Month: October 2024

Plant ‘in the middle of nowhere’ battling darkness, claiming territory for Christ

BROWNSVILLE—Gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering helped James Martinez plant and grow Ecclesia Community Church in Brownsville, Texas. Now, the congregation is giving back in a big way.

According to church planter James Martinez, Brownsville is a border town like no other. “It’s in the middle of nowhere, and it’s a world that’s neither Mexico nor the United States. It’s like its own country with its own culture,” he says. “And everybody who leaves Brownsville says, ‘I’m never going to come back.’”

When James left Brownsville to go to college, he was one of those people who never intended to return to his South Texas roots. But during his college years, James heard the gospel, was saved, and watched God rewrite his story. Now, two decades later, James finds himself in Brownsville again—but this time as a church planter.

James describes Brownsville as a “spiritual yet dark place” that’s influenced not only by cultural Catholicism but also by witchcraft. “People have left a pig’s head on our church property. We’ve been in apartment complexes, door knocking, spreading the gospel, and they’ll come out and cut chickens’ heads off and pour blood all over wherever we walked,” James shares.

It should be no surprise, then, that Ecclesia Community Church’s origin story is full of the unexpected and unplanned. When the world shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic just a month before their planned 2020 launch, the Martinezes partnered with a local nonprofit. Together, they started serving their community through gospel-focused food distributions. That’s how, more than a year later, when it was finally time to publicly launch the church, they’d already built a strong network of prospective members.

It turns out that a church that was built largely by showing generosity to its community ended up with generosity in its DNA. Ecclesia Community Church began with many new believers, and when James introduced the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering to them, he was overwhelmed by the church’s response. “We explained that we exist because of the generosity of other churches giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering to fuel church planting,” James says. “And when the money started coming in, I thought, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ We’re meeting our goal for the Annie Offering, and people are excited about it.”

All of Ecclesia Community Church were enthusiastic about a chance to give back—from new believers in the congregation who committed to setting up a recurring gift to the elderly single women and the kids in the children’s ministry. Now, the church has committed to giving more to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering each month than they did over the entire previous year.

“I’m a church planter in one of the poorest counties in the nation, and when we surpassed our offering goal, I just thought, ‘Look at what God is doing through this little bitty church,’” James says. “God has been generous to us and now we can be generous and sacrificial back to Him. I love that.”

Sagemont experiences growth surge amid emphasis on gospel invitations, evangelism

Come one, come all

People are responding to the gospel in a way Bob Crites has not seen in the nearly 30 years he has been at Sagemont Church.

“It’s almost like a revival mentality,” said Crites, the church’s chairman of deacons. “We expect to see people saved every time we go to church.”

Sagemont is a historic congregation located in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, that is also one of the nation’s most diverse metro areas. The church’s attendance has increased by about 800 people since March, and so far this year it has baptized more than 260 and tallied at least 450 professions of faith—not counting the 400 recorded on Easter Sunday alone.

“We’ve been very intentional at encouraging the church to pray for lost people by name and to learn how to share the gospel,” said Levi Skipper, Sagemont’s senior pastor. He added that church leaders have sought to cultivate a welcoming culture so people will want to invite their friends, coworkers, and neighbors to church.

“My commitment to them is that I’m going to preach Jesus every single Sunday,” Skipper said. “You will not come in and hear me preach and not give an invitation to accept Christ.”

Skipper, who most recently served as a vice president at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, preaches verse by verse through books of the Bible and always ends up at the cross, he said. “I share the gospel, I encourage people to pray to receive Jesus, and then I encourage them to come forward.”

An average of 20 people have been going forward each Sunday to signify a commitment to Christ, and Sagemont has been ushering them onto a disciple’s pathway defined by four steps: worship, connect, grow, and go.

“We’ve been very intentional at encouraging the church to pray for lost people by name and to learn how to share the gospel.”

—Levi Skipper Tweet

On Easter, each person who entered the worship center received a card with three options to indicate a level of commitment. During the sermon, Skipper asked everyone to take out their cards and respond. Some indicated they were already members of Sagemont, others noted they had prayed to receive Christ that day, and others wanted more information.

Everyone dropped their cards in buckets on the way out of the service, and Sagemont began following up on those that needed to take the next step.

Sagemont also has been intentional about leveraging events to move people along the disciple’s pathway, Skipper said. In July, 300 volunteers were trained to share the gospel with thousands of people at a patriotic event on campus.

“You train them how to do it, but then you have to give them an opportunity to do it,” he said of evangelism. At the patriotic event, the pastor and volunteers walked around sharing the gospel conversationally.

Another way Skipper teaches the congregation to share Christ is by using a similarly worded invitation during the sermon each week. “I do that on purpose because in doing that, I’m actually training believers how to share Jesus. They probably don’t even realize they’re being trained.”

“I’m always in the service ... asking the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and seek out people who are lost.”

—Bob Crites Tweet

Some older men in the congregation have told the pastor they pray every Sunday specifically for the invitation. “I would not want to underestimate the fact that the Lord could just be answering one of those guys’ prayers,” Skipper said. “Their prayers mean more than they would ever imagine.”

Crites is among those praying.

“I’m always in the service—before the invitation and while the pastor is preaching—asking the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and seek out people who are lost or those who are stagnant in their faith and convict their hearts and move them to more fellowship in Jesus,” Crites said.

Ken Heibner responded to the invitation earlier this year. “If you could see the change in Ken, it’s pretty remarkable,” Skipper said. “ … It’s amazing what the Lord has done.”

Heibner’s children, ages 12 and 8, had accepted Christ at Sagemont, and the youngest was being baptized on Skipper’s first Sunday as pastor. Though his wife usually took the children to church, Heibner was there that day for the baptism.

Skipper soon took Heibner to lunch and shared Christ, but he wasn’t ready to commit. The pastor then invited Heibner to a small discipleship group with other men. Eventually, Heibner decided to follow Jesus.

“The reason why I liked Levi is there wasn’t any kind of pressure to accept things,” Heibner said, noting that it took time for his eyes to open to what he had been missing. The group of men encouraged him by telling their stories of coming to Christ and by helping him feel like he could ask questions, he said.

Before he was saved, what seemed like hypocrisy from churchgoers had kept him away, Heibner said. “My experience with Sagemont hasn’t been that way. It’s like everybody that I’ve met is pretty genuine, and they’re all there for the same reason.”

Crites—and the entire congregation—is excited to see the changed lives.

“Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and we’re so thankful that He’s moving in our midst right now,” Crites said. “It’s been fun.”

‘God will continue the work He began’: SBTC DR reflects following Hurricane Helene response

Exactly where Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief teams would deploy in the wake of Hurricane Helene was a mystery on Oct. 3, until a call for assistance in mass feeding came from Send Relief.

“A charitable entity contacted Send Relief and said they wanted to help with mass feeding after Helene, including one at Spruce Pine, N.C.,” said Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director. The town, with a population of about 2,200 nestled in the Appalachians off the Blue Ridge Parkway, had been devastated by Helene. Businesses, homes, and the town’s wastewater treatment plant were destroyed by flooding.

At 3:30 a.m. the next day, SBTC DR associate Wally Leyerle left his home in Flower Mound for Flint Baptist Church near Tyler, where volunteers had readied the SBTC DR mass feeding unit housed at the church. The team of 19, plus drivers who would deliver the DR trailers to the disaster area and return home, caravaned northeast toward western North Carolina.

There they met another SBTC DR team headed north to join the Spruce Pine effort after completing two weeks on a feeding crew in Florida.

What should have been less than a one-day trip took two. North Carolina greeted them with impassable roads, multiple detours due to damage, and near escapes.

“Later that week, we found out that one of the bridges we had traveled on with 40-foot trailers collapsed two days after we passed over it,” Leyerle recalled.

After arriving at the parking lot of a major Spruce Pine retailer, they set up camp with five 40-foot trailers, a kitchen trailer, two support trailers, a 30-foot tent, a 20-foot tent, a forklift, two generators, and two 48-foot food storage trailers.

“Our footprint spanned one whole side of the parking lot. The retailer allowed us to block off a whole section just for DR,” Leyerle added.

Appalling conditions

“When we got to Spruce Pine, we found a community with no power, no potable water, no functioning bathrooms, no trash service, and an entire population still in shock from the storm,” Leyerle said.

The first meals went out Sunday, Oct. 6.

“At 11, we opened up our feeding lines by holding hand-lettered signs announcing, ‘Free Hot Food,’” Leyerle said.

The people came … in cars, in trucks, on tractors. They came, thankful for the hot meals available at lunch and dinner.

“In all, we served 1,200 meals that day. Not bad for zero publicity except for some social media and word of mouth,” Leyerle said. Counts steadily grew until one day the team distributed more than 2,400 meals.

“The people were very receptive. We stationed chaplains and counselors near the head of a drive-thru feeding line. The chaplains initiated conversations with all drivers and passengers, asking politely if there was anything specific they could pray for them about. Most everyone was eager to be prayed for and our chaplains did it, right there in the middle of the parking lot,” Leyerle said, adding that no one was forced to pray.

“The storm had taken out all their ability to communicate with the outside world. There was no news, no electricity, no internet. Many felt like nobody knew about them and they were going to have to get through this disaster all on their own. When the people looked at the logos on our vehicles, trailers, and our yellow DR shirts, they were shocked to discover that we had driven all the way from Texas with all this equipment just to serve them some hot food. We told them that we came here because they were here and we wanted them to know that God still loved them. Often, they cried,” Leyerle said.

By the time the deployment ended, SBDR volunteers from New Mexico, Arkansas, and Indiana had joined the Texas team to help.

God provided every step of the way

This disaster came with challenges, but God proved faithful, Leyerle noted.

Unseasonably cold weather, with frost and snow, took a toll on volunteers. When the need for six additional helpers arose, Leyerle asked his church to pray God would send laborers into His harvest. The next day Stice called to say 11 volunteers were coming from two other state Baptist DR teams.

Portable toilets proved problematic. There was no one to clean them and without bathrooms, the kitchen would have to shut down. People prayed. A man driving a septic clean-out truck just “happened” to stop by and agreed to help.

Another day, a man drove into the feeding line and noticed trash piling up due to a lack of garbage service. He offered to haul it off, explaining he had prayed and asked the Lord to use him in some way like he had seen the yellow shirts being used.

“It may seem silly to pray to the king of the universe about trash and sewage, but God cares about every little detail of our lives,” Leyerle said. “We could have waited to respond to this disaster, but instead we came depending on our God who promised to provide all our needs. And guess what? He did.”

Healing hearts

The SBTC DR team served hot meals not just to survivors, but also to linemen repairing power lines and search and rescue crews still at work. They listened to heartbreaking stories.

One man shrugged in agreement when a chaplain asked if she could pray for him. After she finished a brief prayer, the man looked at her blankly and said, “My brother died.”

“Why don’t you pull over here in this parking place and let a few of us talk to you for a while and then we’ll pray for you again?” the chaplain asked. The man agreed.

A woman drove through the food line with her sister, praying with the chaplain. When they moved forward to the place in the line where water was distributed, the woman told that volunteer, “My husband died right after the storm.” Her husband, a local contractor, slipped when descending a ladder after cutting a fallen tree off their roof. These ladies, too, were invited to pull over and receive additional counseling.

“Sometimes people just need to talk,” Stice said. “That’s a big part of what we do.”

By the time teams left Spruce Pine, the team had prepared 19,561 meals over two weeks. They also gave away hundreds of Bibles, presented the gospel 292 times, prayed with 4,018 people, and made 11,196 ministry contacts.

“As we were serving our last meal, people who had been getting food only for their family asked for multiple meals and water to give away to those who lived around them,” Leyerle said, adding, “I am confident that God will continue the work He began through us when we obeyed His command to go to a little town in North Carolina and minister to people we had never met.”

Stice added that an SBTC laundry team remains in Asheville, supporting a shelter there, while a chainsaw team is at work in Georgia and a recovery team has been sent to Roswell, N.M., in the wake of recent flooding.

13 ways to encourage your pastor beyond Pastor Appreciation Month

I recently texted nearly 150 pastors asking them one question: What are the things that are most meaningful and encouraging in your role as a pastor? The sample size was broad—from men serving their very first church to seasoned, retired pastors. Church size ranged from membership around 100 into the tens of thousands. From their 20s to their 80s, current pastors and retired pastors, bivocational and full-time, church planters and legacy church pastors, rural and urban, men you’ve never heard of and household names, senior pastors, student pastors, worship pastors—the one thing they all held in common was experience in pastoral ministry.

Some of the answers I expected and some were brand new. But all of them were good. Here is a distillation of the most frequent answers with a few specific quotes to illustrate:

1. Encourage him specifically

Verbal or written encouragement was far and away the most frequent answer. But not just any encouragement; almost to a man, each of them said that the most meaningful encouragement was specific.

“Don’t just say, ‘Great sermon, pastor.’ Say, ‘The way you explained the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing conviction of sin changed my view on the Spirit’s role in my life.’ Or ‘when you gave up your Saturday to visit that person in the hospital, it moved me. Your sacrifice for the church is inspiring, pastor!’ The more specific the encouragement, the more your pastor is going to believe it!”
“Intentional words of affirmation. Intentional meaning not just a general compliment, but specific things you appreciate, or specific ways you have been impacted, specific things that you love about the church, the mission, the vision/direction. As a pastor, one of the challenges is, I don’t always know where people actually stand or how they are receiving things, where they think the church is. So intentional words of affirmation is a huge blessing!”

2. Compensate him generously

As someone who isn’t a pastor but has the benefit of having lots of friends who are, I can say with confidence that the vast majority of pastors are underpaid. Whatever your pastor is making, he almost certainly deserves more. Pastors don’t clock out at 5 p.m., and the job is harder than you’ll ever know if you haven’t done it. Sleepless nights, tears, the burden of caring for others in their most difficult moments—these are the things you’ll rarely hear your pastor talk about. A workman is worthy of his wages, and elders who lead well are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17-18). Be the person in the church advocating for generous compensation—and this includes health insurance, retirement matching, and housing allowance, in addition to salary.

“Most pastors are underpaid, the market is tough right now, and there’s no opportunity for commission. Wives often feel this pinch more than the husbands.”

3. Offer no-strings-attached friendship

Pastors need men who will be their friends without any expectations beyond that of someone who isn’t a pastor. They need people with whom it’s safe to share their own burdens and those they can be around without constantly talking about work. Be the person who, when you reach out to plan lunch or coffee, they immediately know it will be a time of rest and refreshment rather than being lobbied about a church issue.

“When men come alongside me as ‘low maintenance’ friends. When they don’t pry for information about the church, when they don’t angle to feel connected to power—but rather—when they are true, low maintenance friends that just care about me as a man. Like my golf buddies. Guys that say more about my golf game than they do my ministry—these are my best friends in the church.”
“Let him be a real person. That’s the best way for a pastor and his family to be a part of the church, be prayed for, have friends, and be mentally healthy.”

4. Love and care for his family

If you want to honor and encourage your pastor, honor and encourage his wife and children. I had a pastor tell me last week that a church member had openly critiqued his wife in a recent meeting. Please, be the opposite of that guy! Cherish his wife and the quiet, often unknown ways she is supporting him. Look for ways to recognize and honor his children. One of the things I heard most frequently was to offer to babysit his kids (or pay for it) so he and his wife can get away for dinner.

“Most pastors are far away from family, so go to their kids’ sports events, remember their kids’ birthdays with cards or gifts, and be his kids’ family. The deepest love you can show is being involved with their family and loving on their children the same way you would with your grandkids or your own kids.”
“One member this year has given $200 gift cards or cash to each of my kids. The kids felt really special.
“If you want to encourage a pastor, then bless his kids. Find out their birthdays and do something special for them or give them a gift. A pastor’s family pays a big price and rarely gets credit for it.”
“Don’t project expectations of pastoral responsibilities on a pastor’s spouse and/or kids. Simply be kind and love them well.”

5. Pray for him creatively and in-person

Hopefully we all spend time praying for our pastors (if not, this is a great reminder to start). Think of some ways you can do that creatively and intentionally.

“Often people say they are praying for their pastor but rarely do pastors ever have people pray with them. When people stop me and say, ‘I know you pray with people a lot but I want to pray for you right now,’ it is always an encouragement.”
“Commit to pray for him for 30 days and send him your journal of how you prayed for him. Another one is to create a group where one person will text the pastor each day for 30 days with an encouraging verse and a prayer.”
“A church member took it upon herself to schedule people to pray for me in my office before every worship service. She scheduled every dynamic of the church. Children through senior adults. Singles, couples, Sunday School classes. It is such a treat every week. It has blessed me so much.”

6. Give him the benefit of the doubt

There are some pastors out there who have acted abusively or sinned in ways that disqualify them—but they are the exception, not the rule. Your pastor is trying to love Jesus and the flock that has been entrusted to him with integrity. Don’t be skeptical or cynical because other pastors have earned a bad reputation.

“You won’t agree with your pastor all the time. But a pastor will see and appreciate someone they trust to be honest behind closed doors, but publicly will remain committed and supportive.”
“Give him charity when you don’t agree, and trust when you don’t understand.”
“Tell him you’re on board. Unfortunately, pastors often hear more from those who are unhappy than from the majority who support his vision and leadership. If you’re on board, don’t be afraid to tell him.”

7. Encourage his hobbies

You have hobbies, and so does your pastor. What does he like? Offer to take him hunting if that’s his thing. Invite him to play golf if that’s what he loves. Speak his language.

“Do something that encourages a hobby he already has. My deacons bought me a bull, you know.”
“Buy him ammo.”

8. Surprise him financially

People don’t get into ministry for the money. You should be compensating him generously (see #2), but surprise him every now and then—and not just in October. I lost count of the number of pastors who said that gift cards for a date night or family night was one of the most encouraging things to them. Have each home group or Sunday School class sign up for a month of the year to give a nice, unprompted gift to the pastor and his family. Pass the boot for a love offering. Give him a cash handshake. It means a lot.

“On my first anniversary, the church sent our family on an all-expenses paid vacation. We felt appreciated!”
“Offer to babysit for a free date night. Maybe a gift card for them to go out too.”
“Money—that’s my idea. It could be specific. Nice dinner, sporting event, or some other fun activity. Or just cash.”

9. Recognize the toll his job takes, and say so

Shepherding a church is a hard, often thankless job. Don’t let it be that way for your pastor. Acknowledge the burden he is carrying as an under-shepherd of Jesus and thank him.

“Recognize the hard work and stress they deal with and simply say thank you. Sometimes pastors feel like no one cares or knows the weight of responsibility and it means a lot when someone genuinely acknowledges it.”

10. Block gossip and ungodly criticism

Be the first to encourage and the last to criticize. If you have a concern, deal with it directly rather than spreading it around to others. If it warrants a conversation with the pastor, arrange a time to talk to him and be specific about what you want to discuss—don’t send a vague text or email that you need to talk to him about “something.” When you hear others criticizing him or his family, rebuke gossip and point them toward an in-person conversation, if necessary.

“Be a blocker rather than a conduit for less-than-mission-critical complaints and questions.”
“Never criticize him to others. If you have a concern, find a time during the week to discuss it with him. Don’t ever go to him in an angry way. Always have your desire to encourage him, not condemn him.”
“Be quicker to share what you appreciate about him rather than where you disagree with him.”

11. Make sure he rests

From weekly sermon prep to hospital visits, administration and budgeting to weddings and funerals, pastors are often overworked. I talked to a friend last month who has been a senior pastor for 30 years and has never spent more than two weeks in a row out of the pulpit and never had a sabbatical. Pastors need rest. Make sure your church’s policies support this, and facilitate getaways where possible.

“Give them a sabbatical every 5 years or so. Just had my first one this past summer and it was really refreshing.”
“Obviously most pastors don’t make a ton of disposable income, so it’s such a gift when folks that have access to ranches/ski lodges/etc let them take their families to use them.”

12. Take him out for a meal

Bless your pastor with your time, presence, and a good meal—no strings attached. Ask about his favorite sports team. Get to know him as a person. Avoid church talk.

“Perhaps my favorite is when people take me out to eat. They generally give me an option or two based on what I like and then take me. Typically it’s just hang out time. Very little church talk and always a time of great encouragement.”
“Take him to lunch without controversy – just checking in and saying, ‘I’m thankful for you.’”

13. Communicate to him that you’re willing to serve

Tell your pastor that you’re willing to bat utility and serve where the need is greatest. Show him by your actions that you’re ready—this includes having a servant’s attitude and a willingness to show up consistently.

“When there are more needs than servants, the pastor feels it most acutely. Serve with a joy that makes walking through the halls of the children’s ministry a blessing for the pastor rather than triggering.”
“Tell him you would like to lead a short-term mission trip. Churches that are going are churches that are growing. Every pastor is encouraged by his people doing the main thing.”

This list could continue with more ways to encourage your pastor—tithing, leading in evangelism in missions, bringing friends to church, singing loud in worship, pursuing personal holiness (one of my favorite responses was “I don’t have much beyond stop sinning and disciple someone”).

At the end of the day, ask the Lord to cultivate a grateful heart for the work your pastor does and a willingness to not just show him on your own, but to be a leader in helping the church display that gratitude. And though October is generally celebrated as Pastor Appreciation Month, let it extend all year long. A good pastor is a gift from God—make sure he knows it!

3 reasons to take soul care seriously

Soul care is a very popular subject among pastors and their advocates, but what does it actually mean? The soul is often used as a synonym for the individual person and commonly translated as “life” (104 times) and “person” (38 times) in the Christian Standard Bible. Basically, soul care is self-care. So why should pastors and church leaders should take soul care seriously?

1. Soul care is a scriptural issue

The most important reason to take soul care seriously is because God told us to. In Acts 20:28, Paul says, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.”
In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul tells Timothy, “Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Pastors who pay attention to their teaching and flock while neglecting their own lives (souls) are ignoring God’s plainspoken Word. It was Jesus who told us the most important things we will do today and for the rest of our lives is love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves (Mark 12:30-31).

2. Soul care is a stewardship issue

A minister’s job description found in 1 Timothy 3–4 compels us to lead our lives, homes, and ministries intentionally. Scriptural soul care is stewarding our limited time and energy instead of always reacting to others’ emergencies and priorities. We are stewards, not saviors, of our churches. Unless Jesus is the true hero of your church, you may be neglecting yourself by over-reaching ministerially.

For example, if you consistently skip the Sabbath because you are afraid your church will fall apart without you, you have become an enabler instead of an equipper. Instead, deputize your deacons to lead in the care of senior adults. Help the dads in your church embrace their role in discipling their own kids.

Since Jesus is our king, we need to make sure He alone is the hero of His local church and our homes. At the height of his popularity, John the Baptist made it crystal clear to the crowd: “I am not the Christ” (John 1:20). Is that the message you are giving your church?

3. Soul care is a strategic issue

You are likely familiar with the following instructions offered by flight attendants before a plane takes off: “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” Those instructions are important because you cannot help anyone on an airplane if you have passed out in your seat. Pastor, you can’t help anyone from the pulpit if you are passed out in the parsonage.

It is crucial for us as pastors to discern the difference between denying ourselves (biblical) and neglecting ourselves (unbiblical). Neglecting ourselves to help others is short-sighted. Pay better attention to your soul so you can pay better attention to your family, ministry, and self.

We practice soul care when we recapture the rhythm of work and rest God strategically put into place on the first day of creation. We practice soul care when we stop stress-pastoring through ministry week after week. We practice soul care by leading our families and ministries as though we are not the hero of either.

Nueva Vida en Dallas continúa haciendo valiosas inversiones del evangelio a través de colaboración en México y más allá

Dando, Yendo y Enviando

DALLAS—Cuando Vicente Acosta habla, la gente de Motho—un pequeño pueblo en el estado de Hidalgo, México—escucha.

Acosta es un líder respetado en Motho, una pequeña ciudad (con una población de unas 350 personas) de mayoría católica. Hubo un tiempo en que utilizó su influencia para impedir que se predicara el evangelio en su pueblo, ya que se oponía firmemente a que los cristianos vinieran a difundir algo que pudiera oponerse a su religión católica.

Pero eso era antes. Las cosas para Acosta—y para Motho—han cambiado.

“Yo me oponía a que vinieran a mi pueblo a predicar el evangelio”, dijo Acosta, “pero ahora que he entregado mi vida a Cristo, tengo la misión de llevar el evangelio en mi pueblo”.

Hace tres años, Acosta unió fuerzas con la Primera Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida de Dallas para dar a conocer el nombre de Jesús en Motho. El verano pasado, Nueva Vida realizó un viaje misionero a Motho, impulsando un avance evangelístico que ha estado sucediendo desde hace varios años.

Nuevo compromiso, Nueva Vida

A la edad de 18 años, Acosta comenzó a viajar a los Estados Unidos para trabajar durante la temporada de calor antes de regresar a casa con su familia en México. Muchas personas compartieron el evangelio con él durante esos años, lo que poco a poco fue ablandando su corazón y le llevó a aceptar a Cristo. Era algo por lo que su esposa, Marisela, había estado orando desde que se casaron.

Acosta empezó a asistir a una pequeña iglesia que se reunía en una casa cada vez que venía a Estados Unidos, pero en el 1999, esa iglesia dejó de existir. Ese mismo año, estaba trabajando en una casa cuando un vecino hispano le invitó a la Iglesia Nueva Vida de Dallas. Allí, Acosta volvió a dedicar su vida al Señor, fue bautizado y se comprometió a hacer todo lo que Dios le llamara a hacer.

Una de las cosas en el corazón de Acosta era llevar el evangelio a su gente en Motho. Así que se acercó a los líderes de Nueva Vida para compartir su corazón por su ciudad natal. Juntos, empezaron a orar sobre la manera de hacer trabajo misionero en Motho.

Una de las principales formas en que se sintieron guiados a hacerlo fue a través de la plantación de una iglesia, Misión Bautista Nueva Vida, llamada así en honor al apoyo y la asociación con Nueva Vida de Dallas. El verano pasado marcó el tercer año en que Nueva Vida de Dallas ha enviado un equipo a México para ayudar a la misión a extender el alcance del evangelio en Motho.

Nueva Vida se unió a esta misión para promover el trabajo que ya se está haciendo en Motho a través de la formación, la educación y la evangelización. La misión tiene un pastor interino, Agustín Velásquez, que predica allí una vez a la semana, y la iglesia se reúne en la casa de Acosta hasta que pueda encontrar un lugar permanente.

Irónicamente, no es la primera vez que Velásquez y Acosta se cruzan. Velásquez enseñó durante un tiempo en un seminario local y enviaba estudiantes a evangelizar a Motho, esfuerzos que a menudo se veían frustrados por Acosta.

Ahora Acosta aprovecha cualquier oportunidad para difundir el evangelio. Durante el viaje misionero, organizó una fiesta de cumpleaños para su nieta, alquilando una carpa, proporcionando comida e invitando a la comunidad. Se presentaron unas 200 personas y, en medio de la celebración, escucharon el evangelio.

No sólo dar, sino enviar

El pastor principal de Nueva Vida de Dallas, Nelson Fonseca, predicó varias veces durante el viaje misionero y, junto con el líder del viaje, Oscar Sáenz, enseñó a los miembros de la misión en Motho a compartir el evangelio. La iglesia también celebró una escuela bíblica de vacaciones e invitaron a niños y familias de toda la ciudad.

“A diferencia de otros viajes misioneros en los que he tenido la oportunidad de participar, pudimos experimentar un mover de Dios especial en la calle al tener conversaciones espirituales con propósito”, dijo Fonseca, también señalando que los niños estaban especialmente llenos de alegría después de ver decoraciones vibrantes y materiales que les enseñaban acerca de Jesús durante varios eventos. “Se proclamó el evangelio y pudimos compartir el amor de Cristo con los más pequeños”.

Dios está obrando con poder entre los niños de Motho, dijo Sáenz. Un día durante el viaje, dijo que Fonseca preguntó a un grupo de niños si alguno se sentía llamado a servir a Dios o incluso a ser pastor algún día. Un niño se levantó con valentía y dijo que se sentía llamado a servir a Dios.

Nueva Vida de Dallas está haciendo grandes inversiones en el evangelio, no sólo en lugares como Motho, sino también en las personas. La iglesia apoya a misioneros y plantadores de iglesias en lugares como Dallas y Arlington, en países como Nicaragua, y a través de México en lugares como Durango, Actopan, e Ixmiquilpan.

“No sólo creemos en dar”, dijo Fonseca, “sino que también enviamos y oramos por ellos y sus familias todos los días en nuestra oración de la mañana”.

Sáenz, quien dirigió el ministerio de solteros en Nueva Vida, además de servir en funciones de enseñanza y discipulado, dijo que ahora se siente llamado por Dios para servir en la evangelización.

“Hay que ser fieles al llamado de Dios”, dijo Sáenz. “Habrá persecución en muchos lugares, pero no hay que enfocarse en eso, si no en el impacto que Dios va a hacer.”

Nueva Vida Dallas continues to make rich gospel investments in Mexico and beyond

Giving, Going & Sending

DALLAS—When Vicente Acosta speaks, the people of Motho—a small town in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico—listen.

Acosta is a respected leader among the 350 or so residents of Motho, which has a majority Catholic population. Once upon a time, he used his influence to keep the gospel from being preached in his town, as he was strongly opposed to Christians who might come spreading anything that might be opposed to his Catholic religion.

But that was then. Things for Acosta—and for Motho—have changed.

“I was against them coming to my town to preach the gospel,” Acosta said, “but now that I have given my life to Christ, I have a mission to spread the gospel to my people.”

Three years ago, Acosta joined forces with Primera Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Dallas to make Jesus’ name known in Motho. This past summer, Nueva Vida went on a mission trip to Motho, furthering an advance of the gospel that started several years ago.

New commitment, new life

At age 18, Acosta began traveling to the U.S. to work during the hot season before returning home to his family in Mexico. Many people shared the gospel with him during those years, which gradually softened his heart and led to him accepting Christ. It was something his wife, Marisela, had been praying for since they got married.

Acosta began attending a house church every time he came to the U.S., but in 1999, that church ceased to exist. That same year, he was working on a house when a Hispanic neighbor invited him to Nueva Vida in Dallas. There, Acosta rededicated his life to the Lord, was baptized, and committed himself to doing whatever God called him to do.

One of the things on Acosta’s heart was to take the gospel back to his people in Motho. So, he approached Nueva Vida’s leadership to share his vision for his hometown. Together, they began to pray about a way to do mission work in Motho.

One of the primary ways they felt led to do that was through planting a church, Misión Bautista Nueva Vida—named in honor of the support and partnership of Nueva Vida Dallas. This past summer marked the third year Nueva Vida Dallas has sent a team to Mexico to help the mission extend the reach of the gospel in Motho.

Nueva Vida Dallas helps the mission church to further the work already being done in Motho through training, education, and evangelism. Misión Bautista Nueva Vida has an interim pastor, Agustín Velasquez, who preaches there once a week, with the church meeting in Acosta’s home until it can find a permanent location.

Ironically, it’s not the first time Velasquez and Acosta have crossed paths. Velasquez once taught at a local seminary and would send students to evangelize Motho—efforts that were often frustrated by Acosta.

Now Acosta uses every opportunity to spread the gospel. During the mission trip, he held a birthday party for his granddaughter, renting a tent, providing food, and inviting the community. About 200 people showed up and, in the middle of the celebration, they heard a gospel presentation.

Not only giving, but sending

Nueva Vida Dallas Senior Pastor Nelson Fonseca preached several times during the mission trip and, with trip leader Oscar Saenz, taught members of the mission church how to share the gospel. The church also held a vacation Bible school and invited children and families from all over town.

“Unlike other mission trips I have had the opportunity to go on, we were able to experience a special move on the streets by having focused spiritual conversations,” Fonseca said, noting that children were especially filled with joy after seeing vibrant decorations and materials teaching them about Jesus during several events. “The gospel was proclaimed, and we were able to share the love of Christ with the little ones.”

God is strongly at work among the children in Motho, Saenz said. One day during the trip, he said Fonseca asked a group of children if any felt called to serve God or even pastor someday. One child boldly stood up and said he felt called to serve God.

Nueva Vida Dallas is making heavy gospel investments not only in places like Motho, but in people. The church supports missionaries and church planters in Dallas and Arlington, in Nicaragua, and across Mexico in places like Durango, Actopan, and Ixmiquilpan.

“Not only do we believe in giving,” Fonseca said, “but we also send and we pray for them and their families every day in our morning prayer.”

Saenz, who led the singles ministry at Nueva Vida Dallas in addition to serving in teaching and discipleship roles, said he now feels called by God to serve in evangelism.

“You have to be faithful to God’s call,” Saenz said. “There will be persecution in many places, but you don’t have to focus on that. You have to focus on the impact God is going to make.”

Jesus is better

I received a text recently from my son-in-law in which he shared a video of our 3-year-old granddaughter, Riley, singing my current favorite song, “Jesus Is Better.” This text blessed me greatly. I am so proud of our children and grandchildren and how they are all loving and pursuing Jesus! If you want to be blessed, search for this video on YouTube and take a few minutes and listen to Cross Church in Springdale, Ark., as they sing this powerful song.

My favorite lyrics are these:

More than my healing, I want the Healer

More than direction, I want the Shepherd

You are the Author, You are the Anchor

You’re every answer … Jesus is better

You may be tempted to ask, “Is Jesus really better?” The enemy of our souls would like nothing more than to make us doubt the power and goodness of God. When the devil comes and attacks my mind, I try to respond the same way Jesus did—by quoting Scripture.

So, in response to the enemy’s question, which is an accusation, “Is Jesus really better?” I think of Hebrews 7:22: “So Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.” Eleven times the word “better” is mentioned in the book of Hebrews. Jesus is better, superior, and He is preeminent in all things. Praise His name!

At the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting Nov. 11 at Sagemont Church in Houston, we will open our prayer meeting with this powerful song, “Jesus Is Better.” I am looking forward to seeing you as we gather for a wonderful time of fellowship, prayer, biblical preaching, worship, and conducting of business as a convention of churches. The theme of the annual meeting is “Side by Side,” based on Philippians 1:27, which states, “Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith that comes from the gospel.”

I have been praying for months for our meeting in Houston. I am looking forward to all that God will do, but I am especially excited about our prayer and praise service on Monday night. Our worship ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin will lead us in worship. I want everyone who attends, especially pastors, to know they are not alone in ministry. Your presence at the annual meeting will be a blessing to others. I have no doubt you will hear something that will bless and encourage you and your walk with Christ.

It has been an honor to serve as your SBTC president this past year. I pray every day for the national Southern Baptist Convention and for the executive director of the SBTC, Nathan Lorick. We are very blessed to have godly men and women leading us and serving Jesus faithfully and effectively. See you at the annual meeting.

5 minutes with Sharonda Cooper

Sharonda Cooper is a Bible teacher whose passion is evangelism. With degrees in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she is now working toward an M.Div. in apologetics and philosophy from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to her work for a Christian non-profit, Cooper is a workshop leader, fitness instructor, and author who has contributed to Fruitful: Cultivating a Spiritual Harvest That Won’t Leave You Empty and Unto Us: 25 Advent Devotions About the Messiah. She has served on the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee and is currently the convention secretary. Cooper is a wife, mom, and active member of Emmaus Church in Georgetown, where she enjoys serving on the praise team.

What victory has your church been able to celebrate lately?

One huge victory is Sports Camp, which we run every summer. We had a record number of children—185—from the area attend in 2024. Response from the community was positive. Lots of parents want their children to participate in church activities over the summer. At Sports Camp, kids receive a meal, solid Bible training, and select a sport and train in that sport all week. The theme this year was “None Greater,” where we taught kids about the attributes of God. Non-believing parents come to [a wrap-up] event. They get to hear the gospel as a pastor gets up, explains why we do this, and invites them to church. The whole church helps.

As a member of Emmaus Church, what’s one thing your congregation is praying will happen over the next year?

One thing we really desire is an elder who is older. We are a young church … a church plant. We also have young pastors. It’s wonderful. We are asking the Lord to send us a man who has been in ministry for many years with that wisdom and life experience.

Based on your experience as a curriculum writer, what’s the connection between one-on-one Bible study and evangelism?

After I married and moved to Texas … I was teaching a fitness class at an Austin gym and joined a conversation with participants who complained about having to go to church on Easter because they were Catholic. [Eventually] I asked one woman if she would like to start reading the Bible with me. Over the course of the next two years, we met off and on. At the end of the time, she came to faith. Now she is a Bible study leader. Her husband and children are saved. An entire family was transformed simply because God gave me the courage to start reading the Bible with a non-believer. Most people will agree to it if you’ll ask.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned to this point of your life and ministry you know you’ll never forget?

The easiest way to share the gospel with another person is through one-on-one Bible study. People need an encounter with the Word. They need to know the real Jesus, not the one they’ve seen depicted in the media.

How can other SBTC churches be praying for your church?

Pray that we would be mobilized to share the gospel with the lost in Georgetown, where over 60% would check “none” on a questionnaire about religion. Pray that we Christians at Emmaus will have compassion for the lost and find winsome ways to engage people who don’t have Christ on their radar.

On Earth as it is in heaven

You probably don’t have to be told that high school football in Texas is big. Is there a more appropriate word we can use to describe it? Mammoth? Colossal? No matter which adjective we choose, it all feels like an understatement sometimes.

Earlier this season, the grandiosity that is Texas high school football was on full display in a booming town in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It was homecoming at a large school, and a reported 4,000 students packed into a gymnasium to celebrate with a pep rally.

It looked like a concert. Air raid sirens and loud rock music blared over the speaker system. Drums thundered in unison as students waved lasers over their heads. Colored LED lasers beamed wildly around the room. Pyrotechnic cannons—yes, fire cannons—shot flames toward the ceiling.

It was big. Huge. Monumental. Videos of the pep rally made the rounds on social media, and even a couple of local TV stations picked up on the story.

The next day, a much smaller school in a much smaller town—Mabank, located about 50 miles southeast of Dallas—did something that also ended up garnering quite a bit of attention. At the Mabank High School homecoming dance on Sept. 21, students were caught on video doing something unusual—publicly and unashamedly praising God.

As the story goes, students submitted a list of songs to the deejay working the dance that night. The list included plenty of secular songs, but also at least one Christian worship song. When that song was played—Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude”—videos show many of the students lifting their hands and singing along:

So come on, my soul

Oh, don’t you get shy on me

Lift up your song

‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs

Get up and praise the Lord …

The Mabank homecoming dance became the talk of social media and, like the pep rally in the Dallas area the day before, was even reported on by at least one local TV station. Several Southern Baptists of Texas Convention pastors also took notice. Michael Cooper, lead pastor of Grace Community Church in Mabank, posted on Facebook, “The gospel is present in Mabank ISD. From inviting ministers to pray at the beginning of the year, the Jesus club, to spontaneous worship at the homecoming dance, God is actively present.”

“Let’s go!” exclaimed Teddy Sorrells, lead pastor of Living Water Church in Gladewater, on Facebook. “If this doesn’t fire you up for the next generation, I don’t know what will!”

This isn’t a criticism of the spectacularly elaborate pep rally, but rather a celebration of what happened at the dance. It’s an encouragement—God is still working. He is moving among the next generation, and He is using things like homecoming dances out in the middle of nowhere to spread His message and lead people to faith in Jesus.

Who came to faith because of what happened in Mabank? Who knows? Our job is not results, but faithfulness, and that’s what a gym full of kids exhibited on a Saturday night a couple of months ago. As the world around them spins dizzily with football games and college pressures and a million other things, they elevated the name of Jesus in a space where His name isn’t often elevated.

And now you’re reading about it. Lots of people are hearing about it.

Isn’t it neat how God works?