Author: Russell Lightner

The church has left the building

North Texas congregation sees gospel fruit from practice of holding one service per month outside its walls

Pastor Paul Faseler was driving to a staff meeting when he noticed workers setting up for a county fair. He knew they travel and work every Sunday in a new location, so he thought, “I bet they don’t ever get to worship.”

Faeseler rounded up some volunteers from The Well Baptist Church in Greenville and they headed to the fairgrounds on Sunday morning with 100 breakfast tacos for the workers. Rain was pouring down, but they waded in with raincoats and umbrellas to knock on doors of workers’ trailers.

About 20 workers accepted the invitation to come to a small worship service inside the fairgrounds, and nine of them prayed to receive Christ, Faseler said, adding, “We just wanted to bless them, but God decided to show up that day.”

An impromptu gathering at the local fairgrounds was not a far stretch for the members of The Well because they have been accustomed for years to using the fourth Sunday of each month as a service day outside the walls of their normal worship location.

The practice began out of necessity when the young church plant met at a community center and worked around a car show that was already booked for the fourth Sunday of every month. After a while, the car show moved on but the practice of going outside the walls held.

When they called Faseler as pastor four years ago, church members wanted to make sure he would be on board with the tradition. He thought it was a good fit with his missions and evangelism priorities.

The Well works with FISH, which is the Hunt County Shared Ministries food pantry and other services. Church members fill blessing bags for homeless people, packing tuna, granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding, and water along with a gospel tract.

“We put those together every month. The Salvation Army takes some, a partner church takes some, our members take some,” Faseler said. “I like to keep one in my car at all times.”

Church members have been trained in the Three Circles evangelism method—one time using white paper table cloths so everyone around the table could practice drawing the circles and telling the gospel story. Sometimes on fourth Sundays they practice door to door evangelism.

“We’re always amazed when we do door to door on Sundays how many people are home,” Faseler said, noting that one of the challenges in the community is that so many people have prayed a prayer of salvation at some point but are not walking with Christ.

Recently, during a sermon from the book of Acts, Faseler preached on Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, challenging people to trust God when He provides opportunities for gospel interaction. “We talked about how Philip just went with the question that was asked,” Faseler said.

In addition to the food pantry and door to door evangelism, The Well has partnered with a local pregnancy resource center in Greenville. The church also partners with three schools doing various projects such as landscaping or building bookshelves. They are prayer partners with the teachers at one school.

“We’ve got lots of people who probably would say they’ve never been on a mission trip, but they don’t know that we put them on mission trips every month.”

—Paul Faseler Tweet

“We’ve got lots of people who probably would say they’ve never been on a mission trip, but they don’t know that we put them on mission trips every month,” Faseler said.

The Well has nearly a 100% volunteer rate in terms of how many members serve in some service capacity, the pastor said. “It really has empowered some folks and made them feel like a part of the body and having a purpose.”

One man who had worked a flat top grill at a restaurant for years told Faseler, “You want to cook breakfast tacos? I’m your man.” When such an emphasis is placed on service, more people are able to find where they fit.

With such an unconventional practice, the pastor points to the fruit as justification for the church’s off-site Sunday service once per month. “It takes some faith, and we have to talk it up a lot,” he said, adding that attendance is about 115 on worship Sundays but about 80 on service days.

“Some of it is just a choice of impact over numbers,” Faseler said.

The pastor knows attendance will be down when they do door to door evangelism because fewer people are comfortable with that task. “But I think to have 40 or 50 people doing door to door is worth it. We could have 120 at church, but this could go a lot further if we really teach people how to do this.”

Often in Scripture, including Abraham and Mary, for example, God calls people to leave their comfort zones, Faseler said.

“We’re almost creating a culture where this is church for them. They expect to serve. They expect to have conversations with people and maybe have to share the gospel or ask people how they can pray with them and then pray.

“We’re constantly pushing our people out of their comfort zones to where they don’t even know they’re out of their comfort zones anymore. They’re just living on mission.”

Emphasis on prayer, evangelism, discipleship spurs revitalization at growing rural church

When Shawn Brewer came in view of a call to pastor First Baptist Church in Paradise, about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth, he preached to about 60 people that Sunday morning.

After accepting a call from the church, he was greeted by about half that number on his first Sunday due to various difficulties, including the COVID shutdown.

“The church was struggling,” Brewer remembers of that time. “They needed to decide if we were going to grow or are we going to exist.”

Brewer had pastored larger churches in Eastland and Lubbock prior to moving to Paradise. A health crisis in the family led him to step away from his leadership of a church in Lubbock. After that crisis passed, Shawn didn’t know what God had for his future.

“This is my fourth full-time church, but I didn’t really know if I’d be in ministry again,” Brewer recalls.

At the same time, FBC Paradise knew of Brewer through a church member, but also knew he’d led larger churches than theirs. Some of the pastor search committee members doubted a pastor with Brewer’s resume could be drawn to a church one member called “beat up.”

After a short time in Paradise, the new pastor attended an associational meeting up the road in Decatur. One of his reasons for attending that day was to talk about prayer ministry—a keen interest of Brewer’s. Leaders of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Regenesis church revitalization initiative made presentations during that meeting. After listening to Anthony Svajda— pastoral ministries associate for the SBTC—talk about it, Brewer decided to explore the process with his church.

Church leadership agreed Regenesis would be a good idea, so Brewer formed a nine-person leadership team to help with the evaluation of its ministry. Svajda worked personally with the church.

“[Regenesis] helped us look at ourselves,” Brewer said. “It helped us examine why we do some of the things we do … some things that needed to be improved or removed … how we might be more efficient and effective at being the church that Christ wants us to be.”

The pastor led the church to implement a three-point emphasis on evangelism, discipleship, and prayer as it sought to have a more effective ministry. Since entering the process, the church has baptized four people, including three adult men—the first baptisms in a while for FBC Paradise.

Ren Young has been a member of the church for 38 years, ever since he and his wife married. He’s seen a lot of ups and downs at the church. Young served as a member of the Regenesis leadership team and remembers some of the hard truths they discovered.

“We had to face of lot of things we were using for excuses for how stagnant we’d become,” he said. “We had just stopped nurturing our members.”

But Young sees a foundational change in the current ministry of the church.

“[Regenesis] helped us look at ourselves. It helped us examine why we do some of the things we do … some things that needed to be improved or removed.”

—Shawn Brewer Tweet

“We’re praying now,” he said. “Shawn has been dynamic in leading us to be a praying church. We’re more Spirit-led. Discipleship is one of the things I’ll get really excited about as it grows in the church. The prayer ministry is one thing that has prepared us for [growth in discipleship].”

Brewer has trained more than 20 church members in discipleship, including becoming disciple-makers themselves. The three-part emphasis has begun to bear fruit.

“Our job is to be faithful,” the pastor emphasized. “It’s about being faithful to be the church where we are. If we do that and share the gospel, God will provide. We’ve had some real eye-opening experiences with people stepping up and saying, ‘Hey, we can reach people!’ and we have.”

Attendance at FBC Paradise has grown since that first day four years ago. Average attendance for the fall months of 2024 was 130. By teaching the congregation prayer, discipleship, and evangelism, Brewer envisions the revitalization being experienced by the church spilling out into the town and region. His vision is to host 20 evangelistic events (block parties, Easter lunch, etc.) over the next three years.

“We’re seeing our people embrace that,” he added. “It’s not just the same people who work and participate. We’re actually looking for ways to interact with the [community] to see if God’s working to share the gospel.”

With his long perspective of the church’s life, Young noted a time when the church was missing some of the younger age groups that form a foundation for any congregation’s future. He recalls when his own kids were teenagers that there were almost no kids in the church’s student ministry. He’s excited to see that change over the past couple of years, experiencing an increased feeling of life in the church he’s served for decades.

“I can tell the church is growing,” he said. “You’ve got to look for a seat on Sunday, and I love it. It’s a little noisy … we have a lot of kids and young people. It’s a joy to be at church!”

4 common questions about pastors’ kids

On March 9, 2016, an off-duty Jacksonville, Fla., police officer was taking his 14-year-old son to school when he decided to pull over a Cadillac that was driving erratically. The driver, Kevin Rojas, had just threatened his girlfriend with a gun and fired shots in their house before taking off in his car.

Rojas immediately opened fire, hitting the officer in the head, upper body, and hand. Meanwhile, the officer’s brave son managed to call for help. Fortunately, Rojas was apprehended soon afterward and the deputy made a full recovery.

That unnamed father-officer had a tough decision to make when his work and family priorities collided that day. Those of us who are privileged to lead our homes and ministries often live with a similar tension.

Here are four common questions I get about pastoring and parenting:

1. Should I protect my kids from church conflict?

Pastors who believe they need to guard their children from major church problems are not wrong, but I want to suggest a caveat. If your children are teenagers, they likely have already heard about these problems, especially if they concern you. Consider starting a high-level conversation that will help you discover what they know, as well as help you discern what they need to know. Is it better for them to hear the truth from you, or some jaded version of it from someone else?

"Make sure the grace you preach at church reflects the grace you practice at home—for yourself, as well as your kids."

Mark Dance Tweet

2. How should I shepherd my kids at home?

Some believe there are only two types of ministry parents: those who lead in regular family devotions, and those who struggle with the challenges of parenting. My suggestion is to simply read short passages and pray with your young children before they go to bed. As they get older, make mealtime a more casual-yet-intentional discipleship opportunity.

When our kids were teenagers, it seemed the only time they opened up was when I was ready to go to bed. My wife Janet and I decided we would drop everything whenever our kids made even the smallest initiative toward conversation. As empty nesters, we still practice that today.

3. How often should we make our kids go to church?

The Bible teaches weekly worship, so Janet and I were inflexible about Sunday mornings, yet we did give them more freedom as they got older about Wednesdays. If you do make your kids go “every time the doors are open,” make sure it is their interests which are being considered and not just your own.

4. How can I keep my kids from hating the church?

Do not go into pastor panic if your college-age kids leave the church or question their faith for a season. I suspect most are looking to make sure their beliefs are something they own and not just inherited.

Two-thirds of those who attended church regularly in high school dropped out for at least one year as a young adult, according to a 2019 Lifeway Research study. Janet and I often tell pastors and wives that most preachers’ kids will go through a temporary season of rebellion.

A well-managed home (1 Timothy 3:4) should not be confused with parenting perfectionism. Make sure the grace you preach at church reflects the grace you practice at home—for yourself, as well as your kids.

As Empower Student Rally nears, teen testifies to how Jesus used last year’s event as a spiritual wake-up call

Colton Weltman listened intently as evangelist Ryan Fontenot shared the gospel with the audience of nearly 750 youth and leaders at last year’s Empower Conference Student Rally.

“I want you to know tonight that God loves you. God absolutely loves you,” Fontenot said. “Jesus loves you. Jesus will meet you. Jesus won’t leave you right where you are. … You come to Jesus in order to get right with God.”

Colton, then a junior at Hebron High School in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, wasn’t sure. He had gone to church some and had even been baptized at a Christian summer camp. But was he saved?

Soon after Colton’s camp baptism, his dad, Dean, who had been partly raised by his Jewish grandparents, became an “overnight convert” after recognizing the messianic message of Isaiah 53 while listening to sermons on the Torah.

“I thought I had accidentally skipped to the New Testament, but when I realized I was listening to the prophet Isaiah, I immediately knew Jesus was the Messiah,” Dean recalled.

Afterward, he said he began to see Jesus everywhere in the Old Testament. He started taking the whole family to church, eventually finding a home at Lewisville’s Lakeland Baptist.

Colton attended last February’s Empower rally with friends at the invitation of Lakeland youth pastor Matt Wooster. And Colton had questions.

“I figured I should just be part of the group and go,” Colton later said. “It turned out pretty good,” he added, noting it was “pretty cool to see all those people give their lives to Christ that day,” a reference to the 18 young people who expressed a decision to follow Jesus at the rally.

Colton wasn’t one of them. Yet.

Wooster recalled that at the end of the rally, as Fontenot issued the gospel invitation, he turned to Colton and asked, “What do you think?”

Colton mentioned his prior baptism. When Wooster asked him why he had been baptized, the student replied, “It seemed like the next best step to take.”

Wooster responded by walking Colton through the meaning of baptism as a public demonstration of faith in Christ. He shared the Romans Road to salvation with Colton, echoing Fontenot’s message.

“We prayed together about the Holy Spirit moving Colton towards submitting his life to Jesus,” Wooster said. Later Colton texted Wooster, requesting a graphic of the Romans Road.

Saved from sin

Back at Lakeland, Wooster and Colton chatted as the teen was about to drive off after the next Wednesday night’s student service. As they talked, Colton brought up the student rally.

“Can I make Jesus my Savior?” he asked Wooster.

“You mean right now?” Wooster answered.

“Yep,” Colton replied as he got out of his car to stand by Wooster, who led him in prayer to ask Jesus to become his Savior.

“I had him pray in the clearest way he knew how that sin was his biggest problem and that Jesus was the solution,” Wooster said. “ … He was able to say in his own words that he needed forgiveness from sin and a relationship with Jesus, and that he needed to submit to Jesus. We prayed together, but in all that had transpired, the Holy Spirit had worked in his heart.”

“I thought I was saved. I thought I had already done everything right. But from our conversation, I realized I hadn’t. I didn’t feel like I was saved,” Colton said. “I hadn’t prayed a prayer like that. Not like that.”

Changed forever

Fast forward one year.

Now a senior at Hebron, Colton confirmed that Jesus continues to work in his life.

A competitive skeet shooter at school, Colton now clearly understands his life had fallen short of the target of God’s holiness and that he had found the answer in a relationship with Christ.

He likes to tell others that story, he says, “all the time.”

Toward the end of this fall’s term, he shared the gospel with another student in shop class. When the semester ended, their class schedules would change.

“I’ve talked to him every once in a while [about the Lord]. He knows he is a sinner. He doesn’t know Jesus,” Colton said. One day, “I just told him straight up: ‘The only way you’re ever gonna feel better is through Jesus. You’ve got to stop living this sinful life that you are living. As soon as you do, you’re gonna feel better.’”

Colton invited the friend to church.

“I don’t know if I’m ever going to see him again. Hebron is a big school,” Colton said. “But I told him to let me know if he wants to go to church.”

The entire Weltman family is active at Lakeland, including Colton’s mother Chinh and siblings Grayson and Emma.

Of his son’s first baptism, Dean said, “I don’t think he understood the meaning of being a Christian,” but since then, with his time at Lakeland, he “really came to understand and appreciate Jesus.”

Since Empower, Colton admits he is “taking Jesus seriously, reading the Bible, hanging out with people who are likeminded,” and trying to “implement what Jesus teaches” into his life.

Evangelism for everybody

How did God use a simple, practical approach to sharing the gospel to grow a church?

Here’s our story

Do you remember those old insurance commercials with the phrase, “So easy, a caveman could do it,” in the early 2000s? I do, though the grey hairs in my beard remind me that was nearly a quarter century ago. Around the same time, there were also the office supply store “Easy Button” commercials. Man has often looked for ways to do things easier, faster, cheaper, etc.

That also spills into the church world, often in church growth or revitalization. Churches in decline are usually desperate for ways to see numerical or financial growth that are easy, fast, cheap, and so forth. And for good reason. Maybe the church is a few bad weeks from closing its doors or letting someone go. Shortcuts to a turnaround would be a blessing, but we probably all know from experience how shortcuts fall short of lasting change.

But what if we got back to doing the main thing we’re left here on earth to do in a way anyone can, no matter what? What if it was so easy that even a caveman could do it? What if, in the doing, you see lasting, growing change among your people and perhaps an enduring turnaround after a season of decline? I’m talking about evangelism, but not as you’d expect.

Once a megachurch, Plymouth Park Baptist Church had been in a long season of decline and was in desperate need of revitalization. We had massive buildings in disrepair, an aging congregation, and a starkly different demographic than when the church started 70 years ago. Projections revealed we were only a few years from closing our doors unless we saw what many would call a miracle.

We could disband our congregation and dissolve our assets, merge with another church in town, or sell our buildings and relocate. Those were our options if you talked to most, but was God surprised by the changing demographic around us? Was He powerless or unwilling to breathe new life into us right where we were? Do we not serve a God who eats impossible for breakfast? That became my battle cry as my family got to work with our new church family.

“I began using some of my pulpit time to encourage them to find someone ... to ask them how they could pray for them. And they did.”

—matt henslee Tweet

When it comes to church revitalization, I think one of your best bets is low-hanging fruit. Getting some small wins, like the debt-snowball strategy, builds momentum and helps gain bigger and bigger wins. The same is true with evangelism. Sure, you could launch a massive evangelism training and campaign on day one, but would you have the buy-in to pull it off? What if, instead, you look for ways to get smaller wins, build momentum, and allow that to lead the way to bigger wins and even church revitalization itself?

That’s what we did with the saints called Plymouth Park Baptist Church. With an aging congregation untrained for evangelism, I wasn’t sure selling them on making a major commitment to a massive evangelism training and campaign was the way to go. Instead, we started providing small handouts with some simple information about the church and I began using some of my pulpit time to encourage them to find someone, anyone—a family member, friend, neighbor, coworker, or the cashier at the local grocery store—to ask them how they could pray for them.

And they did. Reports started trickling in of opportunities members had to pray with a server at a restaurant, a coworker on a lunch break, a neighbor at the mailbox, and so forth. We would take the requests and pray for them during our weekly prayer meetings, and momentum began to build. Our members began conversing with people they may not usually mingle with—and lived to tell about it!

So, we took the next step. My mentor in the ministry, Matt Queen, has a simple evangelism strategy that anyone can do, which begins by asking, “Has anyone told you God loves you today?” Inevitably, the answer is no, at which point you can ask to be the first and say, “God loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son to live a perfect life for you, die a sacrificial death for you, rise victoriously for you, and save you if you turn to Him in faith. Would you like to hear more about that today?” If they do, go for it. If not, you leave them with a gospel tract, information about your church, or even your contact information if they have questions later.

I began sharing that strategy from the pulpit and during other teaching opportunities, and our people got after it. In fact, during Easter, one of our members went to the grocery store next to the church and asked the cashier if anyone had told her God loves her, and the cashier said, “Actually, yes! Someone from that church (she pointed toward our building) was just here and told me, and I plan on coming this Sunday.” Story after story started coming in, and fast. I’d often share some of them from the pulpit with encouragement to keep up the good work.

Now, instead of starting with a handful of folks committing to a big training and weekly visitation, we have hundreds of folks taking the gospel with them as they go, wherever they go, and God is blessing their faithfulness abundantly. This year, we’ll harness this momentum and mobilize a more organized or trained group of evangelizers, and we may very well live to place those doomsday projections into the dumpster where they belong.

Trust the Lord and get to work!

The annual Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Empower Conference is quickly approaching. I invite you to join with many other SBTC churches and be blessed and encouraged, as well as be challenged to share the good news of our Savior. We have some wonderful speakers and breakout sessions that will inspire and motivate you.

Speaking of motivational, Jordan Peterson’s interview with Dallas Jenkins, the creator and director of “The Chosen,” is one of the best things I have heard in a long time. I was enthralled with the testimony Dallas gave about how “The Chosen” came into existence. Peterson said it is an excellent production and the best Christian mini-series ever.

Dallas shared with much transparency how he hit rock bottom prior to “The Chosen.” Around 2016, Dallas produced the film “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.” In his own words, he said it was a total failure. He and his wife sat still and wept as they realized how poorly the film had been received. He doubted his abilities and even considered giving up on creating and directing.

During this dark night of his soul, Dallas told Peterson, who was absolutely fixated on Dallas and the story he was telling, that his wife told him they needed to read the story in the gospels where Jesus fed the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21). He thought that was rather odd, but Dallas went along and read with his wife the only miracle recorded by all four gospels except for the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Jesus took two fish and five loaves of bread and fed 5,000 men plus the others. Some calculate that the number could have been as high as 20,000.

"If you know Christ, then He lives in you by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit."

Danny Forshee Tweet

Not long after this, Dallas said he was on his computer at 4 a.m. working away. He was writing a 15-page critique of all that went wrong in the film he had worked so hard on. At that time, he received a Facebook message from a friend. His friend said he felt the Lord wanted him to tell Dallas this: “Focus on the bread and the fish.” His friend wrote this note from Romania and had no idea Dallas and his wife had recently read the account of the feeding of the 5,000. Even Peterson acknowledged this was no mere coincidence.

Dallas said he got the message from the Lord loud and clear. He was to do what he was good at, and that was telling the good news of Jesus in fresh and creative ways. He felt the Lord affirming him and reminding him that he was no failure. He was not to worry himself with pleasing men or Hollywood. Rather, he was to focus on what God had called him and gifted him to do. The next year, he began working on “The Chosen.”

Dallas and his wife trusted in the Lord, he quit leaning on his own understanding, and God divinely directed his path (Proverbs 3:5-6). Millions of viewers around the world have been blessed by “The Chosen.”

Let me encourage you that you are not a failure! If you know Christ, then He lives in you by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Trust the Lord, do what He has gifted you to do, and get busy!

Pareja viaja cada año desde México para asistir a Apoderados en la Conferencia Empower de la SBTC

Vale la pena cada milla

Para muchos, hacer un viaje de ida y vuelta de 1,200 millas es cualquier cosa menos refrescante.

Sin embargo, esa es la palabra que Carlos y Birmania Cortés usan para describir por qué han viajado de México al Norte de Texas estos últimos años para asistir a Apoderados, la sesión en español de la Conferencia Empower de la Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas.

Apoderados se celebra anualmente para animar, equipar e inspirar a todos los miembros de la iglesia a evangelizar.

“Todos los temas en Apoderados han sido muy educativos para nosotros, y sentimos que refresca nuestra visión y nos ayuda a seguir adelante”, dijo Birmania, haciéndose eco de los sentimientos de su esposo Carlos, pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Eliacim en Monterrey, México, los últimos 16 años.

Los Cortés fueron invitados por primera vez a Apoderados por su amigo César Gabriel, pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Trinidad de Laredo. “Necesitan ir a la Conferencia Apoderados para refrescar su visión y estar al día [en el ministerio]”, recuerdan que les dijo Gabriel.

“Cuando hablamos con el pastor Gabriel, nos dimos cuenta de que tenemos un llamado ministerial muy a fines”, dijo Birmania, “porque él también moviliza a su gente para hacer misiones en lugares de gran necesidad.”

Los Cortés tienen un corazón para discipular y preparar misioneros. Se conocieron a través de una asociación misionera dedicada a reclutar estudiantes universitarios para aprovechar sus dones y talentos al servicio del Señor. Veinte años después, continúan sirviendo a este ministerio con gran compromiso y pasión, con Carlos reclutando misioneros potenciales para su capacitación mientras Birmania formando grupos de oración y discipulado en la universidad para alcanzar a los estudiantes.

“Pienso que necesitamos tener toda la información posible para poder capacitar a los estudiantes [que podrían convertirse en futuros misioneros]”, afirma Carlos. “Ellos nos aventajan en términos de información, y debemos tratar de capacitarnos en todas las áreas posibles para poder ministrar a sus necesidades”. Una de las formas de hacerlo, dijo Él, es a través de las sesiones ofrecidas en Apoderados.

Carlos también ha encontrado en Apoderados otras formas de apoyar su ministerio. Él dijo que la conferencia no sólo ofrece nueva información, sino que confirma la eficacia de parte del trabajo que él y su esposa ya han estado haciendo en la iglesia, así como la identificación de áreas en las que pueden mejorar.

“Oro para que otros se sientan animados a obedecer a Dios y a capacitarse en su llamado”

—Carlos Cortes Tweet

“En una de las conferencias recibí la confirmación de que es necesario que todos los ministerios estén conectados, que los jóvenes interactúen con los adultos y viceversa”, dijo Carlos. “Principios como estos reafirmaron nuestra visión de crear espacios que conecten a la iglesia”.

El hecho de que Apoderados enfatice fuertemente la evangelización es muy importante para los Cortés.

“Algo que realmente me llamó la atención de Apoderados es que abordan directamente la necesidad de la gente de compartir el Evangelio. Me sorprendió mucho que ofrezcan folletos para predicar a todo tipo de personas. Se centran en predicar el Evangelio, la integridad y la sanidad del siervo de Dios”, dijo Birmania.

Los Cortés dijeron que disfrutan compartiendo la información y las herramientas que reciben en Apoderados con otros en su ciudad. Además de ayudar a su esposo en el ministerio y la evangelización, Birmania es oradora de la Convención Regional Bautista Santiago Hickey y maestra en el instituto bíblico de la convención en Nuevo León.

“Toda la información que recibo, incluyendo los folletos, como los datos y estadísticas que mencionan los conferencistas de los talleres, me ha ayudado mucho en mis enseñanzas y conferencias”, dijo Birmania.

La pareja dijo que planean seguir asistiendo a Apoderados tan a menudo como les sea posible.

“Oro para que otros se sientan animados a obedecer a Dios y a capacitarse en su llamado”, dijo Carlos.

Couple makes annual trip from Mexico to attend Apoderados at SBTC’s Empower Conference

worth every mile

For many, making a 1,200-mile round trip is anything but refreshing.

Yet that’s a word Carlos and Birmania Cortes use when describing why they’ve traveled from Mexico to North Texas over the past few years to attend Apoderados, the Spanish session of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Empower Conference.

Empower is hosted annually to encourage, equip, and inspire all church members to evangelize.

“All the topics at Apoderados have been very educational for us, and we feel that it refreshes our vision and helps us move forward,” Birmania said, echoing the sentiments of her husband, Carlos, pastor of Eliacim Baptist Church in Monterrey, Mexico, the past 16 years.

The Corteses were first invited to Apoderados by their friend Cesar Gabriel, who pastors Trinity Baptist Church in Laredo. “You need to go to the Apoderados conference to refresh your vision and be up to date [in ministry],” they remember Gabriel telling them.

“When we talked with Pastor Gabriel, we realized that we have a very [similar] ministry calling,” Birmania said, “because he also mobilizes his people to do missions in places of great need.”

The Corteses have a heart for discipling and preparing missionaries. They met through a missionary association dedicated to recruiting college students to use their gifts and talents in the service of the Lord. Twenty years later, they continue to serve this ministry with great commitment and passion, with Carlos recruiting potential missionaries for training while Birmania forms prayer and discipleship groups at the university to reach out to students.

“I think we need to have as much information as possible to train the students [who could become future missionaries],” Carlos said. “They are ahead of us in terms of information, and we should try to educate ourselves in all possible areas to be able to minister to their needs.” One of the ways they do that, he said, is through sessions offered at Apoderados.

There are other ways Carlos has found support for his ministry at Apoderados, as well. He said the conference not only offers new information, but confirms the effectiveness of some of the work he and his wife have already been doing in the church, as well as identifying areas where they can improve.

“I received confirmation [at] one of the conferences that it is necessary for all ministries to be connected, for youth to interact with adults and vice versa,” Carlos said. “Principles such as these reaffirmed for me our vision of creating spaces that connect the church.”

“I received confirmation [at] one of the conferences that it is necessary for all ministries to be connected, for youth to interact with adults and vice versa.”

—Carlos Cortes Tweet

The fact Apoderados heavily emphasizes evangelism is very important to the Corteses.

“Something that really struck me about Apoderados is that they directly address people’s need to share the gospel. I was very surprised that they had tracts to preach to all kinds of people. They focus on preaching the gospel, the integrity and the healing of the servant of God,” Birmania said.

The Corteses said they enjoy sharing the information and tools they receive at Apoderados with others in their city. In addition to assisting her husband in ministry and evangelism, Birmania is a speaker for the Santiago Hickey Regional Baptist Convention and a teacher at the convention’s Bible institute in Nuevo Leon.

“All the information I receive, including the booklets, such as the data and statistics mentioned by the workshop speakers, has helped me a lot in my teaching and conferences,” Birmania said.

The couple said they plan to continue attending Apoderados as often as possible.

“I pray others will be encouraged to obey God and be equipped for their calling,” Carlos said.

Working together to ‘sow bountifully’

Each week, my inbox is filled with emails, but none capture my attention like the updates I receive from a family on the mission field sent out by our church. The almost weekly updates remind me of the expanded reach of our local body of believers. What an honor! I am so thankful for the Christ-followers and families that go as an extension of our church to be light in unfamiliar cultures.

This family left for Southeast Asia years ago and continues with determination and faithfulness for God’s glory and kingdom in a dark region of the world. They are ones with beautiful feet, and the Lord is using their lives powerfully. As they build relationships and share the gospel, they are seeing spiritual awakening. A region where generations before were hardened is now open to the good news of salvation and responding with faith in Christ.

We hear about their work of teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded as they steadily make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Churches are regularly being planted and impacting many lives with the gospel. All of these amazing things are taking place in the midst of increased persecution and difficulty. Just recently, hundreds of Bibles were confiscated by authorities as our enemy attempted to thwart God’s work.

This is a wonderful example of the Cooperative Program in action. This missionary family represents one path of a great journey that began many years ago. When we give through CP, we give to Christ-followers who have answered a sacrificial and beautiful call to go. We have the privilege of praying for these families laboring for the kingdom.

"Let us continue that legacy of generosity to bring glory to our Father in heaven and experience the eternal bounty of men and women made in the image of God becoming brothers and sisters through the cross of Jesus Christ."

Josh Allen Tweet

The story of this amazing family is repeated over and over across Southern Baptist life. Thousands of missionaries have responded to God’s call, with more being sent each year. Churches are being planted across North America, providing consistent gospel proclamation. Seminaries are equipping men and women to live wholly for Christ—committed to the truth of Scripture and to lead the next generation of Jesus followers to global impact. Our state is equipping churches to plant new churches here in Texas, resourcing them to more effectively make disciples and serve others with the gospel. This is the Cooperative Program changing lives.

In 2 Corinthians 9:6, 10-11, Paul writes, “The point is this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. … He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

We have been enriched in this great state and nation. For 100 years, Southern Baptists have combined their efforts through CP to “sow bountifully.” Let us continue that legacy of generosity to bring glory to our Father in heaven and experience the eternal bounty of men and women made in the image of God becoming brothers and sisters through the cross of Jesus Christ. For His glory!

What’s your Cooperative Program story?

Post your story to your social channels and use #cp100story.

Empower speaker Luter shares how evangelism ignited his church through triumphs, tragedy

Fred Luter is senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. He has experienced both triumph and tragedy during his nearly four decades of ministry service, including leading his congregation to minister to a devastated city following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to being elected the first African American president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2012. Luter will speak at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Empower Conference in February. He recently spoke with Texan editor Jayson Larson about his calling and the impact evangelism has had on his church and city.

You surrendered your life to Christ after a motorcycle accident in 1977 and began preaching the gospel on a street corner in New Orleans shortly thereafter. That’s a bold way for a new believer to begin sharing his faith.

Fred Luter: I was brought up in church. My mom and dad divorced when I was six years old, but one of Mama’s rules was on Sunday morning, everybody in this house was going to church. She was a single parent with five of us. So, I was in church on Sunday morning, but in the club on Sunday night. I was doing a whole lot of crazy things.

When I got saved in 1977, it was such a traumatic event for me. It literally transformed my life. [After the motorcycle wreck], I was in the hospital and had a hole in my head, compound fracture in my leg, and I had a 50/50 chance of living. A deacon in the church I grew up in came to my hospital bed, put his finger in my face, and said, “You need to get your life together because you could have died and you’d have gone straight to hell.” He did not pull any punches.

That night, I cried out to God and said, “God, I don’t know if I’m going to live or die, but I’ll make a deal with you. If I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll serve you all the days of my life.” I woke up the next morning … and the transformation for me was immediate. It was conviction. It was a moment when I just felt that God was giving me another chance.

So because of my newfound faith, and because of what God had done in my life, I wanted all those guys that I ran the street with to know the same Jesus that I knew. I was on the street corners sharing the gospel and they were laughing at me. They thought, “He’s going to get over it.” But the boldness came from the fact that because of what God did in my life, He could do the same thing in the lives of these guys I was running the street with. So every Saturday at 12 noon, I was on the street corner in the Lower Ninth Ward sharing the gospel.

Franklin Avenue started with 65 members when you arrived and has grown to a congregation that now reaches and impacts thousands. How have you led your church to mobilize through evangelism, and what role has that played in its growth?

FL: We tried all kinds of things to get more people involved in soul-winning and sharing their faith. But one [that has worked] is this concept I call FRANgelism. It’s not original with me. FRANgelism is an acronym for friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors. The concept is that everybody in the church has a boss, an unchurched friend, relative, associate, coworker, or neighbor. So I started having classes on how to share your faith in just three minutes. The first minute, you talk about your life before Christ. The second minute is how you got saved, and then the third minute, you tell about what Christ has done in your life since you’ve been born again. I tell our people to share their faith, share their testimony, and then invite those individuals to church. And man, it caught on like wildfire.

We started having FRANgelism months at the church. … Every first Sunday would be “Friends Sunday” where people would invite their friends. Every second Sunday would be relatives. Every third Sunday, co-workers, neighbors, associates. And every fourth Sunday would be neighbors. We make a big deal about it and I talk about it from the pulpit. It took off. People started spreading the word about their relationship with Christ and we never looked back. We’ve never been on TV, never been on the radio. Our growth happened as a result of people in our church sharing their testimonies with friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors, and then inviting them to their local church.

Sharing Jesus with others can often feel intimidating or make people feel fearful. Why do you think that is, and how can pastors lead their congregations to overcome those fears?

FL: I think the reason people are fearful, one, is because of the day and time we’re living in. We’re living in a crazy time. I’m 68, and when I grew up, you were in church whether you were saved or not. People had a healthy fear of God. But we live in a day and time … we’re living in a society where Satan is truly the prince of the power of the air. People can be mean, vindictive. They cuss you out. So, I think a lot of people are just fearful of approaching total strangers to share their faith. That’s why the FRANgelism thing is so effective—because these are people you already have relationships with.

Pastors are charged to do two things: preach and teach. I think we need to preach sermons on evangelism, teach lessons on evangelism, and just remind the people that this is a charge that’s been given to us by Jesus Christ Himself. Matthew 28:19-20—go unto all the world and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Acts 1:8 says you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you. The thing I want to encourage pastors to do … is to equip the saints. One of the ways you equip the saints is to equip them in the area of evangelism by teaching, preaching, and living evangelism, sharing with them how God did it in your life and how they’re expected to do the same.

Pastoring is a challenging calling. How might you encourage those pastors who are on the front lines of a spiritual battle that can incredibly rewarding but also heartbreaking and exhausting?

FL: Pastoring is not easy. My word to pastors is that, No. 1, you’ve got to never, ever forget who called you. God called you. The deacons didn’t call you, the trustees didn’t call you, your mom and your dad didn’t call you. You got to realize God called you. And, No. 2, if God called you, then He equipped you to handle any situation you need to handle. The fact of the matter is, spiritual warfare is a reality in every pastor’s life, because the devil knows if he can get the head—the leader—the body will follow.

And then No. 3, when those difficult times come—and they will—that’s when you’ve got to do what my wife told me one day when I was having a pity party about the ministry. My wife looked at me and said, “Boy, you need to go listen to some of your sermons today. What you’re telling other people, you need to listen to it [yourself] right now.” Bro, during those tough times, we’ve got to continue to lean on God, be faithful to what God has called us to do, and understand that God has equipped us and empowered us. That’s the time we need to put on the whole armor of God and stand firm in the midst of the attacks of the enemy.