NASHVILLE (BP)—The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee search team said they have resumed conversations with Interim President and CEO Willie McLaurin about his candidacy for the permanent position.

The information was emailed to Executive Committee members July 17 and shared with Baptist Press.

“Considering the many endorsements from pastors, state convention leaders, and national entity heads, and considering an overwhelming sense in our hearts that we are being obedient to the Holy Spirit, your present search team decided that we should continue where the former search team left off by doing our own due diligence and interviews with Dr. Willie McLaurin, Interim President/CEO of the SBC Executive Committee,” Neal Hughes, committee chair wrote in the email.

Hughes said since the group’s meeting in New Orleans during the SBC annual meeting, they have been busy with “face-to-face gatherings, zoom meetings, numerous email discussions, and much research.”

He thanked his fellow Executive Committee members for their encouragement and prayer support.

McLaurin has been the agency’s interim leader since February 2022 following the October 2021 resignation of Ronnie Floyd.

In May, the Executive Committee declined the recommendation of Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, by the original search team.

PHILADELPHIA (BP)—Black Christians score 10 percent higher than all other Christians in spiritual vitality, according to a new scale of holistic spiritual health the American Bible Society introduced in its 2023 State of the Bible report.

The Spiritual Vitality Gauge measures spiritual health through a set of nine concise questions focused on beliefs, practices and faith in action among self-identified Christians, the Bible society said July 13 in releasing its findings in the report’s fourth chapter.

The higher score among African Americans, when compared to whites and Hispanic Americans, should not be surprising, the American Bible Society said, as Black Christians lead in nearly every measure of spiritual life the study uses.

“State of the Bible research shows overwhelmingly that Black Christians lead the way on virtually every desirable metric. This group has a lot to teach the rest of the American church,” the American Bible Society wrote.

“People in this group are more likely to attend church weekly, to read the Bible, to be ‘Scripture Engaged,’ to be ‘Bible Centered,’ and now to display spiritual vitality in their lives.”

Religion has been a source of resiliency for many racial and ethnic groups, the American Bible Society said, referencing a 2020 article from researchers at Case Western University based on a study of historical and contemporary literature. The church’s appeal to Black Americans is both spiritual and practical, the Case Western article asserts.

“Historically and contemporaneously, the Black church, in addition to being a religious institution, is a social, cultural, civic, educational and political institution that is central to Black communities,” the article reads.

“Because of social, economic, and institutional disenfranchisement, Black Americans have traditionally had difficulty accessing public and private services. As a result, Black churches tend to offer a greater number of community programs and mental health services than white churches.”

Specifically, Black Christians registered 76 on the spiritual vitality scale of 0-100, at least 10 percent higher than the 68 among Hispanic Americans and the 69 among whites.

How do people connect with God?

The American Bible Society also explores the various ways people connect with God in the study’s fourth chapter, incorporating nine spiritual temperaments bestselling author and former Southern Baptist pastor Gary Thomas presented in the 1996 book Sacred Pathways.

Naturalists, those who connect best with God while in nature (32 percent); ascetics, connecting most with God while alone, reading the Bible or praying (14 percent); and contemplatives, connecting with God when they sense he is touching their heart (11 percent), ranked as the top three temperaments among study participants. Thirteen percent of those studied feel no connection to God.

Consequently, those who connect best with God in nature were least likely to attend church services, with 72 percent almost never attending church and only 11 percent attending weekly. Contemplatives scored highest in church attendance, with 48 percent attending weekly and 31 percent attending almost never. Among ascetics, 42 percent attend weekly.

In addition to church attendance, the American Bible Society studied how spiritual temperaments impact spiritual commitment, beliefs about God and scriptural engagement.

Evangelical Protestants and historically Black Protestants were more prevalent among ascetics, with the temperament accounting for 23 percent of both groups; followed by naturalists, accounting for 22 percent of Evangelical Protestants and 21 percent of historically Black Protestants.

The State of the Bible annually looks at the Bible, faith and the church in America. The American Bible Society collaborated with the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center. The 18-minute survey, conducted Jan. 5-30, produced 2,761 responses from a representative sample of adults 18 and older within the 50 states and D.C.

MCALLEN—Projected trends for population growth and demographic change have important—perhaps jarring—implications for Texas Baptist churches and their goal of reaching the lost with the gospel, workshop participants at Texas Baptists’ Family Gathering learned.

Tom Howe, director of church starting and replanting at the Baptist General Convention of Texas, led a workshop focused on the future of Texas.

Using the illustrations of four types of snow—a snow shower, a blizzard, winter and an ice age— Howe suggested Texas is in the early stages of winter or an ice age. Either, he said, requires a much different level of preparation than a snow shower or blizzard.

“Winters are interruptions—for example, the COVID pandemic,” Howe said. “If it’s an ice age, we have to change everything.”

“The world is changing all around us,” he added.

Texas surpassed 30 million in population in fall 2022. By 2030, the state is expected to add 5.2 million more people—more than Arkansas or Louisiana’s total population. But by 2050, projections have the state’s population nearly doubling, which would mean Texas would surpass California as the most populous state.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is expected to add 9 million to 10 million by 2050, Howe said, while Houston will add 8.5 million to 9 million; the Austin-San Antonio area will likely add 5 million to 7.6 million. Howe said several public officials have suggested his estimates are too low.

Dramatic demographic changes

But it’s more than simply numbers, Howe said. Texas’ demographics continue a rapid shift. In 1970, Texas was 86.8 percent white and 12 percent Black. By 2020, the state was 50.1 percent white, 12 percent Black, 5 percent Asian, 13 percent other and 17.6 percent “two or more races.”

“If your church is going to be all white, all Black, all Hispanic, you’re already missing 20 percent of the population,” Howe said.

Hispanics are now the largest people group in Texas, at 40.2 percent, compared to 39.3 percent non-Hispanic white, he noted.

Likewise, religious identification continues to decline. Fewer than 50 percent of Texans have any affiliation with religion, Howe said.

“Add another 5 million and we’ll have a lost culture of 20 million in Texas by 2030,” he said. “We’ve got a mission field here in Texas now. Not coming. It came.”

Discouraging congregational trends

Against that backdrop, Texas mirrors the national trend in churches. More churches are closing the doors each year than are started. If that trend continues, he noted, it means by 2050, the population of Texas will double and the number of churches will be cut in half.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention combined have about 7,000 churches, he said, but if the numbers hold and trends continue, they combined would have about 3,500 by 2050.

“What happens when the population doubles and the number of churches is cut in half? It’s not good, whatever it is,” Howe said. “We’ll have less people trying to reach more people that desperately need the gospel. There’s a great need for healthy churches.”

If every Texas Baptists church grew by 200 members, Howe said, and Texas Baptists started 500 churches that each grew to at least 200 people, the growth would equal about 1.1 million, “and we’d be ecstatic,” he said. “But if Texas grows by 20 million, and we’ve added a million, we’ve missed 95 percent of the lost people in Texas.”

Additionally, Howe outlined the habits and expectations of millennials and Gen Z. Churches must be willing and ready to adapt to all of the changes in populations, demographics and habits, he said.

“The task is large, but we’ve got a big God,” Howe said.

The solution requires churches to change

The solution looks different with each church and each community, Howe said, but it requires change from every church. As Mark Clifton, senior director of replanting for the North American Mission Board, put it: “The community does not exist for your church; your church exists for the community.”

Howe said churches’ leaders must “become adaptive leaders,” alluding to Ted Bolsinger’s book, Canoeing the Mountains. Referencing the journey of Lewis and Clark in the early 19th Century, he noted their understanding of their task changed dramatically when they first sighted the Rocky Mountains.

“As we look at this new Texas that’s coming, what we think we know about church work is what they thought they knew about America until they got to the Rocky Mountains,” Howe said.

Howe suggested pastors and other church leaders must get to know their community, compiling a community profile. Then produce a profile of their church and study the difference. Next, he said, they must build a “strategic bridge” from church to community.

“Start with what you know,” he said. “You know your community. Start paying attention to the movements. What new population is moving in or out? What plants are moving in or shutting down? Where are they building new subdivisions? You’ve got to be considering these things. You’ve got to learn your community and find the leverage points you have.”

Rather than feeling overwhelmed, Howe said Texas Baptists should see the potential.

“We have an incredible opportunity, for the first time ever, to reach a Texas that has never existed,” he said. “Every generation has that. Let’s reach it. Let’s go make a difference in our communities. The world is coming to Texas. We don’t even have to do missions without leaving Texas. We can stay here. Jesus is bringing them to us.

“We can go outside, too. We can do that. … Let’s be part of changing Texas.”

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Jesse Jackson has transferred the presidency of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition to Pastor Frederick D. Haynes III of Dallas, another Black church leader long devoted to civil rights and social activism.

At the coalition’s annual convention in Chicago, Jackson, 81, became president emeritus of the organization he helped create, a decision he made due to an ongoing diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, according to the coalition. Haynes, 62, was introduced as the new president on July 16.

“I am looking forward to this next chapter where I will continue to focus on economic justice, mentorship, and teaching ministers how to fight for social justice,” said Jackson, in a statement. “I will still be very involved in the organization and am proud that we have chosen Rev. Dr. Haynes as my successor.”

The coalition’s history dates to 1966, when Martin Luther King Jr. appointed Jackson to direct the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, boycotting white businesses that did not employ Black Americans.

In 1971, Jackson founded PUSH, which first stood for People United to Save Humanity and later People United to Serve Humanity, according to the coalition’s website. In 1996, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition formed from the merger of PUSH with the National Rainbow Coalition, creating a civil rights organization with an aim for economic and educational equality.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the coalition’s convention on Sunday as the transfer of power became official. She recalled Jackson’s early days of activism at a sit-in that sought to desegregate a local library in his South Carolina hometown, his work to gain freedom for American hostages overseas, and his role in his own presidential campaigns and those of Presidents Obama and Biden.

“So, more than 60 years after that first sit-in at that library in Greenville, Rev has remained tireless in the fight to expand voting rights, to encourage innovation and partnerships across the continent of Africa, and to secure economic justice for all Americans,” she said in remarks at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, where she also expressed confidence in Haynes’ leadership.

Haynes committed to justice and equality

Haynes, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas for four decades, often has spoken at coalition events. He will continue to serve as the church’s senior pastor as he leads the organization.

The megachurch pastor and Jackson appeared together at a 2021 protest at the U.S. Capitol that sought a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, immigration reform and voting rights.

They both signed on to a February letter from faith leaders to President Biden seeking an executive order to create a commission to study reparations for African Americans.

“As a student of Rev. Jackson’s, I am honored to be selected for this prestigious and important position,” Haynes said. “Our communities need organizations like Rainbow PUSH to not only continue the fight for justice and equality, but to shepherd the next generation of advocates into the movement.”

Haynes earned a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a Doctorate in Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., where he is studying African American preaching and sacred rhetoric.

Leader in community, advocate for education

He serves on the board of trustees of Paul Quinn College, where he has served as an adjunct professor. He also has taught college courses and led workshops at Texas Christian University, McCormick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick Theological Seminary and other schools.

In 2011, Haynes was the featured speaker at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Prayer Breakfast. In 2012, Ebony Magazine named him to its Power 100 list of most influential African Americans. He was also inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2016, Haynes was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Haynes has led Friendship-West to donate more than $1 million dollars to historically Black colleges and universities. In addition, Friendship-West has donated more than $2 million in scholarship aid to students who are members of the church and the greater Dallas community.

Faith and political leaders expressed gratitude for Jackson’s leadership in response to the announcement he was ending his time as coalition president.

Biden called him “a man of God and of the people; determined, strategic, and unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our nation.”

Former President Clinton, in a tweet, said, “Rev. Jesse Jackson never faltered in the fight for justice, equality, and peace, always keeping hope alive.”

Chuck Currie, a United Church of Christ minister in Oregon, recalled welcoming Jackson to Portland 35 years ago when he supported Jackson’s second presidential campaign.

“Without Jesse Jackson, there likely would have been no Barack Obama,” he said in an Instagram post describing Jackson’s trailblazing campaigns. “As a presidential candidate and President of Rainbow PUSH, Rev. Jackson helped set the nation’s moral tone.”

Al Sharpton, who served as youth director of Operation Breadbasket as a teen, spoke of Jackson’s influence on other leaders and national organizations. In a statement, the National Action Network president called his mentor’s decision “the pivoting of one of the most productive, prophetic, and dominant figures in the struggle for social justice in American history.”

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp.

MCALLEN—When asked to approve a motion calling on the Baptist General Convention of Texas to help churches “interested in calling and employing women in ministerial and pastoral roles,” messengers to the BGCT annual meeting instead adopted an amended motion referring to “women in ministry and leadership roles.”

During the Tuesday business session of the annual meeting in McAllen, Matthew Richard, pastor of First Baptist Church in Llano and chair of the committee on the annual meeting, reported the committee considered “out of order” two motions related to women in ministry introduced the previous day.

Meredith Stone, a messenger from Calvary Baptist Church in Waco and executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, had introduced a motion that the BGCT “affirm women in all ministry and pastoral roles, and that the BGCT Executive Board be instructed to have staff create programs, resources and advocacy initiatives to assist churches in affirming, appointing and employing women in ministerial and pastoral roles.”

Richard explained the committee considered Stone’s motion in violation of Article 1, Section 2 of the BGCT constitution.

It states: “This Convention is and always shall remain, only and solely a medium through which Baptist churches may work harmoniously in cooperation with each other, promoting the work and objects set forth in this constitution. It has not, to any degree, and shall never have any ecclesiastical authority. It shall not have and shall never attempt to exercise a single attribute of power or authority over any church, or over the messengers of the churches in such wise as to limit the sovereignty of the churches, but shall recognize the sovereignty of the churches under the one Sovereign, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Stone told the Baptist Standard she had consulted an attorney and a parliamentarian who did not consider her original motion in violation of the convention’s constitution. She also noted both the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and American Baptist Churches affirm women in ministry and pastoral roles, while also stating they do not exercise ecclesiastical authority over churches.

Revised motion presented, debated

However, she presented a revised motion on Tuesday the committee found in order: “I move that the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board be instructed to have staff create programs, resources, and initiatives to assist churches in affirming, appointing, and employing women in ministerial and pastoral roles.”

The motion sparked extended debate. Some messengers spoke against women occupying “pastoral roles.”

Alex Guerra, pastor of Bateman Baptist Church in Red Rock, asserted the Bible clearly teaches the principle of “male leadership,” and he said churches that support women pastors are “in rebellion against the word of God.”

Others asserted the BGCT needed to clearly differentiate itself from the position taken by the Southern Baptist Convention, limiting the pastoral office only to men and ousting churches that have women pastors on staff.

Jill Hudson, messenger from First Baptist Church in Abilene and coordinator of Texas Baptist Women in Ministry, said female students who feel called by God and are preparing for ministry are “unsure where the BGCT stands.”

“Half of the ministers of tomorrow are female,” she said.

Still others stated their personal affirmation of women in all kinds of ministerial roles, but they insisted the motion as presented would be divisive.

Collin Bullard, pastor of First Baptist Church in Longview, said he was “broadly supportive of women in ministry,” and he said Texas Baptists should “make space” for women to serve. However, he acknowledged not all churches view women in ministry the same way.

“This is not an issue we should divide over,” he said.

Amendment offered as alternative

Dustin Slaton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Round Rock, offered an alternative, making a motion “that we request the BGCT Executive Board to resource BGCT staff to continue developing more strategies, resources and advocacy initiatives to assist churches in affirming, appointing and employing women in ministry and leadership roles.”

Slaton said the amended motion commits the BGCT to helping churches that want to affirm and employ women in ministry, but it “still provides room for churches on both sides of the issue to cooperate together for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Stone spoke against the amendment, saying it “substantially changes” the intent of the original motion.

In light of action taken last month at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, women in ministry “have been hurting deeply,” she said. “This is a moment when women in ministry need us.”

Andrew Bedo, pastor of Oak Ridge Baptist Church in San Antonio, said the motion allows the BGCT a way to “straddle the fence” and include churches that hold varied positions on women in ministry.

Hannah Coe, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, asserted the amended motion “doesn’t do what we need to do” in taking “concrete action” to affirm women who feel called to pastoral ministry.

Steve Vernon, messenger from First Baptist Church in Belton and former associate executive director of the BGCT, said he has demonstrated longstanding support for women in ministry throughout his career.

However, he said, “Change happens slowly.”

Vernon voiced support for the amendment over the original motion, saying it “differentiates us from the SBC” and “moves us along” toward providing more opportunities for women without alienating churches that disagree with women in pastoral roles.

The language in the amended motion calling on the BGCT to “continue developing more” strategies and resources also acknowledges what Texas Baptists already are doing, particularly through affiliated universities and seminaries, he said.

‘Women are not a secondary issue’

The amendment passed, leaving Stone saying she felt “disappointed” the convention would not approve a statement that included language about “women in pastoral roles.”

Baptist Women in Ministry subsequently posted a statement on Facebook: “While BWIM is hopeful that the motion will provide measures of support for women ministering and leading in Texas, we are also grieved that the BGCT has communicated that women in pastoral roles of all kinds, are not included among the support the BGCT offers.

“It was also not clear if women in pastoral roles who are targeted by the SBC will be supported by the BGCT.

“BWIM will join with Texas BWIM to continue advocating for the BGCT, as well as all Baptists, to do more to demonstrate full and complete affirmation for women.

“Women are not a secondary issue and are worthy of knowing that they have a home and value among Baptists.”

On Monday, Ellis Orozco, a messenger from First Baptist Church in Richardson, had introduced a motion that the BGCT “uphold the autonomy of the local church to affirm a member church’s authority to call women to congregational and vocational ministry as they, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the guidance of sacred Scripture, see fit.”

The committee on the annual meeting considered the motion out of order because it lacked a specific call to action. The committee consulted with Orozco to draft a motion that it would consider in order. However, after messengers approved Slaton’s amended motion, Orozco chose to rescind his motion.

Note: When the story initially was posted at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the speaker in the ninth paragraph was incorrectly identified as “Alex Meadows.” The paragraph has been corrected to identify him as “Alex Guerra.” The excerpt of Meredith Stone’s revised motion also was replaced with the full text as provided by Stone.

MCALLEN—Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in McAllen introduced two motions related to women in ministry during the July 17 business session.

Meredith Stone, a messenger from Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, introduced a motion that the BGCT “affirm women in all ministry and pastoral roles, and that the BGCT Executive Board be instructed to have staff create programs, resources and advocacy initiatives to assist churches in affirming appointing and employing women in ministerial and pastoral roles.”

Ellis Orozco, a messenger from First Baptist Church in Richardson, introduced a motion that the BGCT “uphold the autonomy of the local church to affirm a member church’s authority to call women to congregational and vocational ministry as they, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the guidance of sacred Scripture, see fit.”

President Julio Guarneri referred both motions to the committee on the annual meeting for consideration at the second business session of the annual meeting on Tuesday, July 18.

Contrast to SBC action

Both motions stand in sharp contrast to actions taken last month during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, where messengers upheld the ouster of two congregations—Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and Saddleback Church in Southern California—for allowing women to serve as pastor.

Messengers to the SBC also granted initial approval to a constitutional amendment that limits the office of pastor to men. The amendment—which stipulates a cooperating Southern Baptist church “affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture”—requires two-thirds approval at two consecutive annual meetings. So, it will face a second vote at the 2024 SBC annual meeting.

In an opinion article published in the Baptist Standard last week, Stone noted both the BGCT and the Baptist General Association of Virginia “hold unique positions as state Baptist conventions that endorse local church autonomy with regard to women’s roles in leadership as ministers and pastors.”

Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, asserted, “In moments like these, neutrality is not enough.”

“Pointing to local church autonomy is the equivalent of taking a neutral position on women in ministry. When a neutral position is taken on any issue of oppression, the dominant position and practice simply continues. When we are silent, nothing changes,” Stone insisted.

Orozco, in an interview with the Baptist Standard, said he introduced his motion to accomplish two goals—“to affirm the high role of women in ministry of women in our churches who serve in myriad ways and to affirm the actions of every local church to call anyone to any position.”

“It is a decision left to the local church, not mandated by a convention,” he said.

In other business, messengers to the BGCT:

• Re-elected Guarneri, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, to a second one-year term as president and elected Ronny Marriott, pastor of First Baptist Church in Burleson, as first vice president.

Messengers marked ballots to determine the outcome of the only contested race—between Debbie Potter, minister of children at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, and Glenn Lackey, layman at Canyon Creek Baptist Church in Temple and co-founder of the First Blessings ministry. Results will be announced during the July 18 business session.

Two officers were elected by unanimous consent—Bernie Spooner from Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving as secretary of the corporation and David Cozart from Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Waco as registration secretary.

• Heard a report on actions taken by the BGCT Executive Board presented by Chair Bobby Contreras. He reported the board voted to create a task force to study and recommend responses to sexual abuse issues in Texas Baptist churches. The nine-member task force will include three Executive Board members, three Texas Baptist pastors who are not on the board and three licensed counselors who are not on the board.

The Executive Board report included action taken in executive session on May 23 to declare two congregations—Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio and Second Baptist Church in Lubbock—outside of “harmonious cooperation” with the convention for not complying with the BGCT position on human sexuality.

• Approved new relationship agreements with Hendrick Medical Center and the Baptist Standard.

The relationship agreement with Hendrick Medical Center calls for the BGCT to elect no more than 20 percent of the medical center’s board of directors. Currently, messengers to the BGCT annual meeting elect 75 percent of the board. The agreement calls for all board members to be members of BGCT-supporting churches.

The relationship agreement with the Baptist Standard states the BGCT and the Baptist Standard remain “autonomous and independent organizations.” The BGCT will continue to elect a simple majority of the Baptist Standard’s board of directors, and the agreement stipulates all directors on the board will be “members in good standing” of Baptist churches.

• Approved a slate of nominations from the Committee on Nominations for Boards of Affiliated Ministries, the Committee to Nominate Executive Board Directors and the Committee on Committees.

MCALLEN—In its earliest days, devotion and generosity characterized Christ’s church—the household of God, Ellis Orozco told the opening session of Texas Baptists’ Family Gathering in McAllen.

Those same things to which the first century Christians were devoted and the same areas in which they demonstrated generosity should mark the family of God today, he insisted.

Orozco, a longtime Texas Baptist pastor and now public theologian in residence at Stark College and Seminary and coach to pastors with Karooso Ministries, spoke about his own family of origin.

As Orozco preached in English, Jesse Rincones, executive director of Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas, translated the sermon into Spanish.

Orozco recalled his grandfather, who left Monterrey, Mexico, in 1919 and moved to Texas. His grandfather eventually built a home and raised nine children in a small house on five acres at the end of a caliche road south of Houston.

In time, the entire extended family—Orozco’s parents, his father’s brothers and sisters, and their wives and children—all built homes along that caliche road.

When two of his father’s brothers died, Orozco recalled how his dad provided for the two young widows and helped raise their children, eventually putting three girls through college.

When Orozco grew up and asked his father why he had sacrificed so much and given so much for children who were not his own, he replied: “They’re family. That’s what you do for family.”

Likewise, the early church lived as family—a household deeply devoted to the Scriptures, to fellowship, to remembering Jesus through the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Orozco again recalled his grandfather’s words to him: “Never forget who you are and where you came from. Never forget your people.”

The same holds true for the household of God, he asserted.

“We are forgetful creatures. We need to be reminded,” Orozco said. “Never forget who you are in Christ. Never forget who your family is in Christ.”

Demonstrating generosity

The household of God as seen in Acts 2 demonstrated generosity in four ways, he noted:

• Sharing resources. Many who became followers of Christ were ostracized by their communities and disowned by their families, Orozco said.

“The church—their new family—was the only family they had left, the only community they had left,” he said.

The church provided for its members quite naturally, Orozco observed, noting the lesson he learned from his father.

“That’s what family does. We take care of each other,” he said.

• Giving to those in need. The household of God willingly sold their goods to meet the real needs of others as prompted by the Holy Spirit, he noted.
• Indiscriminate hospitality. The early Christians went to the temple court, where they knew people were gathered, and issued blanket invitations to fellowship meals in their own homes.
• Sharing Jesus with the world. Jesus provided the greatest imaginable evangelistic strategy the night he washed his disciples’ feet, commanded them to do the same, and told them the world would know they were his followers by the love they showed to one another, Orozco said.

“When the world looks at your church, what do they see? Do they see a church with arms open wide, or a church with clenched fists, fighting each other and fighting the world?” he asked.

Serve the Savior, not fight culture wars

Rather than see people in the world as enemies who must be defeated in a culture war, Christ’s church is called to show the love of Jesus, he insisted.

“I’m not called by God to save our culture or to preserve some nostalgic view of the American dream. … I’m not called to fight some culture war. I’m called to serve the one who said to love one another, to love your enemies and to turn the other cheek,” Orozco said.

“All empires will fade away. All manmade institutions will die. But Jesus will still reign. The church will still live on.”

Christians are called to “do the hard thing” and take a courageous “leap of faith” into the kind of life Christ demonstrated, he asserted.

“In our polarized world, it’s difficult to choose love over hate, hospitality over discrimination, kindness over acrimony, and prayer over criticism. It’s hard,” he said.

It takes courage to “stand with the oppressed, the marginalized and the foreigner,” he acknowledged.

“But if you muster the courage to do it, you find yourself in good company.”

The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on authorities in India to stop ongoing violence in the northeastern state of Manipur, where more than 250 houses of worship have been destroyed or damaged.

The resolution “strongly urges the Indian authorities to take all necessary measures and make the utmost effort to promptly halt the ongoing ethnic and religious violence, to protect all religious minorities, such as Manipur’s Christian community, and to preempt any further escalation.”

It calls for “India’s central government and all political actors and religious leaders to take urgent action to restore calm and ensure an inclusive dialogue involving civil society and the affected communities.”

The European Parliament resolution calls on authorities “to allow independent investigations into the violence,” urges an end to an internet shutdown in the region, and demands the government “grant unhindered access to humanitarian aid providers, international observers and journalists.”

More than 120 killed in two violent months

Up to 50,000 people have been displaced and more than 1,700 homes seriously damaged or destroyed since violence flared up in Manipur more than two months ago. About 120 people have been killed.

The resolution notes “accounts of partisan involvement by security forces in the killings have increased distrust in the authorities.”

Conflict between the Kuki, a predominantly Christian ethnic group in Manipur, and the Meitei, who are mostly Hindu, began as a political dispute over land rights. The oil belt beneath Manipur—particularly in the hill country occupied by the Kuki tribe—is estimated at 8 trillion cubic feet.

Riots first broke out in response to May 3 protests calling on the government to grant scheduled tribe status to the Meitei people. Scheduled tribes have constitutionally granted property protection, and tribal members have access to political representation, educational benefits and affirmative action in employment.

Adina Portaru, senior counsel for ADF International in Brussels, global partner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, welcomed the resolution by the European Parliament.

“The ongoing religious freedom crisis we are seeing throughout India has erupted into violent destruction and chaos in Manipur,” Portaru said.

“It’s long past time for India to not only address the situation in Manipur, but also it must eradicate any laws and policies that obstruct freedom of religion. Our prayers are with the people of India.”

Both ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘religious persecution’

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reported India’s government, led by the Bharatiya Janatra Party, has supported discriminatory policies—including anti-conversion laws—that severely restrict the religious freedom of minorities.

The commission repeatedly has recommended the U.S. Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern for engaging in “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations” of religious freedom.

Pastor Thong Lun of Greater Houston Burmese Christian Fellowship and his congregation have a longstanding ministry among refugees from Myanmar who live in northeast India.

Thong has maintained close contact with sources there, and he characterizes the situation as both “ethnic cleansing” and “religious persecution.” He characterized the situation as “complicated and difficult for anyone on the outside to understand.”

“The Meitei Hindu nationalists are determined to wipe out the tribal Kuki Christians from the land,” Thong told the Baptist Standard last month. “But the mobs also are destroying Meitei Christian churches and killing their own people who are Christians.”

SEAGOVILLE—After a lifetime of serving others, an elderly couple living in Seagoville had their well-worn home blessed by the service of a nearby church, their community and Texas Baptist Men volunteers.

Gary Carrier worked as a plumber and provided service to others earlier in his life, said John Hanson, project coordinator. Since then, Carrier has retired and suffers from moderate Alzheimer’s, which has caused difficulty in maintaining his own home.

Gary and Yvonne Carrier’s daughter, Tammy Norton, often sent contractors to assess the house’s condition and determine the cost of restoring it to decent shape.

However, most contractors offered services that would only partially repair issues or would give an estimate that exceeded what the couple could afford.

‘The Lord has been so faithful’

Norton voiced her frustrations to her in-laws, John and Cherlyn Hanson. With time, Norton said, “I surrendered it, and the Lord has been so faithful.”

The Hansons wanted to help the Carriers. They knew they needed to start with their church, Central Baptist in Crandall, which happens to be where David Wells, TBM state director of disaster relief, also is a member.

Hanson came to the church’s Great Commandment Team, and the group agreed to pray and work with him in pursuing the project, Wells said. Various church members donated siding, windows, flooring, paint and other materials and labor. TBM installed drywall.

“I saw God’s hands all over this as a lot of people became the hands and feet of Jesus, coming together to make the impossible possible,” Wells said.

When the project began, the house’s condition was almost unlivable. Pier and beam floors had completely worn away from termites.

“The decking completely rotted—so much that if someone walked on it, they could fall through,” said Curt Neal, director of TBM’s Collin County rebuild team.

Water damage had impacted drywall and wiring throughout the home, Hanson noted.

 “With time, the wiring could have caused a fire,” he said.

Additionally, windows throughout the house had no insulation, leaving the elderly couple feeling extreme weather conditions throughout the year. Ultimately, the house was in horrible condition and needed a miracle.

‘There’s nothing that God won’t help us do’

Although it was a huge challenge, Hanson said, “There’s nothing that God won’t help us do.”

Beginning May 15, about a dozen volunteers came to work on the house. Each volunteer gave up countless hours to serve the Carriers.

“Many volunteers have never served with TBM, yet their efforts made a significant difference,” said Rupert Robbins, associate director of disaster relief.

TBM volunteers hung and taped 75 drywall sheets around the house in five days. Church volunteers put in all-new floor beams.

Norton was impressed by how the team was “thinking about my parents’ needs and making the home handicap accessible for them. They have gone above and beyond.”

Volunteers built a laundry room, installed an easily accessible shower, installed new siding around the exterior, insulated windows and installed new electrical wiring throughout the house.

‘Display the love of Jesus’

Church members, friends and family covered all expenses needed to complete the rebuild for the Carriers, Neal said.

“Many people donated everything for this project, because this couple had no resources to complete it on their own,” Neal said. “The ultimate purpose of this project was to display the love of Jesus to such a deserving couple.”

The house will be like new in the coming weeks, and the Carriers will not have spent a penny. Norton said here parents “are overwhelmed and grateful beyond belief.”

Faith Dawood is a communications intern serving this summer with Texas Baptist Men. 

Devereux Cockrell to First Baptist Church in Olton as youth pastor from Phoenix, where he attended Grand Canyon University.

Meghan Hendrickson to the Baptist General Convention of Texas as director of the Baptist Student Ministry at Dallas Baptist University from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, where she was minister to women and discipleship resource director.

Stephen Stookey to the Baptist General Convention of Texas as director of theological education from Wayland Baptist University, where he was dean of the School of Christian Studies and professor of religion, church history and theology.

Dallas Baptist University recognized Beautiful Feet Ministries in Dallas at its Community Partnership Luncheon. Beautiful Feet has served more than 135,000 meals to the homeless, and its facility is open 359 days a year. Within the past year, 3,800 volunteers have served with the ministry. Beautiful Feet holds daily worship services in the inner-city and serves two meals a day, seven days a week. Showers and laundry services are offered to the homeless, and clothing is given to the needy every Sunday. Beautiful Feet also offers no-cost dental and medical clinics each week. DBU students have served with Beautiful Feet since 2005. Mike Myers, a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is pastor, director and co-founder of Beautiful Feet.

Baylor University President Linda Livingstone will chair the Big 12 board of directors for the next two years. She succeeds Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, whose two-year term expired June 30.

Buckner International and Andrews University signed a memorandum of understanding to provide university students with experiential learning opportunities through Buckner volunteer and humanitarian aid projects. Beginning in September, Students will participate in community service and learn about ministry and service in the context of Buckner’s mission-driven outreach to vulnerable children, families and seniors. Opportunities may include advertising employment opportunities with Buckner, creating credit and non-credit opportunities for students, mission trips and involvement with Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. The collaboration also will offer professional development and graduate study and degree options for Buckner staff.  “This initiative allows both organizations to excel at what we do best,” said Albert Reyes, CEO and president of Buckner International, who earned his doctorate in leadership from Andrews University in 2009. “Buckner will support Andrews University with opportunities for its students to follow the example of Jesus through service to others, while Andrews will offer Buckner employees the chance to grow their leadership skills through an exceptional program. Our Buckner leaders are definitely ready for this. Andrews is uniquely poised to help Buckner develop its talent and build leadership capacity for the future.”

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President David Dockery named W. Madison Grace II as provost and vice president for academic administration and as dean of the School of Theology. Grace has served as interim dean since January. Dockery also named former missionary Dean Sieberhagen, associate professor of Islamic studies, as interim dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, and he named Carl J. Bradford, associate professor of evangelism, as interim associate dean of the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—For the past decade, a handful of megachurches have dominated worship music, churning out hits such as “Goodness of God,” “What a Beautiful Name,” “King of Kings” and “Graves Into Gardens.”

Although churches like Australia-based Hillsong and Bethel Church in California have met with scandal and controversy, worship leaders still keep singing their songs.

A new study released July 11 found few worship leaders avoid songs from Hillsong and Bethel, two of the so-called Big Four megachurches that dominate modern worship music.

The study revealed most worship leaders connect with songs because they’ve experienced them firsthand at a conference or by listening to them online, or because a friend or church member recommended them, rather than seeing the song at the top of the charts or on a list of new songs.

Elias Dummer, a Christian musician turned marketer who is part of the research team behind the study, said most worship leaders think they have good reasons for picking the songs they use in worship. But they may not be aware of how social forces—like the popularity of certain churches—affect their choices.

“While people say that they care about the songs, they pick the same four churches over and over again,” Dummer said.

The new study is based on a survey of more than 400 church worship leaders in the United States and Canada conducted in the fall of 2022, drawn from both social media groups of worship leaders and an email list from a major music publisher.

How do worship leaders select music?

Worship leaders were asked what they thought about the pace of new music being produced, how they picked new songs, what they thought the motivations were behind new songs and whether they’d pick a song—or avoid it—based on the artist or church that produced it.

Only 16 percent of worship leaders said they were less likely to choose a song with ties to Hillsong, while about 1 in 4 said they were less likely to choose songs with ties to Bethel (27 percent).

More than half of worship leaders said they were likely to choose songs with ties to Hillsong (62 percent) while nearly half (48 percent) said they were likely to choose songs with ties to Bethel.

Researchers also found recommendations from friends on social media (54 percent), congregation members (56 percent) and church leaders (76 percent) made it more likely that worship leaders would choose a song. Hearing a song at a live event (76 percent) or streaming online (70 percent) also made it more likely they’d choose a song.

“The most influential factors in discovering a new worship song are peer endorsements and personal experiences,” the study indicated. “Worship leaders mainly trust their friends and fellow church leaders to provide them with song recommendations.”

Just under half (47 percent) of those worship leaders were concerned about the number of new songs available for churches to sing. The study found the big four churches release about 40 to 50 new songs each year, on top of the hundreds of songs available from other sources—from modern hymn writers to artists on YouTube.

About 40 percent said there is a bit too much new music, while a small number (4 percent) said they were “completely overwhelmed” by new music. A quarter (27 percent) said they could handle more music.

That last number surprised research team member Marc Jolicoeur, worship and creative pastor at Moncton Wesleyan Church in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

“We can’t exactly say why they would want more songs, whether that means they’re looking for more diverse theological views, for more diverse styles, or more diverse voices,” he said.

What inspires new worship songs?

Only a third of worship leaders thought songs were written with the needs of local churches in mind, while slightly more thought songs were divinely inspired.

Just over half (57 percent) thought songs were inspired by something that happened in a writer’s life. Few believed songwriters wrote songs out of obligation to a contract.

For his part, Dummer said worship songwriters likely do have contractual obligations to meet—and it is unlikely they have moments of personal spiritual inspiration for all of the songs they write.

“There’s a lot of throwing things against the wall,” he said.

Still, it’s more likely that worship songwriters are writing from personal experience than from trying to communicate theological principles, said research team member Shannan Baker, a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor University. That’s in part because it would be easy to get things wrong by using the wrong phrase or word.

Baker said she’d done some interviews with writers who said they often start writing sessions with other musicians by talking about what’s going on in their life and seeing if a theme emerges. Despite the popularity of megachurch-driven hit music, worship leaders often consider songs on a case-by-case basis, rather than thinking about where those songs came from, she said.

Glenn Packiam, a former worship leader and songwriter turned pastor, said understanding how songs get written—or how they get chosen for worship—is a complicated task. And it often starts by trying to figure out what song, or what message, works best in a local congregation.

“Our No. 1 priority was to write songs for the people in our church,” said Packiam, who led worship for years at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. “We wanted to write songs that helped the church find language for the various experiences that we’re going through.”

 He pointed to a song called “Overcome,” written by Jon Egan, a colleague of his at New Life in the early 2000s. That song became a rallying cry for the church when New Life pastor Ted Haggard resigned in scandal and later, when the congregation was reeling from a shooting at the church.

“That song ended up being a gift for our church,” he said.

Packiam, now pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, Calif., went on to study worship music as a ritual while earning his doctorate.

Once songs go out into the world, they will mean different things in different contexts, Packiam said. They may provide comfort to those grieving or inspiration to those facing a challenge. The songs have a life of their own once people begin to sing them in worship.

Packiam believes there are more than consumer forces at work in worship songs.

“I don’t want to look at a particular song or a particular church that’s making music and say, ‘Oh gosh, it’s just a conglomerate machine,’” he said. “What if the Lord is blessing this and causing it to produce fruit?”