Posted: 6/29/07

After years of decline, West Africa
missions picks up momentum

By Shawn Hendricks

International Mission Board

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—The image was as clear as a photograph.

Several years ago, Dorothea Lee was sitting on a tour bus with her college choir group when she had a vision of an African boy. She blinked and turned her head, but she couldn’t shake the image. She prayed, “Lord, what does this mean?”

“And God told me, ‘You will go,’” said Lee, a new Southern Baptist missionary.

Flash forward to last year. As Lee and her husband, Jason, were deciding where they would serve, the International Mission Board began a yearlong focus on West Africa—regional summits at churches, bulletins, brochures, magazine articles and other promotional materials.

Several years ago, Dorothea Lee saw a vision of an African boy. She said that vision, along with the International Mission Board’s yearlong emphasis on West Africa, helped lead her family to the mission field.

 “What the West Africa emphasis did for us is clarify the needs,” Jason Lee said. The emphasis “put in the forefront, not only for us, but others across the denomination to be praying for this region. And, I know it (clarified) where God wanted us to go.”

The Lees, members of First Baptist Church of Highlands, go to West Africa this summer to help start churches among a Muslim people group with no access to the gospel. They were one of three couples appointed by the International Mission Board to the region in March and are part of an emerging trend in a once-struggling region.

In the late ’90s, the number of missionaries in West Africa took a freefall, tumbling from 400 to 250. Regional leader Randy Arnett describes the number of outreach groups as “an embarrassment.”

“When we first started talking about an emphasis, West Africa was in a sorry shape,” Arnett said. “Things weren’t going real well.”

West Africa regional leadership hoped the yearlong emphasis would help turn things around.

“Things are changing,” he added. As of last fall, the number of personnel had risen 11 percent—the largest percentage increase since the region began tracking that number in 1997. The region expects to appoint more missionaries—eight couples and three singles—this year than in the last three years combined.

“The response has been phenomenal,” said Roger Haun, West Africa’s regional associate.

“We’ve been very pleased by the number of Southern Baptists who have responded. It’s been beyond our wildest expectations.”

Other highlights include:

• 20 churches have signed on as “engaging churches,” or what is sometimes referred to as a “strategy coordinator churches.”  These churches accept the responsibility of adopting an unreached people group and developing a strategy to start churches among them. Before the emphasis, the region didn’t have any engaging churches.

• More than 120 other churches have made some type of commitment to help missionary work in the region.

• The number of prayer partners for the region has leapt from about 100,000, reported two years ago, to 400,000 today.

“I realize so much of the results have really been founded in prayer,” Arnett said. “I believe we can see a direct correlation between the increasing numbers of people praying for West Africa and the results we are seeing.”

• The number of new outreach groups and responses to the gospel also has risen in the last 12 months and “pockets of believers” are emerging.

“We are seeing pockets of response like we have never seen before,” Arnett said. “Not just one or two here and there, but 15 over here and 20 over here and 30 over here and here’s a dozen over here.

“When you hear about 12 Muslim women coming up to a volunteer team and saying, ‘We want to receive Jesus,’ that’s cause for celebration. That kind of stuff has not happened in the past.”

But West Africa still has a long way to go.

More missionaries are needed in this vast region that continues to explode with growth. In Nigeria, only one couple is working among the Hausa, a people group of 28 million.

West Africa also needs more single male missionaries. Right now, there are 47 single women missionaries working in the region, compared to three men.

God is “opening the doors of opportunity for witness” for the women, Arnett said. “This … is a tribute to their courage, to their stamina, to their dedication, to their strength of character.”

The region remains optimistic that great things are on the horizon for West Africa.

“Our people, our missionaries, they are bolder today than they’ve been before,” he says. “And we’re seeing results. There is momentum.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

Vernon church combines work
and worship, putting faith in action

By Barbara Bedrick

Texas Baptist Communications

VERNON—As a former church organist, Gwendolyn Wolf has played her favorite hymn—“Blest Be the Tie That Binds”—hundreds of times, but it resonates in her heart more deeply now. She says she’s been touched by the willingness of First Baptist Church in Vernon to put its faith into action.

A month ago, Wolf sat on her old front porch, worrying the rotten wood planks would collapse under the weight of her wheelchair. Those days are gone, and she’s admiring the fresh coat of paint on the porch floor.

“It means a lot … ever since I been here I’ve been trying to fix the floor of this porch,” Wolf said.

Members of First Baptist Church in Vernon worship on “Faith in Action” Sunday by working. This group installed a new tin roof while others built a front porch, painted houses and mowed yards.

 Armed with hammers, nails and new lumber, five members of First Baptist Church in Vernon rebuilt her porch. Several women finished the painting. Wolf is so grateful she urged them to stop by, saying she would be glad “to play their favorite hymns.”

Wolf’s porch project was part of Faith in Action Sunday, when 370 First Baptist Church members worked all over Vernon. The day of labor culminated a four-week Bible study and sermon emphasis on serving other people.

When other congregations gathered for worship, hundreds of First Baptist members cleaned up yards for the disabled and elderly, installed a new tin roof and did construction projects for others and carted off dozens of trailer loads of brush to dump sites.

At the same time, other church members led worship services at eight sites, and about 70 members visited more than 200 homes. Backyard Bible clubs reached more than 150 children—none of whom were going to church on Sunday. Church leaders discovered about 80 prospect families who weren’t attending church, so they anticipate growth through baptism.

“The greatest blessing was seeing the church involved in missions and ministry on a large scale,” said Pastor Ben Macklin. “A sense of amazement was left with people leaving that Sunday evening worship service that had been filled with testimonies of God’s work through our efforts.”

So many times, Macklin added, “preachers preach and teachers teach, and only a few people put their Christianity to practical application in ministry.”

Faith in Action Sunday allowed the church to bring together young and old, mature Christian and new believer, into a collective mission experience that Macklin believes will have a long lasting impact on First Baptist Church. Doing the ministry on a Sunday was important, he added.

“We proved our faith today. We sent a message to Vernon that was far louder than words; we put our faith in action,” Macklin said.

Church member Pat Luttrell emphasized the mission was “bathed in prayer” since its inception. Church bulletins illustrated a prayer guide, and a prayer room was designated where people could pray in one-hour commitments for Faith in Action Sunday. Team members even enlisted inactive members and unchurched friends to participate.

Thirty-eight members prayed throughout the day for the mission effort, volunteers prepared meals for teams, groups held worship services in nursing homes and more than a dozen people helped with children’s activities.

“It was an incredible experience from Day One, Luttrell said. “It opened our eyes to the needs of the community and helped us see things we couldn’t have if we hadn’t done Faith in Action,” Luttrell said. “It opened the eyes of church members to see what they needed to be doing … that as individuals we need to put faith in action every day.”

Now that members have seen the needs for ministry from direct contact, church leaders believe they will realize there are endless possibilities to do kingdom-oriented work.

“Rather than doing missions work by proxy through the mission boards, Faith In Action helps us start a missionary perspective right outside our door and makes foreign missions something we can do as an extension of our local efforts,” Macklin said.

“The day is dawning when missions returns to the fabric of who we are as Baptists, and perhaps the sun is setting on the mentality that missions is something we write a check to support professionals to do in our stead.”

Joyce and Don Maroney are grateful First Baptist reached out to touch their lives. Maroney recently learned he has cancer, suffered several strokes and then overheated while working in the yard and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. His wife couldn’t take care of the yard work, and to top it off, their son is headed back to Kosovo.

First Baptist came to her rescue on Faith in Action Sunday. Mrs. Maroney broke down in tears as she talked about how their ministry made an impact on her.

“There used to be a little song, a love song, about ‘my cup runneth over with love,’ and that kind of expresses it,” she said.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

For 60 years: ‘Get in touch
with God. Turn your radio on’

By George Henson

Staff Writer

SULPHUR SPRINGS—The radio Bible class from First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs recently marked 60 years on the air, teaching a weekly Sunday school lesson to listeners throughout Northeast Texas.

The church first broadcasted its worship service on KSST radio in 1947. A group of laymen in the congregation were so excited about the venture that one week later, the “Busy Men’s Class” decided to go on the air, as well.

Shortly thereafter, another men’s class wanted to also broadcast their lessons, but since they both met at the same time, there was a conflict. In short order, they worked out a deal where the classes would alternate Sundays on the air. Each class paid the $12.24 required for the airtime on their Sunday. Every class member donated a quarter—a sum later increased to $1.

The classes later merged into one department, but they each retained their identities.

Charlie Charles, a class president for a time, said the broadcast has not missed a single Sunday in 60 years.

One Sunday decades ago, an ice storm was so severe that the church cancelled worship services. The church had tapes of past Sundays on hand in case of emergencies such as this, but the radio Bible class had not a similar provision. Charles and the teacher for the week met at the church, and the pair made sure that their faithful listeners still got their weekly dose of Bible study.

The class still has many faithful listeners within the bandwidth’s reach. “That class reaches out to so many people,” Charles said. “I visit so many nursing homes on Saturday mornings, and those people look forward to seeing me and talking about the broadcasts.”

John Sharber, one of the three teachers currently rotating for the Sunday morning broadcasts, concurred. “We minister to the people who are sick, those who can’t go to church and sit in a pew for an hour, and those who can’t come for any number of reasons,” he said.

Since 2005, the class also has broadcasted on local cable television. The class bought all the equipment necessary for the broadcast, and at that time the church began paying for the airtime. Until that time, the class had paid all its own expenses.

Charles and Gordon Ford, director of the class more than 20 years, say that while those involved are serious about the broadcasts, it is not a polished production.

“There’s no practice, so mistakes are made,” Gordon admitted.

“But I think that’s why people like to watch and listen—they know nothing is staged,” Charles added.

The class—which once drew up to 100—now numbers about 40, and that includes wives, who were allowed to join about five years ago. Some who used to attend are now listeners, but they retained the desire to keep the ministry going.

“Some are not able to come anymore because of health reasons, but they send money up here to support the ministry,” Gordon said.

The ministry is a reflection of that desire to reach out, he added.

“This church is sort of unusual. It’s 150 years old, and all through that time, it’s been blessed financially, been blessed with leadership and with talent, and it’s been very mission-minded. And I think that mission-mindedness is why it’s been blessed the way it has,” he said.

For as long as anyone can remember, “Every Day with Jesus” has been the class theme song, and it is sung every Sunday.

“We sing old songs, and people still like those,” Sharber said.

“It’s amazing the people you see around town that can’t wait ’til that broadcast comes on on Sunday,” he said.

The television broadcast added a new element to things, he added.

“Some waited for years to see the people they had been listening to for so many years,” Sharber said.

Buel Berry, a teacher in the class for 24 years, concurred that the class gave the class and church a wider scope than they could have imagined. When he helped with the census in 1990 and 2000, he recalled knocking on a door and starting to introduce himself, only to be stopped in mid-sentence with: “I know who you are; I listen to you every Sunday.”

Berry also knew of dairy farmers who had radios tuned to the class each week so that their milkers still heard Bible teaching.

Now many of the dairies have closed, but a trip to a restaurant is often met with “I listened to you on Sunday,” many times from people who attend other churches.

“That’s what makes this class keep on keeping on,” Sharber said. “People need encouragement and hope, and they find it in that radio or TV broadcast.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

Grown-up MK renews French connection

By Rebekah Hardage

Communications Intern

CARROLLTON—Stephen Marshall’s life has been filled with one French connection after another.

Marshall grew up as a child of missionaries to France, and he married a French woman.

But just when he thought his time living in France were behind him, God opened doors for him to become a church planter in the land of his youth.

Marshall, a staff member at Trinity Valley Baptist Church in Carrollton, will relocate to France by the end of this year along with his wife, Sabrina, who is expecting their second child, and their son Alexi. Next January, he hopes to launch a multi-cultural church in Lyon as Trinity Valley’s staff missionary to France.

Stephen and Sabrina Marshall,along with their son, Alexi, will relocate to France later this year. Marshall will serve as staff missionary for Trinity Valley Baptist Church in Carrollton and help start a multi-cultural congregation in Lyon.

Marshall joined the Trinity Valley staff as children’s minister about three years ago while he was attending Dallas Theological Seminary. His responsibilities have since expanded to youth.

Trinity Valley had planned to plant a church in Vancouver, Canada, through an established partnership with the Denton Baptist Association, but those plans began to fizzle.

After sending seven members to France in January, the church became convinced a church plant there was what God had planned. Marshall knew it too. “God just confirmed that this is what he wanted us to do,” he said. But he had to overcome some serious reservations.

“I didn’t want to go back, because I know what it’s going to take, and I didn’t think I could make it,” Marshall said.

Evangelicals in France make up only 1 percent of the French population of 60 million, he noted. Muslims, in comparison, represent about 8 percent of the population.

Christians of any stripe are the minority in France. Marshall’s wife, Sabrina, is the only Christian in her family, he pointed out.

Growing up the child of missionaries to France, Marshall has seen countless missionaries move overseas, learn the language and culture, and then give up and come home after just a few years.

But Marshall and his wife have made a lifetime commitment to mission work in France. Missionaries—particularly in a non-Christian culture like France—first must build trust with the people they are working with so they can be sure “you’re not just another cult,” he said. If missionaries will build relationships, after years of trust and teaching, many people will come to know God, he added.

Though the work will be challenging, Marshall knows he is not alone. Since he and his family decided to move to France, they have received prayer and financial support from Denton Baptist Association.

Gary Loudermilk, executive director of the association, explained, “We discussed the idea of having more of a global presence and thought this was a good opportunity to explore that avenue a little more in depth.”

The association offered Marshall financial support, as well as a chance to network through other churches. Loudermilk also hopes in the future, the association will be able to send mission teams to work with Marshall and his family.

Marshall and his family will seek to start an intentionally multi-cultural congregation in Lyon. France is filled with people from North Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia and China, as well as an abundance of Eastern Europeans, and “we hope that the beauty of the gospel will transcend all of these cultures.”

Marshall and his wife are both fluent in French and familiar with the culture, so they won’t experience the shock most missionaries do when they first arrive overseas. After his arrival, Marshall will begin to take a class to help him improve his writing, especially in respect to legal documentation.

Trinity Valley Pastor David Bird feels confident France was the right place for Marshall and his family to serve. “Everywhere we turn around we find another French connection,” he said.

For example, the Trinity Valley youth met a 16-year-old French exchange student who was attending summer camp with a Houston church. Marshall was able to lead the young man to faith in Christ. They have kept in touch, and Marshall has contacted churches in the young man’s hometown so they can continue to minister to him after he returns home next month.

As he and his family prepare to move to France, Marshall is praying for the lives he hopes the church plant will be able to touch.

He also is praying for the country as a whole. The newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with French evangelicals—a historic first. Marshall prays the meeting signals a positive relationship between evangelicals and the French government.

Marshall is also praying for his family. He realizes his children may be the only ones in their school from a strong Christian home, and he prays they will stand firm. “They will be bombarded with opinions and theories, and I pray that they will be able to see the truth through that.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

Marketing project benefits UMHB
students, Central Texas churches

By George Henson

Staff Writer

BELTON—A semester-long partnership between marketing students at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and five churches in Williamson Baptist Association received a passing grade from all involved.

Clint Anderson, director of missions for the association, initially conceived the project. The first semester of the year, the students helped the association with market research, with an eye toward putting a marketing plan together for the association the second semester.

“I was going to use the association as the spring project as well, but then I thought it would be more important for the churches to have that opportunity,” he said, noting everything worked out even better than he would have hoped.

“It’s really a good deal for everybody,” he said. “The students get a project, and the churches get free marketing advice.”

ChrisAnn Merriman, assistant professor of management and marketing at UMHB, also made the trip to Georgetown to present a seminar for all the pastors in the association on marketing so the pastors would have a general knowledge of the subject.

Churches chosen for the projects were fairly young churches in growing communities, Anderson said. Sonterra Fellowship in Jarrell, Lakeline Church and Hill Country Fellowship in Leander, CrossPointe Community Church in Taylor and LifePointe Fellowship in Hutto were each chosen to work with a team of three to four students to develop a marketing plan that would enable the congregations to better reach their communities.

Merriman said her students enjoyed the opportunity to put their classroom knowledge of demographics and marketing strategies to work in real-life situations. “It’s a lot more interesting for them to work with these churches than it would be to put together a marketing plan for some fictitious company out of a textbook,” she said.

Stephanie Boyd, a student who worked with Lakeline Church in Leander, agreed.

“Most of our projects had been hypothetical—pretend—so this was an opportunity to actually work for an organization that was truly going to employ at least some of the strategies we suggested for them,” she said.

That they were working to help a church rather than a company with a product to sell was another intriguing dynamic, Boyd said.

“It was interesting to put together a marketing plan for a church where you weren’t trying to sell a product to customers, but rather making sure that people who came felt welcome,” she said.

To that end, Boyd’s team sent in “secret visitors” to the church and then interviewed them about how they were welcomed. His team also attended services and talked with members.

“You can’t make a strategy for a church you didn’t know anything about,” she explained. Working with the congregation, staff and Pastor Brian Lightsey was one of the things that separated the project from a hypothetical situation, she said.

“Having them involved, and just the opportunity to work with a client and having their feedback was really beneficial,” she said.

That thought was echoed by Elizabeth Vein, who also worked on the Lakeline team. “It was eye-opening to have someone actually looking across the table at you and asking you what you should do,” she said.

Since Lakeline meets at Leander High School, one of the team’s primary suggestions was to make the most of that opportunity, Vein said. The team suggested to the congregation that their meeting at the school gave them a location in town everyone was aware of and also made it more appealing to students. They suggested that reaching those students would in turn help the church reach their families.

Leander is a rapidly growing community, and the team that worked with Hill Country Fellowship suggested that the church really work hard to meet the many new residents.

“Most churches don’t think of themselves as businesses,” student Lindsey Cockerell pointed out. “But they still need to make sure their name is out there—especially in Leander, where there are so many people who are new residents.”

While the church already was securing names and addresses of new move-ins, the team suggested expanding the outreach efforts to include welcome baskets. The gift baskets included not only information about the church, but also an area map and compendium of area activities. They also suggested that church members be given business card-like communication pieces with church information that they could give to new people they met.

Working with the church helped her see that working with churches after graduation also was a possibility.

“I’d never thought of it before, but now I think it’s a possibility because churches need help on how they can best reach out to people and grow the kingdom of God, and I’m thinking now I might like to help with that,” she said.

The pastors were grateful for the students’ help.

“It gave us some fresh eyes and helped our leadership to see things from a different perspective,” Lightsey, pastor of Lakeline Church, said. He said the students also helped to remind the congregation of some of things they had previously thought of but never put in place. One of the things the team suggested was not to rely as much as mailed communication pieces, but to gain a greater visibility in the community through service projects.

Darrell Koop, pastor of Hill Country Fellowship, agreed that it was a worthwhile partnership. “They were able to come in as outsiders and give us a view and a feel of how other people see us,” he said. The church is already working to put a couple of the team’s suggestions into motion such as remodeling the church’s website and renting a highway billboard to enhance the church’s visibility in the community.

“It’s a free service that helped both us and the students,” Lightsey said. “It was a total win-win situation. And of course they want a good grade, so they worked really hard.”

Anderson noted he already has churches signing up for the next opportunity.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

Kids Hope USA program
starts at first Hispanic churches

By Rebekah Hardage

Communications Intern

DALLAS—The high school dropout rate among Hispanics in Texas is almost 50 percent, but two North Texas churches are doing their part to change that statistic.

Through Buckner Children and Family Services’ Kids Hope USA program, Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in Fort Worth and Primera Iglesia Bautista in Arlington have committed to mentor children in elementary schools. They are the first Hispanic congregations to participate in the national initiative.

“Our members are bilingual and bicultural, thus providing additional bridges of connection to children and their families,” said Julio Guarneri, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani.

Church members will work with a child referred by school personnel. The mentor commits to visit with the child one hour a week for an academic school year and help with homework.

The parents of the student are involved, knowing when their child is meeting with his or her mentor and how the meetings are going. A prayer partner commits to pray for the relationship being built between the mentor and the student.

“I believe that if we want to make a meaningful impact in the life of a child, we really need to reach kids at a much younger age,” said Richard Roman, Buckner/Kids Hope USA coordinator. “It’s imperative that Hispanic churches become involved at the developmental ages of their children.”

Friendship is built between the mentor and the student. One child learned to tell time, just so he could know when his mentor was coming.

“There’s a sense, for the first time, of making a real, long-term difference in the life of someone,” Roman explained. “We’re not asking a church to go to Africa, Mexico or even across town. Churches can become directly involved in the lives of kids in their neighborhood.”

Jonathan Hernandez, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Arlington, looks forward to partnering with the elementary school in their immediate neighborhood in Arlington.

“God had already given us a good number of children to work with on a weekly basis in our church,” Hernandez said. “So knowing that children in schools are not necessarily from Christian homes or have parents that attend church, we immediately knew we needed to do this.”

Dora Matancillas, a member of Iglesia Bautista Gestemani, will be serving as a mentor this fall.  “I think the most important part is that we need to spend a lot of time with the kids to help them so they can develop self esteem and just to show them the kindness that Jesus has for them.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/29/07

CYBER COLUMN:
You are my prize

By Jinny Henson

I want to clear up something,

I think you have mis-heard

When I tuck you in at night

And fill you with my words.

I say I am so proud to have

A child so bright and sweet.

With excellent report cards,

Which knock me off my feet!

Oh, how your bright eyes sparkle.

Your grin lights up a room.

Your spirit beams as brightly

As a Carolina Moon.

Your tenderness to others

Is truly rare these days.

I love to see your kindness

And your sweet, caring ways.

Your taste in clothes is stellar,

Athletic skills immense,

But what if, come tomorrow,

You lost that fashion sense?

If your lovely hair fell out,

Those sparkling eyes turned bland,

If you saw the mean kid throw a punch,

And did not take a stand.

If, instead of A’s and B’s,

Your report card was a mess,

If you, no longer at the top,

Were called the worst, not best.

If all these bad things happened,

(This part may shock you here,)

To me you’d be as beautiful,

My heart, you still would cheer.

It’s fun to try your hardest.

Good work has its rewards,

But that’s not why you’re special

To me or to The Lord.

You’ll see when you get older,

And then, for sure, you’ll know,

It is not what your children DO

That makes you love them so.

You are not what you do, my love.

Life is so much more

Than any outward beauty

Or excellent test score.

I know you love to come in first;

You have right from the start.

But never, ever be confused;

You already have my heart.

I love you, precious person,

Just the way you are.

You need not paint me pictures

Or play me your guitar.

So, try new things with gusto!

Fail and fail again.

It’s only those who never try

Who miss out on the win.

Don’t judge yourself too harshly.

Enjoy the journey, too.

Laugh along the way each day.

I hear it’s good for you.

You could not be more wonderful,

More precious in my eyes.

If you never won again,

You still would be my prize.

© All rights owned by Jinny Henson; (318) 990-1642; jinnyhenson@aol.com

Jinny Henson travels the country as a Christian comedienne. John, Maggie Lee and Jack are an endless source of material for her. You can find out more about her at www.jinnyhenson.com

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 6/26/07

California Southern Baptists
create competing state convention

By Hannah Elliott & Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (ABP)—Southern Baptists in California have started a new alternative state convention that will compete with the 67-year-old California Southern Baptist Convention for denominational loyalty.

California is the fourth state to witness such a move, joining Texas, Missouri and Virginia. In those states, alternative Baptist conventions have resulted in competition with the established conventions for contributions and membership.

Ron Wilson, a Los Angeles-area pastor, said he helped create the California Baptist Conservative Coalition as a way to organize California Baptists who are discontent with the way the traditional state convention divides up its money and the way the national Southern Baptist Convention counts church contributions.

Wilson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has been a trustee of several SBC national agencies, including the North American Mission Board currently, which all would receive more support under the new structure.

“We’ve got three things we’re going to do,” Wilson said. “We’re going with a 50-50 split (of contributions) with the national convention and the (new) state convention. Our statement of faith will be the Baptist Faith & Message. And we are going to meet three times a year.”

The “50-50 split,” which evenly divides the offerings of coalition churches between the SBC’s national Cooperative Program and the new state convention. Wilson said the purpose of the new group is to give more to the national SBC in order “to have more money spent on actual missions.”

The current division of funds in the traditional California State Baptist Convention is 28 percent for SBC and 72 percent for the state convention’s own ministries, much of it spent to start and assist California Baptist churches.

Wilson said his church currently gives 25 percent of its receipts to the state convention and 75 percent to the national convention. With the new convention, his church plans to give 50 percent to the new group and 50 percent to the national Cooperative Program. That will allow members to manage more closely which missions to support, he said.

SBC leaders have worked in recent years to revive Cooperative Program giving, which funds the convention’s mission boards and other agencies. But those efforts have been hindered, some say, by state conventions that keep a large percentage of church donations for in-state mission work.

Since fundamentalists won control of the national SBC in the 1980s, they have reshaped the SBC’s ministries and agencies more to their liking. But they have not gained similar control in all of the traditional state conventions, leading some to form alternative groups.

If the Southern Baptist Convention officially recognizes the upstart California convention—as it has the breakaway conventions in Texas and Virginia—all the money sent from the new convention to the SBC will be counted as Cooperative Program giving. Currently a church like Wilson’s, which bypasses the traditional state convention and its 28-72 split, usually does not get credit for supporting the Cooperative Program.

Pastors like Wilson and Wiley Drake, well-known radio-show host from First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., think they should get credit for the money given to state conventions—and they say no one at the national level has listened to their request.

“We feel like we’ve been sort of disenfranchised,” said Drake, last year’s SBC second vice president. “We just have felt like we haven’t been heard.”

Drake said the new convention’s 50-50 split of donations is a key attraction for his church, especially because of the small church’s limited budget. “This (new coalition) is something that has been going on for a long time. We’ve had this thing going all along, but it wasn’t organized.”

Wilson said non-profit status for the new group has already been processed and approved by the U.S. government.

Leaders at the tradition California Southern Baptist Convention, however, said they had not received any formal word about the new group.

Terry Barone, editor of the California Southern Baptist newspaper and director of the traditional state convention’s communications division, said he heard Wilson announce on the floor of the recent SBC annual meeting the plans for the new convention, but he hasn’t “received any information regarding what was said.”

“The local church is autonomous,” Barone said. “We think Ron (Wilson) has a perfect right to do this if this is what he wishes to do. That’s one of the jewels of being a Baptist—that we have the autonomy to do what we think is best from the standpoint of a local church, state association or national convention.”

The theme of the newly minted coalition is “a new way, a new day.” Wilson said he plans to pattern the group after the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The nine-year-old Texas group, largest of the four, counts 1,800 churches as members and has an annual budget of $9 million.

So far, there is little detail on how the new California convention would spend the money it receives.

“We’re really going to be between an association and a state convention. An association not determined by geography, but we want to do church starts,” Wilson said.

The group will start out as a loose coalition that focuses on mission work and fellowship, Drake said. He declined to name churches considering membership and said he hasn’t yet decided whether to ask his church to vote to join.

Wilson said he expects between 75 and 100 churches to be affiliated with the coalition by the end of its first year, with the potential to eventually incorporate up to 400 churches. Members won’t have to be present to vote on convention business, and “natural leaders” will emerge, rather than be elected. The first person hired to staff the group will be a secretary, Wilson said.

The California Southern Baptist Convention has 1,800 member congregations.

“We’ve been thinking about doing this since 1994,” Wilson said. “There was a group that wanted to do it then. Looking back, I think we should have done it then. Unfortunately I spooked and said, ‘Let’s wait and see how things develop.’ We are going to do it now, and we’ll just see what people will do.”

Still, Drake stressed that his church does not want to leave the California Southern Baptist Convention. If the existing state convention suddenly “sees the mission opportunity for the 50-50 split,” his church would rethink joining the new coalition, he said.

There is no reason why the two competing conventions can’t co-exist, he said.

“I have a good relationship with the state convention,” Drake said. “I’m not ready to throw in the towel, so to speak. At least from my perspective, I would still want to be connected with the California Southern Baptist Convention.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/28/07

Baptist newspapers, ABP
create new media venture

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—The Baptist Standard has joined with three other Baptist communication organizations to form a new media venture that will collaborate on expansive websites, print publications and other media options for Baptists.

The partnership, tentatively called NeoVox, currently includes Associated Baptist Press and the historic Baptist newspapers of three states—the Baptist Standard of Texas, the Religious Herald of Virginia, and Word & Way of Missouri.

Organizers say their network of communications partners eventually will include Baptist institutions and more media outlets, creating a national market for Baptist news and advertising.

The venture has been in the works for two years. Coordinated editorial planning and production started this spring, when the three newspapers began jointly publishing their biweekly newspapers with shared core content and graphic design. Associated Baptist Press, based in Jacksonville, Fla., provides graphic-design services and participates in content development.

The first collaborative issues featured extensive reporting on immigration, church leadership, clergy sex abuse, military chaplaincy and Christians in the public square.

Now in development is an extensive Internet portal, which will link news and other original content from all four organizations’ websites in a single, integrated database and eventually offer multimedia content such as audio and video feeds.

Although much of the editorial content, graphic design and production process of the new venture will be shared, each media outlet will retain its own identity and unique look, the organizers say. And no changes are planned for the four original partners’ governing boards, although a joint board for the new venture likely will be created.

Leaders at the Standard, Herald and Word & Way said a partnership involving Baptist newspapers in three widely spaced geographic areas—the Mid-Atlantic, the Southwest and the Midwest—will offer opportunities to respond to regional Baptist needs as well as state interests.

“We came to realize that if we’re going to provide Baptists and other like-minded Christians with the news and information they deserve, and if the Baptist movement is going to survive, then we need to work even more closely together,” said Marv Knox, editor of the Standard.

“We agreed the changing demands of journalism, particularly the transition from print-dominant to electronic-dominant, require us to form a partnership to deliver news and information.”

The venture will also make the national reporting of ABP “even more useful in the field of Christian journalism,” said Greg Warner, ABP executive editor.

“For years, ABP and every other Baptist news outlet has found it harder and harder to reach Baptist audiences with our news and information,” he said. “We’ve hamstrung ourselves with narrowly focused content, outmoded distribution systems, and inadequate financial models.”

“Now we have a chance to reinvent Baptist communications, just as our predecessors did 150 years ago. If we can make use of the new technology to provide Baptists with information they actually care about, we can truly do a service for the Baptist movement in this country.”

Warner and Knox estimated NeoVox’s Web-based strategy would cost $3 million to $5 million. Set for opening as early as 2008, the Internet strategy in its final form will be customizable to the users and likely include news, features, chat rooms, streaming video, blogs and podcasts.

ABP and the Standard are working to raise $600,000 to $1 million in start-up funding, with $330,000 already pledged or given. Additionally, directors of the Standard have made available $100,000 out of reserves.

Some of this start-up funding is paying for scientific research into the media habits and interests of Baptist laity and ministers, which will guide the venture. The governing boards of the Standard and ABP are expected to act on a business plan in September.

The partnership is built on a solid business plan, Knox said, but more importantly it will help the Baptist people and churches that share traditional Baptist principles to flourish.

A key component of NeoVox is the nature of its partnerships, the organizers say.

In addition to “publishing partners,” the venture will enlist “identity partners”—organizations and institutions that have a vested interest in Baptist communications—to partner in advertising and cross-promotional activities. Texas-based Buckner International and Mercer University in Georgia have already expressed interest in becoming identity partners.

As for the publishing partnerships, they won’t alter newspaper governing boards or relationships with state conventions, but they will significantly enhance ministry opportunities, Jim White said in a recent Virginia Herald story.

“It will increase not only national and international coverage but will expand our state and regional coverage and allow us to explore interests relevant to Virginia Baptist churches,” said White, editor of the Herald.

Bill Webb, editor of Word & Way, said the strength of the venture is in its partners.

“We are pleased that this partnership brings together the best from three Baptist newspapers and a Baptist news service that share commitments to integrity and excellence,” he said. “Word & Way’s efforts to challenge readers to be ‘doers of the word and not hearers only’ will only be enhanced in this exciting venture.”

Knox said he is so committed to the endeavor because the “future of the traditional, historic Baptist movement is at stake,” not to mention the future of Baptist communication. It’s bigger and more important than any individual newspaper, he said.

“If we don’t engage a rising generation of Christians, helping them to understand the vital nature of Baptist principles—like the priesthood of all believers, religious liberty, the separation of church and state, local-church autonomy, missions and evangelism, and Christ’s concern for ‘the least of these’—then they won’t survive another generation,” Knox said.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/27/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for July 8

Faith and hope when we don’t understand

• Job 40:3-9; 42:1-12

By Paul Hamilton

Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene

Job finally received what he has desired much of the book—an audience with God. God starts with “Who contends with the Almighty?” (40:2). Now God challenges Job.

However, Job now is more aware of his appropriate place within God’s created universe.

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He responds in a sense of humility, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?” (v. 4). Job is beginning to move beyond himself, out of an egocentric mindset and into developing a larger, more holistic worldview.

“I put my hand over my mouth,” (v. 4). Here the image is of Job imposing silence, or restraining himself from saying anything—although he could have—but fears that it would offend God even more.

In verse 5, Job acknowledges he has spoken of God in an inappropriate manner, recognizes that mistake, and will not repeat what he had said. He also acknowledges he made that irreverent mistake not once, but twice. He makes the decision not to proceed, in fear that he would commit the same mistake again, which suggests that although he recognizes his irreverent sin against God, he still has questions and concerns about his treatment because of his felt innocence.

The Lord’s response to Job (vv. 6-9) resumes the argument he had briefly paused to allow Job to make his case before the Almighty, and at Job’s silence, it continues (v. 6). The introduction used here in verse 7 is almost identical with the ones used in 38:1, 3. The recommendation the Lord makes to Job here is to become prepared with all the strength that he can muster, because questions will be asked, and satisfactory answers are expected.

Verse 8 asks some very specific questions. “Would you discredit my justice?” The implication here is not only did Job assert his innocence, but in doing so, has also denied God’s righteousness. The second question, “Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” brings the discussion to a new level, where the Lord asks Job to consider the implications of his earlier comments as to his innocence, and reveals the arrogance and sin of Job in a striking manner.

God cannot allow the overarching implications of Job’s self-righteousness over his own righteousness to stand. In verse 9, he proceeds to inquire of Job as to his strength versus the omnipotence of God and questions if Job assumes the majesty of God by having a voice like thunder.

In Job 40:10-41:34, the Lord presents Job with a list of qualifications to be the Almighty. He also presents the behemoth and leviathan, which many feel were actual creatures with mythical folklore associated with them. The behemoth is believed to be a hippopotamus and the leviathan a crocodile.

The main importance of this section is once again to reveal to Job his place within created order. For Job, these creatures are fierce, and he has no power over them. But God, who formed these incredible creatures, retains all the power. The major purpose of this section of Scripture is to reiterate to Job that he is not God, nor does he possess the power, ability, or character traits to be the Almighty.

In 42:1-6, Job again responds to God. He first acknowledges God’s power is unlimited, and God has control over all nature. Job admits to his own mortality and finitude. This confession is based on the testimony of the Almighty in the previous chapters. However, Job also acknowledges God is just in all things. Job simply accepts responsibility for his previous foolishness and accepts the truth of his guilt. Here you see the reformed heart of Job, one of repentance and humility, a heart of worship and adoration for God.

Job finally realized the difference between knowing about God and actually having an encounter and experience with God. This understanding led Job to recall his prior expressions of God, and he is sickened by the mere thought of them. Job now is able to see his sin and repent of it because he trusted in the Lord’s care over him.

In Job 42:7-17, we find the Lord has Job pray for his friends, and has them go to Job to perform sacrifices for their sin. The Lord accepted Job’s prayer and made him prosperous again—even giving Job twice as much as he had before.

Job, like many of us at times, felt he was suffering unjustly. He could not comprehend why God was making him suffer. Job could not see as God sees. Nor can we. Job finally realized his folly and repented.

Do we? May we have faith and hope in God—as did Job—when tragedy comes to our doorsteps.

Discussion question

• When have you or someone in your life gone through suffering that you did not understand?

• What enabled you to carry through that suffering?

• What do we receive as a blessing after having gone through suffering?

• Where is our ultimate blessing received? This life or the next?

Paul Hamilton is a master’s of divinity student at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Theological Seminary.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/27/07

Bible Studies for Life Series for July 8

Finding a place of service

• Acts 6:1-7; 9:36-43; 11:29-30

By David Harp

First Baptist Church, Stanton

Paul Powell has written of a scene during the dark days of the Great Depression, when a man went for a walk. This man had lost everything—his job, his wealth, then his wife and home. His only real possession that remained was his faith, and that was in real jeopardy.

He stopped along the way to watch some men doing stone work on a church building. One stonemason was chiseling an unusual-shaped piece of rock. “What are you going to do with that?” the man asked the worker. “Do you see that small opening way up there near the spire? I am shaping this rock down here so that it will fit up there.” The man walked away from the workers and began to process. He realized God was doing the same thing with him.

What is God doing in your life to shape you? How will you fit?

What does God want me to do in the church?

God calls each of us to use the gifts and skills he gives us to serve the body of Christ.

We can serve in different ways (Acts 6:1-7)

No church is immune from problems! There is no perfect church because there are no perfect people. When we read Acts 6, we can find encouragement that even the first century church, made up of men and women who sat at Jesus’ feet, also had problems.

The church was exploding with growth. New believers were coming into the life and fellowship of the church. The church would have to decide, are we big enough or should we keep growing and reaching out? Others felt their group in the church already was being ignored. What is the church to do?

Some choices they could have made:

• They could have ignored the problem.

• They could have resented the problem.

• They could have overreacted to the problem.

• They could face the problem.

The apostles came up with a plan to select seven men for specific ministry to those who felt they were being overlooked. These men were chosen on the basis of their character and spiritual maturity. Being of good reputation, yielded to the Spirit and filled with his wisdom, they were called to serve the needs of widows within the church.

This would allow the apostles to focus their ministry on proclaiming the gospel to the unsaved.

Every believer should develop character traits God can use in ministry. As we develop a good reputation, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of the Lord, we will be prepared to answer God’s call to lead and serve.

We can serve through our skills (Acts 9:36-40)

The death of Dorcas grieved the widows in the church at Joppa. They showed Peter the evidence of “her faith, good works, and acts of charity” (v.36). She had discovered ways she could use her skills for God’s glory. Her practical skills became holy acts of worship and service to God’s people. Dorcas was a believer who gave her skills to serve others in Jesus’ name. Having skills is one thing; using them for the kingdom of God is another.

The widows pointed to the clothing Dorcas made, not to showcase her skills, but to show that she met a great need in the lives of these widows. Our motives in doing ministry should be to honor God and meet needs, not to draw attention to ourselves.

Many have honored the name and the work of Dorcas by naming their Sunday School class or department after her.

We can serve through our giving (Acts 11:29-30)

We’re not called just to work for God. We are called to work with God.

The church in Antioch learned about the coming of a famine. Immediately, their hearts went out to the believers in Judea. They knew about their poverty and were concerned for them. Each believer chose to give as they were able in order to meet the needs of their brothers and sisters.

In this church, their wealth and financial resources were put to work for the Lord and his people. For the Antioch believers, giving money became their practical gift of service—their holy act of worship.

We hear today of crisis and tragedy. When we do, we quickly think of the phrase “disaster relief.” In many churches, men and women have been trained to go as “yellow caps” (do-anything labor—from scrubbing pots and pans to preparing meals) or “blue caps” (job-site coordinator) or even “white caps” (over-all disaster coordinator—usually moving from one job site to another).

One job we can all share in our churches is giving. Relief efforts take many forms. We can give money, food and supplies. Christians are called to give according to their abilities. When we have brothers or sisters in need, we should show the love of Christ to them. When an area is struck with a disaster, we can be most effective witnesses for Christ by giving a cup of cold water or a warm meal in the name of our Lord who has given his all for us.

Discussion questions

• What skills and/or abilities has God given to you?

• How can you use your skills, training and even hobbies for ministry?

• How do you and your church respond to special needs?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.

Posted: 6/27/07

Explore the Bible Series for July 8

Abundant life begins with commitment

• Haggai 1:1-2:23

By Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

We live in a time of committal crisis, when loyalty to self far outweighs loyalty to any other person or institution. It was introduced decades ago by the Me Generation. But throughout the years, “me first” has become a way of life, and the results have been anything but good.

Today, nearly 43 percent of first marriages end in separation or divorce within 15 years, according to National Center for Health Statistics. Rather than risking divorce, 11 million people choose to live together. Commitment to employers is no stronger, with most people changing jobs every 3.5 years.

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And loyalty to church in general and denominations in particular is at an all-time low. Whereas 40 percent of Americans attend church regularly, fewer than 10 percent are deeply committed Christians. This means only 25 percent of church-goers are deeply committed to their faith.

We may be comfortable with the individualism associated with lack of commitment, but God isn’t. The world may have changed, but God hasn’t. Relationship with him still comes at the cost of total commitment.

Salvation requires commitment

What is salvation, after all, if not a trade with God, a business contract sealed with Jesus’ blood? We give up our lives for Jesus’, our sin for his sinlessness. Jesus commits to withhold condemnation, and in return, we commit to live for him. But there’s that word again—commitment. It seems like an antiquated concept, out of place after years of looking out for No. 1 and doing something just because it feels good.

And let’s be honest. Commitment doesn’t always feel good. For Jesus, it meant death on the cross. For us, it means learning to forgive the unforgivable and love the unlovable. Yet, having said that, there seems to be a new movement toward, not away from, church. After years of searching for significance and the meaning of life, people are finding the world doesn’t have the answers they are looking for.

Whereas a renewed interest in God and the church is an exciting idea to those of us within the church, we must question the sincerity of this return. People who cannot commit will not find the answers they are looking for, whether in the world or in the church. Only intimate relationship with God fills the void within us, and intimacy with God is only available through sincere commitment to his ways on his terms.

As we read Haggai, we realize times haven’t changed that much: “Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it’” (1:5-6).

Putting “me first” always will leave a spiritual vacuum. It also invites God’s discipline. In truth, as wealthy as we Americans are, most of us live in debt. And no matter how hard we work, that debt grows rather than shrinks. We make plenty of money, but we never seem to have enough.

Perhaps we need to read carefully God’s judgment on his children when they fail to obey him: “You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. … A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days” (Deuteronomy 28:30, 33).

In our search for significance, we have lost our way. Worrying about our own happiness and fulfillment, we can’t hear God’s call to put him and his kingdom first. We fail to realize that after accepting salvation, our lives are not our own, and our purpose and contentment come from God, not the world.

The definition of commitment

Assuming we understand the need to commit our lives to God, in a world devoid of commitment, do we really understand what it looks like? Commitment is defined as the state of being emotionally and intellectually bound to a course of action. It involves the emotions as well as the mind, meaning it is a whole-body experience. Commitment isn’t a verbal promise. It is an agreement that something is worth whatever the cost.

Commitment isn’t going to happen all by itself, either. It isn’t easy. That’s why it begins with an agreement. When we accept salvation, we are accepting God’s commitment to let us live with him forever. But we also must agree to our part of the bargain. And although it doesn’t come easily, God is patient and will help us as we grow in our faith and character. That’s why Paul tells us to “work out” our salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Working out our salvation requires training and self-control. We must agree to submit to God’s discipline, allowing him to lead us into uncomfortable situations where we can learn how to lean on him for our strength. We also must agree to persevere, remaining loyal to God even when it seems he isn’t there. We must learn to rely on our knowledge of God, not our feelings. And finally, we must commit to act on our faith. When it comes to commitment, there can’t be a disconnect between our beliefs and our actions. If we talk about it without acting on it, we need a spiritual check-up.

The paradox of commitment

Radical commitment is a scary proposition, but it’s the only way to achieve the abundant life we seek. And that’s the paradox of Christianity: Only when we lose ourselves will we find what we’re looking for. God’s blessings come on his terms, not ours: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands … you will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock. … Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out” (Deuteronomy 28:1, 3-6).

Commitment begins the adventure of new life with Christ. Without it, our walk with God is sterile, without power or energy. Commitment is, in fact, the beginning of faith, through which we learn that “all things are possible” for those who believe in Christ Jesus. And our words of faith, backed by action, will indeed move mountains.

Discussion questions

• What does it mean to rely on our knowledge of God, not our feelings?

• Describe a situation when you observed a disconnect between someone’s words and their actions.

• What does that tell you about the person’s true beliefs?

• Is there an area of your life that isn’t committed to Christ?

• What would be necessary to recommit it to God?

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Baptist churches, in Texas, the BGCT, the nation and around the world.