Author: Russell Lightner

Helping yourself so you can help others

After pastoring in a fog of clinical depression for several months, I came very close to walking away from the church I was pastoring and the ministry altogether. I had been pastoring for 22 years at the time and was burned out and fed up—mostly with myself.

At first, I was determined to figure it out and fix it myself. Fortunately, I instead sought counsel from my family physician and a local therapist who worked together to help me get healthy again.

Because most ministry leaders are not mental health professionals, we are typically unsure of how to help people—including ourselves—through dark seasons. Here are four lessons I learned through my experience that I pray will be helpful to you both personally and professionally:

1 Don’t self-diagnose

When I realized the dark clouds in my head had set in for too long, I naively asked my wife, Janet, if she thought I was clinically depressed. It occurred to me the next day that this question put both of us in awkward positions since neither of us was a mental health professional. So, I did something radical for a pastor—I asked a professional for help.

Our family physician asked me a few questions about my thoughts, feelings, sleep, concentration, eating, work routines, etc. He then diagnosed me with clinical depression, prescribed some changes in my routine, and some medication that I took for almost a year—all of which were very helpful.

2 Let others pastor you

Understandably, the perceived stigma of depression makes it harder for ministers or their family members to seek ongoing help within the community we serve. Just don’t let the stigma become an excuse to ignore your mental wellness.

During that season of depression, I met monthly with a therapist, three to four times a year with my physician, and quarterly with a handful of deacons who called themselves the Pastor Support Team. These deacons just wanted to know how I was doing personally, not professionally. Deacons have been a part of God’s plan for pastoral wellness since the day they showed up to help in Acts 6.

It is humbling to be on the receiving end of pastoral care, but it is not humiliating. Jesus surrounded me with caring, qualified people who were helping me get healthy again. He and His people will do that for you, as well, if you simply ask for help.

3 Trust the Lord for healing

Satan has a plan for your life, but so does Jesus, who has already won the battle for your soul. God obviously allowed Peter to go through a sifting and refining process (Luke 22:31-32) so he could grow in both strength and humility, both of which he would need later.

Jesus is the hero of your story and mine. The same God who called us promises to finish what He started, so let’s trust Him together.

4 Help someone else

I am so glad I did not hastily run away from my problems. Little did I know that right around the corner would be my favorite season of ministry as a pastor, then as a pastor-advocate at GuideStone for people like you in the ministry.

Pastor, please get healthy for the sake of your family and ministry, as well as for yourself and the kingdom. Self-care is not self-centered—it is strategic for pastors and ministry leaders. And once you have gotten healthy, help other pastors who may be experiencing similar struggles.

What’s your story? I’m willing to be made willing!

Before 1984, I was a carnal Christian. I had been a believer since I was 12, but I didn’t want to get involved in people’s messes because it was hard. I remember the moment when God began to change me, and it prepared me for so many things in the days to come.

A lot happened that year. I had begun a speaking ministry and was teaching First Place [a Christian fitness and discipleship program] at Houston’s First. I was on church staff at the time, but nobody knew what our family was going through. My husband, Johnny, had to declare bankruptcy in his forklift business earlier in 1984 after struggling to keep it open for years. The economy was tough and Texas was hit hard. It was a very tough time in which God brought me to the end of myself.

December of that year, our pastor, John Bisagno, preached a sermon on the will, and I remember exactly where I was sitting in the church as clearly as I remember the day I accepted Jesus. He said, “ … If you are not willing for Him to do the work that needs to be done [in your life], you can pray this prayer today: ‘Lord, I’m not willing, but I’m willing to be made willing.’”

I prayed that prayer that morning and said, “Lord, that’s where I am. I’m not willing, but I’m willing to be made willing. Please don’t let it hurt too bad.” As a kid, I knew if God got every part of you, He would send you to China or Africa, because I’d heard so many missionaries speak. As an adult, you learned to have control of your life, and God had totally stripped all control from me. I was ready to hear that message that morning, and He literally changed everything about me from the inside out. I wouldn’t have been able to go through the different traumas we went through if He had not done that.

“When God got ahold of me and got me totally for Him, He changed up all my lists of things [I thought] I wouldn’t be able to do for Him.”

—Carole Lewis Tweet

But the traumas did come. Johnny was diagnosed with stage four cancer in 1997 and lived almost 17 years after that. Those years were such a blessing. Our daughter, Shari, was hit and killed by a drunk teenager in 2001. God has given me grace to pray often for the salvation of the woman who hit her. We also lost our permanent home—along with everything we owned—to Hurricane Ike in 2008. So, people come to me who are suffering from things like I’ve been through, and God has been faithful all the way. He does not take it lightly when His children suffer, so everything I’ve gone through has prepared me not only to teach Bible study, but to share with the women God brings my way. I absolutely love everything I do. I love my life.

When God got ahold of me and got me totally for Him, He changed up all my lists of things [I thought] I wouldn’t be able to do for Him. Those are the very things He has me doing, and I love it. I love whatever He gives me to do. Now I consider mentoring the women He sends my way a primary calling. I never trashcan anybody. I always see results. Sometimes it takes years, but it is so worth investing our lives in the lives of other people. It’s just amazing; you seem to know when He sends you somebody.

Through the events of my life and through the people He’s sent to me, God has given the outlines for 15 of the 17 books I’ve written. I never ever felt worthy, but I can tell you—if I had not made that decision that morning in December of 1984, I would’ve never directed First Place for 30 years. I would’ve never written the first book. God has plenty of people He can call, but that day He spoke to my heart, and I said, “As scared as I am, I want you to do it.”

So, what’s my story? I recently spoke to a group of women after a kind introduction that told a little about my life. When
I stood up, I told them that my word for 2024 is “new.” I’m 82 this year and told them, “I am so excited that everything is going to be ‘new at 82.’” My verse for the year is Isaiah 40:31: “Those who trust in the Lord will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.”

Want to share a story of what God is doing in your life or your church?

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Prioritizing spiritual growth over ministerial productivity

Remember Martha? She was industrious, illustrating the adage that no one works harder than someone trying to prove she’s the only one doing anything. She was a pioneer of competitive baking, petitioning Jesus to check the scorecard and note her lead over Mary.

And she was wrong, “worried and upset about many things” (Luke 10:41) instead of focusing on the only thing that mattered—connection with the One who matters.

If she were alive today, Martha might have made a good women’s ministry leader—on the outside, anyway. Her sign-up process would be seamless, her Bible studies perfectly timed, and her events impeccably hosted. Her sister, Mary, likely would have been eagerly in attendance. And yet, sitting in a well-organized, color-coordinated room with perfect lighting, the observant attendee might start to wonder: “Are we missing something here?”

I am no stranger to Martha’s struggle. My humanness is apparent when I hyper-focus on “what” and “how” at the expense of “why” and “who.” Maybe you can relate. While I find this temptation to be especially present when performing in a leadership capacity, God has graciously led me to embrace a few consistent practices that are helpful in prioritizing spiritual growth over ministerial productivity.

"In ministry, as in Martha’s home—even amidst overcooked food and wrinkled linens—Jesus’ visit is worthwhile if we simply take time to listen at His feet."

Tiffany Collier Tweet

Schedule (a little extra) time to rest at His feet

The importance of rest is a consistent theme in Scripture and its practice goes beyond basic wisdom. In a practical sense, this looks like setting the alarm 30 minutes earlier on a particularly demanding day for a little more time to connect with the Lord. It looks like asking a kind sister for assistance with logistical matters as you step away from the busyness with a Bible in hand. It looks like a to-do list that is a little more delegated and a little less weighted to allow for spontaneous, much-needed “be still” moments amidst juggling logistical demands.

Learn from the Mary in your midst

While setting up a past event, I can still remember my frustration at fruitless attempts to hang a color-coordinated backdrop while an onlooker remarked at the peaceful nature of the setup. Far from her sentiment, my thoughts entertained fantasies of ripping the entire thing down. Her ability to find greater meaning in an aspect I found cumbersome and tedious was a sweet reminder that there exists a purpose behind the planning. Similarly, with a focus rightly on glorifying God, the misaligned details pale in importance to the ultimate outcome.

Embrace and extend grace

God’s grace allows for imperfections in the planning process. It extends to those seemingly less productive in our midst. It covers the occasional slip into legalism. When we find that perfectionistic tendencies compel us to idolize perfect planning, God’s grace is eager to cover us.

While Scripture does not tell us what Martha did after Jesus reminded her of the importance of His presence, I like to imagine that she abandoned baking bread and neglected ironing tablecloths to join her sister on the floor. In ministry, as in Martha’s home—even amidst overcooked food and wrinkled linens—Jesus’ visit is worthwhile if we simply take time to listen at His feet.

With the help of Regenesis, Central Texas church positions itself for massive population swell

When Pastor Stephen Ammons learned a massive semiconductor plant would be built nearby, bringing thousands of jobs and, in turn, other industries, he knew Meadowbrook Baptist Church needed to address the opportunity.

That plant, as well as an automobile manufacturing facility built about an hour to the west in Austin, has led some to project that this community of 5,500 will double in size over the next five years and reach 30,000 residents by 2030.

Though the semiconductor plant isn’t expected to open until later this year, Ammons said the community is already experiencing the effects. Foundations are being poured for nearly 700 new homes in Rockdale, Ammons said.

“We’re already seeing the growth from this plant coming in,” Ammons said. “My wife works at the school, and she said almost every day there’s somebody coming and enrolling their kid in school.”

Meadowbrook “had been coasting, definitely in the plateaued stage” for many years, Ammons said. Visitors would come, but it didn’t lead to much growth.

“People in the community knew about Meadowbrook,” he said, “but that was about it.”

He recalls telling church leaders, “We’ve got this influx of people coming, and if we don’t change, if we don’t refocus, if we don’t prepare now before they get here, we’re going to be playing catchup for years in trying to reach these people.”

“We decided to go into the Regenesis program so that, as the community is starting to grow, we would be ready for whatever God’s going to do.”

Stephen Ammons Tweet

Refocusing through Regenesis

So Meadowbrook turned to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Regenesis program, which resources churches with tools to help them move toward health and renewal.

“We decided to go into the Regenesis program so that, as the community is starting to grow, we would be ready for whatever God’s going to do when we hit this massive growth in our community,” Ammons said.

The church has been sending a team of four leaders to meet with other churches during the Regenesis eight-month cohort process for revitalization. Those leaders have been considering how the church’s gifts and talents can be used to meet community needs, as well as examining what the church is doing well and how it can improve.

Meadowbrook averages 80 people on Sundays and has space to accommodate twice that many easily, the pastor said. “We own an entire city block, so we’ve got massive amounts of property to expand and grow when needed.”

The church has been considering ways to get its name out into the community and let people know they care, Ammons said. In their Regenesis meetings, they discussed simple ways to advance the church’s mission. Prayer came up as a key strategy. So at the city’s Christmas parade a few months ago, Meadowbrook got permission to set up a prayer booth.

“We had a tent, a table, a few flyers about the church,” Ammons said. “The main purpose was if someone needed prayer, we could pray for them.”

Some people from the church gave out Bibles at the prayer booth, and as people walked up, church members asked how they could pray for them. A preteen boy said he didn’t attend church anywhere and asked for prayer for his mother’s heart problems.

“We had a couple that came up and said they had a neighbor across the street whose mom had been in the hospital. We prayed for that. We had about a dozen people come up and let us pray for them,” Ammons said. “It was absolutely fantastic.”

Since the Rockdale community struggles with poverty, Meadowbrook has been thinking of ways to minister in that regard. The pastor said about 50 homeless people are nearby, some living in the woods behind a large retail store. Senior adults who barely have enough income for themselves are raising grandchildren.

“We had a grandma come in with her grandson and she didn’t have clothes for him,” Ammons said. “As they were leaving, I looked at the hem of his jeans, and it was a good four inches above his heel.”

When the pastor told the congregation about the need, he estimates about eight trash bags full of new and used clothing were donated. Now the student can attend school without the burden of clothes that don’t fit.

“Because of that, they’ve actually been coming to the church regularly.”

Many churches are not aware of the resources—such as Regenesis—available to them through the SBTC, Ammons said.

“We have gotten a lot of help from the SBTC,” he said. “ … We’re able to get advice. … We’re not in this struggle alone.

“There are tons of resources that our Cooperative Program funds are paying for if we’ll just reach out and ask.”

5 minutes with Deron Biles

Deron Biles has served as pastor of Sunnyvale First Baptist Church for two years following a two-and-a-half-year stint as its interim executive pastor. He previously spent 15 years teaching preaching and pastoral ministry on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Biles pastored other churches for 15 years, served on staff at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, and now serves on its executive board. He and his wife, Jaye, have four sons and six grandchildren.

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

There are countless reasons I feel blessed of the Lord to serve as pastor. … The staff members with whom I serve are gifts to our church and a blessing and encouragement to me. [One thing] the Lord has done recently in our church for which I give Him praise is the growth of our Hispanic ministry, Sunnyvale Español. We’ve seen God bless and grow this work under the leadership of Pastor David Galvan. By God’s grace and through fellowship, joint ministry and missions projects, and occasional bilingual services, we’re seeing God doing awesome things.

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

Transitioning back into the pastoral role, leading a church through COVID, building a core team, and waiting on God’s timing. There are many things I am believing God for right now. In my own mind, I’d love to see those already in place, but the Lord is teaching me to wait on His timing. The church needs to see clear leadership from me that is guided by God’s hand and in submission to His will.

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

Ministry is about people. We are called by God to serve His people and to serve with His people. They take priority over schedules, programs, or plans. Even programs done with excellence, if they don’t meet the needs of the people we serve, are misspent. We are called to see people, be with people, equip people, love people, appreciate people, care for people, and learn from people. … People are not an interruption. They must be the focus.

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

At the top of my list is an effort we have just launched in evangelism and discipleship. I am praying God stirs a passion for evangelism, equips us with tools, and provides many opportunities to share our faith with others. We recently introduced a gospel tract that one of our staff, Frank Harber, and I co-wrote. We’ve asked our people to pray for opportunities to share this intentionally with others or simply to [leave] it in strategic places. A discipleship plan will follow.

How can the other SBTC churches be praying for you?

When I first began serving as pastor here, some people asked me how they could pray for me. I shared with the church a list of 10 ways I was asking them to pray for me: [That I would have] a pastor’s heart, an elder’s wisdom, a preacher’s eloquence, a priest’s intercession, a scribe’s carefulness with His Word, an overseer’s administrative skill, a prophet’s courage, a shepherd’s humility, a teacher’s insight, and an evangelist’s heart for the lost.

When the student becomes the teacher

Winter is usually all about rugby in our house. This year was a little different, as my boys decided to embark on a new journey and join their school’s wrestling team.

Being their first time to wrestle, I was a little unsure about how it would go as they began the season. However, after a few weeks, they began showing some real promise of excelling.

Fast forward to the week before the district meet. At their school, team members can challenge one another weekly to see who will wrestle at that week’s varsity match. Each school can only take one varsity wrestler per weight class, and my oldest son has multiple boys in his class. For most of the season he won the competitions and wrestled on varsity. Then the day of the final challenge came and he won that one, as well.

It was a proud dad moment for me to hear that my son, who is only a sophomore, won his weight class and would be wrestling on varsity at the district meet. I waited for him to get home that day so I could celebrate with him. As he walked in the door, I told him how excited I was for him. He thanked me but said, “Dad, I have something to tell you.”

He proceeded to tell me the teammate he defeated to secure the varsity spot is a senior and that he had decided to give up his spot to him. “I want him to have a chance in his last season,” my son said. “I want him to finish strong. I have two years left that I can do it.”

I should daily be seeking to exhaust my life to bring God glory by serving others.

Nathan Lorick Tweet

I could not have been more proud of my son. He proved to me that as athletic as he is, those abilities are nothing compared to the strength of his character. My respect for him grew that day as he showed me the heart God is developing within him. My son was leading with others in mind and exemplifying the character of Christ.

Our culture does not think this way, but this is exactly what Jesus teaches us. He gave His life for us. He showed us what the ultimate sacrifice for others looks like. I should daily be seeking to exhaust my life to bring God glory by serving others. This is not always easy. Sometimes we can easily justify just doing things to serve ourselves. We lose sight of the principle of putting others first and indulge in personal gratification. In doing this, we lose the blessing of blessing others. Often, we may find that those blessings allow us to share the gospel with those we are putting ahead of ourselves.

This interaction with my son was transformative for me—my 16-year-old reminded me how significant it can be when we put others before ourselves and, in doing so, reflect the life of Jesus. I am grateful for this reminder the Lord sent through my son.

What about you? Are you seeking to serve others daily? Are you looking for opportunities to be a reflection of Jesus every day? Let us embrace this awesome privilege of serving like Jesus. I love you and am privileged to serve you!

A different kind of medicine

God uses pharmacist-turned-church-planter to expand gospel influence in one of Texas’ fastest-growing communities

Eric Patrick’s journey from dispensing medicines to saving souls as a church planter transported his family 40 miles north of downtown Dallas to the burgeoning town of Little Elm.

After seven years as a pharmacy tech and eight as a pharmacist working for two large hospital systems, the Florida native felt God pulling him in a new direction in 2019. He stopped practicing pharmacy and began teaching financial literacy and running a web-based marketing business to support his family.

Patrick, his wife, Antoinette, and their two young daughters joined Flower Mound’s Rockpointe Church in 2019, where Antoinette still serves as human resources director. It was a good fit. “We got plugged in at Rockpointe,” Patrick recalled.

During a season of intense prayer and Scripture reading, Patrick penned the following: “I pray that God gives me wisdom and surrounds me with those that are part of His ordered steps in my life in my pursuit of ministry. I don’t know what my ministry will look like, but Lord, if it is your will, make it known to me.”

"I pray that God gives me wisdom and surrounds me with those that are part of His ordered steps in my life in my pursuit of ministry."

Eric Patrick, penned during a season of prayer Tweet

In the summer of 2020, with COVID-19 just beginning, Patrick was asked to lead an online Bible study on the book of Daniel. As he led the group, leaders and others at his church affirmed his calling to one day become a pastor.

Ron Holton, Rockpointe’s lead pastor, was among them. He recommended Patrick seek further education for the purposes of becoming a church planter. Though he had already earned a doctorate to prepare him for his previous career, Patrick enrolled in a master’s program at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2020.

“Eric never blinked at any of it,” said Holton, noting Rockpointe has a vision to plant 10 churches by 2030. “He is well-read. He attended conferences, asked questions. They downsized and lived conservatively and intentionally. … [He is] among the hardest-working and most intellectually bright planters I have ever worked with.”

A call to plant … but where?

As his extended education continued, Patrick was advised to consider where to plant a church. Should they move to his native Tampa? Memphis also came to mind. “We didn’t know where we were going for a while,” Patrick admitted.

But with Patrick’s mother recently relocated to Dallas and other family living nearby, the pull of North Texas stayed strong.

The Patricks took a compass, centered it on the Metroplex, and drew a large circle encompassing outlying communities. They began visiting locations, driving through neighborhoods, and renting vacation homes for extended periods so they could experience living in the areas. Mesquite and Balch Springs seemed a possibility. They talked to realtors, attended public events … yet the answer seemed to be, “No, not yet.”

That changed when Patrick drove north between highways 121 and 380 to Little Elm. As he looked around, he knew he had found the place. He saw neighborhoods and businesses, but not many churches.

Little Elm, incorporated in 2001, had about 47,000 residents by the 2020 census. That number is now approaching 60,000, making it one of the fastest-growing communities in Texas.

Patrick attended meetings of the Little Elm Chamber of Commerce, meeting another pastor employed by Denton ISD who invited him to join a Bible study for teachers and administrators at Braswell High School. Despite the long drive from Flower Mound, Patrick jumped at the chance. He shared his vision of starting a church in the area.

As an assistant principal showed him the high school campus, Patrick was overwhelmed. The cafeteria seemed familiar. He realized he had dreamed about being in that very spot, speaking to people.

“From there, God kept pulling us,” Patrick said. “We built relationships with district administrators and principals.”

The school district agreed to allow the new church to lease the high school cafeteria for Sunday services. After three preview services—Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day—attracted 150-200 people, Harvest Ministries officially launched on Aug. 13, 2023, drawing more than 300.

The church has attracted a steady multiethnic attendance of 150 each Sunday since opening. Some teachers and administrators from the high school come, as do many students.

“The fact that the youth will come to their school on a Sunday is a good sign,” Patrick said.

Even before the official launch, Harvest held an evening vacation Bible school last June in the school gym. Twelve children trusted Christ. On Father’s Day, one dad was baptized and immediately afterward baptized his daughter.

“I’m not that great, but God is. He keeps showing up and showing out. We need to lean on Him.”

Eric Patrick Tweet

Advancing the mission

Excitement is high. Plans to increase youth activities are underway. The church is reading through the Bible together this year “to promote biblical literacy,” Patrick said. They hope to be in a permanent facility within five years.

Harvest’s values include “kingdom multiplication,” the pastor added—focusing on making disciples and planting at least one church by its fifth year.

Patrick credits both their sending church, Rockpointe, and Send Network SBTC—the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s church-planting partnership with the North American Mission Board—for getting Harvest this far.

Rockpointe provides financial support and counsel. Send Network SBTC provides quarterly financial support and resources. Patrick said he is grateful for the chance to network with other planters and participate in the SBTC’s Black Church Network. Joe Ogletree, pastor of Image Church in Cypress, serves as a mentor and coach to him.

“It’s so important to be able to connect with other planters who are six months to two years ahead of me and to have that network of planters and pastors to provide support in more ways than one.

“I’m not that great,” Patrick added, “but God is. He keeps showing up and showing out. We need to lean on Him.”

ADVANCING THE MISSION

Learn more about how SBTC churches are advancing the mission.

Please, Lord—do it again!

Iam a contributing author for an upcoming book dedicated to my Ph.D. supervisor, Malcom McDow. I was asked to write a chapter based on my dissertation on the ministry of Charles G. Finney (1792-1875) during the Second Great Awakening. God used McDow in wonderful ways in my life while I was a student at Southwestern Seminary.

I understand that many are not fans of Finney. I certainly do not agree with many points of his theology and offered a critique in my dissertation. However, I greatly appreciate Finney’s love for the lost and his ministry to preach the gospel.

In 1830, Finney preached perhaps his most effective and memorable revival, which was held in Rochester, N.Y. He returned in 1842 and God blessed yet again. Many were converted to Christ, including many leading citizens of the city. One of them was a man by the name of Judge Addison Gardiner. While Finney was preaching, Gardiner left his seat and Finney thought he was going home. To his surprise, the judge walked up the stairs to the pulpit and asked Finney to pray for him. Finney told the church the judge’s decision, and then spontaneously, without Finney asking them, many lawyers in the crowd arose and came forward. Finney asked if there were others who were ready to repent and surrender their lives to Jesus. To use Finney’s words, there was a “mighty movement.”

“Let’s share Jesus today with someone who does not know Him.”

Danny Forshee Tweet

Finney’s most memorable revival in England (1850) was held in London at the Whitefield Tabernacle, built in 1753 for the powerful evangelist of the First Great Awakening, George Whitefield. Finney preached for nine months at this church: twice on Sundays and once Tuesday through Friday evenings. On Mondays, they held a prayer service. The result of the revival was described as “little short of remarkable.” Finney asked Pastor John Campbell if he could conduct an inquiry meeting for those interested in salvation. Campbell was hesitant, fearing no one would attend the meetings.

Finally, Campbell agreed to allow the meeting but informed Finney he could only use the infant room, which held around 40 people. Finney protested and said the meeting space was too small and requested to use the British school adjacent to the church. Campbell laughed at Finney and told him the school held up to 1,600 people.

After Finney preached a short sermon in the evening, he informed the people they could either stay in the church and have communion or proceed to the inquiry meeting next door. Campbell was astonished when 1,500-1,600 people filled up the school. On one occasion during this revival, 2,000 people stood during the invitation.

When I read of God’s miraculous works in the past, I cry out to Him, “Please, Lord—do it again!” May God stir our hearts to share both personally and publicly the saving message of Jesus Christ. If we are faithful to proclaim the gospel, I know God will do what only He can do—save the lost. Let’s share Jesus today with someone who does not know Him.

Iron Sharpening Iron

Calvary Pampa’s disciple-making process offers a pathway for members to walk closer with Jesus—and each other

There’s getting into the word of God, and then there’s letting the Word of God get into you.

That phrase is often spoken by Robby Gallaty, a Southern Baptist pastor in Tennessee who has developed a disciple-making method used worldwide. Calvary Baptist Church in Pampa has adapted Gallaty’s method and is seeing lives changed as its members take a deeper dive into the Bible through its own D3 disciple-making process.

“What I really find is most people in the church have a great desire to learn or study Scripture but don’t know where to start,” said Paul Beam, who has served as Calvary Pampa’s lead pastor since 2017. “D3 gives people that opportunity to meet with others and to find that starting point for a closer walk with Jesus.”

Calvary’s D3 process begins with a leader who chooses up to three others of the same gender to join him or her for a weekly discussion of the Bible. Participants sign a covenant to be an active participant for the dura- tion of the study.

Each week, participants study one chapter of the Bible per day for five days, read one chapter of a discipleship book, and memorize one passage of Scripture. They use a journal to make notes about what they’ve studied and how they have applied it to their lives.

The weekly sessions provide a time for encouragement through Scripture memory, transparent discussions, and accountability.

Calvary Pampa’s D3 disciple-making process groups believers by gender. These groups read, study, and memorize Scripture and journal about how God’s truths apply to their lives. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

“What I really find is most people in the church have a great desire to learn or study Scripture but don’t know where to start.”

Paul Beam Tweet

“We need each other,” said Kevin Costley, a Calvary Pampa member for 13 years. “We weren’t created to make this journey alone D3 prepares us through God’s

Word to be true Christians, the way Jesus was with His disciples and the same way He discipled. I think it’s one of the best things the church has ever done.”

Since 2021, 60 people from the church have participated in D3. When the study is complete, participants are encouraged to start a group of their own.

Jennifer Puryear, a member of Calvary Pampa for about 17 years, is among those who have graduated from D3 participant to group leader. She said she has been encouraged by the fact the program relies on participants becoming more skilled at handling the Word of God for themselves.

“It’s always good to read the Bible, of course, but D3 helps you read through the whole story,” Puryear said. “You look at the verses more, and depending on what we’re going through or our season in life, different verses appeal to us.”

After participating in a D3 group, David Land, a member of Calvary Pampa for eight years, now leads two other men in a group. Land said D3 has helped him continue to grow in many ways, including through his prayer life, his ability to share the gospel, in leading his family, and at church.

“For anybody who has reservations about doing a dis- cipleship program, it’s basically just studying the Word and doing life with your brothers,” Land said.

Costley agreed.

“When you get together with other Christians, you can see how they handle Scripture and how they’ve handled whatever they’ve gone through,” Costley said. “As we read Scripture, we talk about how we use that Scripture in our daily lives. We may apply it differently. As I hear about guys with the same struggles I have, I learn from them what they learned from Scripture.”

Beam is encouraged with the results he’s seen since Calvary Pampa started D3 and dreams about what it could mean for the community.

“We did the math,” Beam said. “Over 10 years we could reach the entire city of Pampa. I’m optimistic and yet realistic. Even though we might not reach everyone, if we are faithful, we’ll develop a large number of disciples for the kingdom.”

Staying true to the mission

Through personal outreach and online connections, FBC New Braunfels keeps its focus on Jesus in historic setting

There may have been very little Southern Baptist influence when New Braunfels was settled predominantly by Germans in 1845. But for the past century, First Baptist Church has been a beacon, preaching the gospel and ministering in Jesus’ name.

Situated in the booming corridor between Austin and San Antonio, the congregation has seen church plants descend on the area with modern worship and new methods of reaching younger generations, but FBC New Braunfels hasn’t forgotten its identity.

“One of the things that I’ve tried to lead us in is remembering who we are as a church,” Pastor Brad McLean said. “That doesn’t need to change even though more church plants are coming in.”

FBC New Braunfels continues to preach the Word faithfully and God continues to bring new people of all ages to join the work regularly. One way the church has been able to reach families lately is by hosting Family Adventure Club on Wednesday nights to disciple parents along with children.

“We really wanted to connect with parents, as well, not just have a drop-off situation,” said McLean, the church’s pastor since 2007. “We wanted to engage entire families.”

The idea is for parents and children to have biblical discussions on the way home from church and to foster conversation around the dinner table, he said. They’ve employed the same concept with Vacation Bible School, offering discipleship for parents to make better use of the time.

With 400-450 people attending services each Sunday, it was a display of unity in 2019 when the church voted to move locations in response to the city’s growth. “We are in a neighborhood centrally located in the downtown area,” McLean said. “With that comes parking issues and other constrictions being landlocked.”

Somehow, though, it didn’t work out. “The Lord just made clear that another decision needed to be made,” the pastor said.

A few months later, COVID shut down everything and church members saw that God had protected them. “We would have been saddled with paying off land,” McLean noted.

Instead, FBC New Braunfels took a significant step into the digital world, hiring a communications director and learning to make the most of the online space where people often go first to find a church.

“Through that, especially through COVID as we began to put sermons online, we had many people visit us and say it was their first time, but they’d been listening for months,” McLean said. “We had a family that moved from Minnesota who joined a small group here while they still lived in Minnesota. They were able to do that on Zoom.”

The enhanced digital focus “has helped us tremendously because it has allowed us to better communicate who we are as a church—what our convictions are, what our values are.

“As folks have engaged with us online, I believe that commitment is already further down the road by the time they step into the church facility because there’s a sense of already knowing us and knowing who we are. They’re just coming to engage in person,” he said.

As far as local ministry, FBC New Braunfels has a Restoring Hope Boutique where it provides clothing to people in need.

“We’ve helped many, many folks who’ve come out of the penal system and they need something to wear to an interview,” McLean said. “We’re trying to help people as they’re trying to get their lives back on track by simply giving them clothes to wear so they feel more confident. Within that is an expression of the gospel and the invitation to worship with us.”

The church has several retired teachers, and they periodically take lunch to teachers at a nearby elementary school.

“We’ve been sending groups out into neighborhoods and apartment complexes prayer walking, leaving a door hanger, and then going back and trying to engage in conversations with folks,” McLean said.

For about a decade before the pandemic, FBC New Braunfels sent teams to Southeast Asia to share the gospel with people who had not heard of Jesus. Recently, they sent a group to Cuba and another to Denmark and Germany.

“Those are exciting things where people get to go and see other parts of the world and care for people,” McLean said.

In 2017, FBC New Braunfels was tragically thrown into the national spotlight when a bus crash killed 13 of their senior adults. Though the church is not defined by that event, McLean said, they remember it as a time when God was glorified.

“We could say with great confidence, ‘Lord, thank you for preparing for eternity every one of those who lost their lives because they knew your Son as Savior,’” he said. “We had to give great praise to God because they were saints, and they were prepared for that moment.

“In the aftermath of that, in celebrating those lives, we got to worship our God together as a church, and I believe the Lord healed so much and strengthened our faith so much through that time.”