Author: Russell Lightner

Building an evangelistic culture in your church

Although evangelism is the responsibility of all believers, pastors and evangelists have the task of equipping, training, and mobilizing congregations to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

However, being familiar with the previous passage does not provide a practical and applicable plan for a local congregation. So what does a strategic plan of evangelism look like for a local church? Does your church evangelism program include everyone? Does it build a culture of soul-winning? The following is a strategic evangelism plan applicable to all local churches.

"The evangelistic plan of any church demands implementation and consistency."

Carl J. Bradford Tweet

Vocal: The church needs to express the expectation of evangelism verbally.
Any Sunday, pastors and teachers are privileged with speaking to tens, hundreds, or thousands of believers regarding the teachings of Jesus Christ. Communicate the expectations of biblical evangelism and celebrate from the pulpit stories of members who led someone to Christ. Even if no one accepted Christ, emphasize the obedience of the members who shared, noting that successful evangelism is not winning the lost but sharing the complete gospel message in the power of the Holy Spirit. The verbal expression of witnessing encounters demonstrates to others that evangelism is taking place and reminds the congregation of the expectation to engage the lost with the gospel.

Visual: The church needs to model evangelism openly.
Often, leaders promote evangelism in the community surrounding the church or practice personal evangelism in the marketplace. However, they often fail to practice what’s preached. Develop a particular time of evangelism in your life and get involved in the many evangelism opportunities the church offers. Leaders should not expect congregations to do what they have not already done. The visual demonstration of evangelism communicates to the congregation that the expectation to evangelize includes church leadership. Additionally, develop a time to share the gospel in every ministry and event the church provides for visitors. The congregation will soon see that the need for evangelism is not only talked about verbally but also demonstrated visually.

Viable: The church needs to practice evangelism with variety.
Many people complain that churches do not practice their type of evangelism. Identify what method of evangelism the congregation is open to practicing and encourage members to engage the lost with the gospel through that method. Develop and emphasize not a specific method, but the practice of any method (assuming it does not violate Scripture). Encourage some to evangelize at events held by the church, others at their jobs and in public, and others through existing relationships—but by all means, encourage and train them to evangelize somewhere with someone.

The evangelistic plan of any church demands implementation and consistency. Therefore, I suggest holding monthly or quarterly meetings to share witness encounters, provide suggestions on evangelizing, answer objections, and encourage one another. Though not an exhaustive plan, this will help pastors, evangelists, and leaders begin developing a culture of evangelism within the local church.

Iglesias se fusionan tras darse cuenta de que pueden juntas suplir su necesidad y alcanzar a su comunidad

Juntos somos más fuertes

En un momento en que muchas iglesias están cerrando al tratar de navegar por las dificultades de ministrar en un mundo post-COVID, el pastor Philip Levant es testigo de cómo Dios puede utilizar la disposición de dos iglesias que tienen una necesidad, para trabajar juntas.

A principios de este año, Dios puso en el corazón de Levant el orar para que la iglesia bilingüe que pastorea, entonces conocida como Iglesia Bautista La Vid, pudiera tener su propio edificio. Durante casi siete años la iglesia se había estado reuniendo en la Iglesia Bautista Shady Oaks en Hurst.

En agosto de 2022, durante una reunión de oración y conexión celebrada entre pastores hispanos de la Asociación Bautista de Tarrant, Levant se enteró de que la iglesia Templo Bautista Emanuel de Fort Worth, otra congregación bilingüe, estaba sin pastor. Mientras oraban por Templo Emanuel, Levant tuvo la idea de preguntar sobre la posibilidad de que su iglesia se fusionara con la de ellos, satisfaciendo simultáneamente una necesidad para ambas. Tras varias reuniones y oraciones, Dios actuó de tal manera que las iglesias pudieron fusionarse.

Para Levant, que también es miembro del consejo del Seminario Teológico Bautista Southwestern (SWBTS), la obra que Dios ha realizado hasta ahora para lograr esta fusión resalta el valor de las relaciones del reino.

"Dios utiliza las relaciones para bendecirnos. Él puede abrir los cielos y hacer que caiga maná del cielo, pero la forma normal en que actúa en nuestras vidas es a través de otras personas y de las relaciones que tenemos. Así que debemos invertir en ellas para recibir las bendiciones de Dios."

philip levant Tweet

“Como testimonio personal, puedo decir que es a través de todas estas conexiones y relaciones con los pastores hispanos en la Asociación Bautista de Tarrant, con SWBTS y con la iglesia local cerca de nosotros, que Dios ha permitido que esto surja,” dijo Levant.

Levant ha sido testigo desde su infancia de cómo Dios utiliza las relaciones para bendecir al cuerpo de Cristo. Creció en un hogar cristiano, siendo sus padres cristianos de primera generación. Su padre, Jorge Levant, ha sido pastor durante más de 40 años y 39 de ellos ha sido pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida en Jesús de Laredo.

Levant recibió a Cristo a los cinco años, después de que su padre compartiera el Evangelio con él. Desarrolló su talento para la música en la iglesia y, tras completar estudios de posgrado en música, Dios le llamó al ministerio pastoral. Así que regresó a SWBTS para obtener una Maestría en Divinidad para seguir el llamado de Dios junto a su esposa, Patricia, y sus siete hijos.

El primer servicio de adoración unido que celebraron las iglesias se realizó el domingo 8 de enero. Durante el servicio, celebraron juntos como una sola congregación con cantos de exaltación a Dios y reconocieron a varios siervos fieles. Además, se hizo un llamado a la congregación para servir y crecer juntos a través de varias clases de discipulado. Levant compartió un mensaje basado en el Salmo 37:5-6 titulado “Dios librará.” Al final del servicio, las iglesias decidieron que su nuevo nombre sería Iglesia Ágape.

La Iglesia Ágape se encuentra en una zona predominantemente hispana. Planifican celebrar un “lanzamiento” oficial el día de Domingo de Resurrección, con una invitación a toda la comunidad a asistir. “Queremos ir casa por casa para invitarles a venir y ver lo que Dios está haciendo,” dijo Levant. Además, la iglesia tiene previsto celebrar una Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones para niños y adultos.

“Dios utiliza las relaciones para bendecirnos,” afirma Levant. “Él puede abrir los cielos y hacer que caiga maná del cielo, pero la forma normal en que actúa en nuestras vidas es a través de otras personas y de las relaciones que tenemos. Así que debemos invertir en ellas para recibir las bendiciones de Dios.”

Churches merge after realizing they can meet each other’s needs, reach their community together

Stronger Together

At a time when many churches are closing as they try to navigate the difficulties of ministering in a post-COVID world, Pastor Philip Levant is seeing God meet the needs of two churches through their willingness to cooperate.

Earlier this year, God put it on Levant’s heart to pray that the bilingual church he pastors, then known as Iglesia Bautista La Vid (The Vine Baptist Church), could have its own building. For almost seven years the church had been meeting at Shady Oaks Baptist Church in Hurst.

In August 2022, during a prayer and connection meeting held among Hispanic pastors from the Tarrant Baptist Association, Levant became aware that Emmanuel Baptist Church in Fort Worth, another bilingual congregation, was without a pastor. While praying for Emmanuel (also known as Templo Bautista Emmanuel), Levant had the idea to inquire about the possibility of his church merging with theirs—simultaneously meeting a need for both. After several meetings and prayer, God moved in a way that allowed the churches to merge.

For Levant, who also serves as a board member for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), the work God has done thus far in the merger underscores the value of kingdom relationships.

“As a personal testimony, I can say that it is through all these connections and relationships with the Hispanic pastors at Tarrant Baptist Association, with SWBTS, and with the local churches near us that God has allowed this to emerge,” Levant said.

Levant has witnessed since childhood how God uses relationships to bless the body of Christ. He grew up in a Christian home, with his parents being first-generation Christ-followers. His father, Jorge Levant, has been a pastor for more than 40 years—39 of which have been at New Life in Jesus Baptist Church in Laredo.

“God uses relationships to bless us. ... So, we need to invest in them to receive God’s blessings."

philip levant Tweet

Levant trusted Christ at age five after his father shared the gospel with him. He developed his talent in music in the church and, after completing graduate studies in music, God called him to pastoral ministry. So he returned to SWBTS, accompanied by his wife, Patricia, and their seven children, to pursue God’s call.

The first united worship service for the churches was Sunday, Jan. 8. During the service, congregants celebrated with songs of exaltation to God and recognized several faithful servants. In addition, a call was made to the congregation to serve and grow together through various discipleship classes. Levant delivered a message based on Psalm 37:5-6 titled, “God will deliver.” Following that first service, they decided to rename their new gathering Agape Church.

Agape Church is in a predominantly Hispanic area. The church will celebrate an official “launch” on Easter, with an invitation for the entire community to attend. “We want to go house to house to invite them to come and see what God is doing,” Levant said. In addition, the church plans to hold a Vacation Bible School for children and adults.

“God uses relationships to bless us,” Levant said. “He can open the heavens and cause manna to fall from heaven, but the normal way He works in our lives is through other people and the relationships we have. So, we need to invest in them to receive God’s blessings.”

Junction’s First Baptist sees fruit after Bible teaching, evangelism take center stage

Spread the Word

At Katy’s First Baptist Church one Sunday nearly a decade ago, retail executive Steve Myers listened closely as the pastor chased a “rabbit trail” that caught his attention.

Specifically, the pastor said there were not enough conservative, godly men coming out of seminary.

With four kids who either had graduated from high school or were about to graduate, Myers went back to school himself—earning a Master of Theology degree online through Liberty University while continuing to work 60-70 hours per week in retail management.

He became more active in church, leading mission trips to Alaska and Cuba in addition to continuing to teach Sunday school. After he completed his degree from Liberty, he began sending out resumes to churches.

“I wasn’t willing to surrender it all to the Lord,” Myers said. Eventually, he experienced what he calls his Isaiah 6 moment: “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” He and his wife, Lisa, became determined to go wherever the Lord wanted.

Junction’s First Baptist called him in 2019. Initially, Myers didn’t know where the Kimble County town was. He soon learned Junction is just southeast of San Angelo, west of Austin, and 52 miles from the nearest Walmart.

A long shadow
Junction’s First Baptist has a storied history, with Sam Coffey serving as pastor from 1969 to 1994. “Pastor Coffey cast a long shadow,” Myers said of the beloved preacher who was a stalwart of the community.

A series of pastors filled the pulpit following Coffey’s retirement. By 2019, when Myers was called, attendance had dwindled substantially from the 300-plus who packed the sanctuary in Coffey’s day. Acknowledging that he came to the church with little experience, Myers said he often tells members, “When I make a mistake, it’s me trying. When we experience success, it’s the Lord blessing us.”

Lately, the Lord has been blessing big time.

“We are creating a culture of evangelism within the DNA of [our] church.”

Steve Myers Tweet

COVID pause allows reflection
Attendance climbed at a 15% growth rate from 2019-2020 as Junction’s First averaged 120 in worship. Then COVID-19 hit and things shut down.

“COVID shook the chaff out of the building,” Myers said. The pandemic gave the church time to “think about what we were doing and why,” he added. Church programs and traditions were evaluated. “We were really doing a lot of things for tradition’s sake, and not doing a lot of things for tradition’s sake.”

With attendance about two-thirds of pre-COVID levels, staff and members were receptive to change. Part of the soul-searching involved analyzing the church’s evangelistic efforts.

The transformation started with the youth department. Ryan Jewert joined the staff as a full-time youth pastor. Wednesday night youth group had been more of a place to hang out, play basketball, and hear a motivational message. Myers felt more consistent gospel teaching was needed.

“We need to teach Scripture to these kids,” Myers told Jewert. “We need to teach them the Bible. They need to know the Lord.”

Jewert changed the format from sports and fellowship to Bible study. Some dropped out, but attendance slowly grew to 40-50 students, a number the church has maintained, Myers said.

At Highland Lakes summer camp in 2021, 15 prayed to receive Christ.

Myers credits Jewert with preparing the students for camp. Church staff and volunteers started focusing on evangelism with the students and they began bringing more friends to church.

At camp last summer, another 14 students committed their lives to Christ, surprising even Myers and Jewert.

“It’s so overwhelming, it’s beautiful,” Myers said.

Those saved at camp the past two years were baptized at the church at the end of each summer. The church celebrated. Adults came forward, too. This past summer, 16 were baptized (including the youth).

Witness spreads
Myers is seeing similar passion growing among adults.

Kevin, a youngster baptized in 2021, returned home from camp and “began to live as a Christian,” Myers said. “He stayed very faithful.” Four months ago, Kevin’s father, Justin, who had recently been released from the hospital for a variety of health issues related to substance abuse, approached the church for assistance.

“I need in my life what my son has,” Justin told Myers.

“Let me tell you what your son has,” Myers said. “He has Jesus.”

Justin soon brought the entire family to church. That Sunday, following Myers’ invitation, he came forward to profess faith in Christ.

Myers is convinced it is essential to explain the gospel and give an invitation at every service. But it takes more than preaching evangelism from the pulpit.

While leading a community outreach at the local farmers market, Myers realized that many in the congregation felt uncomfortable sharing the gospel.

“We want to reach lost people for the Lord, but we don’t know how,” one member said.

Using materials provided by Southwestern Seminary evangelism professor Matt Queen, Myers led a six-week video-based evangelism training program in Sunday school early in the fall of 2022.

Joanie Helton, a church member who volunteers in children’s ministry, spoke positively of the evangelism training—including discussions and opportunities to practice in class.

She has shared the gospel with students—many from unchurched homes—who attend Wednesday nights. She often takes an incremental approach, building their understanding of who Jesus is.

“People get scared off by the words ‘evangelism training,’” Helton said. “It’s beneficial to be reminded of the important parts of the gospel and how to present it so others can understand.” She credited the training with helping her turn conversations toward spiritual matters.

“We have work to do,” Myers said. “Our numbers are not yet as high as they were pre-COVID, but our hearts are more inclined to doing what the Scripture tells us to do: share Jesus. We are creating a culture of evangelism within the DNA of [our] church.”

Evangelism: prayer over pragmatism

For many years now, the church has relied on pragmatism. We have more books, conferences, and podcasts resourcing us with strategic approaches to ministry leadership. Much of what is produced today focuses on the Xs and Os of ministry execution. There’s nothing wrong with practical approaches to ministry, but relying on them to fulfill the Great Commission is pragmatism.

One area in which we see the great deficiency of pragmatism is in our evangelism. We have more evangelism strategies and programs than ever before, but we are seeing fewer people living on mission and sharing their faith. In many churches, evangelism is nonexistent from the pulpit to the pew. Why do we have methods but no messengers? How are there so many programs but so little passion? We have chosen pragmatism over prayer! I truly believe the reason we are not seeing a culture of evangelism in our churches is the absence of evangelistic praying.

More than the other gospels, Luke emphasizes the prayers of Jesus. Jesus’ ability to accomplish His redemptive work was empowered by a vibrant prayer life, enabling Him to live in the fullness of the Spirit. In the sequel to Luke, the book of Acts, the early church was an extension of Jesus’ ministry. In Acts, the church lived on mission daily by walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and through prayer. The spread of the gospel was not driven by pragmatism, but by prayer.

"If we want the church to live evangelistically and the lost to experience the saving work of Jesus, we must become a people who pray. "

Todd Kaunitz Tweet

Let me share four truths from Luke and Acts for choosing prayer over pragmatism:

1. Jesus’ life and ministry were empowered by the Holy Spirit through prayer.
We see Jesus consistently withdrawing to pray. One significant moment happened when Jesus was fasting and praying for 40 days. Upon His return, Jesus begins His ministry. Every time Jesus went away to pray, He was then led by the Spirit to proclaim the gospel. Life on mission is never accomplished by human effort, but by the Holy Spirit as we seek Him in prayer.

2. Prayer mobilizes people toward evangelism.
In Luke 10, Jesus shows us there are plenty of lost people to be reached but few who will go and share. His solution was not an evangelism class or an equipping seminar. Jesus instructs us to pray for God to move in people and send them to proclaim the gospel. Teaching and equipping can instruct the mind, but they cannot transform the heart. Only God can!

3. The effectiveness of evangelism happens
through the Holy Spirit in prayer.
In Luke 24:46–49, Jesus calls His disciples to be gospel witnesses to all nations. But in v.49, He tells them they must wait before they go. Wait for what? For the Holy Spirit to “clothe them with power from on high.” Luke recalls this in Acts 1 when Jesus says they need to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to become His witnesses (v.8) and, again, in Acts 2 when the result of their 10-day prayer meeting was receiving the gift and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Our methods might be helpful, but they are not powerful. They may be useful, but they are not substitutes for the Holy Spirit.

4. Praying for the lost leads to sharing with the lost.
In Acts 4, the church was under persecution—not in general, but for evangelism specifically. How did they respond? They prayed! In v.29, they prayed to “continue to speak [His] Word with boldness.” They prayed for evangelistic courage, asking God for His power to use them to see the gospel proclaimed and people saved. God answered in a big way. Not only were they given boldness, but God saved the lost. When God’s people pray for the lost, it always leads to sharing with the lost.

If we want the church to live evangelistically and the lost to experience the saving work of Jesus, we must become a people who pray. Methods are helpful, strategies are beneficial, but the Holy Spirit is essential.

‘Bikes & Bibles’ giveaway is leading many to Christ in North Texas town

On a Roll

Nearly a decade ago, a group of men from First Baptist Church of Celina went through a discipleship program together. As the two-year program came to an end, participants were challenged to dream up a servant leadership project that would allow them to touch the lives of others in Jesus’ name.

The idea that grew out of that meeting is not only touching lives, but eternity.
This past December, FBC Celina (in partnership with the Dallas-Fort Worth-based ministry called Grace Bridge) hosted what has become an annual event known as Bikes and Bibles. The name almost says it all—bicycles and Bibles are distributed to area families in need. This year, 118 bikes were distributed to children, and Bibles were handed out to their families.

Oh, and 15 people made a first-time decision to trust Jesus and their Lord and Savior. Is there a greater Christmas gift?

“One of the things we always want to do is share the gospel,” said FBC Celina pastor Kevin Lykins, who was a member of the discipleship group. Deacon Pat Hunn, also in the group, had the initial idea to hand out bicycles as part of the servant leadership project, while Lykins pitched in the idea to also give out Bibles.

Grace Bridge—which has extensive experience in the distribution of goods ranging from food to disaster relief supplies—handles a portion of the administrative load. Its president and CEO, Carter Morris, came to the table with a lengthy database of area families in need, as well as contacts with a large corporation that offers bicycles for purchase to the church at a deep discount. For his part, Lykins has contacts with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which provides the Bibles.

“It’s a lot of moving parts for the body of Christ here, but it has become something our whole church takes part in.”

Kevin Lykins Tweet

“[Grace Bridge] knows how to organize and facilitate things like this very efficiently,” Lykins said, “but over the eight years of doing this, we’ve gotten a lot better and a lot more efficient.”

Said Morris, noting that people come to Christ almost every year through the giveaway: “This story is just a total God story. … We do this because Jesus loved us first. He is the greatest gift anyone could ever get for Christmas. We want to love these families well, but we want to let them know why we love their families well.”

Bikes and Bibles has become an all-hands-on-deck undertaking at FBC Celina. One group of church members is needed to set up the church gym for the massive distribution, an effort that includes labeling the bikes and Bibles for the incoming families. A team of men works to tighten bolts and check hardware on each bike as it comes off the truck, making sure each one is safe for the children to ride. Yet another group prepares refreshments for the families and facilitates a Christmas cartoon that is played in the church sanctuary while families wait.

The church is not only putting its muscle behind the effort, but its money. Bikes and Bibles was initially made possible through fundraising efforts on the part of church members. Today, it’s anchored into the church budget.

“It’s become such a big part of our church, our church’s ministry,” Lykins said. “It’s a lot of moving parts for the body of Christ here, but it has become something our whole church takes part in.”

My next 20 years

Last month I was invited to speak at the university I graduated from. As I began to pray and think about what to share with the students, it dawned on me that I graduated from there 20 years ago in May. Where had time gone? Have I done the things I dreamed about as a student walking those halls two decades ago?

As these questions gripped my mind, I began to reflect on the last 20 years. There were three major things I learned and committed to in those formative years that I have attempted to keep as priorities in my life.

1. Make time with God the highest priority.
One of my mentors, Dr. Rod Masteller, used to continually remind me that nothing should ever take the place of my time alone in the Word and in prayer. He would say, “It’s not enough to get in the Word—you have to get the Word in you.” Over the last 20 years, I have sought to be consistent in my time with the Lord. As you probably have experienced yourself, I haven’t always been as diligent as I hoped to be. However, I know this must be the greatest discipline in my life.

I want to live my life with the utmost integrity. To do this, I need to walk closely with God every day. Dr. Masteller also used to say, “It’s not in the day-to-day—it’s in the daily.” The daily routine and discipline of time with God will lead us to greater intimacy with God.

"Twenty years has come and gone. I am so grateful for all God has done in me, and I desire to see Him do more in me than ever before."

Nathan Lorick Tweet

2. Live out your faith with passion.
As a college student who was passionate about serving God, I had not yet experienced the pressures of being in ministry or even dealt with the challenges of life. I was certainly a young man with a lot of vision and ideas, but I had no real experience. Even so, I made a commitment to live my faith out with passion. I knew I did not want to live or do ministry devoid of passion.

Over the last 20 years, there have been moments when leading was difficult and sometimes not enjoyable. However, in both difficult moments and incredible seasons, I have sought to be passionate about my faith. As we live and lead, our joy is not based on the ups and downs of leadership. Rather, it is based on Christ in us!

3. Live with a burden for the lost.
In college, I began to learn about tools for sharing the gospel. Long before I knew about these tools and methods, I felt a deep burden to reach people for Jesus. While I didn’t necessarily know the best way to do it, I knew I must do it. My heart became so burdened in those years for people who do not know Christ, and I knew I did not want to be indifferent to the lostness around me. I committed to live with a passion for lost people hearing the gospel. As I reflected over the last 20 years, I found that I am more burdened today than ever before. God is bringing the world to Texas and our state has over 18 million lost people living among us. Let us live with a burden for every one of those who need to hear the gospel.

Twenty years has come and gone. I am so grateful for all God has done in me, and I desire to see Him do more in me than ever before. May the three commitments I made all those years ago be stronger than ever.

On another note, this month we will host our 2023 Empower Conference. It is going to be an incredible time of worship, preaching, learning, and networking. You don’t want to miss it! I hope to see you there. I am honored to serve our family of churches!

Farmersville student pastor carries on church tradition of letting teens put the gospel to work

When Cameron Crow preached in view of a call as student pastor at First Baptist Church of Farmersville last November, he gave a gospel invitation, as is his habit.

A couple of female students came forward in response, bringing their friend who was interested in being baptized. Crow sat with the girls for a minute, even while a crowd of people lined up to greet their newly elected staff member. He asked the girl about her salvation and she said she wasn’t saved. So the crowd waited as Crow explained God’s plan of salvation to her.

Afterward, she shared that she wanted to give her life to Christ. At that point, he spoke to the friends who brought her forward.

“I looked at her two friends and said, ‘Which one of y’all is confident to [help her]?’ And they both said [they were], so I walked away and they led her to Christ,” he said. “My most favorite thing is watching students lead their friends to Christ. Me leading a student to Christ is addition, but students leading their friends to Christ is multiplication, and that’s how we’re going to see this generation reach their friends.”

The student ministry in Farmersville makes evangelism an integral part of its events. Students do the normal calendar of retreats, camps, fun activities, and weekly discipleship. Several students professed Christ during camp last summer, before Crow came to the church, and those students are being discipled and some are ready to be baptized. Their weekly discipleship meeting, called Having A Vision Of Christ (HAVOC), also includes a time for students to respond to the gospel.

“Students who are walking with Christ benefit from connections with fellow church members of all ages.”

Cameron Crow Tweet

“I’m a firm believer of always presenting the gospel … I don’t know how to preach without giving an altar call,” he said. “And so, when you’re in soil that’s been prepped and prepared and ready, it makes it easy to just present the gospel and then watch our leaders respond to those students, watch our students respond to each other, and see new brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Crow is determined to integrate evangelism naturally into all that his youth group does together. Students riding in Crow’s car to visit homebound members share with each other how they became Christians. Those who visit the weekly HAVOC event share their stories, including whether they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

“If they say, ‘No,’ or, ‘I have questions,’ then we immediately stop. God did not bring them in that door so they could play a fun game or hear a Bible study. If they don’t know Jesus, we’re failing. That could be the only time they hear the gospel and have a chance to respond. It’s hard to build a student ministry that is attacking hell with a water pistol if we’re not giving students a chance to respond.”

Students who are walking with Christ benefit from connections with fellow church members of all ages. The music program of the church, for example, includes a family choir as well as a student ministry music program led by the church’s music minister. Crow’s team of student ministry volunteers includes those of various ages, some who’ve served 12 years or more.

“Discipleship is finding someone who is further down the road than you in your spiritual walk and having them come along, or you coming alongside them,” he said. “My age range of leaders is up and down the board. It’s not just parents of students, it’s not just grandparents of students, it’s different people all through the church. We need five people within the church speaking into every student’s life.”

Crow came to Farmersville from Austin and has been excited to find a well-developed and healthy student ministry. His predecessor, Tracy Odneal, served in the position for 25 years. Odneal now serves as First Baptist’s connections pastor, a new staff slot for the church. Crow is the third student pastor at First Baptist in the past 42 years. That kind of stability in student ministry is remarkable when an average student ministry tenure is closer to three years.

“Tracy Odneal has done an incredible job. One thing he’s done is create a youth ministry that thrives without him,” he said. “He was the leader, but on Sunday mornings, he has this incredible group of teachers who gave him a chance, and now gives me a chance, to have that relational ministry with students.”

After working with students in large and small towns throughout his ministry, Crow sees promise in the rising generations, even as they face the challenges of their own context, including those that remain from a long COVID-19 disruption.

“Coming out of COVID,” he observed, “students, when I sit down and talk to them, they sound and feel physically and spiritually mature, but the ways they respond to things aren’t spiritually mature. So it’s almost like we’ve taken a step back a little bit in our spiritual maturity because of that isolation.

“But you’re not going to see them being fake,” he added. “They’re going to be just blunt and honest. But when you get down to the core, they just want to understand their purpose, that they have purpose, and that God cares about their lives.”

Lone Star Scoop • January 2023

SBTC once again offering tax seminars via Zoom

Managing the financial elements of local church ministry requires significant effort by someone who is diligent and well-informed. Offering our best efforts to steward financial resources well honors the Lord and gives confidence to the church. To remain above reproach, we should stay up to date with current best practices and legal requirements while learning to recognize potential pitfalls along the way.

To assist churches in the area of financial stewardship and best business practices, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is offering three online tax seminars in January: Jan.17 from 1-5 p.m.; Jan. 18 from 6-9 p.m.; and Jan.26 from 1-5 p.m. The seminars are free and will be led by professional tax accountants with PSK LLP, who specialize in providing audit and accounting services to churches.

“Participating in the SBTC’s tax seminars is a great way to stay current on tax law changes or just confirm best practices on the business side of things at your church,” SBTC Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis said. “Meeting by Zoom makes it easy and efficient. I hope you will join us for one of the January dates. You never know what vital bit of information you may pick up.”

Topics will cover tax considerations of churches and ministers, top legal issues facing churches and ministers, and financial/stewardship issues, along with building and operational issues.

Registration is required. If you need assistance with registration, contact Easter Cooley at ecooley@sbtexas.com or call 817.552.2500.

—Staff reports

Amarillo church ballet melds classic work with Lottie story

AMARILLO Paramount Baptist Church has put a new spin on the oft-told story of Lottie Moon.

Doxa, a ballet studio based at the church, presented “In a Nutshell” the first weekend of December. The show was a retooling of the classic ballet “The Nutcracker,” only instead of telling the story of Clara and her journey to the Land of Sweets, it told the story of a girl named Lottie and her passion for international missions.

“In a Nutshell” centered around Lottie making a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ at a church service and subsequently going on a journey of learning about missions and spreading the gospel to different people groups around the world.

All of the proceeds from the performances went to Paramount Baptist’s missions offering, with 75 % going to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and 25 % going to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

—Baptist Press

SWBTS professor’s latest evangelism book set for release

Recapturing Evangelism: A Biblical-Theological Approach, the latest book written by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Matt Queen, is scheduled to be released by B&H Academic on January 5.

According to B&H, the book is written for college and seminary students, pastors, church leaders, and everyday Christians eager to take a deeper look at what evangelism is and how to go about doing it. Recapturing Evangelism explores the Bible’s many teachings on evangelism, deriving from them a philosophy of evangelistic practice and theory. In it, readers will find a sound basis for evangelism, insights on methods and strategies, and motivation to engage unbelievers with a renewed confidence in the power of the gospel.

—Staff reports

Mesquite’s Turner makes SBTC history with election

In November, Caleb Turner—co-pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church—was elected chairman of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Executive Board. In doing so, history was made. Turner became the first African American, as well as the youngest, board chairman ever elected.

Turner previously served as the board’s vice chairman. He is succeeding Mark Hogan, who also held a historic post as the first-ever layman elected board chair. Turner is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having been stationed at Air Force Special Operations Base, Hurlburt Field, Fla. He served a tour at Bagram Air Base, Bagram, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Turner is married to his high school sweetheart, Tamera, and the couple has three boys.

—Staff reports

What’s your story? He’s the God of the mountaintops and the valleys

Both our daughters were in intensive care for over 100 days after their births. But it was our first daughter who needed a miracle.

Alanna was born just about the time of the COVID lockdown, March 2020. She was about seven weeks premature, but the doctors thought everything was looking good. She was healthy and we were excited.
About three days after she was born, we got called down to the ICU and the doctor told us he heard something in her heart. He called it a heart murmur. It basically was making a noise that it wasn’t supposed to make. He said in all his years of working as a doctor, he’s only seen it three times. Our Alanna had a rare congenital heart defect that caused a vein in her heart to pump blood to the wrong spot. We noticed that her skin color was almost a bluish tint—she just wasn’t getting the oxygen she needed.

The doctor told us we had to transfer her to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, so we used an emergency transport from Arlington. This was the third day after we knew she was ill.

As you can imagine, my wife, Jamille, and I were just praying. We were so fearful. And Jamille actually wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital because her blood pressure was high because of the shock of the event, I guess. So it was just me. I ended up following the ambulance to Cook Children’s.

I remember following the ambulance and, like any other father would do, just saying a prayer and asking God to heal her. After getting to Cook, I didn’t hear anything for about an hour. And then a nurse stepped out and said, “We got her stable, but she almost didn’t survive the car ride because of the transportation and the stress on her body.”

Fast forward a few days later. My wife is out of the hospital and we’re both able to go to Cook Children’s. They explained that Alanna’s situation was so severe, she’s going to need open-heart surgery. Because she is premature, they wanted to wait three months before doing the surgery.

"It’s easy to remember that God walks with us on the mountaintops, but now I know He walks with us in the valley."

Angelo Tolentino Tweet

Nearly every day we were at the hospital. Jamille and I took a break from our jobs—she’s a nurse and I worked for an insurance company. COVID restrictions had kicked in by this time and only one of us could be in the hospital at a time, so we switched off. Jamille usually stayed during the nights while I slept in the car. It was pretty difficult for us.

We did that for three months. Alanna made progress and was just growing as we prepared for the heart surgery. And then, three months later, she was big enough for the doctor to feel comfortable doing the surgery. The surgeon sat us down and explained the risks.

All along, we’re just praying, hoping, believing that God would heal her. And she was healed, through an hours-long surgery. The surgeon said there weren’t really any major complications with the surgery itself, but that she would need routine heart checkups as she continues to grow. She’s doing well now.

I think the big question for us was, “Why?” But looking back, one of the lessons we learned is we can’t confuse God’s silence as absence. All the way through that whole process, He was with us, talking with us, providing for us, carrying us, giving us support. There are so many things that I can look back on and can see how God was with us the whole way. We’re just really grateful. And now we have an awesome story to share about our daughter and her life. It’s turned out to be a blessing.

Our church is called Mosaic Fellowship Church. We’re in Arlington. My father founded Mosaic in 2007 and pastored it until he passed away in 2018. I have been the pastor for about four years this month. God has surrounded us with great people. Our church supported us with love, prayers, and even finances. They supported us while we were staying with Alanna.

There is one story where, about two months in, we were just blowing through our savings because neither of us was working. I was thinking I should probably go back to work, but I didn’t want to because Alanna still needed the surgery. I remember going to our mailbox and finding a check for two months of expenses for us. We received this check at just the right time we needed it. It allowed us to stay at the hospital and make sure she was all set before we went back to work.
So what’s my story? It’s easy to remember that God walks with us on the mountaintops, but now I know He walks with us in the valley.