Author: Jayson Larson

88th Texas Legislative Session: Stay informed and get involved

Today, Jan. 10, 2023, the 88^th Session of the Texas Legislature begins in Austin. Legislative deliberation is one outstanding feature of a thriving democratic society, as those elected from the people debate and legislate on behalf of the people. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge once wrote, “The power to compel due consideration is the distinguishing mark of a deliberative body.” I expect compelling arguments will flow from many sides of each issue this session.

But for those Texans whose citizenship is in heaven, we are ultimately governed by and allegiant to the laws of Christ’s eternal kingdom. Our desire is that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven, so we both work and pray that the righteousness of heaven might be reflected in the laws of men, if only in the Lone Star State. While many of us will not watch the legislative debates religiously as they progress on the floor this session, most of us will at least want to know that just laws were considered dutifully, debated fairly, and upheld rightly in Austin this year.

Your Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee (TERLC) works on behalf of Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches to educate, resource, and mobilize SBTC church leaders and church members to be actively engaged in shaping public policy in Texas. As the session progresses, the committee will provide real-time updates, helpful resources, and practical action opportunities. We find that Texas officials and legislators want to hear from Texas churches. Many of them understand that not only do SBTC churches account for a major segment of Texas citizenship, but that the biblical values they uphold are good for the economic and social well-being of Texans. They want to hear from you.

It is reported that the Legislature will enter this session with an over $27 billion-plus surplus, which State Comptroller Glenn Hegar has called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” While this is great news for the Texas economy, it will, no doubt, spark much debate regarding how these funds should be spent and how the government might leverage the overage to secure even more in the future through certain kinds of legislation. Lobbyists for state-sanctioned predatory gambling, for example, are already full force in Austin this year in unprecedented numbers. Other proposed laws will advocate for more government spending toward progressive moral and social issues that Christians know grieve the heart of God and lead free societies to ruin.

After months of prayer and discussion, your TERLC will focus most of its engagement this session on seven priority issues: religious liberty; sanctity of life and orphan care; gender identity; the family, education of children, and parental rights; sex trafficking, pornography, and sexual abuse; gambling; and economic freedom. We base these engagement priorities on the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and SBTC resolutions. Our public policy advisor, Cindy Asmussen, has been working diligently in Austin over the past several months in anticipation. Based on our research and activity thus far, we expect some very significant pieces of legislation to come to the floor this session regarding each of these priorities.

On this opening day of the 88^th Session, allow me to encourage you to do three things:

Pray. Pause for five to 10 minutes today sometime, alone or gathered with family members or Christian friends, and pray for the session. Pray that God will direct debates and the decisions toward righteousness so that Texans might thrive under His hand of blessing. Pray for your legislators by name. You can find the representatives for your specific county and district using this link.
Stay informed. Click here to subscribe to the TERLC Sentinel email updates to stay informed about legislative actions and engagement opportunities that are important to Baptists in our state. Watch for informative content and urgent action items on SBTC social media accounts and in your TERLC Sentinel email updates as the session progresses. Subscribe to the TERLC’s text-alert system to get urgent prayer requests and action items on your phone in real-time. (To sign up for TERLC text alerts, text JOIN to 817-502-3958 to opt in. By opting in, you are agreeing to receive texts from the SBTC-TERLC. Standard carrier rates may apply.)
Get involved. Decide now that when an opportunity comes to testify before a House or Senate committee concerning a bill that embodies one or more of these priority issues, you will make the effort to do so. Cindy Asmussen and your TERLC will help you be prepared and will walk with you every step of the way. Also, I encourage you to begin active engagement right now with one simple action: send your representatives an email to let them know you have prayed for them and are in agreement with the TERLC’s legislative priorities (attach this TERLC priorities letter to your email).

The Preamble to our Texas Constitution begins, “Humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God…” May it be so in 2023. SBTC churches know that God blesses a people who seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people,” (Proverbs 14:34).

So, together, let’s pray that through the deliberations and actions of the 88^th Texas Legislative Session, the righteousness of heaven will be reflected in the laws of men.

What I’ve learned about pastoring senior saints

I recently visited with some of the senior saints in the church I pastor. I have been asking them this question: “What do you wish young pastors knew about pastoring senior adults?”

The responses have been interesting, but perhaps not that surprising. I want to share some insights from these conversations and provide some practical ways we, as pastors, can love and lead our senior saints better.

I sat with the wife of the longtime pastor of our church. Her husband has since gone to be with the Lord. She has remarried, but this sweet 90-year-old saint shot straight with me. She said, “I’m old, not dead!” During our conversation, I realized the danger of solely focusing on children, students, and families. The Lord has been blessing our church in recent months, and we have seen good and healthy growth. This growth has mostly come from families with young children. As we have seen this growth, we have intentionally invested in children’s ministry. I fear we will unintentionally create age-specific silos if we are not careful. Your seniors have wisdom and experience, not just in life but in their walk with the Lord. They do not want to feel like the old bull being put out to pasture, and sometimes this is the message we send when we focus exclusively on the young families in the church.

Another sweet widow, a woman who is nearly 85 years old, shared with me the reality of loneliness. She lives on a substantial piece of property just west of town. Her husband passed away several years ago, as well as her only child. She has no close relatives and lives alone on her property. I visited her on a Friday and took my wife and three-year-old daughter. This sweet lady was so happy to have someone spend time with her. It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of our pastoral schedules, but dear pastor, do not miss the joys of visiting with your senior saints!

Finally, just a few days ago, I was sitting in a hospital room with our last remaining charter member. She is 95 years old, and her mind is still sharp as a tack! She was joking with me about the music she wants to be played at her funeral. She said, “Don’t play any of the new stuff; I want the old hymns!” Our church does an excellent job at blending hymns of the faith with new, theologically sound music. Her statement was not out of displeasure for what worship sounds like at our church. Instead, it was a glimpse into her fond memories of church as a child. The reality is we will all be there one day. We will think back about how things used to be and will likely have specific songs of the faith we want to be sung because they hold a special place in our hearts. This is OK!

Out of these conversations, I want to give you three pieces of practical advice as you pastor older saints. These three points are areas I have been convicted of over recent months as I have had these conversations. I hope you will find them edifying and encouraging.

Do not forget about your seniors

They are at a point in life where they are being dismissed. They are losing their physical mobility and freedoms, such as living alone and driving. These are huge aspects of life that, as a young pastor, I tend to overlook. Remember what it was like when you wanted a seat at the table? Now think about how you would feel if the chair you had waited for was pulled out from under you. I believe that is how many of our seniors feel, and our job is to pastor them through this challenging season.

Make time for your seniors

We must remember our older saints are often raised with the idea that the pastor is a big deal. We must also not forget our older saints are often alone. If they think you are a big deal because you are their pastor, and if they are generally alone, 30 minutes of your time can significantly impact them. I feel so convicted about this takeaway that my wife and I are committing to spend intentional time with every one of our senior saints in 2023.

Be gracious to your seniors

Generational gaps are significant because each generation has its own culture. This is why we hear things like “back in my day” and “this is how we have always done it.” These are cultural cues. Be gracious to your seniors as you navigate change. Our identity is connected to our cultural realities, and when you change the church’s culture (which is often needed), you threaten identities. Be gracious.

I am so grateful for the senior saints the Lord has blessed me with at our church. They are the cream of the crop! I desire to pastor them well—for their good and God’s glory. Amen!

Examining our relationship with technology with godly eyes

How do we see through the veil and allure of technology to the underbelly of the digital age? How do we identify the good it can do for us, while also pinpointing the bad it’s doing to us?

There are many answers to those questions, but the first thing we need to do is step back and try to understand our complex, long-term relationship with technology (not to mention what technology even is). We didn’t just all of the sudden wake up in the last decade or two and face these complex challenges. They’ve been building for a lot longer than that.

It may be tempting to think of technology simply as computer innovations or electronic gadgets, but the truth is that technology has been around since the very beginning of time, and it has always shaped how we view the world. Technology is anything humanity creates to aid us or augment our work. For example, a shovel or hammer is a piece of technology in a similar way to the printing press and even our smartphones. While each are unique in some sense, they are all examples of technology. Technologies like these have, for a long time now, extended our abilities, caused us to ask different questions, and pushed us toward new frontiers in God’s creation.

Problem is, when we think about or engage the modern complex ethical questions of technology, we naturally seek out new ways of engaging these tools because we falsely believe that older generations don’t really understand the problems of today or address these modern issues we have about technology. We often fall prey to what C.S. Lewis calls “chronological snobbery,” which is the tendency to look down on figures and ideas from the past as if we have outgrown their advice and wisdom given our modern understandings of how the world works.

Looking to the past

But when it comes to how technology shapes us and alters how we view the world around us, some of the most helpful voices come from the past, as these thinkers were able to see the things that we often miss, given how all-encompassing technology has become in our lives. We can’t see out of our own moment. They often can, simply because they aren’t in it. Not to mention, as it is with a boxing match, watching someone else grapple with a hard subject before you jump in to wrestle it down yourself proves not only instructive, but far less painful.

One such helpful voice from the past is a French sociologist and theologian named Jacques Ellul. While I don’t always agree with his conclusions, Ellul has become a profoundly influential thinker for me when it comes to bridging the gap between the nature of technology and the world around us. To my own surprise and hopefully to yours, I have found that he knows more about our struggles with technology today than many may think.

Ellul opens his widely influential work, The Technological Society, by saying, “No social, human, or spiritual fact is so important as the fact of technique in the modern world. And yet no subject is so little understood.” These words frame this work that he penned in the 1950s, well before the advent of our current-day innovations. This speaks directly to the contemporary debates over technology and its proper role in our lives, as well as how it is radically altering how we perceive the world around us. Throughout this work and his other writings, Ellul helps us to see past simplistic understandings of technology and see how far-reaching its influence goes in our lives.

Examining the role of technology

Today, technology is assumed and assimilated rather than examined or questioned about its nature and proper role in our society. In other words, we don’t routinely look behind the curtain. Instead, we just take these tools at face value. We regularly reach for a technical solution to the problems we face because we have been trained to believe that technology can help solve whatever problem is before us. Think of how it was ingrained in us as smartphones were just becoming popular that “there is an app for that.” Need to lose weight and eat better? There is an app for that. Need to be more disciplined in your prayer life or Bible reading? There is an app for that too. Need a break from some rambunctious kids? There are plenty of apps for that.

The truth is that we often adopt these innovations without any real thought to “should we,” simply because we’re more focused on “can we.” We pursue innovation for innovation’s sake rather than examining the ethical challenges it may bring with it. This “should we” is the question of ethics or morality. It’s the point in the process where we slow down and ask is this even good, what does it do to me, and what are the long-term side effects on both me and my society?

Technologist John Dyer says it this way, “When technology has distracted us to the point that we no longer examine it, it gains the greatest opportunity to enslave us.” An essential first step to following Jesus in a digital age is to slow down and examine the proper role of technology in our lives. Because it is through this intentionality that the Lord can open our eyes to see clearly how technology shapes us, as well as begin to see how to pursue wisdom as we seek to tackle some of the biggest technology-related problems.

Pushing for efficiency

Jacques Ellul wrote his classic work on technology in the midst of his era’s explosion of modern technologies, such as the spread of television to most homes, the rise of many automated systems in homes and factories, and even the earliest beginnings of artificial intelligence in the West. He prophetically warned of the countless ways that technology was negatively affecting humanity in the pursuit of efficiency and progress, often without any real moral clarity or ethical response especially from the church.

One of Ellul’s greatest insights was how technique pushes everything in our lives toward greater efficiency. But what does this mean? It means that the goal of technology is to streamline everything by removing the obstacles or hindrances in our pursuit of more information or information processing. Ellul rightly believed that technology was not merely an isolated tool or instrument that we simply use as commonly understood in past generations, but it represented a more totalizing force in our modern life that shapes everything about us and our society. He understood technology not as a neutral tool simply used for good or evil but recognized that it has a dominating and reorienting effect on every aspect of human life toward efficiency.

Opening our eyes

Efficiency. Isn’t this the real “why” behind most of the technologies you’ve adopted in your life? Isn’t this in some sense one of the reasons we keep our devices at arm’s length? I know the answer for me is yes. Why do I use a digital, satellite-powered map on my phone to get me back home after a long work trip instead of a physical map? Because think of the time I save! Why do I use the same mapping app even when I drive home from the office? Well it shows me the traffic and helps me to get home faster! When the technology of “maps on your phone” came out, I admitted its entrance into my daily life immediately. Now I can go anywhere without having to know road names, landmarks, or even what state I’m in. I just have to follow the little blue line, and I’m there.

Speaking of how quickly we incorporate technology into our lives, media theorist and cultural critic Neil Postman describes a similar idea to Ellul by saying that, “once a technology is admitted (in our lives), it plays out its hand; it does what is it designed to do,” and then he goes on to say that “our task is to understand what that design is—that is to say, when we admit a new technology to the culture, we must do so with our eyes wide open.”

Following Jesus in a digital age requires just that: having our eyes wide open and seeing how technology is subtly shaping us in ways often contrary to our faith. We need to learn how to ask the right questions about our relationship with technology, examining it with clear eyes grounded in the Word of God. This clarity can pierce through the mysteries of technology and help us to faithfully apply God’s word to these pressing challenges of the day.

Noel: Great wonders through unlikely people

In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!” (Luke 1:39-45)

Many unexpected treasures are embedded in the Christmas story. One of these treasures is the simple but life-changing truth that God often works through the unlikeliest of people to accomplish the greatest of wonders. There are three operative human characters in Luke 1:39-45. Each of them is an unlikely character in the first noel.

Mary

Mary is a very young woman—possibly even a teenager. She’s a virgin. She’s engaged but not yet married. The girl may be young, but she’s not dumb. She knows how babies are made, and she’s not about to have a baby. Then, through His messenger, God calls her to believe a biological impossibility (vs.35-38, 45) that would change every dream she had ever dreamed for her life. In Luke’s gospel, we really don’t know anything about Mary’s parents. She just shows up on this page of Scripture, unexpected and unannounced. But it was God’s delight that, of the tens of millions of women living under Roman rule in that day, a betrothed, teenage virgin from an inconsequential home would show up on the first pages of New Testament history as the mother of the Son of God. How unlikely a character for so great a wonder.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a barren, old woman, righteous and faithful in God’s sight but plagued with infertility all the many years of her marriage to a respected temple priest. How many decades had she and Zechariah prayed in faith that God would bless their home with a child? How distraught must she have been closing in on this final season of life never having received the one thing she wanted most from God? Then, by God’s grace, she conceives a son in her old age—John the Baptist, a son of ancient prophecy who is to become the voice of one crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. And here, even before the birth of her son, Elizabeth becomes the first recorded prophetess in Luke’s gospel as she is filled with the Holy Spirit (vs.42-45) to proclaim the blessings of the incarnate Christ. She is an old woman with a new lease on life. How unlikely a character for so great a wonder.

Preborn Baby John

John is a gift from God—an incubated, developing treasure. He is six months in the making (v.36). God is still forming his little body, knitting him together beautifully and wonderfully in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14). He is fully human though not yet seen, possessing all the inherent dignity and value of an image bearer of God. At six months, hair is just beginning to grow on his soft, tiny skull. Fingerprints and toeprints have recently formed their unique, one-of-a-kind shapes. His red, wrinkly skin is still translucent enough to trace the course of the little veins carrying lifeblood throughout his body by a fully functioning, magnificently complex cardiovascular system. His eyelids are beginning to part to allow for the opening of his eyes although he can only see, at this point, the cradle of his mother’s womb shielding him from the dangers of a world he does not yet know. John is 12 inches long, no more than two or three pounds. But at the voice of the mother of the incarnate Christ, he leaps for joy in his mother’s womb (vs.41, 44). A preborn infant would be among the first to testify to the greatness of this moment, when God incarnate was conceived in the womb of a human virgin. How unlikely a character for so great a wonder.

This sense of wonder is embedded into the Christmas story, from its first pages until now. Can’t you feel it? Even today, God often works through the unlikeliest of people to accomplish the greatest of wonders.

The wonder of Christ’s incarnation should cause all our souls to leap for joy in these cradles of flesh. Yes, because of the magnitude of the grace of God who tabernacled with us. But also, even if only in some small way, to know that God often works through the unlikeliest of people to accomplish the greatest of wonders. Unlikely people like you and me are on every page of God’s redemptive story unfolding through the generations. So, let’s steward our moment with simple faith and obedience. Let’s believe God for impossible things. Let’s tell the world about it. And let’s marvel at the wonder of it all, together, as his redemption story passes through our generation.

Asian pastors in Metroplex, Houston celebrate birth of Christ

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Asian pastors and wives recently gathered in different areas of the state to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Asian churches from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, representing more than 10 countries, gathered to worship and praise Christ, listen to God’s Word, fellowship, and share a meal at New Life Gospel Church in Lewisville, where Thomas Wang is the pastor. The event was sponsored by the SBTC and organized by Hyoung Min Kim, who serves the convention as a consultant to Asian churches.

Bruno Molina, SBTC’s language and interfaith evangelism associate and president of the National Baptist Hispanic Network, started the event with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving that celebrated diversity, the grace of God, and the unity of all the Asian pastors. Tony Mathews, SBTC’s senior strategist over missional ministries, preached the message.

Referencing Matthew 1:18-25 during a message titled, “God with us,” Mathews encouraged the Asian pastors to rejoice in the fact that God is with us in the person of Jesus Christ.

“The incarnation is amazing,” Mathews said. “‘God with us’ was not an ordinary Son because He was born of a virgin. He identified Himself with us as an everyday human, and He understands us because He was tempted but did not sin. You are not alone because God is with us. [He] is our Savior. ‘God with us’ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

“In the manger, a Christian can find justification, adoption into the family of God,” Mathews continued, “which gives us access to the Father—where we can find protection, refuge, provision, and the discipline of God.”

Pastor Angelo Tolentino from Mosaic Fellowship Church in Lewisville shared his testimony of how the Lord has been present in he and his wife’s lives during the sickness and healing of their baby, who was born weighing only two pounds with heart problems. “I learned that because God is silent doesn’t mean He is absent. He will walk with you in the valleys of our lives,” Tolentino said.

Jung Yun Kim praised the Lord with her gift of music by playing her violin. She offered a masterful rendition of “O Holy Night,” and the general worship time was provided by the worship team from Great Commission Church.

Pastor Darrell Vang, from Unity Point Church, guided the group to play games and have a moment of laughter. All received a gift provided by president of Hanna Isul, Myung Hoon Jeong, while the children were ministered to by Jihyun Kim from Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Guided by Hyoung Min Kim, the participants had a time of group prayer, where all prayed in unity for various prayer concerns including the religious persecution Christians are facing in Myanmar (Burma). They all prayed the same prayer concern in 11 languages. At the end of the event, Albert Seung from 4C Fellowship offered the benediction.

SBTC Asian churches from the Houston area also gathered with the same purpose, to honor the Lord Jesus and celebrate His birth. The Houston Asian pastors and family Christmas banquet was coordinated by Pastor Michael Liga of International Victory Christian Church in Pearland.

Molina represented the SBTC at this gathering, as well. He greeted participants on behalf of the SBTC and encouraged pastors to continue their ministries and know that the SBTC will be with them and praying for them. “We are glad about what God is doing in and through the Asian churches in the Houston area, and we are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration in 2023,” he said.

Pastor David Mai preached a sermon based on Luke 2, encouraging pastors to be as faithful and grateful as Mary, and to depend on God in their ministries. Pastor Clifford Lee of River Oaks Chinese Mission gave a wonderful testimony regarding God’s faithfulness in and through his family and ministry.

SBTC to provide Send Network SBTC planters with portable baptistries

GRAPEVINE—A great year for church planting through Send Network SBTC is ending with a special opportunity for planters.

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Nathan Lorick on Friday announced the SBTC will provide portable baptistries for church plants that plant through Send Network SBTC. Though this initiative will begin Jan. 1, 2023, the SBTC will also make this opportunity available to any Send Network SBTC church plants that launched in 2022.

The gift of baptistries, which can often be costly, will be a practical and welcome tool for church planters who often operate on tight budgets and with limited resources. Lorick said the heart of the effort to provide baptistries is to serve and resource planters as they launch new churches across our state. One of the most tangible ways to do this, he said, is by helping them be able to take the gospel to the people in their community.

“I love church planters. I know they face unique challenges as they work diligently to fulfill the calling God has on their lives,” Lorick said. “As they see lives transformed, we also want them to have the opportunity to celebrate as churches by being able to baptize those who have come to Christ. It is an awesome privilege to provide church plants with a tool like this as they seek to reach their communities for Christ.

“I know many church plants may not have the space or need for this gift,” Lorick added. “However, if a church plant needs one and desires to have one, the SBTC considers it an honor to come alongside these churches and provide this opportunity.”

Send Network SBTC Director Julio Arriola said the gift of baptistries “has the potential to make a difference in dozens of churches every year.”

“We believe in our church planters and we know they are doing what they are called to do—engaging their communities with the gospel and making disciples of Jesus,” Arriola said. “Providing a baptistry to each one of our church plants when they launch will be a clear statement that we believe lost people will be reached with the gospel at that new church and that they will not need to go somewhere else to celebrate baptisms.”

Arriola said Send Network SBTC leaders not only understand the limited funds planters have, but the logistical challenges they face when they do not have their own baptistries. Those planters often are forced to find alternative locations or means to baptize the people they reach.

The end of 2022 also marks the end of the first full year of the church planting partnership between the SBTC and Send Network SBTC. During that time, Arriola said, “We have seen more churches planting churches than we have seen since 2005.” He added that the network has started English and Spanish Send Network assessment retreats for Texas planters, and that it also has been working on developing church planting residencies.

“That is allowing us to see an amazing record harvest of new churches,” Arriola said.

Survey reveals most churches plan to open on Christmas and New Year’s Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Christmas Day, churches plan to welcome “all ye faithful” and anyone else who wants to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, and for most pastors, that gives them all the more reason to gather. More than 5 in 6 U.S. Protestant pastors (84%) say their church plans to have services on Christmas Day, according to a Lifeway Research study. Slightly fewer (71%) say the same about Christmas Eve. While 85% plan on hosting New Year’s Day services on Sunday, 21% will have a Saturday New Year’s Eve gathering. Few pastors (2%) are not planning on having services on any of those days.

“Families have many traditions on Christmas morning, and most pastors acknowledge not as many of their members will be present compared to Christmas Eve and services earlier in the month,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “However, churches not holding services on Christmas Day are still the exception.”

Christmas celebrations

As pastors recognize Christmas Eve specifically and the holiday season in general as a high attendance time at their churches, most plan to capitalize on the potential crowds by hosting services. Overall, churches have similar plans as they did six years ago, according to a 2016 Lifeway Research study.

In 2016, the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, 71% of U.S. Protestant pastors planned to hold a Christmas Eve service, the same percentage as this year. On Christmas Day, slightly fewer pastors plan to be open this year compared to six years ago (89% in 2016 v. 84% in 2022).

This year, 60% plan to have church services on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and 25% will only have a Christmas Day service. Around 1 in 10 pastors (11%) plan to only have a Christmas Eve service, higher than the 8% in 2016.

“Only 6% of Protestant churches will skip both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day services, likely including traditions that don’t meet on Sundays,” said McConnell. “Churches that do not meet when these holidays land on Sunday often say it’s for staff and members to spend time with their families. But few want to disrupt the churchgoing rhythm by missing two weeks in a row.”

Several demographic groups of pastors are more likely to be making plans for Christmas Eve services. Younger pastors, those 18 to 44, are more likely than the oldest pastors, those 65 and older, to say they’ll have a Christmas Eve service (76% v. 65%). White pastors (74%) are more likely than Hispanic (62%) and African American pastors (38%). Pastors in the South (64%) are the least likely to say their churches will be gathering on Christmas Eve.

Denominationally, Lutherans (95%), Methodists (91%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (84%) are more likely than non-denominational pastors (64%), Baptists (60%), Restorationist movement pastors (52%) or Pentecostals (45%) to be making plans for Christmas Eve services.

For those wanting to worship on Christmas Day, larger congregations and churches with an African American pastor are more likely to be open than non-denominational churches or those in the West. African American pastors (93%) are more likely than Hispanic pastors (80%) to make plans for Christmas Day services. Pastors in the West (74%) and those in non-denominational churches (61%) are among the least likely. Those at churches with 250 or more in attendance (90%) are more likely than those with fewer than 50 (80%) to plan for a Sunday service on Christmas Day.

Ringing in the New Year with church bells

Similar to Christmas services, few pastors are making changes to their New Year’s plans compared to 2016. Today, 85% of U.S. Protestant pastors plan to hold services on New Year’s Day, unchanged from six years ago. Slightly fewer pastors plan to hold New Year’s Eve services this year (25% in 2016 v. 21% in 2022).

In 2022, 16% of pastors plan to have both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services, lower than the 20% who said the same in 2016. Most pastors (69%) are planning to only have a New Year’s Day service on Sunday, while 5% are planning on only having a New Year’s Eve Saturday service. Fewer than 1 in 10 (8%) aren’t planning to hold a service on either day.

“Some churches meet on New Year’s Eve for a service followed by fun and fellowship,” said McConnell. “Others have a late-night or watchnight service reflecting on the past year with spiritually significant times of prayer and observing communion. For African American churches holding services, there is also observance of Emancipation as it was first anticipated on the eve of January 1, 1863. Even among groups where New Year’s Eve services are most common, it’s still a minority who gather that day.”

While New Year’s Eve is the day during this season when the fewest U.S. Protestant pastors say they plan to hold services, there are some churches that are more likely to gather on the last day of the year. The oldest pastors, those 65 and older, are more likely than the youngest pastors, 18 to 44 (24% v. 17%). African American (45%) and Hispanic pastors (45%) are more than twice as likely as white pastors (17%) to make plans for New Year’s Eve. Pentecostal pastors (34%) are more likely than Baptists (23%), Methodists (20%), Restorationist movement pastors (14%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (5%).

On New Year’s Day there are several groups of pastors who are more likely to treat it as a normal Sunday and have services. Pastors under the age of 55 (88%) are more likely than those 65 and older (81%). White pastors (87%) are more likely than African American (77%) and Hispanic pastors (77%). Those in the Midwest (87%) and South (86%) are more likely than those in the West (79%) to plan for a New Year’s Day gathering.

Restorationist movement (94%) and Baptist pastors (92%) are more likely than Methodist (82%), non-denominational (76%) and Pentecostal pastors (71%) to plan services for New Year’s Day. Those at churches with more than 100 in attendance (90%) are more likely than those with fewer than 50 on a normal Sunday (80%).

Hospital visits in the post-COVID era

During the height of the COVID pandemic, pastoral hospital visits halted. Family members were unable to see ailing or passing loved ones. Neither were deacons or pastors.

Post-COVID, the opportunity to make hospital calls has returned and, in some ways, changed. Here are a handful of reminders and tips for hospital visits in the post-COVID era:

1. It may not always be apparent, but pastoral visits make a difference.

In a poll of local hospital staff, each person indicated a positive view of chaplains and pastors making hospital visits. The following are things hospital staff wished hospital chaplains and pastors knew about their visits:

When patients are visited, their mood is completely changed. This makes the hospital worker’s shift better because “happy patients make for a happy shift.”
Lots of times, patients have no family. Once the pastor visits the patient, the patients often tell staff how grateful they were to have someone who cared about them.
Hospital staff say they wish all pastors introduced themselves to the nurse when they go into the patient’s room so they know who is there. They appreciate when the patient’s pastor comes to visit because they think it is more meaningful to the patient.
Pastors are a great part of the team, but if staff has a patient who is critical, they need those pastors to give space for them to do their jobs.

2. It may not always be convenient, but hospital visits are an opportunity for pastoral impact.

If you are able to make time to visit your members when they are in the hospital, do it. They may not remember the home run of a sermon you preached a year ago, but they will remember that you carved out time to visit and pray with them when they were in the hospital.

3. It may not always be possible for you to go, but there are other ways to minister.

As your church grows numerically, you will find that you are no longer able to attend every surgery or make every call, especially when surgeries or hospital stays overlap in different locations. Sending out trained leaders to make visits becomes necessary.

Training the appropriate staff members and your deacons happens best in the field when they go with you on calls. If someone makes a visit in your stead, be sure to have them express your desire as pastor to be there. Knowing you are praying and expecting an update from the leader who is making the visit is also important. Your congregants know you are pulled in many directions, but knowing you are praying and in the loop is important to them—especially when you are not personally able to come. Even phone calls and text messages can go a long way. In our digital age, an in-person visit carries the most weight, but meaningful contact can still be made in the post-COVID era through modern forms of communication when necessary.

4. It may not always be clear, but some visits are more important.

As a pastor, you are supposed to equip others and train leaders for ministry. Should any of your church leaders be in need of a hospital call, you should personally prioritize making the visit yourself.

Not every surgery is the same. Prudently prioritize which surgeries will need a pastoral visit. It is worth considering the risk of the procedure, as an outpatient mole removal will not be the same as open-heart surgery. Oftentimes, your pre-operation presence will outright be requested. Other times, it would be a warmly welcomed surprise. Both can be powerful opportunities to minister. Whenever a church member doesn’t have a spouse or family to help them, consider having a deacon or church leader visit and be ready in the waiting room. These types of situations are all important for different reasons, but a good pastor will know when to go and when to entrust member care to other gifted individuals within the church body.

5. It may not always go as planned, but here are some tips.

Your visit does not need to be very long. Seven to 10 minutes. Patients who are in the hospital need their rest. There are exceptions, and you’ll know when that is the case. Don’t get in the way of any of the medical personnel who are trying to administer medicines, communicate with a patient, etc. You may need to excuse yourself into the hallway if sensitive information is being exchanged or if a patient is trying to transition their posture while in a hospital gown.

Get a brief summary on their status. Minister to any family present. Be mindful of hospital policies on numbers of visitors, mask requirements, and “quiet hours.” You will find that your presence is normally welcomed by all hospital staff and professionals, but don’t wear that welcome out. Don’t try to become their doctor, and don’t tell the staff how to do their job. Get a simple update from the patient of what they want to share so that, as their pastor, you can pray specifically.

Pray with your church member by name. You may even hold their hand while you pray. In most cases, you won’t need to sit down. But if you do, don’t ever sit on the hospital bed. It is unprofessional. If the patient is not conscious or should not be awakened, leave a card or another imprint so they will know their pastor came by to pray and check on them. At times, you may need to check in with the nurses in order to make sure it is a good time to enter the room. They are always helpful and will gladly let the family know you came by.

Offer reassurance and speak highly of the staff and facilities. You have an opportunity to be encouraging. They need a visit from their pastor, who trusts in God. No one needs a visit from Eeyore. Can you imagine the stress and difficulty that hospital staff endured amidst the pandemic? Offer to pray for the staff and medical teams when appropriate. God will often answer your prayers for healing through their ministry of medicine.

SBTC announces ministry partnership with Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico

CORPUS CHRISTI—Puerto Rico is an island of 3.3 million people that has been ravaged by poverty and the nearly annual recurrence of tropical storms and hurricanes that leave death and destruction in their wake.

Even so, faithful Southern Baptist pastors in the territory continue to take the hope of the gospel on a daily basis to those who need it most.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board voted unanimously to enter into a multiyear ministry partnership with the Puerto Rico Southern Baptist Convention (PRSBC) in an effort to support their pastors and churches. The ministry partnership will provide financial resources ($25,000 to be disbursed each year for three years with an option for another $25,000 to be given during the fourth year, and an additional $25,000 to help fund a pastors conference/retreat), as well as access to other resources aimed at strengthening existing churches, planting new ones, and raising up a new generation of pastors and leaders to reach the lost.

“Puerto Rico is a small convention … but the need is phenomenal,” SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick said to the board. “God is doing a very unique thing in Puerto Rico.”

In a September letter to the SBTC, PRSBC Executive Director Luis R. Soto said the ministry partnership with the SBTC will help his convention and its 52 affiliated churches “better equip pastors and churches on the island for the work of evangelism, discipleship, developing leaders, and pastoral care while revitalizing and planting churches.”

Said Soto: “We are extremely grateful for the interest the SBTC has shown to associate with our [convention].”

Ninety percent of the PRSBC’s pastors are bivocational, and many are nearing retirement age without a pipeline to equip the next generation of pastors, Soto said. At the same time, the PRSBC has worked with the North American Mission Board’s Send Puerto Rico initiative to plant 22 new churches over the past three years.

The Puerto Rico ministry partnership is part of a larger effort to support the ministries of smaller Southern Baptist state conventions. In August, the SBTC announced it would enter into a similar relationship with the Nevada Baptist Convention for the purposes of strengthening churches, planting new ones, reaching the lost, and developing leaders in the nation’s fifth-fastest growing state.