DALLAS—Rather than focusing on the size of obstacles, Texas Baptists should trust in God who is capable of overcoming any obstacle, Executive Director Julio Guarneri told the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.
“Stay focused on God’s mission,” Guarneri said in his first report to the board as executive director.
He recounted the story of the 12 Israelites who scouted out the Promised Land, as recorded in Numbers 13 and 14. The majority acknowledged the land was fertile, but they chose to emphasize the giants who inhabited it.
“There will always be some among us who choose to focus on the giants in the land—who will be intimidated by the size of the obstacles,” Guarneri said. “We don’t have to be blind to the challenges that we face. We don’t have to ignore the giants in the land. But neither do we have to let them intimidate us.”
When the people of Israel heard about the giants who occupied the Promised Land, many embraced a distorted memory of past glory days and longed to be back in Egypt—forgetting the bondage they endured there.
“God doesn’t call us to go back to the past. The only reason God’s people should look back at the past is to remember that God is faithful, and he is able to bring us through hard times,” Guarneri said.
Two Israelite scouts brought a positive minority report, choosing to trust in God, who already had demonstrated his faithfulness.
“If the Lord is with us, it doesn’t matter how many giants are in the land,” Guarneri said.
“Our task as Texas Baptists is to occupy the land. What that means is that we are called to saturate our state with the gospel.”
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‘Status quo won’t cut it’
Since 2020, the Texas population has grown by 9 million—an average of more than 400,000 new residents each year, he noted.
“How many churches will it take to reach that many people? How many pastors and leaders need to be equipped and prepared to lead those churches?” he asked.
“The bottom line is that the status quo won’t cut it. … Business as usual won’t get the Great Commission accomplished.”
Guarneri noted items on his “wish list” for Texas Baptists:
- Renewed sense of harmony.
- Robust dedication to prayer.
- Rekindled participation in evangelism.
- Reaffirmed commitment to church health.
- Rallying of kingdom partnerships.
Determining the ‘path forward’ for GC2
In his first months as executive director, Guarneri said he is focusing on emphasizing prayer, encouraging pastors, affirming presidents of institutions and organizations related to Texas Baptists, and identifying strategic partnerships to advance God’s kingdom.
He noted 62 churches in 17 states beyond Texas identify as GC2 congregations—an emphasis launched by David Hardage, Guarneri’s predecessor as executive director.
“I believe we are at a point now where we need to define more what GC2 means,” Guarneri said. “We need to talk about how those churches relate to Texas Baptists. How do we start them well? What are the opportunities that GC2 affords us to be able to network together to be on mission—not just in Texas but beyond Texas?”
Guarneri announced his intention to present at the May Executive Board meeting a suggested “path forward” for GC2. He noted some had asked if Texas Baptists—through the GC2 movement—are seeking to become a national convention.
“In some ways, we already are. We already have churches outside of Texas. We have 71 missionaries in 17 countries. We do conferences in Texas, and people come from other states and Canada to attend. So, our footprint is larger than our state,” he said.
However, he added, Texas Baptists are not in competition with the Southern Baptist Convention.
“We just want to take on our role in God’s redemptive plan,” he said.
Moving forward, Guarneri voiced his desire to:
- Engage in “strategic conversations that lead to strategic collaborations.”
- “Assess, refine and relaunch GC2.”
- “Determine a leadership strategy” to ensure a “pipeline” of pastors and leaders for the future.
- “Mobilize churches to be about the Great Commission.”
‘We exist to serve our churches’
Later during the board meeting, Guarneri was asked about the potential impact if the SBC votes to approve a constitutional amendment to exclude any church with a woman on staff who carries the title “pastor.”
Guarneri reiterated the BGCT affirms the autonomy of local churches and does not make whom they call as staff and leaders a test of fellowship.
“We exist to serve our churches. We don’t exist to serve the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said.
Some Texas Baptist churches point to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, which limits the office of pastor to men, as their statement of faith. Others affirm the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, which does not include that limit.
At the 1999 BGCT annual meeting in El Paso, messengers affirmed the unamended 1963 Baptist Faith and Message as the “unifying statement of our common faith and practice.”
The BGCT relates to all Texas Baptist churches that share its mission and broadly affirm Baptist principles, without imposing one version of the Baptist Faith and Message or another on local churches, Guarneri said.
He noted state convention executive directors, who met recently in Scottsdale, Ariz., generally voiced concern about the amendment to be considered at the SBC annual meeting and what impact it will have if adopted.
“We’re not trying to leave,” he emphasized. “But if we’re cut out, we’ll figure out how to move forward.”
Board conducts business
In its business session, the BGCT Executive Board voted to allocate $450,000 from the JK Wadley Endowment Fund earnings, with $150,000 dedicated to Baptist Student Ministries campus missionaries and $150,000 to BSM building maintenance, $50,000 for a cross-cultural mobilizer, $50,000 for western heritage ministries and $25,000 to MinistrySafe child protection.
The Executive Board also filled vacancies on various committees and boards, electing:
- Steve Mullen from First Baptist Church in Burleson to the Baptist University of the Américas board of trustees.
- Jeff Scott from Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene and Darin Wood from First Baptist Church in Midland to the Committee to Nominate Executive Board Directors.
- Scott Currey from First Baptist Church in Gruver and Shawn Shannon from Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston to the Committee to Nominate Boards of Affiliated Ministries.
- Jeff Warren from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas and Raymond Sanchez from First Baptist Church in Weslaco to the BGCT Executive Board.
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