Although some churches shy away from the political arena, a slew of Texas churches are showing
how Christian congregations can legally and effectively engage their culture through politics.

“As you’re going, be a witness,” Ben Smith, retired pastor of Lakeland Baptist Church in Lewisville, said. “And that includes the political arena. It’s not exempt from that.”

Smith, who pastored Lakeland for 32 years beginning in 1974, led the congregation to adopt a Global Impact Strategy that encouraged members to vote, run for office and push for public policy advocating righteousness and justice.

Lakeland and likeminded congregations across Texas pose significant counter evidence to a 2007 New York Times article that suggested conservative evangelicals were decreasing in political influence. The article argued that easily identifiable conservative leaders like James Dobson and the late Jerry Falwell were passing from the scene and leaving a generation of younger and less politically predictable evangelicals in the spotlight–personalities like Bill Hybels and Rick Warren.

(Warren, a Southern Baptist who once preached at Falwell’s church, described himself on FOX News’ “Hannity & Colmes” in August after his televised forum with presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama as “a conservative” who believes life begins at conception.)

“The result is a new interest in public policies that address problems of peace, health and poverty–problems, unlike abortion and same-sex marriage, where left and right compete to present the best answers,” the Times wrote.

The newspaper contended that the election of Frank Page as Southern Baptist Convention president in 2006 signaled that America’s largest Protestant denomination was also moving in a more moderate direction politically.

“Page said he considered his election ‘a clear sign’ that rank-and-file Southern Baptists felt the ‘conservative ascendancy has gone far enough,'” the Times wrote, adding that Page met with leading presidential candidates in both parties during the primary season.

If indeed Page was referring to secular politics in the context in which the Times quoted him and not SBC politics, many churches took no notice of it.

Recent years have brought no decline in fending for traditional evangelical morality in the public square at Lakeland Baptist Church. The church fought the sale of liquor by the drink in Denton County and drove sexually oriented businesses out of its city. It also fought back a plan to build a concert venue that it believed would have attracted immorality and reveling to Lewisville.

In addition to its victories on specific issues, the church implemented a training strategy showing members how they could run for office. As a result, two church members have been elected mayor, and several others have been elected to various positions including city councilor, judge, school board member and county commissioner.

“It’s just amazing what God did when we made ourselves available to encourage people to be salt and to be light,” Smith said.

Speaking to specific issues in a church is valuable, Smith said, but for maximum impact in the culture Christians need to be elected to office. He cited the defeat of liquor by the drink as one example of a victory resulting from Christians being elected to political office.

“If you get key people in key places, you have fewer wars to fight,” he said.

Scripture is replete with encouragement for God’s people to involve themselves in politics, Smith said. In addition to Romans 13 and God’s decision to use ordinary men as kings and prophets in the Old Testament, all the Bible’s stories of men speaking to culture call Christians to political activism, he said.

In Scripture the call to political involvement “is just everywhere to me,” Smith said. “If you look for it, you’ll see it. If you’re hiding from it, you can’t find it.”

Lakeland’s current pastor, Ron Osborne, said the congregation will continue to stand for civic righteousness under his leadership. Abortion, homosexual marriage, casino-style gambling and Intelligent Design have all been subjects of Texas political debates in recent years, and Lakeland will inform its members on all those issues, he said.

“There are so many issues that are coming to head right now,” Osborne said.

He added that pastors have a special responsibility to make people aware of issues where Christians must speak up.

“This church can be a center of righteousness for the city, and God can use a church that is willing to make bold stands,” Osborne said, “not telling people what to believe but giving them the information they need to make informed choices and to show them the spiritual implications in all those areas.”

El Paso’s Exciting Immanuel Baptist Church is another congregation where members view political activism as an integral part of Christian faithfulness.

Pastor Rix Tillman has set up a series of discipleship classes through which all members progress. The fifth class in the series deals entirely with being a Christian citizen, using videos and live instruction to teach about Christian responsibility in the public arena.

The class includes instruction on such topics as how to lobby legislators from home, how to write a congressman, the rights of a Christian in the United States and the relationship between church and state.

Tillman estimated that between 30 and 45 percent of his congregation has completed the class and said the church cares deeply about influencing the public square for Christ.

“We’ve had several city councilmen, and we’ve got a current county commissioner and a current city councilman right now,” he said of the church’s membership. “In the 14 years I’ve been here, we’ve had quite a few people involved in politics.”

While political activity in the congregation did not all come as a result of the class, Tillman said the class has definitely improved the percentage of church members who vote. In an effort to increase church member voting even more, Tillman recently took staff members to a training session for registering voters.

At Exciting Immanuel, the pro-life cause is among the most emphasized political issues, and the church makes a point to take positive action in addition merely to speaking against unrighteousness.

“We put our money where our mouth is,” Tillman said. “We support our local El Paso Crisis Help Center. They do ultrasounds and provide quiet a range of services.”

Tillman said he has long felt personally concerned about a lack of righteousness in the culture, but only more recently did he become convinced that a discipleship class on Christian citizenship was necessary.

“I read several books that pointed me in that direction, to get politically active–especially as the liberal element of the politicians got more aggressive and active,” he said. “There has been a transition over the last 10 or 15 years, and I’ve decided that we really need to get active.”

Exciting Immanuel even had former U.N. Ambassador Alan Keyes speak on a weeknight “to show we are supportive of people who support Christian values,” the pastor said.

For other churches interested in starting programs of political activism, Tillman advised beginning with biblical preaching on the subject. He added that resources are available from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission to that end. The National Write Your Congressman Campaign is one of the best avenues for Christians to begin expressing their voices to elected officials, he said.

On a personal level, Tillman is a part of El Paso Pastors for Jesus, a nondenominational group of pastors working to impact politics, schools and government for Christ.

“We have been striving to make a cultural impact on the community,” Tillman said.

One resource for Texas churches wanting to practice Christian citizenship is the SBTC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Committee. The organization’s website offers study tools, lessons and sermons on Christian citizenship, a voter registration form and a “Culture Impact Manual” to show congregations how they can form cultural impact committees that keep members abreast of important political developments.

A DVD is also available through the SBTC that provides information about America’s biblical heritage as related to Christian citizenship.

Gary Ledbetter, SBTC communications director, noted that when the Texas state legislature reconvenes in January, expanded gambling, life issues and marriage issues will likely arise. He encouraged churches to be prepared to take action.

“Because of the money and political pressure from anti-family groups, we expect to see these subjects constantly addressed in bill proposals,” Ledbetter said. “Some of the proposals will be very positive, in keeping with the tradition of conservatism in our state, but an increasing number will challenge our biblical values.”

The SBC’s ERLC provides additional resources for congregations and individuals. On the ERLC website, Christians can view action alerts informing them of issues before Congress where biblical morality is at stake. By entering their zip code, visitors to the website can generate e-mails to send their senators and congressman on specific issues. The ERLC, funded by Cooperative Program dollars, regularly communicates to national legislators the SBC’s positions on key issues. In Texas, the SBTC performs a similar function on the state-government level.

At First Baptist Church in Porter, nonpartisan voter guides help attendees know during election seasons where candidates for various offices stand. Troy Cates, the church’s minister of music and senior adults and chairman of the SBTC’s ERLC, said churches cannot support specific candidates by should educate their members about key issues.

“By providing the voting guides, we educate our church members to be good voters and to make good decisions,” Cates said. “We can’t tell them who to vote for, but we can tell them what issues should be important to them as Christians. And we can show them how the candidates will be voting on those issues.”

Cates advised other churches not to fear legal repercussions for distributing fair and balanced voter guides.

“That is their legal right to distribute those voter guides,” he said. “They don’t have to be afraid of the legal or tax ramifications of that. It’s perfectly legal to distribute voter guides as long as those voter guides are fair and balanced and just present the facts.

“One of the tings they cannot do is promote one candidate over another candidate from the pulpit. But they certainly have the right to be informed, responsible voters. As a matter of fact, I believe that’s our biblical mandate.”

Donald Myers, pastor of First Baptist Church in Wills Point, also distributes voter guides to his congregation and encourages members to stand against threats in the culture to God’s standards.

“I talk about from the pulpit the responsibility to vote and stewardship of your vote and voting your values,” Meyers said.

On moral issues like homosexual marriage and gambling, First Baptist speaks boldly and specifically, with its pastor taking the lead. Myers worked recently with a local pastors’ group to keep bars out of their county. The effort, which included prayer and vocal opposition, was so successful that a law enforcement official in a neighboring community asked Myers to call the pastors’ group to action again to oppose a biker bar planning to move into the area.

“The impact for us has been local,” Myers said of the church’s political efforts.

Gambling is another issue against which the ministerial alliance fought vocally and successfully. When eight-liners (a form of video gambling) moved into the community, local pastors fought to get them removed.

Eight-liners are illegal in Texas, but county attorneys must decide whether they will enforce the ban on such gambling, Myers said. He noted that eight-liners have started to appear in the community once again and Christians may have to fight again to have them removed.

Myers said e-mail has proved to be a valuable resource for getting word to church members when a political issue arises that has moral ramifications. Along with the congregation’s regular prayer request e-mail, the pastor inserts issue alerts at appropriate times.

At Teri Road Baptist Church in Austin, voter registration is the main avenue for promoting Christian citizenship.

Pastor Gerald Dickerson said that by using a packet of resources produced by Focus on the Family, he registers members to vote, explains why voting is important and teaches what issues are most relevant for Christians.

The Focus on the Family packet, titled the “Voter Impact Tool Kit,” includes DVDs Teri Road will show in worship services and handouts that will be distributed to members. Dickerson recommended the packet to any congregation seeking to be biblical, legal and active in the civic realm.

“We don’t get involved in a particular party,” Dickerson said. “But we do voter registration and things of that nature. In fact, I’m meeting this Sunday with the group that’s going to be ramrodding it for the November election.”

Voter registration requires an organized effort and advanced planning, the pastor noted.

“We send someone—usually myself but sometimes somebody else—down to the county clerk’s office to be certified,” he said. “You have to have someone on the premises who’s certified to enroll voters.

“So we set up a little desk in the foyer and have someone work that desk to try to sign people up. The county give you posters to put up to encourage voter registration.”

Though Teri Road is not a large congregation, Dickerson said several people register to vote each year. Sharing the congregation’s building are a Hispanic church and a Japanese church, and members of both ethnic congregations typically register as well.

When election season arrives, the church distributes voter guides produced by separate organizations in order to educate members before they step into the voting booth, Dickerson said.

“We do a little bit of everything, but we try to stay legal in the sense that we don’t promote any candidate,” he said. “We do promote morality. I do preach on what’s right and wrong. I do write articles in the newsletter encouraging people to use Christian standards and a Christian worldview when they vote. I do not encourage any candidate.”

Charles Lee, pastor of Acts Fellowship Church in Austin, said his church does not have any organized political action plan beyond encouraging members to vote. But even a small encouragement to vote can make a difference, he noted.

“We encourage people to vote by word of mouth, and periodically from behind the pulpit we encourage them to vote,” Lee said.

Smith, the former Lewisville pastor, stressed that involvement in politics is essential as part of a well-rounded program of evangelism. He cited Christians in office as some of the most visible witnesses for Christ.

“I totally believe in the separation of church and state,” he said. “But I totally believe in the involvement of citizens in the process.”

A great temptation exists for Christians to avoid political activism because of the character assassination faced by people in politics, he said, but solid Christian people must avoid that temptation and serve God when he calls them to run for office or speak to a hot-button issue.

“Now the good, Christian, upright gentleman doesn’t want to get out there in politics because they are going to ruin him, they are going to malign him, they are going to destroy him,” Smith said. “So you have got to have a strong faith in Christ and be a person without blame in order to live in that arena.”

In the end, the kingdom impact of a Christ-centered politician can change lives and reform society, he said.

“If you have people who have profile in the community, leadership flows down and not up. And people look to these people and they say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ and ‘How are you being successful?’ Just by virtue of their position they are a silent witness,” Smith said.

DALLAS–A five-member ad hoc committee of the Criswell College board of trustees will study the school’s current condition and report by Oct. 1 on a possible change in governance that could pave the way for independence from First Baptist Church of Dallas.

Although the church launched the college in 1969 when founder W.A. Criswell announced his vision for an institution that would provide biblical training for Sunday School teachers, other laymen and pastors who had not completed college-level ministerial training, the school’s relationship with the church Criswell pastored for 50 years has been questioned in recent months.

As recently as May 22, the board resolved “not to take any action to separate the College and KCBI from the Church at this time,” while not prohibiting designated representatives from further discussions.

“There’s really no newsworthy action taken other than really just a desire to continue the relationship that we’re enjoying right now,” Pastor Robert Jefress told the TEXAN in describing that last meeting. The Board’s executive committee was called together on three occasions over the summer and two trustees resigned for undisclosed reasons. Replacing Brian Hermes and Ted Raines are Ed Rawls and Ken Sibley, elected by the board at the Aug. 21 meeting.

At least 40 alumni gathered prior to the most recent meeting and discussed their concern for the school’s future in light of the recent resignation of Jerry Johnson as president. While declaring support for interim president Lamar Cooper, the alumni association’s resolution encouraged the board to promote and advance the school’s independence, describing their support of the trustees as contingent on having “at the forefront the best interests of the Criswell College.”

“The Criswell College Alumni Association will support the First Baptist Church of Dallas in their cooperation with/and support of the Board of Trustees in the separation of the College from the Church to be associated and accountable to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention for the purposes of continued doctrinal integrity.”

The notion of the SBTC having a more prominent role was introduced by the state convention’s executive board on Aug. 12 with the passage of a resolution expressing a desire to be part of the solution to ongoing discussion about the school’s future. First Baptist Dallas is one of 2,060 SBTC-affiliated congregations while Criswell College is the only affiliated four-year college.

Trustee chairman Michael Deahl will chair the study committee, joined by Curtis Baker, Jack Brady, Mack Roller and Cooper. Deahl told the TEXAN that the board action initiated “a process designed to resolve the questions concerning the relationship between the College and First Baptist Church of Dallas.”

“The Ad Hoc Committee has been charged with the task of prayerfully conducting a thorough study of the College and the preparation of a written report for the Board setting forth the Committee’s findings and conclusions, including a clear definition of the purpose of the College and the options available if there is a change in the governance structure of the College,” Deahl explained.

Once the board has reviewed and approved their report, Deahl said it will be submitted to the church.

“It is anticipated that a joint team will be formed at that time for the purpose of developing a
recommended course of action,” he added. “It is the hope and prayer of the Board of Trustees that this process will be completed in a calm, orderly and Christ-honoring manner.”

Board members received the SBTC resolution which expressed a willingness to consider increasing the percentage of in-state Cooperative Program budget receipts allocated to Criswell College as well as a one-time grant for transition with the understanding that such steps would allow the school to attain independent status.

Trustees worked behind closed doors for an hour and a half in what was described by Deahl as a
discussion of the relationship between the school and the church. However, the issue surfaced again during the remaining portion of the meeting as the board considered and later approved the $8.5 million budget for 2009, reduced from $9.1 million in the current year.

Board member Bo Sexton probed Chief Financial Officer Ken Ensley about the school’s assets, first asking him to “rate the biggest contributor to Criswell College,” and later seeking clarification of any restrictions on assets such as those provided by the Criswell Foundation.

Trustee Jack Pogue interjected his thoughts, stating, “The endowments at the Criswell Foundation are created by contracts between that donor and the Foundation Board. Those contracts spell out how that money is to be used,” he stated.

Annual allocations to the college vary from year to year with the amount given in 2008 set at about a third of a million dollars.

“What I’m trying to get after is how much money do we have to operate the school,” Sexton stated. “I look at these numbers and it looks like, man, we’re doing fantastic. Can we meet payroll, do the pensions, pay the bills–can we do that?” he asked.

“We are doing all of that,” Ensley replied, while also noting the difficulty in establishing the largest source of funding since gifts from outside sources vary each year. Year-to-date private gifts for 2008 were reported at $8.4 million, drastically higher than the anticipated $842,403 that was budgeted.

“All of our contributions are not reflected,” added SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards who serves as an ex-officio member of the trustee board. Noting that the school receives 3.25 percent of the in-state budgeting of Cooperative Program receipts from SBTC churches, Richards said the convention also scholarships students from those congregations and helps fund mission trips, providing funds in addition to the $312,977 allocated for 2008.

In answer to trustee Calvin Wittman’s inquiry as to the amount provided by First Baptist Church of Dallas, Ensley said $56,000 was given to academic programs and $12,000 to the communications division in 2008.

Trustee Jim Skinner noted the difference in how an accrediting agency asks for income to be reported and how the Board benefits from distinguishing between restricted, temporarily restricted and unrestricted funds.

Trustee Allen Dodgen recalled that the same question arose several years earlier when the board audited the school’s accounts and verified the extent of control over assets.

Cooper affirmed his confidence in the proposed budget when asked for his opinion by Wittman. After receiving signals that most educational institutions should expect a 30 percent reduction in enrollment due to economic factors such as the cost of gasoline, Cooper said he reworked the schedule to allow for concentrated studies on Mondays.

“It looks like we’ll be somewhere near 400 for which I’m really thankful given all that’s happened,” Cooper added.

Pressing the point of Sexton’s earlier question, Wittman asked Ensley, “But we’re in good shape financially and we can pay our bills, pay our staff, and have a positive cash flow?”

“Yes,” Ensley assured.

After approving the budget, Cooper responded to trustee Steve Washburn’s question about the morale on campus. Describing the attitude of students at the first chapel as “upbeat and enthusiastic,” Cooper said he preached from Isaiah 41 to encourage them with the 14 “I will” promises of God.

“Sometimes we just have to step back from the circumstances and say that God is bigger than the circumstances. I’ve been around the sun sixty-six and a half times and I could tell them, ‘I’m not telling you what I think, I’m not giving you theory, but out of my experience that God can step in and overrule circumstances.’”

“I’ve got a grandson who plays Upward Basketball who we were told would be a vegetable, but we said we were going to give God time,” Cooper recalled. “I lost my wife two years ago this Saturday and I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it and a lot of my friends thought I wasn’t gonna make it and yet God brought someone else into my life and gave me a new lease on life. So instead of thinking about retirement, I really don’t have any plans to retire. Somebody may retire me, but as long as God keeps giving me these opportunities I’m going to try to do my best to fulfill them.”

Cooper shared a similar exhortation with faculty, he said, reminding them they were twice-called—first to salvation and then to the ministry, and reminded them of the essential nature of their work.

“None of us is here by accident,” he told trustees, further encouraging the Board to “stand fast, affirming one another, asking God to bless and prosper us in every good work.”

“This isn’t spiritual rocket science—it’s just living by faith. That’s who we are and what we do. As long as we communicate that we’re OK.”

Deahl closed the meeting by telling trustees they had been engaged in spiritual warfare, asking them not to lose sight of the spiritual dimension.

“This is kingdom work and kingdom ministry,” he said, asking them to pray for God’s intervention and guidance for the ad hoc committee.

Richards offered the benediction, expressing appreciation for God’s sovereignty whereby “anything that would seek to disrupt God’s plan would always be an utter failure.” In addition to requesting “peace, direction and resolution” that would honor God, he asked for blessing on First Baptist Church of Dallas, its pastor and leaders, as well as Criswell College and its leaders and Board, “that we will all submit our will to your will, that you might accomplish that which pleases you for the kingdom.”

CONROE?Billed as “training for the entire church,” the SBTC’s Church Leadership Conference drew more than 400 ministers and laymen to Mims Baptist Church in Conroe Aug. 23 for a variety of classroom sessions on the many facets of local church ministry.

The session topics, ranging from apologetics to deacon ministry to marriage and family, featured 21 different speakers from churches and denominational ministries.

“Among the myriad of leadership books and conferences available today, there is often a shortage of practical training for leaders,” said Lance Crowell, SBTC church ministries associate who led a session on ministry to young adults. “What the Church Leadership Conference does is it provides leaders with a multitude of ideas and practical takeaways?the nuts and bolts?to adapt to their local church context.”

For example, Crowell’s session drew about 50 people?pastors and laymen alike?who were interested in learning more about how to keep young adults, whom studies say drift from church involvement in their 20s, active in the local church.

“It’s a genuine problem in our churches right now?how to help young adults navigate their way without separating themselves from the fellowship of local churches?and several important books touch on the subject, including one from Thom Rainer of LifeWay called “Essential Church.”

Pastor Ray Hyden of three-year-old New Covenant Baptist Church in Conroe said the conference was valuable to him and two members of his church.

“The most important thing to us is that the classes were well done, but there is also follow-up we can do by connecting with speakers who are often willing to come and share their wisdom and knowledge with the local church,” said Hyden, who said he attended last year and plans to attend again.

Hyden said he went to a financial management class led by SBTC church ministries consultant Bob Ecklund because his church is seeking land to build a worship center. New Covenant meets in a Conroe public school, he said, and land in that area north of Houston sometimes sells for $1 million per acre.

“Our church has done very well,” Hyden said. “It’s slow growth; we’re running around 60 now on a good Sunday but we do really well for a church our size in supporting missions and outside mission work. The Lord has been good to help us save quite a bit of money, but we need to build a building.

“One of our men went to the men’s ministry session and to the deacon training. The deacon session talked about how men could support the pastor in their church. These are things we can take back and apply in our setting.”

Longtime Houston pastor John Morgan encouraged those in the plenary session of the conference to focus on the gospel work of the church and to avoid unnecessary focus on differences of opinion on issues of style and taste.

Morgan, who for more than 40 years has led Sagemont Church in Houston, reminded the audience that God not only called us out to save us but to commission us for service.

“He called us out to use our spiritual gifts. He called us out to do together things that we can’t do separately?things like Sunday School and Vacation Bible Schools and associations and state and national conventions. That’s all part of the overall plan of God. But along the way we need to remember that we’re all one of a kind. Everybody has their own DNA, physically and spiritually.”

When it comes to preferences in the church, Christians need to yield to one another, he said.

“Everywhere I go I want to say, ‘Stop that nonsense. That’s a matter of choice regarding what kind of music you like, as long as it honors God and the Word and it lifts up Jesus. But every generation is different. We to need to wake up to a real world.”

Instead, Morgan said, we need to do what Jesus likes, and “Jesus likes to see people saved. He likes to see people working in one accord. Did you hear that churches? In one accord.”

Jim Wolfe, church ministries director, said he received very positive responses about the conference.
“Our host church not only provided great facilities, their choir and orchestra set the mood for the day,” Wolfe said. “Dr. John Morgan gave us a word of challenge and throughout the day in our breakout sessions leaders not only gave practical help for various areas of ministries but gave encouragement and a joy for their respective ministries as church leaders returned home.”

The next Church Leadership Conference will be at First Baptist Church of Forney on Aug. 15, 2009. The theme for next year is “Lifestyle Leadership” and the keynote speaker will be Chuck Kelly, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

For more information on SBTC church ministries resources, visit sbtexas.com/cm.

As a child growing up in a Southern Baptist church in Irving, Clint May knew Jesus as his savior. That’s about all he knew.

“No one taught me about the relationship I could have with Christ,” said May, minister to children at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth. “From the point I got saved I attended church faithfully through high school.”

It was 27 years later that May began to understand that there is more to the Christian faith than the fact that he would one day spend eternity in Heaven in the presence of the Lord.

May hopes a conference on Sept. 20 at Wedgwood called “Leaders-In-Training (L.I.T.),” co-sponsored by the SBTC, will help churches equip preteens with a fuller understanding of Christian discipleship and the tools to minister to others.

“Jesus tells us that he gives us life ? and life to the full,” May said. “John 10:10 says, ‘?I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.'”

After the Lord convicted May of this truth, he said he became committed to sharing Christ with others.
It was in spring 1989 that May was called to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he later received a master of Christian education degree.

“It became clear while attending my third month of seminary that the Lord was calling me to children’s ministry,” a ministry May has had for the past 18 years.

Taking a different approach to Baptist ministry, May attended a non-denominational conference to see what other ministry leaders were doing.

“I was amazed to see that they were taking children on mission trips, training them to be leaders in the church, as well as teaching them to share their faith ? many questions have run through my mind.
Over the years I had struggled with the idea of what God could do through a child,” May said.

On May 8, 2002, May was called as children’s pastor at Wedgwood. “Through my experiences I felt led to do something new at Wedgwood,” he said. “The summer was three weeks away when I decided to start a new program called Leaders In Training. We wanted to teach our preteens certain skills for ministry so we offered puppet, tech (power-point, and sound) and praise team opportunities,” he said.

“We allowed them to use their skills and to lead throughout the summer.”

Having taken the steps in the book “The Master Life” written by Bill Bright and Avery Willis and bringing it to the level of a child, May wrote a devotional book for children called “The Journey.” The study focused on five key steps: lordship, Bible study, prayer, evangelism and fellowship.

“My goal the third week after we started was to take our preteens?fifth and sixth graders, on a retreat and train them how to share their faith,” May said.

It was only two weeks after the retreat when they did a backyard Bible Club at a local apartment complex. The L.I.T. group counseled at the invitation time and they led three children to Christ.

“I talked with each child after they were counseled by our L.I.T. and they knew exactly what they had done. I was amazed at what the Lord did through our L.I.T. It began an adventure for me.”

Salvations are not the only blessing of this ministry, May said. “I also witnessed something even greater as our kids were spending time daily in the Word of God, sharing their faith, and doing ministry. There was a transformation that occurred in their lives very quickly,” he said.

Two years after they began L.I.T. at Wedgwood, the preteens were set for their first mission trip. The L.I.T.s headed for Corpus Christi to present the gospel to children in apartment complexes and government housing.

“We trained them well, and they were ready to be released to minister,” May said.

Adults were told that the L.I.T. children would be doing everything?from teaching to leading worship to counseling to feeding the children who attend Bible studies. Adults would help if needed.

“On the first day of the trip, one of our fifth-grade boys taught and gave an invitation. Four children and three teenagers accepted Christ as their savior,” May recalled. “The leaders were all stunned by what the Lord did. By the end of our trip 27 children, youth and adults accepted Christ as their savior.
Recently, about 55 L.I.T. went on a trip to San Marcos; the result was 92 people led to Christ.”

The San Marcos trip included kids from Wedgwood and from Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

“It’s been a God thing,” May said, “and it’s a real blessing to me when I see kids who come in here rough around the edges and they leave children whose lives have been transformed for the glory of God.”

“Our goal has become to equip children for ministry,” May said.

Another endeavor they have at Wedgwood is helping preteens find their spiritual gift. This is where Ephesians 4:11-12 plays an important role in the children’s ministry there, May said. Those verses read: “And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers for equipping the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

One of May’s favorite quotes is from Ken Hemphill: “I know this may sound radical, but we are suggesting that all young people should be raised with the conviction that they are to be missionaries, and their primary goals are to use their gifts and resources to advance God’s kingdom so that every tribe, nation, and people group have the opportunity to respond to their rightful King.”

May added: “It is my conviction to do just that?to raise up a generation that will rock their world and make a difference for Christ. Many parents have shared with me through the years of how their children’s lives have been deeply impacted by what they learned in L.I.T.”

The L.I.T. conference on Sept. 20 is aimed at children’s ministers, Sunday school teachers and anyone who wants to learn how to effectively disciple and equip preteens for ministry.

The conference is from 9 a.m.?4 p.m. at Wedgwood Baptist Church, 5522 Whitman Ave., Fort Worth 76133. Pre-registration is $25 per person, $35 at the door and $15 for seminary students. For more information, visit wedgwoodbc.org or call 817-292-1400.

DALLAS–Criswell College President Jerry Johnson resigned Aug. 5 during a called meeting of the trustee’s executive committee, citing philosophical differences with the chancellor and the trustee board.

The Texas native and Criswell graduate resigned following a publicly aired disagreement over the school’s relationship with the Dallas church that W.A. Criswell pastored for 50 years.

According to a statement issued by Board Chairman Michael Deahl, “The resignation was due to philosophical differences the President had with the chancellor and trustee leadership about the future of Criswell College. Dr. Johnson will continue to serve as President until Aug. 15, 2008, which is the effective date of the resignation. After that date an interim president appointed by the Trustee Executive Committee will begin to serve.

“On a personal level and on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I want to express gratitude for the leadership Dr. Johnson has provided at Criswell College during the four years of his presidency and for all of the accomplishments that have been achieved at the College and KCBI under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, which are too numerous to mention,” Deahl stated in a release provided to the TEXAN. “I firmly believe that, due in no small part to Dr. Johnson’s contributions, the greatest days at Criswell College are yet to come.”

Deahl added, “I also want to encourage the entire Criswell College family–faculty, staff, students, trustees and supporters–to band together during this transition in leadership to ensure that we achieve to the fullest extent possible the vision that God has for Criswell College in the days that lie ahead.”

As the first entity to affiliate with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Criswell College currently receives $312,977 in the 2008 budget, the largest line item in the SBTC’s allocations to facilitating ministries in Texas.

SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards responded to the news, stating: “Dr. Johnson is a personal friend and trusted co-laborer in the gospel. I am saddened by his resignation. He strengthened and expanded Criswell College’s partnership with the 2,000-plus churches of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The college’s radio station, KCBI, has become a strong voice for biblical preaching. College faculty and administration strategized with the SBTC in evangelism, church planting and local church ministries at a higher level under Dr. Johnson’s leadership. While the Criswell College is a recipient of 3.25 percent of in-state SBTC Cooperative Program budget receipts, the relationship is mutually beneficial and synergistic for kingdom work.”

As recently as May 22, First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress confirmed that the college trustees had voted to continue the relationship with First Baptist Dallas, adding, “We’re committed to continue to work together. There’s really no newsworthy action taken other than really just a desire to continue the relationship that we’re enjoying right now,” he stated following the meeting.

The relationship continued to deteriorate over the summer, boiling over in August after one board member publicly circulated a letter questioning the chancellor’s vision and intent regarding the future of the college. Pressed by the Dallas Morning News to comment on the accusation, Johnson agreed with the board member’s assessment.

Jeffress, who serves as chancellor of the college by virtue of his position as pastor of the church that elects the school’s trustees, denied the charges.

The board member letter also noted that the school had struggled financially throughout most of its history. It praised the school’s recent track record of success during the last three years, ending fiscal year 2007-2008 more than $7 million in the black.

The trustee board has sought to dispel rumors about the school’s future by passing resolutions during their meetings over the past few months. On April 10 they voted without dissent that the college would not become a part of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s undergraduate program in the future, an action several advocates have proposed. In May trustees announced they had “no intention of selling 90.9 KCBI,” and would not revisit the issue for a period of five years, nor would they “take any action to separate the College and KCBI from the church at this time.”

Deahl called the executive committee of the board to his law office Aug. 5 to address Johnson’s status and act on the president’s offer to resign. Terms of the agreement and any severance pay were not disclosed publicly, though Johnson’s tenure ended Aug. 15. He met privately with faculty and administrators the morning of Aug. 6 to announce his decision. No further statement was made available by the board chairman or the chancellor.

Criswell College is named after its founder, W.A. Criswell, who pastored First Baptist Church of Dallas for half a century. In 1969, Criswell presented to the church his vision for an institution that would provide biblical teaching that would be both intellectually and spiritually sound. In addition to training hundreds of Sunday School teachers at the Dallas church, Criswell sought to enroll Southern Baptist pastors who had not had the opportunity to finish college or even begin. His associate, James W. Bryant, studied the feasibility and directed the initial certificate program enthusiastically approved by the church a year later.

“Our church should establish an institute for intensive Bible study, based on conservative evangelical Christianity as preached and practiced in our church,” according to the report of the church committee. Former New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President H. Leo Eddleman came on board in 1972 as the first president, developing a diploma in biblical studies and serving for two years until his health forced him to cut back to professor status.

At the time of the school’s affiliation with the SBTC in 2002, then President Richard Wells described the institution as having maintained “an explicit and unapologetic Southern Baptist identity” with all professors and administrators required to hold membership in Southern Baptist churches and subscribe to the Baptist Faith & Message. “CCBS [Criswell College] played a significant role in the conservative resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention over the last generation, not only by giving leadership to the movement, but by training many key leaders,” Wells told the SBTC board. “While CCBS has never been a denominational school, it has been in the forefront of those whose convictional base is the evangelical faith of today’s Southern Baptist Convention,” he noted.

Johnson’s departure after four years repeats a pattern established in the administrations of the last three presidents–all of whom resigned before finishing the task they set out to pursue. Richard Wells left in 2003 to accept a pastorate in South Dakota where he planned to also advance opportunities for theological education in a pioneer area. He served as president for six and a half years as well as his prior tenure as a professor and dean. Richard R. Melick Jr. served as president less than four years, leaving in 1996 and later becoming a professor at Golden Gate Theological Seminary. Paige Patterson first led Criswell Bible Institute beginning in 1975 and then transitioning to Criswell College once accreditation was achieved in 1985, leaving in 1992 when he accepted the assignment as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

While Patterson’s 17-year tenure was by far the longest, it was not without controversy during latter years when the board elected by First Baptist Dallas was divided over an attempt to fire the man most associated with the successful conservative resurgence in the SBC. At that same time, Criswell College alumnus Jerry Johnson was making headlines as one of the youngest trustees of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, questioning that administration’s confidence in a trustworthy Bible. Years later, Johnson was tapped by the next SBTS president to serve as a professor and dean of Boyce College.

Johnson has presided over 17 full-time faculty and a student body that includes over 400 students from more than 30 states and 30 countries. Accredited B.A. and master’s-level courses of study are offered with a biblical base.

Related to the ministry of Criswell college is Criswell Communications, which the school’s founder established as a means of outreach over the airwaves. In addition to the flagship KCBI-FM radio station, two other 100,000-watt stations operate in San Angelo and Frederick, Okla. The current president launched “Jerry Johnson Live” as a drive time call-in talk show addressing topics from a Christian worldview. The Criswell Theological Journal and Mishkan are two publications of the college, the latter published by the school’s Pasche Institute for Jewish Studies, which Johnson helped develop.

While Johnson assumed the college presidency when a financial shortfall threatened the school’s future, he ultimately raised endowment and calmed the anxieties of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which lifted probationary status last June. Earlier this year, Johnson announced the decision of counselor and author June Hunt to endow the Hope for the Heart Chair of Biblical Counseling to train ministers and laypeople to “renew minds, heal hearts and bring hope to the hurting.”

A year ago, Johnson praised a $3 million gift to establish an endowed scholarship program for outstanding collegians who sense a ministry calling. The lead gift, by donors Curtis and Shirley Baker of Lindale, for The Timothy Project was part of a plan to fund full scholarships and an annual mission trip for five exceptional students.

“Because of the vision given and foundation laid by Dr. Johnson, it may be possible that Criswell College can become an even greater educational institution,” Richards said. “It is my prayer that in God’s providence we can see Criswell College fulfill a larger mission.”

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s executive board passed a resolution during its summer meeting Aug. 12 that expresses its desire to be a part of the solution to an ongoing discussion about the future of Criswell College in Dallas.

The school is the convention’s only affiliated four-year college. Criswell maintains ties with First Baptist Church of Dallas, which founded the school and still appoints the majority of its trustees.

The resolution notes the importance of “positive ministry relationships” with Criswell College and First Baptist Church of Dallas. By approving the statement, the SBTC board is offering what SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards called “simply another plan on the table.”

The church leaders and the school have been at odds recently over plans for the college’s future, resulting in the resignation of Jerry Johnson as Criswell president on Aug. 5.

The resolution states “the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention desires to see Criswell College become an even greater educational institution” and the “SBTC is willing to elect up to 50% of the trustees of Criswell College to help ensure doctrinal fidelity and to consider increasing the percentage of in-state Cooperative Program budget receipts allocated to Criswell College and to consider providing a one-time grant for transition, understanding that these steps will allow Criswell College to attain independent status.”

In closing, the resolution states: “That we pray for God’s perfect will to be done for all involved in the final decisions that are reached concerning Criswell College.”

Criswell has more than 300 students pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in biblical and theological courses. The school owns and operates an FM radio station, KCBI. The college is independently incorporated, but the church appoints 12 of the 21 trustees and approves all trustee appointments.

Trustee chairman Michael Deahl cited “philosophical differences” between Johnson, Jeffress and the trustees as the cause of Johnson’s departure. Johnson, who came to Criswell in 2004 after serving as president of Boyce College at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., is a Texas native and Criswell College graduate.

Responding to a question from an SBTC board member during the meeting who asked if FBC Dallas would see the resolution as interfering in its business, Richards said the college is “at a crucial point” concerning its future and the convention only wished to state how important the relationship between the SBTC and the school is.

“My understanding of this resolution is, we’re simply offering another proposal,” Richards said. “There have been numerous plans on the table from both sides over the last nine months in this church-and-school controversy. Our proposal is simply another plan?’You can consider this.’

“One issue we heard raised was, ‘How can we ensure doctrinal fidelity of the school if it is no longer tied to First Baptist Church of Dallas?’ Humanly, there is never a way to guarantee the doctrinal fidelity of First Baptist Church, Dallas, or this convention, and we sure can’t guarantee the doctrinal fidelity of the college. But as best as humanly possible, I believe this offers a way to ensure doctrinal fidelity for the college.”

Mark Burroughs, an SBTC board member and also a FBC Dallas deacon, said his connections with all the parties involved?his wife has taught Jerry’s Johnson’s children piano, he said?put him in an awkward position. He noted in the SBTC board meeting his initial concern with the resolution appearing to instruct the church in the matter, but after reading it and hearing the discussion, Burroughs said he appreciated the tone of the board and the “prayerful thought” that went into the statement.

“I think, personally, the most important part of this resolution is it involves a commitment to prayer,” Burroughs said. “Ultimately, as the leadership of the church and leadership of the trustees of Criswell College come to a resolution on this, it has to be bathed in prayer.”

Johnson, in his final report to the SBTC board as Criswell president, challenged the convention to maintain a strong relationship with what he said is the only state Baptist college in the Southwest that has the word inerrancy in its doctrinal statement. Calling that “a signature issue” for the SBTC and for the late W.A. Criswell, “We have a niche there,” said Johnson, who dismissed the notion voiced by some that other schools already offer a similar educational experience.

Johnson said the college’s premillenial conviction about Christ’s return, requirement of both Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek, development of a “first-rate” theological journal, and being the only SACS-accredited school with a 100,000-watt radio station are hallmarks of a unique school.

“The college is positioned to go on with you to do greater things,” Johnson said.

During Johnson’s tenure the school graduated over 250 students, he noted.

“What you’re doing through the Cooperative Program in giving to Criswell College makes you a partner and I hope you don’t forget that. I hope you’ll stay at it and go to new heights and new levels,” he urged, anticipating a resolution that allows for the possibility of increased support if the school moves toward independence.

First Baptist Church of Dallas is dually affiliated with the SBTC and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, though its Cooperative Program giving is almost entirely through the SBTC. The church has been the largest dollar contributor through the SBTC to the Cooperative Program missions funding channel the last three years?something the SBTC board praised in its resolution.

Criswell College, with a campus just east of downtown Dallas on the former property of the now-closed Gaston Avenue Baptist Church, receives budgeted funds?$312,977 in the current
budget?from the SBTC as an affiliated ministry partner.

The other SBTC-affiliated school is two-year Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas. Houston Baptist University has a fraternal relationship with the SBTC, meaning it receives no budgeted SBTC funds though it may receive surplus funding.

On April 10 the school’s trustees voted without dissent that the college would not become a part of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s undergraduate program in the future, an action several advocates have proposed. In May trustees announced they had “no intention of selling 90.9 KCBI,” and would not revisit the issue for five years, nor would they “take any action to separate the College and KCBI from the church at this time.”

The school’s trustees voted in 2005 to sell KCBI to a California company for $23 million pending the church’s approval, but the proposed sale was withdrawn after some indications of disapproval from the church. The campus property is reportedly worth around $15 million.

The late First Baptist Dallas pastor W.A. Criswell founded Criswell College in 1970 as a Bible institute. Criswell College has at times struggled financially, though it is currently $6 million in the black, Johnson told the SBTC board.

Criswell College Provost Lamar Cooper was named interim president on Aug. 13.