Author: Russell Lightner

Feeling lonely, pastor? You’re not alone.

Elijah had just had his greatest success in ministry when he crashed and burned.

You know the story, recorded in 1 Kings 18. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to prove their god was the true one. They danced and called out for Baal to consume their offering. Elijah mocked them. Finally, Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord. Elijah poured water on the bull, so much so that a trench dug around the altar was filled. Then Elijah prayed for the Lord to demonstrate His power and fire fell and consumed everything, including all the water.

Elijah was enjoying a ministry high. Before his pulse settled, he also courageously took out all the false prophets.

But when he got word that Jezebel was after him, he fled like a whipped pup. He hid alone in the wilderness a full day’s journey away, sat down, and said, “I have had enough!”

Some of you are there right now. Exhausted, afraid, and alone, you are thinking, “I have had enough!”

The truth is, almost every one of us has been there. A 2022 Barna poll shows that nearly two in three pastors either “sometimes” or “frequently” felt lonely or isolated in the prior three months.

I’m not sure isolation is unique to the ministry. Many men and women sitting in front of you each week feel lonely. What makes it unique for ministers is that pastors are surrounded by people constantly. I believe isolation and loneliness are among a pastor’s most preventable challenges.

People are cheering us on from every corner of our convention. So if you feel isolated, ensure you’re not the person who runs off and isolates himself like Elijah did.

Mark Dance Tweet

To be clear, it’s not a recent phenomenon. Isolation has been challenging for decades, and although it was exaggerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s always been challenging. It’s normal to feel isolated occasionally. For that matter, some seasons of life and ministry are better than others.

So, who can fix the situation?

You can.

Notice in 1 Kings 19 that Elijah flees Jezebel and then goes so far as to leave his faithful attendant behind in Beersheba. If you’re lonely, actively find people inside and outside the church who can become your encouragers in the ministry. Find someone you can call, text, or visit with who restores and refreshes you.

Isolation is both dangerous and avoidable.

And before you say, “Well, I can’t have friendships in the church because it can become awkward,” let me tell you that the pain of isolation exceeds the awkwardness of staff friendships, member friendships, or friendships with other pastors in your community. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and your local association exist to serve you and connect you and your wife with other pastors and ministry couples, so make time to attend a few events where you can both come and be refreshed.

People are cheering us on from every corner of our convention. So if you feel isolated, ensure you’re not the person who runs off and isolates himself like Elijah did. Isolation is real, but it’s one of the most preventable challenges a pastor may face.

If you are a pastor looking to connect to resources related to this article, contact Jeff Lynn, senior strategist for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Church Health & Leadership department, at 877-953-7282 or email jlynn@sbtexas.com.

Nueva Plantación hispana en San Ángelo ya busca plantar más iglesias

Una mentalidad de multiplicación

l camino de Santiago Machado para seguir a Cristo y pastorear el Centro Cristiano Beraca fue oscuro y difícil.

Creció en un hogar donde todos, incluida su madre, practicaban la brujería. Cuando cumplió 16 años, empezó a servir en el ejército en su natal Cuba, donde se encontró con muchos problemas, incluyendo un accidente en un camión de combate que se estrelló debido a un descuido de su parte. Sobrevivió al accidente, pero fue condenado a tres años de prisión militar.

Machado describe que su vida en ese momento se encontraba “muy mal en todos los sentidos”.

Hasta que Jesús apareció en la vida de Machado de la forma más inesperada.

Al principio de su encarcelamiento en la prisión militar, Machado le pidió a un amigo que fuera a su casa y le contara a su madre lo que le había ocurrido. El amigo hizo lo que se le pidió y volvió para informar a Machado de lo que había averiguado: que su madre había entregado su vida a Cristo después de escuchar el Evangelio un mes antes. No sólo eso, sino que el amigo le dijo a Machado que él mismo había entregado su vida a Jesús después que la madre de Machado le compartiera el evangelio.

Al oír el testimonio de su amigo y cómo Jesús había cambiado la vida de su madre, Machado –en un acto de desesperación– decidió entregar también su vida a Cristo. Comenzó a leer el Nuevo Testamento que le había dado su amigo y, en poco tiempo, empezó a ver a Dios obrando en medio de sus circunstancias.

“La visión de la iglesia no es permanecer estática. Tenemos que levantar misiones e iglesias. Esa es nuestra pasión”.

—Santiago Machado Tweet

Dios tenía planes para mí

A los quince días de su encarcelamiento, el director de la prisión llevó a 50 presos en un gran camión a realizar trabajos forzados. Cuando los presos regresaban del trabajo, un capitán pidió a Machado y a otro preso que pusieran una linterna en la parte trasera del camión porque estaba oscureciendo. Mientras los dos hombres se dirigían a la parte trasera, el camión fue embestido por otro vehículo que iba a muy alta velocidad. Murieron muchos de los que iban en el vehículo, incluido el capitán.

Machado se arrastró fuera del camión y cayó en la carretera. Los equipos de emergencia lo encontraron fuera del vehículo, consciente, pero en estado de shock. “Yo podía hablar”, dijo Machado, “pero sentía que Dios me decía que no hablara. Mis labios estaban sellados”.

Machado no habló durante los tres meses siguientes, ni en el hospital ni cuando lo devolvieron a la prisión. Como los oficiales de la prisión no sabían qué hacer con él porque no hablaba, lo devolvieron a su unidad militar. Después de 20 días en su unidad, un médico declaró que Machado no estaba apto para seguir en el ejército, por lo que fue dado de baja. Machado declara que Dios obró un milagro aquel día. De una condena de tres años de prisión, sólo estuvo 15 días.

“Dios tenía planes para mí”, dijo Machado.

Vivir al servicio del Señor

Al volver a casa de su madre, Machado empezó a servir al Señor en la iglesia. Iba con su madre a compartir el Evangelio en su comunidad, lo que alimentó su pasión por ver a los perdidos salvados. Fue en esta iglesia donde Machado conoció a su esposa, Irene, comenzando una familia que incluía dos hijos y un matrimonio que lleva 35 años y sigue creciendo.

Los Machado fueron eventualmente enviados como misioneros a Punta Brava en La Habana por tres años, comenzando en 1986. Él pasó a pastorear ocho iglesias y a fundar 15 grupos de estudio en hogares. Ocho de esos grupos se convirtieron en iglesias que siguen funcionando.

En el 2012, Machado recibió una oferta para pastorear una iglesia en San Ángelo, Texas, la cual aceptó. Pero a medida que pasaban los años, comenzó a sentir que el Señor lo llamaba a plantar una nueva iglesia centrada en las misiones y la evangelización, dos cosas muy cercanas a su corazón. Sintiendo que Dios lo movía en una nueva dirección para convertirse en un plantador, Machado dio un paso de fe y dejó su iglesia y la seguridad financiera que le proporcionaba. Fue entonces cuando conoció a Edgar Trinidad, pastor del Centro Cristiano Kairo en San Ángelo.

A medida que Machado y Trinidad se fueron conociendo, descubrieron que compartían la visión de plantar una iglesia en San Ángelo. Trinidad finalmente propuso una asociación que permitiría a Machado servir como pastor asociado voluntario en Kairo mientras aprendía más sobre la plantación de una iglesia. Machado aceptó el reto.

Una nueva plantación, un nuevo camino

Machado trabajó bajo la dirección de Trinidad durante dos años y medio. Su formación incluyó el trabajo con Send Network SBTC, una asociación de plantación de iglesias entre la Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas y la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas. Después de ser certificado como plantador por la convención, Machado y Trinidad comenzaron a explorar un lugar para plantar. El Señor los dirigió al norte de San Ángelo, en donde la iglesia de Trinidad pudo comprar un edificio que albergaría la nueva obra.

El primer servicio en la nueva iglesia, Centro Cristiano Beraca, se celebró el 1 de octubre de 2022. A medida que la iglesia se acerca a su primer aniversario, entre 25 y 30 personas asisten ahora los domingos.

“Dios nos ha dado muchas estrategias” para llegar a la comunidad, dijo Machado. Por ejemplo, el Centro Cristiano Beraca abre sus puertas para dar de comer a la comunidad todas las semanas. Es una oportunidad para que la iglesia alimente a la comunidad no sólo físicamente dice Machado, sino también espiritualmente. Se predica el Evangelio antes de servir la comida, lo que ha llevado a 20 personas a tomar la decisión de seguir a Jesús y ser bautizados.

Y aunque todavía es una iglesia joven, el Centro Cristiano Beraca ya está tratando de formar a la próxima generación de plantadores para que la misión pueda seguir adelante.

“La visión de la iglesia no es permanecer estática”, dijo Machado. “Tenemos que levantar misiones e iglesias. Esa es nuestra pasión”.

Budding Hispanic plant in San Angelo is already looking to plant more churches

Multiplication Mindset

antiago Machado’s path to following Christ and pastoring Centro Cristiano Beraca was a dark and difficult one.

He grew up in a household where everyone, including his mother, practiced witchcraft. When he turned 16, he began serving in the military in his native Cuba, where he encountered many problems—including a wreck in a military truck that crashed because of his negligence. He survived the wreck but was sentenced to three years in military prison.

Machado describes his life at that point in very simple, sobering terms: “Very bad in every way.”

That is, until Jesus showed up in Machado’s life in a most unexpected way.

At the beginning of his incarceration, Machado asked a friend to go to his home and tell his mother what had happened to him. The friend did as he was asked and returned to report Machado’s mother had given her life to Christ after hearing the gospel a month earlier. Not only that, but the friend told Machado he had also given his life to Jesus after hearing the gospel from Machado’s mother.

Upon hearing the testimony of his friend, and how Jesus had changed his mother’s life, Machado—in an act of desperation—decided to give his life to Christ, as well. He began reading the New Testament his friend gave him and, before long, started seeing God working in the circumstances of his life.

“The vision of the church is not to remain static. We have to raise up missions and churches. This is our passion.”

—Santiago Machado Tweet

‘God had plans for me’

Fifteen days into Machado’s imprisonment, the prison director took 50 prisoners in a large truck to perform hard labor. As the prisoners returned from the job, Machado and another inmate were asked by a captain to put a flashlight in the back of the truck because it was getting dark. While the two men made their way to the back, the truck was hit by another vehicle. Many in the vehicle were killed, including the captain.

Machado crawled out of the truck and fell onto the road. He was found by emergency workers just outside the vehicle, conscious but in shock. “I could speak,” Machado said, “but I felt that God was telling me not to speak. My lips were sealed.”

Machado did not speak for the next three months—not in the hospital, and not when they released him back to the prison. Because prison officials did not know what to do with him since he wasn’t speaking, they returned him to his military unit. After 20 days back with his unit, a doctor declared Machado unfit to continue in the military, so he was released from his service. As Machado sees it, God worked a miracle that day. Out of a three-year prison sentence, he served only 15 days.

“God had plans for me,” Machado said.

Living in the Lord’s service

Returning to his mother’s home, Machado began to serve the Lord in the church. He would go with his mother to share the gospel in their community, fueling his passion for seeing lost people saved. It was at this church Machado met his wife, Irene, beginning a family that includes two children and a marriage that is 35 years strong and counting.

The Machados were eventually sent as missionaries to Punta Brava in Havana for three years, beginning in 1986. He would go on to pastor eight churches and start 15 home study groups. Eight of those groups sprouted into churches that are still operating.

In 2012, Machado received an offer to pastor a church in San Angelo, Texas—which he accepted. But as the years passed, he began to sense the Lord calling him to plant a new church focused on missions and evangelism—two things very close to his heart. Sensing God moving him in a new direction to become a planter, Machado stepped out in faith and left his church and the financial security it provided. That’s when he met Edgar Trinidad, pastor of Kairo Christian Center in San Angelo.

As Machado and Trinidad got to know each other, they discovered they had a shared vision for planting a church in San Angelo. Trinidad eventually proposed a partnership that would allow Machado to serve as a volunteer associate pastor at Kairo while learning more about planting a church. Machado accepted the challenge.

A new plant, a new path

Machado worked under Trinidad’s leadership for two and a half years. His training included work with Send Network SBTC, a church planting partnership between the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the North American Mission Board. After Machado was certified as a planter by the convention, he and Trinidad began exploring a location to plant. The Lord directed them to North San Angelo, where Trinidad’s church was able to purchase a building that would house the new plant.

The first service at the new church, Centro Cristiano Beraca, was held Oct. 1, 2022. As the church nears its one-year anniversary, 25-30 people are now attending on Sundays.

“God has given us many strategies” to reach the community, Machado said. For example, Centro Cristiano Beraca opens its doors to feed the community every week. It provides an opportunity for the church to meet physical needs and minister to people spiritually, Machado said. The gospel is preached before food is served—something that has led 20 people to make decisions to follow Jesus or be baptized.

And though it is still a young church, Centro Cristiano Beraca is already looking to raise up the next generation of planters so the gospel mission can move forward.

“The vision of the church is not to remain static,” Machado said. “We have to raise up missions and churches. This is our passion.”

5 minutes with Eric D. Shin

Eric D. Shin has served as senior pastor of Houston’s New Life Fellowship since its beginning in 1997. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Shin immigrated to the U.S. with his family at age 13, where they settled in New York City. He trusted Christ as Savior at 18, eventually forsaking plans for a legal career to attend seminary. In 1994, Shin and his family relocated to Houston, where he served at Seoul Baptist Church as youth pastor before founding New Life Fellowship, which follows a house church model. Shin served on the board of the SBTC from 2017-2022. He and his wife, Lynette, have three adult sons: Enoch, Caleb, and Josiah.

How does a house church model differ from traditional worship?

On any Sunday, 480-550 adults plus 180 children and 100 youth will gather to worship at New Life. All of these are part of our 86 house churches that meet on Fridays and Saturdays, also. Sunday is more like a typical contemporary church service with worship and a sermon 50-60 minutes in length. We also have Sunday lunch.

Most of our house churches consist of up to 12 adults plus children. When a house church reaches 12 adults, we multiply them into two. The house churches grow organically. People choose where to join to allow for autonomy and choice. We ask people to reach out and [invite] their own friends. It’s all relational evangelism.

More people attend house church than Sunday worship. About 10 percent who come to our house churches are unbelievers. We call them VIPs, and we offer “receiving Jesus” meetings to those who are interested. We reach out to and welcome all unbelievers. We are stricter with Christians who hop around from church to church. We discourage that.

What is something you’ve been able to celebrate at New Life this year?

We have seen a lot of growth. Even COVID had no effect on us. We did go online for a few months, but house church attendance has steadily increased. We are seeing a lot of house churches multiplying these days.

What is a challenge facing the house church ministry?

We are seeing more house churches forming. It’s not easy. It requires a paradigm shift. There are churches that are doing house churches in Dallas, Austin, across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Japan, South Korea … several hundred all over the world. … I would like to mobilize our gifted church members to come up with resources including a website, videos, and teaching material to spread house church ministry as fast and far as possible.

What is one lesson you’ve learned to this point of your ministry that you know you’ll never forget?

Hold to the Scriptures. Study, pray, and seek God. The Bible is the ultimate and supreme authority. That will lead us to the place we need to go.

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

Pray that I can stay the course that God has mapped out. Pray that New Life Fellowship will be used in spreading the New Testament church. Pray that other pastors will be exposed to the house church model.

Fall, football, and cooperation

love the fall. The heat begins to fade and cooler weather moves in. Leaves begin to change colors and, of course, football season begins. Every week there is football for me to watch from Thursday through Monday night.

This season there has been a lot of buzz around the trade of Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He is a four-time league MVP and a future Hall of Famer who was traded to the New York Jets this past offseason.

What does Aaron Rodgers have to do with anything? Well, he made his Jets debut on Sept. 11. The entire stadium was filled with anticipation as he took the field for the first time with his new team. Jets fans believed their new superstar would make them immediate Super Bowl contenders.

However, something unexpected happened. In the first quarter, Rodgers left the game with a season-ending injury. A season of hope and expectations now seems to be lost because of the status of their superstar who they felt would lead them to victory.

This is the tragedy of putting expectations on one player instead of the entire team. If that player goes down, it causes you to lose hope. You see, the best way to build a strategy for winning is not to build around one, but rather, all 11 on the field.

"I pray we sense the magnitude of the opportunity God has given us and suit up together every day as a team of churches and advance the mission together."

Nathan Lorick Tweet

The same is true with cooperation between churches. There are no superstar churches—only local churches seeking to reach their communities with the gospel. That’s the beauty of a network like the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. We have an entire team of churches working together to move the ball down the field, or better yet, the gospel across Texas. We truly execute better when we are doing this as a team.

The SBTC is a network of more than 2,700 churches that love the mission God has given us. We operate together to reach Texas and impact the world. We give together, go together, grow together, send together, plant churches together, and so much more. We do it so effectively because we cooperate to do it together. When one is down, we have so many others to pick them up. When one is experiencing success, we have so many others to celebrate with them. We know it takes all of us working together around doctrinal and missional unity.

I have never in my life been more grateful for a network of churches as I am today for SBTC churches. We know God has given us a clear mission field. We know He has strategically placed each church in Texas where it is for such a time as this. I pray we sense the magnitude of the opportunity God has given us and suit up together every day as a team of churches and advance the mission together. The time is now, the need is great, and the opportunity is in front of us. Let’s do this together!

Let me encourage you to attend our 2023 SBTC Annual Meeting being held at Cross City Church in Euless Nov. 13-14. It is going to be an incredible time as we celebrate 25 years of ministry together in Texas. I hope to see you there. I love you and am honored to serve you!

What’s your story? ‘Here I am Lord, use me!’

My first English as a Second Language (ESL) student was named Claire. At that time, about 12 years ago, I was a volunteer with the Christian Women’s Job Corps and we were asking a group of women what they wanted to learn. We got the usual answers pertaining to job skills until Claire said, “I want to learn English and I want to learn about God.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to help at the Job Corps, but when she spoke up, it was just like, “Oh yes, that’s where I want to be.”

So, it was a one-on-one semester with Claire, and then the next semester we had maybe five students and the next year, five or six. The program just kind of evolved until there were fewer people who needed job skills and there were more and more people coming in who needed ESL. So the coordinator at the time said, “We’re going to change this to an ESL program.” I worked as a volunteer teacher for a couple of years, until the coordinator retired. The program had no leader at that point, and I was about to retire from my job, so I was happy to step in and serve in that capacity.

I served as coordinator of the ESL program for the next nine years. At first, we were called Life Bridge and came under the umbrella of a ministry in Austin. Since then, we’ve become part of the Great Hills Baptist Church ministry. In 2022, when we became part of Great Hills’ ministry, we had 159 people attend at some point and 93 regular attenders. We had another 30 to 40 who were learning online. The Great Hills transition has been huge for us.

And the wonderful thing was, these people were hungry for the gospel. We do one hour of Bible study and then about an hour and a half of English on top of that. Sometimes in the past, people would skip Bible study because it was the first hour and they would just come for the English. Last year, they were coming for the Bible. They were hungry to know more. In 2022, we showed “The Jesus Film” and Daniel Van Cleave, the pastor we worked with, wanted to have everybody in the same room hearing it in their own language at the same time. We worked it out so that we could show the movie on a big screen. Everybody was able, using their phones, to hear it in their own languages using earbuds. We had people listening in 12 languages at the same time.

"What’s my story? My God is faithful! Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world."

Nancy Gibbs Tweet

It was so exciting because they got to hear in two hours, in their own heart language, what we’d been trying to teach all year long in English in bits and pieces. So, for everyone to hear the story of Jesus in their heart language was amazing. You could hear a pin drop in the room when they were watching this movie and there were gasps like, “Oh!” when Jesus rose from the dead.

We had decision cards in their own languages, and we had some who wanted to follow Jesus. We had others who wanted to know more. So, one of our Bible study teachers started a Bible study on Sunday mornings to answer their questions and help them explore the Bible. That same person is going to be starting an official ESL Sunday school [class] because there are people coming to the church wanting to have an ESL class on Sunday mornings. We have just seen this hunger and a response to the gospel this last year like never before. God has been so faithful. Sometimes I just feel like I’m on this ride watching Him work—I’m just one little spoke in the wheel. God’s doing this amazing thing that I just get to participate in and watch, and I praise Him mightily for all that He’s doing.

I have made friends—lifelong friends—both with students and the teachers. I never expected that. There have just been so many blessings in addition to seeing the faithfulness of God. Last year, we started seeing more people than ever before following the Lord. There was one young woman from Iran—and it’s dangerous to become a Christian if you’re an Iranian—who came running down the hall about five or six years ago saying, “Nancy, Nancy, I’m your sister.” And I said, “What?” She said again, “I’m your sister,” and she meant, “I’m your sister in the Lord”—that she had made a decision to follow Christ. You can’t trade that for anything. It’s just been the most wonderful journey.

I’ve recently retired as coordinator and now direct our online ESL program. My husband, Wayne, and I have five grandchildren scattered all over, so it came time to retire, and I realized I could still teach by Zoom from just about anywhere.

What’s my story? My God is faithful! Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. The evil one will throw you curveballs, but the Lord always proves Himself greater.

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

Share your story here

Finding stability (& sanity!) amidst your busy schedule

Most pastors aspire for some sanity in their schedules. More than half say time management is an aspect that needs attention or investment today and that avoiding over-commitment is a challenge for them, according to a Lifeway Research study.

This month, as I started my 36th year of pastoral ministry, I took a minute to reflect on some routines I have woven into my life and ministry that I hope will be helpful for you:

Wake up worshiping

My personal preference is to worship first thing in the morning because I cannot recover those first thoughts later in the day. Morning worship supports my desire to make loving God my first priority of the day (i.e., the Great Commandment). I typically read a chapter a day from the Bible in my favorite chair, then pray either in that same chair or worship as I am walking, jogging, or driving.

Do sermon prep early

According to Inc. magazine, workers have been found to be more proactive and productive in the mornings. There will never be a time in my day when I have more energy and fewer distractions, so I do most of my sermon prep and writing before lunch. For those of you who are multi-vocational and may not have the option of starting earlier in the day, you can start earlier in the week instead of stress-prepping on the weekend. Once you have devoted yourself “to prayer and to the preaching ministry” (Acts 6:4), you are ready to start connecting with your sheep and staff (or in my case, shepherds).

Stack your meetings

Most of our members do not know how much we dread committee and team meetings (and weddings). Although we cannot and should not avoid them, we can stack them. You can stack meetings on church days by making them the only option when you are available to meet. Sundays and Wednesdays are less likely to compete with our personal and family time, and they are already blocked off on our calendars.

"I cannot fully connect with my family until I have disconnected from my ministry. Neither can you."

Mark Dance Tweet

Protect most nights & weekends

With the forementioned exceptions of Wednesdays and Sundays, my goal has been to stop working completely by supper. I cannot fully connect with my family until I have disconnected from my ministry. Neither can you. The health of your family and your ministry is connected to your own health, and evenings are a great time to recharge. Nobody in ministry can protect every weekend, but you can and should say no more often to church members if you find yourself consistently skipping sabbath. Sabbath (literally meaning “stop”) is not optional for ministers—or any believers, for that matter. You may have to be creative in how and when you stop. Just don’t try to redefine what God declared holy.

Protect your bedtime

The American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all say we typically need about eight hours of sleep to feel and function normally while awake. In my experience, I do better work and I am in a better mood when I am fully rested. If you think God hardwired you to be the exception because you only need four to five hours of sleep, your delusion is proof you are wrong.

Though my schedule rarely plays out exactly as planned, these guidelines have helped me enjoy a sane and sustainable life and ministry for almost three decades. I pray it does the same for you and your ministry!

What’s your story? ‘Here I am Lord, use me!’

The Lord moved me from my home in Manila, Philippines, in 2004. I’ve been here in Texas since 2011. God also gave me a hunger to know His direction for my ministry. I began to see it during my third year at Criswell College. We were doing a practicum in Oak Cliff and I was working with a multi-language church. As I listened to people in Texas worshipping in their mother tongue, I got the sense that God wanted me to preach His gospel in my native Filipino dialect.

Having received a direction from the Lord, my wife, Alpa, and I began to visit Filipino restaurants from DFW to Plano. There was one particular restaurant in Plano, owned by four ladies, where I asked them, “If I bring people and do a Bible study here in your restaurant every Friday night and pay half of the bill … will you allow me to do the Bible study?” They laughed and said, “Of course, it will increase our business.” These ladies were my “persons of peace” to enable my ministry. So I started a Bible study in the Filipino restaurant in our dialect, and I also invited the owners of the restaurant. I shared the gospel with them and they prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Soon, four of my regulars approached me and asked, “Will you bring that same Bible study to our town, Greenville?” I asked, “Where is Greenville?” They said, “It’s way far east. If you are from here, you just go east on I-30 and you will not miss Greenville.”

So I went, and we started Bible studies there maybe six months before my graduation. I also started attending Southern Baptists of Texas Convention church planting seminars and I found a sending church. We moved to Greenville in 2019. I instantly fell in love with the city, the culture, and the people. I think it’s God’s thing.

We started a Bible study in my home and I began to transition to preaching. After a couple of years, we had 50 people meeting with us, and then the pandemic hit. In order to work within the quarantine regulations, we told our people that the first 25 to register during a week could attend one Sunday, and then another 25 could attend the next. In a way, God used it to grow our church. As things began to open up again, we were near 70 people some weeks. We needed a new place to meet and rented a building temporarily.

“What’s my story? It’s not what you know and what you have. It’s your heart that is willing to say, ‘Here I am, Lord, use me.’ That’s all there is.”

Larry Cortez Tweet

With the help of the Hunt Baptist Association, we were able to find and buy the building of a church that had closed. By this time, we had started outreaches in Forney and Plano. My family travels from Greenville to these locations on Sunday afternoons. Our plan is to disciple leaders to preach and pastor these congregations as freestanding churches, sent by my church, Genuine Faith Community Church. And now, we even have a chance to start a Hispanic congregation in Richardson. We have people meeting in 10-15 homes as well. The Lord is so amazing. It blows my mind. Glory to God! This is all His doing. I just said, “Lord, here I am. Use me in any ways that your name will be glorified.”

It is very important for a pastor or a servant or a missionary to have a willing heart. Last year, a stranger came to my house saying that he’s also a pastor from the Philippines and he said he’s here to plant a church. So, I allowed him to reside in my house for six months and he became a friend and a brother. He helped me in our church here in Greenville. I asked if he would, with or without anything, plant a church in the Philippines. He said he would, so I told him, “Go home [to the Philippines], wait for me there, bring me to where you are, show me what you’re doing, and we will plant a church—with or without anything.”

At the time, my son was studying in the Philippines and graduated college last June. So my wife and I, even without enough, went home for my son’s graduation. I challenged my church of 50 people to bring me to the Philippines. My pastor friend now had a group meeting in a Muslim part of the country. I met with 24 pastors and introduced church planting to them. Some of them were meeting in little brush shelters—not really buildings at all.

We visited various provinces and islands, speaking to city officials, sharing the gospel, laying the groundwork for churches all across the country. Isn’t it amazing how the Lord is making me witness His salvation and His way of bringing His salvation to Filipinos in the Philippines?

Who am I? Who am I? I witness the glory of God, and not because of my capacity. If your heart is willing, God will use you and show you how amazing His church planting is.

What’s my story? It’s not what you know and what you have. It’s your heart that is willing to say, “Here I am, Lord, use me.” That’s all there is.

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

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5 minutes with Leah Holder Green

Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Board member Leah Holder Green has been teaching God’s Word since she was 17 and writes Bible study curriculum for Second Baptist Church of Houston. She practiced law before entering full-time ministry as a Bible curriculum specialist. In addition to her work with Second Baptist, she is pursuing a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and has a speaking and writing ministry (leahholdergreen.com). Green and her husband, Clarence, have two daughters: Caylen Joy, a toddler, and Lena Hope, who is with the Lord.

What is one challenge you face as a Bible curriculum writer in 2023?

One challenge I face is presenting biblical truths in new and fresh ways, especially for young people. Although there is nothing new under the sun, the internet and social media have created interesting dynamics in the realm of Christian education. My aim is to keep the gift (God’s truth) the same and simply change the wrapping paper according to my audience.

What is your assessment of the state of biblical literacy in the modern church?

In my experience, biblical literacy is lacking in the modern church. It seems many people are content to receive biblical teaching and knowledge from … untrained and unverified sources on social media. I once saw a post on Instagram that said, “God does not want you to deny yourself,” and many self-proclaimed Christians liked the post. I found it baffling because Matthew 16:24 clearly reads, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.’” [So] one aim of my Bible teaching ministry is to encourage people to study and love God’s Word.

How does in-house curriculum writing benefit a congregation?

Some benefits of in-house curriculum writing include ensuring veracity and relevance. It is important to screen any pre-written curriculum to make sure it presents orthodox Christian teaching. Writing the curriculum in-house helps ensure fidelity to Scripture and sound Christian doctrine. Further, writing curriculum in-house enables churches to tailor the lessons and illustrations to their congregants’ particular needs, communities, and seasons of life.

Where do you see the greatest needs as they pertain to curriculum?

I write curriculum primarily for youth and women. While everyone needs sound Christian education, I believe it is especially important for youth. They are impressionable, seeking truth, and developing their worldviews. I pray God allows me to participate in helping them form biblical worldviews.

How can the churches of the SBTC be praying for you and your ministry?

I love God, I love His Word, and I love His people. I also love learning and sharing what I learn. Thus, I find my calling as a Bible teacher and Christian author incredibly rewarding. Whenever we work to advance God’s kingdom of light, we necessarily encounter opposition from the enemy’s kingdom of darkness. I’d appreciate prayer that I will stay the course, keep my mind on the things above, and fulfill every purpose God has ordained for my life and ministry.

Dios lleva a pastor por un camino inesperado que dirige a su ministerio y a la iglesia de Conroe a una nueva vida.

‘It’s not up to me it’s up to the Lord’

Simón Villalobos parecía haber estado siempre en el ministerio.

Empezó a servir al Señor a los 16 años. A los 21, respondió al llamado de Dios al pastorado y finalmente llegó a Veracruz, México, donde sirvió como pastor durante 22 años con 14 iglesias a su cargo.

Con el tiempo, su ministerio en Veracruz concluyó y parecía que se le abría una puerta para pastorear en Texas. Pero cuando Villalobos llegó a EE. UU., esa puerta se cerró por razones ajenas a su voluntad, dejándole a él y a su familia en un limbo.

Simón Villalobos parecía haber estado siempre en el ministerio… hasta que, de repente, dejó de estarlo.

“Yo creía que ya era tiempo de colgar el equipo y de ponerme cómodo en la banca de la iglesia”, dijo Villalobos.

Y así comenzó un viaje difícil, lleno de aprendizaje para depender de Dios, que le ha llevado hasta donde está hoy, pastoreando la creciente iglesia Champion Family de Conroe.

“Yo creía que ya era tiempo de colgar el equipo y de ponerme cómodo en la banca de la iglesia.”

—Simon Villalobos Tweet

‘Como echar un pececito moribundo al agua’

El camino inesperado que apartó a Villalobos del ministerio vocacional durante 10 años le llevó a buscar un empleo secular por primera vez en su vida. Aunque no se presentaron oportunidades formales de ministerio durante ese tiempo, él y su esposa, Rosita, estuvieron como voluntarios ayudando a pastores y ministerios en diversas funciones. Fue un tiempo de descanso para Villalobos, pero también un tiempo en el que él y Rosita sintieron que Dios había terminado con ellos.

Al menos hasta que su hijo les invitó a la Iglesia Bautista Champion Forest en Español en el 2017. Villalobos dijo que allí se sintió cómodo y conectó con la predicación del pastor Esteban Vázquez. Al poco tiempo, Villalobos entabló amistad con Vázquez y empezó a acompañarle en varias tareas ministeriales.

Entre esas tareas estaba el ofrecer apoyo a una iglesia de Conroe que se estaba muriendo, con sólo unos cinco miembros que llevaban toda la carga del ministerio. Para ayudar a llenar el púlpito de la iglesia en apuros, Vázquez invitó a Villalobos a predicar allí. Entonces Villalobos empezó a predicar más a menudo y, tiempo después, Vázquez le preguntó si le interesaría quedarse como pastor allí.

Villalobos dijo que no estaba seguro de aceptar la oferta porque “no veía futuro aquí. [Esta iglesia] estaba muerta”. Así que lo habló con Rosita y, para su sorpresa, ella le animó a aceptar el reto.

“Para Rosita, fue como lanzar un pececito moribundo al agua”, dijo Villalobos. “Ella tiene un llamado muy específico [sirviendo a la iglesia local] y no lo estaba ejerciendo”. Servir a esta iglesia en apuros podría ayudarles a satisfacer el deseo que Dios había puesto en su corazón, así que Villalobos aceptó ser el pastor durante un año de prueba para ver qué podía hacer el Señor.

‘Una misión que va más allá de las paredes’

Villalobos fue instalado como pastor de la iglesia, que ahora se llama Champion Family Conroe, en octubre de 2019. A su llegada, la iglesia comenzó con 13 personas, algunas enviadas desde Champion Forest. A finales del 2019, asistían unas 25 personas, y el crecimiento y la estabilidad continuaron durante la primavera siguiente. El progreso fue cambiando poco a poco la forma de pensar de Villalobos y le trajo esperanza. “No depende de mí”, dijo. “Depende del Señor”.

En el 2020, Covid-19 interrumpió las reuniones de la iglesia, pero el progreso continuó. Una vez reanudados los servicios en persona, la asistencia siguió aumentando y, al verano siguiente, el Señor proveyó un catalizador que no sólo ayudó a la iglesia, sino también a Villalobos.

En agosto del 2021, Villalobos fue invitado por Champion Forest a participar en el programa de formación de plantadores de iglesias de la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas [NAMB por sus siglas en inglés]. Él describe la formación como un nuevo comienzo que le proporcionó conocimientos y recursos de los que antes no disponía, incluidos métodos para utilizar la tecnología en el ministerio.

“La residencia me sirvió para conocer una nueva forma de hacer iglesia”, dijo Villalobos. “Pastorear hace 40 años y en otro país no es lo mismo que hacerlo ahora y aquí”.

"No estamos aquí para llenar el templo, que ya está lleno, sino para desarrollar una misión que vaya más allá de las paredes.”

—Simon Villalobos Tweet

A finales del 2021, Champion Family Conroe contaba con unos 80 asistentes, entre recién llegados, refugiados y algunas familias de Champion Forest que se unieron al esfuerzo de replantación. La asistencia ronda ahora las 100 personas por semana. Ese número aumenta a más de 200 en días especiales.

“Esto ha sido un fenómeno en Conroe, porque aquí las iglesias han llegado a un máximo de 50 a 80 personas y luego han decaído, pero ahora Champion Family sigue creciendo y creciendo”, dijo Villalobos.

Champion Family es un testimonio de cómo Dios ha obrado el milagro de la multiplicación y el avivamiento en Conroe, pero Villalobos tiene claro su objetivo. “No estamos aquí para llenar el templo, que ya está lleno, sino para desarrollar una misión que vaya más allá de las paredes”, dijo.

La iglesia apoya ahora a un grupo de jóvenes misioneras en Veracruz y a un pastor bautista en Fresnillo, Zacatecas, México. También apoya a un pastor-plantador en Mozambique, África, donde Champion Family acaba de comprar un terreno para que la iglesia se reúna allí, y están en proceso de comprar un acre y medio de terreno con la esperanza de construir una escuela en Nampula, África.

“Me asombra cómo la gente se ha involucrado sin forzar nada”, dijo Villalobos. “Esta iglesia ha crecido orgánicamente. Oramos para que Dios nos dé pastores y ancianos que tengan la vocación de seguir ministrando y mirando fuera de nuestras paredes.”