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As Southern Baptist churches in Texas identify their “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and ends of the earth,” SBTC Missions Director Terry Coy believes all four may be in a church’s neighborhood, workplace or school. “The ends of the earth may be next door?that may even be your connection to go around the world.”
“What changes are we going to have to make in our evangelism, missions, ministries and methods?”
Instead of focusing on all the things we need to change, Coy proposes talking about the unchanging message we have to share in the midst of a constantly changing world.
The SBTC recently launched Texas Missions Initiative (TxMI) to focus on mobilizing churches to reach Texas for Christ through creative ministries and evangelistic strategies that will result in multiplying disciples and new congregations. The missions emphasis is more fully described in the fall 2009 issue of Texas Baptist Crossroads, which arrived in mailboxes earlier this month and is available online at sbtexas.com/crossroads.
“We must consider and adopt new methodologies if we are going to reach lost people for Jesus Christ, particularly among those from other countries who are settling in Texas,” Coy told Crossroads. “The majority of Texas is lost, and that majority is not only growing in size, but also growing in complexity, diversity, and lostness.”
Featured on the pages of this special report are examples of how that creative approach is unfolding in Port Arthur and Houston, profiled by reporter Melissa Deming; Norm Miller writes about a new church-planting strategy called Project Borderlands Outreach, being launched in the highly under-evangelized city of Laredo.
Also included are reviews of two recent books that can help mission leaders get a handle on understanding the people groups that remain unreached in Texas, explaining how to reach a diverse culture and the common values they hold.
For more information on TxMI, contact the missions department toll free at 877-953-SBTC (7282) or visit sbtexas.com/missions.
