Relationship pushes BGCT into World_32105

Posted: 3/18/05

Relationship pushes BGCT into World

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

Texas Baptists have “a heart as big as God's world,” said a San Antonio pastor, and they're on track now to become an official part of the largest worldwide Baptist body–the Baptist World Alliance.

The BWA's membership committee voted to recommend the Baptist General Convention of Texas for membership in the alliance. The final vote will come this summer at the BWA Centenary Congress in Birmingham, England.

Seeking membership in the BWA is “an extremely appropriate and necessary step to execute the vision that our Lord has given us,” said Charles Johnson, senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.

People throughout the world are “more interrelated and closely connected than ever before,” Johnson said. “Therefore, an organization like the Baptist World Alliance will help us to advance the cause of Christ among every nation.

“We Texas Baptists are becoming world Baptists,” he added.

BGCT President Albert Reyes said he is very encouraged and optimistic by the move toward BWA membership. “I can't imagine a more strategic move or alliance.”

Membership in the BWA would indicate a strong possibility that Texas Baptists will be “at the center of God's activity in the world for the next 50 years or longer,” Reyes said. “By taking the hands of our Baptist brethren around the world, we begin to become part of the family that God intends us to be.”

Reyes, who also is president of the Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio, said both the BWA membership and the BGCT's reorganization are bringing about possibilities of greater cultural diversity in Texas Baptist life.

“We have cultural blind spots that keep us from seeing the world as it really is,” Reyes said. “As we increase cultural diversity, we reduce the number of cultural blind spots.”

Ken Hall, immediate past president of the BGCT and president of Buckner Baptist Benevolences, also expressed excitement about the possibility of BWA membership. “I'm thrilled for the BWA and extremely excited for our state convention.”

“I think BWA will be good for Texas Baptists” by providing opportunities for “our perspectives to enlarge and grow as we interact with fellow Baptists around the world.”

Hall has been involved with the BWA through Buckner's relationship with the world body. For Johnson, it came about through two retired missionaries, Jerry and Francis Smyth, who introduced him to Tony Cupit, BWA's evangelism director.

Johnson attended his first BWA meeting five years ago–the 2000 Congress in Melbourne, Australia.

“It was an indescribably powerful experience of Christian community,” Johnson said. “It was an incarnation of Christ's great hope for us that we would in fact go into all the world. And we have done that.”

Johnson will attend the Centenary Congress in England this year, as many other Texas Baptists are expected to do.

The Baptist Standard and Texas Baptist Historical Collection are organizing tours of historic Baptist sites in England.

Those tours will be prior to the Congress, which will be held July 24-31.

For more information about the tours, contact Wilcox Travel via telephone at (800) 438-5828 or e-mail at bwatours@wilcoxtravel.com.

For details about the Congress, visit the web sites at www.bwacongress2005.org.uk or at www. bgct.org/bwa. Or call Coleen Brooks at (214) 828-5228 for a registration packet.