Month: May 2022

Apathy in churches looms large for pastors, Lifeway Research study reveals

NASHVILLE—Pastors often deal with churchgoers with strong opinions, but they’re much more concerned about the people in their congregations who don’t seem to care much at all.

In the final release from Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, most pastors say the primary “people dynamics” challenge they face in their churches is apathy or lack of commitment.

“Many people can be a member of a church, but not participate in the work of the church,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Pastors see the potential of mobilizing everyone in the church to minister to others in the church and in their community.”

People dynamics challenges

For the 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, Lifeway Research interviewed 200 U.S. Protestant pastors who identified 44 issues related to their role and then surveyed 1,000 additional pastors to determine which of these needs was most prominent among pastors. The nearly four dozen needs were divided into seven categories: ministry difficulties, spiritual needs, skill development, self-care, personal life, mental health and people dynamics.

Among these categories, 22 percent of pastors say people dynamics in their congregations are the most challenging or require the most attention today. Skill development (23 percent) is the only category more pastors identify as their area of greatest need.

Six of the 44 total needs are classified as people dynamics, but pastors say apathy is by far the most pressing issue in this category. Three in 4 U.S. Protestant pastors (75 percent) say apathy or lack of commitment is a people dynamic they find challenging in their congregations. Among all 44 issues pastors identified, developing leaders and volunteers and fostering connections with unchurched people are the only issues more pastors say they recognize as a need.

Close to half of pastors say they find it challenging in their ministries to deal with people’s strong opinions about non-essentials (48 percent), resistance to change in the church (46 percent) and people’s political views (44 percent). Around a third point to people’s unrealistic expectations of the pastor (35 percent) and caring too much about people’s approval or criticism (32 percent). Fewer than 1 in 10 (8 percent) say none of these are challenging for them as a pastor.

“Congregations are filled with many opinions,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “It is not easy to bring a congregation’s focus to a few things to do together that matter. People’s obsession with non-essentials, politics and a dislike for change all hamper a pastor’s ability to provide leadership.”

Young pastors, those 18-44, are frequently among the most likely to say they face challenging people dynamics at their church, including people’s strong opinions about non-essentials (60 percent), people’s political views (55 percent), resistance to change (52 percent), people’s unrealistic expectations of the pastor (46 percent) and caring too much about people’s approval or criticism (45 percent).

White pastors are among those most likely to say they deal with strong opinions about non-essentials (50 percent), challenging political views (47 percent) and caring too much about people’s approval or criticism (33 percent).

Pastors in different denominational families are likely to struggle with different people dynamics in their congregations. Baptist (79 percent), non-denominational (78 percent) and Pentecostal pastors (77 percent) are among the most likely to say they find people’s apathy challenging, while Lutheran (40 percent) and Methodist pastors (38 percent) are among the most likely to point to caring too much about people’s approval or criticism as a ministry challenge.

In facing strong opinions about non-essentials, Lutherans (58 percent) and Baptists (50 percent) are among the most likely to say they deal with this. Lutherans (54 percent), Presbyterian/Reformed (51 percent), pastors in the Restorationist movement (51 percent) and Methodists (48 percent) are more likely than Baptists (35 percent) or Pentecostals (34 percent) to say they find people’s political views to be a challenge in their congregations. Methodists (53 percent) and Presbyterian/Reformed (50 percent) are among the most likely to say they see resistance to change in the church as a challenging people dynamic.

Most challenging people dynamic

When asked to narrow down all the people dynamics they identified as an issue, close to half of U.S. Protestant pastors (47 percent) say people’s apathy or lack of commitment is the one they find most challenging.

Around 1 in 9 pastors say the most pressing people dynamic for them is people’s political views (13 percent) or resistance to change in the church (12 percent). Fewer than 1 in 10 pastors point to people’s strong opinions about non-essentials (8 percent), caring too much about approval or criticism (6 percent) or unrealistic expectations of the pastor (6 percent). Another 9 percent say none of these are their most challenging people dynamic or they’re not sure.

“The typical church is not overrun by politics or stuck in the past, but many are,” McConnell said. “A Christ-honoring church keeps its focus on the spiritual mission of bringing people in their community the Good News of what Jesus Christ has done for them. When this focus shifts to personal agendas, pastors are burdened to shift it back to the Gospel.”

Evangelical pastors (51 percent) are more likely than mainline pastors (42 percent) to say their primary people dynamic challenge is people’s apathy. Similarly, pastors 65 and older (51 percent) are more likely than pastors 18-44 years old (42 percent) to say apathy is their greatest issue in this area.

At least half of Pentecostal (55 percent), Baptist (52 percent) and non-denominational (52 percent) pastors identify apathy as their top people dynamic concern.

The more the education, the less likely a pastor is to say their greatest people dynamic challenge is people’s lack of commitment: pastors with no college degree (58 percent), Bachelor’s degree (52 percent), Master’s degree (43 percent) and doctoral degree (39 percent).

African American pastors (22 percent) are the most likely to say their primary challenge with people dynamics is resistance to change in the church. Pastors at churches with fewer than 50 in attendance (15 percent) are more likely than pastors at churches with 250 or more (7 percent) to say resistance to change is their top concern in this area.

Pastors of larger churches (11 percent) are, however, among the most likely to say caring too much about people’s approval or criticism tops their people dynamic issues.

Pastors in the West (20 percent) are more likely than those in the Northeast (12 percent) or South (10 percent) to say people’s political views create their most challenging people dynamic.

“These challenging people dynamics all affect the unity within a local church,” McConnell said. “Unity matters greatly to Christ as seen in his prayer for his followers in John 17. Many things can disrupt that unity and one of the most common is not outright disagreement but silently abstaining from what the church is doing together.”

For more information, view the complete report or visit LifewayResearch.com/GreatestNeeds.

A church I’d join

I write this from a foreign land. Tammi and I moved to Northwest Arkansas last spring and had the experience of doing something we’ve done only a few times in our 46 years together—deciding which church to join.

As a church staff member, the choice was made for me. Grace Baptist Church expected their youth guy to join Grace Baptist Church. For my last 20 years as a layman, we were members of one church. It’s different being the new guy in a new church. If you’re a pastor or staff member, you may be unaccustomed to having to evaluate churches; but the people who join your church have likely done so. Maybe by sharing what we thought about before joining First Baptist Fayetteville, Arkansas, I can help you think about the experience of potential church members in your church.

First, let me say that we didn’t primarily base our decision on the Sunday service—music and preaching. Granted, there is a baseline there of serious (not grim, not silly) music that we expect from any church, as well as preaching that highlights the gospel and comes from the Bible. A person can’t assume those baseline things, but I am assuming you have already established those priorities in your ministry. Here are some things we did consider:

Cooperation

Simply, we didn’t want a church that had a small or casual relationship with the rest of our Southern Baptist fellowship. That means participation, as in more than 5 percent, in the Cooperative Program. Cooperation means that the church makes a big deal about the Lottie Moon missions offering. It means that the church is Southern Baptist in its actions. I think your church will benefit from having new members who think cooperation matters. What would be your answer if a knowledgeable prospective member asked about your participation in the SBC?

Interest in us

When we moved back to Texas in 2001, we visited about 10 churches. No more than four even called us after we filled out a visitor card. We joined one of those four. Our primary questions were not details about the church ministries—we knew how to find those things out. Question No. 1 had to do with whether the church was remotely serious about reaching new people.

Stability

There’s a feeling of disorder or decline in some churches. While many churches go through times of transition, that’s not what I mean. Does the church seem to have its priorities in hand? I’ve seen pretty small churches that were doing the basic things as well as they could, even without a pastor. I’ve seen larger and well-established churches that were not. New members aren’t eager to jump into chaos.

Evangelism

Does the pastor share his faith? Is he pushing that priority out through the membership by providing opportunities and training to share the gospel? It’s very basic, but it’s also something many churches find difficult. A visitor who believes his church should be evangelistic can tell pretty quickly if this is a priority.

Opportunity

I’d never join a church if I didn’t think I’d be put to work. I had a friend who was a trained chef. She was a humble lady, but she could cook! She wanted to help with Wednesday night meals at her church but found the hospitality committee “didn’t need any new person messing up the system they’d used for years.” However that story plays out in your church—committees, teaching, ushering—new members need a way in. I can’t imagine assimilating into a church if it didn’t need me to serve. God wouldn’t lead me to a church that doesn’t need what He has gifted me to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A happy, prayerful, grateful fellowship of believers is an effective church. It’s never perfect or universal in joy, but a happy church is generally sweet, and it is led by loving people. I haven’t always done this, but I’d counsel that a person spends enough time in a church to determine if this is the sort of culture they are joining. Are these people who will lift you up in your walk with God?

We’ve joined churches as small as 50 and as large as 10,000, so my point should be applicable to your church. Finding out about the experience of those who visit your church could be as helpful as those surveys restaurants solicit after you visit them. It tells them if you intend to come back and why or why not. The work of your church and mine is even more important than Chick-Fil-A!

Are there some things you should consider to better reflect the important mission of your church as it is experienced by newcomers? Are you leading a church that you’d join if you had a choice?

SBC presidential candidates discuss CRT, financial transparency in forum

KELLER, Texas (BP) – Critical Race Theory and financial transparency were among topics addressed by the three known candidates to be nominated at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim. The candidates participated in a forum hosted by FBC Keller on May 4 and moderated by Joe Wooddell, a member of FBC Keller, and Tony Richmond, FBC Keller associate pastor.

Tom Ascol, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Fla.; Bart Barber, senior pastor of FBC Farmersville, Texas; and Robin Hadaway, senior professor of missions at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, retired IMB missionary and former pastor, comprise the current slate of men to be nominated in Anaheim.

What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? Is it manifesting in churches and the SBC? What should the SBC president do about it?

“So, all you have to know about CRT to be ready to walk away from it is that it proposes some ideas of what justice is that are at odds with the Judeo-Christian idea of justice that’s been passed down into American jurisprudence.” Barber said, adding that he believes many Southern Baptists struggle to understand what it is.

“I don’t think we have to espouse secular ideologies just to be kind and welcoming to churches that are on the fringe in the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said. “I think we ought to work to try to build our fellowship stronger and stronger and to invite more and more people to come to be a part of this great family of churches. I think that’s the president’s role in helping to show the difference between CRT and just not being a jerk or just not caring about people who on the fringe, but trying to bring people in.”

In a follow up question, Ascol asked Barber if he thinks “that it’s possible that those folks who are saying, ‘No, we don’t believe in CRT,’ really don’t think they are, but could have well imbibed the ideas of CRT just as being a part of this culture where it is so preeminent?”

Barber pointed back to the need for a clear definition of CRT. “I think we ought to talk to each other in such a way that we’re only ready to start debating something when we can say what the other person’s viewpoint is so well that they say, ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I believe.’ Then we’re ready to have those conversations. So it’s best, I think, to talk about the issues, issue by issue, before we’re just tossing labels around.”

Ascol spoke next and offered a definition of CRT.

“CRT is an offshoot of neo-Marxism, postmodernism and a theory that came out of a critical legal theory. And it basically says that all racial relationships should be viewed in terms of power dynamics and that some are inevitably oppressed and others are inevitably the oppressors.”

He said it is in opposition to biblical theology, “And so it takes the idea of sin partiality from the Bible and redefines it in ways that are completely unbiblical.”

Ascol also blamed the 2019 SBC Resolutions Committee for the discussion in current SBC life. “… [T]his wouldn’t even have been a conversation among us if the Resolutions Committee in 2019 rewritten a resolution that was submitted to renounce critical race theory and intersectionality. They rewrote it to affirm critical race theory and intersectionality and then we were told, ‘No, they’re just good analytical tools.’ And that was a disaster for the SBC and it was tragic that it happened.”

Ascol alluded to three examples of SBC seminary professors who had spoken or written about CRT or LGBTQ issues in ways that he alleged were in violation of biblical doctrine.

“We have boundaries and the Baptist Faith and Message certainly points out our doctoral boundaries, but I do believe just like we saw in the Conservative Resurgence, there are a lot of people were saying, ‘Oh, we believe the Bible. We believe the Bible.’ They’re not thinking as rigorously as they need to be thinking about exactly what does the Bible say? And so that’s part of my concern with this. I’m grieved over what I see happening. I don’t, it’s not a matter of partisanship with me, it’s a matter of deep conviction that we must change the direction right now.”

Barber asked Ascol, “Haven’t all of those people come back and said, ‘Hey, that’s not really accurately representing what I think and what I believe’? “What are we supposed to do when other people ask for that right [to clarify their statements]?”

Ascol responded, “Well, and I would be delighted for that, but the clarifications have not clarified.”

Hadaway said, “Critical Race Theory does view everything by race. … CRT is the cultural problem of the day, but we have to be careful that we aren’t seen as unsympathetic to the problem of racism in the United States and everywhere in the world.”

What should the Credentials Committee actually be doing? Are they working outside the scope of what they should be doing? What is their function if a church is operating outside the BF&M?

Calling the work of the committee a massive task, Ascol said that the responsibilities of the committee need to be investigated so their work can be better accomplished.

Ascol claimed to have submitted several churches to the Credentials Committee and said he never heard back. “I don’t know if they investigated them or what they did or what the disposition is,” he said. “That’s one thing that needs to change because if there’s something that is risen to the level of actually making a report and asking for an investigation, I think that the church that makes that request deserves the courtesy of a reply to let them know the disposition of that request.”

He said he feels sorry for the members of the committee because “they have a task that is unmanageable given our structure.”

He believes repairing the system will require some of the SBC’s top thinkers.

“I think what we’re going to need is some of our best theological minds to come together and to think through, ‘OK, here’s, here’s what we can do, given our polity, that we are fully convinced is biblical and here’s some history examples, from like the Philadelphia Association, how they did things very much like this. How can we now structure in our day a task force or a committee that will be able to do these things and give them the tools to do these things that need to be done in a convention of churches of 47,000-plus,” he said.

In 2019, Messengers voted to amend the SBC’s bylaws to repurpose the SBC’s Credentials Committee into a standing committee to make inquiries and recommendations for action regarding instances of sexual abuse, racism or other issues that call a church’s relationship with the SBC into question. The work handled by the previous Credentials Committee, on which Hadaway served in 2000, is now handled by the Registration Committee.

Barber pointed to a system that worked well in the past because local associations did more of the work: “… local associations were the ones who leaned into screening credentials. Every local association had a Credentials Committee like they should today,” he said, adding that the number of churches and growing “laundry list” of social concerns makes the work unmanageable for a Credentials Committee at a national level.

“It will work so much better if you go to your local association saying, ‘We need our Credentials Committee to be vibrant and active and doing the right thing there,” he said. “Your state convention will rise up and call you blessed if you do that. And the national convention will be so much healthier.”

Barber said associational credentials committees began to wane during the Conservative Resurgence. “The backbone of the local association needs to be restored so that we’re not trying to do this at the national level.”

Is there work to do related to the financial disclosures of SBC entities?

Ascol was the first to answer saying he believes there is much to do in this area. He called for forensic audits to be performed by the entities because trust has been broken and alleged crimes may have been committed.

“This would be an audit that is designed to look at the laws, the SEC, the state laws, local laws, federal laws, making sure those practices financially have been in accordance with the laws,” he said. “If there’s any discrepancies and what’s reported or what’s on the books and what is discovered, those discrepancies are investigated. And so, a forensic audit could well discover that crimes have been committed. And if so, they can be rectified. I mean, that doesn’t mean that somebody has to go to jail. Maybe there just needs to be some money paid back or something, but it is an audit that is done with very serious potential consequences if there’s been shady things going on.”

Barber said he said he does not believe trust is broken to the degree Ascol says.

“I want to affirm the idea that our trustees need to be trained better than they are,” Barber said, adding that while trustees receive an orientation by the entity they serve, “I think there needs to be independent instruction about baseline standards of what’s best to do as a trustee in order to hold these institutions to account.”

Pointing to increased giving to the Cooperative Program, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, he said, “I really don’t know how much trust has been broken.”

Barber said the ultimate power to call for accountability is in the hands of the messengers.

“I think the trustees are the first place to be holding the institutions accountable for all of those things.,” he said, “But I think it’s the messenger body’s right, just as they did with sex abuse. It’s the messenger body’s right to call for any kind of financial transparency that they want for any of the entities and if the messenger body asks for a forensic audit, it’ll happen.”

Hadaway agreed that an entity’s trustees are the primary source of accountability, saying “you can trust what they do.”

“Most, if not all of the entities” have an annual audit of their finances, he said.

Based on his work at Midwestern Seminary, Hadaway said the most expensive audit an organization can have is a forensic audit. He doesn’t believe they are needed by any of the entities.

“I will respectfully disagree with Bro. Tom,” Hadaway said. “I don’t think we need that [a forensic audit]. When there is an egregious case that comes out … I think that can be handled by letters to the trustees.”

Candidates were given time to make opening and closing statements. They were asked about work of the Sexual Abuse Task Force and how churches can cooperate together.

The candidates were not asked about their views of women in leadership positions in the local church or in the SBC.

Greenway encourages SWBTS graduates to have ‘Romans 12 ministry’ in ‘Romans 1 world’

FORT WORTH—America’s cultural situation that is well summarized in Romans 1 should be answered by ministers with a Romans 12 ministry, President Adam W. Greenway said in his address to graduates of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College during their May 6 commencement ceremony.

“You are being sent out into what many have regarded, and rightfully I think, as a Romans 1 world,” Greenway said to the spring 2022 graduates. “Where everything that is wrong is being declared to be right and what is right is declared to be wrong. …You look at what’s happening in terms of our broader socio, cultural, political agenda – it is a Romans 1 agenda.”

“May I submit to you, the only answer to meet a Romans 1 agenda is a Romans 12 ministry,” Greenway continued, noting a Romans 12 ministry includes living faithfully and fruitfully as followers of Christ and stewards of what He has entrusted.

The spring 2022 certificate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates included men and women from Southwestern’s four graduate schools and TBC who represent 26 states and 19 countries, including the U.S. Of the 245 graduates, 158 attended the ceremony to receive their diplomas.

Before addressing the graduates, Greenway presented Mark E. Taylor, associate dean of the School of Theology and professor of New Testament, with the inaugural David S. and Lanese Dockery Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. The award, established by Distinguished Professor of Theology David S. Dockery and his wife, honors the faculty member who exhibits faithful and effective teaching in the classroom and shows genuine demonstration of personal care and concern for the spiritual development of students in and out of the classroom.

“Dr. Taylor so well embodies in scholarship and in service the heartbeat of the faculty of Southwestern Seminary,” Greenway said of Taylor, who was elected to the seminary’s faculty in the fall of 1999.

In a “pastoral exhortation” from Romans 12, Greenway noted theological education has been made accessible and affordable for many due to online availability, but he warned graduates to guard against the “natural temptations that come from the pursuit of higher education.”

Recognizing obtaining higher education can lead to success by the world’s standards, Greenway noted in Romans 12 Paul gave “more attention to matters related to character than matters related to competency, capability or any other kind of human achievement.”

Greenway drew the attention of the audience to verse 3, where Paul told the believers in Rome not to think more highly of themselves than they ought.

“That’s a dangerous word to say at a commencement exercise, where we have people who are wearing all kinds of academic regalia, who have achieved undergraduate, graduate and professional and research doctoral degrees,” Greenway said. “If you think about the state of the global church, we are in a very privileged position in terms of what we have been able to deliver to you and what you have been able to receive. And if you are not careful, it can lead you to think of yourselves more highly than you ought.”

Greenway observed the “imagery” of the body used in Romans 12, recognizing Paul challenged against thinking some gifts were better than others.

“God in His economy gives each of us gifts, talents and what He expects from us,” Greenway said. “How dare I put the standard that God has placed upon my life in terms of the calling and the way He wants me to use my gifts and to say, ‘If you don’t do it exactly the way I do, then there’s something deficient or wrong in you.’”

Greenway reminded the graduates that as stewards of what God has “entrusted” to them, one day they will stand before God and give an account of themselves for what they did based upon God’s standards.

Noting Paul reminded the believers that love should be without hypocrisy, Greenway challenged the graduates to love fellow believers deeply and show honor to one another.

“Outdo one another in showing honor, not in having honor shown to you,” Greenway said, noting the example of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples the night before His crucifixion. “If it wasn’t too much for our Lord to do, then how could you or I ever think that is somehow beneath us?”

“You are those to whom much has been given,” he told the graduates. “You are those of whom much is required.

“For most of our watching world today, the only evidence or testimony as to what difference a Southwestern Seminary theological education makes is you. On behalf of all of us who are Southwesterners, may the Lord use you as an instrument in His hand through whom the love of Christ will show through, whom the life of Christ will be displayed through, whom the legacy of Christ will be magnified until Jesus comes again.”

The full ceremony can be viewed here.

Salado church destroyed by tornado rises over adversity to continue ministry

SALADO—Tornadoes can hit with an unheralded ferocity.

On April 12, weather reports indicated a “slight chance” of severe weather in this Central Texas town of about 3,000 residents located down Interstate 35 between Waco and Austin. Donnie Jackson, pastor of First Cedar Valley Baptist Church, heard the reports. After radar indicated a strong and building storm was heading their way, he and his son, Donnie Van, watched from the porch as his wife, Linda, took the grandchildren inside to huddle inside a closet.

The two men would soon join the rest of the family.

“All of the sudden it just exploded,” the pastor said. “We couldn’t see the tornado, there were too many trees—but we sure could hear it.”

The EF-3 tornado that swept over them made a deafening noise, mixing in with the sound of baseball-sized hailstones pelting their metal roof, crying children, and prayer.

Then it was over.

They emerged after about five minutes to see the property intact—the first sign of destruction some 300 yards away. “All I could hear were sirens from every direction,” Jackson said.

The five-acre church property about a mile-and-a-half from the pastor’s home told a different story.

An historic church continues ministry

“The tornado wiped out everything,” Jackson said. Large oaks and 200-year-old cedars were savagely uprooted and tossed into piles. All that remained of First Cedar Valley Baptist’s 13-year-old modern structure was its slab foundation and its cross, anchored to the foundation.

The “new” church was gone, but the historic church building—dating from 1942 when it was little more than a brush arbor enclosed over a dirt floor—still stood, yet suffered structural damage and proved unsalvageable. Jackson and congregation finished tearing it down a few weeks ago, he said, choking up a bit.

“It’s a difficult time for us,” he said. “A lifetime of memories. What held those memories is now gone.”

Jackson had known the historic building since boyhood. By age 15, he was leading the music there, the first of many stints as a lifelong worship leader in the various cities and churches he served while working as a businessman full-time. Jackson recalled his uncle lighting kerosene lanterns and hanging them on cedar support posts in the old church before it had electricity.

Now it’s time for the church to rebuild, and they have started. And church has continued.

On Easter Sunday, less than a week after the disaster, First Cedar Valley held worship on its bare slab, the service covered by area news outlets.

“Nothing’s going to stop church from happening. It’s always gonna happen,” 11-year-old churchgoer Asa Gooden told news crews.

“That building means nothing compared to the cross and what He did for us,” Jackson proclaimed from his Easter pulpit, gesturing to the surviving cross in the background.

A tent has since been erected, and a church member who is a builder has arranged for a temporary building. They intend to build back on the same foundation, using the same plans but with a few modifications, such as reconfiguring interior walls to allow for more meeting areas and less office space.

“Nothing’s going to stop church from happening. It’s always gonna happen.”

Asa Gooden, 11-year-old churchgoer Tweet

A lifetime of ministry

Jackson has only been pastor of FCVB for just over two years. Following a career as a national operations manager for a retail chain, he returned with his wife and family to the Salado area when their kids were school-aged. The Jacksons purchased a convenience store off I-35, which they owned and operated for 21 years, from 1976-1997. The pastor wanted his children to share the same small-town youth experiences that he had known.

It was natural that a return to Salado meant Jackson again began to serve his childhood church as a worship leader.

“I’ve always been involved in gospel music,” he said. In fact, from 2000-2008, the Cedar Valley Singers, consisting of Donnie, Linda, and three other church members, performed as a popular statewide gospel attraction until the demands became too great.

The last three or four years, the Lord called him to preach, Jackson said. He began to fill pulpits and, when the FCVB pastor stepped down because of health concerns, was asked to become the full-time pastor. COVID-19 hit and in-person attendance waned, but livestreamed services kept the congregation worshiping.

“During COVID, our small country church was down to 10 or 12 people attending. We now run 45-60,” Jackson said.

The tornado may have destroyed its building but hasn’t pushed pause to the church’s recovery. A family of five joined after the storm, which, thankfully, did not cause any fatalities, although many lifelong friends lost property.

At 77, Jackson has seen his share of ups and downs, replete with God’s provision. He hopes to leave First Cedar Valley to an eventual successor on a firm foundation in more ways than one, following the tornado.

“You’ve got to accept what is. Don’t look at what was. Look at what is to come,” Jackson said. “It’s been hard in the flesh, but I believe Romans 8:28. I don’t know what God’s purpose is, but we’ll be stronger. We’ll reach more people than we would have been able to reach.”

Women find practical ministry tools to take home at latest She Stands conference

MANSFIELD—Rebecca Carrell, a longtime radio broadcaster, author, and podcaster, unapologetically called for women to stand firm by digging deep and immersing themselves in God’s Word at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s She Stands conference held April 22-23 at First Baptist Church of Mansfield.

This She Stands conference—the second of four scheduled for 2022—was marked by Carrell’s message to be a joyful follower of Jesus, a team of dedicated staff who are passionate about equipping women’s ministry leaders, and a group of women of all ages who not only attended, but who warmly fellowshipped and worshipped with one another and were challenged to grow in their service to Christ in all contexts.

The conference included a bilingual worship service in English and Spanish on Friday night, and a Spanish track was offered simultaneously to the English track on Saturday, when breakout sessions were held throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. Through those messages, conference attendees were called to rise up above their circumstances, taking courage to minister to other women; and to rise up to be equipped, inspired, and empowered to the task of reaching women through evangelism, inviting women to use their gifts in service of the Lord, supporting their local church in its mission and vision, engaging the next generation, and nurturing other women through discipleship.

Many of the women who attended said they found great value in the conference. Sue Pille, women’s ministry director at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, said the women in her group who attended are planning on getting together soon to share notes on how to implement some of what they learned at the conference. “Every woman in my group was so blessed by the worship and the speakers,” she said.

Another woman, Elizabeth, said she is a team member in her church’s women’s ministry and was excited to hear the information that was conveyed during the spiritual leadership breakout session she attended. “This is what I have been looking for,” she said. “I want to enroll at the seminary and learn more so that I can help lead the women at my church.”

Yet another attendee, Melissa, said she learned strategies to help her better understand and communicate with teenagers. “When we show them by example, they tend to hear and follow,” she said. “We [need to] show more and tell less! And even when they seem busy on their phones, they still hear what we show!” A woman named Sarah, who attended a session about understanding anxiety from a biblical perspective, said, “Getting to the root of anxiety takes time, and Jesus has all the time and patience we need! In Him, there is healing from anxiety.”

Finally, a woman named Nancy said she felt encouraged to take her next step in ministering to women at her church because of some of the information she received at the conference.

“I cannot wait to get back to my women’s group at church,” she said. “Most of them are sitting on their gifts. They need to know how much they are missing and are needed.”

The next She Stands conference is scheduled for August 26-27 at West Conroe Baptist Church.

Women find practical ministry tools to take home at latest She Stands conference

Finally, a woman named Nancy said she felt encouraged to take her next step in ministering to women at her church because of some of the information she received at the conference.

“I cannot wait to get back to my women’s group at church,” she said. “Most of them are sitting on their gifts. They need to know how much they are missing and are needed.”

The next She Stands conference is scheduled for August 26-27 at West Conroe Baptist Church.

I’m on the Personnel Committee. Now what?

It often surprises me, as I consult with churches and church leadership, that many congregations have elected a Personnel Committee but there is no clear direction given to them, and no definition of expectation. What is a Personnel Committee supposed to do?

One of the most common mistakes Personnel Committees make is to not meet and not have church staff in front of them until there is a problem. If you church staff dreads being called into a Personnel Committee meeting, something is wrong. The committee should be a regular support group for church leadership. Advocates. Promoters. Supporters.

Regardless the specifics of your Personnel Committee’s bylaw-driven responsibilities, here are the three basic functions of your committee. These three basic functions are the duty of every church Personnel Committee, no matter the ministry context.

ONE: Encourage. The Personnel Committee should make it their highest priority to constantly and intentionally encourage church leadership. In case you have not noticed, discouragement abounds in ministry. Vocal critics of the ministry surface everywhere, everyday—in the larger denominational context, in the local community, and even within the membership of your own congregation. Often, a church leader’s worst critic is himself/herself. Even when things appear to be going smoothly discouragement is lurking in the hearts of your church’s leadership. Here are some ideas for regular, intentional encouragement:

Mail a handwritten card thanking them for their leadership.
Call or take them to lunch just to say, “I’m thankful for you.”
Pray for them, and with them, regularly.
Call staff members into a meeting at least once a year just to ask how things are going, lay hands on them and pray over their homes and their ministries.

“The Personnel Committee should be a regular support group for church leadership. Advocates. Promoters. Supporters.”

Tony Wolfe Tweet

TWO: Equip. The Personnel Committee should take the lead in ensuring church staff members are receiving the training they need to be effective in the ministry. Ministry is a calling, and it is also a trade. We expect our church leadership to bring the deepest biblical wisdom, the best contextualized ideas, and the most informed cultural perspectives to the table every day. But are we providing them with the opportunities they need to sharpen their ministry skills? Here are some ideas for equipping your church staff to bring their best selves to the table every day:

Advocate for seminary scholarships in the church budget.
Set aside conference and travel funds for denominational meetings, ministry-area workshops, and special certification programs.
In annual reviews and goal setting, ask questions about personal development, ministry-area networking, and how your committee can help make these possible.
Provide ample vacation time and strategic sabbatical opportunities for each church leader.

THREE: Resource. The Personnel Committee should make sure each church leader has the resources he or she needs to be successful on the job. Otherwise, you become the Pharaoh doubling the work load while requiring slaves to gather their own straw. You cannot expect technological advance when you’re A/V ministry leader is working from a five-year-old computer. You cannot desire excellence in worship if the worship leader cannot afford decent instruments and musical arrangements. You cannot expect your pastor to lead a high-performance team without giving him a budget for team-building resources and opportunities. Here are some ideas for resourcing your church leadership effectively:

Do not assume what they need to be successful. Ask them.
Start with “yes” and work hard to make it happen. Reserve “no” for those rare occasions.
Be an advocate before the finance committee and the church, for staff member’s resourcing requests.
When expectations are not being met, ask if the church leader has the resources necessary for success before assuming laziness or incompetency.

What if Personnel Committee meetings became a think-tank and a resource-advocacy group for church leadership? What if staff began to long for the days when they are scheduled to meet with the committee because they know they will be championed and prayed over? What if your Personnel Committee became a team of confidants and ministry-supporters? What if you resolved, as a committee, to Encourage, Equip, and Resource church leadership?

I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that it may promote ministry effectiveness in your church staff in ways you have not previously imagined.

What a joy it is to encourage, equip, and resource those who are called by God to lead the church in advancing the Great Commission!

Be that committee. Encourage. Equip. Resource.

Unidad, oración, adoración y alabanza en la Conferencia de Mujeres SBTC She Stands

Del 22 al 24 de abril, el Ministerio de Mujeres de la Convención Bautista del Sur de Texas (SBTC), dirigido por Laura Taylor, llevó a cabo una de sus conferencias, She Stands. La conferencia She Stands, con su contraparte hispana, Mujeres Firmes, recibió a un grupo de más de 300 mujeres de habla hispana e inglesa en la Primera Iglesia Bautista en Mansfield, Texas. La conferencia se basó en 1 Corintios 15:58: “Así que, amados hermanos míos, manténganse firmes y constantes, y siempre creciendo en la obra del Señor, seguros de que el trabajo de ustedes en el Señor no carece de sentido.”

La conferencia incluyó un tiempo de adoración bilingüe el viernes por la noche dirigido por la líder de adoración de la iglesia Baptist Temple, Nidia Quintanilla. Durante este tiempo de adoración, ambos grupos lingüísticos pudieron alabar, adorar y orar juntos. Quintanilla también dirigió un taller sobre cómo estar anclada en la adoración. “La adoración y devoción a Dios es un compromiso. La adoración fluye desde adentro y todo lo ponemos delante de Dios porque Él es nuestra ancla,” dijo Quintanilla.

Este tiempo de adoración también incluyó la lectura de la palabra de Dios en ambos idiomas y el testimonio de Suzanne Bradley sobre cómo Dios contestó su oración de salvar a su nieta Karis de 7 años de un tumor cerebral. Compartió cómo ella tuvo que confiar en Dios durante COVID porque ni siquiera se le permitió entrar al hospital para ver a Karis. “Nos dimos cuenta de que no todas las historias terminan tan bien. Ahora somos muy sensibles a aquellos que no tienen un resultado tan exitoso como el de nosotros. Pero Dios es fiel a todos. Él tiene un plan para cada uno de nosotros. Él ama a Sus hijos. Puede que no todas las situaciones sean buenas, pero Dios usa cada situación para bien,” dijo Bradley.

Alexis-Ann Barron, la oradora principal hispana en la conferencia, originaria de Puerto Rico, usó Efesios 6: 10, “Por lo demás, hermanos míos, manténganse firmes en el Señor y en el poder de su fuerza,” (Efesios 6:10—RVC), para animar a los participantes el sábado por la mañana: “manténganse firmes durante la batalla porque el único líder que aún vive es el nuestro, la tumba está vacía, y eso hace real el fundamento de nuestra fe. Siempre hay una estrategia antes de ir a la guerra y Dios nos la ha dado en Efesios 6:10-18. Tienes tu salvación en Cristo, la Palabra de Dios, tu fe, y el Espíritu Santo para ayudarte a mantenerte firme.”

Barron es conferencista, previamente viuda, y misionera que ha estado sufriendo de una dolorosa enfermedad durante décadas. “El poder de Dios me ha mantenido en marcha. Soy una hija de Dios con quien tengo complacencia, y pase lo que pase, Dios está conmigo. Mantente firme porque Él también está contigo,” dijo Barron. Ella también enseñó un taller sobre cómo tener comunión con Dios y otros creyentes.

La oradora principal en inglés el sábado por la mañana fue Rebecca Carrell, quien habló sobre mantenerse firme en una cultura cambiante. Carrell dijo que, “Sin una base sólida, una casa no puede mantenerse estable, especialmente en nuestro suelo desplazador de Texas. De la misma manera, debemos tener un fundamento sólido construido sobre Cristo, su palabra, y su Iglesia si vamos a pararnos en el suelo cambiante de nuestra cultura.”

El sábado por la tarde, Carrell compartió con todos los participantes mientras su mensaje era traducido simultáneamente al español por la ex misionera de la IMB en Egipto, Roxanna Martínez. Carrell compartió refiriéndose a Mateo 7: 21-27 y dijo que, “preparamos nuestra casa antes de la tormenta, no durante la tormenta”. También agregó: “Cuando perseguimos la felicidad, no podemos evitar ponernos a nosotros mismos y a nuestras necesidades en el centro de nuestro universo. Perseguir la felicidad solo conduce a la frustración. Pero cuando buscamos la santidad, encontramos amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, amabilidad, bondad, fidelidad, mansedumbre y dominio propio. Dios nos ha llamado para que seamos santos y sin mancha delante de él”. Carrell es autora, conferencista, locutora y directora de Aprendizaje y Proyectos Especiales de Artes y Adoración de los Medios (MAMW), en el Seminario Teológico de Dallas (DTS).

Las líderes de los talleres en la conferencia She Stands/Mujeres Firmes fueron miembros del ministerio de mujeres de la SBTC de diferentes regiones y líderes de ministerios de mujeres locales del área metropolitana: Dra. Ashley Allen, profesora en Southwestern Baptist Seminary (SWBTS), Audria Adorno, Dra. Cheryl Bell, Profesora de Consejería Bíblica en SWBTS, Carrie Bond, Clara Molina, autora y profesora adjunta en SWBTS, Joanna Rawlings, Arlene Sanabria, Aimee Shelton, Laura Taylor, asociada del Ministerio de Mujeres de la SBTC, y Rhonda Tidmore.

Los temas de los talleres incluyeron temas actuales que las mujeres cristianas enfrentan a diario como los estándares de Dios para la sexualidad, la maternidad, el sufrimiento, cómo estudiar la Biblia, cómo pasar tiempo con Dios todos los días, la ansiedad, el dar, el matrimonio, la amistad, la oración, la adoración, y compartir nuestra fe.

Las conferencias regionales She Stands se ofrecerán en otras tres ciudades de Texas durante este año: el 27 de agosto en la Iglesia Bautista West Conroe en Conroe; el 16 y 17 de septiembre en New Beginings en Longview, y el 8 de octubre en Southcrest Baptist Church en Lubbock (la conferencia de Lubbock será bilingüe). Para obtener más información en inglés, puede visitar sbtexas.com/women, y para más información en español, https://sbtexas.com/en-espanol/.