FREETOWN, Sierra Leone—Five Dallas Baptist University students in Ross O'Brien's international travel and management class recently put their education into practice in one of the world's poorest nations.

Working in cooperation with Arlington-based Global Connection Partnership Network, the students taught business practices to people in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and learned about how people in the West African nation live.

Dallas Baptist University students enjoyed the time they spent working with residents of Freetown, Sierra, Leone, serving with Global Connection Partnership Network.

Cami Duke, Becca Thompkins, Carrie Kennedy, Fred Ndavi and Peter Roehnig worked with 11 Freetown women who needed training in business practices. The women had received six months cosmetology training from Global Connection Partnership Network and wanted to start their own salons. However, they did not have the background and knowledge necessary to know how to launch a business.

The DBU team taught the women how to develop marketing, operations and financial plans for their future businesses. Providing them with practical skills gave these women hope for the immediate future, O'Brien noted. But they also learned about hope for eternity as students shared the love of Christ with them.

"We did not just teach them a business plan," O'Brien said. "We laid a biblical basis for work and for business. We talked about factors of success and causes of failure in business, among other things."

One day, the group traveled into the heart of the capital city to interact with local businesses and observe their system of commerce. Breaking into the groups, the students talked with business owners and asked questions about where they received their supplies and how they conducted general operations.

Aided by translators from the Evangelical College of Theology, the DBU students enjoyed getting to know Sierra Leoneans and observing their daily activities.

Dallas Baptist University student Cami Duke (left) helps teach business principles to people in Sierra Leone.

They also traveled to another city, Bo, where they saw two ministries caring for orphans.

Students called their time with children at a local school particularly moving.

"We were talking with the older kids and getting ready to take a picture with them, when the younger students (ages 4 to 10) were released from their classes," said Cami Duke, a business management major.

"The team heard shouts of excitement and looked up to see a charge of little ones running after us. We all braced ourselves and were overrun by the many smiling excited faces. They were grabbing our hands and wanting to take pictures with us. I will never forget their smiling faces and especially the two little boys who held my hands all the way back down the hill."

The class trip proved to be life-changing for the DBU students who traveled out of their comfort zone to learn about a new people and culture.

"Everyone had their different desires for deciding to take part in the trip but the Lord really unified us and centralized our focus on completing the Kingdom work that was set before us," Duke said. "When the days were long and extremely hot, we accepted it and encouraged each other to make it through. All of our accomplishments throughout the week were a team effort and for God's glory."

By Ken Camp

AMARILLO—Texas Baptists sorted shoes for a charitable ministry, cleaned and repaired a transitional home for single mothers, cooked burgers for college students and distributed books to children during their time in Amarillo.

But while the “Igniting Hope” theme rallied volunteers for service and served as a unifying theme for workshops, another theme took center stage during business sessions at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Throughout the business meetings, questions about how the state convention will fund and relate to institutions dominated much of the discussions.

Messengers to the annual meeting approved a flat $33.85 million budget for 2012, rejecting an attempt to restore more than $890,000 Baylor University loses next year.

However, messengers approved a renegotiated agreement with Baylor University that gives Baylor greater influence in determining the composition of its governing board. (See related story .)

They also approved a constitutional amendment reducing the percentage of governing board trustees for affiliated institutions elected by the BGCT from 75 percent to a simple majority.

After several messengers questioned the necessity of the move and asked to hear from institution presidents, both Lanny Hall, president of Hardin-Simmons University, and
Gary Cook, president of Dallas Baptist University, spoke in favor of the amendment.

Based on a new way of determining financial support for educational institutions related to the BGCT, the 2012 budget reduces total BGCT financial support for Baylor from about $2.8 million to $1.9 million. Excluding funding for Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary—which remains at about $1.1 million—BGCT support for Baylor decreases from more than $1.72 million in 2011 to $831,175 in 2012.

Bruce Webb, pastor of First Baptist Church in The Woodlands, introduced a motion to amend the budget recommendation by restoring Baylor University to its 2011 funding level, using investment funds to make up the difference.

The new funding approach provides a $625,000 base amount of support to all BGCT educational institutions, and it provides funding to all schools for ministerial education. However, a prorated grant based on student enrollment—an approach that particularly benefited Baylor as the largest school related to the BGCT—now is limited to affiliated institutions. It does not provide those funds to schools that relate to the convention by special agreement, namely Baylor and Houston Baptist University.

Bruce Webb, pastor of First Baptist Church in The Woodlands , introduced a motion to amend the budget recommendation by restoring Baylor to its 2011 funding level, using investment funds to make up the difference.

Webb noted his support for the way the new funding approach provides additional money for other institutions, but he called a nearly $900,000 cut in funding for Baylor “drastic” and predicted a backlash.

“This is going to affect us negatively,” he said. “We’re going to lose far more money than we would gain.”

BGCT Treasurer Jill Larsen reported the projected 2012 operating budget already includes all the investment income from endowments that prudently could be anticipated.

Charlotte Young from First Baptist Church in Dimmitt, chair of the Executive Board’s institutional relations committee, spoke against the amendment.

“In no way was this intended to be a punitive measure” toward Baylor, Young insisted. Rather, it was a “fair and equitable way” of dealing with all institutions that relate to the BGCT.

Kyle Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Port Arthur, asserted the funding cut should not happen at the same time as a change in the BGCT and Baylor relationship agreement, nor should a new executive director have to deal with the public relations fallout from decreasing financial support for Baylor.

“This may be a good idea, but the timing stinks,” he said.

Steve Wells, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston, reminded messengers the BGCT is not “defunding Baylor,” contrary to public perception.

“If anybody wants to defund me by giving me $2 million, I will welcome the gift,” he quipped.

Messengers to the annual meeting approved a flat $33.85 million budget for 2012, rejecting an attempt to restore more than $890,000 Baylor University loses next year.

After the motion to restore funding to Baylor failed, Ed Jackson from First Baptist Church in Garland introduced an amendment to the budget stipulating that any overage at the end of 2012 in Cooperative Program giving be divided equally between the BGCT evangelism department and Texas Baptist institutions according to the distribution formula. The amendment passed.

In other business, messengers to the annual meeting:

• Elected as officers President Jerry Carlisle, pastor of First Baptist Church in Plano; First Vice President Jeff Johnson, missions strategist and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Del Rio; and Second Vice President Byron Stevenson, pastor of Fort Bend Baptist Church in Sugar Land.

• Voted in favor of a constitutional change giving the Executive Board authority to adopt the annual budget every fifth year, when the annual meeting is held in the summer rather than the fall. As a constitutional amendment, it will require approval by messengers at two consecutive annual meetings.

Last year, BGCT messengers approved a study committee proposal regarding ways to increase involvement in the annual meeting. One recommendation focused on holding the meeting in the summer once every five years in conjunction with the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and the African-American Fellowship, rather than in the fall. The first summer event is scheduled for July 14-17, 2013, in San Antonio.

• Approved a constitutional amendment allowing mission congregations to be considered as churches for the limited purpose of sending four messengers to the annual meeting, provided it contributes to the BGCT, practices the ordinances of a church, addresses a specific mission need and identifies, aligns and generally endorses the convention’s work.

• Rejected a constitutional amendment that would have given full voting membership on the BGCT Executive Board to the presidents of convention-recognized fellowships. Instead, the convention voted in favor of a motion to grant voting rights to the presidents provided they are “supportive of the BGCT.”

The annual meeting drew 983 messengers and 568 registered visitors.

CORRECTION: The original cutline for the newly elected officers photo erroneously listed the convention's new first vice president as Jerry Johnson, rather than Jeff Johnson. It has been corrected.

AMARILLO—Sparks of hope spread throughout Amarillo as Texas Baptists participated in 12 mission endeavors across the city, taking the message of Christ to places like a community center, children's field day, high school lunch and college campus during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

A Texas Baptist volunteer reads to children at City Church in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Robert Rogers)

Members of Iglesia Bautista Fuente Viva in southeast Amarillo joined with 12 volunteers from Houston, Kerrville, Lubbock and Fort Worth to provide a free lunch for students at Caprock High School, just two blocks from the church.

Freddy Pavez, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Fuente Viva, said the event provided opportunities to plant gospel seeds and to pray for students. Volunteers engaged students and strived to minster to them.

"This is our way to get involved with missions and evangelism," Pavez said. "I want them to know that we are here, and we want to face them with the truth."

Before the lunch took place, the volunteers went door-to-door in a neighborhood near the church to pass out Texas Hope gospel compact discs.

"It's exciting to put the gospel in their hands," Shelby Smith said.

Uriel Avalos, a student at Amarillo College, receives a hamburger from Texas Baptist volunteers during a cookout sponsored by the school's Baptist Student Ministry. Volunteers served about 450 students. (PHOTO/Eric Guel)

When asked why he participated in the outreach effort, Smith said missions and evangelism is at the core of who a Christian is, and therefore, a passion of his.

"How can people claim to be Christian and not have a burden for the lost and a passion for sharing the gospel?" Smith stated.

Amarillo College Baptist Student Ministry partnered with 10 BGCT annual meeting volunteers, as well as members from Trinity Baptist Church and Paramount Baptist Church, to spread hope to college students on the campus.

They held a free burger cookout near the center of campus. More than 450 students came to the outreach event, many leaving their contact information so the BSM can follow-up with each one and attempt to reach out to them in additional ways.

Volunteer Marla Herrera helps clean the grounds at Buckner Family Place in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Eric Guel)

Other volunteers dug in and got dirty at the Bruce Ford Community Center, an after-school program of Buckner International that serves vulnerable children at the Whittier and Robert E. Lee elementary schools.

Terry Thomas, program director for the center, put the volunteers to work outside on the playground, loosening compacted mulch with shovels and pitchforks to make it into a softer cushion for the children when they fall.

"Really, it's hard to describe what it means to have them out here working today," Thomas said.

"They're making this a safer environment for our kids. It's very meaningful to us that they took time out of their day—they didn't have to come out here. I think it really puts in action the word 'servant ministry.'"

It was dirty, sweaty work, but the group was up to the challenge and excited about serving.

David Dinkins (cowboy hat and plaid shirt) and Mike Bearden spent a morning during the BGCT annual meeting serving at the Bruce Ford Community Center in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Lauren Sturdy)

"I've been coming to the convention a long time, and so I was real excited not only to see that we were convening in the building, but also taking what the Lord's put in us and being able to impact Amarillo," said Jeff Humphrey, minister of education at First Baptist Church in Allen. "And it's just fun to be with Texas Baptists doing stuff like this."

A few Texas Baptists also spent their morning at the Buckner Family Place apartments helping with the upkeep of the property.

Dianne Samaniego, program supervisor for Family Place, said she is thankful to have volunteers' help, since she doesn't have a full-time maintenance crew.

After a quick introduction to Family Place and what the ministry does, Samaniego sent the Texas Baptist volunteers to the front yard and playground area to gather leaves.

They also cleared out vines that had been growing over many of the windows and gave the windows a good washing.

"They have been a huge help cleaning up our front common area where the kids play," she said.

"It's just those time-consuming things that we haven't had a chance to get to that just make the property look a lot better."

"Volunteers are increasingly becoming such good partners to us, and we're so thankful for their help," Samaniego said.

Other projects included a children's field day complete with games and clowns at the preschool at City Church.

Another group went to the school to read books to the kids and pass out books donated by Texas Baptists and bookcases provided through Literacy Connexus.

Texas Baptists and Buckner International donated more than 600 shoes to "A Step Up" shoe ministry at Mission Amarillo, and 10 volunteers went to the center to sort the shoes, which will be given to Amarillo-area school children in need.

Not only was the gospel proclaimed at each of the mission projects, but a helping hand and the care of Christ also were extended by about 200 Texas Baptists.

"Through this, I hope that Amarillo sees what we do as Baptists and that we care about this community," Smith said.

DALLAS—More than 15,000 Hispanic parents gathered at Feria Para Aprender to learn how to improve their children's educational opportunities.

Their children received books from Literacy Connexus at the learning fair, billed as the nation's largest Hispanic education event.

At least 50 Texas Baptist volunteers, including many from Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio, served at the fair.

"Support from Texas Baptist volunteers made the difference in the first-ever Dallas-Fort Worth Feria Para Aprender," said Lester Meriwether, executive director of Literacy Connexus and immediate past president of Literacy Texas.

Similar learning fairs have been held in Los Angeles, Miami, Austin and Corpus Christi.

The fair provides tools and resources for Spanish-speaking parents. Distinctive elements of the event include its Spanish-language-only format and a display format that forces verbal interactions and relies less on brochures or materials, as well as hands-on activity areas to promote college readiness and careers

The event enables and encourages parents to take an active role in their children's education, with a goal of breaking down the language barrier and making a difference in improving Hispanic education.

Studies by the University of California-Los Angeles in 2009 and University of Texas Strauss Institute research in 2010 point to the event's effectiveness, reporting increases in high-school graduation rates, college enrollment and graduation rates, adult post-secondary rates, English-as-a-Second Language and GED attendance, and magnet school participation.

At the learning fair, parents had access to interact with representatives from 11 school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as college and university representatives from around Texas.

Parents walked through exhibition tables beginning with the elementary zone up to the college zone, receiving valuable information. They also obtained information on how to plan and save for college, financial aid and about other options available for funding college.

A mock bilingual classroom allowed parents to experience first-hand that kind of educational environment and enabled them to learn the benefits of being bilingual.

In an eye-exam station, doctors made available free prescriptions for eyeglasses, and even the concessions for the event offered opportunities to learn about healthy eating choices.

The career/workforce zone provided information about obtaining certifications or degrees available to enable an individual to get a better-paying job.

The photo visualization area became a favorite of many parents. In this station, parents received a photo of their child in one of 25 career costumes or graduation caps and gowns.

Other activities included advanced learning for pre-schoolers, coloring stations, a raffle station, puzzle-making and reading stations.

"La Feria is a transformational experience for first-generation Hispanics," said Gus Reyes, director of the Texas Baptist Hispanic Education Initiative.

Reyes applauded the way the event makes an impact on individual lives.

"People walk away with a new hope for their children, empowered with knowledge and tips on how to connect to the local school system," he said.

—Bianca Duenas is serving a public policy research internship jointly sponsored by the Christian Life Commission and the Baptist Standard, made possible by a grant from the Christ is Our Salvation Foundation of Waco.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Missions education in West Africa received a boost recently when Woman's Missionary Union leaders from six countries met for training in Burkino Faso, where the region's WMU began.

Beatrice Zoma, president of Burkina Faso WMU—known there as as Union of Baptist Co-laborers with Christ—invited leaders from Nigeria, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to the event.

Leaders set a goal of starting age-level missions organizations in Bur-kina Faso patterned after Nigeria WMU, where churches have Sunbeams for children through third grade and a Girls in Action program.

Kathy Shafto, who serves with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board in Burkina Faso, viewed the conference as a great opportunity for women in the area to hear from other African leaders as well as Debby Akerman, president of national WMU in the United States.

"While there is a regional WMU conference in West Africa every two years, this was the first training in missions education for women in Burkina Faso," Shafto explained. "This is so new and exciting because most village churches don't even have Sunday school. So, for us to start with missions will be new and different for Burkina Faso to think about."

Akerman of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and eight other conference leaders led participants in training related to strategic planning and beginning and growing Girls in Action programs.

In the United States, Akerman said, Christians often think about helping the poor as part of missions efforts, but many Africans involved in WMU live in poverty themselves. Much of their focus in leading girls resides in mentoring, sexual purity, prayer and prayer-walking, in addition to outreach.

According to Shafto, Liberia, Nigeria and Ghana have well-established WMU programs with missions action projects and organized Bible studies on national and church levels. Children's missions programs are growing in Ghana, and Liberia WMU leaders specifically are focused on strengthening their GA programs.

Several West African countries also have Lydias, similar to Acteens with a slightly different age group. Consistent with how African culture views women, Lydias includes young women from age 16 until they are married.

One unique challenge in preparing for the training was ensuring effective communication.

"The illiteracy rate is very high," Akerman said. "So, I knew the training must translate on many levels—culturally, linguistically and incorporating oral learning styles. We built in lots of storying to relate and visuals for expressing concepts."

Akerman encouraged the women in their missional leadership.

"Whether living in a mud hut or a penthouse, WMU leaders have a higher level of accountability," Akerman told them. "We've been given the privilege and responsibility to involve all ages in missions. There is great joy in that and great joy in the true sisterhood we share in Christ and in our missions purpose."

While in West Africa, WMU representatives met with GA leaders in Ghana. Mona Hewitt, IMB field personnel in Ghana, asked Akerman if she would talk with "a few GA leaders" which turned out to be a gathering of more than 200 women.

Akerman presented an overview of the six areas of missions focus in WMU and encouraged them in leading GAs. Zoma described the beginning stages of a local center for women by Burkina WMU and the importance of missions and reaching women outside of the church. Terri Willis, director of national relations for the International Mission Board, talked about the importance of supporting and giving to missions.

Akerman and Willis also met with 43 girls and explained missions involvement, made salvation bracelets, and related how they needed to share their faith in Christ with their friends.

"As only the Lord could know, we had 37 girls and six teenagers, and I had exactly 37 GA items and six Acteens items to give them. Amazing," Akerman said.

Akerman and Willis also visited with IMB missions personnel, made rounds with doctors at the Baptist Medical Center in Nalerigu, Ghana, worshipped with fellow believers in a small Fulani village in Ghana at a church begun by Akerman's longtime friends and retired IMB field personnel Paul and Faye Burkwall, and visited a nutrition center, orphanage, women's center and other Baptist efforts.

AMARILLO—God's mission in the world is "to be glorified by making himself known" and is source for mission work, said Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development at Lifeway Christian Resources.

"We have to understand it as God's mission," he said during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting. "God is the source of the mission."

Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development at Lifeway Christian Resources.

God's mission, he continued, is "to be glorified by making Himself known." God does this in several ways – first, in the display of his glory in creation. After the fall in the Garden of Eden, God's mission continues in the form of the redemption of the world through the sending of his son, Jesus.

Jesus establishes the kingdom of God by defeating death and saving people. The church is not the kingdom of God, Stetzer said, but a sign and an instrument of the kingdom of God.

"The church is birthed in the wake of the kingdom," he said. "And God sends the Holy Spirit to the church, to us, to empower the church to join Jesus on his mission."

The church's role as an agent in God's mission is to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel to the world. The church is being redeemed in order to give glory to God. The mission will be completed when all things are restored for God's glory, he said.

"God ultimately wins and is glorified and all things are restored for his glory," Stetzer said.

All who are redeemed by Christ have spiritual gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit, he said, and because all are gifted in some way, all are called to use their gifts to minister in some way—it's simply a question of "where and among whom?"

God intends all people to use their gifts, Stetzer said. The stewardship of gifts is the church's responsibility. He calls for the development of "co-laborers" in the work of the church, rather than consumers.

Stetzner noted a hard truth—the pattern of codependence between needy congregants and pastors who need to be needed must be broken. God empowers us to serve, and church leaders have to empower their members.

Stetzer recalled a family who came to him with their young son after a service when he was an interim pastor, saying, "Brother, could you talk to our son? He's ready to receive Jesus, but he has some questions."

Stetzer told the couple, "No," because he didn't want to deprive them of their opportunity to minister to their son.

Shocked, they said, "But he has questions." They were upset and flustered at first, but two weeks later they returned to church and thanked Stetzer for what he said.

"When we do what God has called them to do, everybody gets hurt and the mission of God gets ignored," Stetzer said.

AMARILLO—When Ron Hall read Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, he used to "wear out" the Levite and priest who passed by the injured man on the road without offering to help. He wondered how they could do such a thing—how they could ignore the need before them.

That is, he wondered until he realized he'd been doing the same thing for years, walking by the homeless outside his office building without looking them in the eye or saying a word.

"I used to call the police on them," said Hall, author of Same Kind of Different as Me. "I used to sidestep them like the priest and the Levite."

His attitude changed after his wife had a dream about a homeless man in Fort Worth and practically forced Hall to find the man in her dream and attempt to befriend him. After a few weeks serving in the Union Gospel Mission, the Halls found the man Deborah had dreamed about.

The man, Denver, was rough and difficult to approach. But after numerous invitations for meals, Denver finally capitulated to becoming Ron Hall's friend after coming to believe Hall wanted a true relationship, not an object for benevolence.

Denver became an unexpected source of wisdom and strength for Hall. Although Denver was illiterate, Hall discovered the homeless man was insightful, helping Hall look at life in a different way. Denver particularly was helpful when Deborah was diagnosed with cancer. He prayed eight hours a night by a dumpster for the Halls. He encouraged the Halls.

When Deborah died, Denver moved in with Ron Hall. Their friendship continued to grow, and they wrote the bestselling book Same Kind of Different as Me, which details how they became friends. The book has created opportunities for the duo to visit with people in more than 250 cities across the nation and raise more than $70 million for the homeless.

"I was so convicted," he said. "The man I thought had nothing to offer me in friendship gave me the most precious gift."

AMARILLO—Images of darkness, eternal torment and fiery flames usually don't rank high on the "greatest hits list" for sermons or conversations. But when it comes to evangelism—and the responsibility to stay true to the gospel—the reality of hell is one that fifth-generation Texas Baptists must not neglect, conference leaders said.

Pastors Howard Batson and Brent Gentzel underscored this position during an extended dialogue at the G5 conference during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Brent Gentzel, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kaufman, discusses the reality of hell at the G5 Conference, held in conjunction with the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Robert Rogers)

Batson, who serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, specifically addressed the controversy surrounding the claims of author Rob Bell, whose book Love Wins draws the conclusion a loving God would not sentence his creation to eternal damnation.

While Batson lauded Bell as a "master communicator" with a "passion to reach people with the story of Jesus," he disputed Bell's most talked-about assertion. 

"The problem is, when you teach and preach false doctrine, it doesn't matter how noble your intentions or how eloquent your words," Batson said. "If our teachings are not based on the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the writing and preaching of the apostles, they're a very dangerous theology."

Bell uses "hermeneutical gymnastics" to mislead his readers, Batson insisted. Under a guise of "simply asking questions," Bell twists passages of scripture to send a new and very alarming message: "That all that you learned about hell might not really be true after all."

"Bell implies that all people will eventually be saved—even if they reject the Lord's plan of salvation in this life—because 'God always gets what God wants,'" Batson explained.  "God will not fail in the end, and God doesn't want anyone to be lost."

But this falls short of the truth, he said, noting God never desires for people to sin. God failed to get what he wanted in many instances throughout Scripture, such as when the Israelites worshipped idols, he noted.

Batson pointed to Bell's lack of research and absence of any kind of "footnotes or endnotes" throughout the book.

"Bell simply rambles trying to make sense of the evangelical faith in which he was raised and the cultural diversity where he finds himself living," Batson said.

In an attempt to "rescue God from God's self," Bell creates his own image of God that is softer and more appealing to society, Batson said. But his claims fail the ultimate test of truth —the words of Christ.

"You will never turn a page in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus doesn't say something about hell or eternal punishment," Batson said. "How could Bell or anyone else seriously take the words of the writers or the evangelist and somehow edit away what the writers had to say, all the way to the end of the gospel of Matthew?"

Gentzel, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kaufman, affirmed Batson's statement when referring to Jesus' teachings. Gentzel outlined three points for Texas Baptist leaders to follow when approaching the reality of hell.

First, leaders "should not try to be 'kinder' than Jesus." Christ's entire message centered on love—loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. Keeping in mind that "love and compassion were his motives," Gentzel noted Jesus often taught about hell.

"Perhaps our desire to avoid speaking of judgment and hell is driven more by our desire to be liked and comfortable than it is by any true love for our neighbor," Gentzel proposed. "For if it is true that those who don't by faith acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are going to spend eternity, or even five minutes in hell, they need to know the stakes."

Love does not ignore that truth, he said.

Secondly, leaders should "not try to be more seeker-sensitive than Paul." Gentzel pointed to a story in Acts 17, where Paul had the audacity to inform a group of philosophers—the "enlightened"—of their impending judgment. While many rejected his words, one man, Dionysius, trusted Christ as a result and went on to become a pastor. 

Gentzel's third point served as a caution for all evangelistic efforts. "We should not preach 'cheap grace,'" he said.

The decision to follow Christ is a radical one—drawing vivid imagery to "take up one's cross." Yet all across the state, there are millions of people whose lives do not measure up according to that command, Gentzel said.   

"If your commitment to following Christ doesn't lead you to care for the poor, love the unborn, stand against injustice, use your talents for the kingdom of God, seek sexual purity and honor the Sabbath, you might not be a Christian," he said. "And hell might be your eternal destination."

For this reason, the necessity to preach the reality of eternal judgment is crucial.

"To leave that part of the story out of the narrative, or to choose to present a second hope that the Bible does not clearly present does no favor to the lost," Gentzel said.

"Above all things, may the judgment that is coming spur us to greater urgencies in the evangelistic work of our churches."

AMARILLO—When Brandon Wright crashed his motorcycle into a car pulling out of a parking lot in Logan, Utah, he became wedged under the car in front of it, and Wright's motorcycle caught fire.

Seeing the incident, a few people rushed to his aid but couldn't pull him out. They tried to lift the car off him but couldn't.

Steve Vernon, Baptist General Convention of Texas associate executive director, challenged Texas Baptists to be "heroes" for Christ by sharing the gospel with their neighbors. (PHOTO/Robert Rogers)

But people ran and brought other bystanders to help. They tried again to lift the car. This time they succeeded. As the group held up the car, one person pulled Wright out, saving his life.

In his report to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting, Steve Vernon, BGCT associate executive director, called the people's action heroic. They saw Wright's hopeless situation and responded together with all their individual strengths to help a person in need.

Texas Baptists face a similar situation, Vernon said—12 million Texans not connected to any church and professing no relationship with Christ. Someone needs to step up and introduce them to the hope of Christ, he said.

"I would challenge you in this report to be heroes for Texans," Vernon said.

No single Texas Baptist or church can share the hope of Christ with all 12 million non-Christians in the state, Vernon said. God calls his followers to minister in their spheres of influence. God's Acts 1:8 mandate calls Christians to minister in expanding circles locally, regionally and to the ends of the world.

If each Christian will attempt to live out that calling, together—like the bystanders in Utah who cooperated to save Wright's life—they can have a significant impact expanding God's kingdom such as sharing the gospel with 12 million Texans.

It wouldn't be the first time a group of people accomplished a task so large, Vernon noted. By intensely discipling them, Jesus turned 12 ordinary people into powerful instruments for sharing a message that changed the globe. God worked through their lives to change the lives of others.

"They ignited a hope in the world that literally changed the face of the world," Vernon said.

God is honoring Texas Baptists faithful efforts, Vernon said. Through cooperation, Texas Baptists are ministering in 51 languages across the state. They are supporting 146 campus missionaries on 118 campuses. They help fund hospitals that care for 2 million people annually.

By working together, the more than 5,500 Texas Baptist churches with more than 2 million members can deliver the saving message of Christ. Cooperation is key to accomplishing something dramatic—just like in Logan, Utah.

"One guy couldn't do it," Vernon said of amazing rescue. "Five guys couldn't do it. When the whole group got together, they save the guy's life."

AMARILLO – The Great Commission can be fulfilled within the century or even possibly within the decade, Bob Roberts, pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, told the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Bob Roberts, pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, spoke at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting. Watch Video Here.

As the world moves faster along highways of global connection—via the Internet, airplanes and social media—the challenge of evangelism and worldwide missions changes, he explained. From "every person getting to hear" the gospel, it now takes on a new question: "Do they understand the message?"

Roberts recalled the rich, nontraditional history of Texas Baptists, one steeped in passion, boldness and creativity.

"Now what would it look like if we were to take that same sense of passion, that same conviction, that same belief and see the Great Commission fulfilled?" he asked, adding emphatically, "It will happen."

In order to see that take place, "We need to look at two things—the Great Commission and the 21st century," he said. He referenced Acts 1:8, corresponding to Hope 1:8, a Texas Baptist initiative to spread the gospel through missions and outreach.

Concerning the 21st century, he outlined four specific points regarding its platform for fulfilling the Great Commission:

• Christians today live in a global public square.

"There is no privacy," he noted, adding that everything is wired and connected. "The whole world is listening, and it's not a bad thing; it's a good thing. … It gives us an opportunity to think about what we say and how we are saying it."

• Collaboration is key.

"When the Great Commission is fulfilled, it's because we connect the whole body of Christ around the world. It's not just about us going. It's also about us receiving those who are coming to America," he said.

• Learn from Christians in places where the faith is experiencing explosive growth.

Western-culture evangelical leaders need to learn from the church outside Europe and North America, he said.

"I think we need to take the posture of a student and of a pupil and say, 'Help us—we need help.'"

• Christians need to examine their relationship with other religions.

Roberts described an idea he calls "multi-faith"—learning to get along with one another "without compromising the message" of Jesus.

"We're so arrogant and harsh with the truth," he said. "Truth never makes a man haughty and arrogant; it makes him humble and broken and gentle and kind, because if he has the truth, he wants men to know the truth. And if that's the case, he's going to be broken before people, not cocky and arrogant and mean-spirited and—sometimes—Baptist."

Since God has brought all religions into Texas communities, Texas Baptists need to focus on building relationships and "loving them here" before heading halfway across the world, Roberts said.

"Faith is validated or vilified by its impact on the society," he explained.

And that can happen anywhere, all across the world.

"We want to start preaching to people. But if you're serving together — you're building the common good in a city — and you start talking about Jesus, it changes," he said.

He concluded with imperatives toward fulfilling the Great Commission.

Christians should "quit wondering about when Jesus is coming back" and just "get busy," he said. Furthermore, Christians must be filled with the Holy Spirit and make disciples.

AMARILLO—A cannon cannot be fired from a canoe, Milfred Minatrea told Texas Baptists at an "Ignite Hope" evening rally at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting. The key to a cannon—or any powerful force—is solid ground.

"To ignite hope across Texas, it will take a firm foundation," he said.

The foundation for the work that God intends to do in Texas is available in the churches, but it needs to be strengthened by an effort to move individuals from second-order missions to first-order missions, said Minatrea, founder and executive director of the Missional Church Center in Irving.

Milfred Minatrea, founder and executive director of the Missional Church Center in Irving, spoke at the "Ignite Hope" evening rally at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Second-order missions involved gathering groups of believers to engage in a single mission event with a scheduled time and addressing a specific need, such as a trip abroad or work at a local shelter, he said. While useful, second-order missions events are limited in their scope and resources.

Instead, churches need to use those events to propel their members into first-order missions, Minatrea insisted. This model sees mission activity as a part of daily life, with individuals scattered throughout a community engaging in various forms of service, addressing relational opportunities with others more than ministry needs.

To move to this model, Christians need to abandon their traditional segmented view of life, with the church as one of many elements in the world, Minatrea said. Rather, believers should see the church as intersecting every aspect of life and become missional believers.

"We as Texas Baptists need to rethink the way we understand the church in the world," Minatrea said.

Instead of churches asking for the lost to enter their sanctuaries, "The Father is saying to us, 'I have already placed you out there with lost people,'" he said.

One of the reasons for this absence of "missional" thinking is the lack of emphasis on disciple-making. Far too often, Minatrea stated, the church focuses on providing mass instruction and exhortation, but they do not become engaged in individual, daily accountability.

"Disciples are not made in mass or in class," Minatrea quipped. "Missions depends upon our effectiveness in making disciples of Jesus Christ."

Every church needs individual attention, accountability and challenge to cause individual believers to reflect the actions and heart of Christ, he said. Disciples become disciple-makers themselves and view the world through missional eyes. In turn, they provide a foundation for disciples ready to engage their world with the hope of Christ.

AMARILLO—Texas Baptists should find hope and motivation in the glory of God, James Hassell told the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

Hassell, pastor of preaching and pastoral care at Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth, preached the BGCT convention sermon, based on Colossians 3:12-17.

The glory of God should be Texas Baptists’ highest motivation, Fort Worth pastor James Hassell told the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Amarillo. (PHOTO/Eric Guel)

Many people today subscribe to a philosophy best expressed by the late Steve Jobs, Hassell said. In a 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, the co-founder of Apple Computers said: "You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

This "trust-your-gut philosophy" is not enough, Hassell said. Rather than living on karma and relying on destiny, individuals should realize Jesus wants to transform Christians' instincts and intuitions to align with his will by the power of the Holy Spirit.

"There has to be then something more to what drives our hope and what motivates us in life than what we consider to be our destiny," Hassell said.

"I would submit to you in light of the text in Colossians, the glory of God must be the highest motivating factor of our lives."

Hassell recalled the legacy of hope in Christ and motivation of the Baptist forefathers who established the first Baptist churches, association and institutions in Texas in the 1800s. He pointed to notable figures in Baptist history such as George W. Truett, J.B. Gambrell, J.M. Dawson, B.H. Carroll, R.C. Buckner and R.E.B. Baylor.

"In fact, it was Dr. Truett whose hope in the Lord fortified even this convention at crucial times in our history," he said. "Dr. Truett said, 'A church that is not missionary is not worth the ground on which it stands.' It's that missional, outward-looking, sustaining hope in the head of the church that motivates us.

"The hope of the Lord Jesus Christ has sustained this convention and the hope of Christ will change and continue to sustain this convention," he continued. "But I will submit to you that our motivation to give glory to God will sustain us, not because of our denominationalism, not because of the way we do things the way that they've always been done, not just because of the fact that we're a free convention.

"No, the hope of Christ motivates us because the Lord has placed in our hearts that truth that every believer in Christ—man, woman, black, Hispanic, Anglo—all have the privilege and responsibility to be a priest to our neighbors."