English
Korean
Spanish
Since its beginning in 1998, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has assisted and nurtured new church plants. The convention’s priorities have encouraged its congregations to sow gospel seeds in their communities. In appreciation of those efforts, the SBTC each year recognizes its church-planting congregations with the Antioch Award.
On average, SBTC churches plant 20-40 new congregations a year with convention assistance. Those churches are small enough to meet around one table at the host church or they can fill a rented space. They reach ethnic groups whose American roots go back generations or that are new arrivals to the nation. Others can breathe new life into dying churches.
Knowing when and where to plant a church requires established churches be aware of the need for a new congregation in their communities. Or, sometimes, the opportunity just happens.
Steve Branson, pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio, said his introduction to a Jordanian couple that wanted to reach Muslims in San Antonio was “the providence of God.”
Raed and Lana Safadi’s gospel outreach to Muslims in their home country caught the eye—and ire—of Jordanian officials who pressured them to stop.
“They went through a horrible time in Jordan and had to run for their lives,” Branson told the TEXAN.
The circumstances became untenable and the Safadis fled to the United States. They arrived in Mississippi and then moved to San Antonio where they hoped to continue reaching Arabic-speaking Muslims with the gospel.
Known for its rich Hispanic heritage and population, San Antonio has a growing Muslim community, Branson said. Many live in the area surrounding Branson’s church in Northwest San Antonio.
When Branson and Raed Safadi happened to meet, the conversation turned to Safadi’s outreach plan. By early 2019 the Arabic Baptist Church, a new SBTC church plant, was meeting Sunday evenings in Village Parkway. The worship services are in Arabic. The host church offers their facilities at no cost.
The ministry expanded in 2020 with an Arabic-language school for children. Branson said the program is popular with area Muslim families concerned that their children might lose their native language. About 45 children participate in the Saturday school.
A local congregation may initiate the church plant. But ensuring that the new congregation has the necessary spiritual and material support it needs to thrive is a cooperative effort between the convention, the sponsor church, the new church and, sometimes, other churches.
But sometimes new churches, like Cottonwood Creek Korean Church, don’t thrive—at least not initially. Sponsored by Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church in McKinney, the Korean church plant suffered two setbacks. A hailstorm damaged the room they were meeting in, which forced the fledgling group to move to the church atrium for about five months. During that time the core group members moved out of town.
The setback has not deterred the sponsor church, said Scott Sanford, executive pastor of stewardship and operations at Cottonwood Creek. The Korean church pastor and the sending church are regrouping.
“We’re evaluating and watching to see if a new core group can be established,” Sanford said. “We are hopeful, prayerful and watching.”
Supporting a new church, especially in the trying first couple of years, is not the sole responsibility of the sending church, said Doug Hixson, SBTC director of missions and church planting. He highlighted some of the support system available to the new church plants.
“Financial assistance is provided for the church plant and the average time of that is for three years. We also offer evangelism grants for our plants to do outreach in their city,” he said. “Church planting coaches are provided for every planter while under funding.”
Because the pastors of the church plants can log unusually long hours, the convention offers “church planter care” including a yearly church planter retreat in the spring for planters and their wives.
Networking among SBTC churches can also help meet the start-up needs of a church plant—even one 200 miles away. Freedom Hill Baptist Church in San Antonio is a collaborative effort between Bruce Northam, pastor of Clay Road Baptist Church, Houston; church plant coach Sam Douglass; and pastor Ryan Napier, who felt called to start a church in San Antonio.
Being open to God’s redirection helped them all.
Northam mentored Napier and also used his 40 years of pastoring relationships to help the young pastor get the training and vetting needed to qualify for SBTC support. Once the congregation had 25 members, Napier wanted to officially “launch” Freedom Hill Baptist Church, Northam said. But as that congregation was coming to life, Eisenhower Road Baptist Church was on the verge of closing. The older church contacted Douglass for help.
Due to his commitment with the SBTC and Clay Road Baptist Church, Napier could not leave his position as pastor of Freedom Hill Baptist Church. But, through the collaborative effort of Napier, Douglass, Northam and both congregations, the Eisenhower Road Baptist Church became Freedom Hill Church.
The legacy church still operates as a church plant with the support from the convention and its sending church. But it is a church plant with church building and a multigenerational congregation.
How, where and when to plant a church will vary. One common ‘why’ is required: a heart for the gospel. For the sending church, watching the church plant struggle or flourish stirs emotions of apprehension and joy. But, it’s worth it, Sanford said.
“You look back and it was all so God-ordained,” he said.
