him out again. He was on the street in Fort Worth until he earned enough money to move to California. We never saw him again. 

Chris was living on the beach out there for a year and a half. A minister worked with him a little bit, but we finally got a call from some city official asking us if we had a son named Chris. I said I did. He was dead. It was Pasadena, I think. We had to go through getting him transported back here. We had this funeral at Cross City Church [in Euless], where I serve as a deacon.

Vicky and I went through such emotional issues with this, but we had the church come around and see us through. We still have people praying for us. I would say what I learned from all that’s happened is to depend on the Lord. He’s the one that gets you through all this stuff.

Chris Parnell is seen getting baptized as an adult. SUBMITTED PHOTO

"Vicky and I went through such emotional issues with this, but we had the church come around and see us through."

Lloyd Parnell Tweet

But to back up to 2015: A pastor, Ben Hayes, had taken Chris in while he was in Houston. For a while, Chris had a job and we were encouraged, but it didn’t work out. But Pastor Hayes would invite him over to his home to watch football, and he talked with him about his relationship with Christ. The pastor sent us a picture of Chris getting baptized. That photo is something that’s given us hope and encouragement since Chris died back in 2020. 

I thought I had professed Christ when I was a teenager. I grew up in church and was ordained as a deacon, but I was not actually saved. A few years later, as I was coming back from East Texas, I realized I wasn’t saved and I was praying, “Lord, I want you to change me. I’m a church member, haven’t missed a Sunday through five years in junior high and high school. I still have my Sunday school pin [for perfect attendance], but I’m miserable.” Inside, I said, “I’ve got to get this Jesus thing all settled up.”

In a pickup truck, I invited Christ in my life and completely changed. I was about 25 and went back, told the church, and the pastor said, “What? You just accepted Christ?”

When I accepted Christ, I just started sharing the gospel. I was a counselor at a Billy Graham event over at the old Cowboys stadium. I mean, I just did all kinds of things as God opened doors. But in December of 2020, after Christopher died in April, I began a ministry of telling our story everywhere that I have an opportunity. There’s two stories that I share: his and mine. That could be at the grocery store, the gas station, it could be on vacation or in church. 

Since December 2020, I’ve shared the gospel 405 times to 728 people. About 290 of them have made professions of faith. I just keep that as an encouragement to me.

5 minutes: Q&A with Pam Copeland

Pam Copeland recently retired after 35 years of faithful service as children’s minister at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock. The lifelong Southcrest member met her husband, Mark, in the church’s youth group. They have now been married 44 years. In March, Copeland was honored with a lifetime ministry award at the Heart of the Child Conference for preschool, children’s and family ministry leaders.

What are some of the changes you’ve seen in children’s ministry over your more than three decades of service? 

I would say technology and screen time have been the biggest changes. Keeping kids involved with different attention-grabbers is hard when their little minds are in constant motion already. We know screens are here to stay, so we tried to embrace change and use it to help keep kids involved while also keeping traditional hands-on techniques as well. I always wanted learning about God to be fun. At the core, kids just want to be known, seen, validated, and loved—and God sees all of that. We talk every time we meet about Jesus and what He did for me and them. 

How did you adjust to the changing times?

We adjusted to these changes by using videos to help keep kids involved during our large group times, but we always circled back to being hands-on in God’s Word. We let them know how to use the Bible to find the answers and how they can apply it in their everyday lives. Our culture has a way of [leaning heavily] into technology, but teaching our kids to listen to and think through God’s Word on their own has always been at the root of what we do. Change is inevitable, so see what works and be willing to be flexible. We have to think of these times as an ever-changing way to share a never-changing message. 

What are some of the most effective strategies you’ve put into place or seen others use to teach the Bible to children?

Bible drill has always been one of my favorite ways to teach the Bible to kids. Awana is another great discipleship tool to keep kids involved. If kids don’t know where to find things in their Bible, they become uninterested and give up. It is like trying to get to someone’s house without an address. We want them to seek Him and look to God’s Word for guidance. The Bible is not just a book of do’s and don’ts, but a book of action, adventure, love, and history that is alive with all God has for them. Lifeway’s Explorer Bible is so great for all kids and helps them learn so much. Scripture memory will always stay with a child, and we know God’s Word doesn’t return void. They will use this knowledge the rest of their lives. 

What are some things you can celebrate in children’s ministry at Southcrest as you retire?

Relationships with kids, parents, and my volunteers have been my greatest joy in ministry. Getting to serve with and alongside them all has changed me forever. My heart is full. People at Southcrest have always been servants and invested in me, and I was blessed to be able to share that with others. 

What’s next for you?

Well, I have never found in God’s Word where it says we are to ever quit sharing the gospel or serving, so I will continue to serve in my church, travel, spend time with my family, and see what grand adventure the Lord directs me to next.

Making the gospel accessible to all people

Editor’s note: Each year on the second Sunday in July, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches celebrate Disability Ministry Sunday as a reminder of our calling to make the gospel accessible to all people. Disability Ministry Sunday this year is July 12.

In 2020, Lifeway Research shared the results of a study on church accessibility. They found that 99% of Protestant pastors and 97% of Protestant churchgoers believed that people with disabilities would feel welcome at their churches. 

When families like mine read these results, we were astounded. Based on our experiences, we knew the percentage of churches that are accessible and welcoming to our families was nowhere near 99%. There was clearly a gap between what pastors and churchgoers believed and what people with disabilities and their families experienced.

Part of that gap comes down to two words in the question: “disabilities” and “welcome.” “Disabilities” is one word that describes thousands of experiences. It describes a senior adult using a wheelchair for mobility and a 10-year-old who has an autism diagnosis. There’s a big difference in what they need from a church to participate. 

The word “welcome” is also broad. Does it mean a person in a wheelchair can get in the building because there’s a ramp? Or does it mean there are opportunities for the 10-year-old to be discipled at his level of cognitive understanding in a sensory environment where he feels safe and calm?

When families hear that churches believe they are welcoming, they are still left wondering exactly what that means for their loved one with a disability. What steps of accessibility and inclusion is the church taking? 

These families make up a considerable percentage of the population across Texas. For many of them, Sunday morning is not a time of rest and spiritual renewal. Think about the experience of that family that has a 10-year-old with autism. Church can be a logistical challenge filled with uncertainty about whether their child will be accepted, whether staff will know how to respond if he has a meltdown, and whether they will be able to sit in the service or spend the entire hour in the hallway.

I reached out to my local school district to ask how many students are in the special education program, either under an individualized education program or 504 support, which provides accommodations to students with disabilities. They said it’s close to 25%. That means 25% of the kids and teens in my Houston suburb need accommodations to learn at school. These same students may need accommodations at church to learn, participate, and respond to the gospel as well. But do our children’s and youth ministry volunteers feel equipped to meet these needs? Are our worship services accessible to those with physical and sensory needs? Do people with disabilities have opportunities to serve their churches with the gifts God has given them? 

It’s also worth remembering that disability touches nearly every family at some point. A car accident, a diagnosis, the natural aging process—any of these can bring disability into a household that never anticipated it. When that moment comes, the church has a profound opportunity to be a source of comfort, community, and hope—but only if it has already done the work of becoming a place where people with disabilities are genuinely known and included, not just tolerated. For many churches, there are still steps they can take, but they may not be aware of the resources available to help.

"If you want to reach people with disabilities, share the gospel with them, and include them in your church’s opportunities for discipleship, worship, fellowship, and service."

Sandra Peoples Tweet

Church accessibility for people with disabilities will be a big topic at this year’s Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando. The Disability Ministry Task Force, appointed last year by the Executive Committee, will present its findings and recommendations. They will include recommendations for state conventions, and I’m happy to report the SBTC is already leading the way in meeting these recommendations. We have a disability ministry consultant available to talk about the steps your church can take. We have six regional specialists who can evaluate your church’s current level of accessibility and lead trainings for volunteers and church leaders. Our team includes a specialist who can equip our Spanish-speaking churches.

Another way we support churches seeking to be more accessible is through our Disability Ministry Network, which includes a newsletter and a Facebook group. These opportunities are available to any church leader or volunteer who wants to keep up with trainings and conference sessions, learn more about resources, and ask questions that other ministry leaders can respond to with their experience and expertise. 

Lifeway Research recently did a follow-up study to the one released in 2020. Those results have not yet been released, but I anticipate a decline in the number of pastors and churchgoers who say people with disabilities would feel welcome at their churches. But that will be good news! It will show that more churches are aware of the needs they aren’t currently meeting for people with disabilities in their communities. That realization is the first step in reaching out for help and getting training so your children’s ministry, youth ministry, and every ministry in your church will feel equipped and ready to include the people with disabilities and their families God will bring to your church.

The mission field is ripe with opportunity. If you want to reach people with disabilities, share the gospel with them, and include them in your church’s opportunities for discipleship, worship, fellowship, and service—then reach out for help. Start by joining our Disability Ministry Network and let us know what steps you want to take from there. Let’s make every SBTC church a place where every special-needs family is welcome and included.

GuideStone expands property & casualty insurance solutions for Texas churches

GuideStone has transitioned its property and casualty insurance solutions to an independent agency model through GuideStone Agency Services, which is operated by GuideStone. This move marks a significant step forward in expanding the scope and flexibility of its offerings in the Lone Star State.

GuideStone has provided insurance guidance and risk management support to churches and ministries for nearly 20 years. With this model, GuideStone Agency Services is now able to work with multiple property and casualty insurance carriers, allowing for greater flexibility in coverage structures and options as services expand into additional states.

“This program now allows us to evaluate coverage across more carriers and better match policies to a church’s actual needs,” said Matt Cardwell, a 30-year veteran of GuideStone who is serving as managing director of the agency.

Texas service expansion

Texas churches are among the first to benefit from the expanded property and casualty insurance model. The initial service footprint reflects current capacity and areas of strong church concentration as the agency begins serving churches in additional states.

“Churches today are navigating insurance decisions that are far more complex than they were just a few years ago,” Cardwell said. “Our role is to help leaders understand how policy structure and coverage terms affect risk.”

Looking beyond premium

As churches evaluate insurance options in a challenging market, the agency team encourages leaders to look beyond premium alone and carefully review how coverage is structured.

Some policies may appear comparable at first glance but differ significantly in how they respond at the time of a claim. Focusing solely on price can lead churches to accept provisions that may reduce the level of financial protection available when it is needed most.

For example, certain liability structures may limit coverage for claims reported years after an incident if prior acts protections are not included, particularly in areas involving serious misconduct allegations. In addition, some policies include defense costs within the liability limit, meaning legal expenses can reduce the funds available to resolve claims.

Property-related provisions can also affect outcomes. In some cases, insurers may control repair scope and pricing through managed repair provisions, which can result in settlements below full replacement expectations. Roof coverage may also be subject to separate sublimits and higher deductibles, capping recovery well below the building’s insured value.

Cardwell noted that the consultative, multi-carrier approach is designed to help churches evaluate these considerations by comparing coverage terms across carriers and aligning solutions with each church’s actual risks and financial tolerance.

“Insurance decisions made today can affect a church’s financial health for many years,” said David Puckett, GuideStone chief growth officer. “Providing clarity around risk and coverage helps church leaders protect their ministries now while planning responsibly for the future.”

Puckett and Cardwell also emphasized the importance of working with insurance professionals who understand the unique characteristics of church ministry. General-market agencies may not fully account for the complexities of church property, liability exposures and ministry activities, while specialized guidance can help ensure those factors are properly considered.

Long-term expansion plans

GuideStone’s ministry assignment from the Southern Baptist Convention includes making risk management resources available to churches nationwide. While the agency currently operates in select states, the organization plans to expand its geographic footprint over time.

“GuideStone’s work is rooted in strengthening pastors, churches and ministries so they can serve well today and prepare for tomorrow,” said Hance Dilbeck, GuideStone president. “Expanding GuideStone Agency Services is a natural extension of that responsibility—helping churches address risk thoughtfully in ways that support long-term ministry effectiveness.”

For more information, or to request a quote, visit GuideStone.org/propertycasualty.

SBTC DR Louisiana deployment brings hope and new life

MOREAUVILLE, La.—The week America turned 250, a couple in Louisiana discovered a new kind of freedom in Jesus Christ, thanks to a divine appointment with Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief crews who brought help and hope to this small town in Avoyelles Parish.

Mid-June torrential rains from Tropical Storm Arthur swamped central and southern Louisiana, southeastern Mississippi, and lower Alabama, prompting Southern Baptist Disaster Relief crews to action. SBTC DR volunteers hastened to the Bayou State mere days after the deluge. Assessors, chaplains, support feeding, and incident management teams were hard at work in the field by June 25.

“It is a typical deployment doing mud out—a dirty job,” said Wally Leyerle, SBTC DR associate and incident commander at Moreauville. One job, he added, proved especially providential.

As usual, assessors visited survivors to gauge property damage and ascertain if SBTC DR recovery crews could provide assistance. A six-person team operating out of Flint Baptist Church contacted homeowners Steve and Cindy to follow through on a work request the couple had submitted. A job that would normally take two days turned into a week-long project at the home.

“It was real strange. Normally we don’t take a week to do a job like that. Normally that job would take a couple days,” said David McClung, Flint team leader. “The heat and humidity slowed us up. We also had to move things in the house. Normally, when we go in a house, there’s nothing inside. We just go in and handle the ‘bad stuff’”—soggy sheetrock, wet flooring, sodden carpet. “Here we had some extra work.”

Volunteers also found they had the homeowners working alongside them when Steve and Cindy insisted on helping.

“We usually see the homeowner at the beginning and maybe at the end,” McClung explained, noting that the couple jumped in to help by moving and packing items while crews tore off sheetrock and hauled debris and ruined flooring outside before spraying the home with anti-mold treatment.

Throughout the week, volunteers and homeowners became friends—and eventually brothers and sisters in Christ.

Motivated by the flood

SBTC DR volunteers Andie and Jack Skidmore of Bryan-College Station deployed with the Flint team. Flood response is dear to Andie’s heart, as she experienced flooding twice as a child in Houston.

“Evangelism is my passion. In DR, recovery is my favorite thing to do,” Andie said. “I had been in [the homeowners’] place before. I know what it is to have your home either destroyed or flooded and not know what to do.”

Each day, before work begins, SBTC DR teams circle up to pray with homeowners. “We can see the pain they are going through,” Andie said.

She sensed a kindred spirit in homeowner Cindy.

“If you need someone to talk to,” Andie told Cindy, turning around to reveal the word “Chaplain” emblazoned on the back of her yellow SBTC DR shirt, “I will pray with you anytime.”

“I am Catholic, you know,” Cindy replied.

“That’s OK,” Andie said. “I can pray for you.”

Throughout the week, other team members encouraged Steve and Cindy. “We loved on ’em and prayed with ’em,” McClung said.

The homeowners worked and watched, noting the respectful manner in which the DR volunteers carried their damaged household belongings outside to be hauled away. The ladies in the crew comforted Cindy with hugs and reassurances.

The homeowners also noted the cheerful demeanor of the volunteers.

“Our team is familiar with each other… We chat, laugh, have fun. People hear us and they see we are in the muck, drenched in sweat. None of us get angry with each other. None are in a bad mood,” Andie said.

By the third morning of the job, Cindy was waiting outside for the crews.

“Are we gonna pray today?” she asked. They did, and Cindy’s eagerness prompted Andie to visit with her privately.

“Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart?” Andie asked. Seldom had Andie been so direct, but she remembered Leyerle’s admonition that DR was about more than physical restoration.

“I don’t believe I have,” Cindy replied.

“Would you like to?” Andie asked, explaining the plan of salvation when Cindy said yes.

Afterward, Andie announced, “We have a new sister today. Welcome her,” and crews paused to cheer and hug Cindy, who implored Andie to tell her husband about salvation in Jesus as well. Clint, too, trusted Christ.

The couple was “on top of the world excited,” Andie said.

Witnessing to the homeowners was a team effort. Everyone played a part through weeklong conversation and prayer.

“Nobody was pushy,” Andie said. “It was nothing I did. It was a joint thing. We loved on them first. We prayed together as a group for them. We laughed. We cried together. … I was just an instrument the Lord used. Thank you, Jesus.”

All free

On day five, work completed, and the crew returned to the home and presented Steve and Cindy with a Bible. As is their practice, SBTC DR crews left the home cleaner than they found it, dirt removed with shop vacs. The couple could again breathe in their home, all sour smells of mold and wet carpet gone.

The homeowners found it “incredible” that the work was provided at no charge, Andie said.

It was totally free, as was their salvation in Christ Jesus.

DR crews continue to serve in Louisiana. As of mid-July, SBTC DR volunteers have contributed 2,590 volunteer hours in the deployment. They have prepared nearly 1,000 meals, made 243 emotional and spiritual care contacts, and assessed and completed almost 40 residential jobs. SBDR crews from Georgia rotated in July 7 to relieve their Texas counterparts, SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice confirmed.

Finding new life at your church through children’s ministry

Editor’s note: Matthew Phenix is senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Canadian. This article was originally published through Southwestern Seminary’s Equip The Called. It is being republished here with permission.

You’ve most likely heard that children are the future of the church. Indeed, if there are no children, the church has no future. Many aging churches are finding themselves with only senior adults left, but they want their church to survive. A new, younger pastor might fix some things, but intentionally reaching the next generation is key to church revitalization.

Youth and student ministries have a robust history in Southern Baptist and evangelical circles, and rightly so. But, if you reach the children, eventually you will also grow a thriving youth ministry as those sweet kids grow into teenagers.

That is what happened with us. We took the long road, but we now have students in every grade.

First Baptist in Canadian, where I serve as pastor, has seen its fair share of troubles and changes, as is the case with most churches. The children’s ministry was still using programming that required many more volunteers than we had available at the time. We meant well, but we  were just continuing what had always been done without being intentional.

So, we tried something I would not necessarily recommend for every church: We stopped kids programming for a year except for Sunday school. The main positive thing that came out of this was a desire of the older members to see a children’s program again. We spent the year planning our relaunch, and were able to leverage that desire to recruit volunteers when we reintroduced the program.

There is no one-size-fits-all plan, either for church revitalization or children’s ministry, but here are a few things we’ve learned along our way on this journey.

Don’t wait for a children’s minister

Pastors, if you are an average-sized church, you are the head of everything, including the children’s ministry. With this in mind, if you want a good children’s ministry, you must be willing to lead it. If you don’t know how, learn to! Pastoring isn’t just about Sunday morning preaching. Be willing to hop in the trenches and lead the kids, too. One of the roles of the pastor is to, “… equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

You must be willing to raise up leaders to work with the children. Eventually, it might be something you can entrust to someone else. But if God hasn’t provided a dedicated children’s minister, then right now might be the time that you must put in the work. I promise you, seeing kids come to Christ will be one of the biggest blessings you will ever have in ministry.

Have a plan

Launching or re-launching a children’s ministry without a plan is like going to milk a cow without a bucket. You can be doing something, but did you really accomplish anything? Schools carefully structure children’s time for a reason. Empty time for kids is not a good thing, so you need to provide structure from the moment they arrive to when they are picked up. Have welcome games planned that coincide with the lesson. Make sure the lesson is age-appropriate for the group of children you have. And if you can divide up your kids by grade groups, you can more specifically tailor your lessons for those specific groups.

Children’s ministry is not the place to wing it. Plan every second.

Rightsizing your program

We needed a program that would work with the children versus volunteer ratio we had. So, we adopted a structure which transitioned from a lesson by a master teacher into a small group format. Having the main lesson taught by one person meant the other volunteers just needed to ask some follow-up questions during small group time. This lower threshold of responsibility made it easier to recruit volunteers.

Our schedule was simple: free play outside in the church lawn, play a game (either inside or outside as a group), have a main lesson, small group time, a follow-up trivia game with buzzers, then closing. The opening games were relevant to the lesson of the night, and for our first year’s curriculum, we walked through the heroes of the Bible. This worked well for our small number of volunteers.

Rightsizing your ministry will be an ongoing task, especially as your ministry grows. Years later, as we have grown, we have an amazing children’s minister who teaches second through fifth grade, while a volunteer teaches pre-K through first grade. They are completely split in their own age-appropriate programming once we begin. We also have a nursery for birth through 3 years old with their own programming and volunteers. We are once again rightsizing as God keeps blessing us with more children. Growth is a wonderful problem to have and an opportunity to reassess resources and staffing to keep up with the children God brings to your ministry.

Summer is for outreach

Every summer, parents are looking for a safe place for their kids to go and have fun. Your church can be that place! Children’s summer activities are a great opportunity to reach new families your church might not have had contact with before. Here are some ideas: pizza and movie lunch, water days, trips to the community pool, trips to a trampoline park, even Vacation Bible School. These times connect you with parents, and they also give you the opportunity to get to know the kids and where they are spiritually. These families then become an easy contact point to invite on Sundays and Wednesdays, especially when you restart your midweek program in the fall.

Making the choice to focus on children’s ministry many years ago was one of the best decisions we ever made as a church. We have seen numerous young families join our church through it, but most importantly, we have seen numerous children come to faith in Jesus Christ.