Month: November 2024

A desperate call for prayer from Thailand

Fort Worth couple serving with IMB says Buddhist culture is a major obstacle, but God is moving

ISAAN, Thailand—Noei was a housekeeper for an International Mission Board worker in Bangkok, Thailand, for many years when she accepted Christ as her Savior.

She became a trusted assistant in ministry, not just a housekeeper, but when she retired and moved back to her home in rural Isaan, she lost touch with Christianity.

Less than 1% of Isaan is Christian, and Noei and her husband, Seri, prayed for God to send a shepherd to look after them. That was 10 years ago. They forgot about the prayer and became entrenched in Buddhist culture again.

God didn’t forget the prayer, though. He arranged for a Korean-born man to meet a Korean born woman in the U.S. and travel to Isaan as IMB workers in 2021. When Joshua and Sarah Jung found Noei and Seri, they had Buddhist statues in their home and were wearing Buddhist necklaces.

“We told her, ‘God still loves you. God is still waiting for you. He wants you to come back,’” Joshua recounted. Noei wasn’t ready to live for Jesus again, but she was willing to attend Bible study with the young missionaries.

One day, she was in a motorcycle accident but was unharmed. That was enough to convince her God still had plans for her, and soon both Noei and Seri were serving the Lord again, now with a shepherd in Isaan.

The Jungs were sent to serve through the IMB in Thailand by Hanmaum International Baptist Church, a Korean congregation in Fort Worth. The church prays for them at weekly prayer gatherings and individual members provide financial support and encouragement.

Joshua was himself involved in a motorcycle accident in Korea when he was 5 years old, and he was seriously injured. His mother, a nominal Christian at the time, prayed God would spare her son. If He would, she would offer him as a missionary someday. She didn’t share that prayer with Joshua until he was preparing for ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“She hid that prayer from me for many years,” Joshua said. “Also, she probably forgot about it. After that day, she told God she wanted me to become a rich person who could support missionaries. That was her second prayer. I guess God listened to the first prayer. God called me to the mission field.”

Isaan, where the Jungs serve, covers about one-third of Thailand—about 21 million people. The population is largely uneducated and very poor.

“There is a saying that to be a Thai is to be a Buddhist,” Joshua said.

Missionaries can freely share the gospel there, he said, but hearts are hard toward Jesus.

“They turn their backs and get very harsh with their family who want to become a Christian,” he said. “We teach children English and Bible stories, and some of the kids want to become a Christian. Once they become a Christian, their grandparents stop sending the children. That happened to us many times.”

It’s the grandparents in charge of the children, he said, because the parents often have left for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or another country in search of work. That makes the population of Isaan very old and very young.

“Isaan is a very, very hard place. When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus.”

—joshua jung Tweet

One way the IMB team makes inroads in the unreached, unengaged people group there is through a sewing ministry founded many years ago in Bangkok. Now in the rural regions, the missionaries teach women to sew dolls at home to earn a small income. Each person who is taught to sew also is taught the Bible.

Another way of gaining access is through an eyeglasses ministry. The missionaries travel to villages handing out eyeglasses, and each person who receives glasses hears the gospel. “Through that we make connections,” Joshua said.

Because Buddhism is so prevalent in Thailand, holidays are Buddhist holidays, funerals are held at Buddhist temples, and ceremonies are Buddhist ceremonies, he said. Helping people leave that culture and follow Christ is a monumental task, and churches are key in grouping believers together for support.

The Jungs focus on church planting, and on Sundays he preaches in a small group in Isaan. Sarah, who recently underwent radiation therapy in Bangkok for early-stage breast cancer, takes turns with other members of their team leading Bible study with the sewing ministry.

“Isaan is a very, very hard place,” Joshua said. “When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus. A lot of missionaries who come here have a very hard time. Pray for the Isaan people so whenever they hear the gospel their hearts will be open.

“Pray for our team. It’s a large area, the largest in Thailand, and we only have [a small number of workers]. Pray that God will send workers and raise up local leaders.”

Inaugural recipients announced for Richards Endowment for Kingdom Advance

HOUSTON—The Jim and June Richards Endowment for Kingdom Advance, established by the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation (SBTF) in 2021, has designated its first allocations to ministries in Texas. The announcement was made during the November board meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) Executive Board by the convention’s executive director, Nathan Lorick.

The endowment’s purpose is to support “individuals or organizations which promote kingdom causes through religious ministry consistent with the doctrinal statement of The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention” according to the endowment’s establishing documents. The initial funding for the endowment came from SBTF’s reserves.

“SBTF formed the Richards ministry endowment to acknowledge the continuing legacy of Jim and June Richards and to honor their years of service to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention,” SBTF Executive Director Bart McDonald said. “I am excited to oversee distributions that will continue Dr. Richards’ legacy.”

In addition to allocations to Reach Texas, the SBTC’s state missions offering, the endowment provided funds to the SBTF Jubilee Fund, an effort to preserve the properties of churches in crisis or disbanding. A further gift was made to Austin church planting resident Brock Braxton.

Jim Richards said of Braxton, “I watched Brock grow up and answer a call to ministry, and he has strong connections to the SBTC. June and I are happy to be able to facilitate this investment in the next generation of pastoral leaders.”

Jim is executive director emeritus for the SBTC and is well-known as the convention’s founding executive director. He served in that role from 1998 through 2021. The convention grew from 120 churches to more than 2,600 churches during his tenure. Prior to coming to Texas, he pastored for 21 years in Louisiana and then served as an associational executive director in Northwest Arkansas.

June is a faithful pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother who assisted Jim through decades of ministry. She has been widely known among SBTC staff members and church leaders as a constant prayer warrior and encourager.

Jim and June have three grown children and six grandchildren. They have retired to East Texas, though Jim still serves as a consultant to the convention while maintaining a busy preaching schedule.

God is just getting started

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from O.S. Hawkins’ new book The Spirit Code: 40 Truths about the Holy Spirit that Every Believer Should Know. Proceeds from the book are donated to Mission:Dignity.

Luke has the great privilege of sharing how God’s work begins through the church. In Acts 1:1 he writes, “Of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Did you catch that? The gospels document what Jesus began to do—He is not finished; He is just getting started.

Often referred to as the “Acts of the Apostles,” the book of Acts is more accurately the record of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in and through the church. Luke’s gospel recounts the life and teachings of Jesus in His physical body, while Acts tells us what the Holy Spirit continues to do through the spiritual body of Christ, which is the church. It’s incredibly encouraging to realize that Jesus remains active, partnering with us through the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to the world.

Acts is the unfolding story of how Jesus continues to work in our lives via the Holy Spirit. However, the narrative ends rather abruptly, leaving us hanging. This is intentional—the story continues in us, moving all the way to today.

Anyone who has tried to live the Christian life has discovered that it isn’t just difficult; it is impossible when attempted in our own strength. God isn’t interested in our doing something for Him. The key to victorious Christian living is allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us. As Paul puts it, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

When we awaken to the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we enter a new dimension of Christian living. This is the essence of what Jesus meant when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). This is a profound statement—Jesus is not merely suggesting we can replicate His works; He promises we can exceed them.

Many people interpret this verse as a call to work harder for God. However, this approach often leads to frustration and failure. The true understanding of Jesus’ statement lies in His promise to return to the Father. Just a few verses later, He reassures us: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Jesus assured His disciples, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). He indeed returned, not in physical form, but through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live out our faith.

After Jesus ascended, the disciples gathered in the upper room to wait for “the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4)—the coming of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t gather because they felt worthy; none of us are worthy in our own strength. They waited for the Helper that Jesus promised: “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). True to His word, the Holy Spirit fell upon them at Pentecost, transforming their lives and empowering the church in ways they had never imagined.

The power of Jesus does not end with the gospel records; He had just begun. The Holy Spirit continues to work today, in you, through you, for you, and upon you. A victorious Christian life is about the dynamic partnership between the Holy Spirit and ourselves.

Eureka moments

The word “eureka” has embedded itself into our modern lexicon, representing moments of sudden insight or discovery—those exhilarating instances when clarity replaces confusion. Think of a student who, after struggling with a math problem, suddenly sees the answer: “Eureka! Wow!” Or consider the joy of realizing that the person you’ve been dating is truly the one with whom you want to spend your life: “Eureka!”

Did you know the word “eureka” appears in the New Testament? In John 1:41, Andrew, after following Jesus, excitedly finds his brother, Simon Peter, exclaiming, “We have found [eureka!] the Messiah.” This exclamation followed centuries of prophetic anticipation and waiting for the coming Savior.

These eureka moments, whether small or monumental, remind us of the transformative power of revelation. In our spiritual lives, awakening to the truth of who Jesus is and the role of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate eureka moment. It opens our eyes to a reality that redefines our lives and empowers us to live for Him.

As we reflect on the incredible journey from the gospels to the book of Acts, we recognize that the story of Jesus is far from over. He began a transformative work that continues today through the Holy Spirit and His church. We are not just passive observers; we are active participants in this divine partnership, empowered to carry forth His mission.

The Holy Spirit equips us with strength, wisdom, and guidance, enabling us to live out our faith in ways that exceed our limitations. When we embrace the truth that “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), we unleash the potential for greater works, not through our own efforts but through His power within us.

Let us be open to those “eureka moments”—the revelations that deepen our understanding of Christ and propel us into action. Together, as the body of Christ, we can reveal His love and grace to the world, proving that the story of Jesus is still being written through our lives today.

AM24: Lorick testifies to Cooperative Program impact during executive director’s report

HOUSTON—A widow in her 80s giving from a fixed income. A church planter in his 40s moving his family to a far-away city for the sake of the gospel. Seminary students with a passionate calling to reach future generations for Christ.

Some give. Others benefit. All impact the kingdom.

They are the ones who come to mind when Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Nathan Lorick thinks about the Cooperative Program, the primary giving model that funds mission efforts worldwide through the Southern Baptist Convention.

Addressing messengers Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Sagemont Church during the final day of the SBTC Annual Meeting, Lorick made an impassioned plea for churches to continue to give joyfully and sacrificially as Southern Baptists prepare to mark CP’s 100^th anniversary in 2025—a campaign that will be referred to as CP100.

“If you’re looking for an example of God multiplying the impact of your church, I can’t think of a better return on kingdom investment than the Cooperative Program,” Lorick said. “… I am asking the churches of our convention to prayerfully consider how God might lead your church to give in this anniversary year. Anniversaries are usually accompanied by gifts to honor the occasion. CP100 is an opportunity for record giving and record sending—acknowledging God’s favor for our cooperative work.”

Lorick said the SBTC, as well as Southern Baptists worldwide, will celebrate the milestone in a number of ways next year. The SBTC is challenging its churches to do three things:

Pray for record giving. While thanking churches for giving a record $1,752,383 through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering this past year, Lorick said more than 1,000 of the SBTC’s 2,786 churches had not given through CP this year as of September. “One-thousand churches giving at least $1,000 would invest $1 million more into our cooperative mission to support more international missionaries, Texas church planters, and seminary students,” he said.
Promote the effort by planning a CP Sunday on Oct. 5, 2025. Churches can use that day to emphasize the importance of CP giving, Lorick said.
Post brief videos on social media testifying of the impact CP has had on people’s lives. The SBTC is asking those who post those videos to use the hashtag #cp100story.

“Can I challenge you to pray about leaning in with your Cooperative Program giving?” Lorick asked. “We all face challenges, but nothing allows us to impact Texas and the world like the Cooperative Program.”

European initiative announced

Lorick also used his annual report to announce an initiative with the International Mission Board to connect SBTC churches with opportunities to advance the gospel in Europe.

Pastors and church mission leaders were invited to participate in a vision trip to Europe May 1-9, 2025. The trip, Lorick said, is designed to create strategic pathways to mobilize SBTC churches to partner with and support IMB’s 550 missionaries, projects, and global partners across Europe. Nearly 11% of those missionary units are from SBTC churches, Lorick said.

Vision trip attendees will gather in London for training and then be assigned to one of seven strategic locations: Nantes, France; Copenhagen, Denmark; Leeds, England; Bucharest, Romania; Budapest, Hungary; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Athens, Greece. More information about the vision trip can be found on the SBTC’s website.

Noting the Christian population of Europe is 1.1% of the continent’s 820 million people, Lorick said, “Europe is not only one of the least engaged continents in the world, but it is also the most strategic, as it continues to be the most influential continent in the world—representing nearly every people group and every language.”

The initiative is similar to other efforts developed by the SBTC over the past couple of years in Nevada, Puerto Rico, and India.

AM24: Annual meeting messengers unified in convention business

HOUSTON—Messengers to the 2024 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Annual Meeting, gathered at Sagemont Baptist Church Nov. 11-12, conducted the business necessary for the convention’s year-round work amidst two days of fellowship and inspiration.

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, reflecting on the two-day meeting, was excited about the content and demeanor of this year’s gathering.

“This year’s annual meeting was incredible,” Lorick said. “We were able to present that we will plant more than 60 churches by the end of this year. We also received our highest state missions offering in the history of the SBTC, and we currently have more churches affiliated with the SBTC than ever before. I am grateful for the unity and spirit of the churches that make up the SBTC.”

Messengers conveyed a spirit of harmony in the discussion and resolution of each item. The SBTC is a confessional fellowship, meaning each affiliated church has affirmed the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, in contrast to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which this week rejected a motion to affirm the BF&M 2000 at its annual meeting, according to an article in Baptist Press.

“Many of our brothers and sisters cannot in good conscience affirm this Baptist Faith & Message,” David Lowrie, pastor of the BGCT-aligned First Baptist Church in Decatur, was quoted as saying in the Baptist Press article. “It was written by Southern Baptists for Southern Baptists. It represents well many of the values of Southern Baptists, but it wasn’t written for us. It doesn’t represent us.”

Bruce Webb, a BGCT pastor of The Woodlands First Baptist Church, said Texas Baptists have intentionally rejected the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 for more than two decades and should continue to do so, according to Baptist Press.

All SBTC churches affirm BF&M 2000. This allows messengers each year to discuss the details of their common ministry confident that they agree on basic doctrines related to the nature of Scripture and the priority of the Great Commission.

SBTC messengers conduct important business

Only one motion was submitted from the floor at the SBTC Annual Meeting, asking the convention to consider ways to assist congregations with insurance costs. The Committee on Order of Business assigned the motion to the SBTC Executive Board for consideration.

During the Tuesday morning business session, messenger Rob Collingsworth of Redemption City Church in Fort Worth raised a point of order regarding a motion adopted in 2022 that intended to clarify the SBTC Constitution’s qualifications for affiliation in Article IV. Collingsworth called the motion a “procedural violation” and a “de facto amendment to our constitution” that violated the process for making an amendment. The chair allowed messengers to consider the question of whether the motion in 2022 expanded the meaning of the constitution. After a lengthy discussion, messengers declared the 2022 motion in order.

The convention’s executive board recommended a budget for 2025 of $27,833,488, which is equal to the budget adopted by messengers in 2023. The budget shows no increase because the 2024 budget exceeded what was collected in 2023. Cooperative Program receipts will continue to be allocated with 55% sent to the Southern Baptist Convention for worldwide ministries and 45% being retained for ministries in Texas. Messengers approved the budget without discussion.

Executive Board Chairman Caleb Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, recognized Bart McDonald on the occasion of his 10 years as the executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation and its 20^th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2025. SBTC’s chief financial officer, Joe Davis, was also honored for his 25 years of service in that role.

The Resolutions Committee recommended four resolutions to the messengers. Messengers expressed gratitude for the “hospitality, service, and generosity” of Sagemont Church for hosting the convention meeting. A second resolution expressed “profound gratitude” to SBTC President Danny Forshee for his service as convention president. A third resolution commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the Cooperative Program in 2025, noting the benefits the SBTC has enjoyed in missions, evangelism, church planting, and church strengthening as it partners through the Cooperative Program. The final resolution addressed chemical abortions, acknowledging that this method accounted for 60% of all abortions in 2023. The resolution concludes with a commitment to “uphold the sanctity of life even at the earliest stages.” All four resolutions were approved without amendment.

Convention officers were each elected by acclamation. Forshee, pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church, was elected to a second term as president. Ed Johnson III, church planter of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in Desoto, will serve as convention vice president. The convention’s secretary for 2025 is Amy Hinote of First Baptist Church in Justin.

Upon the recommendation of the Committee on Order of Business, messengers selected East Texas as the site for the 2027 annual meeting.

At final count, 1,122 people attended the annual meeting—864 registered messengers and 258 registered guests representing 351 churches.

Planters commissioned in moving ceremony

Thirty-seven Send Network SBTC church planters were commissioned during the first night of the annual meeting. Those planters represent churches from every corner of Texas, from Abilene to College Station to San Antonio. They’re dispatched to locations big and small, from Houston and Fort Worth to Murphy and Mabank. Many of the planters stood hand-in-hand with their spouses and children.

It’s been a year to celebrate for Send Network SBTC, the church planting partnership between the SBTC and the North American Mission Board. Send Network SBTC recently completed the largest assessment weekend in the history of the national Send Network, with 31 planters assessed. By the end of this year, Send Network SBTC will have planted between 60-65 churches—the largest number since 2005.

The gospel hits the streets of Houston during Crossover event

Ten or so teams representing a dozen area churches participating in Crossover Houston on Nov. 9. The event was held in conjunction with the 2024 SBTC Annual Meeting that began the next day. The Houston initiative was patterned after Crossover events held prior to the national Southern Baptist Convention each year.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to join efforts in spreading the message of hope and redemption to folks in the Houston area,” said Tony Mathews, SBTC’s senior strategist of Missional Ministries. The SBTC coordinated the event with Sagemont Church, host of the annual meeting. The event included not only outreach, but also evangelism training for participants.

Popular 20th century Baptist radio programs now accessible to all

NASHVILLE (BP)—Perhaps you’ve heard of M.E. Dodd, the father of the Cooperative Program. But have you ever heard him? What about longtime Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Duke McCall or legendary First Baptist Dallas Pastor W.A. Criswell or pioneering FBC Atlanta Pastor Roy McClain?

Thanks to an ongoing project of the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives (SBHLA), you can hear them all and many more.

For the past few years, members of the SBHLA staff have been digitizing hundreds of recordings of Baptist radio programs, including the “Baptist Hour” and “Christian Home” series, both of which became popular during the latter part of what’s known as the “Golden Age of Radio.”

“This project captures the voices of distinguished Baptist preachers and leaders,” said SBHLA Director Taffey Hall. “In the 1940s and ‘50s, the ‘Christian Home,’ ‘Southern Baptist Evangelistic Hour,’ and ‘Baptist Hour’ broadcasts allowed listeners to hear prominent, insightful Southern Baptist preachers and scholars through the radio in the comfort of their own homes.”

The SBHLA took ownership of hundreds of recordings when the Baptist Radio and Television Commission was dissolved in the 1990s. They’ve been in storage in the archives in Nashville ever since.

When the digitization project began in 2021, the first order of business was to find a way to play the recordings, which are on “transcription disks”—basically extra wide record albums.

Hall located a machine at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, but it didn’t work. An SBHLA staffer made the two-hour trek north on I-65 to Louisville to get the machine and bring it to Nashville, where a Music City recording technician got it working.

“When people think about an archive, one of the first things that may come to mind is all the paper materials collected and preserved,” Hall said, adding that the SBHLA has plenty of that.

“But in addition to those paper materials, we also have a lot of special formatted materials, items such as oversize photographs, glass plate negatives, motion picture films and these 16-inch transcription record disks, that need special storage and preservation.

“Our approach to digitization, and as was the case with this project, is for both preservation and access. Digitizing these early recordings of the Southern Baptist Radio Committee/Radio Commission was important from both the standpoint of long-term conservation of the physical items, and for making the material available to a wide audience of current listeners.”

Baptists on the air

Southern Baptists began discussing the use of radio in 1930. In 1934, Dodd, who was SBC president at the time, was part of a three-man committee tasked with looking into the idea. In 1936, Southern Baptists adopted a resolution calling for “a joint study of radio opportunities for Baptists.”

Then in 1938, Southern Baptists formed a seven-member committee to look into the possibility of using radio to “broadcast our Baptist message,” as it was put in the motion adopted by messengers. By then, most U.S. homes had radios, and Americans had become accustomed to getting news and entertainment from the medium.

The next year, nine additional members were added to the committee, and the group was allotted $1,200 to promote Baptist broadcasts on powerful radio stations.

The “Baptist Hour” was launched in January of 1941 and proved popular immediately, eliciting 17,500 pieces of mail, according to that year’s SBC Annual.

Over the next few years, the committee’s success grew. It was responsible for getting Baptist content on radio stations covering about half of the United States. Southern Baptists appointed a full-time director of the committee in 1942.

At the 1946 annual meeting in Miami, the name of the group was changed to the Radio Commission, and it became an official agency of the SBC. By 1948, the “Baptist Hour” was aired on 120 radio stations from coast to coast.

Gospel on display

Episodes of “Baptist Hour” flow a bit like a worship service. In an episode from May of 1945, Dodd preaches from John 3:16 and uses the word “Gospel” as an acrostic for the verse: God Only Son Perish Everlasting Life. The episode begins with choral music, (“When I Survey the Wonderous Cross” and “Tell Me the Old, Old Story”).

You then hear a recorded testimony from a traveling salesman who was saved at a church while on business in Knoxville, Tenn. The man tells of hearing a radio broadcast while traveling. The next day, he happened to see the church where the broadcast he’d heard had originated—City Temple Baptist Church.

“Something told me I should go in,” the man says, “so I went on in and asked for the pastor.” The pastor listened to him, read the Bible with him and led him to faith in Christ.

“Since then I have had a new life and joy of living,” the man says.

After the testimony is a prayer, another choral piece (this one based on John: 3:16), followed by Dodd’s sermon.

“John 3:16 is the greatest verse in the greatest book in the greatest volume on the greatest subject about the greatest Person or the greatest object in all the universe,” preaches Dodd, who was pastor of First Baptist Church of Shreveport, La.

And later: “God loves because the primary essence of His character is love.”

The “Christian Home” series featured practical messages on family topics as well as dramatizations of family life situations. An episode from 1956 follows a father, mother and son through the son’s life from babyhood to young adulthood. It depicts the son taking after his father in the worst ways and the tension between mother and father.

Hall says the recordings are an example of Southern Baptists’ ever-present desire to stay relevant and to share the Gospel by any means possible.

“Many of the sermon titles and broadcast series productions of these recordings addressed the concerns and issues facing Americans during that time period,” she said. “These were topics of everyday and contemporary importance to Southern Baptists—topics of marriage life, family life, home life as well as challenges of wartime.

“The ‘Christian Home’ series in particular captures an image of home life, what Southern Baptists wanted to present, in dealing with home issues and documents a time of how Baptists viewed family, marriage and raising children. …

“On almost all of the programs, Southern Baptists talked about how the gospel can change people’s lives and make their lives more joyful.”

The digital audio-visual resources of the SBHLA are available here.

AM24: Annual meeting’s first day ends with ‘amazing hour’ of prayer

HOUSTON—Danny Forshee, president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, called it his “favorite part of the entire convention.” Carol Yarber, who with her husband, Ronnie, and many others was instrumental in founding the SBTC a quarter-century ago, called it “absolutely essential.”

Messengers ended the first day of the SBTC Annual Meeting at Sagemont Church in Houston (Nov. 11) with a prayer meeting led by Forshee. To those in attendance, plenty was at stake.

“Considering the state of the country, the state of the state, we must pray for lost people to know Jesus,” Yarber said.

Lights dimmed and heads bowed as the praise team assumed spots on stage while Forshee energetically offered encouragement.

“Be strong. Don’t quit. Be faithful. The Lord has got your back,” Forshee said, cautioning from James 4:6-7 against isolation and the schemes of Satan.

Noting that the meeting’s structure could be emulated by every church in “every season, no matter the size,” Forshee explained the first part of the night’s gathering would feature prayer following the ACTS pattern of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

Across the auditorium, many rose, lifting hands and joining in the singing of Cross Church’s “Jesus Is Better,” growing louder in a crescendo of praise: “More than my healing, I want the Healer. More than direction, I want the Shepherd.”

Russ Ponder, senior pastor of First Baptist Hamlin, drew upon 1 John 1:9-10 and Proverbs 28:13 to invite worshipers to confess sin. A prayer of thanksgiving led by BJ McCurdy, pastor of New Shores Church in Sweeny, then commenced with the reading of Psalm 105:1 and 92:1.

Amens rippled throughout the worship center as listeners were reminded God had found us “in the pit” and set us “on the rock—Jesus.”

The words of the traditional “Holy, Holy, Holy” filled the room as the audience joined singers and musicians to saturate the space with song. Hands raised, hands clasped, hands were outstretched, and few remained seated.

Announcing that he was “going off script” and following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Forshee returned to the stage to ask audience members to pray for the person next to them. Throughout the auditorium, people embraced or laid a hand on a neighbor’s shoulder as voices rose and fell in appeal to the Lord. Some stood alone, watching silently or speaking softly with eyes closed.

Corporate supplication followed as five pastors led prayer centered on the five markers intended to help SBTC churches identify and measure disciple-making movements: Ed Fenton of First Baptist Malakoff on churches that are prayer-energized; Brian Haynes of Bay Area Church in League City on churches that are evangelism-prioritized; Eric Patrick of Harvest Ministries in Aubrey on disciple-making normalized churches; Cole Hedgecock of First Baptist Rowlett on sending-maximized churches; and finally, in Spanish and English, Enrique Puig of Houston’s First Baptist, on churches where partnerships are synergized.

Few left the auditorium early, and several expressed surprise the prayer meeting lasted an hour, as Forshee noted at the end.

Said Forshee: “It was an amazing hour.”

AM24: After milestone year, next wave of church planters commissioned in moving time of celebration, prayer

HOUSTON—The numbers are undeniably encouraging.

This year, Send Network SBTC—the church planting partnership between the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the North American Mission Board—conducted 71 assessments of potential planters. Of those, 34 were conducted in Spanish, 32 in English, three in Mandarin, one in Korean, and one in Romanian.

Additionally, Send Network SBTC recently completed the largest assessment weekend in the history of the national Send Network, with 31 planters assessed. By the end of this year, Send Network SBTC will have planted between 60-65 churches—the largest number since 2005.

But there’s another number that drives the mission of Send Network SBTC. During a church planter commissioning service held during the opening night of the SBTC Annual Meeting at Sagemont Church, church planters reported 926 people proclaimed faith in Christ and were baptized over the past calendar year.

“These are people who have gone from death to life,” said Jason Crandall, Send Network SBTC’s church planting lead, “and we get to celebrate that. That is the center of what we’re called to do.”

Thirty-seven planters were commissioned at Monday night’s service representing churches from every corner of Texas, from Abilene to College Station to San Antonio. They’re dispatched to locations big and small, from Houston and Fort Worth to Murphy and Mabank. Many of the planters stood hand-in-hand with their spouses and children.

“Church planters, you are the answer to prayers,” said Julio Arriola, director of Send Network SBTC. “ … The Lord is answering the prayers of the churches of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.”

‘What the Lord has called us to do’

Among those commissioned was Tim Williams, the 31-year-old pastor planter of The Vine Church in Mount Pleasant. The church is a relaunch of Gladewater Baptist Church, which had existed since 1871—about 27 years after Texas became a state.

Williams was called to pastor Gladewater Baptist Church in December 2021. At that time, the church had nine members, and leaders soon began praying and pondering its future. That future, they decided, would be most fruitful through a replant guided by Send Network SBTC. Gladewater closed in December 2023 and immediately began a nine-month preparation process of relaunching the church.

With the support of sponsor church Holly Brook Baptist Church in Hawkins and others, the relaunch happened on Sept. 24, 2024. Today, the church is multigenerational, multiethnic, and growing—with about 100 people regularly in attendance. With roughly 52% of Mount Pleasant’s population now Hispanic, the church plans to begin a Spanish-speaking service in January.

“This is what the Lord has called us to do,” Williams said. “The coolest thing for me is, throughout this replanting process we’ve had one person come by transfer of letter from another church. Everyone else has either come as a new convert or they were unchurched Christians. … It’s been really cool to see the Lord work in people’s lives.”

Dakota Adair, a 29-year-old first-time planter, stood on the stage during the commissioning service with his 3-year-old son, Elijah. Adair pastors Heirloom Church in Kyle, one of the state’s fastest-growing areas. Twenty years ago, Kyle—about 20 miles southwest of Austin—had about 8,000 residents. That number has ballooned to about 70,000 people.

With the support of its sponsor church, Epic Life New Braunfels, and many others, Heirloom Church was planted to reach Kyle’s growing and incredibly diverse population.

“Our church is very eclectic,” Adair said. “We’ve got Texas State [University] students, empty nesters, retirees … God has really just brought people together, so we’re just trying to keep things simple—love God, love people, and preach the Word.”

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick told messengers he believes the convention will soon lead the way in all of North America in being “a network of churches planting new churches and seeing people won to Christ.”

“We are so excited for you,” Lorick said to the church planters before praying over them. “We are so grateful you took a step out in faith with no guarantees, trusting God to build His church, trusting God to have partners come alongside you. God has and is and will continue to bless your efforts. We’re for you. We’re with you. We’re side by side on this journey together.”

AM24: Crossover Houston leads to salvations on eve of SBTC Annual Meeting

HOUSTON—The team of four knocked at the door of a home a few streets from Sagemont Church and waited. A Hispanic woman peered cautiously outside and saw Sagemont members Y Tran, Ca Tran, and Giselle Higginbotham—accompanied on this particular Saturday morning by Tony Mathews, senior strategist for Missional Ministries at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

“Sorry, Español,” the woman at the door said. Three team members glanced immediately at Higginbotham, standing at the rear and the sole Spanish speaker in the group.

“I was hiding in the back and everyone looked at me,” Higginbotham said. “I was only supposed to be praying. I am very timid. I had never shared the gospel.”

Higginbotham embraced the challenge and shared Christ in Spanish with the woman.

“I was praying about being a little more comfortable and bold about sharing the gospel with people, and I think God has a sense of humor putting me in a spot I couldn’t get out of,” Higginbotham said.

The Hispanic woman didn’t come to salvation, Higginbotham noted, but the group did offer to pray for her and extended an invitation to attend an upcoming Sagemont En Español church service. “We are hoping that God will work in her heart,” Higginbotham said.

Y Tran—a college student and Vietnamese speaker like her high school-aged sister, Ca—shared with a Vietnamese man in his own language that day, as well.

Getting ready

The quartet was one of 10 or so teams representing a dozen area churches participating in Crossover Houston on Nov. 9. The event was held in conjunction with the 2024 SBTC Annual Meeting starting Monday. The Houston initiative was patterned after Crossover events held prior to the national Southern Baptist Convention each year.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to join efforts in spreading the message of hope and redemption to folks in the Houston area,” said Mathews, adding that the SBTC worked with Ben Niscavits, Sagemont’s executive director of missions, to coordinate logistics and volunteers.

Participants met at Sagemont’s youth building Saturday morning for training in the 3 Circles method of evangelism led by Carl Bradford, Southwestern Seminary’s assistant professor of evangelism and dean of Texas Baptist College. Bradford also serves as an SBTC evangelism consultant.

Bradford described the 3 Circles as “emphasizing practical steps for starting a conversation and guiding it naturally toward the gospel.”

At the end of the training, teams equipped with the straightforward, powerful-yet-adaptable evangelistic tool headed to area locations to share Jesus with the lost.

“Ben [Niscavits] identified several potential areas for witnessing including malls, parks, and neighborhoods. He also knew places presenting opportunities to engage with Buddhists, Hispanics, Muslims, and Hindus,” Mathews said, adding that these places included at least one mosque.

Launching out

Crossover teams were composed of a mixture of males and females with as much language diversity as possible, Bradford said. In addition to 25 from Sagemont, individuals from a dozen churches registered for Crossover, Mathews said. Several SBTC staff members participated, as well.

Team members approached homes and introduced themselves, asking if there was anything they could pray with them about.

“[Prayer] becomes a segue into other conversations,” Bradford said. A prayer request about a wayward child, for example, might become a conversation about the brokenness of the world and ultimately about Jesus, the solution.

Bradford noted his Crossover team appreciated the opportunity to “go the extra step” when people said they were Christians. Spiritual conversations ensued as team members asked people to describe their faith journeys.

“Some had never gone out and done anything like this before,” Niscavits said. “It was a pretty great growth opportunity for them.”

Ice cream, rocks, and Jesus

Sagemont member Jamie Moreno accompanied a team to a nearby park where two little girls were walking around selling decorative rocks.

“We had the opportunity to share with them about Jesus being the rock of salvation, and they allowed us to pray for them,” Moreno said. “They were so sweet.” Moreno even bought their rocks for a dollar.

Software consultant Chad Porter from Pearland, also a Sagemont member, along with his Crossover partner Martin, headed for a nearby flea market just off I-35, where they encountered vendors and customers of multiple ethnicities.

The pair struck up a conversation with Pepe, who was selling ice cream.

“He looked disturbed, like he was going through something rough,” Porter said. “We asked if we could pray for him.” Pepe agreed and the men took the conversation further, asking about Pepe’s ideas of heaven. He admitted he had never thought about the subject. The men shared their faith, and Pepe gave his life to Christ.

“You could just see his whole [countenance] kind of changed. He had joy in his heart,” Porter said. They invited Pepe and his family to Sagemont.

Pepe was not the only one changed. Chad and Martin were moved emotionally, too. “We were shaking,” Porter said.

“Oh man, it was a great day,” Mathews said. “We are just so happy that we all went out in diverse groups and the Lord really blessed.”

By midday, when Crossover concluded with a debriefing and praise session back at the church, the numbers told the story: Teams engaged 224 people, had 114 spiritual conversations, presented the gospel 72 times, and saw three people give their lives to Christ.

A great day, indeed.