Author: Russell Lightner

The power of small things

We recently had a small crisis at our house: The adhesive glue that bonds our kitchen sink to the countertop stopped adhering, causing the sink to collapse down into the cabinet below and severing the drain pipe in the process. Repairs were delayed for several days due to the lingering effects of the January ice storm, which brought with it below-freezing temperatures for nearly 80 straight hours. 

The sunk sink—which left us washing dishes in a bathtub for several days—wasn’t the only problem. We still needed to drip that kitchen faucet to keep the pipes from freezing. Since the dripping water had no way to drain, we decided to catch it in a large, plastic storage container that we would just have to empty every few hours.

Dumping that container in the mornings after the faucet had been dripping all night was an especially loathsome task. The water would slosh back and forth and, despite my best efforts, splash over the edge of the container and onto the living room floor as I awkwardly shuffled to the bathroom tub to empty it.

But each time I poured out that water, something occurred to me. The container, now half full and heavy, started with a single drop. And then another. And then another … until it was something much more formidable. 

Yes, you know where I’m going with this. You should. We all should. It’s not rocket science. We know the little things add up. And yet somehow, I continually forget this. I want what I want, and I want it now. I want more money in savings. I want to lose a few pounds. I want to read more books. Unfortunately, now only comes in one size, and it’s not little drops. 

It’s March, which means for many, the goals and resolutions set at the end of December (or on the morning of Jan. 1) have long been forgotten. When this happens to me, I look back and realize some of the goals I set at the beginning of the year weren’t as important as I once thought. But others do matter and I want to reclaim them. My sink crisis served as yet another God-given reminder that finding momentum to accomplish my goals and  dreams begins not with a downpour, but with a few small drops. It’s a dollar in savings. It’s one less fast food meal. It’s setting a 10-minute timer to finally start chipping away at the book I bought two years ago. These things add up. 

I can’t help but think about God’s Word. For many of us, it feels as unwieldy as trying to walk with a sloshing container full of water. The Bible covers thousands of years of human history and parts can be difficult to understand. And yet, it’s miraculously simple and accessible to anybody. 

We don’t talk about this much, but churches are full of people who are ashamed of what they perceive as their lack of biblical knowledge, and they’re scared to death someone will ask them a question they might not be able to answer. I suppose that’s just where Satan wants us—intimidated, tentative, and distant from God and His truth.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The reality is, God’s Word is for you. Not just the scholars. Not just the experts. It’s for you. 

All you’ve got to do to start owning that truth is to drip the faucet. God will provide the increase.

The idea is to remain faithful

Editor’s note: Ken Wells is senior pastor of Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville. He recently shared part of his testimony with the Texan’s Gary Ledbetter.  

I

n 1980, I was working in a grocery store when I got a call from my wife’s home church asking if I would preach for their homecoming. I said, “Sure.” I did, and then a few months later, the pastor came into the store where I was assistant manager, saying, “Hey, would you fill in for me this coming Sunday? I’m going to go hunting.” I’d been to Bible college and was comfortable doing that. It turns out his hunting trip was hunting a new church.

Well, he came back, resigned, and took a church in Oklahoma. The church immediately called me, and I was just 23. I’d only been married for a few months, and I had been on a staff in a small church. I probably had more students in my student ministry than in that little church [Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville] had counting everybody. I said, “Well, y’all need to find somebody older.” I figured somebody like who I am now, in their 50s or 60s.

The church had been through some rough times, so they did look at some other men. They had two or three other pastors come in and preach for them. Finally, about January of ’81, they called me and said, “Look, we knew back in August you’d be our next pastor.”

Well, now I had 20 people, and they handed me a lot of keys that nobody knew what they went to. They said, “We think this one opens the front door.” They said yes, I said yes. Then I said, “By the way, am I going to get paid? I hadn’t asked the question; I just assumed God was going to take care of me. They said, “Well, we have $50 a week and there’s an old house down the street, but we don’t have any money to fix it up. If you want to fix it up, you’re welcome to move into it, but we do have $50 a week. We suggest you keep your full-time grocery job.” The 20 people at Northview were doing all they could just to keep the doors open. The bank was even threatening to foreclose. 

But by May, we had raised the money to pay off the loan and burn the note. Our next highlight was to begin giving to missions, just 3% to the association at first. But from that business meeting, for the next 13 weeks in a row, we had somebody saved, baptized, or join the church. They had not seen that in years and years. I credit the fact that we stepped out in faith and said, “We’re going to support missions.” We did, and God blessed it.

“My ministry verse is 1 Timothy 1:12: ‘I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service.’ I think the idea is to remain faithful.”

—Ken Wells Tweet

It was very exciting during those times. Obviously we didn’t just grow by leaps and bounds. As you hear at some churches, the pastor gets there and it goes from 0 to 200 people in a year. We didn’t do that, but we got to where we were hitting 30 and 40 and 50 and 60 pretty regularly. We were bumping that 100 mark—that magic 100 mark. But we were starting to do that fairly regularly. It was good.

It got so that I had to quit my grocery store job, my main source of income. At that point, I began to substitute in the local school system until the church was ready to support us full time. 

That was 45 years ago this February. This is the only church I’ve pastored. We’ve seen Northview go through a lot of changes. Through the years, we’ve added a 500-seat auditorium. We’ve finished, a few years ago, 25,000 square feet of education space. I remember when I came, the church was looking for $500 or $600 a Sunday to keep the budget going.

We’ve also added a Hispanic church that is running around 250 each Sunday—I think they baptized more than we did last year. Our church reaches probably 700 families though a ministry that provides clothing and food that started in a house we bought across the street and now has spread to five locations in Denton, Carrollton, and our own Lewisville. 

In February, I announced my retirement to be effective in May. My wife Teresa and I are staying at Northview—our kids are here, our grandkids (three, with one on the way), my mother-in-law lives right next door to the church, and Lewisville is our hometown. I hope to continue as chaplain for our fire and police departments, a role I’ve enjoyed for nearly 45 years as well. 

My ministry verse is 1 Timothy 1:12: “I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service.” I think the idea is to remain faithful.

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?  Share your story here

The gospel is available and at work!

A little over 15 years ago, I was a struggling seminary student. Money was tight, my family was growing, and financial opportunities were limited. In other words, I was broke. 

I’ll never forget talking to my mother during a commute via the train from my home to downtown Chicago. As I exited my stop and made my way onto the street, there was a man panhandling. Out of all the people leaving, he asked me for money. I told him the truth: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything to give you.”

My mom heard this exchange and told me, “Son, you always have something to give.” She then quoted Acts 3:6: “Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have, I give thee ….” It was such a poignant reminder. Although I may not have had any spare change, I would always have Christ to share.

In Acts 3, Peter and John have an encounter with a man who was born lame. The man begs for money, but Peter and John don’t have any. However, instead of ignoring the man’s pleas, they mimic their master. The Bible says they look at the man and say to him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

This miracle does not just change this formerly crippled man’s temporary situation; it drastically shifts his eternal trajectory. We must not be short-sighted when eternity is within view. These two disciples remind us not to dwell on what we don’t have, but to rejoice in who we do have—Jesus. 

"My aim here is to encourage those of us who can experience burnout from trying to think outside the box. Look inside the book! The gospel is available and at work."

Caleb Turner Tweet

Every year, I am grateful for the Empower Conference and what it means for our convention. It’s great to see friends. I enjoy the speakers, breakouts, and worship. And there’s nothing like free swag from the booths. 

However, the intent behind this conference, which was held in late February, is to reignite and remind believers that the gospel is the greatest tool available. There is no other catalyst for conviction and conversion than to shine light into the darkness of this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must preach Christ and Him crucified! 

We do not need to always look for the latest and greatest church trend. New lights, new buildings, and new music are well and good. However, new stuff bereft of new creations is no more valuable than a whitewashed tomb. 

My aim here is to encourage those of us who can experience burnout from trying to think outside the box. Look inside the book! The gospel is available and at work.

As urban growth reaches into rural spaces, Santa Fe church recalibrates and refocuses

Jake Bigford knows his town will likely become a suburb of Houston during his lifetime. Sandwiched between Houston and Galveston, Santa Fe—named after the railroad—boasts small-town charm and just over 13,000 residents. 

“We are quickly seeing Houston knock on our doorstep,” said Bigford, pastor of First Baptist Church in Alta Loma, a southwestern Galveston County neighborhood that became part of Santa Fe in 1978. 

For Bigford, Santa Fe and FBC Alta Loma have always been home. His mother still lives in town. He married Laurin Finley, a local girl from the church during college in East Texas.

“We grew up in youth group together,” Bigford said.

Following Bigford’s college graduation 15 years ago, the couple returned to Santa Fe when he accepted a position as youth pastor at their home church. There wasn’t a budget for the job, but church volunteers began mowing the lawn so the money that would have gone to landscapers paid Bigford’s modest salary. The church provided the young couple with an apartment and agreed to augment the salary once another staff member retired.

“We prayed about it,” Bigford recalled. “If this is what the Lord wants, then the money doesn’t matter. He made it happen.” 

When the church’s senior pastor left in 2019, the search team decided it didn’t need to look very far. Deacons approached Bigford to gauge his interest.

“It took me by surprise,” he admitted. “We started praying about it.”

By the end of that year, on the church’s 124th anniversary, Bigford preached in view of a call.

“It’s been wonderful,” he said. “It’s been a great journey.”

Pictured left to right and back to front are Brett Ford, Julie Mahoney, Nathan Berry, Jay Blackwell, Sherri Kuehl, Kristin Mayberry, and Jake Bigford. Submitted photo

Breathing new life

The journey has not been without challenges. Through COVID-19 and other circumstances, FBC Alta Loma experienced what Bigford called a “fairly drastic change in families and faces and attendance” after his arrival.

Bigford’s interest in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was piqued while attending the annual evangelism-focused Empower Conference. 

“I fell in love with what the convention stood for. I learned a lot,” he said. “A big part of it for me was the [SBTC’s stance] on inerrancy. … I got fully involved with the SBTC.”

Wondering if FBC Alta Loma needed revitalization, Bigford later attended a SBTC Regenesis One-Day intensive workshop in 2024 focused on church health and renewal and was sold on the idea of joining a cohort. 

“Even if our church wasn’t necessarily declining, there were ways the Lord could breathe new life,” he realized, concluding that most churches could benefit from similar help.

Among his favorite parts of the Regenesis process was gathering a team from the church and having conversations about where FBC Alta Loma was headed.

“We picked people from different walks of life, ages, and generations,” he said. This core group examined what the church was doing and why. “We were actually already talking about the issues, but Regenesis led us to think about our vision, our mission,” solidifying the direction they wanted to go to reach their town with the gospel. He added that his team was encouraged as it saw how God was faithful throughout the church’s history. 

Bigford said Regenesis was “challenging and affirming,” helping the church prioritize areas it had not considered—including the location, gifts, and abilities of the congregation. 

“Regenesis challenged us to look at our mission and come up with an initiative to accomplish it,” Bigford said. The team determined culture shifts needed in the church and set goals.

“Regenesis challenged us to look at our mission and come up with an initiative to accomplish it.”

Jake Bigford Tweet

Invitation to transformation

The weakest pillar in the church was engaging people with the gospel, they decided. Discussions ensued and resulted in the Invite 52 initiative with the goal of inviting 5,200 people to the church during 2026.

“It may sound too lofty. But that’s 100 people inviting one person per week to church,” Bigford said. They realized that even if they only invited 4,000, that would be a success.

Business cards with the church’s contact information and service times have been created to help members with the task. “We ordered 10,000 of these cards, 20 pounds [in weight],” Bigford said. After generating anticipation in late 2025, they began the project in full on the first Sunday of 2026.

“If you will invite people to come, I will preach the gospel every single week,” Bigford promised.

The congregation was encouraged to be intentional, not just leaving the card somewhere but handing it to individuals and inviting them to be their guest, promising to meet them in the parking lot and sit with them. Evangelism training scheduled for May will enhance the congregation’s comfort in witnessing to those they invite.

“The incredible thing is people have done it,” Bigford said. “So far, they have distributed more than 400 cards. Every single week we have had first-time guests, 40 in the first five weeks of the initiative.”

“Even the kids are doing it,” said church member Susan Ford, whose third grader has taken cards to school to invite her friends. “It should be easy for us to invite people to church but it’s not. Having a challenge to invite somebody each week is good.”

Megan Williams, a member since childhood who directs the church’s mothers’ day out and homeschool support programs, said she is inviting MDO teachers and parents. She explains to them that since her husband is a firefighter who often works Sundays, she sits alone in church and would love for visitors to sit with her.

Megan asks those who have expressed interest in visiting and sends gentle reminders to encourage them to give the church a try. Several have come, and some have stayed.

Attendance has risen by about 30, Bigford said. A typical Sunday will see 120-130, reflecting steady growth. All who have come even once have heard the gospel.

“So far, they have distributed more than 400 cards. Every single week we have had first-time guests, 40 in the first five weeks of the initiative.”

Jake Bigford Tweet

‘Seeing the first fruits’

Another change in the church began before Regenesis, Bigford said. Through meeting with SBTC prayer consultant Keeney Dickenson and after attending an SBTC pastors’ prayer retreat led by Texas pastors Nathan Lino and Todd Kaunitz, he realized FBC Alta Loma needed to be a house of prayer.

FBC Alta Loma started designating a time during the Sunday service to stop and pray, the process aided by prayer prompts on the screens. Names of lost people were added to a large bulletin board visible to everyone. Quarterly prayer meetings, prayer walks around the property, and other prayer events now occur.

“I am happy to say today that because of all these things, we are much more prayer dependent than ever before,” Bigford said, adding that prayer was essential before beginning Invite 52.

Word is spreading. Recently at a fast-food restaurant, an employee and church member introduced Bigford to an older couple seeking a church for their grandson. The young man has started attending. 

Cards have been distributed to the waitress at the local fish place, customers at the nearby convenience store, and local schools. 

“We are seeing the first fruits now and can’t wait to tell the stories later,” Bigford said. “We all need new life from the Lord in our churches. It only comes when we are dependent on Him.”

Here to serve

Each morning when I pull into the parking lot of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention building, I am reminded of how God has blessed me to be able to serve here. I would have never imagined this being my life’s calling, yet I am beyond thankful that it is. 

The SBTC has incredible churches seeking to make a difference across our state. Our staff is willing and ready to serve you every day. While our convention offers many areas of ministry assistance, I want to use this space over the next few issues of the Texan to highlight some of our incredible ministries.

Children & Family Ministry

Karen Kennemur leads our Children & Family Ministry. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in these areas. She also serves as professor of Children’s Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Children are such a blessing for a church to reach, and Karen and her team are eager to assist you. If you are looking for help in reaching children in your community, contact Karen and let the SBTC serve you as you move forward. 

Women’s Ministry

As we see throughout Scripture, women play a crucial role in the advance of the gospel and the ministry of the church. Laura Taylor leads our Women’s Ministry and is passionate about equipping and encouraging women to serve the Lord. This ministry is also geared to serve pastors’ wives. These special ladies are such a blessing to the kingdom. They are a constant source of encouragement to their husbands as they lead. The SBTC seeks to come alongside these women and provide opportunities for networking and fellowship. If there is any way we can serve the women’s ministry of your church, or if you are a pastor’s wife looking to connect, give Laura a call.

"The SBTC has incredible churches seeking to make a difference across our state. Our staff is willing and ready to serve you every day."

Nathan Lorick Tweet

Disability Ministry

This ministry, formerly known as the Special Needs Ministry, is such an important part of how the SBTC can help churches engage and serve churches. Sandra Peoples is one of the top experts in the nation on this topic. She is a leader who desires to see churches serve families with special needs with excellence and understanding. If you are looking to start a disability ministry or have questions about how to serve families well, contact Sandra and she will walk with you through the process. 

The SBTC is full of ministries like these. This is why we are here—to serve your church well. Please reach out if we can be of assistance to you. I want you to know that I love you and I am so honored to serve you.

To connect with one of our ministry associates, contact the SBTC at 817-552-2500.