BGCT crosses halfway point toward church-starting goal_12604

Posted: 1/26/04

BGCT crosses halfway point toward church-starting goal

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Despite a tough fiscal year, the Baptist General Convention of Texas Church Multiplication Center crossed the halfway point toward its goal of helping start 777 churches by the end of 2004.

The center has helped start 423 churches through two years of the three-year Genesis Project. Staff facilitated 159 church starts last year, down from 264 in 2002.

Last year's church-starting efforts were hurt when the center had committed its budget by mid-June. A large financial commitment to previously started churches coupled with decreased giving to the convention contributed to a smaller-than-expected supply of funds, according to Abe Zabaneh, director of the BGCT Church Multiplication Center.

Despite the drop in funding and church starts, Zabaneh remains upbeat about this year and attempting to reach the goal set in 2002. Center staff members are looking for ways Texas Baptists can partner to support new churches.

"We still are shooting for 777, but we're going to have to be creative," Zabaneh said.

The surge in church starts during the past two years is important to reaching non-Christian Texans, Zabaneh noted. Studies reveal new churches are highly effective at reaching unchurched and previously churched individuals. They also help Baptists keep pace with an increasing Texas population.

Church starting efforts help meet the needs of the state's variety of cultures and ethnicities, Zabaneh added. Last year, staff helped launch 75 Hispanic, 32 Anglo, 22 African American, 20 multi-ethnic and two Indian churches.

Staff efforts helped lead to two new Vietnamese churches. They also facilitated Argentinian, Arab, Brazilian, Guatemalan, Korean and Laotian church starts.

The diverse work is essential to provide a place of worship for each culture in Texas, Zabaneh said.

"People are different. People need the opportunity to worship and fellowship with people similar to them," he said.

This year, the center has taken church starting in multi-housing complexes under its wing. Many urban residents live in apartments, but few are connected with a church, Zabaneh said. Center staff aims to change that by starting churches in their complexes.

"It's an unchurched people group that needs to be reached," he said. "We need to work on taking the church to the apartments."

With an expanded ministry and a difficult challenge before them in 2004, Zabaneh asks that Texas Baptists lead out in starting churches as they see opportunities around them. He also asks Christians to pray for the effort in the coming year.

Every area in Texas needs more churches to serve the population, he added.