Author: Jayson Larson

SBTC DR volunteers deploy quickly after devastating Northeast Texas, Panhandle tornadoes

Tornadoes ripped through opposite sides of Texas this week, sending Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief teams, along with other first responders, into the field to serve.

A twister and high winds hit Cass and Miller counties on June 14, damaging homes, downing power lines, and uprooting trees. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado rated at least EF-2 struck the area.

As temperatures and humidity rose, SBTC DR chaplains, assessors, and a chainsaw crew with a skid steer and man lift began traveling back and forth from their homes in Northeast Texas to assist survivors in the steamy region.

Chaplain Debby Nichols reported visiting with two survivors in Bloomburg, older sisters whose mobile home sustained moderate damage with trees down all around it. The two women were in the home when the tornado struck. After the storm, their nephew—a pastor from Oklahoma—said, “I need a chaplain who is not family to talk to them about Jesus.”

“I’m a chaplain,” Nichols replied. She proceeded to talk to one of the women and was able to share the gospel. The ladies’ names were then given to the local pastor for follow-up.

Paul Easter’s chainsaw crew from Mount Pleasant began work in Cass County, helping residents deal with downed trees. Nichols said the work was expected to last several days.

SBTC DR volunteer Steve Adcock, who is six feet tall, poses in front of an enormous tree downed in Cass County by the tornado. DEBBY NICHOLS PHOTO

Perryton devastated

On June 15, one day following the Cass County storms, a tornado devastated the town of Perryton in the Texas Panhandle. Three people were killed, dozens were injured, and property was significantly damaged, according to media reports. That night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a state of emergency to deploy resources and assistance to the area.

SBTC DR volunteers deployed quickly.

“Assessors are on the ground now,” Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director, said on Friday, June 16, adding that the QRU (quick response) mobile feeding unit from the Top O’ Texas Baptist Association in Pampa was in place. Volunteers had started preparing meals for the community and first responders.

Stice said SBTC DR had also moved in generator-powered crew cooling units since electricity is out across much of the area. Such cooling units are typically used on oil fields and feature evaporated coolers and shaded seating.

“Recovery volunteers and units will go in as soon as search and rescue is completed and emergency management authorities give us the all-clear,” Stice said.

Even as Southern Baptists make their way home from the SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans held earlier in the week, reports are filtering in of wind damage in other parts of Texas.

“We are tracking these reports and will respond appropriately,” Stice said.

 

SBC 2023 BRIEFS: Barber reelected, constitutional amendment moves forward, and more

NEW ORLEANS—Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, was reelected to a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention on June 13 at the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting.

Out of 11,014 messenger votes, Barber received 7,531 votes (68.38%), while Georgia pastor Mike Stone received 3,458 (31.40%). There were 25 ballots disallowed.

Barber was nominated by Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston. Stone was nominated by Florida pastor Willy Rice.

Barber has served as pastor of FBC Farmersville since 1999, as well as in a number of roles in the SBC and SBTC, including on its executive board from 2008 to 2014 (serving as chairman and vice chairman).

— Baptist Press, Texan staff

Constitutional amendment clarifying stance on female pastors moves forward

A motion to clarify Southern Baptists’ stance prohibiting women to serve as pastors was passed by messengers on June 14.

The motion, first brought last year by Virginia Pastor Mike Law, received the required two-thirds vote by messengers. Another two-thirds vote of approval is necessary at next year’s annual meeting to proceed with the amendment to Article III of the SBC Constitution.

The motion that passed was amended from its original version, which was referred to the SBC Executive Committee last year at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Juan Sanchez, senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, offered the amendment to Law’s motion.

Article III lists five points that place churches within the definition of cooperation with the SBC. The amended motion calls for a sixth, adding churches that affirm, appoint, or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”

— Baptist Press

Abuse reform task force renewed for another year

A task force approved by the messengers to the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting reported progress to 2023 messengers on June 14. The eight-member Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force reported its activities over the past year to messengers and closed with a recommendation that messengers approve the renewal of the task force for another year.

Messengers approved continuation of the task force by a hand vote.

Highlights of the report included the creation of a MinistryCheck resource that allows churches to vet candidates for leadership, provision of tools to help churches safeguard people in their ministries, and resourcing and cooperation with state conventions as they seek to better protect their own churches and people.

“We want to see Southern Baptist churches across the country be the safest places for your children and your family to hear the gospel of Jesus,” said ARITF Chairman Marshall Blalock, a pastor from Charleston, S.C., during his oral report.

— Gary Ledbetter

Messengers uphold removal of Saddleback, 2 others after appeals

NEW ORLEANS—Three churches that were disfellowshipped by the Executive Committee in February were denied their appeals to be reinstated to the SBC on June 13. The decision of the vote of the messengers to deem the churches not in friendly cooperation with the SBC was announced the following day.

Two of the churches—Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.—were removed because of their decision to call female pastors. The third church to appeal, Freedom Church of Vero Beach, Fla., was removed for failing to resolve concerns regarding an abuse allegation against its pastor.

After hearing the appeal of each church and a response from the Executive Committee, messengers voted by ballot to reject each appeal by majorities of 88% (Saddleback), 91% (Fern Creek), and 96% (Freedom Church).

— Gary Ledbetter

SBC resolutions address AI, office of pastor, other topics

Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans approved nine resolutions on current issues, mostly without controversy. Resolutions are submitted by Southern Baptists and are also developed by committee members. The committee noted 23 submissions received by the deadline in late May.

A resolution on artificial intelligence was the first ever for the SBC. The statement emphasized the Bible’s sufficiency to answer ethical challenges presented by emerging technologies, as well as highlighting the centrality of human dignity.

The legacy and responsibility of women in fulfilling the Great Commission was the subject of another resolution. This one celebrates women who have served the convention as teachers, mentors, leaders, and missionaries. The statement also affirmed the worth and gifting of women for God’s purposes.

Although minor amendments were discussed, the resolutions engendered very little controversy among messengers and were each passed without significant dissent. Resolutions offer the messengers to a particular meeting to express their opinions on current issues. While instructive, they are not binding on the convention.

— Gary Ledbetter

SBC 2023: ‘It was pretty electric’: Farmersville’s Cheesman reflects on leading worship before thousands

NEW ORLEANS—On any given Sunday in the tiny North Texas town of Farmersville, James Cheesman leads worship at First Baptist Church in front of about 350 people—400 on a good Sunday. This past Easter, the church had about 500 people in attendance.

On any given day of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, held June 13-14 at the prodigious Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Cheesman found himself leading worship before roughly 15,000 messengers and guests in attendance.

In other words, he led worship before a crowd nearly four times the size of the entire population of the town where he serves.

“It was incredible,” Cheesman said a few minutes after finishing the final worship session of the meeting. “Playing with the band and leading with that team was incredible, but the most incredible thing of all was the times I was able to listen to the whole group of people singing together—just a room of people on fire for Jesus lifting up their voices together. … It was pretty electric.”

Leading worship at the Annual Meeting wasn’t on Cheesman’s radar until a couple of weeks prior to the 2022 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, where his pastor, Bart Barber, would run for SBC president. Traditionally, the SBC president is given the courtesy of selecting the next year’s worship pastor. When Barber was elected, Cheesman was invited to lead worship in New Orleans.

Leading worship at an SBC Annual Meeting is a monumental task, Cheesman said, so he began preparations shortly after the Anaheim meeting. He started with a phone call to a friend from college, Augustine Hui, who lives in New Orleans. Cheesman asked Hui if he would help him lead worship and build a team of others who could bring a diversity of worship styles to the service—including gospel, jazz, and bluegrass.

In the ensuing months, choir and orchestral performers from First Baptist Church of Covington, La., Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and First Baptist Church of Mandeville, La., agreed to help—joining singers from First Farmersville, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and from a few other churches and organizations.

“It’s like a full-time job, honestly. It’s a lot of preparation,” Cheesman said. “When J.D. Greear was president, they had several worship pastors at all of their various campuses who could work together to accomplish it. But I’m pretty much a one-man show. So—and this is something I can give God the glory for—I just reached out to people and started making connections, and God just put together an incredible team to surround me and be a part of this.”

As he prayerfully considered songs for the worship sets, Cheesman consulted with many of the key players who would appear on stage during the meeting, including Barber, convention sermon preacher Todd Unzicker, the SBC’s Committee on the Order of Business, and officials with the International Mission Board. When IMB’s Mission Sending Celebration was held on the first day of the meeting, it featured a virtual choir consisting of more than 20 missionaries on the field singing a coordinated, pre-recorded song.

Cheesman said the Sending Celebration was one of the highlights of the meeting for him, as was Southwestern’s acapella group leading messengers in singing “Behold Our God” in nine languages at once. Cheesman also had the opportunity to lead messengers in singing a song he co-wrote with his friend Kris Redus called “Do Not Grow Weary.”

During his press conference on the final day of the convention, amidst questions from the media about the hot-button issues dealt with at the Annual Meeting, Barber briefly mentioned his worship pastor, saying, “[He’s] been doing a great job this week.”

As Barber spoke, Cheesman had already taken the stage downstairs in the convention hall to lead worship for the final time. After that? Rest—at least for a little while.

“I’m contemplating taking a nap right now,” Cheesman joked, “but I’m not going to yet.”

 

A Christlike approach to receiving criticism

Pastoring is an immense privilege and joy, but it does not come without criticism. Any critique—even well-intentioned and heartfelt—seems to only exacerbate the insecurity young pastors often carry.

When I am faced with criticism or simply caught off guard by something said to me during a conversation, I can sense pride and defensiveness welling up in my heart. Then the reactions begin to float through my head: “They don’t understand. I’ve thought this through much more than they have.” Even though I’ve learned to hold my tongue, my inner monologue is shouting because I want to explain myself and justify why I did what I did.

Through experience and helpful resources such as Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry by Joel R. Beeke and Nick Thompson, I’ve learned how to respond more pastorally to criticism. Here are a handful of things I try to keep in mind:

Assume the best motives.

Committed members of your church may voice criticism to you because they love you and want what’s best for the church. Even if their suggestion isn’t the best solution, most critics want to see you lead the church to a place where it will thrive.

Listen for the truth.

Every critique includes at least one grain of truth (and oftentimes more than just one), so find it. Even if the criticism is delivered poorly, look beyond its brashness and evaluate yourself before you evaluate your critic.

Respond with thankfulness, not defensiveness.

Assuming the critique came from a place of love, it probably took a lot for this person to bring it up to you. The fact they did shows they care for you and are comfortable enough with you to do so. Thank them for that.

Ask for time to pray and process.

After you are quick to hear, be slow to speak. Ask for time to process what’s been said to you. Unless the church is burning down, your response is probably not needed in that immediate moment.

I tend to say something along the lines of, “Thank you for being comfortable enough to share that with me. You’ve given me some helpful suggestions to consider. If it’s alright with you, I’d love to take some time to prayerfully process this and I’ll get back with you.”

Follow up.

When you revisit the conversation with the person, thank them again. Seek to affirm any changes you’ve made or errors you found due to their conversation with you. Consider inviting them into the process moving forward. Even if they didn’t change your mind or plans, express gratitude for their care and consideration.

I have found these approaches to be beneficial in many ways. They diffuse any rising tension that can happen in the heat of the conversation, curb my defensiveness, and prevent me from responding emotionally. They humbly remind me and the other person that I don’t always have—or have to have—all the answers. They communicate I am willing to listen, care enough to want to take the time to understand, and afford me time to receive godly counsel from friends, elders, and the Holy Spirit.

Pastoral patience will not only benefit responding to critics, but help you navigate difficult conversations with friends or family members. More importantly, slowing down and taking time to process criticism will sanctify you into the image of Christ. As James 1:19-20 says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

 

SBC 2023: SBTC preachers talk character during Pastors’ Conference

NEW ORLEANS—The voices of Southern Baptists of Texas Convention pastors were heard loud and clear at the 2023 Pastors’ Conference held Sunday and Monday (June 11-12) in advance of the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting. The conference consisted of expository sermons based on Matthew 5 and the conference theme, “Character Matters in Ministry: Beatitudes of a Pastor,” and pastoral talks that centered on aspects of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5.

Message: Andrew Hebert, Matthew 5:5, “Meek”

Andrew Hebert, lead pastor of Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, cautioned listeners to beware of becoming “performers” because “the pathway of Jesus is different.”

Hebert said rather than being influencers, thought leaders, catalysts, or CEOs, pastors are called to be servants. “Shepherds,” he said, “not kings.” Pastors must choose “humbly to follow our Chief Shepherd” rather than pursue “platform and position and prominence.”

Admitting that humility in ministry makes for an “uncomfortable” subject, Hebert challenged pastors by saying, “We can choose to make ministry all about us or all about Jesus.”

He offered answers to the following four questions during the message:

  1. What is humility? Quoting Gavin Ortlund’s book Humility, Hebert defined humility as “self-forgetfulness leading to joy.” Pastors have a “small place in a much larger story,” he said, and must avoid becoming the story themselves. He urged pastors to shine the light “on Jesus and Jesus alone.”
  2. What produces humility? It begins with a “recognition of your own spiritual poverty,” Hebert said. “We have no resources without Christ in our spiritual bank account,” adding that humility produces authentic mourning or lamentation regarding one’s spiritual condition.
  3. What does humility produce? Jesus teaches that humility generates a “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Hebert said. “When you come to an end of your resources, you can then get hungry for God to do in your life what only God can do.”
  4. What is the promise of humility? Jesus promises a “blessing” and an “inheritance” in Matthew 5:5 for those who are humble, Hebert said, adding, “The humble will one day be clothed with nothing short of glory itself.” Being “famous with God” eliminates the need for status, position, or pride. Hebert called pastors to remember that “being favored by God, being covered in His beauty—it’s the highest status and the highest position you can ever have.”

Pastoral Talks: Stephens, Corredera, Draper

Jarrett Stephens, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, presented the first pastoral talk of the conference Sunday evening, focusing on love—the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. “The preacher’s character ought to resemble his Savior’s character,” Stephens urged, noting that Paul refers to “unselfish, ready to serve” agape love in the passage.

Love, like every other fruit of the Spirit, is “evidence of salvation,” Stephens said. He challenged pastors to be loving in their interactions with family, staff, congregants, and on social media.

He closed with the account of the 2013 salvation of his older brother, Eric. Although Stephens prayed for his brother’s conversion for 17 years, Eric’s eventual salvation came not because of “compelling apologetics … convincing arguments … creative sermons or clever witnessing.” Rather, “it was God’s love for him … the love of a family … the love of a local church.” And that, Stephens concluded, “is the love of God that’s going to change the world.”

Gilberto Corredera, pastor of Prestonwood en Español, ended the Monday afternoon session with a short message on faithfulness. Corredera recounted his experience growing up in Cuba as the son of an alcoholic father and communist mother. “The Lord rescued me,” he said, “gave me a new life and a new hope and a future, a new passion to tell others about His love for me and His faithfulness in my life.”

After coming to the U.S. in 2009, Corredera—who spoke no English—spent a year working as a dishwasher at Prestonwood in Plano. Eventually, he was called to pastor Prestonwood en Español, which has grown from 100 to 3,000 members on three campuses, with sermons broadcast in 59 countries.

“When your assignment looks bigger than your ability,” he said, “the only thing that God requires from you and me is faithfulness. He will cover the gap.”

Jimmy Draper, longtime SBC pastor, president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, and a former SBC president, spoke of the fruit of self-control. Draper said self-control is a summary of all the virtues and is actually a mark of being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

“God never intended us to figure things out. He didn’t intend for us to figure out about the Great Commission, not even the Christian life. He put the Holy Spirit in us,” Draper said. Fulfilling the Great Commission is not “rocket science,” he said. “It is the fruit of the Spirit.”

“The fruit of the Spirit is a vivid picture of what Christian character looks like,” he added. “It is, in fact, what a Christian minister and a Christian leader and every Christian ought to be.”

Other pastors preaching sermons at the conference were David Allen, H.B. Charles, D.J. Horton, Chip Luter, Bartholomew Orr, Jim Shaddix, and Phil Waldrep. Pastoral talks were also delivered by Wayne Bray, Michael Cloer, Roc Collins, Phil Newton, Herb Reavis, and Ken Whitten.

 

SBC 2023: SBTC pastors share prayer testimonies with national audience

NEW ORLEANS—Amidst a sea of chatter and conversations about ministry in the hours prior to the opening gavel of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, First Baptist Church Forney Senior Pastor Nathan Lino made it clear how churches from Texas to Taiwan will experience the movement of God they so desperately seek.

“You have to believe that leading the church to pray together is the activity of first importance,” Lino said during a panel discussion held Monday in the annual meeting’s exhibit hall. “We’re going to build our church on sound doctrine and the true gospel, but the activity of first importance has to be that we’re going to seek the presence of God. … Without the manifest presence of God, the rest we’re doing is in the flesh and is completely ineffective.”

The Power in the Prayer Meeting panel also included Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, and Robby Gallaty, senior pastor of Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tenn. Kie Bowman, pastor emeritus of Hyde Park Baptist & The Quarries Church in Austin, moderated the panel aimed at helping pastors create a culture of prayer in their churches and design an effective prayer meeting.

Bowman—who is assisting the SBC Executive Committee in developing a national prayer strategy—explained that all three pastors have experienced “significant spiritual awakening like we only read about and dream about” in their churches. Those movements of God, he said, were precipitated by each pastor making prayer a priority in his personal life and church over the past couple of years.

Before that happened, Gallaty, Lino, and Kaunitz said they had to weather a personal season of brokenness that the Lord used to help them understand their need for Him at the center of their lives and ministries. Those seasons were marked by jealousy, arrogance, pride, joyless service, and desperation. Lino said he was so despondent at one point, “I was praying every day for God to bring me home.”

Said Gallaty: “Brokenness is the pathway to breakthrough.”

After personally turning their hearts back to the Lord in prayer and then leading their churches to do the same, the pastors testified about seeing God do things they had never seen. Gallaty said more than 1,000 people at Long Hollow were baptized within a 15-week period. Lino said since last Aug. 15, his church has seen 962 people saved. Kaunitz has previously said hundreds in his church have been saved, baptized, or experienced personal renewal and restoration.

Bowman, who moderated the prayer panel, listens during one of the responses. CODY GROCE/SBTC

So how, Bowman asked, can pastors lead their churches to begin a prayer meeting?

Lino said the weekly prayer meeting at his church includes three phases that follow the pattern of the Lord’s prayer. First, he leads those in attendance to seek the manifest presence of God (“Our Father in heaven … ”). Next, he asks the congregation to talk to God about what’s on His heart—not their own (“ … your kingdom come, your will be done …”). Only then does Lino lead his people to share with God what’s on their heart (“Give us this day, our daily bread …”).

“What we have found is that if you move through those three phases of the Lord’s prayer, something about it triggers the Holy Spirit,” Lino said.

Kaunitz recommended pastors who feel they have not been diligent in leading their churches in prayer confess that fact before their congregation. The next step, he said, would involve making prayer the primary activity of the church—even if that means other activities take a backseat. He also mentioned a pair of prayer retreats that will be held in partnership with the SBTC—one later this month at FBC Forney and another in the fall at New Beginnings—intended to help churches learn more about hosting a weekly prayer meeting.

He said the revival experienced at New Beginnings this past February started with the Holy Spirit saying to him, “I’m speaking to the people. You’ve asked me to move. Will you get out of my way?” Kaunitz said he shared that with his congregation and then walked out of the room—a moment that catalyzed a week of daily prayer meetings at the church where a “mighty move of God” happened.

“What I would say to a pastor is, be willing to trust your church to the Holy Spirit, recognizing He’s a better pastor, a better shepherd, and He can lead the church better than you can,” Kaunitz said. “When I’ve learned to relinquish control, submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit, He takes over and does things I can’t manufacture.”

 

The power of the doctrine of inerrancy

Each week during worship, just before the sermon, our congregation sings a portion of the song “Speak O Lord” written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. It is one of my favorite parts of our liturgy. Week after week, through the ups and downs that accompany pastoral ministry, I look forward to this moment when I will hear a multi-generational and diverse congregation join with one voice and sing:

“… Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.

Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.”

As we prepare for the preaching of God’s Word, I sometimes listen to those around me and take in the fact that all of us in that moment are desiring the same thing. From the oldest to the youngest member, we want to be found in a spirit of humility, submission, and belief concerning the Scripture about to be shared. In these moments, we are training our congregation to recall that the entirety of the Scripture is without error or fault and is 100% trustworthy in all that it presents.

When the beauty of the doctrine of inerrancy is held fast and guarded by the pastors and leaders of the body of Christ, the implications can echo through the entire congregation. Here are a few practical areas where the doctrine of inerrancy can have an impact:

In the pulpit

The doctrine of inerrancy brings great humility to our sermon prep. On more than one occasion, I have gotten down the road with an idea about how I wanted to preach an upcoming sermon only to realize something I was seeing was not correct or needed further study. The inerrancy of Scripture guides and guards our sermons and allows us to train those in our care to study deeper than they may believe they can. The doctrine of inerrancy, together with exegetical and expository preaching, allows us to train our churches to know God more fully and trust Him more deeply so they can speak about Him most truly.

In our public discourse

Believers today need to reclaim what it means to be a people of the book. I have watched tearfully as friends have deconstructed their faith and, in many cases, it started with an abandoning of their belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. The beauty of this doctrine is that it does not find its roots in man’s understanding of God’s Word or in the development of the canon, but in the person of our triune God. God does not lie and there is no deceit found in Him. Therefore, His Word as the revelation of Himself to us cannot contain falsehood. The Chicago Statement on Inerrancy is helpful and clear, and I encourage you to consider making it a core document in your statement of beliefs. Two other resources to help train your church members how to confidently defend the validity of Scripture with their lost family and friends are Greg Gilbert’s book, Why Trust The Bible, and the documentary, “The God Who Speaks.”

In family discipleship

A father once approached me in our church because his teenager was questioning the Bible. He shared with me that in a moment of feeling defeated by the questions he could not answer, he told his kid, “Well, the Bible would be different if it was written today.” I quickly rebuked him and told him to never say that again. If I had left the conversation with just those harsh words, neither he nor his teenager would have a right understanding of Scripture. Instead, we carefully began to walk together through the beauty of the inerrancy and infallibility of God’s Word. We looked at passages like 2 Samuel 7:28, Psalm 119, and Proverbs 30:5-6. We started to draw lines in the sand with verses like Psalm 12:6 and Numbers 23:19. What began to take shape was a renewed and robust understanding of God’s nature. When God was understood more fully, the confidence in His Word was trusted more deeply. All the questions the student had were not answered, but his source of truth had been reclaimed to its rightful place in God. The doctrine of inerrancy can help families in your church live out the biblical mandate to make disciples of their children.

In our gospel proclamation

Salvation shines brightest in a church that holds fast to the doctrine of inerrancy. Because God’s Word is truth, His gospel can be believed, offering hope and rest for every weary and burdened sinner and every questioning skeptic. The doctrine of inerrancy propels followers of Christ to be bold, confident, and urgent proclaimers of the good news far and wide. Proverbs 25:25 says, “Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” The best news has come to us from the shores of heaven itself through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of inerrancy keeps us building the church until its completion.

Brother pastor, we need the perfect truth of God’s Word to be exalted above our leadership doubts, our worries for God’s people, and our own self-righteousness that too easily creeps into the corners of our heart. I pray the doctrine of inerrancy will echo through your congregation and be used by you to carry many into the halls of eternity.

Effectively preaching to all generations

Most pastors know there is not a target audience when it comes to preaching God’s Word. It is our job to preach to all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even so, preaching in ways that feed all our sheep, regardless of age, takes intentionality and effort. So how can we, as pastors, accomplish this? Here are a handful of things to keep in mind as you plan and prepare your sermons:

God’s Word is living and active.

Preacher, we can take great comfort in the fact our message does not originate with us. We have all preached a clunker of a sermon and been beyond surprised when someone approaches us and says, “Pastor, the Lord used that in a mighty way in my life.” I am always grateful for moments like this, as they remind me God’s Word is living and active. As we craft sermons for all ages, take comfort in knowing God can use all of it. Be faithful to the text and watch what He does.

Stages and ages do not always match.

We recently baptized a 72-year-old man who came to know the Lord out of agnosticism. The man knows very little of Christianity, but he knows the Lord. In the same congregation, we have a 15-year-old student who could teach deep theological truths to some of our adult classes. What does that tell us? Many of our older members need to hear simple truth, and many of our children need theological depth.

You or we?

Seminary professor Greg Wills once told a pastor friend of mine he could tell he only thought about his own generation when he preached and that he was missing a chance to communicate to the older generation. Wills explained that older generations respond more to preaching delivered in the second person (“You need to do better” or “Jesus loves you”). Younger generations—millennials and Gen Z—are more responsive when addressed in first person (“We need to do better” or “We are loved by God”). As a result, I will alternate point of view based on which age I want to communicate to in any particular moment.

Hide a few ‘Easter eggs’ in your sermon.

I have four kids under age 10. We also have 1.2 million kids at our church each week (or so it seems). It is not only hard for parents to keep their elementary kids quiet (I thank the Lord for these kids every time I hear them, by the way), but to keep them engaged. So I started hiding word Easter eggs in the sermon and telling kids about it. I will tell the kids something like, “Hey I am going to say ‘booger’ in the sermon today. See if you can find it.” This has worked really well. Kids victoriously come up to me all the time to tell me they heard my word, and when I ask them what part of the sermon it was in, they can usually tell me.

Provide varied application for the same point.

Demonstrate how truth affects different generations. For example, when talking about trying to find hope in the wrong things, you might say, “Teens, we may think that sitting at that other lunch table will fix us. Parents, we may think that if we just had a little more cushion in the savings account, that will fix things. Older brothers and sisters, you may think, ‘Things will be better if all my grandkids come home for Christmas.’ But Christians know the hope and fulfillment we are all seeking can only be found in Jesus.” Changing perspectives like this does two things. First, it provides specific application for each generation. Secondly—and this is powerful—it allows each generation to realize it must depend on Jesus Christ at every stage of life and reminds each generation about what the other generations might be thinking. Parents and grandparents are reminded how hard it is to be a teen. Kids hear that parents struggle as well. Our older generation is reminded how stressful it is to be a parent.

As ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are called to serve and preach to all people. As we craft our sermons, we should consider how the text can best be heard and applied by all generations in our church.

Great Hills’ Forshee to be nominated for SBTC president

Gregg Matte, senior pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church, has announced his intention to nominate Danny Forshee, lead pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, as president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention at its 25th annual meeting in November.

Forshee has served as lead pastor at Great Hills for more than 13 years and as president of the Danny Forshee Evangelistic Association for nearly 20 years. From 2018-2020, he served as chairman of the SBTC’s Executive Committee.

Forshee said he would be honored to serve as SBTC president “if God so wills. … I believe in the SBTC and the tremendous good we are able to accomplish as we work together. I am grateful to God for the impact our convention makes for the glory of God and the expansion of the gospel.”

Matte describes Forshee as “a visionary leader with tremendous energy,” adding that his hard work and commitment to his family and church exemplify qualities the convention needs in a president.

“I’m excited to nominate Dr. Danny Forshee as the next SBTC president because Dr. Forshee has a passion for the Lord and for the work of the church,” Matte said. “He has served faithfully in our state convention and his church for years. He has the grit and grace to lead us well. As an author, former professor, amazing pastor, and gifted leader, along with SBTC experience and a generous heart, Danny is the right man for this role in this time.”

Great Hills gave $233,730.08 through the Cooperative Program in 2022 and $244,799.41 in 2021.

If elected, Forshee said he would look forward to the opportunity to serve with SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick and his staff. Forshee added that he loves the convention’s emphasis on evangelism, church planting, leadership training, and pastoral health.

“I also want to help our convention continue to be a truth and grace convention,” he said. “I would love to see us expand and bring in more churches that will help us speak the truth in love and assist us in being known more for what we stand for rather than what we stand against. I believe God has great plans for our convention. These are challenging and also very exciting days in which to be a Southern Baptist.”

Forshee holds a doctoral degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he has served as a professor. He also served as a professor of evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.

He has written four books: For the One, Modern Family Vintage Values, Jesus and the Church, and Winning the Battle in Your Mind. He writes a daily devotional and records a weekly podcast called REvangelical: Rethinking Christian Living.

Forshee and his wife, Ashley, have three grown children and four granddaughters.

The SBTC annual meeting will be held Nov. 13-14 at Cross City Church in Euless.

 

Know their names

As a freshman member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets, I had the same rank designation as every one of my peers, a fish with only a last name. As “Fish Philley,” one of my many daily responsibilities included greeting upperclassmen as our paths crossed on campus.

The acceptable greeting was to quickly stand at attention and sound off with a traditional Aggie “Howdy!” followed by the upperclassman’s title and last name. In order to successfully address higher-ranking cadets, knowing the actual names of each upperclassman was imperative.

By the end of fish year, I knew nearly a thousand names. That same concept continues to benefit my ministry today.

While describing Himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Even though Jesus didn’t have a 100% retention rate, a strong connection exists between the sheep who are known by their Shepherd and the ones who follow Him. Jesus’ sheep were not just a number. They were fully known.

The pastor’s role as under-shepherd within the local church should reflect the same. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows His sheep by name. As an under-shepherd, I should know my sheep by name as well. I strive to know the names of every single church member because I believe it’s indicative of how well I truly know them. I also believe it’s an indicator of how well they may follow me in carrying out the Great Commission.

Knowing the names of our sheep is part of our calling as pastors. It’s a required discipline. It took a disciplined effort for me to know the names of nearly a thousand upperclassmen, and the same is true in ministry. This has nothing to do with a gift of memorization, but everything to do with praying for the souls I am called to care for and watch over (Acts 20:28, Hebrews 13:17).

Praying for my families cultivates a heart connection that rote memorization can never achieve. I can’t remember a season of ministry that has not included membership list printouts postered on a wall in my office. These lists help me put names with faces while also serving as a guide for intentionally praying through our member families. They include pictures with names of every adult member and have ranged from dozens to hundreds.

I then systematically pray for each member after sending a weekly email to a set number of households asking if there is anything I may pray for them about. This is a way for me to get to know my sheep while also being welcomed into their lives in a unique way. If you have 52 families, that’s only one per week. Even if you have 624 households, that’s only 12 per week. You can realistically know their names and pray for your entire congregation every calendar year.

If you’re new to an area of ministry, this can be overwhelming. So set clear expectations at the outset. Share with your people that you are going to do everything you can to get to know them, but let them know it will take time and that you will be depending on their gracious patience. Remind them you will probably need them to reintroduce themselves at every interaction until you learn their names. There’s a sweet spirit of unity that results from this type of mutual humility.

What if you’ve been at your church awhile and still don’t know the names of some of your people? Initiate a conversation and ask for a gracious reset. Commit it to the Lord in prayer, then sincerely share with your people that you’ve loved serving them, but you’ve been convicted that you don’t know them as a shepherd should. This type of vulnerability will be refreshing and it should encourage them to lean in closer as you get to know them.

I want to encourage you to know their names. The better you know your sheep, the better shepherd you can be.