Author: Russell Lightner

Cooperative Program allows Houston’s First to expand its footprint far beyond its natural reach

Generous churches produce generous people.

It’s a sentiment Gregg Matte repeats often to his staff and congregation at Houston’s First Baptist Church, undergirding a culture that annually is one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s most enthusiastic supporters of the Cooperative Program.

“A lot of times, we want our people to be generous, but we’re not showing them how the church as a whole is being generous,” said Matte, the church’s senior pastor since 2004.

When people see their church is generous in giving through the Cooperative Program and other means to support disaster relief, missions, and seminary training, “that makes them want to be generous.”

“If they feel like their generosity is just paying for the lights and the letterhead, then that’s not going to be enough,” Matte said. “But when they see their generosity promoting a generous church that’s making a difference, that changes things.”

Matte emphasizes that when the congregation gives tithes and offerings, it is giving through the church, not simply to it. 

“When you’re giving through the church, it’s going on. ... You’re giving through the church to places we’ll never go, we’ll never see, but we’re going to be able to help reach them for the gospel of Christ.”

—gregg matte Tweet

“When you give to the church, you feel like you gave it and it just stopped,” he said. “When you’re giving through the church, it’s going on. … You’re giving through the church to places we’ll never go, we’ll never see, but we’re going to be able to help reach them for the gospel of Christ.”

Houston’s First feels a pull to foreign missions, Matte said, because the church was started in 1841 by a foreign missionary coming from Tennessee to Texas. The congregation, which began in the Republic of Texas, would not have existed without someone leaving home to share Christ, he noted.

With more than 8,000 attending worship on four campuses in Houston and a few thousand joining online, Houston’s First typically is the largest giver in the state to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions, and the Reach Texas offering—in addition to CP giving.

One of Matte’s favorite parts of CP, he said, is mission trips made possible by partnerships.

“People will go on a mission trip, and when they go farther out than just their normal realm, they come back stronger church members, more excited about the gospel,” he said, adding that he loves to see God show them the great things He is doing throughout the world.

Among the places members from Houston’s First have gone frequently on mission trips are Boston, New York, and Las Vegas, as well as Africa and India.

Houston’s First has been a faithful CP supporter for the giving plan’s entire 100-year history because the funding method remains relevant. 

“The core churches in our denomination are not large churches,” Matte said. “We have resources that maybe other churches don’t, but we want to utilize those resources to help other churches. We know that we cannot reach every community and every neighborhood. We want to partner and to help in that way with CP.”

With more than 8,000 people on four campuses each Sunday, Houston’s First is seeing its impact multiplied in one of the largest and most diverse cities in America. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The beauty of CP, he said, is that Houston’s First can be part of kingdom work “in every neighborhood, in every city, in every place, and not just our own church’s footprint. It expands the footprint of the gospel going out all different places.”

Churches today may struggle with continuing to give through CP when they can directly support missionaries they know, but Matte said it’s a fallacy to think “either/or.”

“It’s both/and,” he said. “We as a church want to be raising up folks in our congregation that we know their names, we know their kids, we’ve seen their growth, and we can help send them out connected with the local body.

“At the same time, we want to see people raised up and sent out all throughout the denomination,” he said. “We’re able to have a farther reach by doing both/and. We see them as feeding each other and blessing each other more than we see them coming against each other. It’s not an antithesis. It’s a synergy.”

At Houston’s First, giving is taught as moving beyond the local church into the world to make Jesus known. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Every church, regardless of its size, needs to be involved in reaching the world, Matte said, pointing to Jesus’ mention of the widow’s mite. “She gave more than anyone,” he said. “It’s about the heart behind the giving.”

Matte himself is a beneficiary of CP when he considers the seminary education he received because faithful Southern Baptists gave generously. A bookshelf in his office holds folders from the classes he took while earning a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

“I will pull those notes out and look back over them when I’m preparing the message that then goes to the people,” Matte said. “I always wish I would have taken better notes than I did as a young man, but I have those, and I can look back on books. I have relationships that were formed at seminary I can call on. It gives me credibility in the city to have been educated in that way.”

The Cooperative Program has made Matte “proud as a Southern Baptist to see the ways that when we join together, we’re able to make a huge difference.

“It’s affected me personally in my heart to know that other people have prospered from this partnership through all the different ministries that CP puts together.”

A failproof way to change the world

In September, my wife and I experienced one of the greatest joys of our lives when we welcomed our first grandchild into the family. We have always heard that being a grandparent is like nothing else, and so far, we have found this to be true.

We were anxious but excited as we waited at the hospital over the span of a couple of days. We passed the time reminiscing about the birth of our two children more than two decades ago. We laughed about some of the mistakes we made as young parents. Our hearts were light as we eagerly anticipated the miracle about to happen. 

The day after our grandson was born, however, I ran into a friend at the hospital who was there under much different circumstances. A family member of his had just received a difficult diagnosis and he was distraught. After spending a couple of happy days at the hospital, it reminded me that so many of the people around us were experiencing something very different. 

You never know what people are going through. As you walk the aisles of your local grocery store enjoying a carefree day, someone at the checkout—the one you noticed walking past you with a scowl on their face a few minutes earlier—is trying to figure out how to hold a marriage together. Sometimes the person who frustrates you with their bad driving on the highway is just trying to stay in their lane while wiping away tears. 

All the more reason to treat others with kindness. 

"In a world that sometimes seems to have lost its humanity, there’s nobody who needs to be seen more than Jesus."

Jayson Larson Tweet

In Ephesians 4:32, Paul writes, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul describes followers of Jesus as the aroma of Christ “among those who are perishing.” In John 13, Jesus says the world will know more about Him through the love we show the world. There’s a direct connection between what Jesus did for us and what He expects us to do for others.

But love and kindness feel in very short supply sometimes, don’t they? Many of us see this truth on display in digital spaces, where opinions are ubiquitous and discretion is rare. The shocking and sad events in our nation over the past month or so have only been rivaled by the cold-hearted responses logged ad nauseum on social media. I’ve been disheartened and even angered by the cruel and evil things people have said and written online in response to events that should break all our hearts.

As a result, we’ve heard calls for more controls on free speech. But I think what we need more of is Jesus. More Jesus online. More Jesus on TV. More Jesus in the grocery store. More Jesus at the hospital. More Jesus in the schools. More Jesus in the workplace. The way that happens is through us—ambassadors through which God makes His appeal to the world to be reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5:20).

In a world that sometimes seems to have lost its humanity, there’s nobody who needs to be seen more than Jesus. And there’s nothing more important for people to hear than this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Thing is, if we don’t reflect the love and kindness modeled so perfectly by our Lord, we may never have the chance to tell the ones who need to hear about Him the most.

Watching God make good things great

The food pantry ministry of First Baptist Church in Swan, a tiny community nestled between Tyler and Lindale, serves a whopping number of families—more than 200 each week. The pantry has become a key connection point between the church and community. 

Despite serving such large numbers, FBC Swan Pastor Jeremiah Dollgener felt a disconnect. After all, the pantry, he reasoned, was not an end in itself, but a means to evangelize the community. With that conviction, he led his church to engage in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Regenesis process.

Regenesis, a ministry funded in part through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering, guides churches toward health and renewal through a proven process. In 2024, 74 churches and 378 lay leaders were trained through Regenesis—which has grown every year since its inception in 2022. 

“We had some positive, outreach-oriented ministries going at the time,” Dollgener said, “but we needed something more. Through Regenesis, God led us to craft our vision to fit our community and context.”

FBC Swan streamlined its vision to develop a three-pronged strategy that guided its members to serve their community, share their faith, and seek Christ. That focus has helped the church make meaningful gospel connections with a diverse group of people. 

In one instance, a Hispanic man approached Dollgener at a store and asked about the food pantry. That man is now leading a bilingual Bible study class that serves food in the community. In another instance, a woman who is served by the pantry shared she had been diagnosed with cancer. The church prayed for her, provided her with meals, and eventually had the privilege of watching her give her life to Christ and get baptized.

“Upon entering our church, one will see rich and poor, business owners and homeless, Black, White, Hispanic all under one roof,” Dollgener said, “singing and praising the Lord who saved them.”

Seeing needs, meeting needs

Three years ago, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention engaged in a multiyear ministry partnership with the Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico. The goal of the partnership is for the SBTC to help plant new churches and strengthen existing ones in the Puerto Rico convention.

As part of that effort, the SBTC invited pastors and church leaders on a vision trip to the Caribbean island to see the work that has been done, the work that is needed, and the local partners with whom they would be working. The vision trip was funded, in part, through grants provided by Reach Texas funds.

Cameron Crow, First Baptist Church Farmersville’s student pastor, was among those on the trip. He said the vision trip involved becoming familiar with the island, engaging with multiple churches and ministry partners, and assisting with a retreat for Puerto Rican pastors and their wives. Crow caught the vision and has since led two more trips to Puerto Rico—leading teams of students to serve through opportunities with local churches and ministries working with the North American Mission Board and Send Relief.

Crow said the trips have allowed his students to cultivate an appreciation for different cultures, practice evangelism within a diverse context, and witness firsthand how Send Relief strategically uses the Cooperative Program to impact people with the gospel. Additionally, Crow said several students have discerned a calling to missions through FBC Farmersville’s Puerto Rico trips, refining their focus toward specific mission fields and ministries.

“It is inspiring to witness God’s powerful movement through His church in reaching the unreached people of Puerto Rico,” Crow said. “Our [church’s] long-term vision is to establish a meaningful partnership with a church in Puerto Rico, supporting their efforts to reach the lost and fostering their growth into a vibrant and healthy congregation.”

Locking arms and locking in

Redeemer Church in Lubbock is experiencing a massive movement of God among the college students it works hard to reach. The most recent surge started during a kickoff event at the church last summer.

“We had more than 600 students show up [that evening],” said Cody Carroll, Redeemer’s college director. Students from Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University attended, enjoying the free meal and a worship service which included singing, teaching, and a gospel presentation. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention used Reach Texas funds to help with food costs for the event. 

“God moved in an incredible way. We had hundreds of students get connected to small groups,” Carroll said. “Students have come to faith all year and it’s been incredible.”

The enthusiasm has continued past the event. Some 500 to 600 students actively participate in the church’s college program. 

Dylan Dean, a Tech senior and Redeemer student leader, said lives are being changed through the ministry of the church’s college program. She offered the examples of Lili and Ryan.

Lili started attending Redeemer last year as a freshman. Her faith was lukewarm, said Dean, but she desired community. Lili joined a small group and started getting discipled. One year later, she leads a growth group.

“She can now pour into other girls’ lives,” Dean said.

Ryan, Dean said, always told his friends he would never follow Jesus.

“Ryan came to college, did the college thing, became president of his fraternity,” said Dean. Another student leader, Ben, consistently invited Ryan to small group.

“Slowly but surely, Ryan started showing up,” Dean said. He began attending Tuesday night gatherings and Sunday worship services. Then he started asking for prayer. Now he is saved and was baptized earlier this year.

“Consistency produced that,” said Dean. “At Redeemer, we all lock arms together [in] disciple-making and multiplication.”

Spreading the gospel anywhere and everywhere

Jorge and Blanca Quintero have dedicated their lives to spreading the message of salvation wherever the Lord has called them. As leaders and hosts of growth and discipleship groups at Sunnyvale First Baptist Church en Español, their commitment to God’s work has impacted many lives.

The Quinteros are also active in missions work through their church. In March 2024, Sunnyvale en Español organized a mission trip to Durango, Mexico, where the gospel was preached in nine churches. Evangelism tools were distributed, including 5,000 gospel tracts, 60 evangelistic cubes, and Bibles. As a result, 143 people gave their lives to Christ.

Many of the resources used on the trip were provided through a Southern Baptists of Texas Convention grant funded through Reach Texas giving. The Quinteros said Sunnyvale en Español has made strong connections with SBTC en Español through the annual Apoderados Conference held in conjunction with the Empower Conference each February. They say the church’s involvement with the conference over the past 15 years has better equipped members for evangelism and discipleship efforts on the mission field.

Though they’ve witnessed many victories for God’s kingdom, the Quinteros still know there is much work to do. In Hidalgo, Mexico, a taxi driver deeply involved in idol worship accepted Christ after hearing the gospel and receiving a Bible. In El Salvador, they visited a woman who had been blocking the gospel from entering her community. She was very ill and unable to speak, but after hearing the gospel, she made the decision to accept Christ. Her decision marked a significant breakthrough in a community that had never embraced the gospel before. 

As the work continues, one thing remains clear to Jorge and Blanca: The harvest is ready, and the need for workers—and resources—is greater than ever.

Using the nations to reach the nations

G

od is mobilizing the nations to reach the nations in El Paso.

Not long ago, a woman from India walked into a Wednesday evening church service at Jezreel Dios Siembra and began asking questions about the Christian faith. She wanted to know the difference between what Christians believe and what she was taught to believe. 

In 2022, a native Filipino, Gibson Garraton, began attending the church’s English-language service—one of the first Spanish-language churches in Texas to start such a service, according to Pastor Daniel Moreno. Garraton expressed a desire to reach El Paso’s growing Asian population. With the church’s blessing, Garraton started weekly services, preaching the gospel in his native language. He uses his food truck business to meet people, tell them about Jesus, invite them to church, and even minister to the city’s homeless population. 

In September 2024, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s People Groups department held a cross-cultural training with pastors and leaders in El Paso. SBTC leaders noted the presence of Hindu temples, Jewish synagogues, and Muslim mosques in El Paso, and offered tools and training to help the city’s churches reach an ever-diversifying population that is looking for spiritual answers.

The People Groups training, funded with giving through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering, helped affirm Jezreel Dios Siembra’s passion to be a church that reaches the nations.

“[Through that training], God placed in our hearts the possibility to reach more Asians through the ministry of Brother Garraton,” Moreno said. “This is still an ongoing process, but [our Asian ministry is] consistently having services every week trying to reach as many people as we can.”

“You would not think of El Paso, Texas, as a place to reach Asians,” said Dan Acharya, who leads SBTC’s People Groups ministry, “but the Lord of the harvest sends laborers from all places as He advances His mission.”

Making connections, meeting needs

This past April marked the first anniversary of Freedom Hill Church En Español, the Spanish-language ministry of Freedom Hill Church in San Antonio. The previous year was spent meeting the people who live in the church’s community. 

Through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was able to provide all the expenses for a backpack outreach in the Hispanic community. Although the backpacks and their contents met a real need for families struggling to handle the expenses of raising kids, it also gave Freedom Hill Church En Español an opportunity to meet people. The outreach bore fruit, as a new family became part of the church, according to Pastor Junior Medina.  

With the help of additional funds, the church hosted community meals that not only met immediate needs but also helped neighbors get to know the church. The convention has also served as a conduit to connect other churches to travel to San Antonio to work with Medina and his wife, Mariedy.

“Why us?” he asked the pastor of one of the churches that sent a team. “We are nobody in the middle of the city.” 

The pastor’s reply? He got Medina’s information from someone at the SBTC. 

“God has been very good to us,” Medina said. 

Medina said there are advantages for a small congregation meeting in a very large city, including the opportunity for members to connect on a first-name basis. Yet there are also challenges, including raising up committed leaders in a community where several military families are frequently moved in and out of the area. 

God has done great things in the young life of Freedom Hill Church En Español, Medina said. Now the pastor is ready to reach even more with the gospel.

“We need people who will raise their hands and do what needs to be done,” he said. “Pray for us that our people will have that commitment in their hearts to work for the Lord.”

Where fires raged, the gospel soothed

When wildfires devastated California last winter, Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief workers, partly supported by Reach Texas funds, answered the call.

For SBTC DR feeding volunteer Paul Wood, 73, of First Baptist Church in Pflugerville, last winter’s deployment to the Alhambra area of Los Angeles was life changing. 

When Wood, accompanied by fellow Texans from SBTC churches in Central and West Texas, arrived in LA County, they got to work quickly preparing food for survivors, first responders, and volunteers.

“California DR already had a [quick-response unit] cooking kitchen set up. All we had to do was get in and start cooking,” Wood said.

Volunteers transported meals to a central disaster recovery center, where survivors could find representatives from federal, state, and county agencies. There, volunteers fed workers and survivors who came in for assistance. They also served meals to survivors at the Red Cross shelter set up at Westwood Recreation Center in Los Angeles, which by early February was populated mostly by people waiting to arrange housing.

Wood, who started the deployment working in the quick-response unit kitchen, delivered meals later in the week. He, like the other yellow-shirted volunteers, greeted survivors with a smile and asked how their efforts in securing lodging were going. Theirs was a ministry of presence.

They privately prayed for the survivors they served. They also prayed for the truck drivers and food service workers delivering propane and food supplies to the church. One truck driver, with tears in his eyes, said, “You have no idea how much I needed that today.”

 Wood estimates he has deployed more than 100 times since 2015. His wife had undergone knee replacement surgery in December, so when the call to California came, he initially hesitated. Reassured by his wife that she was doing well and knowing family and church members were nearby, Wood set off.

“It’s a ministry that God gave me to do,” he said.

Hunting for hope

C

oming out of COVID, Tom Williams—an East Texas businessman and member of Rock Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro—felt compelled to do something to reach more people with the gospel. 

From that conviction came the God & the Great Outdoors Expo, a three-day event aimed at exposing attendees not only to top-of-the-line vendors and exhibitors related to hunting, fishing, and other similar hobbies, but also to the gospel. As thousands of people began to attend annually, the expo moved from Rock Hill to a larger venue in Tyler, where it gained more regional appeal and attracted a partner in Green Acres Baptist Church. 

“What the Lord impressed on me was to try to reach people through this event who would not grace the doors of a church,” Williams said. Every expo registration bag included information about both churches and a gospel tract.

A key part of the strategy included giving away 350 Sportsman’s Bibles provided by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and funded through Reach Texas giving. The Bibles—with their camouflage and safety orange covers—were given away at each of the churches booths. 

“Giving away those Bibles was one of the most impactful things we did there,” Williams said. “Those Bibles really started conversations. As people would come by, we’d ask them, ‘Do you own a Bible? What do you know about Jesus?’”

The gospel was presented on the final night of the event in July 2024. The result? Seventy of the 500 or so people who attended that night made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, while 40 others rededicated their lives. The following morning, a chapel service was held for expo vendors and 10 more people were saved.

“I honestly believe we’re changing lives,” Williams said.

“I don’t know exactly what we’re doing with it, but God does, and He can do with the event whatever He wants to.”