Church Growth Conference

HOUSTON?Using the story “The Three Little Pigs” as an analogy, Fred Luter Jr. told those gathered for the fourth Annual Church Growth Conference that Satan is doing his best to blow down churches and their ministries. For a church to stand up to the enemy’s assaults, “It must be a church that Christ builds,” said the New Orleans pastor.

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention-sponsored conference is held every year to equip pastors, staff and lay leaders with the knowledge and tools for growing their churches, planting churches, building up new and established ministries, and reaching out to their communities with the gospel of Christ. The conference, held alternately between Houston and Dallas, met at Sagemont Church in Houston, Saturday, Aug. 23. SBTC church members from as far away as the Rio Grande Valley and Pflugerville traveled to Houston to participate.

Luter’s address?often interrupted with applause and shouts of “Amen!”?was drawn from Matthew 16:13-19. The pastor of the 8,000-member Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans said there are three things that must happen for a church to withstand the onslaughts of Satan.

First, Luter said, a church must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. It was Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus’ identity as the Son of God that became the foundation for the modern-day church, he explained.

Second, referencing verse 18b, Luter said, “A church must be victorious in spiritual warfare.” He added that just because a church claims Christ’s name doesn’t mean it will be exempt from Satan’s attacks. He urged the church to “put on the armor and keep it on.”

And lastly, Luter said, “The church must have the right keys for locked doors.” The enemy, he said, is successful in closing doors to Christians, often resulting in discouragement and anger toward God. But, Luter added, “You can’t give up until you find the keys.”

For the purpose of giving churches the keys to successful church growth, 23 workshops were offered at the conference in areas ranging from “Focusing Preschoolers on the Kingdom” to “Senior Adult Ministry in a Kingdom-Focused Church.” Other sessions included arenas for: music ministries, collegiate ministries, financial freedom, and recreational and sports ministry. SBTC staff members, LifeWay Christian Resources consultants and lay leaders led all workshops.

Three workshops were conducted in Spanish accommodating the growing Hispanic church population in Texas. Terry Coy, SBTC ethnic church planting strategist, led a group of pastors and lay leaders in the area of “Creative Ideas to Grow and Multiply Your Church.” Growing churches are changing churches, he said. The pastor of a 30-member church must be a different kind of pastor for a church of 100, he added. And, beginning with the church leaders, the concept of change must be accepted and dealt with proactively.

Many Spanish-speaking congregants, said Coy, are comfortable with small, familial churches; but change is coming. By the year 2025, he said, 50 percent of the Texas population will be Hispanic, reinforcing the need for churches with strong leadership.

Two other Spanish-speaking workshops dealt with bringing people into the church?a discipleship training course led by Pastor Pedro Escobar of Clovis, New Mexico and a Sunday School workshop directed by Miami Baptist Association staff member Mirian Lopez. Both out-of-state speakers were invited by LifeWay to share their expertise in their respective areas.

Escobar, pastor of Inglesia Baptista Belen, said his goal was to teach church members to reach out to the Spanish-speaking population?an area of great need in Houston, he added. The program focused on reaching entire families and bringing them into the church. Once there, the emphasis is on discipleship, Escobar said.

Lopez, director of the “Sunday School Growth Strategies” workshop, quizzed her group of 20-plus attendants on their motives for attending the conference. “What are your needs? Why are you here?” Most of those attending Lopez’s class come from small churches with Sunday School departments of no more than five teachers and two to three assistants.

The problem for many Spanish-speaking churches in Texas, Lopez said, is not the lack of Sunday School materials, but the lack of leadership. “They are a humble people,” she said of her class, made up mostly of individuals whose families emigrated from Mexico. To volunteer for a leadership position as a teacher would seem pretentious, she said.

But, she added, there was good discussion in her class and all were introduced to the LifeWay resources to be used in their churches.

Kevin Ueckert, SBTC collegiate ministry consultant, said there was “great dialogue” among those attending his workshop, “Church-based Collegiate Ministry.” Ueckert emphasized the need to create other ministries beyond Sunday School for college students. Beginning with the pastor, churches should create an atmosphere that attracts students, “involving them in the life of the body,” he said.