New tool, new desire help church find a God-focused vision_110303

Posted: 10/31/03

New tool, new desire help church find a God-focused vision

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

VICTORIA–Baptist Temple Church faces the same issues many congregations across Texas stare down daily. More than 500 people packed the Sunday School 50 years ago, but now fewer than 150 people come to worship.

The membership no longer matches the neighborhood. The church is 95 percent Anglo, but the community is 57 percent Hispanic.

A third of the congregation is between 60 and 74 years old, and two-thirds of the people have at least some college. One-third of the community is younger than 20, and only 47 percent of the church's neighbors graduated from high school.

The church split as recently as 1996, with part of the congregation starting another place of worship. Dismayed and declining, the remnant discussed closing the doors.

God-focused Vision

But the members decided God still had plans for them, and they called Gene Rice as pastor. Rice recalls being struck by the grief that permeated the church a year after the split. The pastor spent years leading his flock through their emotions.

“The people were real close to each other,” he said. “When this church split, … they would still see each other in the grocery store and not speak. It took them awhile to deal with that.”

In the summer of 2002, Rice sensed the church was ready to move forward. The congregation established a set of core values and put together a mission statement.

To specify their plans further, the church turned to the “Revision” materials offered through the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missional Church Center. The resource guides a church to establish a ministry vision for the congregation through Bible study, prayer and statistical information.

“The revisioning process was a way we could look at all the possibilities and come up with a plan we can all agree on,” Rice said.

Having a God-focused vision is one of the 11 characteristics of a healthy church identified by the BGCT.

All the Sunday School classes went through an eight-week Bible study based on the materials. Class members discussed the church's purpose and brainstormed ministry ideas.

The church studied demographics of the area, and many of their thoughts were confirmed: The congregation did not match the neighborhood.

While this information was not new, members for the first time openly discussed what to do about the situation. Information armed the church to make educated decisions, Rice said.

At a recent retreat, 48 church members recently approved a three-year plan and one-year strategy. The congregation will focus on ministering to youth and will strengthen the children's work by remodeling the facilities.

The church also wants to create a multigenerational and multicultural environment where the entire community feels welcome. This includes a blended worship service and mentoring.

The plans still must be approved by the church at large, but Rice is impressed by the stir the effort has caused to this point.

“The story is not finished. We don't know what the process is going to accomplish, but I will tell you this: There was an excitement here I have not seen. What I really hope for is a church that is courageous and finds the ministry that God sends.”

For more information about the Revision materials, contact Fred Ater at (888) 747-7700 or visit www.link2lead.com.