Author: Russell Lightner

Lone Star Scoop • June 2023

Oldest active Baptist church in Texas marks 185th anniversary

NACOGDOCHES

Old North Baptist Church, the oldest active Baptist church in Texas, marked its 185th anniversary on May 7 with a celebration service that included worship, the preaching of God’s Word, and a recitation of its history.

John McGuire, a field representative for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—whose father, Pete, once pastored Old North—presented a plaque to the church to mark the occasion. The plaque included an inscription of 2 Corinthians 9:12: “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

According to the Texas State Historical Association, the church was officially organized on May 6, 1838.

“You know, I was just thinking—this little house is about 185 years old,” said Ottis Byers, a longtime East Texas businessman who preached the anniversary service. “Aren’t you glad He still dwells in it? … It’s a sweet presence in here.”

—Texan Staff

Dance’s ‘Start to Finish’ to be released this month

NASHVILLE

Start to Finish: The Pastor’s Guide to Leading a Resilient Life and Ministry, the latest book by Guidestone Director of Pastoral Wellness Mark Dance, is scheduled to be released in June by B&H Publishing.

In the book, Dance addresses the challenging task pastors face and offers steps they can take to serve, lead, and end their ministries well—whether they are many years into their ministry or about to begin. In its promotion of the book, B&H writes, “As pastors begin to lead their churches, they recognize quickly that their calling comes with special expectations. Many come to feel they can no longer live up to those expectations. Burnout is rampant. Pastors are stepping down in order to protect the well-being of themselves and their families. … Mark Dance addresses this frustration in his book ….”

“I am praying that this book will be used as a mentoring tool for seasoned ministers to use with younger ones in their most formative years,” Dance said. “I am hoping that God will use it to prepare pastors for a resilient life and ministry, as well as prevent them from causing collateral damage along the way.”

Start to Finish will be available through most major book retailers.

—Texan Staff

Ultrasound machine funded by SBTC grant dedicated in Waxahachie

WAXAHACHIE—The dedication of the fourth of six ultrasound machines funded by a Southern Baptists of Texas Convention grant was held in April at FirstLook Sexual Health and Pregnancy Center.

The SBTC Executive Board in April 2022 approved a grant of $228,000 to provide the machines and training. “We are so grateful for the partnership with the SBTC on multiple machine placements in Texas,” said Rachel Wiles of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s Psalm 139 Project, which facilitated the ultrasound placements.

Added FirstLook CEO Donna Young: “This ultrasound machine from the Psalm 139 Project to FirstLook is such a wonderful blessing. God is faithful to provide exactly what is needed to further His work here at exactly the right time.”

—Jane Rodgers

SBTC en Español hosts retreats for senior adults, pastor wives

CEDAR HILL

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s en Español department marked a pair of firsts in April when it hosted retreats for senior adults and the wives of Hispanic pastors.

“We have a vision to support the development of Hispanic churches in Texas in a healthy and effective way, so we are constantly looking for ways we can impact the different segments of leadership in these churches,” said Chuy Ávila, SBTC en Español lead associate. “We decided to do these events because [senior adults and pastors’ wives] are two of the most neglected groups, yet they are valuable to the body of Christ.”

The senior adult retreat included speakers who spoke on topics such as managing their spiritual lives and preparing well for retirement. The retreat for the wives of pastors offered encouragement and tools to help them face the challenges of serving in ministry.

—Arlene Sanabria

In a world of distractions, pastor urges congregation to prioritize its commitment to the local church

Keeping the first things first

One of the most challenging obstacles pastors face is the same in congregations large and small: getting people to prioritize local church commitment over the activities constantly competing to fill up their weekly schedules.

“People are so busy with different things like sports, school, and other activities. They get pulled in 80 different directions, and they don’t prioritize being in church,” Mikey Pesqueda, pastor of First Baptist Church in Archer City, said.

“The body of Christ is meant to be there for each other. We need every person that is a believer here because we’re supposed to sanctify each other and grow and hold each other accountable,” he said. “We’re supposed to worship God together, encourage one another, and mourn together.

“If we’re not [at church with one another], then there’s always a part that’s missing that’s absolutely essential.”

Pesqueda has been reading a book by pastor and author J.T. English that says disciple-makers are taking the wrong approach when they ask what disciples want. Instead, they should be asking what they need.

“I think the same is true for our families,” Pesqueda said. “We don’t need to be asking what our kids want but what they need. What they need is to be involved in the body of Christ.”

FBC Archer City has seen a couple of families “really take hold of that” and pull their kids out of some activities, the pastor said, “and they’re here consistently.”

“If you were to ask them, they would say there’s a peace now of not feeling so pressured going in 80 different directions.”

“We need you to be here just as much as you need to be here.”

—Mikey Pesqueda Tweet

Pesqueda was working a plumbing job with his father, attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and had married about four years earlier when he asked some mentors to keep their eyes open for where he might serve in ministry full time. With only internships on his resume, Pesqueda expected to start as an associate pastor and was surprised when FBC Archer City, a century-old congregation outside Wichita Falls, called him as their pastor.

Archer City is a town of about 1,700 people, including ranchers, teachers, and people who work in Wichita Falls. The church has had a lot of good, faithful pastors, Pesqueda said, and they were ready to love and accept a 26-year-old as their shepherd.

“Pastoring here has been one of the best blessings of my life,” Pesqueda said. “Coming in and being younger, I wondered if people were going to listen to me and follow the lead of someone who’s 20, 30, 40 years younger than them. I’ve never really felt like people have seen me as a pastor-in-training, and I’m thankful for that.”

Since the beginning, Pesqueda wanted to focus on discipleship and making sure the church knows why it holds specific beliefs. Recently, he started a “Doctrine and Discipline” series on Sunday nights.

“We’re trying to show people that head knowledge should grow our hearts for the Lord,” he said. “Head knowledge shouldn’t puff us up, but should grow our hearts to love Him more by seeing how complex God is and how much He has done for us.”

“Our schedules really shouldn’t revolve around all the other things that we do. Our schedules should revolve around Christ.”

—Mikey Pesqueda Tweet

To support the doctrinal study, the pastor taught some Bible reading basics. “We walked through passages together and talked about interpreting it the right way compared to interpreting it the way we would like to interpret it,” he said.

The only remaining Baptist church in town, FBC Archer City has about 120 people attending on Sundays. The church has a strong children’s ministry and a growing student ministry. Attention is being given to women’s ministry, including a periodic mom’s night out on Wednesday nights.

Missions has been a significant focus of the church, the pastor said, and its missions team works to ensure members aren’t just giving money, but partnering through prayer and directly serving with other ministries.

For three years, the church has participated in the Secret Church Bible study and prayer emphasis started by pastor and author David Platt. An FBC Archer member had listened to Platt and asked if the church could get involved. Pesqueda was unsure anyone would attend something outside the scope of Sunday and Wednesday, but 25 people showed up the first time.

As more young couples join the church, Pesqueda tries to show them he doesn’t just want them there; he needs them there.

“We need you to be here just as much as you need to be here,” he tells them.

“Our schedules really shouldn’t revolve around all the other things that we do. Our schedules should revolve around Christ. When our schedules revolve around Christ and going to church and being involved in a local body, then all the other things will find the right balance.”

God’s not done with you!

I’ve discovered amazing things about the greatest men and women of Scripture. In reading their stories, I see a common theme. Because of their actions, circumstances, or age, they believed God was done with them.

In their lives, I saw dead-ends, horrific mistakes, valleys of discouragement, and seasons of doubt. Their stories, despite the hopeless situations they faced, have encouraging and surprising conclusions. Their final testimony was, “God’s not done with me!”

Let me personalize this—God’s not done with you, either!

At times, it certainly seems like God is finished with us. I’ve been in seasons where I wondered if God even knew where I was. As a pastor, I’ve walked with many who’ve pondered, “Where are you, God? How will you meet me in this mess?”

Let me encourage you with this: The God who intervened in the lives of those Bible characters can do the same for yours. Their stories are recorded so that you might experience God in your own life.

Remember Elijah? This great prophet went from supernatural victory on Mount Carmel to a dark valley of discouragement in just hours—a stunning reversal. Elijah was so weary, discouraged, and empty that he prayed, “It is enough … take my life.” This is what I call the dark night of the soul. So many have been there.

God shines light into Elijah’s dark season with a personal encounter on a mountain. In that encounter, God changed Elijah’s perspective and gave him the next step he needed to get up and finish strong. God was not done with Elijah. Elijah’s greatest fear was an embarrassing death at the hands of Jezebel, but in the end, he doesn’t die. How’s that for an amazing comeback?

"The God who intervened in the lives of those Bible characters can do the same for yours. Their stories are recorded so that you might experience God in your own life."

John Meador Tweet

When my wife and I walked through a similar time of discouragement and depression, we learned that the God of Elijah still meets with men and women and gives them hope. He did that for us. Decades later, we still remember those great moments where God intervened.

Many may wonder, “How does God orchestrate these kinds of comebacks in life?” Then we remember that He is God, and if you’ll pay attention, He sends reminders to us all through history:

Elijah was discouraged.
Moses was angry.
David was in sin.
Esther faced a hopeless situation.
Abigail stood between two angry men.
Peter became disillusioned with Jesus.

Each could have concluded, “God’s done with me.” Each would have been wrong. God brought each of them through difficult seasons and let them experience incredible things on the other side.

“God’s not done with you” is a way of thinking—a perspective of life. If you’re still here, God’s not done with you. It is just like God to cause the latter chapters of your life to be much greater than former ones. Believe that He has a plan for you.

Remember Paul’s words in Philippians 3:13-14: Forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. God’s not done with you!

Salvation on mission trip provides catalyst for spiritual movement at an East Texas university

God's Moving on Campus

Fredonia Hill Baptist Church has baptized at least 17 students who attend Stephen F. Austin State University since spring break.

What John James, the church’s college/associate pastor, is calling “a movement of God” started with a 30-person spring break collegiate mission trip to New York City.

“God’s moving on campus,” James said. “It’s just cool to see what God is doing at SFA.”

One of Fredonia Hill’s college students who went on the spring break mission trip—consisting of community outreach and an evening vacation Bible school—confessed to leaders she went because she wanted to see New York City, James said. Then the Lord began to move personally in her life.

“During our time in New York City, she wrestled with questions about God’s goodness and finally gave her life to Jesus on our trip,” James said. “The following week she went back to her small group and shared what God had done in her life. Two people responded by placing their faith in Jesus. That same night, one of the guys was texting a friend he’d met [at an outreach event] and led him to the Lord over text.”

“We’re training our students on campus to be missionaries, to know how to have gospel conversations, and how to live intentionally in their spheres of influence.”

—John James, college/associate pastor Tweet

Since then, James said he has seen the fruit of the relational style of ministry he, his co-director wife, Meleena, and the collegiate leadership team advocate. The 150 Fredonia Hill attendees who are part of the collegiate ministry learn to make friends with the people they encounter on campus and elsewhere and learn how to navigate conversations about spiritual matters, anxiety, stress, and other issues.

“We transitioned out of being a program-based ministry to a relationship-based ministry over the last few years,” James said. “We’re training our students on campus to be missionaries, to know how to have gospel conversations, and how to live intentionally in their spheres of influence.”

Said Fredonia Hill Senior Pastor Kendall McDonald: “We are thrilled with what we are seeing God do and are certainly happy to tell the story so that He receives the glory. I think in our current cultural climate, relationship-building and prayer are essential in leading people to Christ, and we are seeing that play out right in front of us.”

James tells the story of a student who invited her sister to an impromptu prayer and worship time being held at his home. Impressed with what she heard, the sister asked Jesus to take over her life. Another student told his 12-year-old brother the difference Jesus has made in his life, and the brother said he’d been talking to the Lord, asking how to get into heaven.

“What we’re seeing is God drawing a lot of people to Him on campus. I pray He’s not done. I don’t think it’s anything we’ve changed from a ministry or strategic standpoint. I think God is just drawing people to Him.”

—John James Tweet

“We’ve been praying for people by name, sending out prayer lists,” James said. “We’ve seen people respond at worship night, one at a baptism. One student sat me down one afternoon and said, ‘I’ve told people I’ve been saved since I was a little kid, but really I didn’t get saved until a couple months ago. I need to be baptized.’”

Students have been responding to “the sharing of stories and the offering of an invitation” to make Jesus the Lord of their lives, James said. He referenced Psalm 34 when asked why students in today’s culture would be interested in God.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good,” James said. “So many students have seen so much of what the world can offer, and they’ve found that it’s not good. They long for something deeper. They long for what is good. When they come to us and engage in conversation, we’re able to talk about brokenness and the whole purpose of the gospel—God redeeming a broken world.

“What we’re seeing is God drawing a lot of people to Him on campus. I pray He’s not done. I don’t think it’s anything we’ve changed from a ministry or strategic standpoint. I think God is just drawing people to Him.”

The real solution for transforming our communities

Each month in the Texan, we publish a column written by the current president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, who this year happens to be Todd Kaunitz, lead pastor at New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview. As I began to edit his article for this month’s issue, I quickly noticed he wrote about something he’s written about quite a bit over the past year or so—prayer and revival.

“Revival in the church,” he writes, “will lead to spiritual awakening in our communities.”

Kaunitz has seen this happening in his own church. We’ve previously told a tiny portion of that story in the pages of the Texan, but the gist of it is that a season of personal distress and discouragement a couple of years ago led him to cry out to the Lord and, subsequently, to lead his church to do the same. What they’ve seen since can only be described as a God thing, with hundreds coming to Christ, being baptized, and experiencing personal renewal.

You’ll also find in this issue a Q&A with Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. When I interviewed him a couple of weeks ago, I asked him how Southern Baptists might amplify their collective voice in a country that seems to stray further from God. His response: “I think the best way we amplify our voice is to share the gospel with people in our community who are lost and to help them see Jesus is the answer.”

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

jayson larson Tweet

The words of each of these men, speaking about the ways communities can be transformed, collided in my mind with the fresh memory of the events of May 6, when a 33-year-old man shot and killed eight people at an outlet mall in Allen—a location I had driven past only a month before. Before we even knew the name of a single victim, the airwaves began to be filled with, frankly, what they’re always filled with: speculations, accusations, opportunistic political maneuverings, and the like.

But none of those things will ever fix any of this. Only Jesus can fix broken people born into a broken world who live in broken communities. I wondered if the Allen shooter had ever heard or had a chance to respond to the gospel. I wondered what would happen if, as Christians, we would pour the entire weight of our devotion into prayer and sharing the gospel with one more person rather than pouring ourselves into worldly conversations about things that have exclusively spiritual solutions.

We wring our hands about the brokenness in this world and wonder aloud about what can be done. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Though it seems an unlikely solution to those who don’t know Jesus, these battles—which are truly for our hearts and minds—are fought on our knees. In this world, we will undoubtedly face more tribulation. But for our tribe, we can take heart. We serve a Lord who has overcome the world.

Covering a lot of ground in H-Town

Houston’s First collegiate ministry finds vast landscape, plenty of gospel opportunities

Houston is not your typical college town. The Bayou City boasts more than 40 institutions of higher learning, from four-year universities to junior colleges to tech schools, according to the city’s website.

College ministry opportunities are vast and far different from those in communities dominated by a single major university, as Hunter Mullennix, Houston’s First Baptist Church college ministry associate at the church’s Loop campus, has discovered.

Mullennix, 25, came to Houston’s First in June 2022 following graduation from a state university in Denton in the prior year.

He said he had asked God to provide “a route for me not to go to college,” but had surrendered to the inevitable and ended up going to school in Denton. Today, he is pursuing a master’s degree through Southwestern Seminary part-time.

During his time in college, Mullennix majored in religious studies, where he “learned a little about a lot of religions” and repeatedly heard negatives about Christianity in his classes. “It was liberal, not biblical Christianity,” he said, adding that it was certainly different from what he had learned growing up in church. He got involved in a college ministry at a nearby church after some soul-searching in which he concluded he had been living a “double life”—juggling fraternity life with occasional church attendance.

“The Lord started to draw me back to Himself.”

—Hunter Mullenix Tweet

“The Lord started to draw me back to Himself” through collegiate ministry at that church, he said. Mullennix dropped the frat life and spent a year in volunteer leadership before he was asked to join the church staff part-time as a college ministry intern in 2020, “right in the middle of COVID.”

Mullennix married his wife, Hannah, in June 2021, following graduation. Both felt called to ministry and Mullennix began an eight-month stint in the International Mission Board’s journeyman program. After Mullennix filled in one evening preaching at his college ministry, Hannah voiced what both had been separately thinking: perhaps it wasn’t the right time to pursue IMB work, but rather, college ministry.

After others in his church had affirmed their calling to college ministry, someone recommended they contact Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Collegiate Associate Mitch Tidwell and attend a Roundup event in May 2022. Tidwell, whose nephew had been involved in the ministry where Mullennix was serving in Denton, asked him to supply his resume.

Shortly after, Jarret Garber, minister to college and The 5, The Loop’s 5 p.m. Sunday service, phoned and had a 90-minute conversation with Hunter and Hannah. After that conversation, the North Texas-raised couple started considering a move south.

“We discussed the state of college ministry in Houston and what they wanted to start at The Loop, expanding out of a Sunday school class,” Mullennix recalled. The chance to start a college ministry practically from scratch was appealing. Hunter and Hannah visited in early June and moved to Houston three weeks later as Mullennix accepted a part-time position as the college ministry coordinator at The Loop.

A college ministry with a unique paradigm

With 15 campuses within 10 minutes, Mullennix said the Loop’s goal is to have a presence on each. For now, students from four universities and several community colleges and trade schools participate in college ministry at the Loop.

“It’s different than serving students from one college,” Mullennix said. “We have an assortment of students who come to our programs.”

College ministry is part of the 5 p.m. service, with a college life Bible study from 6:15 to 8 p.m. following the multigenerational evening worship. Students and leaders walk through biblical literacy and application curriculum focusing on evangelism and discipleship—basically, how to be a Christian.

The Sunday evening Bible study is “the biggest thing we do so far,” Mullennix said, adding that it’s hard to do things on campuses since they are trying to reach multiple schools that are spread out. Meeting at the church offers a central gathering place. Small groups also meet at the Mullennixes’ apartment and in other locations on Wednesday nights, and growth groups of two to three college students led by those who have already been discipled meet weekly, too. Currently there are 11 such groups, Mullennix said.

“Hunter has been able to get students on mission pretty quickly."

—Mitch Tidwell Tweet

“Many [who are] leading are people who came to Christ this semester or who came and found community. They are encouraged to find people to disciple,” he said. He estimates that 60 students are involved on Sunday nights, during the week, or both. A 15-person leadership team assists in the ministry.

“Hunter has been able to get students on mission pretty quickly,” Tidwell said.

Summer college ministry looks a bit different at the Loop as well. Unlike typical college students living away from home, many Houston-area students are year-round residents of the city.

“We don’t send a lot of people back home each year,” Mullennix said. Thus, there are more hands available for summer outreach. This will enable the Loop’s college ministry to have a presence at freshman orientations on various campuses throughout the summer, inviting incoming students to Bible studies geared to prepare them to walk with the Lord while in college.

Mullennix said he hopes to have a college intern and student volunteers on as many Houston-area campuses as possible during orientations as the metro college ministry grows.

How can deacons protect their pastor?

History’s first deacon assignment was an all-out widow war that threatened the future of the Jerusalem church. Without these first seven deacons, the very first local church would have split in two and the apostles would have eventually burned themselves out.

The Jerusalem church started growing again as the pastors re-devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Pastors and deacons have been serving side-by-side imperfectly for two millennia for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom ever since.

Pastor, if you are interested in embracing your original call to partner with deacons and/or elders, I want to suggest four ways they can protect you.

1. A deacon can help protect you from your fans.

The crowds that followed Jesus often asked more from Him than was reasonable. Immediately after He fed the 5,000, that crowd tried to “take Him by force to make Him king” (John 6:15). By the end of that same chapter, Jesus’ teachings got so tough that “many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him” (John 6:66).

Fans are fickle.

Friends are faithful.

Fans chase pastors down in stores and restaurants. They text pastors at any time and for any reason, then complain because he didn’t reply fast enough. Friends, on the other hand, will protect pastors from their fickle fans. Friends walk in and clean up the mess the fans left on their way out of the church.

Pastors don’t need fans—they need friends. Local churches need their deacons and/or elders to become faithful friends to their pastors.

2. A deacon can help protect you from your critics.

Early in his ministry, a handful of deacons from First Baptist Orlando came to Pastor Jim Henry’s home to pray for him. They told him, “Anybody who comes after you has to come through us first.” Henry later said, “Those guys kept their word. Deacons have had my back for over 50 years.”

Church critics see themselves as the pastor police who are protecting the church, but they are nothing less than schoolyard bullies. Is your church a safe place to pastor? If not, deputize your deacons to wage peace in the hallways of your church.

"If you are a deacon or church leader and your pastor is drowning, don’t yell advice from the shore. Jump in and help him. If you are a pastor—let your deacons help you."

Mark Dance Tweet

3. A deacon can help protect you from the enemy.

The devil is a terrorist who strategically targets pastors. A simple way to let your leaders protect you is to ask them to pray for you before each worship service or at whatever time is most convenient. Selectively recruit one or two intercessors, or a rotation, and ask one of them to be the time keeper so that this doesn’t devolve into a distracting chat time.

4. A deacon can help protect you from yourself.

The pastor in the mirror is much more dangerous than his fans, critics, or even the devil. We need to surround ourselves with trusted leaders who love us enough to protect us from ourselves.

Initiating accountability is much less intrusive than waiting for it to be assigned to you. Deacons won’t hold this sacred assignment lightly, especially if you use it as a preventive measure. Make sure they understand the biblical ground rules: privately, respectfully, and in love (Matthew 18:15; Ephesians 4:15).

If you are a deacon or church leader and your pastor is drowning, don’t yell advice from the shore. Jump in and help him.

If you are a pastor—let your deacons help you. In doing so, you will allow them the privilege of fulfilling their biblical call to protect their pastor.

A moment of clarity, a lifetime of impact

After answering God’s call at M3 student camp, Texas native finds himself serving church plant in Colorado

Church planting intern Marco Baltazar has seen God work mightily through the local church and, particularly, student ministry. Called to ministry one summer during an M3 student camp in Austin when he was only 13, Marco, now 23, has been on an unexpected journey ever since.

“Time will tell,” Brandon Bales told Marco and other similarly called youth after that M3 camp a decade ago, explaining that if they were truly called to ministry, they wouldn’t want to do anything else. At that time, Bales, who now serves as student ministry associate and oversees M3 camps for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, was Marco’s youth pastor at Northeast Houston Baptist Church in Humble.

During his freshman year of high school, while studying Ephesians 4:12-13, Marco realized he could think of no other future than
serving the church.

After all, the church had always been there for him and his family.

Marco’s father, Miguel, migrated to the U.S. from Mexico. His mother, Emma, was born in the Rio Grande Valley. They raised their four children in Houston and Emma took the kids to a small Hispanic Baptist church where Marco trusted Christ as Lord at age eight. The following year, most of the family started attending NEHBC, where Marco was baptized.

Marco’s father, raised Catholic, was uninvolved in church, but he did talk to his son about matters of faith over the years.

“I have seen the Lord restore my family growing up, restore me, and use the local church to bless my family in times of need financially and relationally."

—Marco Baltazar Tweet

“He had stopped following God in any form or fashion,” Marco said. “I would tell him what Scripture said. We would talk about the Bible. The Lord just started to convict him.”

When Marco turned 19, the same year he started working as an apprentice pastor at NEHBC under then-pastor Nathan Lino, Miguel became a believer. Marco baptized his father at the church’s outdoor baptismal area in the summer of 2019—a joyous occasion.

“I have seen the Lord restore my family growing up, restore me, and use the local church to bless my family in times of need financially and relationally,” Marco said.

On-the-job training

During his two years working directly with Lino at NEHBC, Marco received a first-person view of the pastorate. He served as Lino’s personal assistant, getting an up-close look at what it takes to lead a church.

In addition to working part-time at NEHBC, Baltazar started college online, receiving tuition assistance from the national coffee company for which he still works, also part-time.

“It’s not how I planned [college],” Marco said, “but it’s how the Lord orchestrated it.”

Neither had he planned a move out of state. But after NEHBC planted Cross Family Church in Parker, Colo., in 2019, Marco headed north to help in July 2021.

Cross Family, located 30 minutes south of Denver, has grown to 100-120 in Sunday services. As a part-time church planting staff intern, Marco occasionally preaches and regularly delivers announcements from the pulpit. He teaches and leads in the men’s ministry and has prepared and coordinated some of the church’s door-to-door outreaches. He has served in children’s ministry, too, gaining wisdom from the director of that department.

“I’ve gotten to experience almost every area of ministry,” Marco said, adding that he even helped coordinate the work of three interns last summer.

He also continues to pursue his bachelor’s degree. The job gives him the opportunity to meet hundreds of people. “It’s been a blessing,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Marco said he feels called to one day be a senior pastor of a multiethnic church where he can preach in both English and Spanish. To continue preparing for that, he plans to move to Fort Worth this June, eventually enrolling at Southwestern Seminary after he completes his undergraduate degree.

Marco’s road to salvation began in the local church, but his call to ministry came at student camp, which he credits with providing opportunities to “develop deep relationships with people who are further along in the faith.” He credits those relationships, as well as his connection to Bales, as blessings the Lord has used to help him grow.

“I’ve had the privilege to see Marco come to faith, grow in his faith, be called to ministry, and be sent off as a missionary to help a church plant,” Bales said. “I’m proud to call him one of our former students. He does well to honor our Lord.”

Of M3 camp, Bales added, “A single moment in a camper’s life may become a lifetime of impact for the kingdom of God.”

What’s your story? Even when we wanted to leave, God showed us a better plan

In 2003, my fiancé, David (who is now my husband), and I were debating on whether to put down roots in Texas or go to Oklahoma. As we were praying about it, I was really convicted because we weren’t in church even though I knew we needed to be. During the time I was praying for guidance, we were driving down the road not far from my mom’s house in Euless and I saw a church I had to have passed dozens of times but had never noticed before. It was North Euless Baptist Church.

When we visited, it immediately felt like home. We met a man, Blake McKamie, who became a friend right off the bat and, since we were 19 and 20, we fell into the large college and career group. It was about 40 people at that time. It was a booming little church, about 300 people, including children.

About three years later, our pastor left and we called a new pastor who had been serving as the youth pastor at the time. The church was kind of holding steady, losing a few members here and there, but nothing too dramatic. It wasn’t long after that, as senior citizens passed away and families started moving away, that different conflicts arose in the church. We had some pretty hard business meetings related to the style of music, how we were going to afford to fix the air conditioners that were broken, and even how to pay our utility bills.

Within a few short years, the church dwindled to about 60-80 people. But by God’s grace, we didn’t split. Still, the ministry just kind of became ineffective. At one point, we were like, “Maybe it’s time to start looking for another church.” We were praying about that, and every time I was at peace with the idea, David said, “Let’s give it a little bit longer.” And when I would get to that same point where I was at peace staying, David would be ready to go.

I’m glad I didn’t quit my church and trusted God’s plan for the future even when it was scary to let the old church go. There were some hard times that made me want to leave, but I know staying was God’s best plan for us.

Amanda kennedy Tweet

I mean, I even had my resignation letter written and kept it with me every Sunday. There was one Sunday I had put that letter on the pastor’s desk while he was in the sanctuary getting ready to preach. When it was offering time, the Lord made it super clear to me that it was not time to go, so I discreetly got up and pulled my little letter off his desk. So we kept going and kept serving as the Lord led us, waiting for Him to give us direction and unity in the decision about when to leave.

Then, in 2012, our pastor was called to lead another church. At that time, I was the head of the personnel committee, our friend, Blake, was chairman of the deacons, and then we had our worship leader. The three of us suddenly found ourselves in the most senior positions, being the heads of these ministries. We got together to pray and were like, “OK, what’s next?”

We decided to ask Ted Elmore to meet with us, and the church called him as our interim pastor. At that point, our church’s vision was to get an interim pastor, hoping maybe a third party could give us an idea of how we could resurrect the church and bring it back from the brink of death. Ted did a really good job of coming in and triaging the situation and giving us a lot of good insight.

But the congregation was pretty worn out and membership had fallen to 30 or 40 people. We were just a few people and we were all wearing many hats, doing a lot to try to stay alive. Even David and I were worn out. In addition to leading the personnel committee, I was co-leading the women’s ministry, and on many Sundays, working in the nursery. David was a deacon, teaching a class, working with our audio/visual equipment, and serving on our building and grounds team. All the while, we were working full-time jobs and raising a special needs kid.

In 2013, Ted brought up the subject of replanting our church with First Baptist Church of Keller. After much prayer and many meetings, God led our members to go through with the replant and close North Euless Baptist Church in 2014. While the church was closed for renovations, everyone from North Euless attended First Keller. They were so gracious, they even sent a bus each week so we could ride to their building during this transition time.

That’s when we were introduced to Casey Lewis, one of the youth pastors at First Keller who ended up being the founding pastor of Foundation Baptist Church, our replanted church in Euless. It was when we met Casey and his wife, Amy, that we were glad we didn’t quit our church. It was an incredible blessing to see people excited about doing ministry in our community again.

Today, the church is growing steadily in faith, maturity, and numbers. We became autonomous in June 2020 and voted to call Blake as our second pastor, serving alongside Casey. We average between 90-100 each Sunday, have seen three people baptized already this year, and have at least two more baptisms scheduled in the next few weeks. In June, David and I will celebrate 20 years of worshipping and serving God in that building.

So what’s my story? I’m glad I didn’t quit my church and trusted God’s plan for the future even when it was scary to let the old church go. There were some hard times that made me want to leave, but I know staying was God’s best plan for us.

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

Share your story here

Taking your VBS to the next level

Vacation Bible School is an enriching time when various volunteers from all parts of the church join together to plan and lead a special event with one theme in mind—sharing the gospel with children. I was one of those church kids who accepted Christ as my Savior during VBS at age 9. I love VBS!

Though fewer parents are taking their families to church on Sundays, many will bring their children to VBS. The week of concentrated Bible study, worship, missions, fellowship, and salvation opportunities continues to be the most “immediate practical way of increasing the Bible study time for our children,” Landry Holmes wrote in his 2018 book, It’s Worth It.

After 125 years planning, creating, training, sharing, fellowshipping, and teaching, what could take this evangelism opportunity to the next level of excellence?

"Before finding a leader or director, purchasing curriculum, or recruiting teachers, enlist a prayer team of three to five people to lead the church in praying for VBS."

Karen Kennemur Tweet

Prayer

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing.” The entire VBS experience needs to be immersed in prayer from beginning to end, from recruitment to follow-up.

Before finding a leader or director, purchasing curriculum, or recruiting teachers, enlist a prayer team of three to five people to lead the church in praying for VBS. Consider asking volunteers who cannot attend VBS to be diligent in weekly prayer. Explain to these individuals that prayer is one of the most important parts of VBS and their consistent prayers are needed before, during, and even after the event.

Faith and salvation conversations

Faith conversations could happen when a child, while walking from one activity to the next, asks a volunteer questions about God, church, faith, etc. The volunteer may comment on how God blessed the day with sunshine and warm weather. This one comment may begin a casual conversation about God and faith. Leaders need to be trained to become active listeners so they can purposefully converse with children in these casual faith conversations.

Other times, children want to talk specifically about salvation. Sharing the gospel with children should be a part of VBS training for all leaders and volunteers. We should never assume adults know how to share the gospel with children.

Follow-up

Follow-up is the icing on the cake, the bow on the gift, the finishing touches on a well-executed plan. Most people would not only say follow-up is important, but that it is the most forgotten part of VBS.

Follow-up with visitors may simply be sending an invitation to the family for future church events or leaving a goodie bag at their home. For non-attending members, a phone call, card, email, goodie bag, or other type of communication can deliver an important message: “We miss you!”

The most important follow-up efforts involve contacting families whose child became a Christian during VBS. An arranged, in-person visit from church leaders is most effective. This visit allows the leaders to talk with the parents and child about the child’s decision to follow Christ. It is also a good opportunity to discuss the child’s baptism. Perhaps the family does not attend church. This visit helps parents know they are welcome at your church and gives them a place for their child’s baptism. Follow-up matters.