Helen Grace O’Dell of Amarillo, longtime missions volunteer and pastor’s wife, died May 26. She was 88. She was born to John McKinley and Evvie Maybelle Jones Cagle in Wister, Okla., on Jan. 15, 1934. She grew up in the First Baptist Church of Wister, trusted Jesus Christ as her Savior at age 9 and was baptized in nearby Caston Creek. She felt called by God to special ministry in her teens. She graduated from Wister High School in 1951 and attended Poteau Junior College. She met her future husband, William H. O’Dell, at First Baptist Church of Wister after he returned from serving in the Korean War. They married there Dec. 20, 1952. She then completed her associate degree before they moved to Waco for her husband to attend Baylor University. When he was pastor of churches in Oklahoma, California and Texas, she served many roles in church planting, missions and ministry support. Along the way, the couple had four children, and she earned both bachelor and master degrees from Wayland Baptist University. She worked at Air Force bases in Waco and Big Spring, and she served 24 years at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Amarillo, retiring as assistant chief of information management. She also volunteered for many years at the Perkins Center Buchanan Street Chapel, a mission of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, worked in Woman’s Missionary Union, mentored in the Christian Women’s Job Corps, taught English as a Second Language, and served alongside her husband in his interim pastorates. She delighted in the “Discussion Class” at First Baptist Church in Amarillo that she and her husband began in 2007. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years in June 2021. She is survived by daughter Karen O’Dell Bullock and her husband John of Granbury; daughter Kandi O’Dell Pruitt of Iowa Park; daughter Kathy O’Dell of Amarillo; son William O’Dell Jr. and his wife Amy of Stephenville; 12 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Virginia Corby, of Heavener, Okla.

WASINGTON (RNS)—Secretary of State Antony Blinken, announcing a new global religious freedom report, said many governments are continuing to disregard the rights and the faiths of their citizens.

The 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom points out both failures and progress across the world on religious freedom, which Blinken called “a vital foreign policy priority” in remarks June 2.

Joined by Rashad Hussain, the new ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Blinken said signs of progress include Morocco’s launch last year of an initiative to feature Jewish history in its public school curriculum and to renovate synagogues, cemeteries and other heritage sites. He also noted Pope Francis’ journey to Iraq for the first papal visit there.

But Blinken said the 2,000-plus-page report notes numerous ways in which freedom of religion needs to be improved.

“From Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia; Jews in Europe; Baha’is in Iran; Christians in North Korea, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia; Muslims in Burma and China; Catholics in Nicaragua; and atheists and humanists around the world, no community has been immune from these abuses,” he said.

Blinken and Hussain, who was confirmed for his role in December, expressed concern about an increase in antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred in many countries, including the United States.

Each year, most recently in November, the department designates “countries of particular concern” that it determines are the most egregious violators of religious freedom. Russia joined the last list that includes Myanmar (also known as Burma), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Hussain said Russia, which began its war against Ukraine more than 100 days ago, has “doubled down on its violations of religious freedom rather than reverse course” since the designation.

“President (Vladimir) Putin sought to justify the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine through the blatantly false pretext of de-Nazification,” he said. “The world clearly sees through this lie and is instead witnessing Russia’s brutal suppression, including suppression of religious leaders and the appalling destruction of religious sites.”

Blinken noted that when the State Department produced its first report in 1998, its religious freedom office was the only government entity focused on such monitoring. He said 35 governments and organizations now have similar offices advocating for religious freedom.

“We’ll keep working alongside other governments, multilateral organizations, civil society to do so, including next month at the United Kingdom’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom,” Hussain said.

MAGEE, Miss. (BP)—A Mississippi pastor who is a sexual abuse survivor will be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention first vice president.

Adam Wyatt announced his intentions to nominate Brad Eubank, senior pastor of Petal First Baptist Church in Petal, Miss., at the 2022 SBC annual meeting June 13-15 in Anaheim, Calif.

“Brad’s conservative commitment to our convention and his passionate spirit of cooperation are exactly what our convention needs,” said Wyatt, pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Magee.

Eubank, 50, has served at Petal First Baptist Church since 2012. He has 32 years of pastoral experience serving churches in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.

Since 2012, Petal First Baptist has increased its Cooperative Program giving from $8,593 to $72,581, according to the 2021 Annual Church Profile. In 2021, the church gave 9.8 percent of its undesignated gifts and offerings to the Cooperative Program.

The church has averaged 21 baptisms per year since 2012, reporting 18 in 2021.

‘Biblically faithful and sensitive’

“As Southern Baptists seek to address the horrifying realities outlined in the task force report, we must have leaders who are both biblically faithful and sensitive to pleas from the survivor community for much-needed reforms,” Wyatt said.

According to the recent Guidepost Solutions report into mishandling of sexual abuse claims, Eubank was sexually abused as a child by a minister of music at a Southern Baptist church in Mississippi.

John Langworthy was sentenced to a 50-year suspended sentence for sex crimes. According to a Sept.16, 2011, story in The Christian Post, Langworthy confessed to members of Morrison Heights Baptist in Clinton, Miss., he had committed “sexual indiscretions with teenage boys in Texas and Mississippi.”

“Rather than asking survivors to stay quiet, we should be encouraging them to speak out,” Wyatt said in a statement. “Rather than keeping their reports of abuse in a secret file in Nashville, we should be inviting survivors to help us fix a broken system.”

Eubank is a graduate of Baylor University and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University.

The only other announced candidate for first vice president is Victor Chayasirisobhon, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Anaheim, Calif.

Un pastor protestante cubano detenido desde que participó en protestas pacíficas en julio pasado ha sido condenado a ocho años de prisión.

La sentencia del pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo fue reconocida en un documento que la Misión Permanente de Cuba en Ginebra envió a las Naciones Unidas.

Fue presentado en respuesta a una solicitud de los Procedimientos Especiales de la ONU —expertos encargados por la ONU de investigar e informar sobre los derechos humanos a nivel mundial— en busca de información sobre el trato del pastor y la detención continua.

Sin embargo, la esposa de Fajardo, Maridilegnis Carballo, no se enteró del destino de su esposo hasta que la organización Christian Solidarity Worldwide (Solidaridad Cristiana Mundial) la contactó.

Acusan al pastor de un ataque violento

El documento del gobierno cubano afirma que Fajardo, pastor de la iglesia interdenominacional Monte de Sion en Palma Soriano, no pertenece a una “iglesia reconocida”. También niega que haya sido víctima de persecución religiosa por parte del Estado.

Durante su detención inicial en las instalaciones de la Seguridad del Estado de Versalles, según los informes, Fajardo fue golpeado y orinado por los guardias y perdió un diente debido al abuso físico. Al mes siguiente fue trasladado al Penal de Máxima Seguridad de Boniato. Fue juzgado en diciembre por los delitos de “desacato”, instigación al delito y desórdenes públicos.

El documento afirma que Fajardo estuvo involucrado en un violento ataque a la sede del Partido Comunista de Cuba en Palma Soriano que dejó varios heridos. Sin embargo, evidencia en video y fotografía muestra a policías armados y miembros de la fuerza paramilitar Black Beret atacando a civiles desarmados, incluido Fajardo, durante una protesta pacífica.

El documento del gobierno también afirma que la esposa de Fajardo fue notificada de la detención de su esposo y se le informó sobre su paradero dentro de las 24 horas. Sin embargo, ella dijo que no pudo confirmar su ubicación durante tres días.

‘Tanta injusticia… tantas mentiras’

CSW, una organización con sede en el Reino Unido centrada en la persecución de los cristianos, informó que la esposa de Fajardo expresó “conmoción y angustia” cuando la organización le informó sobre el documento del gobierno y la sentencia de prisión por ocho años de su esposo.

“No sé si puedo soportar tanta injusticia y tanta mentira”, dijo ella. “Qué doloroso [es] ver la vergonzosa condición del gobierno de esta nación. Hablan de procedimientos y, sin embargo, en su mayoría solo han dicho mentiras”.

Carballo negó enérgicamente la participación de su esposo en actos violentos e insistió en que el estado no presentó pruebas convincentes en su juicio.

“Él no usó la violencia contra nadie, y eso quedó más que claro”, dijo. “Ya ni siquiera tienen la vergüenza de ocultar sus mentiras”.

Organizaciones de derechos humanos piden liberación de pastor

Anna-Lee Stangl, jefa de defensa de CSW, dijo que su organización comparte la “frustración de Carballo por las flagrantes mentiras que constituyen la mayoría de la respuesta del gobierno”.

“Es inconcebible que el gobierno cubano informe a las Naciones Unidas a través de una carta pública de su decisión, aparentemente tomada en diciembre, de condenar al reverendo Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo a ocho años de prisión, antes de informar oficialmente al pastor o a su familia y meses después del hecho”, dijo Stangl.

Ella dijo que CSW pide al gobierno cubano que libere a Fajardo y a todos los demás detenidos en relación con las protestas pacíficas del 11 de julio y que “cesen su acoso a todos los líderes religiosos”.

21Wilberforce, una organización de derechos humanos enfocada en la libertad religiosa internacional, también hizo un llamado al gobierno cubano para que libere a Fajardo y cumpla con su constitución.

Aunque la constitución de Cuba aprobada en 2019 incluye protecciones para la libertad de conciencia y prohíbe la discriminación basada en la religión, la persecución religiosa continúa, dijo Lou Ann Sabatier, directora de comunicaciones de 21Wilberforce.

“El Partido Comunista de Cuba, a través de su oficina de asuntos religiosos y el Ministerio de Justicia del gobierno, continúan controlando la mayoría de los aspectos de la vida religiosa, pero han aumentado la persecución de las personas de fe. Hostigan e intimidan a los líderes religiosos en Cuba mediante campañas de desprestigio, amenazas, detenciones y violencia”, dijo Sabatier.

“Un claro ejemplo es la preocupante noticia de que el pastor Rosales Fajardo, quien ha sufrido por todas estas acciones gubernamentales, ha sido condenado a ocho años de prisión. Y el gobierno no ha comunicado información sobre la sentencia a su familia. 21Wilberforce, junto con la ONU, ONG y grupos religiosos de todo el mundo, pide al gobierno cubano que libere de inmediato al pastor”.

Traducción: Alma E. Varela

Publicado el 12 de abril 2022 en https://baptiststandard.com/news/world/cuban-pastor-sentenced-to-eight-years-in-prison/

WASHINGTON (RNS)—At a morning prayer service on June 3, stunned and shattered worshippers gathered to weep, pray, sing and mourn two young women killed at an Iowa church.

The service was hours after a fatal shooting in the parking lot of Cornerstone Church in Ames, home to Iowa State University. The shooting occurred on the night of the first summer gathering of the Salt Company, a ministry for college students. About 80 students were at the church that night.

Church leaders did not identify the women who were killed, citing the ongoing investigation.

“But I want you to know, even though people aren’t named, it’s not because they’re not known,” Mark Vance, lead pastor of Cornerstone, told mourners during the livestreamed prayer service.

“They’re known. They’re loved and treasured, and that’s why there are tears and there’s grief.”

Vance began the service with a prayer and readings from the Bible, with hymns like “It Is Well With My Soul” mixed in.

“Psalm 34:18 says that God is near to the brokenhearted,” Vance said. “So that might mean that maybe this is the room that God’s closest to in the world right now. Because we’re brokenhearted.”

After Vance spoke, a man who was identified as the father of one of the shooting victims stood up to speak on stage, saying his daughter “walked the walk” in living out her faith.

“I’m proud to have been her father,” he said.

‘Death is so hard, but it is not final’

About 1,300 students attend a weekday worship service at Cornerstone, according to a history on the Salt Company’s website. The ministry grew out of an Iowa State student ministry, which became so large that it led to the founding of Cornerstone in the 1990s. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Salt Company is also connected to a church-planting group called the Salt Network, which partners with the SBC’s North American Mission Board.

During the service, Troy Nesbitt, Cornerstone’s founding pastor, read from several Bible verses about grieving, including John 11:35, which reads simply, “Jesus wept.” He also read a familiar passage from the Book of Revelation, often read at funerals.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,” Nesbitt read. “Death will be no more.”

Before leading the congregation in prayer, Nesbitt tried to give words of comfort, at times nearly overcome with grief.

“Life is so short,” he said. “And death is so hard, but it is not final.”

Shooter bought ammo an hour before shooting

On Friday, the Des Moines Register identified the shooting victims as 21-year-old Vivian Renee Flores and 22-year-old Eden Mariah Montang. The 33-year-old alleged shooter died from “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to the Register.

The two Iowa State students had been walking to the church when the shooter pulled up in a pickup truck to Montang, Flores and another woman just before 7 p.m. Thursday outside Cornerstone Church and began shooting with a 9 mm handgun, investigators said Friday.

The shooter had been involved romantically with Montang and faced a court hearing next week on a charge of harassing her, investigators said. Investigators said they found in his truck 9 mm ammunition and a receipt from a West Des Moines store that showed he bought the ammunition an hour before the shooting.

In a statement posted on the church website, leaders of Cornerstone said they are cooperating with law enforcement officials in the investigation.

“Our hearts break for all involved, and we are praying for everyone affected, especially the family of the victims,” the statement read. “Our Ministry staff are available to support all those impacted, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities as they complete their full investigation.”

Wave of gun violence

The Iowa church shooting comes during a wave of gun violence in the United States. On May 14, 10 people were shot and killed in a Buffalo grocery store; one person was killed and others wounded on May 16 at a Los Angeles church; 21 people, including 19 children, were killed on May 24 in Uvalde; four people were killed in a shooting at a Tulsa medical building on June 1.

On Thursday night, hours before the shooting in Iowa, President Joe Biden addressed gun violence in the nation, recalling his visits to Buffalo and Uvalde in the wake of the shootings there.

“At both places, we spent hours with hundreds of family members who were broken and whose lives will never be the same,” he said. “And they had one message for all of us: Do something. Just do something. For God’s sake, do something.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)—In fiery comments to an online meeting June 2, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee warned that taking steps to prevent abuse in churches would lead to ruin.

“I am terrified that we are breaching our long-standing position of being a voluntary association of independent churches, when we start telling churches that they should do this or do that to protect children or women,” said Joe Knott, a North Carolina attorney and longtime committee member.

When those efforts fail, Knott continued, that will lead to lawsuits.

“I guarantee you women and children are going to be victimized no matter how much—and that is going to make us potentially targets of great class-action lawsuits, which could be the end of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Knott added.

Considering recommendations from Sex Abuse Task Force

Committee members were meeting to consider several recommendations arising from a recent report on how SBC leaders have responded in recent decades to sexual abuse in their churches and other institutions. The report, made by the third-party investigation firm Guidepost Solutions, found leaders at the Executive Committee had focused for decades on trying to protect the SBC from liability for abuse in local churches.

“In service of this goal, survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomy—even if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation,” investigators wrote.

The report also found former SBC President Johnny Hunt had been credibly accused of sexual assault and that Executive Committee staff had kept a list of abusers. Hunt denied any abuse and instead claimed he had a consensual sexual encounter outside his marriage.

In response to the report, an SBC task force on sexual abuse recommended a number of reforms, including starting a website for tracking abuse, offering more training for member churches and adding staff who can facilitate responses to abuse allegations.

The task force asked the Executive Committee to recommend setting aside $3 million to fund such reforms. Knott’s comments came after a vote to amend the proposed SBC budget to provide those funds. That budget will be presented for approval at the SBC’s annual meeting in Anaheim later this month

‘It’s got to be about the people’

Knott’s comments were met with a friendly but firm rebuke by California pastor Rolland Slade, chair of the Executive Committee, who said that one victim of abuse is too many.

“I don’t want us to say, well, we didn’t have enough money and so we, therefore, didn’t protect a little one that was vulnerable,” Slade said. “I know it can’t be about the money. It’s got to be about the people.”

Slade supported the abuse investigation, including a decision to waive attorney-client privilege, which allowed investigators to see communication between committee staffers and their lawyers. The committee’s decision proved crucial in the investigation.

Knott was one of several committee members, most with ties to the Conservative Baptist Network, who opposed waiving privilege. During meetings last fall, he warned that doing so put the SBC at risk.

Before approving the budget amendments, the committee ratified a statement that apologized for past comments made by former Executive Committee vice president David August “Augie” Boto. Boto was singled out in the Guidepost report for dismissing abuse survivors’ complaints and telling one survivor activist in the mid-2000s the Executive Committee did not want to hear from her further.

“The SBC Executive Committee rejects this sentiment in its entirety and seeks to publicly repent for its failure to rectify this position and wholeheartedly listen to survivors,” the committee said in a statement in late May.

A previous vote approving that statement was ruled out of order, prompting the committee to ratify the statement. Knott voted against approving the statement and asked that his no vote be recorded in the minutes.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—After more than four decades, the pastor of one of the nation’s largest and most influential churches is ready to step down. And he has named a young couple to take his place.

“This afternoon, at our all-staff meeting held at the Lake Forest campus, I was finally able to publicly announce that we have found God’s couple to lead our congregation, and that they have agreed to come!” Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren told his Orange County, Calif., congregation in a June 2 email.

The email included a link to a video featuring Warren and his wife, Kay, along with Andy and Stacie Wood of Echo Church in San Jose, Calif. Andy Wood, 40, is currently Echo’s lead pastor, while Stacie Wood is a teaching pastor. They will have the same roles at Saddleback.

‘Take up the baton’

Founded in 2008 as South Bay Church, Echo now has four campuses and draws about 3,000 people to weekly services. Like Saddleback, Echo has ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, though neither church uses the word Baptist in its name. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Andy Wood has also worked with church planters through the SBC’s North American Mission Board.

“Kay and I believe so much in this couple,” Warren said in a statement announcing the transition. “We love them so much, and we are confident that God has prepared and chosen them to take up the baton and run the next leg of the Saddleback marathon.”

The search for a new pastor began last summer, in part because of ongoing health problems for Warren. He told the church last year that he has spinal myoclonus, which causes tremors and blurred vision, and that it has worsened in recent years.

Saddleback leaders spoke with about 100 potential candidates before settling on Wood, who preached at the church earlier this year.

Wood plans to step down as pastor of Echo Church at the end of June and will move to Orange County to begin the transition. The first step will be a conversation between the Warrens and the Woods during services over Father’s Day weekend. In August, the couple will begin attending Saddleback.

The church will celebrate Warren’s ministry during the first few weekends in September. Wood’s first official day as pastor will be Sept. 12.

“For decades, we have admired and respected Pastor Rick and Kay Warren, and their work through the Purpose Driven Church model has been critical,” Wood said in a statement. “We’ve been so blessed by their friendship, and after months of prayer and seeking counsel from others, we believe that God has called us together to step into serving at Saddleback Church.”

‘Time to pass the torch’

In the email to the Saddleback congregation, Warren said he and Kay were filled with love and gratitude for the church and quoted a New Testament verse about fighting the good fight and finishing the race.

“Now it is time for us to pass the torch on to a new generation who will love, lead, and pastor our church family in the decades ahead,” he wrote.

In May 2021, Saddleback made headlines after ordaining three female staffers as pastors—a controversial step for Southern Baptists. The SBC’s statement of faith limits the office of pastor “to men as qualified by Scripture.” But Southern Baptists disagree over whether that applies only to the church’s senior pastor or whether it bars any women from having the title of pastor. They also disagree over whether women can preach in a Sunday service.

At the SBC’s annual meeting, Saddleback was reported to the Credentials Committee, which is charged with deciding whether or not a church is in “friendly cooperation” with the denomination. Though some churches have left the SBC after naming women as pastor, the denomination has never officially removed any church for having a woman pastor.

Decades of influence on evangelical Christianity

Filling Warren’s shoes will be a challenging task, as the current Saddleback pastor has long been one of the most influential Christian leaders in the country, shaping everything from how pastors dress to how they organize and start new churches.

Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University, said megachurch transitions are often a challenge. The higher a megachurch pastor’s profile, the more difficult it is to replace that person.

While megachurches can continue after a founding pastor leaves, it’s not an easy transition.

“It will not be the same place without Warren,” Thumma said.

Wood’s success, Thumma said, will depend in part on whether Warren can let go of the church and allow a new pastor to take over and chart his own course. But Thumma observed that Warren has taken steps in the past to allow others to lead at Saddleback. He does not preach every Sunday and has been what Thumma called “a thoughtful leader.”

Thumma said the Warrens have been a positive model of what pastors can be during what is a difficult time for church leaders. They’ve avoided scandal and have been honest about their struggles. For the most part, they’ve avoided the culture wars and partisan feuds that have caused many to lose faith in religious leaders.

End of a remarkable career in ministry

Warren’s retirement will mark the end of a remarkable career in ministry.

After graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in December 1979, Warren and his wife, along with a 4-month-old baby, packed up their belongings and moved to the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, then one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States.

In his 1995 book, The Purpose Driven Church, Warren described poring over demographic and census data in the summer of 1979, searching out the right place to start a new church—stopping only to call his wife a few times a day to see if she had gone into labor.

One day, Warren said, he had a revelation after seeing the data on Saddleback Valley, saying God spoke to him and told him to plant a church there.

“It didn’t matter that I had no money, no members, and had never even seen the place,” he wrote. “From that moment on, our destination was a settled issue. God had shown me where he was going to make some waves, and I was going to have the ride of a lifetime.”

The church launched on Easter Sunday 1980, with a crowd of about 200 people in a rented space at the Laguna Hills High School in Orange County, and never looked back.

By 1992, the church had grown to 6,000 and bought a 74-acre site the church still calls home. The church is now one of the largest congregations in the country, drawing more than 23,000 worshippers, meeting in more than a dozen locations.

The church, though Southern Baptist, downplayed culture war battles and eschewed traditional church culture for a more casual, come-as-you-are approach to worship, one newcomers could easily embrace. In the early days, Warren was known for preaching in a Hawaiian shirt—prompting a new fashion trend among pastors.

Saddleback also was the birthplace of Celebrate Recovery, a Christian 12-step inspired program to help people deal with their “hurts, hang-ups and habits.” The program has been adopted by tens of thousands of churches around the country.

Warren became a household name in 2002 with the publication of The Purpose Driven Life, a runaway bestseller. The success of the book allowed him to “reverse tithe” by giving away most of his income.

Responded to AIDS, poverty and war

In the mid-2000s, prompted in large part by Kay, Warren and the church became active in responding to the global AIDS pandemic and to addressing poverty overseas, in particular in war-torn Rwanda. He later also wrote a popular diet book called The Daniel Plan, prompted by his own weight loss.

Though conservative, Warren has avoided some of the partisanship associated with evangelical pastors. In 2008, he hosted a presidential candidate forum with Barack Obama and John McCain, then rivals for the presidency, and later gave the invocation at Obama’s first inauguration.

In 2013, Warren’s youngest son, Matthew, died at 27 after years of struggle with mental illness. The family shared openly about their loss and, in the years after Matthew’s death, have become advocates for addressing mental health and ministering to those affected by suicide.

From his early days of starting Saddleback, Warren hoped to spend his entire ministry at the church. One of his heroes as a young pastor was W.A. Criswell, who spent five decades as pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, and Warren hoped to emulate Criswell’s tenure.

“It was my promise to God and to you, God’s people,” Warren said last summer. “It was my way of saying: ‘You don’t need to worry about me leaving when times get tough for you. I’m here for the duration. I’m going to give my life to this church. I’m going to stick with you,’ and I kept the promise.”

Nebiye Kelile, pastor of both Pathway Church and Orchard Hills Baptist Church in Garland, will be nominated for first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

David Foster, the groups and connections pastor at Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, will nominate Kelile, incumbent BGCT second vice president, at Texas Baptists’ annual meeting in Waco, Nov. 13-15.

Kelile is able to “bridge multiple groups” culturally and generationally, Foster said.

“He is the pastor of two different congregations in the same location that are reaching two completely different demographics,” Foster said. “There are not many who are able to do that, and he can do it quite well.”

Ethiopian Evangelical Baptist Church sponsors Pathway Church—a cross-cultural start-up congregation geared toward Millennials and Generation Z—and is the host site for Orchard Hills Baptist Church, a traditional congregation comprised primarily of senior adult Anglos.

Foster praised Kelile as a gifted preacher who can “apply the word of God to the people of God,” and as an important young voice in Texas Baptist life.

“He is a receptive learner while also being a strategic thinker,” Foster said.

‘A good season’ to take on new tasks

Kelile was born in Ethiopia but grew up in California, where his family moved when he was 2 years old. He helped an immigrant church in Sacramento develop an English-language ministry to reach and disciple the next generation before moving to the Dallas area to start Pathway Church.

Half a year into his term as BGCT second vice president, Kelile agreed to allow his nomination as first vice president, noting it is “a good season” to take on additional responsibilities, both in terms of his family and his two congregations.

He noted the two congregations in recent months have begun collaborating “on kingdom business”—not only enjoying fellowship, but working on purposeful missions initiatives and leadership development.

That’s the kind of cross-cultural, multigenerational, cooperative work Kelile likes to see in Texas Baptist life.

“I love to serve, and I love being a part of something bigger than myself,” he said. “It is wonderful to be part of a convention that is about seeking to accomplish its vision and mission together.”

‘Healthy churches … need healthy leaders’

As the pastor of a church filled with Millennials and Generation Z, many of whom did not grow up in Baptist churches, he wants members of Pathway Church to become more aware of Texas Baptists and involved in convention life.

At the same time, he wants the BGCT to continue the initial steps it has taken to respond to the concerns and facilitate the involvement of Millennial and Generation Z pastors in Texas Baptist life.

Kelile noted he is encouraged by Texas Baptists’ emphasis on church health and leadership development.

“The church needs to think about its future, and if we’re going to have healthy churches, they need healthy leaders,” he said.

Particularly in light of recent news about sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, he wants Texas Baptists to “make sure we have integrity in our own ministries.”

“We can’t exempt ourselves from what we see in the national convention. Our priorities as shepherds and church leaders need to be in order,” he said.

Kelile is optimistic about what lies ahead for Texas Baptists.

“I am excited for what the future holds,” he said.

Kelile and his wife Hiwot have four children—Lydia, Daniel, Haset and Zaema.

NASHVILLE (RNS)—A Southern Baptist task force has asked the denomination to set up a “Ministry Check” website to track abusive pastors, church employees and volunteers and to spend millions on reforms to prevent abuse and care for survivors.

Most of the suggested reforms are voluntary. Some could involve years of study and preparation, prompting a skeptical response from some abuse survivors and advocates.

Those requests for reforms, released June 1, would also include hiring a national staff person who would receive reports of abuse and forward them to church leaders for a response; increasing training for churches; doing background checks on the trustees who oversee Southern Baptist entities; and encouraging state conventions to consider hiring staff to respond to abuse allegations.

Those requests are part of a series of recommendations from the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse task force, which oversaw a recent investigation into how leaders in the 13.7 million-member convention have responded to abuse.

That investigation found that leaders of the SBC’s Executive Committee had shown callous disregard for abuse survivors—often demonizing or ignoring them—while working at all costs to protect the denomination from liability.

Two sets of recommendations proposed

In response to the report, the task force has proposed two sets of recommendations.

The first set of requests—made to the Executive Committee, state conventions and other Baptist entities—are voluntary. That may make them ineffective, said Christa Brown, an abuse survivor and longtime activist, who called the task force’s recommendations disappointing.

“I don’t give much credence to suggestions and requests, because they are toothless,” she said.

The task force also will ask messengers to approve an abuse reform implementation task force during the SBC’s annual meeting. That task force would study abuse reforms recommended by Guidepost Solutions, the firm that ran the abuse investigation, and then report back in 2023. Among the Guidepost suggestions is creating a fund to care for survivors.

“They are kicking the can down the road,” Brown said. “I am gutted.”

If approved, the task force would serve for three years and would act “as a resource in abuse prevention, crisis response, and survivor care to Baptist bodies who voluntarily seek assistance.”

The task force would also work with the SBC’s Executive Committee and Credentials Committee, which has the power to remove from the SBC churches that mishandle abuse.

Success may depend on next SBC president

Indiana pastor Todd Benkert, who played a key role in getting the abuse investigation approved during the 2021 SBC annual meeting, supports the recommendations, calling them a good first step toward addressing abuse.

He said it was important for messengers to approve the recommendations at this year’s meeting. Benkert said the success of those recommendations may be determined by the outcome of the SBC presidential race. Implementing any reform will take time and intentionality, he said.

“It won’t make any difference to vote for a new task force if we don’t also vote for a president that is willing to appoint people that support reform,” he said.

The current task force will report to the SBC annual meeting and then its mandate will expire. A new task force, if approved, would be appointed by whoever wins the 2022 presidential race.

“Over the course of the EC investigation, it has become clear to the Sexual Abuse Task Force that the process of implementing meaningful change in the Southern Baptist Convention in the area of sex abuse is beyond the scope of this current Task Force,” the report said.

Ministry Check website proposed

The task force will also ask messengers to approve the “Ministry Check website” and a $3 million change to the SBC budget to pay for reforms.

Churches and other SBC ministries would report names of those who have been “convicted or had a civil judgment against them for sexual abuse” for inclusion on the website. Those ministries and churches could also submit names of those who have been “credibly accused” after an independent investigation.

If those Baptist groups are unwilling or unable to hire an independent investigator—and if state conventions or local associations cannot help—then abuse allegations could be forwarded to the staff coordinator for the website and an investigation could be paid for out of national SBC funds.

“The website will be established and maintained through an independent firm,” according to the recommendations.

The recommendations cite a 2004 study that found a high rate of recidivism among sex offenders.

“One of the problems in our churches is the ability of abusers to move from one church to another to perpetuate their abuse,” the task force said in its recommendations. “This often happens because churches don’t have the means to communicate with one another.”

Reactions mixed

One of the first responses to the recommendations came from Tom Ascol, a Florida pastor and a candidate for SBC president. Ascol has been critical of the task force, claiming in a candidate forum that it had become “politicized” and saying local churches should handle any misconduct by SBC leaders.

“I am reading through the SATF recommendations for #SBC22 & looking for any Scripture reference & can’t find one, not even in the rationales,” he said on Twitter. “Did I simply overlook them?”

Tom Buck, a Texas pastor and Ascol supporter, said on social media that some of the task force recommendations are unbiblical.

Phillip Bethancourt, the interim president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, tweeted his support for the recommendations.

“These are common sense first steps we should take in Anaheim,” he said.

Robin Hadaway, another candidate for SBC president, said the recommendations “seem reasonable and wise.”

“I felt like the recommendations that they just announced are wise and are something that should be positively considered by the messengers,” he said of the delegates who will attend the upcoming annual meeting.

In a video posted on social media, Texas pastor Bart Barber, another presidential candidate, said it was important to follow the direction set during last year’s annual meeting and reaffirmed his support for the task force and investigation.

He said that the proposed task force was crucial in responding to abuse, saying it would help determine whether the SBC becomes “healthier or not in responding to and preventing sex abuse in Southern Baptist churches.”

Adelle Banks contributed to this report. 

Hardin-Simmons University’s board of trustees adopted a statement of faith rejecting transgenderism and same-sex marriage.

“As the nation’s cultural context changes in ways that with increasing frequency conflict with historic Christian teaching, we believe it is important that we expressly proclaim our beliefs earnestly and transparently as a university committed to providing excellence in education enlightened by Christian faith and values, as has been our purpose from inception of the university,” a statement on the university’s website says.

The HSU statement of faith—adopted May 19—affirms historic orthodox Christian doctrines about the Triune God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, humanity, salvation and the church.

References to ‘genetic male’ and ‘genetic female’

It also includes a statement on sexuality saying, “We affirm that God created the human race with two genetic sexes as defined by karyotype, male and female.” Karyotype refers to the size, shape and number of an individual’s chromosomes.

The university statement on marriage reads: “We believe that marriage has been established by God to be a life-long, covenant relationship between one genetic male and one genetic female. We also believe that sexual activity is intended by God to be expressed solely in the context of a loving marriage between one genetic male and one genetic female.”

The statement of faith also says, “We believe that every person has been fearfully and wonderfully made by God and should be afforded love, kindness, compassion and dignity.”

“As a Christian university, we have certain biblically based values that are the foundation of what we believe. We are called to share that with the world, while also showing God’s love,” HSU President Eric Bruntmyer said.

The HSU website includes an explanation saying trustees believe the statement of faith “clearly states the Christian beliefs that undergird and inform the university’s vision and mission and highlights the principles that define what we envision in providing ‘excellence in education enlightened by Christian faith and values.’”

Five days before BGCT Executive Board action

The university trustees adopted the statement five days before the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board recommended messengers to Texas Baptists’ annual meeting adopt a statement of faith that—among other things—declares gender “a gift from God” and defines biblical marriage as “one man and one woman in a covenant relationship with the Lord and one another.”

The statement of faith for the GC2 movement—an emphasis on the Great Commission to share faith in Christ and the Great Commandment to show love—was presented to the BGCT Executive Board as setting parameters for collaboration with the BGCT.

However, the background section of the document presented to the board added the statement of faith “may also be used to vet the beliefs of candidates for BGCT elected/appointed committees, boards or scholarships.”

More than 190 senior adults participated in Hilltop University May 23-25, an annual spiritual retreat on the East Texas Baptist University campus. David Dykes, pastor emeritus of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, was keynote speaker. The conference also featured concerts featuring The Martins, a Grammy-nominated family group, and entertainment provided by comedian Anita Renfroe. Breakout session leaders included Allen Reed, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches; Pete Freeman, pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Kilgore; and Jeph Holloway, the John L. Harris Chair of Christian Studies at ETBU. Angela Irby, associate worship leader at The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson, led the conference choir.

Dallas Baptist University recognized Susan Shanks, ministry coordinator at Cliff Temple Baptist Church in Dallas, and Rolando Rodriguez, senior director of Texas Baptists en Español, at the 34th annual DBU-Oak Cliff Good Samaritan Dinner, held May 10 on the DBU campus. Shanks grew up in Oak Cliff, graduating from Carter High School and earning her bachelor’s degree at DBU. She recently marked 40 years of service to Cliff Temple Baptist Church and the community. She and her husband David have two sons and six grandchildren. Rodriguez previously was pastor of Hampton Place Baptist Church and Cockrell Hill Baptist Church, both in Dallas. He has served on various Dallas Baptist Association committees and on the board of trustees at Baptist University of Américas. He completed two graduate degrees at DBU—a Master of Arts in Christian Education degree in 2005 and a Master of Arts in Global Leadership degree in 2017. He and his wife Angie have three children.

Howard Payne University recognized faculty and staff for their service at an annual personnel luncheon held recently on campus. Matthew McNiece, director of the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, professor of history and government and department chair, received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award. Kyle Mize, assistant vice president for communications, received the Outstanding Staff Member Award. The university’s admissions office received the Department of the Year Award, recognizing all its members for their service. Stephen Goacher, professor of music, and Wendy Grooms, associate professor of mathematics, received certificates recognizing excellence in teaching. Renee Hull, custodian team lead, and Bobby Womack, director of technology support services, received certificates for excellence in service. Other faculty received awards recognizing their years of service, including Bobbie Price, certification coordinator and graduation assistant, for 50 years.

The East Texas Baptist University School of Christian Studies journeyed to Israel in May as a part of the Global Study and Serve program. Thomas Sanders, ETBU provost and vice president for academic affairs, led 32 students, faculty and staff as they visited sites including the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane.

Elmin Howell, who led Texas Baptists’ River Ministry three decades, and Wilma Reed, a longtime leader of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas who helped Howell record River Ministry’s history, recently shared their memories of ministry along the Texas/Mexico border with Naomi Taplin and Sophia Chapa Adkins. Taplin, associate director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection in Waco, is seeking to record Texas Baptist oral history. Adkins, who first served in Laredo and later at the River Ministry office in Dallas in the 1970s, is working on a book about River Ministry.

The Baptist Standard recently received three awards from Associated Church Press. Victoria McCrary, digital communications manager, won a Best of Class Award of Excellence in the social media presence category for the Baptist Standard Facebook page. The Baptist Standard  staff also received a Best of Class Honorable Mention in the independent website category. Managing Editor Ken Camp received an Award of Merit in the denominational politics/short format category for his article on the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Earlier, the Standard won four awards from the Evangelical Press association, including first place Higher Goals awards for an editorial and a news series.

Ronny Marriott, pastor of First Baptist Church in Burleson, will be nominated for second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Cory Hines, president of Howard Payne University, said he will nominate Marriott at the BGCT annual meeting in Waco, Nov. 13-15.

“Ronny is the kind of leader that our Texas Baptist churches need for the days ahead,” Hines said. “He is committed to his Lord, his family, his church and his community.”

As pastor, Marriott has “been instrumental” in leading his church to minister to people in its community, Hines said.

‘A heart for the next generation’

Marriott “has a heart for the next generation,” he added, pointing to his service on Texas Baptists’ Theological Education Council and to the residency program First Baptist Church launched under his leadership.

“He would serve and lead us well, and we would be honored if he were elected as the second vice president for the BGCT,” Hines said.

As a lifelong Texas Baptist, Marriott expressed his desire to serve the convention and offer the benefit of what he has learned from 25 years in the pastorate and 35 years of ministry.

“I have a few gray hairs, and I hope I’ve gained some wisdom along with them,” he said. “I know a few things, because I’ve seen a few things.”

Marriott applauded what he sees as Texas Baptists’ focus on helping pastors, particularly during the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing aftermath for churches.

“I would like to see even more emphasis on providing help and encouragement to the pastor’s spouse, children and whole family,” he said.

First Baptist in Burleson launched its pastor-in-residence and artist-in-residence program for young ministers about four years ago after being challenged to “call out the called” and to support those who feel led to pursue vocational ministry, Marriott said. The two-year program not only offers practical experience in the context of a local church, but also provides residents leadership training and a monthly stipend, he noted.

Denominational service noted

Marriott has served First Baptist in Burleson since 2016. Previously, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Temple, First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi and Sunset Canyon Baptist Church in Dripping Springs. He also was pastor of Shady Oaks Baptist Church in Hurst, a congregation he had served earlier as youth pastor. He began his ministry career as youth pastor at Northlake Baptist Church in Dallas.

In addition to Texas Baptists’ Theological Education Council, he has served on the BGCT Executive Board, the Christian Life Commission and the board of trustees at Howard Payne University.

In Tarrant Baptist Association, he has served as chair of the credentials committee and as a member of the personnel and finance committees. He has written curriculum for both BaptistWay Press (now GC2 Press) and Lifeway Christian Resources, and he has served as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University.

Marriott earned his undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University and holds a Master of Divinity degree and Doctor of Ministry degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife Robin have three children—Molly, Morgan and Ryan.