Author: amadmin

The Image of God and Justice

I watched the video. I shouldn’t have.
 
But I did. 
 
And it broke me.
 
A young man, the same age as many of my students, shot in the street because neighbors thought he might be a person who matched a vague description of a reported thief. 
 
He wasn’t armed. Nor was he carrying anything. He wasn’t even running at a pace to get away from anyone. He was simply jogging.
 
As he approached the truck parked in the middle of the street, he simply went around the truck and they shot at him. The altercation that followed could have been any man fighting for his very life. But there, on the video, Ahmaud Arbery is shot at point-blank range, and crumbles to the ground.
 
Dead.
 
No take-backs. No post-movie resurrection stories. Just the reality of a life ended. The reality of the utter disregard of a man’s life. 
 
It’s hard not to read this event in light of the last few weeks. We saw viral videos of High Schoolers joke, laugh, and make denigrating claims about our black brothers and sisters. We saw images of a man in a KKK hood shopping in the grocery store. We watched armed men overrun the capital building in Michigan to forcefully express their demands to re-open the economy while carrying nooses, swastikas and rebel flags. And on a street in Brunswick, Georgia—even before the quarantine happened—a young man was shot while jogging. 
 
All of these events carry unbelievable signals to minority communities. Are they men and women created in the image of God? Do their lives truly matter? Does justice matter? Does rule of law and common respect for fellow humans matter? 
 
The entire scriptures uphold a fundamental truth—humanity is formed in the image of God. That very nature as image bearers brings us to a place where life is valued from conception to grave. There is no person who is “less than” or “unworthy.” The entire moral code of Scripture is built from the standpoint of honoring God and therefore, honoring one another who are made in the image of God. We do not lie, we don’t take things that belong to others, and we do not kill. 
 
We don’t have to be reminded we live in a fallen and broken world. We work for justice, however imperfect this side of eternity. We work to uphold the law, however much it is a shadow of true ideals. We uplift the downtrodden, the weak and the poor because the Scriptures show us how Jesus did the same. And we do all this while we still understand that the ultimate answer for the brokenness of this world is found is the healing balm of the gospel. 
 
So we wait, clutch our sons and daughters closer to us and with broken hearts pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” 

Regathering the Church

Brothers and Sisters, May is already here and Lord willing, we will be able to begin regathering with our local churches for worship this month. Although the specific plans for every church will vary in countless ways, here are two important considerations as we approach this time.

First, the goal of the church is not a return to normal. If normal is our goal then it has become our idol and we miss what God is seeking to do in us and through us. Remember the Israelites’ regular reminiscing about the good ole days back in Egyptian slavery as God led them to the Promised Land (Exodus 16:3; 17:3; Numbers 11:4-5; 14:2; 16:13; 20:3-5)? Their fears and idolatry led them into a 40-year detour, as an entire generation wasted away in the wilderness. God regards our bellyaching with no more admiration; therefore beware of idolizing those good ole ‘normal’ days. When churches begin to regather for corporate worship there will be differences and adjustments from a couple months ago, but God remains the same, therefore, we rely on him, not a sense of comfort derived from a cushion of normalcy.

Second, as church leaders think through regathering, we must be prayerful purposeful and prudent.

We must be prayerful, seeking the Lord’s guidance to be clear, for his glory to be displayed and for people to be drawn to Christ. Pray diligently, passionately and regularly for God to move as we regather.

We must be purposeful. What is the biblical purpose for worship and gathering as a church? The Scripture gives us clear purpose that supersedes circumstances calling us to be a redeemed people gathering to worship God intentionally, discipling and being discipled in the truth, and taking the gospel to the lost. The coronavirus has impacted the economy, school schedules, vacations and much more, but it has not changed the purpose Christ has given his church! Stay focused on his purpose and make the most of the time at hand.

Finally, we must be prudent as we make plans to regather. Prudence is the ability to make wise, reasonable, practical and skillful decisions in light of present risks. Prudence derived from scriptural wisdom, the Holy Spirit and wise counselors is essential as church leaders seek the Lord’s clear guidance for their congregation’s regathering. Prudent decisions will vary among congregations, but they must be birthed in prayer and flow from the purpose Christ has given his church. 

As churches seek to regather, please be in prayer for your church leaders to be prayerful, purposeful and prudent in their planning, and that believers not miss what God is doing in and through the church as a result of this crisis.

Author proposes “viral vitality” as remedy for pandemic”s spiritual slump

NASHVILLE—Despite layoffs and sell-offs, shutdowns and lockdowns—even heartbreaking disease and death—the author of a new ebook proposes that “there can be a distinct vitality in our souls” amid the bleak circumstances of a viral pandemic.

“A vitality is available in Christ that can enhance our daily lives, even in a time of social upheaval and widespread grief,” says Art Toalston, author of A Pandemic Proposal: Viral Vitality … Hope for the Human Soul. “As long as we have a heartbeat and can breathe, why not venture forward with an optimized view of life? A coronavirus pandemic cannot alter God’s creation of the human soul.”

Seven Texas Southern Baptists are among the contributors of chapter 8, a collection of brief contemplations by 42 pastors and laypeople reflecting on Scriptures that promote spiritual vitality in their own lives.

Toalston, retired longtime senior editor of Baptist Press, acknowledges that in crisis conditions, this “may not be a euphoric vitality.” However, he maintains, “just as our physical bodies, when well, function as they were intended to do, so too can the spirit within us.”

In chapter 4 of the book, Toalston explains how this might be lived out: “Oddly, or perhaps providentially, a gripping pandemic can be an opportune moment to connect your life, your energies, your readiness to pray, and your finances to a cause, a movement that encompasses the totality of the soul in venturing forth in God’s plan and blessing.”

This passage reflects Toalston’s own experience of taking advantage of “an opportune moment” to respond to the pandemic’s disruption of his own life.

Toalston, who describes himself as a “journalistic adventurer and spiritual disciplines advocate,” lives in the Nashville area. In mid-March his part-time job with the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives was suspended when the facility closed to comply with pandemic guidelines.

Toalston began “asking the Lord what I could do to be productive. That’s when and where the thought came to write a book drawing on the Scripture I had memorized over the years.”

Over the next two weeks, he said, “I experienced moment after moment when the Lord took me to various Scriptures that I had copied to note cards over the years and had memorized, meditated upon, and re-memorized whenever they had faded from memory. And it seemed that the Lord gave me the ideas for starting each chapter and ideas for the flow of each chapter. It was a humbling experience.”

The topics covers are:

  • Chapter 1 — Your Soul
  • Chapter 2 — Your Circumstances
  • Chapter 3 — Your Relationships
  • Chapter 4 — Your World
  • Chapter 5 — Your Future
  • Chapter 6 — If You’re Addicted
  • Chapter 7 — Our Vision & Vitality
  • Chapter 8 – Contemplations – These brief scriptural reflections offer grassroots perspectives to end the book.

Texans who wrote reflections are:

  • Joshua Crutchfield, Madisonville; pastor of First Baptist Church, Madisonville; former vice president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention – Revelation 21:1
  • Jimmy Draper, Colleyville; former SBC president; former president, LifeWay Christian Resources; former pastor, First Baptist Church, Euless – Jeremiah 17:23-24
  • Susie Hawkins, Dallas; author of From One Ministry Wife to Another; wife of O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources of the SBC – John 10:27-28
  • Amy Hebert, Amarillo; mom, writer and wife of Andrew Hebert, lead pastor of Paramount Baptist Church – Psalm 37:23-24
  • Gary Ledbetter, Grand Prairie; Southern Baptists of Texas Convention director of communications and ministry relationships; editor, Southern Baptist TEXAN – Ecclesiastes 2:21, 24; Matthew 6:33
  • Clara Molina, Fort Worth; conference speaker and author; member of the Southern Baptist Hispanic Leaders Council; wife of Bruno Molina, language and interfaith evangelism associate, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention – Philippians 4:8

In discussing his expectations for the book, Toalston says he’s hopeful “the book makes its way to non-Christians” so their lives can be changed as his was. “After I turned to Christ in 1971 on the front porch of my aunt’s house in Newton, Miss., the difference has been night and day,” he said. He pointed out that chapters 1 and 6 include the plan of salvation.

“Second,” Toalston said, “I hope the book makes its way to church members. We need to eradicate anything ho-hum about our faith. We need to optimize our lives by tapping into its supernatural dimension, reflected, for instance, by the fruit of the Holy Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23 as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.”

“And third,” Toalston said, “I hope it can join with others in challenging the prevailing secular mindset in our country that is dismissive or ridicules the supernatural things of God. Just because something is supernatural doesn’t make it anti-intellectual or nonexistent.

“Christians are intelligent people who are part of an extraordinary heritage of faith through the ages, and that remains viable today and in each new era of the human story. All of life is supernatural, from the cosmos to the tiniest microbes, as is the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.”

Editor’s Note: Toalston’s A Pandemic Proposal is now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pandemic-Proposal-Viral-Vitality-Human-ebook/dp/B086Q5GYLW

Texas Southern Baptists plan, prepare for National Day of Prayer

On Thursday, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will join with churches and believers worldwide in the National Day of Prayer. Signed into law in 1952 by President Harry Truman and held each year on the first Thursday in May, the National Day of Prayer is the country’s largest annual gathering focused specifically on prayer.

The occasion, usually marked by large physical gatherings, has transitioned primarily online in the wake of COVID-19 social distancing measures from state and local governments. 

This year, the SBTC’s participation in the National Day of Prayer is in concert with the convention’s “We Will Pray” prayer strategy, designed to get both large and small groups within SBTC churches to pray with renewed passion and intentionality.

SBTC prayer strategist Ted Elmore said the resource is designed to call church members to their knees in repentance and faith.

“It will also help you walk through Scripture together, developing timely and practical prayer strategies for your congregation,” Elmore added.

SBC pastors and churches across the country also participated May 5 in an effort to pray for revival across the country, led by 95-year-old North Carolina pastor Fred Lunsford.

“He [God] extended my years for a reason, and he wanted me to pray for spiritual awakening and to get as many people praying as I could,” Lunsford told Baptist Press. “God spoke into my heart, and I yielded to it. It’s not me; it’s the Lord.”

Over 260,000 people pledged to take part in a day of prayer and fasting in the lead-up to Thursday’s National Day of Prayer.

The SBTC’s Prayer Ministry has curated resources to help spur the convention’s churches toward a greater emphasis on prayer.

“Many have been praying and longing for another Great Awakening to sweep our land. The resources and links on this site are created and curated by the Executive Committee in cooperation with prayer teams of PrayerLink members and are directly related to the ministries of a state Baptist convention, an SBC entity, or a Convention-approved ministry on the SBC event calendar,” Elmore said. “These are made available to the Southern Baptist family with the hope and prayer that they will help spur a movement of God as we pray together for the lost, for our nation, and for the world.”

To learn more about the SBTC’s prayer initiatives, visit https://sbtexas.com/church-ministries/prayer/. 

Mentorship & ministry: Missionary shares “Letters to an Apprentice”

After serving in remote villages of the Amazon and war-torn areas of sub-Saharan Africa, Jeremy Taliaferro knows the importance of having solid Christian mentors in his corner when times get tough.  

The native Texan has served with the International Mission Board for more than 20 years. He and his wife Susan have four children and lead a team of missionaries in Uganda, where they help minister to refugees near the South Sudan border. During his mission career, he has mentored young missionaries, and many of them continue to serve overseas. Taliaferro shares about the lessons he’s learned as an apprentice and mentor in his book, “Letters to an Apprentice: A Culture of Mentorship.” 

“I have had an amazing journey of mentorship throughout my life,” writes Taliaferro, who is member of First Baptist Church in Springtown, Texas, and also partners with Harmony Baptist Church in Weatherford. “And I want everyone to have access to life-changing mentors like I have had. However, that doesn’t just happen.”

In the book, IMB President Paul Chitwood noted that Taliaferro challenges Christians to “steward well their influence in the lives of others.”

“After riding the dusty roads of Uganda with Jeremy, walking through refugee settlements with him, and watching him interact with his children, his team members, and indigenous church leaders, I can testify to the fact that Jeremy is modeling what he encourages his readers to do … his book has inspired and equipped me to be a better mentor.”

There are no perfect mentors, Taliaferro writes. In the book, he shares openly about hard lessons and mistakes he has made as missionary and mentor. He also gives an honest look at mentors who have poured into his life through the years. 

In one chapter that Taliaferro titles, “The Missing Chapter: A Difficult Question,” he writes about a mentor who eventually turned away from his faith in Christ. Taliaferro wrestled at first with whether he should include the man he simply refers to in the book as “Pilgrim.” But he decided it was important to include a chapter about a mentor who disappointed him but still had a positive impact on his life. 

“I remember so vividly as he walked alongside me as I was starting out as a missionary,” Taliaferro writes. “He gave me wisdom and challenged my prideful ideas. I saw him demonstrate a deep love for a hurting people. I saw him lead his family and love everyone around him. But now it’s gone.”

Taliaferro goes on to write his former mentor a letter and expresses his hope that he will one day turn back to Christ. “Although you have closed the door to the Lord, I beg you not to lock it,” he writes, “it is my hope that you will leave the door cracked a bit and let him take it from there.”

Taliaferro hopes readers will better recognize the mentors they have in their life and intentionally seek out opportunities to mentor others.

“Often times we have mentors in our life, and we don’t even notice it,” he said in a video about the book, “and we don’t even recognize them as mentors until years down the road and we realize this person really impacted me.”

For more information about the book, released by Lucid Books, go to https://letterstoanapprentice.com/. Or, go to www.jtaliaferro.com.

COVID-19 financial woes called “opportunity” for pastors

GRAPEVINE—As a presidential economic advisor and head of the largest public endowment in America, Britt Harris has a unique perspective on the financial crisis caused by coronavirus. But it may surprise you.

“Crisis” should be “a positive word to you” that signifies “amazing opportunity,” Harris said during an April 30 leadership webinar hosted by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Christians “have never had an opportunity like this to bring the Lord to the world.”

Financial downturn and cultural turmoil have opened an unprecedented door for Spirit-filled pastoral leadership in particular, said Harris, president and CEO of The University of Texas/Texas A&M University Management Company, which manages nearly $50 billion in endowment and operating funds. He also is a member of President Trump’s Working Group for Financial Markets and an advisor to the New York Federal Reserve—as well as a pastor’s son.

The key question for pastors leading their congregations through the pandemic, Harris said, is whether they will seize the opportunity or turn inward with fear.

Two “rogue waves” hit the economy simultaneously, he said, COVID-19 and a battle over oil prices between Russia and Saudi Arabia. As a result, both America’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the stock market’s S&P 500 Price Index plummeted. Economists forecast April through June to be the worst second quarter in U.S. history, with a 35 percent drop in GDP anticipated.

While some recovery is expected in the second half of the year, Harris said, 20 percent of the people in most churches have found themselves unemployed.

Amplifying Americans’ economic stress are major cultural shifts stemming from COVID-19, he said. Among them: continued social distancing, an increasing number of online events and meetings, consolidation of businesses and public security measures like temperature checks as people enter buildings.

Family dynamics also are changing, Harris said. Sheltering in place has brought some families closer together. But approximately a quarter of families have experienced an increase in abuse, addiction and mental illness, he estimated. That’s all on top of the health risk posed by COVID-19.

Amid that milieu, each pastor must think of himself as a ship captain whose crew members need him to take the wheel during a storm, Harris said.

“No one expects you to be perfect,” he said. “But they do expect you to be present.” Christians need to see their pastor “operate calmly and well, prudently and wisely without fear.”

One best practice during a crisis is for organizations to select three characteristics for which they want to be known and focus on those areas, Harris said. The principle transfers well to churches.

“Twenty percent of what you do creates 80 percent of the output that you get,” he said, citing a management maxim known as the Pareto Principle. “We get distracted by that other unproductive 80 percent. This is the time” to focus intently on the productive 20 percent of a church’s ministry.

COVID-19 ministry may require reorganizing the church leadership structure into a temporary “battle mode,” he said, with experienced leaders in the congregation designated as “field generals” to oversee areas of ministry focus.

Additionally, pastors must remember that faith does not necessarily require a quick regathering of the church as soon as government officials permit public assemblies, Harris said. In Scripture, David took shelter when he fled King Saul, and Israel sheltered when the death angel passed over them in Egypt. Likewise, there is a time for Christians to shelter in safety today.

“You want to be courageous,” he said. However, “you could do a lot of damage to the kingdom if you open up too boldly or too quickly and all of the sudden there’s an outbreak of the virus in your church and someone dies. … If that happens, your church is going down probably, and you’re going to affect some of the other churches around you.”

The bottom line for church leaders is that the coronavirus did not surprise God, Harris said. The Lord wants Christians to reap a spiritual harvest even in the pandemic, and “people are looking to [pastors] to call them to that service.”

The full video from the event is available at https://training.sbtexas.com/onlinetraining/leaders-in-turbulent-times—43020/1555/.

East Texas church feeds thousands after Onalaska tornado; SBTC DR crews on site

POLK COUNTY, Texas   Jonathan Davidson, pastor of Trinity Pines Baptist Church in Trinity, and youth leader Brad Johnson were preparing to livestream the church’s Wednesday Bible study and youth program when the storm hit on the evening of April 22. They were forced to abandon their plans as winds kicked up, golf ball and baseball-sized hail pelted the building, electricity and internet failed. 

The EF-3 tornado that ripped through Polk County missed Trinity but tore through nearby Onalaska, claiming three lives, destroying 173 homes and damaging more than 300 others in the county.

After the storm, Davidson returned to his ranch home 38 miles away.

“We started calling folks to ascertain needs,” Davidson told the TEXAN. None of the church’s families were in the tornado’s immediate path, although many suffered wind damage to roofs and homes.

The next morning, Davidson and his brother, B.J., a worship leader at Antioch Baptist in Lovelady, viewed the damage first hand while transporting a generator to a member who lived near Onalaska.

“It was pretty devastating,” Davidson recalled. 

When church secretary Sheri Whitfield informed them that city officials had called for cooking teams to prepare food for the community, the Davidson brothers returned to the ranch to haul the family’s huge barbeque trailer to Onalaska’s Garland Park while Whitfield and ministry assistant Darlene Kasper rushed to the grocery store to purchase food and supplies.

As Davidson pulled the BBQ unit into the park, police officers stopped him and asked what he was doing.

“I’m a pastor. I heard you needed cookers,” Davidson replied. 

The policemen urged him to park wherever he wanted, close to the large pavilion that had escaped the tornado unscathed and where authorities intended to set up a staging area for relief efforts.

They were the only food preparers who came.

The Davidsons and Tom Fourcha, the church member who had needed the generator, got to work quickly. The three men grilled burgers and hot dogs from lunch till 9:30 that night, serving 500 meals to first responders, search and rescue volunteers and anyone who came.

Friday morning, church staff and members phoned friends and issued pleas on social media for help.

“We started sending out an S.O.S.,” Davidson said. “We were running out of food. It kinda grew.”

Davidson brought another large smoker from the ranch. Dozens of church members gathered to help cook and serve. Folks from other churches and the community pitched in. 

Groups were organized. Some drove daily to Sam’s Clubs in Lufkin and Conroe for food and paper goods. Teams formed, loading dozens of meals in pickups and ATVs and delivering them to neighborhoods where residents could not leave because of damage to their vehicles. 

“Taking the meals out to the community, we were able to pray with people and ministry aspect was heightened,” Davidson said. Residents who were skeptical on the first day of meal delivery became friends.

People who “looked at us like we were crazy [at first],” by Monday were inviting the Trinity Pines volunteers inside their houses, Davidson said. 

Church and community members brought donations of money and food. Another local congregation brought 25 pans of chicken spaghetti for one meal.

“People came up and handed us cash. They sent money using Facebook Messenger. They met us at the church with donations,” Davidson said.

Davidson estimated that from Thursday to Monday following the tornado, Trinity Pines prepared, served and delivered 14,000 meals.

“We had guys standing over grill pits 12-14 hours a day,” he said.

By Monday, the church volunteers were exhausted. “I knew we could keep it up 72 hours, but no more,” Davidson said. 

When the city asked for a few more days of assistance, Davidson contacted Tony Wolfe, SBTC director of church relations, who connected him with SBTC DR.

SBTC DR crews take over

In response, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief volunteers brought a mass feeding kitchen from the Unity Baptist Association in Lufkin to relieve Trinity Pines members and prepare food provided by the Salvation Army. The effort was coordinated by SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice, who contacted Alvin Migues, Salvation Army Texas disaster director, for assistance.

“The Red Cross does not deploy mass care units in a COVID context,” Stice said. “We stepped up with the Salvation Army that provided food and volunteers to help distribute it.”

The SBTC DR mass feeding unit joined a QR quick response kitchen already deployed at the Onalaska fire station to feed first responders, emergency crews and SBTC DR chainsaw teams working in the area. In addition to the feeding teams, SBTC DR chaplaincy, clean up and recovery, shower, laundry and administrative volunteers deployed. 

SBTC DR chainsaw crews were among the earliest volunteer groups to arrive in the area. “Several of their first jobs involved cutting into home sites so the fire department and EMS could access victims with medical needs,” said Daniel White, SBTC DR incident leader.

Pine Forest Baptist Church in Livingston and Trinity Pines are hosting the SBTC DR volunteers, which number from 29-40 each day.

Stice said the deployment has involved volunteers from First Baptist Bellville, First Baptist Kountze, Flint Baptist, Tabernacle Baptist of Ennis, First Baptist Pflugerville, First Baptist Leonard and Beaumont Calvary Baptist in addition to those from the Unity Association. Feeding operations will run through May 1 while chainsaw work will continue at least another week. 

SBTC DR volunteers continued to assist the Houston Food Bank this week as well. A chainsaw team also deployed to Linden following wind damage there.

Counting the cost

Of Trinity Pines, Stice said, “They went to work immediately. Even before the local government brought resources on line, the church was mobilized and out there.”

The unexpected ministry came at a cost for the church, which averages close to 100 in attendance.

Davidson estimated the church spent about $5,000 in addition to the donations received.

When asked if they would do it again, he replied, “Absolutely—in a heartbeat.” He said, “It was our church. I may have accidentally started it. It’s them and their desire to help.  It would have been somebody else if it hadn’t been us. It ended up being us. My people are awesome.”

Davidson said his congregation’s “spirit was primed and ready to go,” that they had been focusing on understanding God’s will and exploring how to “impact the kingdom.” A recent sermon series on Philippians 2 left all seeking the “mind of Christ,” Davidson said.

Another price of ministry in a COVID-19 world is that Trinity Pines, rather than resuming physical services as some smaller area congregations will do on May 3, will be self-quarantining following the tornado. To date, Polk County has reported 19 coronavirus cases. Church feeding volunteers were unable to completely socially distance and may have been exposed.

“As church and ministry groups, we are staying apart for 14 days,” Davidson said, adding that services will continue online.

A new DR world

Pandemics make DR deployments complicated, necessitating extra housing and work space, face masks and other protective gear for volunteers. SBTC DR has released additional safety guidelines all volunteers must follow.

Still, God’s work continues. SBTC DR chaplains have made dozens of contacts and seen four professions of faith among East Texas storm victims.

SBTC board members give thumbs up to contingency plan, praying for CP support

GRAPEVINE—Chairman Danny Forshee of Austin combined use of online technology with old school communication to walk Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board members through an abbreviated  April 28 meeting. Using Zoom video conferencing, 36 of the 46 members participated from their homes or offices spread out across Texas, signaling with their thumbs up the approval of some motions. 

Originally scheduled as a two-day retreat, the scattered assembly quickly got down to business, hearing from church ministries associate Lance Crowell for an overview of the SBTC’s COVID-19 Task Force, which he chairs. Launched in March to develop ministry to SBTC churches in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the group helped churches transition their services online, find solutions for online giving, tap into a new digital database at sbtexas.com/covid19 for over 100 resources and tools available in English and Spanish, and understand the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program.

From there the task force moved on to develop 17 weekly Zoom calls to provide regular engagement between SBTC staff and local church leaders based on affinity needs. Attracting 6,100 different participants over several weeks, video conferences range from a Monday afternoon dialog with 155 preschool, children’s and family ministers from 11 states and two countries to a panel discussion on theological ramifications of observing baptism and Lord’s Supper ordinances online. 

For thousands more, the personal approach of a phone call gave SBTC ministry and support staff the opportunity to encourage local church pastors, pray for their needs and point them to the new resources, he added. Now the task force has shifted to helping churches envision what regathering will look like as local authorities provide opportunity for varying degrees of in-person worship services. 

SBTC chaplains set up a new toll-free hotline at 1-800-921-3287 to provide counseling and prayer to both Christians and unbelievers, often meeting physical and spiritual needs, Crowell related.

Meanwhile, the SBTC executive committee joined with the administrative committee to tackle urgent matters prior to the board meeting. Administrative committee chairman Todd Kaunitz of Longview reported those actions, including:

  • pursuit of a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act in the amount of $867,496,
  • allocation of up to $100,000 for a grant from SBTC reserves to respond to ministry needs resulting from the pandemic,
  • up to $50,000 from reserves for a consultant to pursue grant awards on behalf of SBTC, and
  • reallocation of $200,000 from state missions funds to state missions disaster relief for pastor and church assistance in connection with financial difficulties caused by COVID-19. 


The two committees also reported on proactive measures they authorized the executive director to pursue if necessary as a means of further cost reductions. Executive Board Vice Chairman Mark Hogan of San Antonio outlined available steps which include reductions in salary and health insurance benefits, and added, “Our prayer is these will not be necessary.” 

In response to a question raised later in the meeting by board member Joe Rivera of Grand Prairie about the impact of utilizing CARES Act funds for personnel costs, CFO Joe Davis said the PPP loan provides temporary payroll help through at least June and maybe July. “It sure gives us more time to make decisions and hopefully for CP to come back,” he estimated.  “It will get us down the road at least three months.”

In his financial report, Davis said Cooperative Program receipts in 2019 amounted to $26,961,907, within about 1 percent of the record-breaking 2018 CP receipts of over $27 million. “So, it was a pretty good year in 2019,” he added.

Net operating income through March was reported at $383,193 with net worth listed at just over $17 million.

“We ended the first two months through February about $275,000 ahead of budget, so the year was pretty good at that point,” Davis said. “Then along came March and the pandemic.” With shutdowns occurring by mid-March, SBTC began to see a decline in CP receipts which continued into April, he observed.

“We’re looking at those numbers as we try to forecast where we may be going,” Davis added. “We, of course, don’t know what CP will be going forward, but if those last two months are our template—if we were to be $400,000 [per month] under budget for 12 months—that would make us $4.8 million under budget.”

Clarifying that his projections represent both the in-state (45 percent) and SBC (55 percent) portions for the CP budget, Davis said if the estimate of CP receipts holds true, the in-state budget would need to be reduced by a little more than $2 million next year.

“We are assessing receipts and expenses as we go and the next few months will better determine where we are,” he said. However, he anticipates next year’s budget to be a challenge. “We will know more about that by the time we get to our summer meeting. We will manage the budget based on whatever receipts are,” he pledged.

Board member John Meador of Euless asked Davis to clarify his goal for reserve funds. With a goal of six months of in-state reserves, Davis said 2019 ended with $1.3 million more than that, providing a seven-month contingency which the executive director has the authority to tap for emergencies.

Acknowledging the difficulty of decisions being made and the reality that CP giving is declining, board member Russ Ponder of Farwell remarked, “Not only has God provided for this state convention an incredible staff, but financially. I just want to say God has blessed us in a big way that we do have the money there [in reserves].”

On behalf of the credentials committee, Chairman Jason Gray of Abilene shared how God is blessing the SBTC with more churches, offering a list of churches requesting affiliation—more than twice the number that were presented at last fall’s board meeting. The 28 local congregations were approved by the board, bringing the total of affiliated churches to 2,744. That number includes the removal of 23 churches that had either disbanded or merged.

A joint recommendation of the executive committee and administrative committee provided another potential cost-cutting move by authorizing the executive director discretion to end a “matching benefit” contribution to the GuideStone Financial Services retirement accounts of qualified church employees and evangelists across the state if circumstances indicate the need to do so. The current budget has set aside $415,000 for that line item to provide $210 per year to recipients.

In his report to the board, Executive Director Jim Richards said, “God has placed us in this time to rise to this occasion to be what God would have us to be in order to honor his name.” Grateful for the privilege to serve, Richards said, “Believers are being strengthened by the Holy Spirit during this trial and the gospel is going forth as never before,” he said “Electronic means have exponentially extended outreach for these churches that have struggled to reach their communities.”

Referring to new resources assembled by the COVID-19 Task Force, counseling being made available to pastors who are discouraged, and many other initiatives to serve local churches and pastors, Richards said, “Your generosity through the Cooperative Program enables the SBTC to provide these services and ministries. So in the midst of the chaos, ministry continues.”

He welcomed SBTC Disaster Relief Director Scottie Stice to describe how CP dollars are allowing volunteers and staff to serve municipalities and individuals in Texas. Currently deployed to three locations, Stice described recovery efforts in two East Texas towns following an April 24 tornado in Onalaska where four professions of faith in Christ and 71 spiritual contacts were reported, and in the town of Linden where crews cleaned 24 homes damaged April 25 by severe straight-line winds and shared the gospel with nine people. Serving in a supportive role to the Houston Food Bank, volunteers prepared thousands of boxes of food for distribution to families at two neighborhood super sites and two church campuses.

“I wanted you to hear what God is doing,” Richards told the board. “People are getting saved. People are being ministered to. Doors are being opened.”

Richards told the board of three staff changes, including hiring Nathaniel Kuhns in February to serve as student associate, promotion of Mitch Tidwell as lead student and collegiate associate, and the resignation of church planting associate Jason Lankford, who leaves in July to begin training in Iowa to launch a collegiate church plant. 

Bart McDonald, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation reported preliminary fiscal year end 2019 results reflecting a net operating profit of $554,428 on over $2.7 million of revenue.

The board received a report from Marie Bosillo, a partner with PSK accounting firm who provided an unqualified opinion in regard to the annual audit of the SBTC. 

In their final action, the board approved 2021 meeting dates of April 19-20, August 24 and November 10.

SBTC President Kie Bowman of Austin closed the meeting by praying for wisdom in how to continue to evangelize, recognizing the expanded reach available through electronic ministry. He asked God for “souls to be saved, for people to grow in their relationship with Christ, and to keep leaders in the center of your will as they continue to make decisions in a constantly changing environment.”

Bowman appealed for people to respond financially in support of local church ministries and for Cooperative Program giving to be strong. “I’m asking in the name of Jesus that we will not have to have any of these major cuts at the SBTC that we have planned for. Your hand, O God, has brought us this far and we praise you for it and we pray that we would continue to be under your mighty hand and in the care of your great love.”

Roundup Week: College students, leaders navigating “new normal” amid COVID-19

College student ministry leader John James isn’t afraid to admit that in the recent weeks surrounding the COVID-19 crisis he’s felt “drained and discouraged.” And he knows he’s not alone. 

The university ministry director at Fredonia Hill Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, was one of about 350 attendees who tuned in online for Roundup Week, a time of training and encouragement for college ministry leaders and students. The annual collegiate conference, which this year was spread out over five days, was hosted April 20-24 by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

James said he had experienced an initial period of sadness when events began to be canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic, and he realized he may not see some of his students until the end of August.

 “We’re used to living every day with our students, having them in our home, loving on them, serving with them,” he said. “And to have that removed, honestly we had to go through a phase of mourning that loss.”

While James is now in more of a mode of acceptance these days, he said, he’s still working his way through the ongoing changes. 

And Mitch Tidwell, lead associate of students and collegiate for the SBTC, noted the purpose of the event was to help these leaders and students navigate a “new normal” in college ministry. 

The annual event, which drew registrants from more than 30 states, was originally scheduled to be held at Austin Stone Community Church in Austin in May. But Tidwell, who helped coordinate the event, said it needed to be rescheduled as concerns from the pandemic grew.

Tidwell said he wanted to help ministry leaders not only figure out how to move forward, but also consider “how do we care for our souls and the souls of those who are with us right now.”

“I wanted us to remind leaders that God is sovereign and in control and they can rest in him,” he said.

During the online event, guest speaker Paul Worcester challenged ministry leaders to keep in mind the need to stay faithful to Christ in the midst of the crisis. A recent survey by Faithwire, he noted, discovered that 21.5 percent of non-Christians were starting to read the Bible and listen to online sermons during the COVID-19 crisis.

“Think about your friends that are not Christians,” said Worcester, director of Christian Challenge at California State University in Chico. “Most of them are very lonely. Most of them don’t have Zoom Bible studies to go to … So many are struggling with mental illness, depression.” 

“And we have the answer. Jesus is the answer,” he said. “And my prayer is that many people will one day say, ‘I became a Christian during COVID-19.’”

James, who has attended the event the last couple of years, said one of the biggest things leaders will need to realize is the need to pivot and adjust their ministry to better minister to their students. 

“I think the biggest thing I’ve taken away is I think the church has the responsibility to understand that times are changing,” he said. “And we have to be proactive in evaluating a situation and evaluating how we do ministry in order that we can thrive.”

Much of the focus for him in recent weeks, he said, has been on working remotely, utilizing a lot of phone and Zoom calls and fostering relationships through social media. 

And while that is typically an environment where students today thrive, the downside is that a growing number of college students are struggling with mental health issues, James noted. And leaders will need to respond to this challenge.

“Mental health [issues are] running rampant for a college campus right now,” he said. “Depression, anxiety, suicide … feelings of isolation. That just runs rampant through our ladies and through our men.”

College student Jordan Hammock said she’s experienced her own share of pain this semester after learning her month-long mission trip overseas had been canceled.

“I am crushed that was canceled,” said Hammock, a student at University of Texas-Arlington, who is a leader in her campus ministry and at Fielder Church. “… That doesn’t mean God’s plan isn’t still in action. It just looks a lot different than what we thought it was going to look like. And we just really got to lean into it.”

And for Hammock, that means embracing the needs around her, whether it’s for those who may have lost loved ones to illness or had their plans turned upside down in recent weeks. 

“We should all definitely recognize that everyone is in mourning right now,” she said. “Even though we’re going through a pandemic, it’s okay that you’re sad that plans were canceled.”

But she noted, “This is a time where we could see a revival.”