Posted: 6/06/03

Pastor and music minister have been
singing from the same page for years

By George Henson

Staff Writer

GARLAND–Few churches have pastors stay for 25 years. The same could be said about ministers of music.

Northlake Baptist Church in Garland has both, however. Pastor Bob Dean celebrated his 25th anniversary April 25, and Minister of Music Lynn Christie served the church a quarter of a century as of June 1.

Two things have kept this ministry team together so long, they report: A definitive sense of God's calling to the church and the fact that they like one another.

The church was just over a year old when it called the two young men in 1978. It had been started by about 20 families from Orchard Hills Baptist Church in Garland on land purchased by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Dallas Baptist Association.

“We were only 25 and 26 years old,” Dean recalled. “This church took a chance on two really young guys.”

The two had met in 1973 at the Baptist Student Union state leadership conference. Dean was BSU president at Baylor University, and Christie was his counterpart at North Texas State University. Dean also was state BSU president and presided at the meeting; Christie was the conference worship leader.

The two maintained the connection when Dean became pastor at Northlake. When the church decided to hire a worship leader, Dean immediately thought of Christie.

By that time, both men were married to women they also met through the BSU.

Despite the passage of time, both men have committed to remain learners.

“My greatest fear is that we get in a rut,” Christie said. The church helps guard against that by providing the staff with scheduled sabbaticals in which continuing education is a major part. The staff also jointly discusses current books related to ministry.

“The challenge is to stay fresh and to carry out the vision,” Dean said. “The work of the kingdom of God is too important not to do it well.”

“We've already demonstrated we can work in harmony,” Christie agreed, “but the struggle is to keep it fresh.”

Keeping it fresh doesn't mean chasing every new ministry fad and forgetting the vision of reaching people for Christ, however.

“From Day 1, Bob has exemplified and held out that same vision, and we are seeing that vision come to fruition,” Christie asserted. “Not many of those original 20 families that came out of Orchard Hills are still here, but the vision has remained the same.”

Methods have changed, Dean said. “Needs of people have changed. The style of worship has changed. We are constantly trying to target the needs of our community and find the best way to minister to those needs.”

Growth in the church necessitated a recent building program, providing the church with a larger sanctuary and a gymnasium. Using the gym to reach children in the community through the Upward Basketball program, and an expanded Easter production permitted by the additional worship space are two ways the church has continued to try to reach its community. The church also sponsors a Hispanic mission.

While their long ministry association is a boon to them, Dean admits it may could be off-putting to new staff members.

“We really try to share leadership and really have moved into more of a mentoring role with the rest of the staff,” Dean said. “We also try to show them the value of longevity in one church, because we think there is a real benefit in that.”

The lessons must be taking. Youth Minister/Administrator Chris Trent has been on staff six years, and Children's Minister Jennifer Evans has been at Northlake five years. While not approaching Dean's and Christie's tenures, both terms are beyond the average.

The spirit of the church also contributes to the ministers' success, they said.

“Our kids love this place, and not all ministers' kids can say that,” Christie said. “One of the greatest gifts either of us have been given is to raise our kids in a happy church.”

Posted: 6/06/03

Volunteers needed to build new housing for volunteers

NEW YORK (BP)–In the past, exorbitant hotel prices took a bite out of efforts to recruit Baptist volunteers for ministries in the Big Apple.

Soon, the problem of hotel rooms running $200 or a more a night and local churches far too small to serve as overnight hosts will be solved.

A corner building in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn that once housed a funeral home, dentist's office and a drugstore is being converted into living space for up to 50 volunteers at a time.

The move mirrors efforts in other major metropolitan areas to create buildings dedicated to housing mission volunteers.

One of the first such buildings was dedicated in the Boston area several years ago with assistance from longtime missions supporters Ira and Betty Kraft of South Carolina.

Now, in addition to the project in New York City, buildings to house mission volunteers are to open in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Building the housing for volunteers, however, is dependent on volunteers, with aggressive efforts currently under way to enlist construction teams.

“These projects won't work without a commitment of volunteers,” said Jim Burton, director of volunteer mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. “We're hoping to have teams of 10 to 12 volunteers per week at each work site until they're done.”

The Brooklyn effort was made possible through Enduring Hope, a comprehensive plan of long- and short-term relief efforts funded by about $3.5 million contributed through Southern Baptist entities in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Shane Critser, volunteer coordinator for New Hope New York, dumps debris from the renovation project. A Kentucky native, Critser was working with other volunteers on the first phase of a nine-month project to open a center for housing missions volunteers. (Jim Burton/BP Photo)

“New York Baptists believe relationships as much as anything will help them recover and heal from that experience, so they wanted a place to house volunteers,” Burton said. “With this building, we're talking about individuals being able to go and volunteer in New York and stay for $100 for a week, which is unheard of.”

The building was acquired at a below-market price, and volunteers working at the site are helping save about $200,000 in labor costs for renovations. When finished, the site will have sleeping accommodations for 25 men and 25 women.

In Canada, the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists is building a two-story 50-by-110-foot addition to its offices that will house a total of 36 people in beds–50 if sleeping-bag space is included. Dining facilities will handle 80 people.

The Puerto Rico structure will house about 50 people in a 40-by-80-foot concrete block building on the campus of the Puerto Rico Baptist Theological Seminary. This project is made possible by a missions offering from World Changers, a NAMB-sponsored student mobilization ministry.

Construction volunteers interested in assisting with the projects may call (800) 462-8657.

Posted: 6/06/03

On the Move

Roy Canada has completed an interim pastorate at Westlake Chapel in Graham.

William Dawson to First Church in Loving as pastor from Dry Valley Church in Lodiburg, Ky.

Julian Gonzales to First Mexican Church in Kenedy as pastor.

Cindy Graves has resigned as minister to college and university students at First Church in Waco.

Jeff Jackson has resigned as pastor of Olden Church in Olden.

Jerry Jacobs to First Church in Tulsa, Okla. as minister of education/discipleship from First Church in Kingwood.

Loren Johnson to Lone Oak Church in Snook as interim pastor.

Joel Sanders has resigned as pastor of Necessity Church in Caddo.

Brenda Shuttlesworth to First Church in Conroe as minister to children; she had been interim there.

Danny Souder to Forest Avenue Church in Sherman as interim pastor.

Fred Teague to Westlake Chapel in Graham as pastor.

Rob Tucker to First Church in Brownwood as interim minister of music.

Tim Watson to First Church in Longview as pastor from First Church in Canton.

Posted: 6/06/03

Pakistani Christians under
increased threat, activists warn

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Pakistan's minority Christians are under increasing threat because they are lumped together with America in the minds of Islamic extremists, according to a leading Christian human-rights activist in the country.

The Pakistani leader, who chose not to have his name revealed for fear of repercussions against him and his family, spoke with reporters in Washington, D.C.

He appeared in a special invitation-only press briefing arranged by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. The man was in Washington to meet with commission representatives as well as administration officials and advocacy groups regarding religious freedom in Pakistan.

“The religious minorities of Pakistan–especially the Christian minority–fear attack,” he told reporters. Islamic extremists often think they are engaging in holy war by attacking local Christians, he said. The extremists “think that, by attacking and killing Pakistani Christians, they are taking revenge against the West and America.”

There has been a dramatic rise in anti-Christian and anti-Western violence in the nation since U.S. and coalition forces began military activities in neighboring Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Besides the highly publicized 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl–who was forced by his killers to “confess” his Judaism on videotape–more than 20 major incidents of violence against individual Christians or Christian churches, institutions or communities have been documented by the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance.

The most recent took place May 5, when a bomb exploded at a Christian hospital in the nation's Northwest Frontier Province–the location of many of the incidents.

Altogether the attacks have killed about 40 Christians and injured more than 100. The most-publicized incidents include an October 2001 gun assault during Sunday morning mass at a Catholic church in Bahawalpur that left 16 dead and a March 2002 bombing that killed five worshippers at the Protestant International Church in Islamabad.

Government officials have not successfully prosecuted anyone in the anti-Christian attacks.

The commission has noted many official abuses of religious freedom under the government of Pakistan's head of state, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Among them are a law that makes blasphemy against Islam a capital offense and court rules that create unequal treatment between Muslims and other religious minorities in both civil and criminal cases.

Because of these and the seeming unwillingness to prosecute Muslims for crimes against Christians, the commission asked the State Department to declare Pakistan a Country of Particular Concern–a diplomatic designation for particularly severe violators of religious freedom. So far, administration officials have declined to label Pakistan as such.

The Pakistani leader also pointed to evidence of a rise in crimes against Christian women in the months since the U.S. began build-up for the war in Iraq. In particular, women and girls–some as young as 9–have been beaten, kidnapped, gang-raped, disfigured and forced to convert to Islam at gun- or knife-point, he said.

The man said one 9-year-old Pakistani Christian girl named Razia Masih, who worked as a live-in maid in the home of a Muslim family, was beaten and tortured when news of the U.S. attack on Iraq reached the household. When she took her case to court, “She was told by the (judge), 'You are Christian and infidel, and we will take revenge on you for bombing of Iraqi children,'” the leader said.

Felice Gaer, chair of the Commission on International Religious Freedom, said those examples were “disturbing evidence” for why the commission asked the State Department to designate Pakistan a country of concern.

Posted: 6/06/03

BGCT Elder Statesman Award
presented to Herbert Reynolds

By Marv Knox

Editor

INDEPENDENCE–Praised as “a Baptist from the top of his head to the tip of his toes,” Herbert Reynolds received the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Elder Statesman Award June 1.

Friends and admirers from across Texas gathered at the historic Independence Baptist Church to recognize Reynolds, known for more than three decades as a leader in Christian higher education and a champion of religious liberty.

The BGCT's Baptist Distinctives Committee and Texas Baptist Heritage Center present the Elder Statesman Award each year in coordination with the Independence Baptist Association. The award is reserved for Texas Baptists who have had distinguished careers in Christian service.

The setting at Independence–original site of the two oldest schools affiliated with the BGCT, Baylor University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor–was particularly appropriate this year. Reynolds has served Baylor for 34 years.

He was elected the university's executive vice president in 1969, president in 1981, chancellor in 1995 and president emeritus in 2000.

Both personally and professionally, Reynolds is a worthy recipient of the Elder Statesman Award, said Paul Powell, dean of Baylor's Truett Seminary, who made the presentation.

Before joining the Baylor administration, Reynolds completed a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, including service as the commander and director of plans for the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, Powell noted, citing Reynolds' professional expertise in psychology.

“Herbert Reynolds is a scholar and a scientist of the first rank, but he still has a child-like–not to be confused with childish–faith and rock-like convictions,” Powell said.

“He's a Baptist from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He has worked tirelessly to preserve Baptist ideals.”

Reynolds also has exhibited “lion-like courage,” Powell added, specifically referencing Baylor's charter change more than a decade ago, which gave the university's regents authority to select 75 percent of their members, with the BGCT selecting the other 25 percent.

“He preserved academic and religious liberty for Texas Baptists, and he never faltered,” Powell claimed. “Herbert Reynolds is a John the Baptist kind of man. When he takes a stand, he stands there, even if he has to stand alone.”

In addition, Reynolds has “prophet-like conviction,” Powell said. To illustrate, he noted how Reynolds legally preserved the name “George W. Truett Theological Seminary” for Baylor and then opened the seminary “long before it was needed.” Now, the seminary is destined for greatness and to preserve Baptists' grand tradition of ministerial eduction, he added.

“Herbert H. Reynolds is the most influential and revolutionary Texas Baptist in the second half of the 20th century,” Powell declared. “He stands head and shoulders above everyone else.”

Other program speakers also praised Reynolds' leadership.

“He has deep passion for the things that make Baptists–particularly Texas Baptists–important in the world of faith,” said Charles Wade, the BGCT's executive director. “He has been generous with the Baptist vision for Texas. He has encouraged others to think about the whole Baptist family and not just Baylor.”

“He is a shining example of 'contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints,'” said Winfred Moore, visiting distinguished professor of religion at Baylor, quoting the New Testament book of Jude.

“He's done what he's done with grace, love and compassion, sometimes standing against evil when others did not understand,” Moore said. “He is a man of great ideas, and all of them have been around 'contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.' … My prayer is that you and I will imitate Herbert Reynolds as he imitates the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Here is a life to celebrate, a life to imitate, a life to thank,” noted Bill Pitts, religion professor at Baylor and president of the Independence Association.

“Dr. Reynolds has been a friend to Baptists around the world,” added Bill Pinson, the BGCT's executive director emeritus. “I cannot think of one more deserving.”

While president of Baylor, Reynolds was named one of America's 100 most effective chief executive officers in a study of the 3,400 presidents of American colleges and universities. He also was elected chairman of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In 2001, he received the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Founders Medal.

He is a graduate of Trinity University and Baylor, where he earned master's and doctor's degrees.

He has served on numerous boards and committees related to business and education.

He is an active churchman and member of First Baptist Church in Waco, where he has served on committees and been chairman of deacons.

He and his wife, Joy, have two sons and a daughter, all married, and seven grandchildren.

Posted: 6/06/03

More than 200 Texas Baptist students
head out for missions work worldwide

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

ARLINGTON–Neither wars nor disease nor financial instability could keep more than 200 Texas Baptist students from embarking on summer missions projects this month.

Most of the student missionaries serving in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas departed for their assignments June 1 after obtaining training and inspiration at First Baptist Church of Arlington.

Brenda Saunders, director of the BGCT student missions program, said she is impressed by the students' willingness to serve despite volatile worldwide issues. Volunteers will serve in 16 countries and 14 states.

“This year we're really excited to see the number of students,” she said. “With SARS and war, you'd think they'd want to stay close to home, but they see it as more of a challenge.”

The students, including those in “creative access countries” where Christian witnessing is not allowed, are as “prepared as they can be,” Saunders said. They have been trained in Texas for the specific countries where they will serve and will go through on-the-field training with experienced missionaries.

Saunders hopes the mission experience will deepen the students' faith and inspire them to take the gospel around the world for years to come. “Ultimately, I pray summer missionaries will become career missionaries and pastors to new-work areas.”

As they prepared to leave, many students said they eagerly awaited getting to their assigned locations and seeing God work through them.

“I'm really excited but don't know what the Lord is going to do,” said Jessica Berry, a Sam Houston State University music therapy major assigned to Washington. “You don't think people have never heard the gospel in America, but they haven't, especially in the north.”

More than 100 missionaries will face unfamiliar cultures and language barriers on foreign soils. Rather than looking at those aspects as obstacles, Coby Colley, a recent Texas Tech University graduate serving in Germany, looks for the experience to broaden his horizons.

Most of the students, including Texas Tech fine arts major Jordan Gray, are volunteering for the program for the first time. The possibilities for ministry seem endless to Gray, who is part of a team that will lead revivals in the Northwest United States.

“I honestly don't know what to expect,” Gray said. “I'm just going on faith. I went to the interview not knowing if I was going to do this or not. I guess it was the right place at the right time. (God) said go and do it, so I'm doing it.”

Posted: 6/06/03

Pastors say long tenures benefit ministries

By Toby Druin

Editor Emeritus

Houston Garner became pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in 1963, the year President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Forty years later and soon to be 75, Garner remains pastor of the church located near Bells, east of Sherman.

And he's likely to continue there awhile.

“I'm still in pretty good health,” he said, “and the Lord hasn't released me yet.”

Although pastorates generally are lasting longer, Garner's tenure remains exceptional.

He and several other Texas pastors with long tenures recently spoke with the Standard about their experiences–how they have extended their ministries over multiple decades, what they have learned and how they and their churches have changed.

40 years behind same pulpit
Clothing styles and worship styles have changed in the 40 years Houston Garner has served Hebron Baptist Church as pastor, but he's preached the same gospel to people both old and new.

The key to pastoral longevity for Garner has been “just trying to stay with preaching the gospel and staying out of politics,” he said. “I've got both Republicans and Democrats among my people. I keep away from politics; that's what's broken up a lot of churches.”

The advantage of being at Hebron 40 years, he said, has been in being there long enough to know not only his church members and their children and grandchildren, but also the community. He has been with church members when their children were born, and he has baptized many of those children and then performed their wedding ceremonies.

“The time I've spent here has just helped me to grow in knowledge of the people,” he said. “I've learned to understand them and to be more of a witness than a judge. When you see people in all kinds of situations, if you can just learn to put yourself in their shoes, it helps.”

His own experience of losing a daughter at 15 in a car wreck and going through another daughter's divorce has helped too, he added.

“When you go through those situations yourself and then see others experiencing the same thing, you learn to be a little more sympathetic,” he explained. “I have seen people in trouble and then have seen them come out victoriously.

“I have been in the community so long, I have friends all over the county,” he said. “That's another advantage of being here so long. Last year, I preached 37 funerals, but only seven were from our own church family.”

Time also has helped him move the church toward more mission support. When Garner came to Hebron, he said, the church was giving $4 a month to missions. “It wasn't long until I suggested we should be a tithing church, giving 10 percent to missions,” he said.

The church has been on a percentage giving basis for many years. Three years ago, members decided to build a half-million dollar auditorium and not borrow money for its construction. They moved into the 500-seat facility last Easter.

Ron Durham has experienced two areas of ministry at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco–almost eight years as minister to college students and associate pastor and almost 23 years as pastor. The church honored him earlier this year on his 30th anniversary. The Waco City Council declared “Ron Durham Day” in the city to mark the occasion, and the Texas Senate passed a resolution noting the anniversary. A letter from Gov. Rick Perry topped off the observance.

The key to his longevity, Durham said, has been a “wonderful, dedicated staff, people who have a team spirit and work well together. No pastor is successful without a good, solid staff.”

His years as pastor, he said, have enabled him to be at Columbus Avenue “long enough to have prayed for some babies at their births to eventually performing their wedding ceremonies.”

“The time has enabled me to minister in so many different times of need–the birth of babies, graduation, marriages, deaths of parents. Ministering to people in all kinds of need and plateaus of life has been a real delightful thing. Through the years, we've been able to develop many long-term friendships.”

And that lends credibility, he said. “I have worked hard to develop trust among our people, and it comes through longevity. My being here this long has also brought community recognition, not only for me, but also my church.”

His congregation's basic needs haven't changed during his 23 years as their pastor, Durham said, but they have been affected by cultural changes, especially in the pressures placed on families.

“Keeping family as a sacred entity is a real challenge,” he said. “The world gets into the church today in regard to the sanctity of the family. We try to place a heavy emphasis on the family. Every year, we honor couples who have been married 50 years.”

Staying up-to-date in reading and study habits presents an ongoing challenge, Durham said. In the latter years of his ministry, he has become adept at researching various issues on the Internet.

“I want to stay current but at the same time preach the old gospel,” he said. “The message hasn't changed with the passing of time.”

In Irving, Wallace Philpot believes Oak View Baptist Church wouldn't call him as pastor today if he were the person he was 37 years ago when he came as pastor.

“They have allowed me to grow personally and professionally,” he explained.

Like Garner and Durham, Philpot said one of the keys to his long tenure is simply “staying with the stuff.”

“I don't chase after fads. One of our missions did a contemporary worship service, but that's not my bag.”

The advantage to being at the Irving church so long has been getting to know the people more than just casually, to be involved in their lives and touch them at many points of need, he said.

The disadvantage, he quipped, is not getting to preach the same sermons over and over. “You have to keep studying.”

The Irving church was in an established community when he came there, he said, and has had to deal with many changes. The church completed a new worship center two years ago, but along with providing for its own needs, it has become missions-minded, Philpot said. It now sponsors eight missions, including one just four blocks away, and has sent many family groups to the mission congregations to help them get started.

Along with the missions outreach, Philpot said, one of the most satisfying things about almost four decades at the church has been seeing families to whom the church has ministered producing other families.

“We now have grandchildren of our first families serving in leadership positions,” he said.

A church considering calling a pastor it expects to have around for a long time should be careful to find one who is “committed to the word of God for his direction in ministry,” Philpot said. “He is going to have to be willing to love his congregation, and his past record should reveal that he loves his people. He will have to have the ability to enlist the heads of households in the church. If that doesn't happen, it won't happen.”

Leroy Fenton, pastor at First Baptist Church of Waxahachie for more than 25 years, said the key to a long pastorate is “having a pastor's heart and not really being into climbing the ladder of success. Once you have a church of a certain size, you have more than you can do anyway.”

“A long pastorate honors the calling of God, enhances the use of a pastor's spiritual gifts and encourages him to deal with problems rather than run from them,” Fenton said. “There are always financial, family and personality issues. It's good to stay and face those issues. A long tenure also probably helps establish credibility, biblically, morally, relationally and socially.”

The disadvantage, he said, is in getting to the point “where you know so much, where you have become so familiar with what is going on with the people and the community that they feel intimidated by what you know. I try to overcome that by telling people up front: 'Let's talk honestly. I put my shoes on just like you do. I have my own problems just like you do.'”

A pastor with a long tenure also can develop a habit of pre-judging someone's response, he warned. “If you have asked a person repeatedly to teach a class or take some other job, and they repeatedly have turned you down, you might get to the point of not asking them, and that can inhibit the work of God. There is also the possibility that pastor and people can begin to take each other for granted, but the advantages of a long pastorate far outweigh the disadvantages by tons.”

Seminaries could do a better job of preparing pastors, Fenton noted, thereby enhancing the possibility of them serving long tenures. More emphasis should be placed on leadership skills, he said, and also on administration.

“There is a ministry in administration,” he said. “What I was taught was that basically I would have to be an administrator, but shouldn't. I think just the opposite now. Someone has to administrate, set goals and lead the people to carry out the tasks of the church. Those issues are critical.”

His long tenure in Waxahachie, he said, has helped him become a better preacher, counselor and administrator, “but there are probably some things I am worse at.”

To stay fresh, he said, he reads constantly and reads a variety of things–magazines, news reports in all areas, newsmagazines, “anything I can get my hands on to help me know what the issues are.”

Paul Powell, dean at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, offers a unique perspective on long pastorates, having served at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler 17 years before entering denominational service.

“I'm still burying and marrying people who were influenced by my ministry, even though I've been gone 13 years,” he said. “That's the primary advantage of a long pastorate; you really get to know the people and become part of their lives so you can make a lasting impact on them. You get close to them, and it brings joy to your life and to theirs.”

A long tenure also builds trust so that a pastor can lead a church properly, he said. “Until you have been there a long time, it's difficult to lead a church to do things. They don't want to start something if they think you are going to leave.”

Pastoral stability also helps build a strong staff, Powell said, although he noted it can be a disadvantage for the pastor and staff to grow old together. “It's good if you have both maturity and youth.”

Posted: 6/06/03

Texas Tidbits

Dilday gives commencement address. Russell Dilday delivered the address to Howard Payne University's graduating class during recent commencement ceremonies. He served as interim president in 2002-2003. Lanny Hall presided over his first commencement as president at Howard Payne as the university awarded baccalaureate degrees to more than 250 graduates. Alfonso Flores Jr., pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana de San Antonio, received the honorary doctor of divinity degree.

Garland feted. Diana Garland, dean of the School of Social Work at Baylor University, will receive the Priscilla and Aquila Award fom Christians for Biblical Equality in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 9. The award is given to those who have "risked their necks for the gospel," a reference to Romans 16:3-4.

Jordan scholarship named. Dallas Baptist University has created a scholarship fund in honor of Chris Jordan, professor of biology at DBU for 21 years, and his wife. The scholarships will be given to Christian students majoring in biology or pre-med.

Tanner named to foundation post. Paula Price Tanner has been named director of foundation relations at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the department of external relations. The newly-created position will focus on raising funds for the university through foundations. Tanner has been with the university since 2001 as director of institutional research. Previously, she worked 15 years at Baylor University and was assistant vice president for marketing and communications in the Baylor Alumni Association. She and her husband, William G. Tanner Jr., a professor of computer science at UMHB, are members of First Baptist Church in Belton.

Dunagan to lead Paisano. Dan Dunagan has been named manager of Paisano Baptist Encampment, between Alpine and Marfa in the Big Bend. Dunagan will continue as Baptist Student Ministries director at Sul Ross State University in Alpine and pastor of Marathon Baptist Church in Marathon. Paisano's annual General Encampment will be July 20-25. Preachers will be Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, and Rob Boyd, pastor of Green Valley Baptist Church in suburban Las Vegas. Bible teacher will be Randall O'Brien, religion professor at Baylor University. For information about the General Encampment or other bookings, call (432) 837-3074.

Hispanic women to gather in Keller. "A Time to Love … A Time to Heal" will be the theme for the ninth annual Celebrating the Hispanic Woman family conference, Aug. 8-9 at First Baptist Church in Keller. About 1,000 women are expected for the conference, which will feature resources for strengthening family life and Christian discipleship. Registration is $35 before July 26 and $45 afterward. Checks can be made payable to CERI and mailed to Christian Education and Research Institute, P.O. Box 776, Keller 76244. Discounted hotel reservations are available in the area. For more information, contact Margarita Trevino at (817) 431-2192 or Bertha Diaz at (210) 734-2088.

Posted: 6/06/03

TOGETHER:
Strategic plan charts BGCT's course

The Baptist General Convention of Texas strategic plan casts a seven-part vision for Texas Baptists–reaching all people, beginning new churches, improving church health, encouraging healthy families, meeting human needs, equipping the laity and developing theological education. We are moving forward in building a stronger convention by helping our churches, institutions and related ministries be stronger and healthier.

In the next five years, I believe, we will see several things happen in Texas Baptist life:

We will start more than enough churches to maintain our current church-to-population ratio. This will mean that we must start between 1,100 and 1,200 churches to help us share the gospel with the ethnic cultures of Texas.

We will help our churches be missional in nature. They will see themselves as existing to move the kingdom of God forward in their communities and around the world. That means church members will want to see God's will done in earth as it is in heaven. It means churches will be the presence of Christ, moving outside their walls and into the streets, following our Savior into an incarnational ministry in the world. The missions network will be a significant resource to churches in being involved personally in mission endeavors.

We will help churches know themselves as the Body of Christ. This will be expressed by a deep devotion to God and to growing church members into the likeness of Christ. Churches will give themselves to effective biblical teaching so that members grow into fully mature disciples of Jesus Christ. These churches will take responsibility for helping the families in the church become healthy and loving “schools for Christian character.”

Our BGCT Executive Board staff increasingly will be available to and known among the churches. The BGCT exists to help the churches be what God has called them to be and assist them in working together to achieve larger kingdom goals than they can hope to do alone. Information technology will be used to improve services to congregations. All staff will see themselves not as promoters of specific programs but as consultants to help churches find the best resources and assistance in achieving their God-given calling.

We will see growing numbers of God-called men and women preparing for ministry in the churches. We will work with churches, associations and institutions to create a seamless procedure by which ministers can move from whatever level of training they may have to achieve the highest level of training God calls them to secure.

We will see growing cooperation. This requires mutual trust and shared vision. By building closer relationships, paying closer attention to communication, and honoring one another, we will seek to attain a new level of cooperation in Baptist life. We will know we are succeeding in this when there is increased involvement in mission activities; growing participation in training events; a spirit of fellowship and harmony of feeling permeating our meetings; and rising financial support for our activities in evangelism, missions, Christian education and benevolent work.

Texas Baptist institutions, associations, mission organizations and churches will know they are part of a great family. We will rejoice in the knowledge that we can support and encourage one another as we seek to be the presence of Christ in the world and work together to advance all the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom.

We are loved.

Posted: 6/06/03

Mary Hardin-Baylor opens
School of Christian Studies

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

BELTON–The dean of the new School of Christian Studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor believes the name of the new program clearly expresses its focus and purpose.

“We are a place where students can study the Christian faith, knowing we offer no apologies for who we are. Our students come here to study under Christian professors, and they pursue their studies with an eye toward ministry,” said William Carrell, who served as chairman of the university's religion department before the new school opened June 1.

“The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a strong Texas Baptist institution, and it fits well within our tradition of being here to minister to the churches,” he added.

Carrell sees the creation of the School of Christian Studies as a “natural development” for the university, which has grown from 1,000 to 2,700 in enrollment in recent years, and for its religion department.

He credits Steve Wyrick, former chairman of the religion department, with laying much of the groundwork for the program's growth, bringing it to the level where the School of Christian Studies became possible.

The university has set a goal of 100 students majoring in Christian studies within one year. “And I believe it's realistic to think that we could have one-tenth of the student body majoring in Christian studies in five years,” Carrell said.

Mary Hardin-Baylor has been moving in the direction of establishing the School of Christian Studies for several years. Last year, the religion faculty expanded from four full-time instructors to six: Carrell, Wyrick, Steve Oldham, Carol Holcomb, Tony Martin and Leroy Kemp.

The most obvious change students will see is a move from one undergraduate major in religion to four majors–Christian ministries, theology and philosophy, church history, and biblical studies.

The university already offers a master of arts in religion degree, with concentrations in either theological studies or Christian ministry. Ultimately, Carrell would like to see the master's-level program expanded to include practical interdisciplinary courses in management and psychology.

“But we're focused on our undergraduate program,” he said. “We have no plans to offer a master of divinity degree. We're not going to become a seminary any time in the foreseeable future.”

In fact, he said the university is seeking to work with Logsdon School of Theology in Abilene, Truett Seminary in nearby Waco, “and anybody else who wants to work with us” to develop its undergraduate program in a way that properly prepares ministerial students for seminary studies.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor also offers an 18-hour certificate program in Christian studies, and Carrell hopes to develop an enhanced program of continuing education for Christian leaders within his first year as dean.

“A strong commitment to the field of Christian studies helps identify the university,” Carrell said. “This is who the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is.”

UMHB is one of eight universities affiliated with and supported by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Posted: 6/06/03

Woman's Missionary Union reports growth nationwide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) –After several years of declines and plateaus, enrollment in Woman's Mission Union programs nationwide grew more than 12 percent last year.

“We are very excited to see a renewed interest among Baptists in missions education and missions involvement,” said Wanda Lee, executive director-treasurer of WMU. “It is encouraging to see an increasing number of churches implement and develop WMU age-level organizations that provide an opportunity for Christians to better understand and be personally involved in the mission of God.”

The increase in WMU enrollment was reported across the United States. Thirty-two out of 41 states or conventions with WMU organizations showed growth. The largest gains were reported in Texas, followed by Alabama, Virginia, Florida and Mississippi. Rounding out the top 10 were Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Indiana.

In addition to missions organizations, WMU also experienced increased participation in an array of ministries that offer hands-on missions opportunities, such as MissionsFEST and FamilyFEST missions experiences through WMU's Volunteer Connection, as well as Christian Women's Job Corps and Baptist Nursing Fellowship.

Founded in 1888, Woman's Missionary Union is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention that seeks to equip adults, youth, children and preschoolers with missions education.

Story List for 5/19 Issue