Partners sign church-starting agreement

Posted: 7/07/06

Partners sign church-starting agreement

ARLINGTON—Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist University of the Americas leaders signed a partnership agreement to start Hispanic churches across the United States.

The partnership is a renewal of an original partnership formally signed during the 2003 CBF General Assembly, which included the Fellowship, BGCT and His-panic Baptist Convention of Texas. The renewal formally includes Baptist University of the Americas.

According to the partnership renewal—signed at the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas annual meeting—the BGCT provides church-starting training and Baptist University of the Americas trains ministers to work in Hispanic contexts.

CBF recruits congregations that want to start Hispanic churches. And the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and Baptist University of the Americas help identify individuals who may make good church starters. All entities help promote the partnership.

The Hispanic population is growing nationwide, and the need for more churches is clear, outgoing Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas President Alcides Guajardo said. Demographers expect Hispanics to make up 50 percent of the Texas population by 2015. Only 2 percent of the current Hispanic population in Texas is Baptist.

Baptist University of the Americas is the premier equipping institution for recruiting, educating and training the large numbers of cross-cultural ministry leaders needed by tomorrow’s Hispanic churches, BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade said.

All four organizations play a crucial role in this partnership, Baptist Uni-versity of the Americas President Albert Reyes added. “We know that the BGCT plans to start 100 more Hispanic churches each year in Texas, and we are aware of the need to plant 500 churches throughout the USA,” he said.

“BUA receives weekly calls from all across the country for church starters. Over the last 60 years, we have provided ministry leaders and church planters to 75 percent of Hispanic pulpits in Texas. We will continue in that role with this agreement.”