Author: Russell Lightner

Some of our favorite God stories of 2024

As we hunt for stories to fill the Texan each month, we are driven by our main mandate: tell the stories of what God is doing in the churches of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Sometimes we do that by reporting about how God is moving at a church. Sometimes we tell stories about the individuals who make up the body of Christ. Still other times we stumble on a story where God uses a squirrel to impact His kingdom (more on that in a minute).

As we say goodbye to 2024 and anticipate what God will do in 2025, here are some of our favorite stories from this past year:

Lobs for the Lord (April 2024)

God can use anything to reach people—including the burgeoning sport of pickleball. Jane Rodgers, one of our longtime Texan contributors, found out several churches across Texas are leveraging the sport’s popularity to build community and share the gospel. She specifically profiled the outreaches of two churches: Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood and First Baptist Church Dallas. A couple of weeks after our article published, Fox News picked up on the story and broadcast a pair of interviews featuring the gospel pickleball outreaches happening at those same churches—amplifying the message of Christ and a pretty unique way to tell others about Him.

Making an eternity of difference a world away (May 2024)

Earlier this year, Bruno Molina, the SBTC’s language evangelism associate, received news that our 1Cross app had been used to share the gospel with someone in India. In response, the person who heard the gospel made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. The app contains brief gospel presentations in more than 70 languages—including one in English. If you don’t know about the 1Cross app, you’re missing out on what may prove to be an incredibly useful tool in helping you and others in your congregation share the gospel.

‘God is going to heal her’ (June 2024)

Correspondent Arlene Sanabria’s account of the near-death experience of Irma Ramos, wife of longtime SBTC pastor Marcos Ramos, compellingly uses dialogue to take the reader directly into some of the harrowing moments experienced by the family—from Irma’s fall and subsequent head injury to the hospital where doctors questioned her ability to fully recover. It’s a story of bold faith and a family that stubbornly clung to the belief that Jesus would restore Irma to health.

Salvations, squirrels & stability (September 2024)

How can you not like a salvation story that includes a wild squirrel running amok through a church? First Baptist Church in Timpson has seen God move in some amazing ways, not the least of which happened when the pastor, W. Dee Daniel, shared the gospel with a man dispatched to the church to catch the aforementioned crazed squirrel. That man decided to follow Jesus that day. The next week, that man’s son accepted Christ. Two weeks later, his daughter followed suit. Somewhere, Ray Stevens is smiling. If you know, you know …

SBTC Disaster Relief finds plenty of work, gospel opportunities to celebrate in ’24

Bringing Jesus to the middle of the mess

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief neared the end of its major 2024 deployments on a mountaintop in North Carolina with mass feeding and chaplaincy efforts in the tiny town of Spruce Pine.

Volunteers were serving survivors of Hurricane Helene, the devastating late September storm that swept through Florida, Georgia, and Appalachia, claiming more than 200 lives and causing billions of dollars of damage.

Helene was the third hurricane—following Francine and Beryl—to which SBTC DR responded in 2024. But the year was about more than just hurricanes.

“Disaster relief strengthens the faith of volunteers and survivors alike,” said Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director. “Volunteers see God’s provision for ministry as they experience Christian fellowship while deployed. They witness a suffering world in which God intervenes with the gospel. Survivors encounter the compassion of Christ through His servants who come to help.”

And help they did in 2024.

“Our volunteers are, as SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick said recently, ‘mobilized missionaries,’” Stice said.

Throughout the year, SBTC DR volunteers continued ministry along the Texas-Mexico border, responded to Panhandle wildfires, and assisted survivors of Houston and Southeast Texas storms and flooding, North Texas and Arkansas tornadoes, a Temple tornado, and New Mexico wildfires.

The year provided rich opportunities for ministry. Early March saw teams rush to the Texas Panhandle where five wildfires raged, burning more than a million acres. Volunteers worked in conjunction with churches to serve survivors. Teams prepared more than 1,000 meals using the QRU quick response food truck from Pampa. Chaplains and recovery crews followed. One pastor noted his church had been praying to be a “beacon of light” in their Panhandle community. DR made that a reality, as church members worked alongside SBTC DR teams.

SBTC DR 2024 by the numbers

Texas deployments 29
Out-of-state deployments 5
Total deployments 34
Volunteer days 5,169
Volunteer hours 451,200
Gospel contacts 44,415
Professions of faith 4,151^*
Recovery jobs completed 244
Additional recovery jobs addressed 376
Meals prepared 161,373
Meals served to public by SBTC DR 63,157
Showers provided 2,641
Laundry loads done 2,149

Following early summer wildfires in Ruidoso, N.M., SBTC DR volunteers assisted with mass feeding, dodging flash floods themselves and praying together while witnessing swift-water rescues by first responders in the river just below the DR center of operations at a church.

In July, SBTC DR teams saw nine salvations among survivors of eight tornadoes in Southeast Texas spawned in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. Stice said Beryl was the biggest mass deployment since Hurricane Harvey. Teams assisted for six weeks.

In North Carolina, ministry proved especially fruitful as a new drive-thru model of food distribution was launched which facilitated thousands of personal contacts in Spruce Pine. Volunteers handed out 19,500 hot meals and chaplains prayed with all who were willing.

“We had chaplains visiting with and praying for everyone who drove through or walked up at Spruce Pine, if they wanted us to,” said SBTC DR chaplain Debby Nichols. “We heard hundreds of stories of losses, heartaches, and praises.”

One man asked for prayer for “this whole mess,” Nichols recalled. After she prayed, the man said he had lost his uncle in the flooding when a mudslide destroyed the family’s house. Ten inside the house survived; two did not.

“So, we prayed again,” Nichols said, choking up.

“I had grown, strong men pray and cry with me,” said SBTC DR chaplain Mike Henson. “I had several individuals share with me not only the hurt from the disaster but also the longtime burdens of their lives. I saw how disaster softened hearts. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord Jesus was exalted in Spruce Pine.”

That is the heart of disaster relief: that Jesus is exalted—even in the midst of crisis.

Church’s perseverance through a series of setbacks leads to growth, effectiveness

Gutting it out for God’s glory

HOUSTON—Pastor Zach Brackett at LifeBrook Church in Houston says he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy any of the hardships the church has endured in the past five years. Yet he can see how God has used the obstacles for his good and the good of the congregation.

A few months after Brackett arrived at the church, the baptismal waters began to stir once again, but a backup somewhere in the line sent the drain water flooding into the church offices. Then COVID-19 hit right as he was getting to know his new flock.

Later in 2020, lightning struck the church sanctuary and it caught fire, displacing the congregation for two and a half years. They were able to convert the fellowship hall into a worship space, but a year and a half of struggling with the insurance company took a toll. After that came a year of rebuilding the sanctuary.

Twice during that time, the church was robbed, including once by a criminal taking the contents of the church safe early on a Monday morning.

Earlier this year, Brackett thought the church campus had escaped unscathed after Hurricane Beryl until he realized the winds had picked up a 7.5-ton air conditioning unit from the roof and thrown it onto the power lines behind the church. The unit had severed the lines, so when power was restored, sparks flew and smoke billowed.

The insurance deductible was so high that the church paid nearly $100,000 to replace the unit and repair three others. The church budget is just over $450,000.

“Jokingly, some of the pastors around here call me the unluckiest pastor,” Brackett said. He is no stranger to sleepless nights spent crying out to God, but “it has opened our congregation up in a beautiful way.”

“We weren’t in our sanctuary for two and a half years, but we got to see people come to Christ,” he said. “We got to see people get baptized. We got to see people get discipled. It stretched our congregation, and we began to realize the church has nothing to do with this building. This is where we meet, but we are the church.”

The hardships helped LifeBrook be more flexible regarding the past and what needed to be done to reach people in the future.

“Even in me, the past five years as a pastor have been a very humbling time and a time where God has drawn me back to His Word and the call to be faithful,” Brackett said, noting success in God’s eyes is determined by faithfulness. “God has used it to grow me a lot as a leader and as a pastor and help make me more reliant on His strength.”

LifeBrook was founded as Lazybrook Baptist Church in 1962, but it changed the name about two years ago as recommended by a discovery team charged with discerning God’s plan for the church’s future. Lazybrook is the name of a nearby neighborhood, but Brackett said he had heard all the lazy church jokes he could handle.

The church had been in decline for about a decade when Brackett arrived, and the discovery team, aided by the Union Baptist Association, charted a way forward. “We put everything on the table,” the pastor said, adding that church leaders wanted to know where God was leading, not where they wanted to go.

They started with overhauling the bylaws and making church membership more meaningful, Brackett said. They streamlined the church schedule. “We were keeping our people really, really busy doing a ton of things, but if you’re so busy with stuff at the church building, how can you actually live out the gospel in your neighborhood?”

“We got to see people get baptized. We got to see people get discipled. It stretched our congregation, and we began to realize the church has nothing to do with this building. This is where we meet, but we are the church.”

—Zach Brackett Tweet

One major community need the discovery team cited was childcare. During COVID, more than 20% of preschools in the area closed, Brackett said. “We have a lot of dual income families—a lot of young professionals in their 30s with kids. One of the preschools has a waitlist of around 200.”

LifeBrook drew up plans to bring one of its buildings up to code to start a preschool that would care for 85 students, but some of the money for that ministry was in a facilities fund that was used to replace the 7.5-ton air conditioner that fell victim to the hurricane.

“Now we’re just trying to figure out what we need to do to finance those renovations so we can do that for the community,” the pastor said of the preschool.

Through the hardships, LifeBrook—with an average Sunday attendance of 110—has been busy ministering to the community. When storms hit, they send people into the neighborhoods with chainsaws and meals. They send volunteers to read with local elementary students, provide lunch for the teachers, and contribute to toy drives and food drives. They partner with a local moms group for an Easter egg hunt, a trunk-or-treat, and a holiday hayride.

“It’s been a crazy journey, but I believe God has some great things in store for our church,” Brackett said. “What I will say about church revitalization is it’s a long-term journey. It’s not a quick fix.

“… I’d encourage other pastors [to remember] that faithful service over the long term makes a great impact. Oftentimes, things get hard, and as pastors it’s easy to get frustrated and want to leave right before God does something amazing. But I think there’s beauty in having pastoral grit.”

Regenesis churches are praising God for the turnaround they are experiencing

‘A lasting impact for the kingdom’

The past 20 years have brought staggering growth to Fate, a North Texas city located just north of Interstate 30 and east of ever-sprawling Rockwall. In 2000, Fate was home to about 500 people. By 2020, the population swelled to nearly 20,000, with city officials expecting that number to exceed 50,000 by 2040.

But when R.J. Nanny looked around First Baptist Church in Fate, he saw no such growth. On any given Sunday, 10-15 people—at most—would be in attendance. Nanny, the church’s pastor, knew God could use FBC Fate to impact His kingdom. He just didn’t know how.

So, Nanny turned to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which had started a church health and revitalization process called Regenesis. It’s a process designed to help church leaders clarify their mission and network leaders walking through similar circumstances.

Nanny led FBC Fate through the eight-month process, walking away with a multiyear plan to lead the church toward health and effectiveness. Since completing the Regenesis process, Nanny said FBC Fate has seen its membership and average weekly attendance grow, and 30 people have been baptized.

“The resources, training, and mentorship we received through this initiative have been invaluable,” Nanny said. “[The SBTC’s] dedication to revitalizing churches like ours has equipped us to reach our community and make a lasting impact for the kingdom.”

SBTC REGENESIS cohorts

2022

2 cohorts (18 churches & 55 lay leaders)

2023

9 cohorts (69 churches & 259 lay leaders)

2024

11 cohorts (74 churches & 378 lay leaders)

“This wasn’t part of our church culture a year ago. The Spirit of Christ has been changing our church family’s attitude toward one another and our community as we’ve started to unify together to make disciples.”

—Jason Points Tweet

In 2022—the first year of Regenesis—two cohorts met representing 18 churches and 55 lay leaders. That number jumped to nine cohorts (69 churches, 259 lay leaders) in 2023. This year, 11 cohorts representing 74 churches and 378 lay leaders began going through the process that, for some, will conclude next May.

In addition to the cohorts, the SBTC began hosting Regenesis One-Day gatherings in 2024. Thirteen One-Day events drew 139 churches and 235 lay leaders. All told, that’s 300 churches that have participated in Regenesis—roughly 10% of the total number of SBTC-affiliated churches.

More expansion is planned for 2025, including 15 more One-Day gatherings and the launch of Regenesis Español.

“We are witnessing signs of revival in many ways within these churches,” said Anthony Svajda, who oversees Regenesis for the SBTC. “Those that were once stagnant are now advancing their mission. Those that were once confused now have clarity. Churches that were once inward-focused are now turning their focus outward. It’s evident that God is actively working and building His church.”

The numbers don’t just speak for themselves. Pastors who are leading their churches through Regenesis are speaking up about how they’ve seen God use a revitalized focus to help build healthy cultures within their congregations.

Jason Points, lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Trenton, said he has watched the culture begin to change at his church since participating in Regenesis. One way that change has manifested, he said, has been through a group of women in the church who have started intentionally and strategically encouraging people in the congregation and the community.

“This wasn’t part of our church culture a year ago,” Points said. “… The Spirit of Christ has been changing our church family’s attitude toward one another and our community as we’ve started to unify together to make disciples who make disciples who love Jesus deeply.”

Blessed to be a blessing

This is a great time of year to be reminded of how generous our God is, as well as how generous His people should be. Here are a few things to remember about God’s blessings:

God really does want to bless us

Of the 36 recorded miracles of Jesus, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only one mentioned in all four gospels besides the resurrection. Jesus blessed that crowd by feeding them literally and spiritually. Do you genuinely believe He wants to bless you today too?

“What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? … how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:9,11).

God wants to bless others through us

“I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).

Those who followed Jesus to the northern part of Israel were basically stranded on a remote mountain. When faced with the logistical nightmare of feeding at least 5,000 people without any legitimate food source, the disciples all stated the most obvious and practical solution: Send them home (Luke 9).

That is ministry-speak for “not our problem.” But Jesus essentially replied, “They actually are your problem” (Luke 9:13).

I must admit that the disciples had some legitimate points. Philip wondered, “Where can we buy bread? We don’t have enough money!” Andrew asked, “What are five barley loaves and two fish for so many?”

In reality, there is no way your church will be able to meet every need in your community, much less the world. But is that a legit excuse to do nothing for the needy?

“If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action” (1 John 3:17–18).

In reality, there is no way your church will be able to meet every need in your community, much less the world. But is that a legit excuse to do nothing for the needy?

Mark Dance Tweet

Your obedience triggers God’s blessings

When Jesus commanded the disciples to go look for food among the crowd, a generous boy gave up his meager lunch of bread and fish. I’m guessing that little boy’s basket was fuller when he left than when he came!

“A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

The other side of that gospel coin is that our disobedience triggers God’s discipline:

“The one who gives to the poor will not be in need, but one who turns his eyes away will receive many curses” (Proverbs 28:27).

Have you led your church to become a channel of blessing for widows and orphans, the helpless and homeless, the prisoners and refugees? Perhaps no church can tackle all these challenges, but our calling is to channel the unique resources of our churches to bless our neediest neighbors in our community and our world. The happiest pastors and churches I know are the ones who understand they have been blessed to be a blessing.

“Happy is one who cares for the poor, the Lord will save him in a day of adversity. The Lord will keep him and preserve him, he will be blessed in the land” (Psalm 41:1–2).

Leaping for joy

hat a wonderful time of year! I am grateful to God for this Christmas season where we focus our attention even more on the Lord Jesus Christ.

For my Christmas sermon series in December, I am preaching on “Christmas Joy.” There is much fear, confusion, and even chaos in our nation and the nations of the world, just like that first Christmas when Jesus came from heaven to earth to be born of the Virgin Mary.

My mother-in-law, Evelyn, posted a picture on social media that grabbed my attention. It is a picture of when Mary visited Elizabeth. The reactions on both their faces reflect pure joy. Luke 1:39-45 details the scene. Please take a moment and read this passage in your Bible.

When Mary, the mother of Jesus, visited her cousin, Elizabeth, she was pleasantly surprised by the reception. The babe in Elizabeth’s womb, John the Baptist, leaped! This was the same man who said in John 3:30 that Jesus must increase but he must decrease. He was that servant of the Lord prophesied in the Old Testament who would come and prepare the way for the Lord (Isaiah 40:3).

Elizabeth, though advanced in years, was thrilled at what she was seeing and experiencing. I love how Luke tells the reader that she was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet descended at Pentecost, but here she is being filled. Then, with a loud voice she made statements about Mary, the baby she was carrying, and in speaking she reveals much about herself.

I hope you will experience the wonder of Christ afresh this year, that you would not just go through the motions but have true excitement and genuine joy.

Danny Forshee Tweet

It was Elizabeth, not Peter, who made the first confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Scripture teaches us no one can declare Jesus is Lord unless it is granted by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). I love how Elizabeth responds to Mary’s visit with wonder, excitement, humility, and joy. Should this not characterize all the children of God especially at Christmastime? I hope you will experience the wonder of Christ afresh this year, that you would not just go through the motions but have true excitement and genuine joy. The way you and I will be blessed in these ways is through humility, recognizing we are nothing and He is everything. Jesus must increase in our lives because it is all about Him.

Look at Luke 1:44: When Mary arrived, the babe in Elizabeth literally leaped for joy! What a revealing passage of Scripture. It teaches us about the miraculous. John the Baptist was simply doing what he would do during his ministry—getting excited about the person and ministry of Jesus. This text also teaches us something else that is affirmed in Scripture: that God values life. This was not just a blob or mass or a fetus. No, these two individuals were babies, real people highly favored and loved by God like all babies in the womb.

My prayer is that you will have a blessed and excited Christmas, one with much joy. I also pray you will be surprised afresh with the wonder of Jesus and that He would do a miracle in your life even today!

SBTC churches have much to celebrate as year of gospel impact comes to an end

Mobilized and making an impact

God is moving mightily through the family of churches known as the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

In February, the SBTC’s annual Empower Conference delivered tools, training, and encouragement to a record crowd of nearly 4,300 people. In its second year, the Empower Student Rally drew nearly 750 students—double the number who attended the inaugural event the previous year. Included in those attendees were 18 students who made professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

It was an exciting year for SBTC student ministries, which reached 6,600 students through the rally, M3 WKND, and M3 summer camps. Of that number, 940 made professions of faith, expressed a desire to be baptized, or acknowledged a call to ministry, missions, or leadership in the local church.

SBTC En Español has seen engagement among Hispanic Texans vastly increase. Its men’s conference, Hombres de Impacto, drew 750 men while its Florece retreat attracted nearly 800 women—representing the largest attendance numbers in the history of both events. SBTC En Español’s Youth Week student camp had nearly 700 campers.

Another noteworthy first: In June, First Baptist Church Woodsboro became the first SBTC church to serve on mission in Nevada as part of the convention’s partnership with the Nevada Baptist Convention. The aim of the partnership is for the two state conventions to work together to strengthen existing churches and plant new ones in Nevada. A similar partnership has also been underway between the SBTC and the Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico, and plans to do similar work in Europe through the SBTC are well underway.

“This is a daunting reality—one that ought to move our hearts to action. What we’ve seen time and time again over the past 25 years as a convention [is this]: What seems like an insurmountable mountain to the world becomes a God-sized opportunity to reach every person and place God sends us.”

—nathan lorick Tweet

In September, the convention announced SBTC churches gave $1,752,383 through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering this past year—the most collected in a single year. The offering period covered September 2023 to August 2024. The previous record was set only a year earlier, when $1,673,560 was given. Reach Texas funds a variety of gospel-fueled efforts, including church planting, disaster relief, missions mobilization, and the Empower Conference.

Throughout the year, the SBTC has continued to cast a renewed vision for the next decade: to see all its affiliated churches mobilized to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world. Twenty-five years ago, Texas was home to 19 million people. Today, 19 million people are estimated to be lost in a state that is now home to 30 million people.

“This is a daunting reality—one that ought to move our hearts to action,” SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick said during his report to messengers at the 2023 SBTC Annual Meeting. “What we’ve seen time and time again over the past 25 years as a convention [is this]: What seems like an insurmountable mountain to the world becomes a God-sized opportunity to reach every person and place God sends us.”

Through October, the number of churches affiliated with the SBTC stood at 2,786. That number was expected to rise following November’s SBTC Executive Board meeting, which happened after the Texan’s publishing deadline.

5 minutes with Rocky Weatherford

In 2020, Rocky Weatherford returned to First Baptist Church Tool for a second stint as pastor. He has also pastored four other churches in Texas over the last 37 years and served local Baptist associations in several positions. He has been a Lifeway trustee and served the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention as vice chairman and chairman of the executive board. Weatherford was among those who were instrumental in helping found the SBTC a quarter century ago. He and his wife, Marsha, have been married for almost 48 years. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.

What is something you’ve been able to celebrate at FBC Tool recently?

Over the last five years, in spite of the challenges of the pandemic, the economy, and the secularization of society, we have seen people respond to the gospel. We have baptized an average of eight people each year. We are seeing real spiritual growth in our youth, as well.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your ministry lately?

Honestly, there have been two: encouraging our people to grow spiritually and the problem of church insurance. Our premiums have tripled since I came back to the church. A lot of churches around here are being forced to either drop insurance coverage or opt for liability coverage only.

What’s a lesson you’ve learned to this point of your ministry you know you’ll never forget?

The best lesson I have learned is to remember that I am called to whatever God desires me to do. Sometimes that’s been serving in a church and sometimes a college. I always thought I was called to pastor a church, but a friend told me, “No. You are just called. You have to do what God tells you to do.”

What’s one thing you’d like to see God do specifically at FBC Tool this year?

This year my goal is to build spiritual leadership. There is a desperate need for men and women to grow spiritually and to step up and lead under the Lord’s direction in the various ministries of the church.

How can the other churches of the SBTC be praying for you?

My prayer is that God would become real to us. I am amazed at how many Christians will say they have never heard God speak. I want to see God become personally real to each member of FBC Tool. When He becomes real in our lives, we are much more effective in sharing Him with others.

An Equip road trip to West Texas

By now, in his third year pastoring in West Texas, Paul Fisher is used to the mispronunciation—and the unintentional humor.

“Sometimes people say, ‘How is it in ‘Farewell?’” he says with a laugh. “Which is funny, too, because you literally leave the state when you leave our town.”

That is why members of First Baptist Farwell (pronounced “Far-wuhl” by the locals), hard by the New Mexico border, are used to leaving town and crossing Texas to participate in most things that happen in Baptist life. And it’s why Fisher was so excited to learn about the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Equip West Texas conference, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock.

The Equip Conference has traditionally been held once per year and rotated between the Dallas and Houston metro areas. Phil Todd, the STBC’s spiritual formations team leader, says taking the event on the road is being done to better serve churches in the farther reaches of the state that are not close to Dallas or Houston.

“My hope is Equip West Texas will be well-attended, bring strong value, and maybe lead the way to do other regional [Equip] conferences in other parts of the state,” Todd said. “ … We’ve taken some steps to try to be more proactive in being in the areas where churches are rather than asking churches to come to us.

“I’m very hopeful. So far, we’re getting a very positive response from pastors in the West Texas area about an event like this being in their geographic region.”

Equip conferences are geared for church ministry leaders, with emphasis on volunteer/lay leadership. The theme for Equip in 2025 is “Above and Beyond,” based on Ephesians 3:14-21. The goal of the conference is to help churches accomplish through the Lord “above and beyond” all they can think or imagine in their ministries.

“We’ve taken some steps to try to be more proactive in being in the areas where churches are, rather than asking churches to come to us.”

—phil todd Tweet

Planning for Equip West Texas includes 70 breakout sessions by 27 presenters covering 20 critical church ministry areas including apologetics; worship, children’s, student, family, men’s, and women’s ministries; deacons; discipleship; cyber/tech and video/website ministries; evangelism; missions; Sunday school/groups; security; and more. There’s also an En Español track with main sessions and breakouts. The keynote speaker is Anthony Svajda, who oversees the SBTC’s Regenesis church revitalization process.

Brett Hoyle, pastor of First Baptist Friona, has participated in previous Equip conferences and called the training events “amazing,” but admits the distance and expense to take a group to Dallas or Houston is a huge hurdle for many churches in the farther-flung regions of Texas.

“They’re almost too far to get away to in one day for our folks,” says Hoyle, who hopes to bring as many as 20 leaders to Lubbock. “I’m excited for the regional Equip Conference and hope churches attend.”

Fisher says he’s grateful the SBTC will bring Equip to the region.

“They’ve recognized some of the challenges that some of us further out here in the Panhandle or wherever face,” he said. “It shows they care about our churches and equipping them. They’re willing to meet us where we are. It’s just a huge deal.

“If I can load up one of our buses and take a good group of us down there, I will. To go to Lubbock is no big deal.”

What a blessing!

Life has a unique way of bringing moments of reflection. As we enter December, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible year the Lord has given the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

When we begin a new year, we are usually looking forward. This is a good thing—we must always look to the possibilities that lie ahead. However, we also never know what to anticipate in the future. January 2024 was no different.

As we began the new year, we started implementing the SBTC’s new mission focus. We jumped in wholeheartedly to our mission of mobilizing churches to multiply disciple-making movements in Texas and around the world.

Though we didn’t know what 2024 would bring, God has once again been so good to us. Allow me to highlight a few things we can celebrate together:

1. Our convention is growing.

Throughout the year, we had quite a few churches affiliate with the SBTC. We love when we can grow and see the gospel advance together. We currently have the largest number of churches in SBTC history.

2. Church planting is growing.

When we created Send Network SBTC in partnership with the North American Mission Board, we didn’t know what to expect. Over the past three years, we have seen over 145 churches planted in Texas through the SBTC. That is an incredible number of churches. In fact, we anticipate planting between 60-65 churches in 2024 alone. I am so grateful for all that God is doing!

3. Reach Texas is growing.

Our Reach Texas State Missions Offering took in a record $1,752,383 to be used for missions and evangelism through SBTC churches. We are praying God will allow us to hit over $2 million next year.

There are so many things to look back on and be thankful for. Yet, as we close out this year, we are looking to the future with great anticipation. We believe God is going to continue to use our network of churches to see disciple-making movements multiplied in Texas and around the world.

As we enter January, there is one thing I want to make you aware of. Our Texan magazine serves as an incredible tool to tell the stories of how God is using SBTC churches. Over the course of this year, we have experienced significant increases in printing costs. Our desire is to be the best stewards of Cooperative Program dollars, so in response to rising costs, we will print eight Texan issues in 2025 instead of 12. However, we are increasing our page count from 32 pages per issue to 48 pages per issue. Therefore, you will have the same number of pages, stories, and content as before, just in fewer issues.

This creates significant savings in the cost of printing and shipping, allowing us to best manage CP dollars. While the frequency will change, we remain committed to devoting the same amount of space to conveying all that God is doing across our state. We look forward to continuing to provide the best communication piece out there.

I pray you have a great Christmas season. I encourage you to reflect on the goodness of God over the past year and enter 2025 full of expectancy of what He will do. I love you and am honored to serve you!