Author: Jayson Larson

Connection, refreshment found at inaugural Español planters’ wives retreat

MARBLE FALLS—Forty-nine church planters’ wives gathered for a time of retreat and training Oct. 31-Nov. 1—marking the first such event as part of Send Network SBTC’s growing Español initiative.

The theme of the event was “Foundations for the Planter’s Wife.” Speakers were Carolina Santander from Georgia, Carla Cox from Arizona, and Marjarie Hernández from New York.

The wives enjoyed a time of teaching, fellowship, fun, and refreshment. Sessions included “Heights and Valleys”—where women were given space to share how they turned to the Lord in low and high moments in their lives—as well as “Knowing God” and “My Identity in the Gospel.”

“Situations in life will challenge our faith, and how well we know God will determine how we respond,” Hernández said. “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know. To truly love God, we must truly know Him.”

Attendees also learned about “Understanding My Husband” and “Your Unique Imprint in Ministry,” where they were able to dig deeper into their unique roles as a planter’s wife and the ministries to which God has called them.

“It is important to try to understand our husbands … our words of affirmation or criticism and disapproval affect [them] deeply,” Santander said. “It is wise to control our tongues and use our words to encourage and not to destroy.”

The women were challenged to love, care for, and support their husbands. They were also encouraged to embrace their identities in Christ and to exercise their role as a planter’s wife with wisdom. The closing was a beautiful time of committing to pray for one another.

“We all need to recharge, but I didn’t realize I needed it so much and it was my time,” said Mariu Covalt, a planter’s wife who attended the retreat. “The grace and love of God was palpable. I laughed, I cried, I worshipped—all in two truly wonderful days. I am recharged, I am full, I have new strength to continue and even to begin again.”

A group of pastors’ wives and SBTC en Español staff helped coordinate and conduct the event, including Carla Arriola, Karina Velázquez, Zoila López, Wendy Contreras, Alicia Violante, Juani Shelton, and Aurora Cruz.

“I felt very loved by God, my sisters, and each one of the leaders of the activity,” said Leidy Fernandez, another planter wife who attended the retreat. “It was a blessing to meet such precious people and to make friendships that will last forever, women who love Christ deeply and who also have much in common with me. We learned useful things, confirmed important things, and were encouraged to invest ourselves in God’s work.”

AM24: Spanish session draws hundreds for equipping, encouragement

HOUSTON—About 300 attendees gathered for the Spanish sessions of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting Nov. 10-11 at Sagemont Church in Houston.

The pastors, leaders, and church members who attended the Spanish sessions—gathering in a spirit of unity and affirmation in fulfilling the “Side by Side” theme of the meeting—represented double the average attendance compared to the past five years, according to Jesse Contreras, SBTC en Español associate.

“From the beginning, the reception was warm and emotional. Each ministry that gathered in the lobby set the mood for a special event,” said Juan Camilo Del Valle, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemaní in McAllen.

On Sunday, Champion Forest Baptist Church worship pastor Job Gonzalez opened the event with a concert to prepare the hearts of the attendees. After a time of fellowship, the general session began, this time led by Sagemont Encuentro’s worship ministry.

The keynote speaker was Tony Miranda, an author, international speaker, and pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Austin. Miranda challenged God’s servants to encourage one another in Christ, to believe in them, and to spur them to move forward in their calling.

“To be side by side, you must believe in the Lord with all your heart, but you must also love your neighbor and believe in him … because you cannot do the mission alone,” Miranda said.

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick expressed his joy and appreciation for the convention’s Hispanic churches.

“I want you to know how much we love you and are grateful for the ministry God has called you to,” Lorick said. “This year, our theme is ‘Side by Side,’ and this is exactly what we want to do at the SBTC with you and your church. We want to come alongside you as you fulfill the mission that God has placed on your heart and to resource your church to help you fulfill that calling.”

Also during the session, Jorge Diaz was awarded the Dr. Michael Gonzalez Ministerial Legacy Award. Diaz credited the grace of God for giving him what he called an “underserved honor.” Said Diaz: “I want to encourage all my fellow pastors to stand firm, side by side, because the Lord will sustain us.”

The first day of the Spanish session concluded with a commissioning service for church planters led by Julio Arriola, director of Send Network SBTC. Arriola said the commissioning service served as tangible evidence of God’s movement among the family of churches known as the SBTC.

The second and final day of the Spanish sessions continued with workshops for men and women offering deep edification, both theological and practical. Lazaro Riesgo, pastor of Sagemont Encuentro, spoke on the topic of “Contrasts: The Value of Being Different,” based on his recent book. He challenged attendees to be different in the midst of a society that values decadence by standing firm in Christ-centered principles and purpose.

Liván Quintana, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Vida en Cristo in Nassau Bay, led another workshop on restoring pastoral integrity. He challenged pastors to raise their standard of integrity and become aware of their need for accountability.

The workshops for women were led by Inés Pacas, speaking on the theme of “Keeping the testimony,” and Karina Vázquez, who spoke about “A life with purpose.”

The Spanish session culminated with an interview with Esteban Vazquez, Spanish associate pastor of Champion Forest, during the lunch break. Arriola led the interview, which was characterized by a time of inspiring testimonies of how God works to fulfill His plan.

“If you want to run fast, run alone,” Arriola said, “but if you want to go far, go together. Let’s keep giving Christ to His church.”

AM24: ‘On mission together’: Panelists talk about importance of connections

HOUSTON—A capacity crowd of 450 filled Sagemont Church’s Student Building Worship Center on Tuesday, Nov. 12, to hear four pastors speak about the challenges of ministry during the President’s Lunch Panel held each year at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting.

The panel was moderated by SBTC President Danny Forshee, lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin. It consisted of Gregg Matte, senior pastor of Houston’s First Baptist; Jason Crandall, lead pastor of CityView Church in Pearland; Joe Ogletree, lead pastor of Image Church of Cypress; and Levi Skipper, lead pastor of Sagemont Church. Ogletree and Crandall planted their churches, while Matte just celebrated two decades at Houston’s First. Skipper was called to Sagemont earlier this year.

The need for pastors to connect and encourage one another was discussed at length. Forshee began by reading a social media post by Champion Forest Senior Pastor Jarrett Stephens congratulating Matte on 20 years at Houston’s First.

“It was awesome,” Matte said, noting the love shown by the church and also by fellow pastors like Stephens. When contemplating the next 20 years of ministry, Matte said he couldn’t imagine doing it without the support and friendship of fellow pastors.

“We talk, we hang out. Levi [Skipper] and I are part of a group that meets quarterly,” he said.

Forshee praised Crandall for his “heart for planting churches and reaching people” and asked him about the importance for planters to have strong relationships and receive encouragement from other pastors.

“It is vital,” Crandall said. “We can’t do this alone. We can’t be on mission together [yet] alone. It just doesn’t work. … Planters desperately need relationships. They need to know that they are loved, cared for, prayed for.”

Forshee commended Ogletree on the disciple-making emphasis at Image Church, a plant in the Fairfield neighborhood of northwest Houston. Ogletree, who is bivocational, admitted opportunities to connect with other pastors can be rare.

“At this season, [relationships] are not about the quantity but the quality,” Ogletree said. Even so, he stressed the importance of finding a few people with whom “you can talk about life” and said encouraging texts always seem to come at the right time.

“If you don’t have people in your life, you’ve got to get them,” Skipper said. “Jesus had them. Paul had them. All of us need people in our lives who are strong encouragers.”

Offering a personal illustration of the importance of having people to come alongside, Forshee told of the near loss of his unborn son 32 years ago. “I don’t remember much about that night,” he said, but he vividly recalls the two men who sat with him in the hospital as his son received a risky and, at the time, rare in utero blood transfusion.

“God works when we are vulnerable,” Ogletree added. “The enemy works through shame.” He said he answers honestly when asked how he is. “Be vulnerable,” Ogletree urged.

The audience had questions, too, such as how to encourage yourself in the Lord when there’s nobody to come alongside you?

Crandall said he journals about things for which he is grateful, reflecting on Scripture and keeping a record of how God has acted in the past. Ogletree praised pastors’ wives and said his wife is a constant source of encouragement. Pastors’ wives, he said, “do not get enough credit.”

Panelists also emphasized the importance of rest—physical and emotional.

Regarding spiritual warfare, Ogletree cautioned pastors to maintain awareness of the devil’s schemes, to learn to prioritize, and to avoid distraction.

“I have to get Scripture in my heart first,” Crandall said. Matte described his routine of sermon preparation in which, before Sunday, he places his sermon notes on a prayer bench at home in a symbolic offering to the Lord.

Forshee urged pastors to not forsake personal time with the Lord.

“Suit up. Resist the devil. Put on the full armor of God,” he said.

Nathan Lorick, SBTC’s executive director, closed the meeting in prayer and offered a final word of encouragement.

“We are in this together,” Lorick said, “side by side.”

Don’t just sit there—pray!

Most Americans pray, and many pray every day; but what do we pray about? Not surprisingly, according to Lifeway Research, 74% of Americans pray for their own needs and difficulties. Predictably, most people pray for their own problems since troubles and challenges are common to everyone.

In fact, our problems are not substantially different than those shared by our neighbors. For instance, Pew Research finds that a majority of Americans see inflation, the inability of Democrats and Republicans to work together, the cost of healthcare, drug addiction, the rising federal deficit and illegal immigration as the top problems facing the country in 2024.

In addition to the cost of living and the border crisis, all these national problems have driven nine out of 10 of us to believe America is in the throes of a mental health crisis. The old spiritual says, “Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen;” but in today’s America maybe the better line would be, “Everybody knows the troubles I’ve seen!”

Of course, over and above the challenges most of us face, each of us has a long list of personal troubles unique to us. Our relationships are fragile, we worry too much, and we struggle with personal temptations. In light of all this trouble, what should we do? In reality, there are only two ways to face troubles: God’s way or your way, and God’s way always involves prayer.

A praying king’s trouble

In Jerusalem about 2,900 years ago, King Jehoshaphat knew two things: He knew he was in trouble, and he knew prayer moves the hand that moves the world. His problem was that he had a small window of time to prepare before he faced an oncoming Transjordan coalition of ferocious soldiers, representing multiple enemy armies and kingdoms.

King Jehoshaphat had never been so strategically unprepared or logistically overwhelmed by military power in his entire life. He had only one real option—he prayed. His prayer was straightforward, “… we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

No believer has to passively surrender to trouble. In prayer we can fight back!

Desperate prayer fights trouble

Have you ever prayed desperately for God’s intervention? Leonard Ravenhill once said, “God doesn’t answer prayer, He answers desperate prayer.” King Jehoshaphat prayed because he was in an urgently desperate situation. He prayed admitting that he was “powerless” against the rapidly approaching enemy insurgents.

In our competitive, style-over-substance culture where signs of weakness are aggressively avoided, it seems counterintuitive to approach God with a prayer of weakness—yet it’s the only kind of prayer He promises to answer. For example, the half-brother of Jesus had experienced moments of doubt and weakness through which he learned that “… God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Jim Cymbala has even made the astounding claim, “God is attracted to weakness.”

The question is, therefore, are you desperate enough in prayer? Desperate prayer demands a humility that repudiates our personal confidence, strength, intelligence, denominational advantages, or any other perceived leverage that masquerades as the primary answer to the dilemmas only prayer can address.

Are we willing to allow ourselves to look weak in the eyes of others in order to experience God’s help? Remember, the king humbled himself in the presence of the entire nation. Fortunately, his desperate, humble prayer led to God’s miraculous answer. If our pride won’t allow us to be broken before God and others in the face of overwhelming trouble in order to seek God, we have to ask ourselves this question: Do I really want God’s help, no matter the cost?

Dependent prayer fights trouble

One reason we resist desperate prayer may be because we are secretly relying on other sources of help. Our church governance models, our comfort with the status quo, or even our fear of extremes may temper our passion for a supernatural intervention. Long-time pastor and Georgia Baptist leader Larry Wynn may have accurately assessed our unwillingness to depend upon God when he recently said, “The church in Acts handled in a prayer meeting what we try to handle in a business meeting.”

The King of Judah had no choice but to depend upon God. He prayed, “… We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” He knew his army was ill-prepared, his arsenal was underdeveloped, and he was massively outnumbered by the enemy. So, he prayed, “… our eyes are upon you.”

During terrible circumstances we have all heard someone say, “All we can do now is pray.” That statement is true when we first recognize the problem, not just when we have exhausted all other options. Instead of a last resort, depending upon God in prayer can be our first response.

Our instinct is to depend on strengths, powers, and resources other than God’s provisions, and that is the oldest and most demonic temptation of all. For instance, in the Garden of Eden the serpent convinced Eve she could not enjoy a full life until she relied upon something other than what God provided (Genesis 3:4). Likewise, in the Judean wilderness Satan launched the same attack against Jesus. The devil attempted, unsuccessfully, to convince the Lord to resort to immediate gratification, shortcuts to power, and false worship rather than trust in what God was offering (Matthew 4:1-11).

Depending upon God in prayer is not a small victory. Instead, in dependence we actually resist and overcome our most basic urges toward sin, and we look more like Jesus.

Desperate and dependent prayer obviously appears to many secular Americans like the weakest available response to trouble—but it’s not, because God hears prayer. As Wheaton College President Philip Graham Ryken recently said, “One of the things we should do when we’re in trouble is just pray as well as we can and even when we can’t pray very well, God understands that and will answer our prayers a lot better than we can pray them.”

You’re not helpless in difficulties as long as God is the hearer of prayer. When trouble comes, therefore, don’t just sit there; pray something!

God is just getting started

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from O.S. Hawkins’ new book The Spirit Code: 40 Truths about the Holy Spirit that Every Believer Should Know. Proceeds from the book are donated to Mission:Dignity.

Luke has the great privilege of sharing how God’s work begins through the church. In Acts 1:1 he writes, “Of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Did you catch that? The gospels document what Jesus began to do—He is not finished; He is just getting started.

Often referred to as the “Acts of the Apostles,” the book of Acts is more accurately the record of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in and through the church. Luke’s gospel recounts the life and teachings of Jesus in His physical body, while Acts tells us what the Holy Spirit continues to do through the spiritual body of Christ, which is the church. It’s incredibly encouraging to realize that Jesus remains active, partnering with us through the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to the world.

Acts is the unfolding story of how Jesus continues to work in our lives via the Holy Spirit. However, the narrative ends rather abruptly, leaving us hanging. This is intentional—the story continues in us, moving all the way to today.

Anyone who has tried to live the Christian life has discovered that it isn’t just difficult; it is impossible when attempted in our own strength. God isn’t interested in our doing something for Him. The key to victorious Christian living is allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us. As Paul puts it, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

When we awaken to the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we enter a new dimension of Christian living. This is the essence of what Jesus meant when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). This is a profound statement—Jesus is not merely suggesting we can replicate His works; He promises we can exceed them.

Many people interpret this verse as a call to work harder for God. However, this approach often leads to frustration and failure. The true understanding of Jesus’ statement lies in His promise to return to the Father. Just a few verses later, He reassures us: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Jesus assured His disciples, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). He indeed returned, not in physical form, but through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live out our faith.

After Jesus ascended, the disciples gathered in the upper room to wait for “the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4)—the coming of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t gather because they felt worthy; none of us are worthy in our own strength. They waited for the Helper that Jesus promised: “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). True to His word, the Holy Spirit fell upon them at Pentecost, transforming their lives and empowering the church in ways they had never imagined.

The power of Jesus does not end with the gospel records; He had just begun. The Holy Spirit continues to work today, in you, through you, for you, and upon you. A victorious Christian life is about the dynamic partnership between the Holy Spirit and ourselves.

Eureka moments

The word “eureka” has embedded itself into our modern lexicon, representing moments of sudden insight or discovery—those exhilarating instances when clarity replaces confusion. Think of a student who, after struggling with a math problem, suddenly sees the answer: “Eureka! Wow!” Or consider the joy of realizing that the person you’ve been dating is truly the one with whom you want to spend your life: “Eureka!”

Did you know the word “eureka” appears in the New Testament? In John 1:41, Andrew, after following Jesus, excitedly finds his brother, Simon Peter, exclaiming, “We have found [eureka!] the Messiah.” This exclamation followed centuries of prophetic anticipation and waiting for the coming Savior.

These eureka moments, whether small or monumental, remind us of the transformative power of revelation. In our spiritual lives, awakening to the truth of who Jesus is and the role of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate eureka moment. It opens our eyes to a reality that redefines our lives and empowers us to live for Him.

As we reflect on the incredible journey from the gospels to the book of Acts, we recognize that the story of Jesus is far from over. He began a transformative work that continues today through the Holy Spirit and His church. We are not just passive observers; we are active participants in this divine partnership, empowered to carry forth His mission.

The Holy Spirit equips us with strength, wisdom, and guidance, enabling us to live out our faith in ways that exceed our limitations. When we embrace the truth that “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), we unleash the potential for greater works, not through our own efforts but through His power within us.

Let us be open to those “eureka moments”—the revelations that deepen our understanding of Christ and propel us into action. Together, as the body of Christ, we can reveal His love and grace to the world, proving that the story of Jesus is still being written through our lives today.

AM24: Lorick testifies to Cooperative Program impact during executive director’s report

HOUSTON—A widow in her 80s giving from a fixed income. A church planter in his 40s moving his family to a far-away city for the sake of the gospel. Seminary students with a passionate calling to reach future generations for Christ.

Some give. Others benefit. All impact the kingdom.

They are the ones who come to mind when Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Nathan Lorick thinks about the Cooperative Program, the primary giving model that funds mission efforts worldwide through the Southern Baptist Convention.

Addressing messengers Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Sagemont Church during the final day of the SBTC Annual Meeting, Lorick made an impassioned plea for churches to continue to give joyfully and sacrificially as Southern Baptists prepare to mark CP’s 100^th anniversary in 2025—a campaign that will be referred to as CP100.

“If you’re looking for an example of God multiplying the impact of your church, I can’t think of a better return on kingdom investment than the Cooperative Program,” Lorick said. “… I am asking the churches of our convention to prayerfully consider how God might lead your church to give in this anniversary year. Anniversaries are usually accompanied by gifts to honor the occasion. CP100 is an opportunity for record giving and record sending—acknowledging God’s favor for our cooperative work.”

Lorick said the SBTC, as well as Southern Baptists worldwide, will celebrate the milestone in a number of ways next year. The SBTC is challenging its churches to do three things:

Pray for record giving. While thanking churches for giving a record $1,752,383 through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering this past year, Lorick said more than 1,000 of the SBTC’s 2,786 churches had not given through CP this year as of September. “One-thousand churches giving at least $1,000 would invest $1 million more into our cooperative mission to support more international missionaries, Texas church planters, and seminary students,” he said.
Promote the effort by planning a CP Sunday on Oct. 5, 2025. Churches can use that day to emphasize the importance of CP giving, Lorick said.
Post brief videos on social media testifying of the impact CP has had on people’s lives. The SBTC is asking those who post those videos to use the hashtag #cp100story.

“Can I challenge you to pray about leaning in with your Cooperative Program giving?” Lorick asked. “We all face challenges, but nothing allows us to impact Texas and the world like the Cooperative Program.”

European initiative announced

Lorick also used his annual report to announce an initiative with the International Mission Board to connect SBTC churches with opportunities to advance the gospel in Europe.

Pastors and church mission leaders were invited to participate in a vision trip to Europe May 1-9, 2025. The trip, Lorick said, is designed to create strategic pathways to mobilize SBTC churches to partner with and support IMB’s 550 missionaries, projects, and global partners across Europe. Nearly 11% of those missionary units are from SBTC churches, Lorick said.

Vision trip attendees will gather in London for training and then be assigned to one of seven strategic locations: Nantes, France; Copenhagen, Denmark; Leeds, England; Bucharest, Romania; Budapest, Hungary; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Athens, Greece. More information about the vision trip can be found on the SBTC’s website.

Noting the Christian population of Europe is 1.1% of the continent’s 820 million people, Lorick said, “Europe is not only one of the least engaged continents in the world, but it is also the most strategic, as it continues to be the most influential continent in the world—representing nearly every people group and every language.”

The initiative is similar to other efforts developed by the SBTC over the past couple of years in Nevada, Puerto Rico, and India.

AM24: Annual meeting messengers unified in convention business

HOUSTON—Messengers to the 2024 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting, gathered at Sagemont Baptist Church Nov. 11-12, conducted the business necessary for the convention’s year-round work amidst two days of fellowship and inspiration.

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, reflecting on the two-day meeting, was excited about the content and demeanor of this year’s gathering.

“This year’s annual meeting was incredible,” Lorick said. “We were able to present that we will plant more than 60 churches by the end of this year. We also received our highest state missions offering in the history of the SBTC, and we currently have more churches affiliated with the SBTC than ever before. I am grateful for the unity and spirit of the churches that make up the SBTC.”

Messengers conveyed a spirit of harmony in the discussion and resolution of each item. The SBTC is a confessional fellowship, meaning each affiliated church has affirmed the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, in contrast to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which this week rejected a motion to affirm the BF&M 2000 at its annual meeting, according to an article in Baptist Press.

“Many of our brothers and sisters cannot in good conscience affirm this Baptist Faith & Message,” David Lowrie, pastor of the BGCT-aligned First Baptist Church in Decatur, was quoted as saying in the Baptist Press article. “It was written by Southern Baptists for Southern Baptists. It represents well many of the values of Southern Baptists, but it wasn’t written for us. It doesn’t represent us.”

Bruce Webb, a BGCT pastor of The Woodlands First Baptist Church, said Texas Baptists have intentionally rejected the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 for more than two decades and should continue to do so, according to Baptist Press.

All SBTC churches affirm BF&M 2000. This allows messengers each year to discuss the details of their common ministry confident that they agree on basic doctrines related to the nature of Scripture and the priority of the Great Commission.

SBTC messengers conduct important business

Only one motion was submitted from the floor at the SBTC Annual Meeting, asking the convention to consider ways to assist congregations with insurance costs. The Committee on Order of Business assigned the motion to the SBTC Executive Board for consideration.

During the Tuesday morning business session, messenger Rob Collingsworth of Redemption City Church in Fort Worth raised a point of order regarding a motion adopted in 2022 that intended to clarify the SBTC Constitution’s qualifications for affiliation in Article IV. Collingsworth called the motion a “procedural violation” and a “de facto amendment to our constitution” that violated the process for making an amendment. The chair allowed messengers to consider the question of whether the motion in 2022 expanded the meaning of the constitution. After a lengthy discussion, messengers declared the 2022 motion in order.

The convention’s executive board recommended a budget for 2025 of $27,833,488, which is equal to the budget adopted by messengers in 2023. The budget shows no increase because the 2024 budget exceeded what was collected in 2023. Cooperative Program receipts will continue to be allocated with 55% sent to the Southern Baptist Convention for worldwide ministries and 45% being retained for ministries in Texas. Messengers approved the budget without discussion.

Executive Board Chairman Caleb Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, recognized Bart McDonald on the occasion of his 10 years as the executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation and its 20^th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2025. SBTC’s chief financial officer, Joe Davis, was also honored for his 25 years of service in that role.

The Resolutions Committee recommended four resolutions to the messengers. Messengers expressed gratitude for the “hospitality, service, and generosity” of Sagemont Church for hosting the convention meeting. A second resolution expressed “profound gratitude” to SBTC President Danny Forshee for his service as convention president. A third resolution commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the Cooperative Program in 2025, noting the benefits the SBTC has enjoyed in missions, evangelism, church planting, and church strengthening as it partners through the Cooperative Program. The final resolution addressed chemical abortions, acknowledging that this method accounted for 60% of all abortions in 2023. The resolution concludes with a commitment to “uphold the sanctity of life even at the earliest stages.” All four resolutions were approved without amendment.

Convention officers were each elected by acclamation. Forshee, pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church, was elected to a second term as president. Ed Johnson III, church planter of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in Desoto, will serve as convention vice president. The convention’s secretary for 2025 is Amy Hinote of First Baptist Church in Justin.

Upon the recommendation of the Committee on Order of Business, messengers selected East Texas as the site for the 2027 annual meeting.

At final count, 1,122 people attended the annual meeting—864 registered messengers and 258 registered guests representing 351 churches.

Planters commissioned in moving ceremony

Thirty-seven Send Network SBTC church planters were commissioned during the first night of the annual meeting. Those planters represent churches from every corner of Texas, from Abilene to College Station to San Antonio. They’re dispatched to locations big and small, from Houston and Fort Worth to Murphy and Mabank. Many of the planters stood hand-in-hand with their spouses and children.

It’s been a year to celebrate for Send Network SBTC, the church planting partnership between the SBTC and the North American Mission Board. Send Network SBTC recently completed the largest assessment weekend in the history of the national Send Network, with 31 planters assessed. By the end of this year, Send Network SBTC will have planted between 60-65 churches—the largest number since 2005.

The gospel hits the streets of Houston during Crossover event

Ten or so teams representing a dozen area churches participating in Crossover Houston on Nov. 9. The event was held in conjunction with the 2024 SBTC Annual Meeting that began the next day. The Houston initiative was patterned after Crossover events held prior to the national Southern Baptist Convention each year.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to join efforts in spreading the message of hope and redemption to folks in the Houston area,” said Tony Mathews, SBTC’s senior strategist of Missional Ministries. The SBTC coordinated the event with Sagemont Church, host of the annual meeting. The event included not only outreach, but also evangelism training for participants.

Popular 20th century Baptist radio programs now accessible to all

NASHVILLE (BP)—Perhaps you’ve heard of M.E. Dodd, the father of the Cooperative Program. But have you ever heard him? What about longtime Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Duke McCall or legendary First Baptist Dallas Pastor W.A. Criswell or pioneering FBC Atlanta Pastor Roy McClain?

Thanks to an ongoing project of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives (SBHLA), you can hear them all and many more.

For the past few years, members of the SBHLA staff have been digitizing hundreds of recordings of Baptist radio programs, including the “Baptist Hour” and “Christian Home” series, both of which became popular during the latter part of what’s known as the “Golden Age of Radio.”

“This project captures the voices of distinguished Baptist preachers and leaders,” said SBHLA Director Taffey Hall. “In the 1940s and ‘50s, the ‘Christian Home,’ ‘Southern Baptist Evangelistic Hour,’ and ‘Baptist Hour’ broadcasts allowed listeners to hear prominent, insightful Southern Baptist preachers and scholars through the radio in the comfort of their own homes.”

The SBHLA took ownership of hundreds of recordings when the Baptist Radio and Television Commission was dissolved in the 1990s. They’ve been in storage in the archives in Nashville ever since.

When the digitization project began in 2021, the first order of business was to find a way to play the recordings, which are on “transcription disks”—basically extra wide record albums.

Hall located a machine at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, but it didn’t work. An SBHLA staffer made the two-hour trek north on I-65 to Louisville to get the machine and bring it to Nashville, where a Music City recording technician got it working.

“When people think about an archive, one of the first things that may come to mind is all the paper materials collected and preserved,” Hall said, adding that the SBHLA has plenty of that.

“But in addition to those paper materials, we also have a lot of special formatted materials, items such as oversize photographs, glass plate negatives, motion picture films and these 16-inch transcription record disks, that need special storage and preservation.

“Our approach to digitization, and as was the case with this project, is for both preservation and access. Digitizing these early recordings of the Southern Baptist Radio Committee/Radio Commission was important from both the standpoint of long-term conservation of the physical items, and for making the material available to a wide audience of current listeners.”

Baptists on the air

Southern Baptists began discussing the use of radio in 1930. In 1934, Dodd, who was SBC president at the time, was part of a three-man committee tasked with looking into the idea. In 1936, Southern Baptists adopted a resolution calling for “a joint study of radio opportunities for Baptists.”

Then in 1938, Southern Baptists formed a seven-member committee to look into the possibility of using radio to “broadcast our Baptist message,” as it was put in the motion adopted by messengers. By then, most U.S. homes had radios, and Americans had become accustomed to getting news and entertainment from the medium.

The next year, nine additional members were added to the committee, and the group was allotted $1,200 to promote Baptist broadcasts on powerful radio stations.

The “Baptist Hour” was launched in January of 1941 and proved popular immediately, eliciting 17,500 pieces of mail, according to that year’s SBC Annual.

Over the next few years, the committee’s success grew. It was responsible for getting Baptist content on radio stations covering about half of the United States. Southern Baptists appointed a full-time director of the committee in 1942.

At the 1946 annual meeting in Miami, the name of the group was changed to the Radio Commission, and it became an official agency of the SBC. By 1948, the “Baptist Hour” was aired on 120 radio stations from coast to coast.

Gospel on display

Episodes of “Baptist Hour” flow a bit like a worship service. In an episode from May of 1945, Dodd preaches from John 3:16 and uses the word “Gospel” as an acrostic for the verse: God Only Son Perish Everlasting Life. The episode begins with choral music, (“When I Survey the Wonderous Cross” and “Tell Me the Old, Old Story”).

You then hear a recorded testimony from a traveling salesman who was saved at a church while on business in Knoxville, Tenn. The man tells of hearing a radio broadcast while traveling. The next day, he happened to see the church where the broadcast he’d heard had originated—City Temple Baptist Church.

“Something told me I should go in,” the man says, “so I went on in and asked for the pastor.” The pastor listened to him, read the Bible with him and led him to faith in Christ.

“Since then I have had a new life and joy of living,” the man says.

After the testimony is a prayer, another choral piece (this one based on John: 3:16), followed by Dodd’s sermon.

“John 3:16 is the greatest verse in the greatest book in the greatest volume on the greatest subject about the greatest Person or the greatest object in all the universe,” preaches Dodd, who was pastor of First Baptist Church of Shreveport, La.

And later: “God loves because the primary essence of His character is love.”

The “Christian Home” series featured practical messages on family topics as well as dramatizations of family life situations. An episode from 1956 follows a father, mother and son through the son’s life from babyhood to young adulthood. It depicts the son taking after his father in the worst ways and the tension between mother and father.

Hall says the recordings are an example of Southern Baptists’ ever-present desire to stay relevant and to share the Gospel by any means possible.

“Many of the sermon titles and broadcast series productions of these recordings addressed the concerns and issues facing Americans during that time period,” she said. “These were topics of everyday and contemporary importance to Southern Baptists—topics of marriage life, family life, home life as well as challenges of wartime.

“The ‘Christian Home’ series in particular captures an image of home life, what Southern Baptists wanted to present, in dealing with home issues and documents a time of how Baptists viewed family, marriage and raising children. …

“On almost all of the programs, Southern Baptists talked about how the gospel can change people’s lives and make their lives more joyful.”

The digital audio-visual resources of the SBHLA are available here.

AM24: Annual meeting’s first day ends with ‘amazing hour’ of prayer

HOUSTON—Danny Forshee, president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, called it his “favorite part of the entire convention.” Carol Yarber, who with her husband, Ronnie, and many others was instrumental in founding the SBTC a quarter-century ago, called it “absolutely essential.”

Messengers ended the first day of the SBTC Annual Meeting at Sagemont Church in Houston (Nov. 11) with a prayer meeting led by Forshee. To those in attendance, plenty was at stake.

“Considering the state of the country, the state of the state, we must pray for lost people to know Jesus,” Yarber said.

Lights dimmed and heads bowed as the praise team assumed spots on stage while Forshee energetically offered encouragement.

“Be strong. Don’t quit. Be faithful. The Lord has got your back,” Forshee said, cautioning from James 4:6-7 against isolation and the schemes of Satan.

Noting that the meeting’s structure could be emulated by every church in “every season, no matter the size,” Forshee explained the first part of the night’s gathering would feature prayer following the ACTS pattern of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

Across the auditorium, many rose, lifting hands and joining in the singing of Cross Church’s “Jesus Is Better,” growing louder in a crescendo of praise: “More than my healing, I want the Healer. More than direction, I want the Shepherd.”

Russ Ponder, senior pastor of First Baptist Hamlin, drew upon 1 John 1:9-10 and Proverbs 28:13 to invite worshipers to confess sin. A prayer of thanksgiving led by BJ McCurdy, pastor of New Shores Church in Sweeny, then commenced with the reading of Psalm 105:1 and 92:1.

Amens rippled throughout the worship center as listeners were reminded God had found us “in the pit” and set us “on the rock—Jesus.”

The words of the traditional “Holy, Holy, Holy” filled the room as the audience joined singers and musicians to saturate the space with song. Hands raised, hands clasped, hands were outstretched, and few remained seated.

Announcing that he was “going off script” and following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Forshee returned to the stage to ask audience members to pray for the person next to them. Throughout the auditorium, people embraced or laid a hand on a neighbor’s shoulder as voices rose and fell in appeal to the Lord. Some stood alone, watching silently or speaking softly with eyes closed.

Corporate supplication followed as five pastors led prayer centered on the five markers intended to help SBTC churches identify and measure disciple-making movements: Ed Fenton of First Baptist Malakoff on churches that are prayer-energized; Brian Haynes of Bay Area Church in League City on churches that are evangelism-prioritized; Eric Patrick of Harvest Ministries in Aubrey on disciple-making normalized churches; Cole Hedgecock of First Baptist Rowlett on sending-maximized churches; and finally, in Spanish and English, Enrique Puig of Houston’s First Baptist, on churches where partnerships are synergized.

Few left the auditorium early, and several expressed surprise the prayer meeting lasted an hour, as Forshee noted at the end.

Said Forshee: “It was an amazing hour.”