IRVING—The closing session of the SBTC annual meeting Nov. 14-15 at the Irving Convention Center will include a call for Texas churches to help engage the estimated 3,600 unengaged people groups worldwide.

In August, the SBTC’s Executive Board voted to give $1 million in surplus funds for international missions through the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. During that meeting, the board also called on Southern Baptist churches in Texas to engage 1,000 of the unreached groups.

That gift followed International Mission Board President Tom Elliff’s call last summer for Southern Baptist churches to actively participate with the IMB in helping reach the world’s unreached peoples.

Elliff will speak to SBTC messengers on Nov. 15 by video streaming. Messengers will also hear from missionaries and from SBTC President Byron McWilliams of Odessa and Executive Board Chairman John Meador of Euless.

Those attending will find in each chair that night an IMB Embrace commitment card with information about engaging an unengaged people, said Chad Vandiver, SBTC missions associate.

“Once we receive their commitment we will give them the Next Step commitment card and we will be available to talk with them about future training opportunities and how we can equip and empower them to embrace and reach an unreached people group,” Vandiver explained.

For more information, visit call2embrace.org or call the SBTC missions office toll-free at 877-953-7282 (SBTC).

Dever: ‘9 Marks @9‘

Also, Pastor Mark Dever of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and founder of 9Marks Ministries, will preach the closing sermon on Tuesday night. Preceding the Tuesday night service at 4:45 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, Dever will engage in a dinner/dialogue with Criswell College humanities professor Barry Creamer on the topic: “Would Calvin Use an EvangeCube? A Dialogue on Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.” Tickets are $10 and may be reserved at sbtexas.com/criswell or at the Criswell booth.

Following Tuesday night’s sermon, 9Marks Ministries will host a “9Marks @ 9” Q&A session with Dever and other panelists at the convention center.

Bible Conference Nov. 13-14
This year’s SBTC Bible Conference will focus on “impacting the Next Generation” Nov. 13-14 at the Irving Convention Center.

Bible Conference President Terry Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, said the conference theme will be based on Deuteronomy 7:9-10: “So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, but who pays back those who hate him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve!”

Concerned that many young adults are not remaining faithful to local church involvement, Turner said, “We’re doing everything we can to equip pastors, parents and churches to be able to make a difference in the lives of young people, as well as being able to manage our families and making the family a strong nucleus.”

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 with worship by the choirs of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Euless. Speakers include Kurt Bruner, pastor of spiritual formation at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall and John Meador, pastor of First Baptist Church of Euless.

The Monday morning session begins at 9:20 a.m. Speakers will be Steve Stroope, pastor of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, and Jim Richards, SBTC executive director.

John Trent, president of Strong Families, will be featured at this year’s Ministry Café at 11:30 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. with music by Gina Cooper.

Trent has authored and co-authored more than a dozen books, including “The Blessing,” “The Language of Love,” “Heartshift,” “Breaking the Cycle of Divorce” and “The 2-Degree Difference.” Cost for the meal is $5 and reservations may be made online at sbtexas.com/AM11 or by calling 817-522-2500.

A women’s luncheon featuring Tammie Head from Houston’s First Baptist Church will be offered as well.

The afternoon session resumes at 1:15 p.m. with H.B. Charles Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., and Alistair Begg, senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, whose Scottish brogue is heard internationally on the Truth for Life broadcast. The Southwestern Chamber Chorale led by Tom Song will provide music for the closing session.

Serving along with Turner are Alex Gonzales, pastor of Hickory Tree Baptist Church in Balch Springs, as first vice president, and Scott Gray, pastor of Sycamore Baptist Church in Decatur, as second vice president.

Crossover DFW
Ethnic churches in the Irving area, as well as Criswell College in Dallas and First Baptist Church of Euless, will host evangelistic block parties on Saturday, Nov. 12, as a part of the SBTC’s Crossover 2011 evangelistic effort preceding the state convention meeting the following week.

Volunteers from area churches and messengers attending the annual meeting are encouraged to participate.

“Block parties are still a great way to get the community to visit a church,” explained SBTC evangelism associate Jack Harris. Some block parties are held at non-church locations while others utilize the church’s parking lot, he added.

Hispanic churches planning to participate include Primera Iglesia Bautista and Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Irving as well as Primera Bautista in Grand Prairie, and The Crossroad Church in Irving. First Baptist Church of Euless will be assisting in the effort with leadership from Ed Kho, minister to Asian communities.

Also, Criswell College is sponsoring a block party outreach near the campus, 4010 Gaston Ave. in Dallas.

“These events continue to be great opportunities to reach the local community,” Harris added. “While folks are enjoying themselves, you can share the gospel in a very relaxed setting.” Contact Harris at 817-614-4453 to volunteer at one of these events.

ATHENS—It was a normal Sunday morning at Sand Springs Baptist Church in Athens until a busload of football players lumbered into the auditorium, invited by offensive lineman Nate Richards of Keller.

“Nate’s dad offered to provide lunch for the guys and some of our church leadership at his expense,” explained Erick Graham, pastor, describing the effort to minister to the spiritual needs of the Trinity Valley Community College team. As it turned out, several of the young men left that afternoon with more than a free meal.

“At the invitation time we had several decisions, with two players and a trainer wanting to know more about having a relationship with Christ,” Graham said. “They had been talking to some Christians on the team and came forward,” he recalled, adding that the church had begun follow-up on those who were in attendance.

“Another young man who was familiar with Dr. Richards came forward for prayer,” said Graham, referring to guest preacher Jim Richards, Nate’s father and the executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

By fellowshipping over lunch, members were able to interact with the coaches as well. “The guys coming to TVCC are here for two years and gone to who knows where,” Graham said. “The coaches will stay here longer and some of them seemed genuinely excited and happy to be invited to our church.”

While Sand Springs Baptist has worked through the collegiate ministry of Dogwood Trails Baptist Association to help feed students on campus throughout the semester, the Oct. 29 outreach was the first time the pastor recalled having so many students attend church. “The president of the school attends our church, but even he had no clue the team was going to be with us until he saw the bus show up,” Graham said. “He was completely surprised, but stayed to have lunch with the team.”

Graham said most junior college players are hoping to be recruited by a bigger school at some point. “If we can win some of these guys it’s a great mission opportunity because they’re going all over the nation. They’re at a critical time in their lives and they have a lot of questions about their future,” he added. “A lot of people turn away from Christ during the college years, but there are also a lot who are seeking something. So we can give them the proper answer—that Jesus is the answer.”

That may not be the world’s perspective as to what makes for a prosperous life, Graham said, but he wants students to discover the treasure available from God’s perspective. “It doesn’t matter what you make or whether you go to the NFL; if you line up on the Word of God then you’re a success in your spiritual life no matter what a professional football career provides.”

As Sand Springs Baptist focuses on catching up with students who are in a transitional stage of life, Graham said, “We are really trying to use the opportunity to reach out to them more and more.”

The first report of the committee appointed by SBC President Bryant Wright to consider a new name for the SBC indicates that they know their job is a hot potato. Chairman Jimmy Draper assured us that they are approaching the task prayerfully and deliberately. He also made clear that the committee does not favor changing the word “Baptist” in our convention’s name. As expected, “Southern,” seen as some to be an inappropriately regional identification, and “Convention,” with its institutional flavor, are up for grabs.
I’m not surprised by anything Dr. Draper has said up to this point and it is good that he has nailed down that we will continue to be called something Baptist for the foreseeable future. But with that communication from the ad hoc committee, I’m comfortable to sit back and wait for their final report.

I can’t help but wonder if those most dissatisfied with the convention’s current name will be eased by any response that retains the word “Baptist,” though. Some have actually found the term “Baptist” problematic for their ministries. Maybe it’s for embarrassments like Westboro Baptist “Church” (not Southern Baptist but many don’t know) or things we have done like the Disney boycott. Some churches may find a broader base of attenders by not leading with “Baptist.”  

Thus, there’s a wave of “we’re still a Southern Baptist church, but we’d rather meet you before you know that” thinking. Many churches formerly “First Baptist [your city]” or “[your community] Baptist Church” now do business as simply “[your community name] Church” or “The Church at [your community name].” Some are more creative still, like Connection Church, launched in South Dakota by my friend Doug Hixson. I don’t really want to argue that your church answers to me or anyone else for the name you choose. I’m arguing instead that if you’re committed to Southern Baptists but are changing the sign out front to something more generic than Calvary Baptist Church, you’ve started down a more difficult road than you might think.

My family attended a Willow Creek-style church in a Midwestern city for about a year. It wasn’t called a Baptist church but we knew it was affiliated with other SBC churches on three different levels. As we considered membership, we began to ask those in our Sunday School class about the denominational identity of the church. They didn’t know we were Southern Baptist. Neither did our teacher know. We were interested to know how the church participated in cooperative missions so we asked a staff member (an SBC seminary grad) we’d met. He couldn’t answer our question but said he would find out. He brought us a budget summary that did not address our question to any discernable degree. We had to talk to the pastor to find out how the church we were planning to join was involved with other Southern Baptist churches for the purpose of missions. As best I could tell, few others knew the pastor’s vision for the church’s denominational involvement. I’ve heard similar stories from members of other churches for over a decade. The dissipation of Baptist identity within those churches was not the intent of church leaders as they chose a name or rename for their church. And yet, there seems to be an inevitable pull toward a more vague identity.

It sounds simplistic but having Baptist in the name means that the pastor doesn’t have to often say from the pulpit, “We are a Baptist church.” In churches with or without the formal Baptist designation, I’m saying he should do just that, and then he should explain why being Baptist matters.

It matters because Baptist churches have been key advocates for religious liberty in America. Our government’s occasional efforts to encourage freedom of conscience for people around the world are the legacy of Baptists in the United States. Baptists advocate for liberty because we were discouraged, even persecuted by other denominations of the time for preaching the gospel without their permission.

It also matters because Baptists in the U.S. have been among the most, if not the most ardent and effective advocates for missions in every place. That’s our heritage but it’s not just the past. We are still working hard to target the remaining unreached peoples of the world. We have a system that serves this purpose and we have a plan to address this goal. Yes, others are doing missions and smaller groups may be more flexible than our large enterprise; but when we call ourselves “Baptist,” we’re saying that we’re committed and poised to work together for the spread of the gospel.

Being Baptist matters because churches, made up of redeemed people who talk to God, operate under the direct headship of our Lord and Savior. No hierarchy and no outside conclave should interfere in that relationship. Self-governing churches made up of people who discern the will of God in community with other like-minded believers are a very Baptist interpretation of biblical (and Reformation) doctrine. Non-denominational churches may operate this way; newer and smaller denominations may be cooperating groups of autonomous congregations. Where this is so, these congregations are behaving in a right Baptist way.

I think being Baptist matters because there is a body of doctrine that describes us. Baptists believe that the two ordinances are symbolic and significant but not salvific. We have a polity we share with others who bear the name. Baptists believe that Jesus is the only means of salvation and that the Bible is his story—faithful in all that is purported there to be true. Of course, some Baptists accept infant baptism; others are not convinced regarding the authority of Scripture or even the uniqueness of Christ. These Baptists are notable exceptions and frankly have a dubious future among us. “Baptist” is still a useful shorthand way of saying something of what a church believes.

And yes, I do very much love and respect the various community churches and “churches at” one place or another. The pastors I know who’ve led their churches to adopt such monikers are Baptists and overwhelmingly not ashamed of it. For this valuing of these churches’ denominational lineage to trickle down over future generations, these pastors must go out of their way to make the story plain.

They must highlight, alongside various projects originated in their local congregations, the work done in concert with national, state, and associational partners. No church can do all that it’s commissioned to do without working with strategic partners.

Pastors of creatively named (and traditionally named) churches should highlight to church members the portion of their church budgets allocated for Cooperative Program ministries. Most vocational church leaders were educated through the generosity of Baptists they never met. Nearly every church was born with the assistance of Baptists in other locations, even other states and most often through CP funds. Freely we have received; freely give.

How about using new member orientation classes to highlight the reason and content of your church’s denominational identity? Years ago, my church used material produced by a sister church that completely bypassed the subject. It was a strange and inappropriate choice for a traditional and quite Southern Baptist church. Now, our material discusses the Cooperative Program and why we support it. Is there any good reason why any Southern Baptist church by any name should not do this as part of its orientation of new members?

Whether it is through Disaster Relief training and deployment, various kinds of ministry training (Sunday School, VBS, etc.), or some other kind of denominational partnership, church leaders should encourage their members to see and do firsthand the work of their fellow Baptists. In my experience, church members so oriented to their Baptist identity become more committed and useful in ministries of their home churches.  

It seems clear that the Southern Baptist Convention is not going to change its name in any way that could obscure our Baptist heritage. The trend for new and established churches to choose names less denominational is also observable. It is a very Baptist thing these churches are doing—deciding for themselves how they’ll be known in their own communities. With a bit of intentional and continued work, our churches by nearly any names can also remain very Baptist things.

AUSTIN—Several pregnancy resource centers and Catholic groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Austin alleging that a local ordinance abridges the free speech rights of pro-life ministries.

The ordinance, which took effect in April 2010, requires pregnancy resource centers to post signs in Spanish and English that say, “This center does not provide abortions or refer to abortion providers. This center does not provide or refer to providers of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved birth control drugs and medical devices.”

Failure to post the sign results in a $250 fine for the first offense, $350 fine for the second offense and a $450 fine for the third offense. The ordinance applies only to “limited service pregnancy centers,” defined by the city as centers that provide pregnancy counseling; do not perform or refer clients for abortions; do not provide or refer for “comprehensive birth control services,” including the abortion-inducing morning-after pill; and are not licensed by the government to provide medical services.

“The issue overall with the ordinance is that it’s an unlawful imposition of compelled speech,” Hiram Sasser, director of litigation at the Liberty Institute in Plano, told the TEXAN. “One of the things that free speech protects is that (the government) cannot make you say stuff. You cannot be forced to say the government’s message.”

The Liberty Institute, a legal group that defends traditional values, is representing four plaintiffs in the case—the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center, the South Austin Pregnancy Resource Center, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin and Catholic Charities of Central Texas. Another pregnancy center, Austin LifeCare, filed a separate suit.

According to Sasser, the government can force citizens to communicate various messages under a narrow set of circumstances. However, the first amendment and Texas law forbid the government from restricting the speech of religious groups without demonstrating state interest of the highest order, he said.

“In this case there is no real compelling interest for the government to be advancing this restriction,” Sasser said.

The ordinance was developed by NARAL Pro-Choice America (formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League) as an attempt to target pro-life groups. In a YouTube video, the policy director for Austin city council member Bill Spellman admits that the ordinance originated from conversations with NARAL, according to the complaint filed by Austin LifeCare.

The purpose of the ordinance, Sasser said, is “to drive people from going in the door of the resource center for them to have the opportunity to present their side of the abortion issue.” It is viewpoint discrimination that violates the Constitution, he said.

“It would be the same as making Planned Parenthood or somebody else post a sign that says, ‘We kill babies,’ on the front door to try to run people off from hearing their views,” Sasser said.

Similar ordinances have been declared unconstitutional in Baltimore and Montgomery County, Md., and New York City.

But the Austin case is unique in that it compels the centers to make false statements, Sasser said. While the required sign says they do not refer for birth control, some of the centers do refer married couples for some forms of birth control.

“Most of the time, these types of disclosure things are meant to give truthful information to people,” he said. “In this case it’s compelled false speech, probably the first compelled false speech case I’ve ever seen.”

Keet Lewis, chairman of Texas Life Connections, a pro-life group that works with the SBTC, called the ordinance an attempt to malign pro-life ministries.

“Some of the regulations posted really would be frightening to read,” Lewis told the TEXAN. “… It almost makes a person feel like they are walking into a center that is not medically related and has a shady look to it. And I think it was to impugn the integrity of those organizations. In the ordinance, there’s nothing that the abortion providers have to do. This really is a targeted attempt to restrict [pregnancy centers].”

Ironically, abortion providers are the ones with a documented history of not telling the truth, according to Lewis, while pregnancy resource centers are upfront with clients about their agenda.

“Most of our pregnancy centers clearly communicate where they are, and people know going into our pregnancy resource centers that they’re going to have a discussion about life and that they will in many cases show them videos or give them materials that tell scientifically and medically about the process of abortion,” he said.

Sasser and Lewis speculated that the ordinance would be struck down in court.

“I don’t think the city of Austin fully thought through everything that they were doing. I think they just tried to give a political favor to NARAL and move on down the road to get NARAL probably off their back,” Sasser said.

“It’s a poorly drafted ordinance by any measure and certainly unconstitutional by several measures. And so at the end of the day I don’t think there’s any choice for the court but to strike it down as unconstitutional.”

CEDAR HILL—”I can’t think of anything that is going to fire up churches in Texas about giving to the Cooperative Program like what has happened here,” declared Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright at the Embrace Equipping Conference in Cedar Hill on Oct. 27.

The conference was one of three nationally the IMB is hosting for churches exploring or committed to reaching an unengaged, unreached people group (UUPG).

Wright praised SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards for challenging Southern Baptist churches in Texas to engage 1,000 of the UUPGs and giving $1 million from SBTC reserve funds to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.

“With that priority of giving outside the state while ministering in the state and putting their money where their mouth is … challenging churches to do this, if that doesn’t get you fired up about giving to the Southern Baptist missions enterprise, I don’t know what will,” Wright said. “You’re blessed to be part of a convention like that.”

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., where Wright pastors, increased its CP giving, said Wright, noting the encouragement he found in many state conventions voting to send more of the undesignated receipts from local churches to fund out-of-state Southern Baptist causes.

Wright praised the missionary focus of host church Hillcrest Baptist, which adopted an unreached people group (UPG) two years ago and now plans to embrace an unengaged UPG after receiving training at the Oct. 27 event.

Evangelize, Disciple, Reproduce
Meanwhile, International Mission Board President Tom Elliff told the 320 Southern Baptists representing 130 churches and 19 states: “The fact that you’re here this morning tells us something radical could and perhaps is happening.”

IMB personnel representing nine affinity groups described opportunities to take the gospel to, at last count, 3,774 UUPGs.

“It seems God has just breathed a fresh wind of his Spirit and is blessing what seems to be becoming a movement,” Elliff said. He described the Embrace strategy as   churches that “evangelize and disciple authentically through discipleship that produces reproducing churches.”

Once reproducing churches are established, Elliff said, “We will consider this an area that has engagement by believers of their own ethno-linguistic culture.”

Even as God has blessed the new strategy, Elliff cautioned, “Anything remains that way until we try to put our fingerprints on it and contain it in our organization.” Warning that God doesn’t share his fame with anyone, Elliff added, “We want to be careful to give him honor and glory, with an understanding that God is sovereign and we’re his bond slaves. We serve him and serve one another as well so that other people can hear this wonderful announcement that Jesus saves.”

The IMB president carefully explained the motivation that is grounded in theological conviction. “There’s nothing we can do to twist the arm of God and make Jesus come off schedule,” Elliff said, alluding to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24 that the gospel would be preached to all nations before his return.

“But we do know that although we cannot cause the return of Christ by anything we do, coincidental with the coming of Christ there will be a moment when every language, people, tongue and nation bow to worship the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. “People out of every one of those groups will be gathered around the throne worshiping Jesus Christ.”

Elliff rejected the notion that missions should be “left to the professionals,” reminding those gathered that missionaries are sent out from local churches. “We facilitate that, train them and try to give them some idea about strategy, but ultimately they come from your local churches.”

He and Wright issued a challenge last June for Southern Baptist churches to “embrace” all of the UUPGs by next year’s SBC annual meeting in New Orleans. The upcoming SBTC annual meeting will encourage Texas churches to embrace at least 1,000 of that number during a Nov. 15 missions focus in Irving.

Elliff laid a foundation from Luke 11 about the importance of prayer in engaging unengaged people groups, then turned the program over to the IMB’s Gordon Fort and Scott Holste to explain the nuts and bolts of embracing UUPGs. Afternoon breakout sessions allowed opportunities to meet with nine affinity group missionaries to receive coaching and learn about further training.

Giving, Going
Addressing the closing session of the conference, Wright shared how his own congregation had been transformed as mission endeavors became “the most spiritually impactful ministry” in the past 20 years.

“This year we’ll have about 40 percent of our Sunday morning attendance going on 75 mission trips to 30 nations around the world,” Wright said. “It’s not because we’re constantly pleading and badgering the people to go. It’s just been a God thing in the life of the church when people get outside their comfort zone and begin to go into a culture that is different to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Describing the change that takes place among individual church members, Wright said, “It changes their worldview, their outlook about sharing their faith, and they come back excited with their fellow believers in the local church.”

Wright pointed to a new paradigm that no longer relies entirely on the IMB to send personnel to areas around the world as churches merely “support and pray for them.” Instead, he said, “The new paradigm international missions is the churches coming to the forefront and stepping out to take on this responsibility where the IMB is the facilitator, the trainer, the one that connects us all.”

Referring to the “gospel of the kingdom” described in Matthew 24:14, Wright said, “The churches are called to lead the way.”

Furthermore, he said, “The only way denominations and local churches are going to have an impact on the kingdom of God is what we do in the will of God in building up the kingdom of God. Otherwise, our local churches, our denomination is absolutely useless to the Lord’s work.”

He said Christ has given local churches “a clear message to take the gospel to every people group,” pointing to Revelation 7:9 as “the end game that drives the mission of the church.”

Wright prayed that the training would result in a “moment of destiny” for churches in attendance. He anticipated a day when many of those who are just now beginning to accept the “Embrace” challenge will “get to meet some of those people in that people group that you led our church to and some other people groups for friends from other churches and have all eternity to get caught up in fellowship in the kingdom of God.”

One of those people groups that Embrace conference participants sought to explore includes the 35 million deaf people around the world. Affinity Global Strategy Leader Mark Sauter told a breakout group, “I grew up as a little boy in Indiana with a call to missions, but I had no idea it would be to deaf ministry.”

Sauter’s wife, Vesta, was raised in the home of deaf parents and felt called to minister to the deaf. After pastoring in Princeton, Ind., the couple was appointed by IMB to serve in Europe where they sought to plant churches among deaf people. The strategy was extended to Asia where the Sauters helped local deaf believers develop an indigenous church planting movement. Now they lead the IMB’s global efforts to reach the deaf around the world and are enlisting deaf and hearing churches to embrace deaf UUPGs.

“Three-fourths of the places we go, we’ll hear someone say, ‘We’ve been waiting for you. We knew someone was coming to tell us something,’” Sauter told the breakout session, encouraging participants from churches with a deaf ministry to expand their reach around the world through the Embrace strategy.

The facilitator for the European Peoples Affinity Group session explained the role of the IMB in the new paradigm Wright referenced.

“Part of this process is not so much you partnering with us, but us coming alongside and saying, ‘We bring all of our resources, everything we have to the table,’” the IMB leader shared. “How can we help you take the gospel to the people God has called you to?”

He and other session leaders stressed the importance of taking the time to discern God’s direction before embracing a specific unengaged, unreached people group. “Do not go beyond this point with your church until the Lord has made it clear this is the people to whom I am sending you. Anything else will not last.”

“The leadership of your church will come and go, people will come and go, but the church says, ‘Our church continues to be called by God to this people group,” he added. At the very minimum, a local church that is interested in embracing a European UUPG would be asked to commit to eight years of seeking to develop that overseas relationship, the leader advised, recognizing the post-Christian condition that exists even in a region where the Reformation was birthed.

Michael Cloer, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, N.C., described his own congregation’s success in utilizing a common interest in fishing to embrace a people group. Any strategy must be “biblical, simple and reproducible,” he told a breakout group.

“Embracing a people group is more than just signing on a dotted line,” added the affinity group leader for South Asia. “It’s a commitment to seeing the gospel flow through that community regardless of the cost,” he said, describing the geographic, financial, cultural and political challenges.

However, some of the solutions to those challenges “sit in your congregations, your seminaries, your Bible schools, and your homes,” he added. “All of a sudden you get this business person in your church who says, ‘That’s not a challenge. We could start a business there,’ and it gives us open access to a people group.”

Describing “the beauty of partnering,” Sauter said, “That’s why we’re so thrilled to see churches and leaders coming to find out what Embrace looks like for South Asia.”

His wife encouraged churches to ask whether they are being obedient to the next step. “God is calling us to work among these people. They have no access to the gospel. Let’s prepare ourselves and take the next step and see where it leads.”

That’s exactly what Annie Falconer of Greenville intends to do. After attending Embrace with eight other members of Highland Terrace Baptist Church, the 74-year-old woman told the TEXAN, “I may not be as active as I would like due to health, but there are a lot of things I can sit and do.”

As their van headed home, the group looked forward to a debriefing when they would decide their next step of embracing a UUPG.

It’s not that Falconer doesn’t already have plenty to do directing Good News clubs for children in her community through Child Evangelism Fellowship.

“I need to do more than just one thing and I was especially interested in the way IMB is reaching out in Central Asia to people from all of these countries who are our neighbors here in Texas, too,” she said.

While more than half of the participants in the second Embrace conference came from Texas, the remainder traveled from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming. Leaders of two local Baptist associations, Criswell College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary also participated.

Upcoming conferences will be held Nov. 4 at Applewood Baptist Church in Denver and March 24 at Immanuel Baptist in Highland, Calif. To learn more about how a church may embrace an unengaged, unreached people group, visit call2embrace.org or sbtexas.com/embrace.