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At Katy’s First Baptist Church one Sunday nearly a decade ago, retail executive Steve Myers listened closely as the pastor chased a “rabbit trail” that caught his attention.
Specifically, the pastor said there were not enough conservative, godly men coming out of seminary.
With four kids who either had graduated from high school or were about to graduate, Myers went back to school himself—earning a Master of Theology degree online through Liberty University while continuing to work 60-70 hours per week in retail management.
He became more active in church, leading mission trips to Alaska and Cuba in addition to continuing to teach Sunday school. After he completed his degree from Liberty, he began sending out resumes to churches.
“I wasn’t willing to surrender it all to the Lord,” Myers said. Eventually, he experienced what he calls his Isaiah 6 moment: “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” He and his wife, Lisa, became determined to go wherever the Lord wanted.
Junction’s First Baptist called him in 2019. Initially, Myers didn’t know where the Kimble County town was. He soon learned Junction is just southeast of San Angelo, west of Austin, and 52 miles from the nearest Walmart.
A long shadow
Junction’s First Baptist has a storied history, with Sam Coffey serving as pastor from 1969 to 1994. “Pastor Coffey cast a long shadow,” Myers said of the beloved preacher who was a stalwart of the community.
A series of pastors filled the pulpit following Coffey’s retirement. By 2019, when Myers was called, attendance had dwindled substantially from the 300-plus who packed the sanctuary in Coffey’s day. Acknowledging that he came to the church with little experience, Myers said he often tells members, “When I make a mistake, it’s me trying. When we experience success, it’s the Lord blessing us.”
Lately, the Lord has been blessing big time.
“We are creating a culture of evangelism within the DNA of [our] church.”
COVID pause allows reflection
Attendance climbed at a 15% growth rate from 2019-2020 as Junction’s First averaged 120 in worship. Then COVID-19 hit and things shut down.
“COVID shook the chaff out of the building,” Myers said. The pandemic gave the church time to “think about what we were doing and why,” he added. Church programs and traditions were evaluated. “We were really doing a lot of things for tradition’s sake, and not doing a lot of things for tradition’s sake.”
With attendance about two-thirds of pre-COVID levels, staff and members were receptive to change. Part of the soul-searching involved analyzing the church’s evangelistic efforts.
The transformation started with the youth department. Ryan Jewert joined the staff as a full-time youth pastor. Wednesday night youth group had been more of a place to hang out, play basketball, and hear a motivational message. Myers felt more consistent gospel teaching was needed.
“We need to teach Scripture to these kids,” Myers told Jewert. “We need to teach them the Bible. They need to know the Lord.”
Jewert changed the format from sports and fellowship to Bible study. Some dropped out, but attendance slowly grew to 40-50 students, a number the church has maintained, Myers said.
At Highland Lakes summer camp in 2021, 15 prayed to receive Christ.
Myers credits Jewert with preparing the students for camp. Church staff and volunteers started focusing on evangelism with the students and they began bringing more friends to church.
At camp last summer, another 14 students committed their lives to Christ, surprising even Myers and Jewert.
“It’s so overwhelming, it’s beautiful,” Myers said.
Those saved at camp the past two years were baptized at the church at the end of each summer. The church celebrated. Adults came forward, too. This past summer, 16 were baptized (including the youth).
Witness spreads
Myers is seeing similar passion growing among adults.
Kevin, a youngster baptized in 2021, returned home from camp and “began to live as a Christian,” Myers said. “He stayed very faithful.” Four months ago, Kevin’s father, Justin, who had recently been released from the hospital for a variety of health issues related to substance abuse, approached the church for assistance.
“I need in my life what my son has,” Justin told Myers.
“Let me tell you what your son has,” Myers said. “He has Jesus.”
Justin soon brought the entire family to church. That Sunday, following Myers’ invitation, he came forward to profess faith in Christ.
Myers is convinced it is essential to explain the gospel and give an invitation at every service. But it takes more than preaching evangelism from the pulpit.
While leading a community outreach at the local farmers market, Myers realized that many in the congregation felt uncomfortable sharing the gospel.
“We want to reach lost people for the Lord, but we don’t know how,” one member said.
Using materials provided by Southwestern Seminary evangelism professor Matt Queen, Myers led a six-week video-based evangelism training program in Sunday school early in the fall of 2022.
Joanie Helton, a church member who volunteers in children’s ministry, spoke positively of the evangelism training—including discussions and opportunities to practice in class.
She has shared the gospel with students—many from unchurched homes—who attend Wednesday nights. She often takes an incremental approach, building their understanding of who Jesus is.
“People get scared off by the words ‘evangelism training,’” Helton said. “It’s beneficial to be reminded of the important parts of the gospel and how to present it so others can understand.” She credited the training with helping her turn conversations toward spiritual matters.
“We have work to do,” Myers said. “Our numbers are not yet as high as they were pre-COVID, but our hearts are more inclined to doing what the Scripture tells us to do: share Jesus. We are creating a culture of evangelism within the DNA of [our] church.”
