Ariel Martinez to be nominated to 2nd term as BGCT 2nd VP

Ariel Martinez, lead pastor of Del Sol Church in El Paso, will be nominated for a second term as second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Bobby Contreras, pastor of Alamo Heights Baptist Church in San Antonio, plans to nominate Martinez during Texas Baptists’ 2026 annual meeting, Nov. 15–17, in Waco.

“I have loved watching Ariel grow and mature into one who loves Jesus, loves and leads his growing family, and is passionate about pointing people in El Paso to saving and life-giving faith in Jesus,” Contreras said.

Contreras described Martinez as “solid,” thoughtful, hardworking, kind, and smart, adding he works well both as a team member and a team leader.

Martinez’s work on task forces and committees demonstrates his desire not only to participate in convention initiatives, but also to follow through on them, Contreras said.

Martinez was appointed to several task forces and committees, including the task force on sexual abuse awareness, to which Contreras nominated him when Contreras was the BGCT Executive Board chair.

Martinez wants to see initiatives through, Contreras said, adding Martinez told him, “The work isn’t done yet.”

Contreras also pointed to Martinez’s connection to West Texas as a significant part of his role in the convention.

“One of the most exciting things is that Ariel is a bridge to West Texas—the real West Texas,” Contreras said. “El Paso needs to be a vital place where kingdom work is not only being done, but setting the stage for the rest of Texas and other parts of the country as you ‘pass’ through the West.”

“Ariel is our connection to this beautiful part of our state,” he added.

Contreras called Martinez a “rising leader” who “loves his family, church, and the call God is stirring in his heart. It is contagious. … What an example for next-generation leaders!”

Interest in second term

Martinez said serving a second term would be part of what he loves to do for Texas Baptist churches.

“Part of my passion is to encourage church leaders and help make connections. So, I want to keep doing what I can to bring more unity in the convention,” he said.

“Personally, it’s been a joy to gain a broader understanding of how the convention operates. We are blessed to be such a diverse, biblical family of churches,” Martinez added.

Gathering churches together to pray and serve with one mission and many unique gifts highlights his accomplishments from his current term, Martinez said.

“The Prayer Network Task Force I was asked to chair has a deep passion for prayer, and the Lord gave us some great ideas that I would like to see become reality, to help mobilize more prayer in churches,” Martinez said.

“[We’re] bringing greater representation of churches from West Texas and South Texas. We are better for having more voices and perspectives from different regions of the state, along with different languages and styles of churches,” Martinez said.

Implementation of the Prayer Network Task Force recommendations and regional representation for churches in rural settings are among the challenges the BGCT faces, Martinez said.

“We deeply desire to help churches dig down into prayer and see the Lord do amazing things as a result,” he said.

“One of the best things about Baptist life is the support of fellowship and cooperation, and that can be hard to find for churches outside of our cities,” he added.

Recommendations from the task force on sexual abuse awareness should be followed up on, Martinez said.

“I served on that task force and want to revisit that work to help make sure it’s still going strong to help churches know how to be vigilant,” he said.

Martinez said the BGCT’s strength rests in the ability to gather multiple churches with differing views and backgrounds.

“That focus is what allows us to work with other groups, while leaving room for different perspectives—to be a biblically faithful, ‘big tent’ family of churches. I believe our unity among our differences exalts the Lord and is proof of our biblical focus,” Martinez said.