IRVING—In 3 John 5, John commends Gaius for his generosity to brothers and sisters in the faith.

Some 2,000 years later, standing behind a podium at the Irving Convention Center, West Conroe Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jesse Payne referenced that passage of Scripture and echoed John’s words before a ballroom filled with hundreds of believers representing Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches from across the state.

Payne, the keynote speaker at this year’s Cooperative Program luncheon held Feb. 24 during the annual Empower Conference, thanked SBTC churches for their generous giving while issuing a stirring challenge.

“Kingdom cooperation is in our DNA as Southern Baptists and more so as New Testament Christians,” Payne said. “It is worth your church’s continual investment. It is one of the greatest tools to see the kingdom advance. … This goal, this vision, [should not be] the last item that is budgeted if there are a few dollars left over at the end of the month,” but instead “an item of high priority.”

Earlier, SBTC Associate Executive Director Joe Lightner explained the Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ united giving model for fulfilling the Great Commission. The SBTC forwards 55% of undesignated receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention for national and international ministry while retaining 45% to mobilize Texas churches. Those churches are mobilized on three pathways: resourcing churches, networking leaders, and advancing mission.

“CP maximizes a church’s return on kingdom investment,” Lightner said. Later, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick added that the Cooperative Program “is still the most effective financial means for churches to cooperate to see the world won for Christ.”

In addressing the luncheon, Payne said his aim was not so much to preach a sermon, but to offer an encouraging reminder “about your church’s place in the story God is writing around the world through the Cooperative Program.”

He then shared how CP giving had shaped his own story.

‘Let’s stay faithful’

As a 21-year-old college baseball player, Payne’s sights were set on a professional career as a player, scout, coach, or front office executive. He had opportunities, but developed a deep burden that the Lord wanted him to serve in a local church.

“I love people, the Scriptures … I wanted to serve,” Payne said. “I had no clue what a call to ministry meant. I could turn a double play, but I could barely turn to the book of Haggai.”

Payne started attending a Southern Baptist church where he met his future wife, met fellow believers, and learned that his seminary education could be partially subsidized through the Cooperative Program.

“Just like I have never gotten over the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have never gotten over the generosity of Southern Baptists throughout the country who helped me,” Payne said.

That generous spirit, he argued, must be maintained.

“In a world increasingly marked by individualism, suspicion of authority, economic uncertainty, and tribalism … the risk is that people and even churches will pull back and begin to do their thing rather than our thing,” he said. “Our thing as Southern Baptists has always been coming together to advance the gospel to the ends of the earth.”

Confusion reigns in our culture, Payne said, but God has called Christians not to be confused about what is of first importance: Christ’s death and resurrection—the news of which they have been commissioned to carry throughout the nations.

“In this broken world, let’s not be confused. Let’s stay faithful. Let’s stay generous,” Payne urged. “I can’t wait to see the stories God will write through the churches represented in this room.”

The Monday evening session of the 2026 Empower Conference included a question-and-answer session on the topic of avoiding ministry burnout. The panel, led by Southern Baptists of Texas Convention evangelism consultant Ryan Fontenot, included Amy Hinote, a pastor’s wife and educator; Danny Rangel, a young adult pastor; and Shanon Thomas, a pastor and counselor. The following is an excerpt of that conversation edited for clarity and length.

Fontenot: What’s often behind the feeling of burnout that a pastor or church leader might have?

Thomas: I think there are a couple of things happening when we see this. One is that we’re very good at establishing unrealistic expectations for ourselves. We look at the work we’re doing and establish these expectations that are not really realistic to where we are or to the tools or skills we have. The other thing is that we can be very good at working for God and not working with God. What tends to happen is, we look at the work we want to do, and we think it is a great work. In the meantime, the Lord is working [in a different place] in our ministry, and rather than working with Him, we’re over here working for Him. We’re not necessarily doing anything bad, but we’re not joining the work God is really doing. I’ve learned that when I’m joined to what God is doing and working with Him, it is always fruitful. When I’m working for God, the results are not as good.

Rangel: Social media is prevalent in the lives of every single one of us. What it causes us to do is look at what other people are doing, and we start comparing ourselves to them and then we feel so tempted to do what they are doing. I think social media is a beautiful thing, especially for churches and ministries, but I pray we would [interact on social media] not out of comparison, but out of celebration. … I don’t think Gen Z really cares as much about prosperity as they care about platforms. That’s the reality young adults are facing—not a false prosperity gospel, but a false platform gospel. “How can I raise my platform? How can I get more social media followers? How can I raise that status for myself?” My hope is that we can show them who Jesus is, and that they would fall more in love with Him and not more in love with a platform.

Hinote: I think as a pastor’s wife, you can struggle with your identity and say things like, “I’m not as good as the pastor’s wife over there” … or [question] what my role is. So, you compare yourself, and that is not the role God has called you to. If He wanted you to sing or lead the children’s ministry, He would have called you to do that. So, if you’re a pastor’s wife, you need to figure out what God is calling you to do in that role. … [Suffering in silence] makes you feel like you have nobody to talk to, that nobody would understand your position or how you can serve your church when nobody knows you’re struggling yourself. There’s things you can’t go talk to another woman about because it’s confidential information, or it’s a job change and so you harbor a lot of anxiety, maybe even anger inside, and you have no outlet for that.

Fontenot: What has God used to help pull you out of a season of despair that you’ve experienced?

Rangel: Fifteen years down the road of my ministry, there have been moments when burnout was close to being a reality. I think for me, having moments of rest, living a life of margin, [have helped]. Sabbath is one of those things we love to read about or listen to conversations about on podcasts, but something we rarely practice. I would encourage you to find really practical ways to make rest happen. Over the past couple of years, we’ve implemented some practices like putting our phones away. Our phones have a great setting where you can turn it on focus mode. It literally transforms my phone into Sabbath mode. That’s brought so much health and rhythm to my life.

Thomas: For me, it was really two things. One was to create a self-care routine. How do I take care of myself? How much sleep do I get? How much movement do I get? What am I putting in my body [for fuel]? The second thing is probably the most powerful for me—I learned how to be a servant. I wasn’t good at being a son in my relationship with the Lord. I really needed to work on that. I was very focused on what it means to serve others and to serve them well, but I hadn’t really focused on what it meant to be His son. That was transformational for me. I found rest in what it meant to just be His son.

Hinote: When I grew up, I was raised in a Christian home, but not a lot of personal Bible reading time was applied in my home. When I learned how to [Sabbath and rest], it grew my faith. When I’m getting stuck, I can recall Scripture, I can recall a story or a situation, and that would help me through that. Also, having somebody I can go and vent to in a safe space, instead of harboring these things inside, also helps. It’s a place for me to know somebody else cares. Sometimes I’m not looking for answers. I’m just looking for what you might call a listening ear, somebody to bounce an idea off of … somebody to reassure me that, “Yes, this is really happening, and it’s going to be OK.”

Fontenot: What would you say to somebody who’s in this room right now and they’re struggling and ready to quit?

Rangel: Remember that the gospel is for you, too. So many of us in this room are pastors. If somebody asked you to preach right now, you could articulate the gospel. … But when was the last time you reminded yourself of the gospel? I think [pastors and church leaders] need to be reminded that the gospel is for us, too. And when we’re reminded of that, we’re reminded of our identity in Jesus.

Thomas: That you have a Father who unconditionally loves you and sees where you are in this moment, and no matter how painful it may be, He will meet you in this moment and carry you through. That this is only a fraction of time that will pass, and He will even use the pain you’re dealing with right now to build upon what He’s going to do in and through you.

Hinote: You’re not alone. This reminds me of Mary. She was told she was going to [be the mother of] our Savior, and who does she turn to? Nobody believed her. You might feel that way, but you are not alone. God has a purpose for you. Ask for help and know God’s Word is there for you. That’s what you should turn to first, and then turn to somebody who can also lead you, encourage you, and edify you in those situations as you go through them.