Posted: 11/07/03

Carbon-14 dating confirms biblical link to Hezekiah's Tunnel

JERUSALEM (RNS)–Using Carbon-14 dating techniques, Israeli and British scientists have determined that Siloam's Tunnel, a long, circuitous underground passage constructed below Jerusalem's ancient City of David probably was built about 700 B.C., when King Hezekiah ruled the land of Judea.

This photo shows the descent into the ancient Siloam's Tunnel and Gihon Spring. Scientists have determined the authenticity of the long underground tunnel, which is mentioned in the Bible. (Israel Nature and Parks Authority/RNS Photo)

The radiometric dating corroborates biblical texts such as 2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:3-4 as well as an ancient inscription, discovered in 1880, on one of the tunnel's walls. Although this inscription appears to refer to Hezekiah, it does not do so by name.

This marks the first time a structure mentioned in the Bible has been dated radiometrically, according to researchers Amos Frumkin, Aryeh Shimron and Jeff Rosenbaum, who published their findings in the journal Nature.

While most scholars have long credited the 1,750-foot-long tunnel to Hezekiah–and in fact call it Hezekiah's Tunnel–based on the two biblical references, a minority insisted the passage was built centuries later.

Among other arguments, the dissenters said an enterprise this large would not have been taken during a time of war.

According to the Bible, Hezekiah built the tunnel to protect arid Jerusalem's precious water supply from the hands of the invading Assyrians.

Toward this end, the king redirected the water from the Gihon Spring toward the walled City of David–from one side of the city to the other. Modern scientists view the tunnel as a great work of water engineering.

Both the spring and the City of David are located in the Kidron Valley, outside the walls of the better-known Old City of Jerusalem, in an east Jerusalem neighborhood called Silwan.

Radiometric dating measures the decay of radioactive elements and enables researchers to estimate the age of the material being examined. Here, the scientists dated the organic material within the plaster of the tunnel and employed uranium-thorium for dating the stalactites that have been growing in the tunnel since the time it was built.

Posted: 11/07/03

HOPE program brings new direction
for teens in Round Rock complex

By Miranda Bradley

Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services

ROUND ROCK–Two months ago, 15-year-old Marquell blended right into his surroundings. Like most kids in his Meadow Ridge apartment neighborhood, he stayed out until the wee hours of the morning hanging out with friends, which usually led to trouble.

But on a cool fall evening in October, just one day before Halloween, he was spending his time in an entirely different way–carving pumpkins and stuffing goody bags for the younger children in his apartment complex.

Teenagers who live in the Meadow Ridge apartment neighborhood in Round Rock carve pumpkins with guidance from a counselor provided by Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services. The Baptist General Convention of Texas agency operates a HOPE program in the neighborhood, an acronym for Healthy Opportunities that Protect and Empower. The teens who previously got into trouble recently dedicated themselves to helping younger children in the complex.

“Little kids used to bother me some,” he said. “Now, I see that my actions make a difference to them. I'm like a big brother.”

Marquell's transformation began after attending a workshop, led by the HOPE program at Texas Baptist Children's Home in Round Rock. That event started a dialogue between the teenagers and facilitators.

“We try to make this fun and lighthearted, so the kids feel like they can just be themselves,” said Melanie Martinez, program supervisor.

HOPE, which stands for Healthy Opportunities that Protect and Empower, often sponsors parenting classes and community fairs in Round Rock-area apartment complexes. The idea is to offer on-site help for those who may not know where to find it.

Children at the Meadow Ridge apartment complex had such a need, Martinez said. “We noticed a lot of drug-related activity and destructive environments surrounding these kids. They really just needed a constructive way to spend their time.”

The initial workshop, held in August, began with 10 children. Meadow Ridge teens were so enthused by the first meeting, they asked for more. The group decided to meet the third Thursday of every month.

Teen residents of the Meadow Ridge apartment community in Round Rock decorate pumpkins for younger children.

“The best part is the kids come up with what we do at the next meeting,” Martinez said. “Pumpkin carving for the younger children was all their idea. They really want to do good things.”

Essie Romahi, social services director for Meadow Ridge, said she has seen a vast change in every aspect of the children's lives.

“I see their report cards and progress reports from school, and I can tell you all their grades have improved dramatically,” she reported. “It has been a total turnaround for them.”

Youth like Marquell, who once sought out trouble, now search for volunteer opportunities. And that, Romahi said, has caused many of them to start thinking about their futures.

“We have a group goal–everybody graduates and goes on to college,” she said. “Many of these kids didn't even have that as a concern at first. Now they are really striving.”

Posted: 11/07/03

In tough times, Israel finds a friend in evangelicals

By Michele Chabin

Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS)–Times are hard in Jerusalem, with many stores, restaurants and hotels shut down due to the ongoing Palestinian uprising, but you wouldn't have known it from the rapturous smiles on the faces of the thousands of evangelical Christians who thronged to the holy city in October to support Israel.

During an exuberant opening ceremony for the weeklong Feast of Tabernacles conference organized by the International Christian Embassy, more than 3,000 pilgrims from dozens of countries displayed their love of the Jewish state, its people and its policies.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (right), makes an appearance with Malcolm Hedding (center) and Michael Utterback at the celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The event, attended by 3,000 Christian pilgrims to Israel, highlighted the growing support for Israel among evangelical Christians.

The Jerusalem Convention Center shook with applause and sounds of praise when organizers paid homage to 50 Israeli bus drivers, some sporting ties for the occasion, who “day after day put themselves at risk.”

Like their passengers, who ride the buses despite the threat of attack, the drivers were described as “a symbol of so many in Israel who will not sit down for terror.”

The pilgrims accorded Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the keynote speaker, a thunderous standing ovation when he made his way to the stage, the kind of reception he rarely, if ever, receives from his fellow Israelis.

“Thank you for coming here,” Sharon said. “Your presence here sends a strong message to the world, and your friendship is important to us, very important.”

Realizing he was among friends, Sharon seemed to let down his guard for a moment of uncharacteristic candor.

“Everyone, myself also, I have worries,” the prime minister admitted. “We are facing so many problems here. I believe I need to see you more often. You need to come more often.”

When the applause died down, Sharon added, “I want to thank you for your solidarity and your belief in the Jewish state.”

Evangelical support for Israel and Jewish rights to the Holy Land is grounded in the belief that God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, as well as on the assumption that the Second Coming of the Messiah will not take place until the Jewish ingathering to Zion is complete.

Putting money where their belief is, over the years evangelicals from around the world have donated more than $100 million to Israeli causes.

Today, their money helps fund food and clothing for needy families, the transport and absorption of new immigrants, and even ambulances and bullet-proof vests for civilians and soldiers. Some support Jewish settlements based on the belief that the territory Israel captured in various wars is part of the biblical Land of Israel.

The evangelical community's unswerving support for Israel stands in stark contrast to the position taken by most Catholic and Orthodox Christians. The latter raise funds and lobby on behalf of Holy Land Christians, who are for the most part Arab and Palestinian.

Every year, tens of thousands of evangelicals show their solidarity by visiting Israel and pumping money into the local economy. Others make a point of selling Israeli-made products at religious events back home, in part to counteract the impact of anti-Israel boycotts.

Yechiel Eckstein, a rabbi and founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, says evangelical Christians are an important pro-Israel force in American politics.

“Since around 1980, they have been coming out with statements on behalf of Israel, when there were issues of America selling arms to Saudi Arabia. They consistently take Israel's side on settlements,” Eckstein said.

On Oct. 26, Eckstein's group sponsored its second annual Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel in evangelical congregations across the United States.

At a time when Israel faces not only a bloody ground war with the Palestinians but uphill battles at the United Nations and other arenas, Israeli politicians do not take this solidarity for granted, Eckstein stressed. “There's a greater realization and appreciation that in many respects evangelical Christians constitute a strategic ally for Israel and the Jewish people.”

Virtually all Israeli leaders make it a point to break bread with evangelical leaders, journalists and tour operators during their trips abroad.

American Jewish leaders also maintain close ties with their evangelical counterparts both on Capitol Hill and through inter-religious events aimed at building bridges.

Yet ties between the two communities were not always so close, Eckstein said.

Until the 1980s, the rabbi explained, the traditionally liberal Jewish community “saw evangelicals as people trying to impose their Christian agenda on America. There was the perception that Catholics and Protestants were closer to Jews on domestic issues, even though they were not supportive of Israel. (Jews) were afraid of people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.”

But since the current intifada began three years ago, he said, “Israel's survival has been made the litmus test by which to judge a relationship.”

David Parsons, information director at the International Christian Embassy, said his community's support for Israel and its policies are based not only on spiritual concerns but on practical ones as well.

Parsons is highly critical of the Palestinians' handling of religious sites and insists only Israel can ensure free access to shrines and churches.

“Yasser Arafat has preached a lot of radical Islamic thinking that denies the Jewish and Christian connections to the Temple Mount,” Parsons said, referring to the disputed Jerusalem shrine Jews and Muslims both call holy. “His police yanked nuns and priests from the White Russian Monastery in Hebron.”

In contrast to the assertions of many local Arab Christians and Muslims, who say Israeli military closures of the West Bank and Gaza prevent them from reaching their holy places, Parsons praised Israel's record as a guardian of the holy sites, the best “of any sovereign in the Holy Land through the centuries.”

Posted: 11/07/03

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM
False charges

Keith Eitel's charge is absolutely false that the Parks administration at the Foreign Mission Board was not biblically based and continued the trend of liberalism.

E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

This is a strange claim from a man who has never even discussed this with me. It also is strange that board trustees known to be very conservative who served during my years as a staff member and president include W.A. Criswell, Billy Graham, K. Owen White, W.O. Vaught, Homer Lindsay Sr., Mark Corts, Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler. None of them ever accused my predecessor, Baker James Cauthen, or me of liberalism.

Why is Eitel now making unfounded allegations?

Eitel's statement that I believe the Southern Baptist Convention was united around missions is correct. The introduction to its constitution states this. It was founded “for eliciting, combining and directing the energies of the denomination for the propagation of the gospel.”

The purpose is for home and foreign missions. Doctrine is not mentioned. When I have declared that, some ultra-conservatives accuse me of not believing sound doctrine. Not so! Baptists who united around missions did so because they believed the Bible and had strong doctrinal convictions.

I also believe true belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible will result in missions, not in doctrinal conflict nor in attacking mission efforts.

R. Keith Parks

Richardson

TV alternative

A Parents Television Council study reveals the preponderance of profanity on television and the widespread betrayal of television's “family hour.”

While not surprising, this study's findings further document the attack on today's families.

There is an alternative. Southern Baptists provide a television viewing option for today's families through our own full-time television network, FamilyNet. It offers quality family-friendly, child-safe programming, in which the good news is proclaimed. And, in concert with the North American Mission Board's Evangelism Response Center, viewers are able to call a toll-free telephone number and talk with someone who cares about them.

From “TruthQuest: California,” a FamilyNet production for youth, to “Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop,” a half-hour children's show with Olympic gold medalist (and Southern Baptist) Mary Lou Retton, to “Swan's Place,” featuring Southern Baptist humorist Dennis Swanberg, there's something for the entire family.

May I suggest an action individuals can employ to positively impact television viewing choices: Help bring FamilyNet to all Texas homes. Concerned Baptists who subscribe to cable or satellite service can ask their television provider to add FamilyNet to the lineup of channel options. For those not currently subscribing but who would like to have access to such programming, a contact to these same television outlets represents the potential for a new customer and raises the interest of the management.

For more information on becoming involved in offering a wholesome alternative in TV viewing, visit www.familynet.-com or call (800) 832-6638.

R. Chip Turner

Vice president for marketing & distribution

FamilyNet

Fort Worth

Broadened horizons

I would like to reply to David King's questions about “official teaching” at Baptist schools (Nov. 3).

I have been fortunate enough to attend two great Southern Baptist institutions–Union University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am currently in the dissertation phase of my doctorate, and I would like to say that at no time in my education did I ever feel like I was being indoctrinated, nor did I feel that I could not share my opinion.

This is not to say that my opinion always falls into one particular “theological camp,” either; it does not.

I have always had great professors who encouraged classroom discussion and reading material from all aspects of the theological landscape. Theological education is what you make of it. You, the individual, must take responsibility for your learning.

When I had the opportunity to teach theology two years ago, I always attempted to stimulate discussion. If someone spoke from a Dispensational point of view, I would call for a different opinion and vice-versa.

I encouraged them to read from outside their theological spectrum.

I am sure there are some who approach the classroom attempting to persuade others to their way of thinking, but the majority of professors in our Baptist institutions see themselves as professionals who want to help broaden the horizons of those who have committed themselves to God's calling.

Ray Wilkins

Frisco

Fundamental point

The debate on spending billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq misses a fundamental point. No matter how much some politicians now argue that we should never have gone to war in the first place, the fact is that we did and were victorious.

The money earmarked to rebuild Iraq and stabilize the area is crucial to preventing our having to go back in again down the road to fight an even more militant adversary.

Leaving before that is accomplished would mean the men and women of our armed services who gave their lives in this war died for nothing.

Paul Combs

Rockwall

National unity

After 9/11, the country united under George Bush to rid the world of terrorism. As time goes on and we move farther and farther away from that date, we seem to be forgetting that we have made a commitment.

This is a time for national unity. With troops still over there, we should spend our time praying for them, rather than arguing. We need to support our president as long as he is in power and our troops as long as they are in harm's way.

Think about that and where your priorities are. My priorities are toward my country and what's best for it, and right now what we have to do is stick together, no matter what happens.

Ryan Burgett

Cedar Hill

Posted: 11/07/03

Methodists have cut 259 jobs

DALLAS (RNS)–The United Methodist Church has cut 259 jobs over the past two years–a 21 percent drop–according to the United Methodist Reporter, an independent newspaper.

The nation's second-largest Protestant denomination, facing a drop in revenues because of the lagging economy, laid off 65 people between Sept. 30, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2003. Sixty additional empty positions were kept vacant, while others were not filled after retirements.

In addition, statistics provided by the church and compiled by the newspaper showed the church has lost 305 missionaries–14 percent of its overseas force–since 2001.

Income to the church's World Service Fund has consistently fallen about 10 percent below budget goals. Income for 2003 so far is about 2.9 percent below the same point in 2002.

The church's Board of Global Ministries saw a $29 million deficit last year.

Posted: 11/07/03

Ministerial searches go digital

By Marv Knox

Editor

For more and more churches and their ministers, a match made in heaven may have been launched in cyberspace.

Every day–and especially on Mondays–thousands of ministers log onto a new constellation of Internet websites, looking for a church to serve.

And with increasing frequency, church representatives also turn to the web, posting ministerial vacancies and sorting through potential candidate resumes.

Although these cybersearches may not totally replace more conventional means of finding ministers–such as tapping ministers' friendship networks and seminary placement services–they're definitely gaining ground.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas hosts two free Internet-based search programs, supported by the BGCT Cooperative Program unified budget. Church Personnel Information Services operates www.CPIS.org, a site that serves churches of all sizes and ministers of all types using a variety of variables. The bivocational/smaller church development office specializes with www.bivocational.com.

They're not alone. Non-denominational sites offer a matrix of opportunities for matching ministers and congregations.

For example, www.ChurchStaffing.com receives 2,500 to 3,000 unique visitors on weekdays and a few less on weekends, said Todd Rhoades, president of the site, in Bryan, Ohio.

“We normally carry between 400 and 500 current job openings, which we try to keep as current as possible,” Rhoades said. “And we currently have a little over 3,000 resumes on file.”

That site also has partnered with Dallas-based Leadership Network to offer www.LeadNetChurchStaffing.com, which posts job listings for churches whose attendance averages 1,000 or more.

Even restricted to such large churches, the site relates to about 2,500 to 3,000 congregations nationwide, said Dave Travis, senior vice president for Leadership Network.

The BGCT's www.CPIS.org receives at least half a million accumulated hits per month, said Ed Hale, director of the Church and Membership Resourcing Center for the state convention. A hit counts every time any page on the website is accessed.

At www.bivocational.com, the link to its church/minister search program, Ministers' Connection, is the busiest place on the website, said Bob Ray, BGCT director of bivocational/smaller church development.

The ministers who operate the websites–and almost without exception, the websites are run by people who have served in church or denominational ministry positions–cite several reasons for the popularity of Internet ministry searches.

Good matches

“We hope www.CPIS.org will help search committees find ministers who match their church preferences. And we hope they have longer tenures because of it,” Hale said. “As a director of missions, I found very little help for churches who wanted to do their own research and find the right match. The www.CPIS.org website helps get them started in like-mindedness.”

The www.CPIS.org website allows a BGCT church to complete a form that filters resumes for various preferences and priorities and provides the church confidential profiles of four or five possible matches. Then the church can request resumes on selected candidates. Next, the selected ministers receive automated e-mails that describe the church's profile, including its identity. If the ministers want to proceed, they tell the website to release their resumes to the church.

The process maintains a minister's confidentiality until he or she is ready to be identified, Hale noted. But it allows both the church and minister to gain quite a bit of information about each other so they can begin to determine if they would work well together.

That's important, added Rhoades. The www.ChurchStaffing.com site enables churches and ministers to sort though variables such as denomination, church size, type of ministry, worship style and other topics that help both parties learn if they're a good match.

“We tell churches to be specific, or they'll get inundated with resumes,” he said. The site is not exclusive to any denomination, and ministers can send their resumes to any church listed on the site.

Speed

“We've gotten to the point where church staffing takes longer and longer. This shortens the process,” Travis reported.

That factor is tied to the availability of information, both for the candidates and the churches, so they can find each other more quickly, website operators said.

For example, www.ChurchStaffing.com and its www.LeadNetChurchStaffing.com affiliate send out weekly e-mails of new church postings, Rhoades and Travis said. The paid smaller-church listings reach more than 22,000 pastors.

The quick turn-around of information makes a difference.

“In our own church family, we were looking for a bivocational assistant pastor/youth minister,” Ray said. “We put the position on the website on Thursday or Friday and got a call the next Monday. He already had read about our church and driven over to look at our facility. We hired him in two weeks.”

That pace is common for website churches, Hale added.

Internet possibilities

The web offers many options for both churches and ministers that previously weren't available, Travis noted.

“The ubiquity of the Internet broadens the search across the country” for both candidates and congregations, he explained. For example, classified ads reach only the people who read a newspaper, but the web-based search programs are available to everyone on the Internet.

“Instantaneous communications brings the whole country down to the click” of a computer mouse, Rhoades said.

Also, the Internet allows ministers to explore options anonymously, Travis added. “No one has to know” the minister is looking for another church.

Plus, the Internet is convenient for ministers who don't have the time or resources to conduct a traditional search, several operators said.

That helps explain why bivocational ministers adapted to web-based searches more quickly than others, said Jan Daehnert, director of BGCT minister/church relations, whose office works closely with www.CPIS.org and www.bivocational.com.

“Bivocationals are used to networking, and because of their jobs, they don't have much free time,” Daehnert said. “Plus, many of them, through their jobs, quickly became familiar with computers and the possibilities of the Internet. So, searching for jobs on the web was a natural.”

Change

“We've seen changes in churches and structures the past 10 years,” Rhoades said. “Both staff and churches, the way the trend is going, don't have brand loyalty. So, Nazarene churches are now open to hiring outside their denomination, and Nazarene pastors are open to pastoring outside their conference.”

“At large churches in particular, denominational identity is lost or faded,” Travis agreed. “Churches are willing to look beyond their traditions for ministers.” That's especially true for ministerial staff roles besides senior pastor, he said.

And while the BGCT may not be receiving many ministers who come from other denominations, “I can name plenty of United Methodist and Bible churches whose staff were former Baptists in Texas,” he said. “There's more of an open labor market.”

Finances

“Hard costs,” such as salary and moving expenses, and “soft costs,” such as morale, lost time and wasted productivity, are incredibly high when a church calls a minister who doesn't work out, Travis said.

“It costs at least $100,000 to make a bad hire,” he estimated. “So, churches are more willing to pay the costs” of fee-based web services, such as www.LeadNetChurchStaffing.com, www.ChurchStaffing.com, www.christianplacements.com and others.

Although the Internet-based services can make minister searches more efficient, “that does not negate the search responsibility,” Travis said, noting search committees or church staff assigned to conduct searches must work thoroughly.

The BGCT's Texas Baptist Leadership Center offers a variety of resources through its website, www.tblcinc.org, noted Bob Cavin, the center's director.

One of the most useful tools for search committees is a ministerial compensation study, which compares average Baptist church salary figures for various ministry positions, church sizes and regions of the country, Cavin said.

The www.CPIS.org website provides several pastor-search committee workbooks. One written by Hale can be downloaded in parts from the website.

It provides numerous tools, such as sample letters a search committee can use to notify ministers when they no longer are candidates for the open position. “This helps the search committee go through the entire process with integrity,” Hale said.

Search resources comprise a growing feature of www.ChurchStaffing.com, Rhoades said.

“Search committees often are confused,” he noted. “They don't know how to tackle a search process. Often they were brought together in a crisis, and they get frustrated and confused.”

The site features downloadable job descriptions for a variety of ministerial positions, he said.

The www.CPIS.org site soon will have links to websites that help churches conduct background checks on ministerial candidates, a feature also available on some other sites.

And that could help prevent a match apparently made in heaven from winding up in a different place.

Posted: 11/07/03

Headhunters stake out new territory in churches

By Marv Knox

Editor

LEWISVILLE–Can a headhunter replace a search committee?

Maybe not completely, but churches would do a better job of selecting ministers if they accepted outside help, David Lyons believes.

That's why he founded MinisterSearch, a professional recruitment firm that specializes in helping churches find pastors and staff members who fit their needs.

Lyons, a lifelong Baptist and a corporate executive head-hunter, got the idea for MinisterSearch when his brother-in-law, a minister, began talking about changing churches.

“I already understood what churches do to find staff. They ask the seminary for a list of resumes, talk to the staff of their association, ask other ministers for recommendations,” he said. “And how does a minister look for a church? He activates his resume (with a seminary) and calls his buddies.”

That's a disjointed process for finding God's will–for a church and for a minister, Lyons reasoned.

It's also not very successful, he added, citing a couple of problems.

First is the long time required to fill most staff vacancies.

“Church growth is inhibited, if not stopped, by a vacant position. A church often sees a decline in souls saved, and the vacancy often impacts the budget,” Lyons said. “This particularly is acute if it's the senior pastor, but it also happens with other positions.”

Second is the short tenure of many ministers, often as few as two to four years.

“We don't believe God calls a guy and soon 'uncalls' him,” he noted. “Our goal is to help the candidate and the church discern the Holy Spirit's calling. We believe we haven't sensed the Spirit's call enough in the traditional search process. …

“Are we searching most effectively for our ministers? No. We need a process to develop candidates, to find the top candidates and match them with the churches, so they'll minister more effectively and stay longer.”

After praying and talking with pastors he respected, Lyons started MinisterSearch, based in Lewisville, in late 2001, utilizing a process he implemented in corporate executive recruitment.

A staff of eight workers place 1,000 to 1,200 calls each week. They network across the country and across denominational boundaries to maintain a database of ministers who are doing the most effective ministry and who might be interested in moving to another church.

MinisterSearch's recruiters store data in customized computer software, tracking such information as ministers' interests, skills, experience and geographical preferences for service.

They work on behalf of client churches, comparing church needs with candidate abilities. About 30 percent to 40 percent of MinisterSearch's open positions are with Baptist churchs, Lyons said, noting Baptists comprise the largest denominational group of clients.

Before a MinisterSearch recruiter starts a candidate search, the recruiter spends time with church leaders.

“We go through a discovery process that can be extensive,” Lyons said. “We get to know the pastor, staff and church leaders. We learn about the vacant position and why the previous staff member left. From Day 1, we want to ask the hard questions.”

The MinisterSearch consultant works with the church to develop a job description and a candidate profile. Then that data, plus intangibles such as “chemistry,” are processed by the recruitment software to seek suitable candidates.

Typically, MinisterSearch's research compares the church profile with as many as 200 candidate profiles to provide a church with three to five possibilities whose skills and calling match the church's desires.

“A typical church may receive five to 20 resumes for a vacancy, and they pick the best candidate from that small list,” Lyons said. “We don't support that concept. Too many candidates are overlooked. What we bring to the table is the ability to look more broadly.”

“All too often, a church accepts whatever comes to them through the traditional means,” added Greg Allen, MinisterSearch's director of consulting. “That is not the universe of possibilities.”

“The top three or four candidates we provide will be better qualified than the church's best candidate,” Lyons contended.

After the candidate profiles are provided to the church, MinisterSearch works with candidates and the church–either a staff member conducting the search or a search committee–through recruiting conversations, interviews and the calling process.

The MinisterSearch consultant can help mediate between the church and candidates, making certain all issues are discussed, Allen said. The most sensitive can be compensation, but MinisterSearch doesn't back away, understanding that disagreement over compensation often is a factor in short tenures.

A MinisterSearch consultant even may urge the church and a candidate discontinue discussions if the match doesn't seem right.

“We'd rather stop the process than see a staff member get hired and leave in six months,” Lyons said. “So, if there's a reason to stop the process, let's stop it now.”

The group also pledges not to provide churches with resumes of incompetent ministers. “We'll love them, but we won't recommend them to a church,” Lyons noted.

About one-fourth of MinisterSearch's searches are for senior pastors. When other staff members are sought, MinisterSearch encourages the pastor to be involved, even if a search committee is leading the process.

Churches pay for MinisterSearch's services, typically equivalent to 20 percent of a hired minister's first-year compensation.

Lyons is a member of Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound, and Allen is a member of Hebron Community Church in Carrollton.

They believe their method of recruiting ministers is at the front of a trend.

“We want to be able to minister to the church, to bless the church,” Lyons said. “Ten years from now, this will be a standard process.”

That's true, said Todd Rhoades, president of ChurchStaffing.com, an Internet-based ministry-matching firm.

“MinisterSearch is an up-and-coming thing,” Rhoades said. “It's a huge possibility for churches to consider. Something like that would look very good to a lot of search committees.”

MinisterSearch's website is www.ministersearch.com.

Posted: 11/07/03

Linguistic duty translates into new home for Congo family

By George Henson

Staff Writer

FORT WORTH–An African refugee family has found a new beginning in Fort Worth, thanks to what at first seemed to be a chance encounter with a group of missionaries.

Daniel Mirambi first met Jason McCoy, assistant minister of music at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, in June 2001. McCoy was on a mission trip with his father, a professor of music at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, who was teaching music to native pastors in Kenya.

Daniel Mirambi and his family.

Mirambi, a native of the Congo, was introduced to them by a missionary couple as a guide to a nearby church where his brother-in-law was pastor. While waiting for transportation into town, McCoy asked Mirambi what kind of work he did.

“He laughed softly and said simply, 'I am a refugee,'” McCoy recalled. “He went on to explain that he had obtained a two-week pass to leave the refugee camp in order to visit his sister.”

Mirambi did not fit most Americans' stereotype of a refugee, however. He was well educated and fluent in English. Trained as a telecommunications engineer with the equivalent of bachelor's degree, he lost the ability to work in 1996 as war broke out between the various Congolese tribes, the Rwandans, the Ugandans and eight other neighboring countries.

Mirambi soon went to work as coordinator for three camps of Rwandan refugees, as well as serving as the mediator between a non-profit organization, the government and the United Nations. As the war further escalated, Mirambi and his family of six fled to a village where other family members lived 70 miles away.

It was there that the war caught up with them at last as 70 villagers were killed, including seven family members ranging in age from one month to 73 years.

Mirambi then took his family back to the city where he previously worked as the camp coordinator, this time using his language skills as a guide and translator for several international news agencies. For this, he was three times arrested and accused of being a spy.

He finally fled to Kenya, hoping to keep his family out of a refugee camp. But on July 27, 1997, the entire family was jailed four days before a United Nations agency was able to win their release. The condition of their release, however, was that they move to a refugee camp.

There they stayed for six years, until September. Mirambi's education did allow him to get a job as an administrative assistant, which afforded him e-mail access. He also led Christians of warring tribes to band together to build a church out of mud bricks. But on the whole, life was desolate.

Although he considers himself a Hutu, his mother was Tutsi, so he had to fend off attacks from members of both tribes. Food was meager, school for the children poor or non-existent and sanitary conditions abysmal.

Now, however, the family's present and future are much brighter. Broadway Baptist Church became the Mirambis' sponsoring family as they sought resettlement in Texas as refugees.

Broadway had been told the Mirambis, now numbering seven, would arrive sometime in November. A surprise came in September, however, as the church learned the family would arrive in less than two weeks.

“They caught us a little unprepared,” admitted Jorene Swift, minister of congregational care. While North Texas Refugee Services found the Mirambis an apartment, it was up to the church to furnish it.

“We did it in a weekend,” Swift said. “Most of the furniture has been used, but none of it is old or ready to be discarded. We really tried not to use anything we wouldn't want in our own homes.”

Co-sponsoring a refugee family is something a church of any size could do because the cash outlay is small, Swift said.

“For a church to become involved with a refugee family does not take a lot of financial resources, but time,” she explained.

The church was required to provide $1,000 per member of the refugee family, but only $200 per person in cash; the remainder came through in-kind gifts such as the furnishings for the home and time spent transporting or working with the family.

Broadway Baptist Church has a long history of sponsoring refugee families. On prior occasions, the church has sponsored Vietnamese and Cambodian families.

“This has always been a very positive experience for the church,” Swift said.

Kimberly Cooper of North Texas Refugee Services said many times refugee sponsorship is even more positive for smaller churches than larger ones.

“A lot of the smaller churches don't have as many programs competing for people's time, so many times a greater number of people will get personally involved with the refugee family,” she said. “Especially in smaller churches, you see the entire congregation get excited and involved.”

Cooper frequently makes presentations to churches about how they can be involved in refugee resettlement. She may be contacted at (817) 877-5467.

The church's primary responsibility is to help the family become acclimated to their new surroundings, McCoy said.

While the Mirambis had some exposure to Western culture, they knew nothing of child safety seats, seat belts or the electric range and washer and dryer in their new apartment. Those things required demonstrations. Church members also are helping the family learn how to shop in American grocery stores, secure Social Security cards and Daniel Mirambi learn the rules of the road.

While these tasks may appear to be overwhelming, Refugee Services provides each church with a notebook of what needs to be done, where to go to get it done and an outline of the procedure.

The biggest challenge for the Mirambis is to find jobs. The government paid the family's airfare but must be repaid in a matter of months.

“For many refugees, it destroys their credit rating right off the bat,” Swift said. And for a family of seven, much larger than most refugee families, that amount is huge for a family starting from scratch.

But for now, life is good. The children have been welcomed into their new schools, and they also enjoyed Sunday School and worship at Broadway. They did think more dancing would be good, however.

Posted: 11/07/03

Mississippi won't cut out CBF leaders

JACKSON, Miss. (ABP)–Messengers to the Mississippi Baptist Convention voted down a proposed constitutional amendment Oct. 28 that would have excluded Cooperative Baptist Fellowship members from serving in leadership positions in the convention.

The amendment, proposed during last year's annual meeting by Ralph Henson, pastor of Arrowood Baptist Church of Meridian, Miss., would have disqualified anyone who is currently serving in an “employed, elected or appointed position with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship” from serving in any capacity with the Mississippi Baptist Convention.

In accordance with the convention's constitution, Henson's motion was referred last year to the constitution and bylaws committee for action at this year's annual meeting. Rick Courtney, an attorney and chairman of the committee, reported the committee was unanimous in recommending the proposal be rejected. Messengers agreed by a vote of 572 to 376.

In other business, messengers adopted a slightly slimmer 2004 budget and elected longtime Mississippi pastor Gene Henderson as president.

Henderson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Brandon, was elected by acclamation after no other nominations were made. He will replace Frank Pollard, retired pastor of First Baptist Church of Jackson, who was in his second one-year term and ineligible for re-election.

The 2004 budget is 2.3 percent less than the record 2003 budget of $316 million. Giving to the 2003 budget is running behind and likely will fall short.

Posted: 11/07/03

Missouri breaks ties with Jewell

ST. LOUIS (ABP)–The Missouri Baptist Convention broke a 154-year tradition and voted Nov. 4 to stop funding William Jewell College in Liberty, citing the college's positions on homosexuality and morality.

The convention eliminated the Baptist school from its 2004 budget. Last year, the convention gave William Jewell $900,000, about 3 percent of the college's budget.

Roger Moran, a layman from Winfield whose guilt-by-association reports on state convention agencies and churches fueled a fundamentalist takeover of the Missouri convention, argued for cutting the college's funds.

William Jewell gave an award to a homosexual student and allowed a theatrical production some considered lewd to be staged on campus, reported Moran, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee.

The college's defunding came as no surprise to most Missouri Baptists.

“It was a foregone conclusion; the only question was when,” William Jewell President David Sallee told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In response to criticism, William Jewell's trustees voted in February to affirm the college's mission statement, which declares its Christian and Baptist nature. However, trustees declined to answer specific “personal” questions about the faculty and trustees and a question about the college's “official teaching position on the first 11 chapters of Genesis, the creation account.”

The convention previously defunded five other Missouri Baptist institutions that changed their charters to remove control of trustee appointments from the convention.

The convention sued those institutions–Missouri Baptist University, Missouri Baptist Home, Windemere Conference Center, the Baptist Foundation and Word & Way newspaper.

Posted: 11/07/03

Churches urged to address multicultural needs of Texas

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Whether the message is “Jesús te ama,” “Jésus te aime” or “Jesus loves you,” Baptists need to reach out intentionally to all people in an increasingly multicultural state of non-believers, according to Baptist General Convention of Texas staff.

Nationwide, 47 million people, or 17.9 percent of the population older than 5, speak a language other than English at home, according to the 2000 census. Nineteen of the top 20 counties with the highest percentages of people who speak a language other than English are in Texas.

All seven counties in the nation where more than 80 percent of the inhabitants speak a non-English language were in Texas. Every county in the state indicated some non-English speakers.

Laredo, Brownsville, McAllen and El Paso all ranked in the top 10 cities of more than 100,000 people for percentage of residents who are non-English speakers.

Those same locations also ranked in the top 10 cities of more than 100,000 for percentage of residents who spoke Spanish. El Paso, ranked seventh, was the lowest of the four cities at 68.9 percent Spanish-speakers.

Laredo and Brownsville are among the top 10 places with the highest percentage of people who speak English less than “very well.” Laredo ranked sixth at 43.6 percent, and Brownsville came in just below that at 42 percent.

Overall, 13.9 percent of Texans (almost 2.7 million people) speak English less than very well.

Many churches do not know the statistics are so staggering, reported Patty Lane, director of BGCT intercultural initiatives. “Many of our churches do not realize there are so many people in a non-English world.”

People no longer must learn English to be successful, said Gus Reyes, ethnic consultant for the BGCT Center for Strategic Evangelism. Spanish is used for government documents, signs, books and daily business in many instances. In some places in Texas, Spanish is more common than English.

Fortunately for churches, non-English speakers appear interested in events targeted at them, Reyes reported. When they find functions designed for them that meet their needs, they attend.

But evangelism cannot simply be event-oriented, Reyes noted. With an estimated 10 million non-Christians in the state, Texas Baptists must be active in their faith and spread the gospel.

“Whether it's an all-Spanish-speaking audience or English-speaking audience, we must be sensitive and keep in mind that lost people come in all kinds,” he said. “We have to really focus on an evangelistic thread in our churches. It's not a rally or event; it's day-to-day living.”

Ministry especially may be needed in situations where no one in the family speaks English or a child is relied upon heavily to be a translator, Lane said.

According to the census, 4.4 million households encompassing 11.9 million people nationwide were “linguistically isolated,” meaning no one in the household older than 14 speaks English at least very well.

Youth often pick up English and become fluent but hold on to their parents' language for home communication, Lane said. But their bilingual proficiency may put them in difficult spots.

Children take on adult responsibilities in situations where they must relay vital information to their parents, Lane noted.

English as a Second Language programs can be helpful in these cases, but they must cater to the needs of the people, Lane cautioned. Non-English speakers must keep up with a family and a job, so finding time to learn a new language can be difficult.

Non-English speaking parents also may need help staying connected with a child who feels more affinity for American culture, Lane added. Helping families understand each other and grow together can be a powerful ministry, she said.

The continuing growth of the non-English-speaking population further dictates the need for language churches, Lane declared, explaining that people need a place where they can understand the worship and activities.

Reyes sees some hopeful signs around the state. Bilingual tracts are selling at increasing rates. BGCT church starts intentionally reach a variety of cultures. More churches are asking questions and trying to reach out to non-English speakers. Leaders particularly are looking to add Hispanic staff members to help congregations penetrate that culture.

Churches must reach out to non-English speakers, Lane and Reyes agreed, noting that no matter how people communicate, they need Christ.

While Texas Baptists still have much to learn, the nation can look to Texase to see the future, Reyes said. “This is a USA-wide phenomenon. It's not just Texas. Texas is a great picture of what the future can be.”

Posted: 11/07/03

On the Move

Jeff Addison to First Church in Quitaque as pastor from Lee Street Church in Dimmitt.

J.C. Baker to First Church in Weinert as pastor.

David Brumbelow to Lee College in Baytown as Baptist Student Ministry director. He also is pastor of Northside Church in Highlands.

Randy Carter to First Church in Slaton as minister of music/education.

Bob Clogston has completed an interim at Little York Church in Houston and is available for supply and interims at (281) 875-1705.

Corey Cornutt to First Church in Moran as pastor.

Joanne Cresson to First Church in Waco as interim preschool minister.

Curtis Crofton to Westwood Church in Tyler as interim pastor.

Landon Darilek to First Church in Gorman as youth minister.

Denise Davidson to New Haven Tabernacle in Abilene as children's minister.

Gene Farley to Pleasant Hill Church in Cisco as pastor.

Joe Guerra to Templo Iglesia in Post as pastor.

Richard Harbison to First Church in Tahoka as pastor from First Church in Spur.

Steve Hardcastle has resigned as minister of music at Trinity Church in Gatesville.

Albert Hesskew to First Church in Corsicana as minister of children/activities.

Jon Mark Hester to First Church in Slaton as youth minister.

Randy Lowe has resigned as pastor of Emory Church in Emory.

D. Lowrie to Liberty-Eylau Church in Texarkana as student minister.

James Martin to Fifth Avenue Church in Huntington, W. Va., as minister of music from Wilshire Church in Dallas, where he was associate minister of music.

Billy McDaniel to Fredonia Hill Church in Nacogdoches as minister of education/outreach from First Church in Tenaha, where he was minister of students/education.

Mike Norris to Harmony Church in Eastland as youth minister.

Will Roberson to New Haven Tabernacle in Abilene as worship and recreation minister.

Don Robinson to Fourth Ward Church in Ennis as pastor, where he had been interim.

Alvie Stiefer has resigned as pastor of McMahan Church in Dale.

Dale Turner to Austin Street Church in Yoakum as pastor.

Jimmy Vaughn has resigned as minister of education/associate pastor at Dixon Church in Greenville.

Brad Wisdom has resigned as youth minister at Emory Church in Emory.