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| God never changes, James 1:17. People and circumstances change all the time. Ruben Hernandez has resigned as Director of Missions and Evangelism of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Ruben provided invaluable ministry in the early days of the SBTC and was no doubt God’s man for the hour. He is a faithful family man and a constant soul winner. It has been my privilege more than once to listen to him witness to a person on an airplane or in a restaurant and see them pray to receive Christ. He does not just talk evangelism. He does it. Only eternity will reveal the contribution Ruben has made to the Kingdom. The SBTC staff prays for Ruben as he seeks to please the Lord in a new ministry. We believe that God’s best is yet to come for Ruben and the SBTC.
During the interim period I am asking a faithful soldier of the Cross to come back and serve on a part-time basis. Ronnie Yarber retired SBTC staff member and current consultant has agreed to assist us for the next few months. Ronnie’s heart for evangelism has been proven over a long and fruitful ministry. He is a recipient of the SBTC’s W.A. Criswell Lifetime Achievement Award for Pastoral Evangelism. I am grateful to have Ronnie helping us again. Let me share with you what I am looking for in an Evangelism leader. He must be a visionary-strategist. He must be able to dream the dreams and then put wheels on the dreams. He must be able to color outside the box while respecting the valued traditions of our heritage. There are some specifics that I think will help us. Beginning in 2004, the Evangelism Conference will be called the Empower Conference. In addition to a new name, we have an opportunity to reshape the purpose. The Empower Conference is not just another meeting denominational people ask you to support. It is an inspirational, equipping tool that sets the tone for everything we will be doing in evangelism. One of the major challenges our convention faces is churches that have no baptisms. Although the percentage for the SBTC is below the national average, one church not reaching the lost is too many. There are small rural churches and city churches in transitional neighborhoods that struggle without personnel, funding and training. We must launch a comprehensive strategy to help them reach people for Christ. People and circumstances change all the time. Jesus never changes, Hebrews 13:8. Keep talking about Jesus. |
