Author: Russell Lightner

Learning, leading, and living out your calling

Recently I was invited to speak at a luncheon for one of our associations in Texas. I always really enjoy doing this. It allows me to spend time with the leaders of our associations. It also allows me to be with pastors from across Texas, hear their stories, and celebrate what God is doing in them and through them.

On this particular day, the format that was requested for me was called the “3/2/1.” I was asked to give three leadership lessons I have learned, two people who had profoundly impacted my life, and one leadership decision I would do differently. Thinking through this format was helpful and insightful.

I admit, I am not as seasoned in life and ministry as many of the people I serve. However, over the last 20-plus years, God has, in fact, taught me much about leadership. In this article, I want to list 10 leadership lessons that are among the best I have learned. Many of these I have heard from others and found them to be true for me, too.

Over the coming months, I will unpack some of what God has taught me about leadership. For now, here is the list:

Broken leaders are the best leaders.
Love people and they will let you lead them.
Don’t internalize criticism from someone you wouldn’t seek advice from.
Never let your planning take priority over your praying.
Stand firm on your convictions, regardless of the consequences.
Success makes you a more confident leader, failure makes you a more cautious leader, but humility makes you a better leader.
Surround yourself with people who will teach, encourage, challenge, and sharpen you as you continue to grow as a leader.
Never be too busy to pour your life into others.
Don’t place your identity and value on what others perceive as success. Find your identity and value in what pleases the Lord.
Be focused, passionate, and resolved to lead forward. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

As you can see, this is not an exhaustive list. In fact, I am sure the greatest lessons I will learn about leadership have yet to be revealed. While this list certainly flows out of the leadership lessons I have learned in ministry, each of these is applicable in all areas of life. Whatever your calling may be, you can take these principles, apply them to your unique context, and become a better leader one day and one step at a time. What is your list?

I love you, I believe in you, and I am honored to serve you!

Hungry for God’s Word? Consider the ‘how, habit, and value’ of it

Don’t you love a good buffet—one with lots of options, tastefully prepared, and ready to make it onto your plate and into your tummy? Such a buffet awaits all who would feast on the Bible. God’s Word contains a veritable smorgasbord of delights, pleasing every palate, and meeting every need.

Yet few take advantage of this offering. Why? It isn’t the monetary cost, for the food is free for the taking. Undoubtedly, many are hesitant to eat for a variety of reasons. But I think several key ones include (1) not knowing how, (2) not having a habit, and (3) not seeing the value. How do we help people get their plates filled? By meeting the hesitations head on!

How

Consider those who don’t know how to get into the Bible for personal enrichment and study. We live in an amazing electronic age that can make this easy. “There’s an app for that!” A great one is appropriately called The Bible App, and there are plenty more. This enables people to daily have a biblical reading that will engage and transform them.

Habit

Getting that daily reminder to read and engage, in bite-size portions initially, in
one’s inbox will soon help to develop a habit. The app that one uses should come in a variety that allows for a daily e-mail reminder to read.

Value

The value will be realized as the habit is developing. When one reads a passage, relates it to what is going on in one’s life, and begins to receive nourishment and direction, one will rapidly come back over and over
for more.

Beyond this initial suggestion on getting people to read, I believe getting people engaged to discuss the Word is also critical. Our churches need to be places where the text is explained and explored. The Bible needs to be seen as more than simply retelling the story of the walls of Jericho falling. The Bible is nuanced with various genres of literature, telling stories of love and betrayal, giving advice for the simple and wise, offering solace through laments, and expressing the full range of human emotions in a struggle to explain life, God, and purpose.

As those in charge of teaching in our churches engage Scripture in those terms, then those who are observing the buffet will begin to get in line and fill their plates. Too often, those teaching are themselves needing to get into a bit more depth to help those who follow. In our internet age, this is easier than you might think. I encourage all interested in delving deeper for teaching or personal growth to consider various sources, including our own that can be found at Biblical-Literacy.com.

Panel: ‘You don’t have to be a theologian to be a great parent’

Panel discusses the challenges—and opportunities—of building strong biblical foundations in children

If statistics consistently show adults are not engaging with the Bible at high levels, is it safe to assume children are struggling in that area, as well? We asked three experts in the field of children’s ministry—Karen Kennemur, professor of children’s ministry and the Bessie Fleming Chair of Childhood Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Karen Tayne, family minister to women and preschool families at MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Irving; and Keri Meek, children’s minister at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill—to talk about the state of biblical engagement among children and how parents can help build stronger biblical foundations in their families. The following is an excerpt of that conversation.

Jayson Larson: What is the state of biblical engagement and biblical literacy among children based on what you are seeing in your ministries?

Karen Kennemur: I think that biblical illiteracy [among children] is at an all-time high. One of the things I’ve seen [that concerns me] is the way we are doing church that I’m not sure is very friendly to children. Children may meet one time a week on a Sunday morning, and then that’s the only time they meet. Our parents are supposed to be the main disciplers of their children, but also I believe that the partnership of the church is extremely important. If a child is only going to be at church one hour a week, how are we able to actually help parents with biblical literacy there? I’m very concerned about children and families and where we are as we see ourselves today.

Karen Tayne: I think as far as literacy, as far as knowing where books of the Bible are, how to look up scripture, [children] are competent in that area. As far as it engaging in their life, a lot of that flows from what they see at home. What we often find when we’re talking with parents, they never saw that modeled. They either grew up in a home that wasn’t a Christian home, or it was a home where the attitude was, “Take them to church and let church do it,” and we will have church conversations, but not spiritual conversations. In other words, “What was your story about today?” versus “What did God teach you today? How does that apply to your life?” Those deeper questions. And so for a lot of our parents, we’re learning that we have to get super practical in explaining those very vague terms of family worship or discipleship.

Keri Meek: I agree a lot with what Karen just said. As far as Bible skills, those things, I feel like most kids who come to church on a regular basis do feel confident in that area. But as far as them engaging in the Scriptures on a day-in-and-out thing, it’s really something that if it’s not modeled in the home, the large majority are not going to do that. It’s one of those things where if adults are not engaging in the Word, then what follows is the kids not doing the same in turn, because we’re only with them so little at church.

JL: What are some proven practical strategies or helpful tips that you have come across that would help parents start to build a biblical foundation in their children?

KT: I always tell my teachers and parents it is critical that you communicate when you’re telling a story from the Bible to have a Bible in your hand. Even if you may be reading from a curriculum, say, “This is God’s Word and we know it is true.” When you’re reading a Disney story book at night, and then you’re reading a Bible story, at that preschool age it’s really simple for them to just assume these are all stories. It’s critical to always communicate that there is a difference. And then, as early as possible, but especially when you get into those grade school years, start drawing their attention to the chronological narrative of the Bible and how it all points to Jesus. That’s super helpful.

KM: We also always stress that with our teachers, to use the Bible and never just have their lesson book out. The other thing is really training our teachers and then our parents to ask the questions: “What is God saying? Who is God in this passage? What does this passage teach us about who God is? How can we apply it to our everyday life?” So it’s not just telling the stories, but really asking those important questions so they can apply it to their life. And I love what Karen said, too: we’re teaching the whole narrative of the story from Genesis to Revelation, all pointing to the gospel, all pointing to who Jesus is and always drawing that out of every lesson with the kids. But not just teaching it, we teach our teachers to teach this, then it goes beyond that into the home as well, making it more easy and likely that parents will be able to point them to Jesus.

KK: I would say there are some simple things. I think that attending church as a family is very simple, but it’s very important. It was always good for my children and my husband and I to worship together so children are seeing their parents in a worship setting, they’re seeing their parents praise God, they’re seeing their parents in prayer. I think another thing that’s important is prayer. A lot of times, if the father and the mother were not raised in a Christian home, prayer is not something that comes easy to them. If the parents are not comfortable in modeling this and showing their children how to pray, then try praying over your children when they’re asleep. The other thing I did want to say, I think it’s important for children and pre-teens, even preschool children, to serve together as a family.

JL: Many parents carry a constant guilt because they feel like they’re not doing a good job discipling their children biblically or they feel like they’ve missed their chance altogether. What encouragement do you have for parents who may feel that way?

KK: I think we all feel that we failed at some point. What I would say to young families and to young parents is it makes a difference that you spend time with the Lord, because when you spend time with the Lord, then what you have flows out of you. We had three kids in four years, so [spending time with the Lord] was hard to do. It’s hard to do when they’re babies and they’re staying up and you can’t get them to sleep and then you’re exhausted the next day. When that season goes away, then you have all these other things. Life as a parent is always fast, furious, and there’s always lots to do. I say embrace that, enjoy that time of life, but it’s extremely important to spend time in the Word and with the Lord in a strong prayer life. The other thing I would say is, you don’t have to be a theologian to be a great parent. In Deuteronomy, the writer gives us great advice in the Shema where he says [talk about Scripture] as you go through the day, when you lie down at night. That’s a great time to talk about the Bible story that they learned on Sunday. Take it one day at a time and in every activity.

KT: When those babies are little, start talking to them about God. Start calling out God moments even though they don’t understand. Start praying over them. Start doing all of those things so that you’re comfortable whenever they’re older to be already having those conversations. At a conference that we did years ago, we had three different parents who had very different styles of discipling their children speak on a panel. They did discipling of their children totally different and it gave our folks real-life models of what it looks like. And each one of them said, “I’ve totally messed up at times ….” That was freeing to a lot of them who had beaten themselves up a lot over messing up and thinking, “I’m never going to get this right.” But the most important thing is exactly what Dr. Kennemur said—live it out. If they see you living it out throughout your day, that will speak volumes to them.

KM: Shame and guilt have no place at the table. That is not of the Lord—that is from the enemy. When somebody is feeling shame and guilt, it paralyzes them and they won’t do anything. We have to help our parents understand that. Many of the parents that we have in our ministries did not grow up in a home where they even had a Bible or prayed together, so we’re having to teach these things. And again, it’s best when modeled. That’s why it’s so important that we build relationships with these families and that we’re training our teachers to do life with our families. The best way we can disciple others is to do life with them. Telling them, “You need to read God’s Word or pray with your kids,” it’s so foreign to so many people. But if you have them over to your house, and then you pray before dinner, or you ask one of your kids to pray, or you read a Scripture before dinner, you’re doing the little things and modeling that to show them how to do it.

Lone Star Scoop • April 2022

Thomas to be featured at Breathe Deep retreat in Allen

Gary Thomas, a best-selling author and international speaker, will be featured at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Breathe Deep retreat May 5-7 at the Marriot Allen Hotel.

Breathe Deep is a two-day retreat for non-senior pastor ministry staff and their spouses (if married) to get away from their everyday challenges and enjoy a time of relaxation and rejuvenation. The event will feature two banquet dinners and a spacious room for two peaceful nights.

Thomas’ ministry aims to bring people closer to Christ and others through fostering spiritual growth and deeper relationships within the Christian community. He has authored 20 books that have sold more than 2 million copies and been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is considered a thought leader in the areas of marriage, parenting, and spiritual formation.

Visit sbtexas.com/breathedeep for full schedule of events, speaker info, and to register. Registration closes on April 14 or when all spots are full.

Amarillo pastor’s new book, ‘Shepherding Like Jesus,’ released by B&H Publishing

The most-needed aspect of pastoral ministry—Christlike character—is also the one that is most neglected, Andrew Hébert says in his new book, “Shepherding Like Jesus.”

Hébert is pastor of Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo. He said a string of national church scandals compelled him to write the book, which has been released by B&H Publishing. The book is available on Amazon, through Lifeway, and from other book retailers.

“This book is a call to rebel against much of what our culture understands pastoral leadership to be and return to being the Christ-shaped shepherd God has called us to be,” Hébert said.

Each chapter is punctuated by a pastoral reflection written by some of the more influential figures in Southern Baptist life, including Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Nathan Lorick, pastor and former SBTC President Juan Sanchez, Guidestone President and CEO Hance Dilbeck, and Jimmy Draper, president emeritus of Lifeway Christian Resources.

Queen joins SBTC as evangelism consultant

Matt Queen, who serves as L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism (“Chair of Fire”) and professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is joining the Missional Ministries team of the SBTC as an evangelism consultant.

Queen said he will assist the SBTC in producing and leading evangelism training to reach the more than 19 million lost people in Texas with the gospel. He is currently advising and assisting in the development of a major evangelism emphasis the SBTC will launch next year.

“In addition to my primary duty of teaching evangelism at Southwestern, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in a consulting role with Dr. Tony Mathews and his Missional Ministries team,” Queen said.

Said Mathews: “We are so excited that he has joined our Missional Ministries team. An incredible academic with a pastor’s heart and a passion for the lost are a few characteristics that Matt embodies. He is simply on fire for the Lord. I am so grateful to have Matt as part of our team, and he has already been a huge help and a joy to work with.”

Queen also serves as associate dean in Southwestern’s Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. His research and writing focus primarily on the gospel message, personal evangelism, and congregational evangelism. Queen regularly leads evangelism workshops and preaches in churches across the country. He and his family are members of Lane Prairie Baptist Church in Joshua, where he serves as associate pastor of evangelism.

First Colleyville to host Role of the Pastor Conference

First Colleyville will host the 2022 Role of the Pastor Conference on Thursday, April 21, from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The conference aims to encourage pastors to shepherd the flocks to which God has entrusted them while maintaining their spiritual health and guiding the church through seasons of trials and conflict. Mark Dance, director of pastoral wellness at Guidestone, will speak on the “Pastor as a Person.” Deron Biles, professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, will speak about the “Pastor as Peacemaker,” while Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, will cover the topic of “Pastor as Counselor.” Cost is $10 and includes breakfast and lunch. For more information, visit sbtexas.com/roleofthepastor.

Registration for SBTC Roundup underway

Shane Pruitt (North American Mission Board), Dhati Lewis (Blueprint), and Austin Wadlow (The Commons Church) will be the keynote speakers at the SBTC’s annual Roundup, scheduled for May 11-13 at Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

“We invite some of the best practitioners to lead at this event, but what makes it great are the people who come,” SBTC Collegiate Ministry Associate Mitch Tidwell said. “Our goal is for churches and their leaders to make meaningful relationships with each other. College ministries are on an island, and our goal is to create a network of churches within SBTC that can help each other in the tasks to reach, develop, and send college students.”

Roundup is a collaborative learning event that champions church-based collegiate leaders.

Visit sbtexas.com/roundup for more information and to register.

Info webinar to be held for new church revitalization experience

A webinar will be offered on April 28 from 1-3 p.m. for pastors and church leaders to learn about Regenesis, the SBTC’s newly designed church revitalization experience for the post-COVID church done in partnership with Future Church Co. Regenesis combines breakthrough training for disciple-making clarity with gospel-centered visionary planning tools. Will Mancini, one of America’s leading church consultants and author of the recent book “Future Church,” has been the lead designer and will be certifying all of our SBTC and partner coaches. Joining this call is not a commitment to sign up for a cohort. All pastors, staff, lay leaders, and other key leadership are encouraged to attend this call. Learn more and register at sbtexas.com/regenesis.

Carrell to serve as keynote at ‘She Stands’ conference

Rebecca Carrell, a longtime Dallas/Fort Worth radio broadcaster, author, and podcaster, will serve as the keynote speaker at the She Stands Women’s Conference April 23 at First Baptist Church of Mansfield.

The conference aims to equip and encourage women of all ages to serve and glorify God in the places He has placed them. Carrell’s books include “Holy Jellybeans: Finding God Through Everyday Things” and “Holy Hiking Boots: When God Makes the Ordinary Extraordinary.” She co-hosts the podcast “Honestly, Though: Real Talk. Real Life. Real Faith.”

Cost of the conference is $35. For more information and event updates, visit sbtexas.com/women.

Pastor artístico ve a Dios bendecir la iglesia al procurar que la gente se sienta bienvenida

Cuando Ramón Vélez llegó a Fort Worth desde su natal Puerto Rico, fue para buscar atención médica para su hija, quien padece de una condición neurológica. No esperaba que el camino de Dios para él incluyera ser pastor de una iglesia.

Ahora esa iglesia, Una Nueva Familia, está experimentando un tremendo crecimiento con Vélez sirviendo como su pastor principal. Cincuenta personas han recibido a Cristo como su Salvador en los últimos dos meses. Debido a tal crecimiento, Vélez dijo que la iglesia ha alquilado gradualmente cuatro locales adicionales cerca de la iglesia. Uno de esos espacios adicionales es para niños e incluye dos salones adecuados para niños con necesidades especiales.

Ministrar y centrarse en los niños y los jóvenes ha sido uno de los medios que Dios ha utilizado para el crecimiento de la iglesia, dijo. En última instancia, cree que Dios ha bendecido a la iglesia porque ha hecho que su objetivo principal sea reflejar verdaderamente el amor de Cristo, “algo que el mundo no puede ofrecer, ni se puede comprar en una tienda ni encontrar en ningún otro lugar que no sea en el cuerpo de Cristo”. Vélez se preocupa por promover la confianza entre la congregación y hacer que todos se sientan igualmente bienvenidos.

“La iglesia debe destacarse en que la gente se sienta amada”, dijo Vélez.

"Dios me sacó del vandalismo en las calles con grafiti para utilizar el arte de la homilética combinado con el grafiti para predicar el evangelio."

Ramon Velez Tweet

Vélez comenzó como un líder en la iglesia que, con el tiempo, se le pidió que sirviera como pastor asociado. Cuando el anterior pastor tuvo que mudarse, le pidió a Vélez que diera un paso adelante y sirviera como pastor principal. Una Nueva Familia tenía entonces unos 50 miembros. Después de pastorear la congregación durante seis años, la iglesia tiene ahora más de 200 miembros fieles y visitantes regulares.

Vélez dice que Una Nueva Familia no es lo que él consideraría una “iglesia tradicional”. Ha incorporado elementos menos formales en la experiencia de culto y en sus instalaciones, como pintar las paredes de negro, utilizar una iluminación tenue en algunos momentos del servicio de adoración y vestir camisetas en lugar de atuendos más formales. Aunque ahora se centra más en el ministerio pastoral, a lo largo de los años también ha utilizado la capacidad artística que Dios le ha dado para compartir el evangelio de forma creativa mientras pinta con grafiti. Ha pintado más de 1.000 cuadros y, a su vez, miles de personas han escuchado el evangelio a través de ese ministerio.

“Dios me sacó del vandalismo en las calles con grafiti para utilizar el arte de la homilética, combinado con el grafiti, para predicar el evangelio”, dijo Vélez. “En lugar de dar forma con pintura, ahora intento que Dios utilice mi testimonio, mi carácter, mi nueva vida y mi ministerio para dar forma a las personas que vienen a la iglesia”.

Recibir formación teológica ha ayudado significativamente a Vélez, quien tiene una Maestría en Estudios Teológicos del Seminario Teológico Bautista Southwestern en Fort Worth. También tiene una licenciatura en artes gráficas, lo que ha ayudado a su ministerio evangelístico por 12 años, como también ahora en el pastorado.

Vélez dijo que Dios ha usado a su esposa, Rosa Miranda, para ayudarlo a usar su creatividad para servir al Señor. Ellos sirven juntos a la iglesia con sus dos hijos. Entre los sabios consejos que su esposa le ha dado, está el de aceptar las críticas que puedan surgir por realizar el ministerio de formas no tradicionales, pero creativas.

Citando a Isaías, que se despojó de calzado y vestimenta durante tres años (Isaías 20:3), Vélez dijo: “Yo hago todo lo que Dios me pida para proclamar su mensaje de salvación. Y si a través del ministerio que Dios me ha encargado se salva una persona, por muy radical que parezca lo que hago, gloria a Dios. Mi oración ferviente y constante es que la gente siga viniendo a la iglesia y se rinda a los pies de Cristo”.

Pastor with artistic flair sees God bless church through emphasis on making people feel welcome

When Ramon Velez came to Fort Worth from his native Puerto Rico, it was to seek medical care for his daughter, who suffers from a neurological condition. He didn’t expect that God’s path for him would include pastoring a church.

Now that church, Una Nueva Familia, is experiencing tremendous growth with Velez serving as its lead pastor. Fifty people have received Christ as their Savior in the last two months. To keep up with the growth, Velez said the church has gradually rented four additional locations near the church. One of those additional spaces is for children and includes two classrooms to minister to eight children with special needs.

Ministering to and focusing on children and youth has been one of the means God has used to grow the church, he said. Ultimately, he believes God has blessed the church because it has made its main focus truly reflecting the love of Christ—“something the world cannot offer, nor can it be purchased in a store or found anywhere else but in the body of Christ.” Velez is intentional about promoting trust amongst the congregation and making everyone feel equally welcome.

“God pulled me out from graffiti street vandalism to use the art of homiletics, combined with graffiti, to preach the gospel.”

Ramon Velez Tweet

“The church should excel in making people feel loved,” Velez said.

Velez began as a leader in the church who, over time, was asked to serve as an associate pastor. When the former pastor had to move, he asked Velez to step up and serve as the lead pastor. Una Nueva Familia had about 50 members at that time. After pastoring the congregation for six years, the church now has more than 200 faithful members and regular visitors.

Velez says Una Nueva Familia is not what he would consider a “traditional church.” He has incorporated less formal elements into the worship experience and his facilities, such as painting walls black, using dimmed lighting at points during the worship service, and wearing T-shirts rather than more formal attire. Though his focus now is more on pastoral ministry, he has also used his God-given artistic ability over the years to creatively share the gospel while simultaneously painting with graffiti. He has finished more than 1,000 paintings and, in turn, thousands of people have heard the gospel through that ministry.

“God pulled me out from graffiti street vandalism to use the art of homiletics, combined with graffiti, to preach the gospel,” Velez said. “Instead of shaping with paint, now I try to let God use my testimony, character, my new life, and ministry to shape the people who come to the church.”

Receiving theological training has significantly helped Velez, who holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He also has a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts, which has helped his evangelistic ministry for 12 years and also with his graphic work for the church..

Velez said God has used his wife, Rosa Miranda, to help him use his creativity to serve the Lord. They serve the church together alongside their two children. Among the wise counsel he said she has given him is to embrace the criticism that may come from doing ministry in non-traditional-yet-creative ways.

Citing Isaiah, who was stripped and left barefoot for three years (Isaiah 20:3), Velez said, “I do whatever God asks me to do to proclaim His message of salvation. And if through the ministry God has commissioned me to do one person is saved, no matter how radical what I do may seem, glory to God. My fervent and constant prayer is that people will continue to come to church and surrender at the feet of Christ.”

New Braunfels church plant turning everyday places into sacred spaces

Hundreds of people have been reached in New Braunfels as Epic Life, a church plant, fulfills its vision of “transforming everyday places into sacred spaces” where people can connect to Christ.

One way church members do that literally is by showing up on Saturday nights to convert a local batting cage into a worship location for Sunday mornings, and about 400 people have been attending each week. Since the church’s launch in 2019, more than 160 people have been baptized.

“We’ve seen so many stories of God doing a work that only He can do,” Lead Pastor Brent Isbill said. “We’ve seen people step out of addiction. We’ve seen marriages restored. We’ve seen dads become spiritual leaders in their homes.”

As it strives to make disciples, Epic Life has
defined a disciple using three words: experience,
express, and expand, said Isbill, who was a student pastor at Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels for 10 years before planting.

“We believe a follower of Jesus experiences on a daily basis the presence of Christ through His Word, through creation, through prayer,” Isbill said, “and as they experience His presence, it’s only natural that they would want to express their love to the Lord and the world around them.”

As Epic Life looks for opportunities to expand God’s kingdom, Isbill urges members to have an EPIC mindset, an acrostic for: Expectant faith, People matter, Irresistible community, and Creating margin.

“We’ve seen so many stories of God doing a work that only He can do. We’ve seen people step out of addiction. We’ve seen marriages restored. We’ve seen dads become spiritual leaders in their homes.”

Lead Pastor Brent Isbill Tweet

“Whether you’re a little kid or a senior adult, every day we want you to wake up with an expectancy in your soul that the God of the universe wants to meet with you,” Isbill said, adding that the expectancy includes knowing God has a plan for each day.

Because people matter, the way Christ followers treat those they encounter on campus, in business, or in their neighborhoods is consequential, Isbill said. “It matters to God, and the way we know it matters is to look at the cross.”

With Acts 2:42 as a model, Epic Life seeks to create irresistible community by out-loving the secular world. “Others may not believe what we believe at first, but we want them to see the love for each other that we have,” he said.

The goal of creating margin is needed in the world today, the pastor said, because people are “out of time, into debt up to their eyeballs, and overcommitted.”

“We believe that God has a better way, so we want people to create margin in their lives with their time, talent, and treasure so they can’t be spread so thin that they’re not making a difference or running so fast that they’re always exhausted,” Isbill said. “We want people to eliminate some good things from their lives so they can have great things in their lives.”

Epic Life started with 56 people at its first gathering, and just last year the church baptized 59 people. “So we baptized more people than we had gathered at our first service,” Isbill said. During the first year of COVID, the church doubled in size, from 200 to 400, he said.

“We love our city. The world is moving to Texas. Every week we have new guests. We have so many people from California that are moving in,” Isbill said. “It’s been the most fun and exciting thing me and my wife have ever done in ministry, and we love our people. I couldn’t be prouder of how God is using them to reach people in our city with the gospel.”

Church planting is vital, Isbill said, because a church plant improves the other churches in a town by refocusing on the goal. He gave an imaginary scenario of a guy named Joe who comes to know the Lord through a church plant and starts talking to his neighbor Bill about his faith. Joe probably never knew Bill was an active believer at an established church in town, but because of Joe’s new enthusiasm, Bill may intentionally start to share his faith.

“Bill’s never going to go to Joe’s church plant. He’s going to stay at whatever established church he’s at, but that helps fuel the mission of the church at large, and that’s what I love,” Isbill said.

Every church plant is a unique expression of the gospel, he said.

“The reason we need to plant other churches is because that church is going to reach people that no one would have the capacity to reach with the gifts and talents in the body of Christ that He puts there,” Isbill said.

Epic Life already supports other church plants, and it hopes to plant another congregation in New Braunfels before long, the pastor said, to keep the multiplication and the enthusiasm going.

The discipline of standing firm

As foreign tanks rumbled and bombs hissed and boomed across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered one of the more quotable I’ve heard in quite a while. It came in response to the U.S. government’s offer to evacuate him from his country in the face of an intensifying Russian onslaught.

“I need ammunition,” Zelensky said, “not a ride.”

And so he stayed, and remains there as of this writing.

It’s hard to stand firm in the face of a fire, isn’t it? Pastors and church leaders know this all too well. Zelensky’s courageous stance—his literal, iron-clad refusal to move—should remind us of something we all know in ministry but seem to forget at the most inopportune times: leadership takes guts. I say “inopportune” because the moments that make us want to flee are the same moments I believe God intends to use to strengthen and mature us.

Leadership isn’t anchored in good ideas, although good ideas certainly help move the needle. It isn’t achieved on the strength of enthusiasm or passion alone, although, again, those seem to be universally necessary elements for effective leadership to happen. It’s not even about having an outgoing personality or polished oratorical skills.

Leadership is about taking people and organizations from where they are to where they need to be, from Point A to Point B. The challenge is, people systems typically consist of two kinds of people: the kind who are willing to be led, and the kind who have their own ideas about how to lead and who are willing to fracture the group to achieve their own goals.

In other words, the kind of people who make you want to flee from the leadership to which God has called you.

"Leadership takes guts. It’s going to require you, at some point, to stand firm in the face of a fire that’s a lot hotter than you’ll like. In that moment, you’ll essentially have two choices: You can go, or you can grow."

Jayson Larson Tweet

Think about Moses. God called him to lead the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land. Moses didn’t ask for that job, tried to ask himself out of that job, and in the end, didn’t even get to reap the benefits of the mission accomplished. Moses wasn’t going to set a stage ablaze with a fiery speech; Scripture tells us he had what most scholars consider a speech impediment.

Add to those shortcomings the people God called him to lead. They were lifelong slaves with a severe case of short-term memory loss. It only took hunger and thirst to make them wish they were back in chains. Rather than worship the God who turned a sea into a sidewalk, they grumbled. Later, in the book of Numbers, Moses faced challenges in his leadership from people who thought they could do it better (Aaron and Miriam, and then several hundred led by Korah).

And yet Moses stood firm. You can almost hear him saying, “Yes, I know you don’t like the menu. Yes, I heard you say you had it better with your last leader. Yes, I know some of you don’t think I’m a very good leader … now, let’s keep going. God’s got somewhere for us to be.”

Don’t get me wrong: the effectiveness of your leadership will rise and fall in direct correlation to the quality of your personal walk with Jesus in any given moment. That is a battle leaders fight every day, especially in the church. It’s a battle I fight every day.

But beyond that, leadership takes guts. It’s going to require you, at some point, to stand firm in the face of a fire that’s a lot hotter than you’ll like. In that moment, you’ll essentially have two choices:

You can go, or you can grow.

Pastors share ministry wisdom from one generation to the next

The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is blessed not only with an army of younger pastors who are eager to lead our churches into the next generation for Jesus, but with a stable of older pastors who have seen and experienced many things over decades of ministry. In this conversation, we join together one of those younger pastors—First Baptist Church of Malakoff’s Ed Fenton—with Casey Perry, who has 70 years of ministry experience and actually served as FBC Malakoff’s pastor during his career.

ED FENTON: You’ve seen a lot of changes in the church and in ministry. What were some of the challenges you faced in pastoring and what are some of the challenges that you see today that pastors are facing?

CASEY PERRY: I think there’s more of a difference in what we’ve seen since the 2000s with the change of the type of music [played during worship services]. I always told our church, “Be prepared for change, not conviction. The message must be the same, but methods must change.” We’ve seen that happen. The real difficulty, I think, has shown up in the fact that we’ve not been able to come to a good balance of how to maintain the people who were raised on one [type of worship music]. Anytime we gather together, that should be considered worship, but worship music is very important. It’s very important to young people, and it’s very important to old people. So I would say that has been a challenge. I was already out of the pastorate by 2000 when those changes began to happen so I really did not face that problem so much.

EF: Generally speaking, what kind of conflict have you dealt with in leading churches?

CP: In one of my churches, our church burned. There were those that wanted to build a certain kind of facility and there were those that did not want to build that big of a facility, so there was a conflict. We lost wonderful people—I mean, great people—that went across town … mainly to one church. But the thing that I am grateful for, we never lost friendship over it. We maintained friendship but it was difficult because it put me in a position of needing to take a stand because we were building a new building.

EF: So you made a decision and not everybody agreed with you on it?

CP: That’s right. I have felt through the years that it was kind of my calling to go into churches that had difficulties and to work through those difficulties. And that’s really been the case. That was the case here. Once, when I was out in a church in West Texas, the problem was over eschatology. I had my convictions, but finally I told them, “Look, I think we’re going to all be surprised at what happens when [Jesus] comes. Let’s just get down here at this altar and let’s pray it out.” That’s what we did, and I didn’t hear a whole lot about it after that.

EF: What would you say is the key in resolving conflicts like that?

CP: The word of God and prayer. I mean, that’s it. Take them to the book and pray.

EF: Thinking through your family dynamic in ministry, I know for me, at times it can be really hard to take off the pastor/minister hat when I get to the house and be husband and father. How did you find balance in pastoring a church but also being a dedicated and loving husband and father to your kids?

CP: God blessed us with good children. I mean, they’re all Christians and serving the Lord now. As they were growing up, I just let it be known [to the church leadership] that I was going to be with my children, and they really didn’t have a problem with that. I made sure I was really involved in whatever they were involved in. I’ve coached three ball teams in one season because every one of my kids wanted me to be a coach. I coached them in basketball and baseball, and then my daughter came along and she wanted me to be her coach when she played softball in the softball league. For youth camp, we took our youth to Falls Creek and it was required of a pastor that he’d be there with the youth, which I think is always a great thing. That gave me a great involvement with the young people, and my children were involved in that. So, that helped a lot as they grew older.

EF: What’s one piece of advice, or counsel, that you would give a new pastor who’s stepping into that role for the first time?

CP: Love your people and preach the book. And don’t let little things become big things. I once had a situation where something was a big thing to one of our deacons. I could have won that battle, but I would have lost the bond of friendship. I got to thinking about it, and 30 minutes before I went to that deacons meeting when we were going to deal with that, and I was all set to go in there and just win it, and all of a sudden I became convicted that this is not really all that important. So I would say, don’t let little things become big things to you.

North Texas church approaching evangelism ‘One’ life at a time

Last July, Lane Prairie Baptist Church joined thousands of other churches participating in the North American Mission Board’s “Who’s Your One” campaign.

The nationwide effort, launched in 2019, challenges Christians to pray for lost people they know with the intent of inviting them into a relationship with Jesus. NAMB recently announced that participating churches have now combined to pray and share the gospel with more than 50,000 “ones.”

At LPBC, members use a clear display filled with colored plastic balls to keep track of their progress with their “ones” who are being prayed for, have heard a gospel presentation, been saved, and been baptized. Each time one of those acts happen, members drop a different colored ball into the display, and each week the church celebrates what God is doing through their efforts.

“We celebrate the gospel whether somebody makes a profession of faith or not,” said Ricky Fuchs, who has served as lead pastor at LPBC since last March.

“It’s really changed the environment in the church.”

—Ricky Fuchs, pastor Lane Prairie Baptist Church Tweet

God has given LPBC much to celebrate. As of this writing, members of LPBC have shared the gospel with their “ones” 836 times, with 156 of those making a profession of faith. Twelve have been baptized. These numbers don’t account for the 57 people who came to faith from March 2021 to July 2021 when a group of about 50 members at the church decided to start using their Wednesday night gathering to pray for the lost prior to beginning “Who’s Your One.”

There’s an evangelistic sprawl happening through all this, as Fuchs said LPBC members are not only sharing the gospel with their “ones” locally, but with anybody they come into contact with. Some have started taking phone calls through a billboard ministry that offers a phone number people can call when they want to find out what true hope is; others are using Zoom to share the good news with family members as far away as Africa.

Giving through the church has been impacted, as well. Fuchs said the church this past year took up the largest Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in the church’s 150-year history.

“It’s really changed the environment in the church,” Fuchs said. “I think there’s more unity. There’s more people in service—really all aspects of the church, not just evangelism.”