Author: Russell Lightner

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.

South Texas church’s devotion to God’s Word, the community drives its resurgence

When Pastor Nick Marnejon looks around Somerset Baptist Church, a 168-year-old congregation near San Antonio, he sees not only numerical growth, but spiritual growth.

That growth was facilitated by a church full of “generous, loving people” who hold a high view of Scripture and were willing to return to their roots upon Marnejon’s arrival a little less than a year-and-a-half ago. 

“Let’s get back to basics,” Marnejon said. “Let’s get in our Bibles. Let’s have a prayer life. Let’s get to church.”

Worship attendance at Somerset has grown to an average of 150, with about 125 of those also attending Sunday morning Bible study.

“I just think people have been hungry for God’s Word,” he said. “I’ve taught how-to-study-the-Bible classes recently, and that was well-attended and well-received. Our women’s ministry has been up and going. We’ve had various outreach things that the church has been doing historically that we’ve kept up.”

The student ministry has grown to about 70. Kasey Hobbs was hired to lead students about a year ago, Marnejon noted. Though he works full time in the oil field industry, Hobbs “gives himself as much as he absolutely can to these teens,” Marnejon said. “[He is] dogged about preaching and teaching God’s Word.”

“For this school year, he’s been just slowly working through the gospel of John with the teens on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings,” Marnejon said. “Just systematically going through the Bible has been reaping dividends, as well as I just think he loves the teens genuinely, and they’re responding to that.” 

Most of the influx of new teens is from the local school through connections, the pastor said: “Most of our kids are either non-Christian or maybe grew up Catholic or have some type of Catholic influence.”

Wednesday nights take on an evangelistic feel with “lots of kids coming who don’t know Jesus yet,” Marnejon said. They’ve done See You at the Pole, and Hobbs spoke at a worship night at the school organized by a student and attends as many football games as possible. 

The women’s ministry at Somerset Baptist Church near San Antonio hosted a painting party at Christmas and saw a great turnout. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
The women’s ministry at Somerset Baptist Church near San Antonio hosted a painting party at Christmas and saw a great turnout. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
The church’s student ministry has grown from 25 to 70 in recent months. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
The church’s student ministry has grown from 25 to 70 in recent months. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

A force for good

As for Marnejon, he grew up in Ohio in a Baptist church that changed to nondenominational during his teenage years. After earning his master’s degree, he moved to Seattle to serve as a youth pastor for six years. It was a healthy church, and he grew a lot there, he said. He met his wife in Washington, and his pastor trained him by including him on pastoral visits, giving him funeral and wedding opportunities, and generally teaching him how to shepherd a flock. 

Ultimately sensing God’s call to serve as a lead pastor himself, Marnejon found Somerset through the Southern Baptist Convention’s job board. He said he has been encouraged by his involvement in the SBC, agreeing with SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg that “Southern Baptists are a force for good.” 

“On the whole, I’ve been just thoroughly impressed, and I’ve enjoyed getting into Southern Baptist life,” Marnejon said. “I’m really impressed with their seminaries—thriving seminaries. I’m looking at them for my Ph.D. in this coming year. I feel good and happy about being a part of the Southern Baptist Convention.”

What he particularly likes about the Cooperative Program—Southern Baptists’ primary giving model—is that until Somerset can “put some missionary faces to our dollars too someday,” their 5% already supports missions through the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board. 

Said Marnejon: “It’s encouraging to know that the thousands of dollars that we’re sending every year are going to really tangible things that I can see as a Southern Baptist.”

Finding joy in the face of the unthinkable

I came to pastor Tabernacle Baptist Church in Ennis about three years ago. Since then, God has been gracious to our church, giving us growth, more than 50 baptisms in 2025, and the opportunity to start Tabernacle En Español. I feel like I have the best job in the world. 

Before we moved to Texas, I was a regular runner, doing 15 or 20 miles a week to stay in shape. I moved down here and got out of the habit for several reasons. I gained almost 17 pounds and was just not healthy. Last September, I started running again. One day, I’d run two or three miles and started having some chest pains, and they didn’t go away for days.

A visit to the ER revealed I had a nine-centimeter mass in my chest. It was a rare form of leukemia that’s pretty aggressive. The doctors were thankful that it was basically my running and that mass hitting up against the fluid around my heart and causing chest pains that got my attention.

They say they found it sooner than it normally would have been found. While that was good, it went from, “Oh, I’m having some chest pain,” to receiving the leukemia diagnosis on Sept. 23. That was pretty difficult, especially with the fact that with leukemia, they do what’s called an induction phase—21 to 30 days in the hospital where you get pretty intense chemo and cannot leave. That was obviously a very, very challenging time. The Lord in His providence had led our church to read through the Psalms together, and that was very helpful for me to reflect on while going through that long induction phase.

The last couple months have been the most difficult and trying months of my life. It’s hard not to question and it’s hard not to doubt and ask the Lord, “Why?” But on the flip side, Tabernacle has been incredible. They did things like an orange-out Sunday [the color of leukemia awareness] for me. They have been such a tangible picture in my life of the hands and feet of Jesus.

I’ve been in the hospital about 50% of the time since the diagnosis. My church and our deacon body asked me what I really needed. I said, “I need to be at my kids’ games, but I can’t.” So, we had a friend who set up videos so I could watch the games live, and that was pretty cool. People just showed up and made signs for the kids and just had a good time. My two boys play football for Ennis. Isaiah, he’s running back and linebacker on the freshman team, and Caleb’s a linebacker and tight end on the seventh-grade team. Avianna [our 7-year-old] was playing softball. For people to show up and support them was great.

Isaiah and Caleb Crook play football in Ennis. In honor of their dad’s cancer battle, the boys were allowed by their coaches to wear orange, the color of leukemia awareness, on their uniforms in October. SUBMITTED PHOTO

I had a treatment this morning, and seven to 10 days after chemo is when your numbers, at least for me, are at their lowest. That has been a challenge for sure. And again, I am very blessed, I have a great staff, including an executive pastor, Carlos Gerke, who’s been preaching for me when I need him. Even last Sunday, our youth pastor stepped into the pulpit, so I am very blessed we have very competent staff members who have stood in the gap for me when I’ve been unable. I’ve enjoyed the times when I have been able to get up. That’s my plan. Sunday, I won’t have a lot of energy, but I’m still planning on preaching and I love it. If I’m out of the hospital, I’m planning on preaching.

Obviously, it’s physically hard on me, but I look at what my wife, Jill, is having to do—not only to be a support for me, but also be there for the kids. She’s got so much on her plate, and some of the ladies in our church have been just awesome in ministering to her. Jill has also gone to work for the school district as the special ed counselor. The district and her bosses have been very supportive. She also has a group of ladies at church and other friends who have ministered to her over the past couple of months. 

“Yes, He’s taught me some hard lessons. He’s also reminded me of the blessings He has given me.”

—Zach Crook Tweet

I remember—it was over a decade ago—I heard a message by Matt Carter. His whole message was about never trusting a man of God without a limp. He was preaching on that story of Jacob wrestling with the Lord. I would say that as I’ve been dealing with this, that has repeatedly come to mind. While we all know our time here is short … I’d always just thought, “I’m going to live a good, long life and I’m going to see my grandkids,” and all these other things.

I think that has definitely been a lesson for me. I’m a little bit of a control freak, and so there are many times I want to tell God what He should do rather than sit at His feet and listen and really follow after Him. The Lord has really humbled me in that way and shown me how much control is an illusion. 

Yes, He’s taught me some hard lessons. He’s also reminded me of the blessings He has given me. My church loves and supports my family. I’m very thankful that. My wife is my best friend. I’m so thankful for her and the way she pushes me to Jesus. And being Dad to these three kids is such an honor. What a blessing.

As I face this battle, pray for me that I’ll trust in God’s faithfulness and be full of the joy of the Lord.

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

The things we cherish

Christmas has come and gone, but for me, it’s always on my mind. I keep a running list of gift ideas in the notes app on my phone, so when someone in my family mentions something throughout the year they want or need, I surreptitiously make a note to tuck away for later. 

I’m harder to buy for—or so I’m told. That’s because the older I get, the less “stuff” I want. The things I value most aren’t available in stores: quality time with my family (which now includes two adult children and a grandson); time to sit and rock in my chair, soaking up God’s beautiful creation outside; quiet moments not to think or strategize or plan for the future, but to just be. 

That’s the good stuff.

A couple of days after Christmas, I saw a reel on social media about a gift a grandfather gave his grandchildren. He spent the entire year recording the Bible in his own voice. On Christmas day, he gifted each grandchild with a thumb drive containing the audio files so they’d always be able to hear God’s Word in his voice, even long after he’s gone. He spent nothing more than what it cost to purchase a thumb drive and created a priceless family heirloom.

That’s the good stuff. 

I remembered that grandfather’s gift as I read Jen Wilkin’s Q&A included in this issue. Wilkin, the popular women’s Bible teacher and author, talks about ways we can own and internalize God’s Word so our relationship with Him can deepen and become more personal. Among her suggestions is writing out books of the Bible by hand.

Let’s be honest: Most of the things you bought for Christmas this year will be forgotten or out of use by next Christmas. And though Wilkin wasn’t talking about Christmas gifts, she was conveying a more profound truth: There is no greater gift—a miracle, she calls it—than God’s Word, His revelation to us. Can you imagine how special it would be to have a handwritten copy of the Bible from a long-passed relative who set a standard of godliness in your family?

"As you go get coffee or a haircut, shop at the grocery store or go to work, look at those things as a mission opportunity instead of an errand or something that must be checked off your to-do list."

Jayson Larson Tweet

The point here isn’t about giving great gifts. It’s about cherishing that which holds the most value—things like God’s Word, which only appreciate in value over time. As you launch into 2026, you may have resolutions or goals or whatever you call them—heights you want to reach, ways you want to improve. I pray that at the top of your list and mine is the desire to not only know God’s Word on a deeper level, but to know Him more in 2026 than we did in 2025.

May the words of Deuteronomy 6:6-9 be our guide: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”

Yeah, that’s the good stuff.

Got a cherished family heirloom that has spiritual value? Email me at jlarson@sbtexas.com and I may share your story with our readers in an upcoming issue.