Author: Jayson Larson

Executive board affirms commitment to mobilize SBTC churches to reach Europe with the gospel

LUBBOCK—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has taken steps to deepen its commitment to reversing the growing trend of lostness in Europe.

During its Oct. 29 meeting, the SBTC Executive Board approved a $556,000 grant to strengthen its ministry partnership with the International Mission Board. The grant will be used over the next three years to support IMB’s “Everyone Equipped” initiative in Europe.

The scope of the initiative would provide IMB personnel in Europe with coaching, mentoring, and accountability training in an estimated 20 cluster groups from 102 regions. Additionally, it would provide Great Commission training for local believers and funding for a one-time affinity-wide gathering for all IMB field leadership.

“This will not be just a series of trainings, but the development of a culture of coaching, mentoring, and accountability for our workers and local partners,” according to information provided from IMB to the Executive Board. “We trust that as we focus on the Word in the power of the Spirit, the Lord of the harvest will answer our prayers for multitudes of maturing disciples, leaders, churches, and missionaries across Europe.”

In 2023, the SBTC launched a new mission focus—to mobilize churches to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world. Part of that strategy includes its ministry partnership with the IMB called Reach Europe. In May 2025, 33 pastors and association leaders traveled on a vision tour of Europe to identify opportunities for SBTC churches to mobilize alongside local churches on what IMB considers the most lost continent on the planet.

SBTC churches are already being mobilized through Reach Europe. This past August, members from more than 20 churches traveled to Prague to minister to and encourage approximately 200 missionary children. Additionally, more than a handful of SBTC churches have already stated their intention to travel to Europe in the near future to work with local churches to strengthen them and widen their gospel reach.

Additional Reach Europe vision tours are planned for 2026.

New board officers selected

Wes Hinote, senior pastor of Old River Baptist Church in Winfree, was chosen to serve as board chairman at the Oct. 29 meeting. He replaces Steven Gaither, who is stepping down from the position after announcing he has accepted the call to serve as the new executive director of Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center.

James Jordan, executive pastor at First Baptist Church Forney, was selected to serve as the board’s vice chairman, filling the role left vacant by Hinote. Averri LeMalle, senior pastor of The Church at Jersey Village, was elected secretary.

Latest Richards endowment recipients announced

Board members learned the latest recipients have been selected for the Jim and June Richards Endowment for Kingdom Advance.

The endowment’s purpose is to support individuals or organizations which promote kingdom causes through religious ministry consistent with the doctrinal statements of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. It was established by the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation in 2021.

Richards, the convention’s founding executive director from 1998 through 2021, said he and his wife made the decisions for this year’s recipients after much prayer and consideration. Those recipients are:

The National Hispanic Baptist Network, led by former and longtime SBTC staff member Bruno Molina. Richards said he was excited when Molina accepted the role as the NHBN’s executive director, adding, “He is in a strategic position to influence millions for the cause of Christ.”
The La Chapelle Church Planting Network, a movement that has started numerous churches in Montreal, Canada—one of the largest unreached places in North America. “June and I have a special place in our hearts for Montreal,” Richards explained, noting that David Pothier, pastor of La Chapelle Church, has labored to bring the gospel to that area “with integrity and sacrifice.”
The June Richards Scholarship Endowment at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, which will be disbursed to support other women to faithfully fulfill the roles to which God has called them as Mrs. Richards has done in her own life. “June—my wife and ministry partner for 52 years—is a Proverbs 31 woman,” Richards said. “She served with me when I was a pastor, church planter, director of missions, and at the SBTC. Her prayers have impacted untold numbers of lives.”

Richards now serves as executive director emeritus. The SBTC grew from 120 churches to more than 2,600 churches during his tenure. Prior to coming to Texas, he pastored for 21 years in Louisiana and then served as an associational executive director in Northwest Arkansas.

Executive Committee expresses support for Credentials Committee’s work

Following the meeting, the SBTC Executive Committee released the following statement:

“We had an amazing annual meeting at Southcrest Baptist Church followed by a great Executive Board meeting as we celebrated what we are seeing God do through our network of churches, including our growing partnership with the IMB in Europe and the many ways our churches are advancing the mission in Texas and beyond. We also wish to express our appreciation in support of the Credentials Committee’s work in faithfully applying our governing documents and look forward to the results of our constitution and bylaws review committee that will begin work in November.”

Reunión Anual 2025: Oración y testimonios poderosos marcan una exitosa sesión en español

LUBBOCK—Más de cien pastores, líderes y miembros de iglesias hispanas se reunieron del 26 al 27 de octubre para celebrar lo que Dios está haciendo a través de sus congregaciones durante la sesión en español de la Reunión Anual de la Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas (SBTC, por sus siglas en inglés).

El evento dio inicio el domingo 26 con un tiempo de compañerismo y comida. El director ejecutivo de la SBTC, Nathan Lorick, se unió al grupo para compartir unas palabras de aprecio y ánimo hacia las iglesias.

“Estoy muy agradecido de que estén aquí”, expresó. “Sepan que la convención está para caminar con ustedes. Doy gracias a Dios por todo lo que Él ha hecho a través de los eventos, retiros y el trabajo de SBTC en Español. Ha sido fenomenal. Pero queremos que sigan caminando con nosotros, porque necesitamos plantar más iglesias en todo Texas, y contamos con ustedes”.

Haciendo más juntos

Esa misma noche, los asistentes se reunieron para un tiempo de adoración —dirigido por el pastor Diego Manosalva y el pastor Jonathan Reyna junto a su esposa Karla— y enseñanza bíblica. El mensaje principal fue predicado por Bruno Molina, director ejecutivo de la Red Nacional Bautista Hispana.

Su sermón, titulado “El Compañerismo Transformador” y basado en Hechos 2:41–47, destacó que los creyentes forman parte del equipo de Dios y que las obras preparadas por Él se cumplen en comunidad.

Molina explicó que la iglesia primitiva perseveraba en cuatro áreas esenciales:

Doctrina: escuchar, aprender y maravillarse ante la Palabra de Dios
Comunión: cultivar relaciones a través de la oración, la celebración y el servicio mutuo
Partimiento del pan: compartir la vida cristiana y recordar el sacrificio de Cristo
Oración: mantener una vida constante de comunicación con Dios

“Yo no creo en los milagros —dependo de ellos”, afirmó Molina, subrayando que la cooperación y la oración son la base de una iglesia viva. “Podemos hacer mucho más juntos que separados. La colaboración es el antídoto contra el individualismo expresivo”.

Durante el servicio hubo un tiempo especial de oración por plantadores de iglesias y sus esposas, dirigido por Luis González, director de SBTC en Español, junto a Luis López, pastor de Forney en Español y líder catalizador de plantación de iglesias hispanas para Send Network SBTC. Más de una docena de parejas de plantadores pasaron al frente y fueron rodeados por pastores de todo el estado para interceder por ellos, pidiendo fortaleza y provisión para su llamado.

Rivera es honrado por su legado ministerial

Durante la sesión, Michael Gonzales presentó el Reconocimiento al Legado Ministerial al pastor José “Joe” Rivera, de la Primera Iglesia Bautista en Grand Prairie, por su servicio fiel y compromiso con el evangelio.

Rivera, nacido en Monterrey, México, y criado en Texas, ha servido por más de 25 años en esa iglesia, donde pastorea desde el 2008. Junto a su esposa Nancy, con quien lleva 28 años de matrimonio, ha dedicado su vida a servir a Dios y a su comunidad con humildad y entrega. También ha sido activo en la Convención Bautista del Sur, la SBTC y diversas juntas y ministerios locales.

Capacitación y enseñanza

El programa del lunes 27 incluyó talleres enfocados en liderazgo, carácter y misión.

Terry Coy ofreció una perspectiva histórica sobre el poder transformador del evangelio en su taller “El Legado de la Cruz”.
David Ramírez habló sobre “Carácter antes que carisma”, exhortando a los líderes a priorizar el ser antes que el hacer.
Arlene Sanabria dirigió una sesión para mujeres titulada “Mi Parte en el Plan de Dios”, ayudándolas a descubrir su propósito en el reino.
Clara Molina enseñó “Testificando en medio del dolor”, animando a las mujeres a compartir su fe en tiempos de sufrimiento.

Un testimonio impactante

El programa del sábado concluyó con un almuerzo y un tiempo de testimonio dirigido por Luis González, quien compartió cómo ha visto la mano de Dios sostenerlo a él y a su familia a lo largo de su vida y ministerio.

González relató momentos en los que el Señor se mostró fiel: desde su llamado al ministerio, pasando por retos de salud que requirieron cinco cirugías, hasta el milagro del nacimiento de sus hijos después de un tiempo de oración y espera.

También compartió la historia de su hijo menor, Josué, quien partió con el Señor después de ocho meses de vida debido a una condición médica desde su nacimiento. Durante ese tiempo, Dios usó la vida de Josué para cumplir un propósito eterno: fortalecer la fe de sus padres, abrir puertas para compartir el evangelio en el hospital y ministrar a otras familias en medio del dolor.

“Dios nos permitió ver Su poder en nuestra debilidad”, dijo. “Nos sostuvo con una fuerza sobrenatural para seguir sirviendo, predicando y pastoreando en la Iglesia Bautista Lamar en Arlington”.

González exhortó a los pastores y líderes a buscar unidad, a no guardar silencio en tiempos difíciles y a apoyarse mutuamente en el cumplimiento de la misión.

AM25: Prayer, powerful testimonies mark Spanish sessions

LUBBOCK—More than a hundred pastors, leaders, and members of Hispanic churches gathered Oct. 26-27 to celebrate what God is doing through their churches during the Spanish session of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting.

The event began Sunday, Oct. 26, with a time of fellowship and food. SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick joined the group to express his appreciation and encouragement to the churches.

“I am very grateful you are here,” he said. “Know that the convention is here to walk with you. I thank God for all He has done through the events, retreats, and work of SBTC en Español. It has been phenomenal. But we want you to continue walking with us, because we need to plant more churches throughout Texas, and we are counting on you.”

Doing more together

On Sunday evening, attendees gathered for a time of worship—led by Pastor Diego Manosalva and Pastor Jonathan Reyna and his wife, Karla—and biblical teaching. The main message was delivered by Bruno Molina, executive director of the National Hispanic Baptist Network and former SBTC associate.

His sermon, titled “Transforming Fellowship” based on Acts 2:41–47, emphasized that believers are part of God’s team and that the works prepared by Him can only be accomplished in community.

Molina explained the early church persevered in four essential areas through:

Doctrine: listening, learning, and marveling at the Word of God;
Fellowship: cultivating relationships through prayer, celebration, and mutual service;
The breaking of bread: sharing Christian life and remembering Christ’s sacrifice; and
Prayer: maintaining a constant life of communication with God.

“I don’t believe in miracles—I depend on them,” Molina said, noting that cooperation and prayer are the foundation of a living church. “We can do much more together than apart. Collaboration is the antidote to expressive individualism.”

The service included a special time of prayer for church planters and their wives led by Luis González, director of SBTC en Español, along with Luis López, pastor of Forney en Español and Hispanic church planting lead catalyst for Send Network SBTC. More than a dozen planter couples were accompanied by pastors from across the state in a time of intercession, asking for strength and provision for their calling.

Rivera honored for lifetime of service

During the session, the Ministerial Legacy Recognition Award was presented by Michael Gonzales to José “Joe” Rivera, pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, for his faithful service and commitment to the gospel.

Rivera, born in Monterrey, Mexico, and raised in Texas, has served faithfully for more than a quarter century at the church, where he has been pastor since 2008. He and his wife of 28 years, Nancy, have dedicated their lives to serving God and their community with humility and commitment. He has been active in the Southern Baptist Convention and the SBTC, as well as various local boards and ministries.

Teaching and training

The program on Monday, Oct. 27, included workshops focused on leadership, character, and mission. Terry Coy, who offered a historical overview of the transforming power of the gospel, spoke about “The Legacy of the Cross.” David Ramirez spoke about “Character Before Charisma,” encouraging leaders to prioritize being over doing.

Arlene Sanabria addressed the women in attendance, speaking about “My Part in God’s Plan” and guiding them to discover their purpose in the kingdom of God. Clara Molina’s topic, “Testifying in the Midst of Pain,” encouraged women how to share their faith during times of suffering.

A powerful testimony

Saturday’s program concluded with lunch and a time of testimony led by Luis González, who shared how he has seen God’s hand sustain him and his family throughout his life and ministry. González recounted moments when the Lord proved Himself faithful—from his call to ministry, through health challenges that required five surgeries, to the miracle of the birth of his children after a time of prayer and waiting.

He also shared about the life of his youngest son, Josué, who departed to be with the Lord after eight months of life, facing a medical condition since birth. During that time, God used Josué’s life to fulfill an eternal purpose: to strengthen his parents’ faith, open doors to share the gospel in the hospital, and minister to other families in the midst of pain.

“God allowed us to see His power in our weakness,” González said. “He sustained us with supernatural strength to continue serving, preaching, and pastoring [during our time at] Lamar [Baptist] Church in Arlington.”

González encouraged pastors and leaders to seek unity, to not remain silent when going through difficult times, and to support one another on the path to fulfilling their mission.

AM25: Turner elected president as messengers conduct the business of the convention

LUBBOCK—Messengers to the 2025 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting held Oct. 27-28 at Southcrest Baptist Church conducted several items of business to support the work of the convention for the coming year.

Caleb Turner, senior pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, was elected president Tuesday morning. Turner formerly served as chairman of the SBTC Executive board—the youngest ever to hold that responsibility.

Ed Johnson III was re-elected vice president. He is lead pastor of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in DeSoto and was nominated by Averri LeMalle, senior pastor of The Church at Jersey Village. Kason Branch, senior pastor of Creekstone Church of North Richland Hills, nominated Amy Hinote to serve a second term as convention secretary. She is a pastor’s wife from First Baptist Church in Justin. All three officers were elected by acclamation.

The convention’s operating budget for 2026 will be $27.83 million, a .18% increase over the 2025 budget. The budget is essentially flat, with a $50,000 increase funded from designated funds. The SBTC budget continues to call for 55% of undesignated receipts to be sent to the Southern Baptist Convention, while 45% of undesignated receipts remain in Texas to mobilize SBTC churches.

The convention’s Executive Board submitted resolutions commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message. Jim Richards, SBTC executive director emeritus, presented the resolutions on behalf of the board. Reading from the resolution, Richards described the Cooperative Program as “a missions-funding strategy God has blessed to support and strengthen Southern Baptist efforts to share the gospel throughout the world.”

Messengers considered five resolutions produced by the Resolutions Committee. The first honored Danny Forshee, lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church, as he completed his second and final year as SBTC president. Another honorific resolution expressed gratitude to Southcrest Baptist Church and its senior pastor, David Wilson, for their “kind hospitality and generosity.”

The remainder of the resolutions highlighted the importance of freedom of speech; the need for prayer, fasting, and repentance; and an appreciation for the convention’s Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee for “[representing] our biblical convictions before the Texas Legislature.”

The convention registered 790 messengers for their West Texas meeting. Registered guests brought the total number of attendees to 1,289.

Three motions regarding Fielder Church in Arlington were ruled out of order due to being inconsistent with the convention’s Constitution and Bylaws. In August, the SBTC Executive Board formed a committee to review the Constitution and Bylaws. The committee will review the documents in their entirety to ensure the convention’s polity and affiliation requirements are clearly stated, particularly as they relate to the office and title of pastor. Proposed amendments will be published 90 days before being voted on by messengers to the 2026 annual meeting.

The 2026 SBTC Annual Meeting will be hosted by First Baptist Church Forney Oct. 26-27, 2026.

AM25: President’s lunch panel highlights ways SBTC churches can reach the nations

LUBBOCK—Paul Chitwood was pastoring a small rural church in Kentucky while attending seminary when he was invited to a world missions conference featuring speakers from the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board. It was his first real exposure to missions.

“My imagination and heart were captured by these people and what they were doing with their lives,” Chitwood said.

In 2002, while pastoring and teaching at seminary, Chitwood became an IMB trustee. It was another mile-marker moment in his life and ministry, he said, changing how he preached and taught.

Today, Chitwood serves as president of the IMB. Although he never served as a career missionary, he said he and his wife, Michelle, “feel called to do everything we can do to ensure that our missionaries have everything they need to do what God has called them to do.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 28—the final day of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting—Chitwood sat on a panel during the President’s Luncheon to share how the convention’s churches can engage with the IMB to do what God has called them to do. SBTC Missional Ministries Associate Colin Rayburn joined the panel, which was moderated by outgoing SBTC President Danny Forshee.

Mobilizing through M-Link, Reach Europe

Referring to Matthew 24:14—“This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”—Forshee asked the panel how SBTC churches can partner with the IMB to evangelize the world so Christ’s return might be hastened.

Rayburn mentioned M-Link, a new online tool that matches churches that have needs with sister churches that can meet those needs. Those churches may not only include SBTC churches, but those that are part of the convention’s ministry partnerships in Nevada, Puerto Rico, and Europe.

Chitwood also referenced the latter partnership, known as Reach Europe, as a way SBTC churches can engage with the nations. Reach Europe is a partnership between the SBTC and IMB to bring the gospel to what has been described as one of the most lost continents on the planet. In addition to churches mobilizing toward those opportunities, Chitwood urged continued giving through the Cooperative Program, which marked its 100^th anniversary this year.

“When you give a dollar to the Cooperative Program or the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, your church has a witness in 155 countries around the world,” he said. “They are your missionaries.”

Those missionaries are working hard daily to bring the gospel to the roughly 3,000 unreached, unengaged people groups—also known as UUPGs. Hundreds of people groups have been reached since the IMB’s Project 3000 launch a few years ago, but others have been discovered since. France, one of the countries included in the Reach Europe initiative, has 29 UUPGs, Chitwood noted.

A unique role

During a question-and-answer session, the panel conversation turned to the impact churches can have when they work together.

“The church working together is such a beautiful thing in SBC life,” Chitwood said, adding that missions might look different for a large church than it does at a smaller church.

“We are a large denomination of small churches,” Forshee added. He told the story of two pastors from smaller congregations who, after meeting with an indigenous IMB worker in South Asia, realized their churches could adopt a UUPG there for $250 per month— affordable for many congregations.

Rayburn said M-Link can help churches identify those kinds of opportunities, as well.

“Your church, no matter what size … [has] a unique role to play in the Great Commission,” he said.

AM25: Amid a year of celebration, Lorick challenges messengers: ‘Let’s lean in like never before’

LUBBOCK—Churches across the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention are mobilizing.

They are focused on prayer and continuing to generously support their shared mission by giving through the Cooperative Program. They are planting more churches than ever and joining forces with church leaders across state and national lines through strategic partnerships.

And they are seeing—and celebrating—God’s blessing in those areas and many more.

In his Oct. 28 report to messengers at the SBTC Annual Meeting, hosted by Southcrest Baptist Church, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick shared some of the victories the Lord has provided in 2025. Thousands came to faith in Christ through events such as Crossover Dallas, which included 59 SBTC churches; disaster relief deployments that included a response to historic flooding in the Texas Hill Country; and evangelistic events such as M3 student camps and Youth Week.

Throughout the past year, Southern Baptists marked the 100^th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message, as well as the Cooperative Program—the giving mechanism through which SBTC churches have given $580 million over the past quarter century. Thirty-four churches have been mobilized overseas as part of the convention’s Reach Europe ministry partnership with the International Mission Board.

And by the end of the year, leaders expect 70 churches to have been planted in Texas—the most in any single year in SBTC history. In the four years since the SBTC teamed up with the North American Mission Board to plant churches under the Send Network SBTC banner, 200 churches have been started, Lorick said, noting that an “amazing” 98% of those have survived to date.

“Our vision is to mobilize all SBTC churches to mobilize disciple-making movements—movements energized by prayer, that prioritize evangelism, normalize disciple-making, maximize sending, and synergize partnerships,” Lorick said.

Each of those five markers, he told messengers, can be seen through the ministries of SBTC churches across the state. They are exemplified by a movement of God reported at First Baptist Church in Carrizo Springs, about an hour from the Texas-Mexico border, where an emphasis on prayer has led to 52 people being baptized and regular attendance rising over 40% this past year.

In the North Texas community of Colleyville, disciple-making has been normalized in a way that is creating a pipeline of leaders—including, in one instance, a man leaving a successful business career to step into full-time ministry—who are making second- and third-generation disciples. Or in League City, where Bay Area Church sacrificially sent out one of its younger youth workers to plant a church in an area that needed a strong gospel witness.

As he spoke of each marker, Lorick cited other examples of SBTC churches making an eternal impact. When considered together, they reveal a unified, growing convention of more than 2,800 churches laser-focused on advancing the mission.

“That is what we see: a vision of all SBTC churches mobilized and multiplying disciple-making movements,” Lorick said. “Movements where our churches are resourced, leaders are networked, and the mission is advanced. Movements that saturate our state with the gospel and take it to the ends of the earth.

“It is a vision of cooperation—doing more together than any one church could do on its own,” he continued. “The apostles saw this vision. The messengers at the 1925 SBC Annual Meeting [where the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message were adopted] saw it. The founding churches of the SBTC in 1998 saw it. Now, it’s our turn to pursue it.”

In closing, Lorick thanked messengers for their commitment to the gospel and their generosity in supporting “our shared mission.”

“Let’s lean in together like never before,” he said. “Let us lead the way as the gospel advances in America and the world, starting right here in Texas through the churches of the SBTC.”

AM25: Ponder ‘humbled and surprised’ to receive Leaders Legacy Award

LUBBOCK—Russ Ponder, who has served West Texas churches for more than 25 years, received the Leaders Legacy Award during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board report on Tuesday, Oct. 28, the second day of the convention’s annual meeting.

Ponder pastors First Baptist Church of Hamlin.

“I am humbled and surprised to receive the Leaders Legacy Award,” Ponder said. “[I’m] deeply grateful for the SBTC’s 25-year impact on my life and the churches God has allowed me to serve.”

The Leaders Legacy Award was established in 2021 by the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation to annually recognize an individual who has “distinguished himself or herself by service to Christ through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention or the Southern Baptist Convention.” The foundation funded from unrestricted reserves the initial corpus of an endowment to provide the award each year.

Ponder has served churches in Potosi, Hamlin, and Farwell since his ordination in 2000. He was youth pastor and senior pastor for First Baptist Farwell in addition to First Baptist Hamlin.

His ministry has been marked by growth and effective evangelism. Since coming to Hamlin in 2021, the church has completed a major development campaign while maintaining a strong evangelistic witness in the community. He has also led out in a series of community prayer meetings asking the Lord for revival.

Steven Gaither, chairman of the SBTC Executive Board and pastor of First Baptist Church in McAllen, described Ponder as a “valued partner to the SBTC, a friend to the convention, a leader in West Texas, and a faithful pastor.”

Ponder supported the convention as a member of the Executive Board and currently assists the SBTC Regenesis church health and renewal process as a cohort trainer. In that role, Ponder has mentored pastors and guided churches as they worked toward stronger ministries. He hopes to provide financial help to two church plants using funds from the Leaders Legacy Award.

Ponder is a graduate of Cisco Junior College, Clovis Community College, and Walsh Counseling Center. He has begun a master of divinity degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is married to Kim, and the Ponders have two adult sons and three beloved grandchildren.

AM25: ‘We are sending our best’: Messengers celebrate new IMB missionaries being sent to the nations

LUBBOCK— They came from California, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Some are newlyweds, others are new parents, and some are retired.

All will soon be headed to locations across the globe—to South and Central Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

As they were commissioned during an International Mission Board Sending Celebration Monday night, Oct. 27, at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick called the 31 new missionaries—many of whom concealed their faces because they will be serving in countries where proclaiming the gospel could be dangerous—“heroes.”

Among them were Rodelliza Hao and Alex Windle.

A heart for the nations

Hao, a native Filipino, came with her parents to the U.S. at age 6. She grew up in Texas and, after college, pursued a career in advertising. When her company manager invited her to church at Parkside Baptist in Denison, Hao came with questions and “a few misconceptions about Christianity.”

Eventually realizing she had been a cultural Christian, she gave her life to Christ after listening to an online message. Once reluctant to talk about her faith, Hao said her No. 1 desire became sharing Jesus.

When the same manager who had invited her to church—and gone on the mission field—later told her about IMB opportunities, Hao applied for a two-year term as a journeyman in Peru, working on the creative solutions team supporting missionaries with social media and media content and providing design and photography services. Her term ended in July 2025, and she will return to the team in January as a career missionary.

Japan is the next stop for Windle, an Arlington resident who will also be returning to the place where she did a stint as an IMB journeyman: Tokyo.

Windle grew up going to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, trusting Christ at age 6. Her family moved frequently during her childhood but always plugged in at different churches wherever they landed, she said.

“I heard about missions in GAs,” Windle said. She first traveled overseas at age 12 and befriended people from diverse cultures when the family lived in Louisiana.

When college summer plans fell through one year, she signed on last minute for a short-term mission trip to help IMB missionaries with a VBS in Johannesburg, South Africa. While there, she visited with missionaries and their children.

“God used that trip to open my eyes to His heart for the nations,” she said.

She studied business in college and applied for IMB journeyman positions after graduation, serving in South Asia for two years working with university students.

Realizing “business is what I am good at,” she got a job in Arlington as a project manager for a nonprofit but missed being on the field. In Tokyo, she will work in logistics, using her business acumen for kingdom service.

Like Hao, Windle praises her church for its mission emphasis: “The Fields Church is why I am going back.”

A ceremony to remember

During Monday night’s Sending Celebration, held at Southcrest Baptist Chuch, IMB President Paul Chitwood praised the SBTC’s longstanding commitment to Cooperative Program giving, noting the convention’s practice of forwarding 55% of undesignated receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Whether your church is able to give hundreds or hundreds of thousands … all of us working together has made it possible for your IMB missionaries and their national partners to share the gospel with more than 1.6 million people this past year,” Chitwood said. Of these, 144,000 professed faith in Christ, with 68,000 baptized and thousands of churches launched.

Missionary applications have swelled in recent years, Chitwood said, contrasting the 300 applicants seven years ago during his first term as IMB president with more than 1,600 this year alone.

“And we’re looking for more,” he said, adding that even retirees can apply for fully funded two-year terms on the field, using their career experience for gospel advance.

Speaking from Deuteronomy 31, where Moses passes the torch to Joshua, Chitwood encouraged the candidates to “get [their] minds right,” and to be “strong and courageous.” He urged them to “get after it” and “do their job,” made easier because IMB funding eliminates the need to raise support. And he exhorted them to “get aligned,” to “follow the [ultimate] leader,” the Lord.

It was an emotional ceremony. SBTC President Danny Forshee, lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, was visibly moved as the ceremony began. “We are sending our best,” he said.

When you give through the Cooperative Program, you mobilize your church to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world.

AM25: As record year nears end, next wave of Send Network SBTC planters are commissioned

LUBBOCK—Matt Clakley became aware of what is now known as Northrich Church in Richardson while he was serving as a missions pastor and elder at Restoration Church in Southlake.

When Restoration began working alongside Northrich with a goal to replant the legacy congregation, there was a feeling about the latter church that Clakley couldn’t shake.

“As the fall of 2024 went on, my family felt a growing desire to lead the replant in Richardson,” Clakley said. “I began the Send Network assessment process in late November, and by March [2025] I was given a go-ahead from Send [Network] SBTC and the church had voted me as lead replanting pastor.”

Clakley was among dozens of planters and spouses recognized Monday, Oct. 27, during a Send Network SBTC planter commissioning service held during the opening session of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting at Southcrest Baptist Church.

“I would love to see God use Northrich as a beacon of hope to struggling churches in our vicinity,” Clakley told the Texan before the event. “I would love to be a hub for training and sending out replanters and mobilize the people of Northrich Church to see God glorified as churches are replanted and revitalized in Richardson and beyond.”

‘You lose to gain’

“God is writing quite a story across Texas,” said Send Network SBTC Director Jason Crandall, noting the organization is on track to plant 70 churches by the end of 2025, including 12 international language congregations. That would be the most churches planted in the convention’s history in any single year.

“The nations aren’t just coming to Texas—they are meeting Jesus here,” Crandall said. Over the last four quarters, Send Network SBTC church plants have seen nearly 2,700 professions of faith with 952 baptized, he added.

Sending churches deserve praise as well, Crandall reminded those gathered at the ceremony, asking representatives of such churches to stand and be recognized.

“Behind every new church lies a sending church, pastors and members who pray, give, and release their best to start something new. These are heroes,” he said. “That’s the banner of the kingdom. You lose to gain. You send to grow. You give away to see God move. … You can’t outgive God.”

North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell, who attended the ceremony, praised the number of baptisms among the church plants and thanked sending churches for their sacrifices and Cooperative Program giving to “plant churches that plant churches that plant churches.”

Ezell cautioned planters there will be times of loneliness ahead, but he offered encouragement by reminding them people across the Southern Baptist Convention will be praying for them. He invited the audience to stand and stretch out their hands toward the planters as he led in a prayer for protection, blessing, and passionate service.

“I am so grateful for you,” he said to the planters. “You are heroes to Southern Baptists.”

You can support Send Network SBTC church plants by giving through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering.

AM25: Mesquite’s Turner elected SBTC president

LUBBOCK—Caleb Turner, senior pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, was elected president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, during the convention’s annual meeting at Southcrest Baptist Church. He was elected by acclamation.

In making his nomination, Michael Criner, lead pastor of First Baptist Church Rockwall, referred to Turner as having “the strength of character, wisdom, and leadership experience to serve well as our president.”

Turner has led Mesquite Friendship since 2023 after serving the church as equipping/teaching pastor and co-pastor. His father, Terry, preceded Caleb, and was the founding pastor of Mesquite Friendship.

Turner attended the University of Oklahoma on a track and field scholarship. Prior to graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, working with its Special Operations Command while stationed at Hurlburt Field in Florida. He was also stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan for a time.

Turner served as the youngest, and first African American, chairman of the SBTC Executive Board. He is also a North American Mission Board trustee.

Caleb is married to Tamera, and they have three children: Caden, Cason, and Camden.