Author: Jayson Larson

Julio Arriola to serve as director for Send Network SBTC church planting partnership

FLINT—Julio Arriola is returning to a very familiar landscape.

Once he officially puts his feet back on Texas soil, he will find the need for the gospel is greater than it has ever been.

Arriola, 45, has accepted the call to serve as the first director of Send Network SBTC – a church planting partnership between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC). The SBTC Executive Board voted unanimously to approve the partnership with NAMB in August and Arriola was introduced to the board at Wednesday’s Executive Board meeting.

Arriola will be employed by NAMB but will work out of the SBTC offices in Grapevine. The new partnership will allow the SBTC to lean on NAMB’s extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of church planting coaching, care and training for planters and funding.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Julio to the NAMB family. His extensive experience and leadership in church planting will undoubtedly add momentum to Send Network and SBTC’s church planting efforts,” said Kevin Ezell, president of NAMB. “In order to produce high-capacity planters, we need high-capacity leaders — like Julio — who will do whatever it takes to ensure church planters are adequately prepared, trained and mobilized.”

Arriola will lead a partnership that will allow the SBTC to extend its church planting efforts by utilizing NAMB resources in the areas of assessment, training, coaching, caring for and supporting church planters statewide.

“We are very excited to be back in Texas,” Arriola said. “We love Texas. But as great as Texas is, it also has a great need for Jesus, and planting churches is still the most effective way to reach people with the life-giving message of Jesus — the gospel.”

The Mexico native brings an impressive – and practical – set of tools to the SBTC’s growing network of church planters. Arriola has vocational experience at churches of varied sizes, he has planted and pastored a church that is now the largest in Guadalajara, Mexico (a city of 1.5 million people), and he is considered an influential leader among a Hispanic population that is one of the fastest-growing demographics in Texas.

Arriola most recently served as Executive Director for Hispanic Relations and Mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee in Nashville, a post he held since December 2019. While there, he worked to develop and implement strategies for maximum involvement and participation of Hispanic churches and church leaders across the SBC and its network of cooperating churches. His duties also included mobilizing Hispanic churches in key areas, including evangelism and church planting — in harmony with NAMB’s Send Network and Send Relief strategies.

“In this monumental moment, God is bringing the world to Texas,” SBTC Executive Director Dr. Nathan Lorick said. “We are incredibly excited that God led Julio Arriola to come alongside of the SBTC through the Send Network SBTC. I believe we are going to see more churches planted than ever before.”

The need for church planting in Texas is immense. Of its 30 million residents, it is estimated that 19 million are lost. According to SBTC figures, 1,000 people move to Austin weekly, nearly 2,000 move to Houston weekly, and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex sees nearly 3,000 new residents each week.

These new residents are increasingly diverse. Texas is home to more than 400 people groups that speak over 300 languages, making the state one of the most diverse clusters of people in the world. Arriola said he recognizes that the harvest in Texas is plentiful, and yet the workers are still far too few. All the more reason, he said, to “call out the called” and get all ethnicities involved.

“Church planting is challenging – it requires lots of prayer, work, money, planning, training and committed people to do God’s work,” Arriola said. “So having this partnership will allow us to stand alongside our churches and their planters to provide a path to plant healthy, biblical churches. NAMB has developed assessments, training and strategies that are second-to-none and we are ready to make all of this available through this partnership.”

Arriola’s Texas ties are already strong. He and his wife, Carla, were married here and his three children (ages 19, 17 and 15) were born in the Houston area. Arriola was ordained at Segunda Iglesia Bautista in Rosenberg in 2003 and, following a nearly two-year stint serving there as youth pastor, became worship leader at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land. He also became a U.S. citizen while living in Texas and earned his Master of Theological Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2020.

SBTC AM 2021: Boswell urges pastors to ‘cast a theological vision for worship’ in their churches

FLINT—Pastors will see the intimacy and earnestness increase in their churches when they cast a theological vision for worship and reject anything that would threaten to turn it into entertainment, pastor and hymnwriter Matt Boswell said Tuesday.

Boswell spoke to a standing-room-only crowd during “The Church & Worship” panel held Tuesday during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church. Boswell is the founding pastor of The Trails Church in Prosper and a hymnwriter whose works include “His Mercy is More,” which gets regular airplay on Christian radio.

The panel was held in conjunction with SBTC’s Young Pastors Network and emceed by Spencer Plumlee, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mansfield.

While being careful to note that each congregation must carefully work within the confines of its unique context, Boswell said one of the biggest threats to the church today is worship becoming a form of entertainment. He said there’s a tendency for churches to drift away from the core biblical foundations for worship and gathering as a body.

“Sometimes it’s like the reason we gather is that we feel like we need to announce certain things so our church doesn’t miss it, or the most important thing this Sunday is to remind people to give,” Boswell said. “I just think those things break the heart of the Lord. We have a great reason to gather. So I think whenever the glory of God is not the center of the target anymore, and we make secondary things the primary thing, I think that’s the greatest threat we have.”

Boswell urged pastors to not give in to the temptation to withdraw from participation in the worship process, even if he does not have experience in that field of ministry. Though he has shifted into the role of lead pastor, Boswell said he still works in close contact with his worship team.

So how can a pastor strengthen his ties to the worship leader and team and, in doing so, strengthen the quality of worship in the church?

“What you do there is cast a theological vision for corporate worship and show the musicians how integral they are to that,” he said. “Tell them what their goal is – clearly defined – and tell them when they accomplish that.

“Care deeply about the worship of your church,” he added. “Don’t relegate it to someone else. … Worship is the culmination of your life together as a church.”

The greatest challenge, however, comes not from what is happening corporately but personally – at least as it pertains to spiritual matters, he said. When asked by Plumlee what has been most challenging about “moving from the second chair to the first” – from worship pastor to lead pastor – Boswell said, “It’s me. It’s shepherding, caring for my own soul and maintaining spiritual disciplines and practicing my own communion with Christ.”

SBTC AM 2021: Weary after pastoring through COVID? ‘Don’t quit,’ panel says

FLINT—The COVID-19 pandemic affected churches in unprecedented ways – at least in modern memory. Shutdowns, declining attendance and, in some cases, reduced giving, combined with sheer exhaustion to challenge even the strongest spiritual community tested pastors and members in unexpected ways.

One of the presidential panels featured during Tuesday lunch at the 2021 SBTC Annual Meeting was “After COVID: Rebuilding the Pastor and the Church.” Moderated by Tony Wolfe, SBTC associate executive director, the panel included Danny Forshee, pastor of Austin’s Great Hills Baptist Church; Jacob Fitzgerald, pastor of Lufkin’s Denman Avenue Baptist Church; Ed Johnson III, pastor of DeSoto’s Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church; and Ramon Medina, Spanish pastor at Champion Forest Baptist Church of Houston.

What was surprising?

The pandemic brought the unexpected. Wolfe asked the pastors what they had found surprising about life and ministry during COVID. Forshee emphasized the weariness aspect of COVID. Fitzgerald said learning that “the church can thrive without passing the offering plate.” Johnson admitted he realized how impatient he was “in comparison to Christ.”

“Part of the congregation can disappear in a moment, but God takes care of his church,” Medina said.

Pandemic challenges and opportunities

Regarding the challenges of COVID, Fitzgerald admitted the difficulties of convincing the congregation to regather. “Habits have changed,” he said.

Forshee said about 60 percent of his congregation has returned to church. But other things have changed for the pastor and his work. “I can’t remember the last time I visited the hospital,” he added.

Medina agreed: “Pastoral care is a challenge for us.”

“Members have become more reclusive,” Johnson said. Especially for those who tend to be introverted, COVID has made it easy to isolate and harder to reconnect.

Opportunities arose despite the challenges. The pandemic precipitated an increase in the digital presence of many churches. Fitzgerald said his church’s online ministry “has exploded,” praising God for his goodness.

The pandemic also brought an increased awareness of mortality, a “good thing,” said Medina. “Many people understood that life on this planet is short,” he explained.

“What I see as an obstacle, God sees as an opportunity,” Fitzgerald said. To him, the pandemic “revealed the importance of connection with other pastors” and the importance of pastor health.

As for marriages, Fitzgerald said that his relationship with his wife was strengthened as they reconnected in family worship during COVID.

“It brought us closer together,” Forshee also said in agreement.

How are they reengaging church members?

Some church members remain hesitant to return to corporate worship. The pastors offered ideas about how their churches are reconnecting with their members. Medina stressed his church’s use of social media. “We use videos in social media to show people who have come back to the church having a good time,” he said.

“Relationships are vitally important,” Fitzgerald said, recommending prayer and the avoidance of judgment. “Pray that God will ordain Walmart and Lowe’s interactions,” he said, suggesting ways to encounter missing members outside church.

As for the ecclesiology of online worship, all panelists admitted wrestling with theological issues regarding digital church.

“Virtual church is a completely different thing than in person,” said Medina. “We don’t have church online; we have streaming. We cannot confuse the concepts.”

“Your website is the front door of your church,” Forshee said.

Streaming church has its limitations. “There are some things Jesus has given to a church to do; some of them can be done online and some of them cannot. The biblical command to gather has not been changed by the pandemic,” Johnson added.

Parting words

“It’s OK if you haven’t got it all figured out – nobody has,” Wolfe said, asking for parting advice from the pastors.

“Don’t quit. God is in control,” Forshee reminded the audience.

“Faithfulness to Jesus is its own fruit,” Johnson added.

SBTC AM 2021: Lorick urges next generation of believers to ‘rise up’

FLINT—The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention must have a “singled-minded focus” of moving forward in advancing the gospel even as it celebrates God’s faithfulness in the past and undergoes a transition in leadership, SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick told messengers during his Monday night sermon.

This was Lorick’s first annual meeting as executive director after he succeeded Jim Richards on April 1. Richards had served as executive director for 23 years since the formation of the SBTC in 1998.

Lorick, preaching a sermon from Joshua 1 about the transition in leadership from Moses, noted he was in high school when the SBTC was launched. The SBTC may be experiencing a transition in leadership, Lorick said, but it holds the same Christ-centered vision for the church it always has embraced.

Lorick encouraged the SBTC not simply to transition — but to “transition forward.”

“The future is not dependent on who occupies my position,” he said. “It is dependent on the churches being broken and burdened to reach 19 to 20 million lost people, to plant more churches than we ever have, to work every day to come alongside other churches – so that no church dies on our watch, in our state, in our generation.

“Now is the time,” he said, “that the new generation must rise up and advance forward with the mission that God has always had us on.”

The biblical story of the transition of Moses to Joshua, Lorick said, has application for the SBTC. Lorick spotlighted three “observations” from the text.

First, he said, “God’s faithfulness in the past gives us the anchor of hope for the future.” The Israelites, he noted, regularly remembered and celebrated the miracles of God past generations had experienced.

“They were able to look back and remember that the faithfulness of God showed up time and time and time again in the life of their parents,” Lorick said. “God has been so faithful to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. God has taken what was a small nucleus, a group of people standing firm on the Word of God, and he has, through his faithfulness, led us to the place where we are tonight.

“… God’s faithfulness in the past gives us the anchor of hope for the future. In order to move forward, they must always remember God’s faithfulness of the past.”

Second, Lorick said, “God’s vision for the past is transferable for the future.” The mission of the Israelites, he noted, was the same under Joshua as it was under Moses.

“It was a new generation. But it was the same vision of taking the Promised Land,” Lorick said. “… Though our convention is in a leadership transition, though it is just by nature shifting to a new generation, I want you to understand the vision is the same. We will be a network of churches that stands firm on the Word of God and serves churches with every fiber of our being.”

Third, Lorick said, “God’s manifested presence throughout the past will be our passion in pursuit in the future.” The Israelites, Lorick noted in referencing Joshua 1:17, wanted God’s presence to be with them in the same way it was with Moses.

“My heart,” he said, “is that the family of churches known as the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention … be mainly known [as] a network of churches that get on our face together all across our state and beg God for a fresh movement of His Spirit … to fall on our churches.”

Three pillars, Lorick said, set the SBTC apart: 1) a theological position anchored in inerrancy and the Baptist Faith & Message 2000; 2) a missional strategy that focuses not only on Texas but also the world; and, 3) a methodological approach that focuses on the local church.

“Southern Baptists of Texas, we must dive in and we must move forward – forward in reaching the lost, forward in planting churches, forward in revitalizing churches, forward in encouraging and equipping churches, forward in mobilizing churches, forward in missions,” he said. “… This is who we are, this is who we will be, [and] this is who we have been in the past. This is where we’re going – forward, together, for the glory of God.”

Richards gives ‘valedictory’ address

Richards spoke to messengers the same night as Lorick and preached from Joshua 4 in a sermon focused on what he called “remembrance stones.” God, in the passage, commanded the Israelites to take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan to create a memorial at Gilgal.

Richards noted the need to “reinforce the values” of the SBTC for the next generation – many of whom were children or teenagers when he became executive director.

“We are to be the remembrance stones for the next generation,” Richards said. “Just like Israelites in Canaan, we have battles to fight, cities to conquer and land to subdue. One day our time will be over. … When you are gone from this world, what will you leave behind? Will there be stones of remembrance or nothing of significance?”

Richards affirmed the biblical principles upon which the SBTC was founded, adding that the SBTC has always adjusted to ministry needs. “Have a kingdom vision. Be ready to look beyond where we are,” he urged, calling on “seasoned ministry leaders” to be flexible.

“The SBTC is always ready to change,” Richards said. “We can never get tied to something that hinders our collective work. We must always be looking for better ways to accomplish gospel advance.”

Finally, he implored listeners to “Commit yourself to stack God-honoring stones today and provide a ‘leave-behind’ for others to see Jesus.”

SBTC AM 2021: Pastors ‘just learning how to pray’ seeing God move in huge ways

FLINT—It’s noteworthy when some of the most recognizable pastors and leaders in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention gather on the same stage to talk.

But when several admit publicly that after years – decades – of following Christ and leading churches that they’re only recently learning how to truly pray, it’s compelling.

Such was the case when men like Todd Kaunitz, elected as SBTC’s president only hours earlier, and Nathan Lino, who pastors a church located in one of the fastest-growing regions in America, said they’ve seen their ministries and lives transformed by a laser-focused commitment to prayer. Their comments came during a panel discussion, “Keeping the Basic: Evangelism and Prayer” at the SBTC annual meeting Tuesday.

The topic of prayer took center stage during the discussion – underscoring the growing importance it seems to be having among SBTC leaders. As SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, one of the panelists, said, “Once you pray, evangelism takes care of itself.”

Panelist Jason Paredes, pastor of Fielder Church in Arlington, said God began to do something in his heart regarding prayer about seven months ago. Describing himself as a driven “doer” who found himself pushing himself and his staff with far more intensity than he was seeking the Lord in prayer, Paredes said he began to realize he was creating a culture that was damaging to his church, his staff and himself.

Damon Halliday, pastor of The Key Church in Fort Worth, said he was a “drive-by pray-er” until falling under conviction at a conference on prayer. As a result, he went back to his church and apologized to the congregation for “trying to pastor without praying.” He encouraged pastors who currently feel like they’re falling short in prayer by saying God will do miraculous things if they just begin praying in simplicity.

“What can we ever do for the kingdom if we never have a conversation with the king?” he asked.

Kaunitz said his church, New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, recently emerged from a 21-day period of prayer and fasting. In the two weeks or so since, he said the church has seen 78 people make professions of faith in Christ – a large number of which are longtime members of the church and even several church leaders. Kaunitz said one of those leaders told him, “I’ve been leading Bible study for 45 years, but I’ve never met Jesus.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Kaunitz said. “All I can tell you is we have seen a manifestation of God that I can’t explain.”

Lino said his church, Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble, likewise has seen hundreds saved and experienced medically-verified healings after making prayer its central focus.

“I’m literally pastoring a different church now,” he said. “I literally have a different marriage, a different family.”

SBTC AM 2021: Panel says Christians should ‘anticipate’ persecution

FLINT—Christians should anticipate persecution inside and outside the United States, agreed all members of a panel on the topic held Tuesday during the morning session of the SBTC annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church.

Nathan Loudin, pastor of Austin’s Milwood Baptist Church and Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee chair, moderated the panel which included Keisha Russell, an attorney with the First Liberty Institute; Bob Fu, Tiananmen Square survivor and founder of ChinaAid; Juan Sanchez, pastor of Austin’s High Pointe Baptist Church; and Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville.

What the Bible says

Asked to provide a biblical perspective on persecution, Fu described Christian persecution as “an organized, deliberate act of harassing, oppressing or even killing … followers of Christ because of their godly lives in Christ and faithfulness to Christ.” Persecution can range from passive to active, Fu noted. He discussed the increasing persecution of believers in China, calling it the “worst in 40 years,” a “second Cultural Revolution” not seen since the first during Mao Zedong’s rule.

Fu offered examples of modern persecution in China: Chinese children forced to sign forms renouncing their faith; pastors imprisoned, churches destroyed and crosses burned.

Legally speaking

Sanchez said Christians “are called to suffering” yet “drawn to comfort.” He praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state legislators who support religious freedom. Nonetheless, Sanchez said, pastors must “equip our people with the mindset” to prepare for persecution.

“We see ourselves as Israel in Jerusalem,” Sanchez said. “We are more like Israel in Babylon.”

Russell, likewise, complimented Texas for its stance on religious liberty yet cautioned pastors and churches that their ministries and social services—thrift stores, daycares—are vulnerable to attack. She noted as a positive example the recent Supreme Court case of Fulton v. Philadelphia, where SCOTUS ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services when the city of Philadelphia announced it would no longer contract with CSS because it did not place children with same sex couples, in apparent violation of Health and Human Services regulations.

Russell warned about the “direct targeting” of Christian groups by opponents, adding that “legally things really are hopeful. We do win a lot of these cases.” However, popular opinion is less certain. “We don’t win in terms of the popular option in the media,” Russell said, citing smear campaigns, demonization of Christians by the media and cancel culture. “Take your voice,” Russell urged. “There is nothing more powerful than when the Word of God comes out of our mouths.”

She also described the targeting of Christian groups by agencies such as the IRS, which recently attempted to remove the tax-exempt status of Christians Engaged, an organization promoting civic and voter involvement. The IRS letter informed the group that its biblical platform was aligned with the Republican Party.

“We’ve got to be firm and willing to stand up for ourselves or these things will happen,” Russell said.

Leading into persecution

“Do churches in small towns escape persecution?” Loudin asked Barber.

“I don’t think there’s anywhere you can go where you are isolated from cultural trends,” Barber replied, noting social media and the internet. “We don’t want to be isolated. We want to be connected to the world.”

Barber discussed incidents of persecution he and church members had experienced on mission trips, including the hostile reaction of a refined older woman in Montreal who resented the idea of Christians coming to assist after a flood.

Barber recalled baptizing a young woman in a river in Senegal as a crowd of young men shouted jeers from a nearby bridge, calling her a “fool” and reminding her that she would be staying in Senegal after the missionaries had departed.

The truth is, Barber said, that when we lead people to Christ, we also lead them into persecution. “If your church gives a dime to the Cooperative Program … you are leading people into persecution.” Enduring persecution is part of the Christian walk, and churches must be ready to “stand up [for] and stand behind” new believers.

Recommendations for pastors

When asked by Loudin about recommendations for pastors and churches, Russell urged them to be sure the church’s governing documents and articles of incorporation are in order and that employees sign the statement of faith.

Clarity in terms of beliefs and practices is important. “The law protects the devout, not the wishy-washy,” she said, adding that Firstliberty.org offers examples of governing documents, statements of faith and scripture references. “Everything has to be clear about what you believe and who you are,” she said.

“Membership in the local church matters,” Sanchez added, noting that people sometimes join churches to raise issues. He stressed the importance of vetting new members and having them sign the church covenant and statement of faith.

“Loose membership has turned into serious litigation problems for local churches,” Loudin added, directing the audience to two articles in the Persecution Journal.

How to respond

Fu, who was arrested in 1996 because of his involvement in a house church in China, affirmed the place of forgiveness: “Persecution is not a choice. Persecution is not an exception. It is the norm” according to what the Scripture tells us from Paul to Peter.

Parts of American society have already entered into the active persecution of Christians, Fu said. The “most powerful weapon of resistance is the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ,” he added, giving the example of a Chinese Christian school leader sentenced to seven years in prison yet writing poems of praise to God while incarcerated.

“When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile. He entrusted himself to the God who loves justly,” Sanchez reminded all, quoting 1 Peter 2:11-12.

“Smile at your persecutors in the name of Jesus. Have healthy ecclesiology …. Go on mission trips and learn how the international church interacts with persecution,” Barber added, ending with a semi-serious admonition to “have Keisha’s [Russell] number in your Rolodex.”

SBTC AM 2021: New Beginnings’ Kaunitz elected SBTC president

FLINT—Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, was elected convention president during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting Tuesday morning.

Kaunitz will succeed Kie Bowman, senior pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin. Kaunitz has been pastor at New Beginnings since 2010 and was nominated by Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston.

Kaunitz was the lone nominee.

“I can tell you with confidence, he will serve our convention of churches well,” Stephens said in nominating Kaunitz. “I believe this not because he has earned this or because he deserves it, but because Todd is leading the way in the things that are most important to us.”

Kaunitz is a current member of the SBTC Executive Board and previously served as secretary. He has stated that he intends for his platform to be a continuation of that of Bowman, namely, to challenge affiliated churches to pray so that they may see a great movement of God.

Stephens said Kaunitz is a leader in missions and evangelism not only in his community, but statewide. Stephens noted that New Beginnings was meeting at a single location with about 450 people when he arrived as pastor but has grown to more than 2,600 members with 1,400 people baptized meeting in two locations under his leadership.

“If there’s anything that 2020, and now 2021, have revealed to us, it’s that when times get hard, when pandemics come, and when there’s social unrest, it reveals the true condition of the church,” Kaunitz told the TEXAN in September. “We are seeing that we have operated way too long in our own effort, and God is giving us an amazing opportunity to see a spiritual awakening that will not happen outside of God’s people praying.”

Kaunitz is a graduate of East Texas Baptist University. He and his wife, Adrian, have three children.

SBTC AM 2021: Resolutions, president’s election highlight Day 2 business

FLINT—The torch has officially been passed. Or rather, the mantle has been placed.

The first day of the 2021 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting ended with a ceremonial placing of the mantle from its outgoing executive director, Jim Richards, to his predecessor, Nathan Lorick.

Richards, who will continue to serve the SBTC as executive director emeritus, and Lorick each delivered sermons during the evening. Richards urged messengers to press on for the sake of the gospel, holding fast to biblical integrity and the cooperative spirit that undergirds Southern Baptist work. Lorick urged messengers to unify and seek the presence of God together, saying the greatest tragedy in the SBC is “not statistical, but spiritual.

“The greatest tragedy in the SBC might be that we have a generation that has never experienced the manifest presence of God together,” he said. “…Don’t let our generation serve and never experience a powerful move of God together.”

On deck for today

Though Monday was a relatively light day, messengers will conduct the remainder of business today. The last opportunity to introduce motions will be this morning shortly after 9, and messengers will consider the Resolutions Committee Report at 3:15 p.m.

Kie Bowman, senior pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, will deliver the President’s Message at 11:10 a.m. Messengers will consider the election of Bowman’s successor, Todd Kaunitz of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview, later in the day.

Other sermons today will be delivered by Joe Lightner, president of Jacksonville College; Lakan Mariano, senior pastor of College Hills Baptist Church in San Angelo; and Ed Johnson III, pastor of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in DeSoto. Lorick will provide the closing challenge and lead a prayer service with Matt Boswell leading worship to close out the evening.

Panels, panels everywhere …

Four panels will be offered throughout the course of the day. A “Persecution of the Church in America” panel moderated by Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Chairman Nathan Loudin will be held at 10:25 a.m. on the main stage. Three panels will follow at lunchtime: “Keeping the Basic: Evangelism and Prayer” (CLC); “After Covid: Rebuilding the Pastor and the Church” (Kids Center); and “The Church & Worship: A Conversation with Matt Boswell” (Lighthouse Building). The panel with Boswell will be offered during Session 1 only, while the other two will be offered both at 12:15 p.m. and 1:10 p.m.

By the numbers

On the registration front, there are 777 registered messengers and 168 registered guests for a total of 945 people. Of the registered messengers, 639 pre-registered online. There are 326 total churches represented at the annual meeting.

SBTC AM 2021: Richards, wife honored for faithful years of service to SBTC

FLINT—The voices of neither Jim nor June Richards were heard from the podium during a recognition dinner held in their honor to kick off the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting at Flint Baptist Church Monday evening.

Instead, one by one, a stream of testimonies given both in person and via video spoke of the Richards’ kingdom faithfulness over the course of a half-century of ministry – nearly half of which was spent serving the SBTC.

Richards, SBTC founding executive director, announced at last year’s Executive Board meeting following the annual meeting in Austin that he would begin the process of transitioning out of convention leadership. With Nathan Lorick having been named his successor earlier this year, Richards has now shifted to the role of executive director emeritus.

Harold Harper, a longtime family friend who emceed the dinner, said Richards had one request – “make it about God.”

And so it was.

It was about God when Carlo Sciara, who has known Richards since high school, recalled hearing the news that his 17-year-old friend had given his life to Jesus in 1970. Just a few months later, a teary-eyed Richards drove up Carlo’s driveway in his gold Chevy Nova to tell him he had surrendered to preach.

It was about God when John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, talked about how Richards spent many years in his native Louisiana battling “theological liberalism and institutional cronyism.” As a result, Yeats said, Louisiana became an “anchor of biblical inerrancy” – a fact that would many years later make Richards the candidate to become the SBTC’s first executive director in November 1998.

And it was about God when Brenda Senn and Katera McMillan, via video, told of the quiet but strong faithfulness of their friend, June Richards – whom they described as a “prayer partner” and “prayer warrior.”

“When you call her and ask her to pray and tell her you have a prayer need,” a tearful Senn said, “she’s doing it.”

For his part, Lorick described Richards as a mentor and friend who exhibited diligence, wisdom, integrity, excellence, and respect. Isaac Newton, Lorick noted, is quoted as having once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

“Whatever the Southern Baptists of Texas will ever be,” Lorick said to Richards, “it’s because me and countless others that you’ve poured into are standing on the shoulders of you, our spiritual giant.”

The Richards were honored once more from the main stage during the evening business session. Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation Executive Director Bart McDonald presented a check in the amount of $250,000 to fund the Jim and June Richards Ministry Endowment, which will directly fund gospel ministry. Afterward, SBTC Executive Board Vice Chairman Caleb Turner read a resolution expressing gratitude to the couple for their many years of service.