It didn’t take long for Solomon to befriend me. And even though we didn’t speak the same language, we did speak. Sometimes, I caught him speaking to no one in particular.

In college, I spent a good deal of time in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where I served at a children’s home. I felt very nervous the first time I met Solomon. He had severe cerebral palsy that impacted his ability to walk, run and feed himself. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know what to say or how to act around him at first.

He welcomed me with kindness, cracked jokes and wanted to sit with me in the afternoons. For a while, I didn’t understand why he would talk to himself—sometimes for hours. Our friendship grew over the months, and I began to learn a bit of Haitian Creole.

One day, I heard Solomon say my name. I listened closely and realized he was praying for me. Correction: he was praying for all his loved ones. One by one and praising God. This is his daily ritual.

I have a friend who says the people we serve are our greatest teachers. Solomon is one of my greatest teachers. I thought I was going to Haiti to serve Solomon, but Solomon served me. I am forever grateful he opened my eyes.

Our sight impacts how we live

Ask anyone who wears corrective lenses: there are few things more disorienting or overwhelming than the sensation of distorted vision.

I wore glasses for years. My nearsighted vision would unsettle me each morning until I could find my glasses. It was tough to concentrate in class without them. It was dangerous to drive. My time with glasses taught me that our sight impacts how we live.

Jesus talks about spiritually corrected vision in Matthew 13, saying, “Seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” In contrast, Jesus encourages his friends, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13,16; NRSV).

Jesus asks his followers to see with kingdom perspective, not through the cultural or religious perspective of the time. When we see as Christ suggested, it compels a different way of living with respect to the people and communities around us. It beckons us to change how we relate to others.

Seeing with the eyes of Christ

Richard Rohr, in his book Everything Belongs, writes, “The ability to respect the outsider is probably the litmus test of true seeing.”

Rohr may be right. How do I view people who are different from me? How do I respond to individuals or groups who make me feel uncomfortable or who I cannot understand?

When we see with the eyes of Christ we see truly—not entirely unlike the man who Jesus healed in John 9. We celebrate the strengths of the humble and learn from people who are different from us. We are slower to judge and quicker to listen.

I’ve noticed that when I am blessed with the opportunity to see with a new perspective, even for a moment, the Holy Spirit convicts me of my foolishness. What a joy it is to learn from others, and what a hindrance it is to stay stuck in my own perspective.

Rohr also writes: “Can you see the image of Christ in the least of your brothers and sisters? He uses that as his only description about the final judgment. Nothing about commandments, nothing about church attendance, nothing about papal infallibility; simply a matter of our ability to see.”

Can we see Christ on the street?

Can we see Christ in prison?

Can we see Christ on the border?

Yes, we can see, but will we see?

Ali Corona is the Hunger & Care Ministries Specialist for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and is a member of First Baptist Church in Marble Falls.

If you like country music and you live in Texas, chances are your favorite country singer is George Strait. I know it is for me. In fact, I am of the opinion if George Strait is not one of your favorite country singers, then you probably should not live in Texas.

All kidding aside, why do people like George Strait so much? I have heard many reasons why people like him, but at the heart of why people like him is this: he sings songs people like. Other than singing songs people like, he does not really impact peoples’ lives in substantial ways.

Leadership is different than singing songs people like.

Leadership is about much more than giving people what they like. In fact, sometimes leadership is about challenging people to move beyond simple likes and preferences in order to move them to something much better.

This means leadership can impact peoples’ lives in many ways. It can impact peoples’ livelihoods, their routines and their ways of thinking, among other things.

Because leadership is multifaceted and has the potential to impact peoples’ lives, leaders often will face harsh, unfair criticisms and rejection.

Criticism of pastoral leadership weighs heavy

Experiencing this kind of criticism and rejection can be hard on all leaders, but it is especially hard for pastors.

Most pastors I know do not enter pastoral ministry to see how many people they can make angry. Pastors prefer to be liked. In fact, many pastors struggle with the concept of being “people pleasers.” Therefore, pastors need to be challenged in leadership.

If pastors want to be liked by most people, they should become more like George Strait: give people what they like, nothing more and nothing less.

If they want to be the leaders God has called them to be and to steward their calling well, then they need to lead the church in such a way that there will be times of change and stretching.

These times of change and stretching will result in many harsh, unfair criticisms and possible rejection. I wish it was not this way.

Nevertheless, it is helpful to remember: during these times, be encouraged that pastors are not called to be George Strait.

Ross Shelton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Brenham.

One year ago, my wife Jessica and I made the transition from one church to another. The church we were leaving had been our home the last 12 years. It was the place where our spiritual gifts—individually and collectively—developed and flourished. In our time there, Jessica became the nursery director, and I led a Sunday Bible study.

Small groups were our passion. We had envisioned hosting married couples—of all stages of life—where friendships would be strengthened and relationships grow. The small group would meet monthly and continue for three years. We were blessed to experience God’s grace during this time. We were able to witness first-hand answered prayers for adoptions, restorations and transformation.

We knew the transition would not be an easy walk, as we were leaving friendships behind. Jessica and I understood that wherever God led, we would not sit idle for long. Within two months at our new church, we joined a small group, served on the greeter ministry and volunteered in the kid’s ministry.

A month ago, we were asked to lead a small group. While we were excited about the opportunity, we needed to spend time in prayer. There was a slight hesitation, as we would be “leaving” our small group to start another. We both longed to host again, and after praying, we said “yes” to the opportunity.

Saying “yes” and being blessed

The idea of being blessed with spiritual gifts and not using them is something we agreed we would not do. We are humbled that God gifted us to minister to a small group. Our Father entrusts all saints with gifts, and then God provides the place to use those gifts for his glory.

So many people we talk to want to make a difference. They commonly think they are destined for great things. We appreciate their desire and eagerness to achieve big things, but they often are discouraged when their current ministry is lacking—family, relationships, finances and the list goes on.

Our advice to them is look around and appreciate the current place God has set for you to use the gifts. Become diligent in the small things before you are entrusted with more.

Equipped for service for the building up of the body

In Ephesians 4:11-12, we read that all saints are equipped for works. In examining this Scripture, the word “equip” draws my attention.

Equip is defined as supplying a need for a particular purpose. When believers understand they are either equipping or being equipped for the purpose of building up and reaching unity in faith, the ministry work should have a sense of urgency.

“And it was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Keep that thought in your mind the next time you’re asked to be a part of a ministry or lead a small group. While the time commitment may be difficult or an inconvenience, your purpose should be to edify the believers to unity in faith. One is playing a part—big or small—in edifying your brother or sister in Christ.

Your ministry workers covet your prayers. Think of ways you can encourage them. Remember the purpose is to build up and reach unity in faith.

Church demographics are shifting. So, let’s encourage each other to put the socio-economics, cultural backgrounds and political affiliations aside and remain focused on reaching and helping others become mature like the “stature of Christ.”

Joel Gallegos lives in Lubbock with his wife and two young daughters. In 2017, he participated in Young Latino Leaders, a program of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, in which Millennial professionals gathered for a year-long journey to share and address opportunities in local churches. Gallegos blogs about Hispanic Millennials at https://hispanicmillennials.blog.

Gerald Edwards has served more than 16 years as director of missions for the East Texas Baptist Area, made of the Rusk-Panola and Shelby-Doches Associations. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on ministry and the church. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

I served as a mission pastor in 1964 in Orange, Texas, for the First Baptist Church of Orange, Texas. I also pastored the following churches:

• Ringgold Baptist Church, Ringgold, Texas
• Garden Acres Baptist, Ft. Worth, Texas
• Crossroads Baptist, Vinton, Louisiana
• Retta Baptist, Burleson, Texas
• Cana Baptist, Burleson, Texas
• First Baptist, Garrison, Texas
• Second Baptist, Corpus Christi. Texas
• Second Baptist, Corpus Christi, Texas, South Satellite
• Homberg Road Community Baptist, Coral Springs-Parkland, Florida
• First Baptist, Miramar, Florida
• PaulAnn Baptist, San Angelo, Texas
• Eldorado Baptist, El Dorado, Texas
• Northridge Baptist, San Angelo, Texas
• Faith Baptist, Chandler, Texas
• New Work Baptist, Lumberton, Texas

I also served as a regional planting and growth consultant and served the Florida Baptist Convention, Home Mission Board (1982-1985) and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Home Mission Board.

• West Texas Region (41 Associations) from 1985-1994
• East Texas Region (27 Associations) from 1994-2000

During this tenure of ministry, I have either started and/or assisted and pastored over 450 churches. The praise and glory all belong to God!

Where did you grow up?

Orange, Texas

How did you come to faith in Christ?

At age 13, I was saved on Sunday morning at North Orange Baptist Church in a revival meeting in March 195. 

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

• Lutcher Stark High School, Orange, Texas (1961)
• Texas A&M (1961-62) and Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas: B.S. in Secondary Education, Major in Speech, Minor in History (1967)
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas: Master of Divinity (1970)
• Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif.: Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Church Growth (1985)
  

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

With a deep sense of hesitation and unworthiness over a considerable period of time, I felt a deep conviction of the Holy Spirit that God was calling me to preach and minister. This ministry direction started in 1958 in the Orange, Texas city jail on a Sunday afternoon with the deacons of my home church, North Orange Baptist Church. 

Please tell us about your association—where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc.

Our office is located at 300 Railroad Avenue, Mount Enterprise, Texas in the center of a five-county area. Our key focus is pastoral ministry assistance, new work, addressing church growth and decline, children and youth ministry, pastor retirees and needs, seasonal camps and retreats, disaster relief, Christian social ministry, collegiate and university student ministry, and Mission Service Corp efforts.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why?

I like pastors and church staff people! I like men, women and youth volunteers and the great work they do and have done! I like to hear of college and university students leading their peers to Jesus! I like eating fried chicken and coconut pie with Baptist churches! I like seeing the churches worship and recreate different ways! 

What aspect(s) of associational ministry and/or its mission do you wish more people understood?

To understand how “birds of a feather flock together,” or how important it is to see that layers and pockets of people in the highways and hedges could be better reached in their own socio-economic “make-up.” Our total five-county population is 176,000 persons, 70,000 of whom have an annual income of $15,000-$25,000 (Black, Anglo, Hispanic, other). 

How has your association and its mission changed since you began your career?

A cultural impact of drugs and alcohol is more prevalent. Cybernetic revolution has dominated and controlled people and crippled their social and physical development! 

How do you expect your association and/or its mission to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

Involvement in high tech adjustments! Responding to state and national SBC partnerships! Dealing with blended and traditional ways of worship (music, etc.).

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your association.

• Music worship
• Church planting and new work
• Innovative ways and means of outreach and evangelism 

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment?

Seeing or hearing that people are “saved,” enlisting and observing the tremendous number of “volunteers” serving in multiple church ministries. 

About Baptists

What are the key issues—opportunities and/or challenges—facing Baptist churches?

• Maintaining conservative Baptist doctrine
• Planting new churches
• Revitalizing declining churches
• Family adjustments
• Church educational ministries
• Church music

What are the key issues facing Baptists as a people or denomination?

Same as above!

What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local?

This question is much too broad! The local church level is where it must start.

About Gerald

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

• My pastor, C.W. Williams, North Orange Baptist Church (preaching, studying, counsel)
• My mother, Bessie Fay Edwards, for my birthday Bible gift!
• My wife, Joannah Jane Edwards, of 54 years.
• My son, Lewis Todd Edwards, M.D. (great Christian at First Baptist Church in Dallas)
• My daughter, Joannah Lynae (Edwards) Hill, mother of four children and the “epitome of patience!” 

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why.

• Basic Baptist Beliefs and Trial by Fire by Harold Rowling
• A Place Called Heaven by Robert Jeffress
• W.A. Criswell, Charles H. Spurgeon, R.G. Lee, Billy Graham and Herschel Hobbs 

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

• 2 Corinthians 5:21—God’s gift of our sinless Lord Jesus who made eternal life possible.
• Romans 10:9-10
• John 3:16
• John 14:1-3

They clearly teach the love of God and the plan of salvation. 

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

This is such a hard question! I will just mention Paul, who was powerfully changed by Christ, who became a theologian, church planter and care person for the churches, a powerful preacher, and a proclaimer of the Holy Spirit! 

Name something about you that would surprise people who know you well.

The place I came from and where I lived as a child and youth.

The fact that one dip of snuff was enough! 

If you could get one “do over” in your career, what would it be, and why?

I would try to work with and be more sensitive to the “power bases” in the churches and grow to understand how God can and does use them.

SAN ANTONIO—When a mother and child seeking asylum in the United States faced deportation last year, Natalie Webb, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in San Antonio, knew her congregation had the resources and the ability to help.

Even though immigrants have credible reasons to seek asylum in the United States, such as fearing for their own lives or their children’s lives, Webb said, immigration courts tend to turn away most applicants.

If asylum seekers are able to find a lawyer to represent them, and the attorney believes the client was turned away in error, an appeal is possible.

In February 2017, the San Antonio Sanctuary Network informed Covenant Baptist Church about a mother and her child who needed sanctuary to remain in the United States while they waited on the court to hear their appeal.

The mother and her child were able to find other resources and did not end up needing Covenant’s help, Webb noted. But since that day, her church has participated in the Sanctuary Network, a volunteer-led organization formed last year.

San Antonio Sanctuary Network formed

Webb and Moon Brand now co-chair the network, which focuses primarily on providing asylum-seeking immigrants short-term shelter and accompaniment to immigration appointments.

“San Antonio Sanctuary Network came out of the Interfaith Welcome Coalition, and it is now its own group,” Webb explained.

The coalition began aiding immigrants years ago, during the Obama administration. At that time, families sometimes were dropped off at bus stations during the night, even though their buses might not leave until days later.

When the Trump administration made it tougher for immigrants to receive asylum, some congregations in the Interfaith Welcome Coalition declared themselves sanctuary churches. Most provide short-term lodging and assistance to families as their immigration cases are processed. Some are ready to offer safe haven to immigrants who face deportation.

Since many of the churches of the San Antonio’s Sanctuary Network also are part of the Interfaith Coalition, their work involves collaboration from churches of many Christian denominations, as well as other faiths, Brand noted.

Sanctuary offered in event of ‘worst-case scenario’

Churches in San Antonio have not had to offer sanctuary to immigrants yet, which is understood as the last aid a church could offer in case of an emergency, Webb clarified.

“Church sanctuary would be the response for families at risk of deportation in kind of a worst-case scenario,” Webb said.

The Sanctuary Network also developed other programs, such as enlisting volunteers to accompany asylum seekers to their court dates, immigration check-ins and any other appointment with offices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Webb noted.

Webb and Brand both noted a significant change when people from the community accompany asylum-seekers to their appointments. The proceedings tend to go quicker, immigrants receive more favorable outcomes and they are not belittled, Webb said.

‘We are stronger together’

Often, when ICE agents learn volunteers of the interfaith coalition are accompanying immigrants, they tend to open up and be more approachable, Brand added.

They may think volunteers are from the church of their parents, or a family member, so they treat immigrants better, she said.

When people hear “interfaith,” they understand it could be any church offering assistance to their neighbor, Brand observed.

“We are stronger together,” she said.

The few asylum-seekers who are allowed to enter the country and continue their case are dropped off at a bus station until they depart to meet their family members, Webb said.

After the Trump administration implemented a zero tolerance policy that included asylum seekers, families that crossed the border were separated. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered adult immigrants to be sent to jail while they were prosecuted and children transported to different holding facilities until they were placed with other relatives.

In June, Trump signed an executive order ending the policy of family separation after public objection. Even though a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunify all families by July 26, hundreds of families still wait to be reunited.

Support and short-term shelter for families

As families wait to continue the journey to their final destination, Covenant has begun to offer short-term shelter for them, Webb said.

Since this summer, the church has hosted five families, which also includes helping them find resources in San Antonio and around the cities where they are headed, said Webb.

Each family has different needs, so the support Sanctuary Network offers is specific to each case, Brand said.

“After they leave us, and they go to their final destination, we need to make sure that where they’re going they have resources,” said Brand. “We’ll see what immigration center is closest to them, what church that speaks their language is closest to them, and we connect them to that so they can have success.”

Webb’s and Brand’s interaction with immigrant families has developed into friendships, both said. Even after the families have arrived at their final destination, they still call Webb and Brand to talk.

Serving the vulnerable

Through the conversations, Webb and Brand make sure their transition is continuing smoothly, check in on them and see how their children are doing in school, Brand added.

“To me, this is what the mission of the church is,” Webb said. “When I think of my ministry and the church’s ministry, I think about Jesus in Luke, reading from Scripture about how he came to release prisoners, give sight to the blind, and heal the wounded.”

The call of the church is to serve the least of these, so when a church has the space that can be used for a ministry like this, it must be a good steward of its resources, Webb said. It’s simply part of the identity Christians must have, she added.

Even when some people oppose welcoming immigrants, Webb maintained her loyalty is to Christ and to serving those she has been commanded to serve.

“We learn so much from the lives of these families, and especially the women who have stayed with us,” Webb said. “They are the best picture that we have of Jesus; one of strength in weakness, risk and faith, and care for their children.”

SAN ANGELO—When residents at Baptist Retirement Community in San Angelo need transportation to a doctor’s appointment, they know they have more than a free ride available. They have a friend in the driver’s seat.

For 35 years, Sally Lugo has provided the retirement community residents transportation to and from medical appointments. She views the service she offers as more than a job.

“It’s a ministry to me,” she said. “I feel called to do this as a mission. I like to help people.”

Lugo initially joined the senior living community staff as an aide, working late-night shifts. When a job became available in transportation services, she applied for the position. She wanted employment that allowed her to be home with her young children early mornings and every evening.

“Now my children are all adults, with families of their own,” Lugo said.

Extended family

After three and a half decades serving seniors at Baptist Retirement Community, a Buckner senior living facility, they treat her like extended family. Lugo appreciates when residents ask about her four grandchildren, and she eagerly shows their latest photos on her smartphone.

Lugo enjoys the opportunities her job offers to get acquainted with residents as she drives them to and from their appointments.

“I learn a lot from them. I like listening to their stories,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for them, and I feel like I understand where they’re coming from.”

Through the years, she has listened to retired missionaries describe their experiences in overseas service, as well as hearing more than a few humorous or touching stories from residents.

“If I could go back, I would have kept a journal,” she said.

Happy to serve

Lugo recognizes visits to medical appointments can be stressful for senior adults, and she seeks to make the experience as pleasant and positive for them as possible.

“I’m there to listen, not to give advice,” she said. “I try to give them some encouragement, and they know I’m going to keep an eye on them. Sometimes, I’ll give them a call after an appointment, just to make sure they are OK. They appreciate it when I’m checking on them.”

Lugo knows residents’ families also appreciate the service she provides, since it means they don’t have to take time off from work or drive long distances for every appointment.

After three and a half decades, Lugo now recognizes some Baptist Retirement Community residents as the children of former residents she served.

Other drivers at the retirement community provide transportation to planned outings and shopping trips. Lugo’s job assignment focuses specifically on medical appointments. However, that doesn’t prevent her from offering her senior adult friends a ride to evening visitation at a funeral home or to a weekend memorial service.

Lugo finds satisfaction in greeting residents with a smile and providing them “a listening ear.” They, in turn, bring her joy on a daily basis, she added.

“I am very blessed in a lot of ways—being here as long as I’ve been and coming in contact with the residents,” she said. “I enjoy coming to work every day.”

ATLANTA—The search committee seeking a successor to Suzii Paynter as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s leader released a profile for the executive coordinator position.

The committee released the position profile five weeks after Paynter announced her plans to retire from the post. Paynter will remain as CBF executive coordinator during a transitional period until her successor begins work.

CBF “is seeking a new leader who is grounded in biblical faith with a commitment to the mission of Jesus and who has the ability to take the unchanging gospel to a rapidly changing world,” the position description states.

“We seek an individual who can capitalize on current strengths while pursuing innovation and growth. Our next leader will build on the past 27 years of organizational success while having the freedom to shape the organization for future service and mission success.”

Profile lists requirements and desired traits

The committee is seeking an individual with an earned advanced degree from an accredited educational institution and 10 years or more successful senior leadership experience at a complex organization. The individual must be willing to travel and to relocate to Decatur, Ga., where the CBF offices are located.

The executive coordinator should be “a committed Christian with a global vision,” demonstrate “commitment to Baptist distinctives and principles,” be “theologically competent and mature,” and possess “the presence to be a global leader,” according to the position profile.

The next CBF leader should be “resilient, adaptable and contextual,” as well as “genuine, authentic, sincere and transparent” and “convictional and kind, respectful and gracious toward others,” the position profile states.

Other attributes desired include a history of engagement with CBF, as well as familiarity and experience with local church work.

The committee is seeking an “accomplished communicator,” a “relationship builder” and a “strong fund-raiser.” The executive coordinator should possess the ability to manage diverse partnerships, listen well to diverse constituents and partners, and engage diverse cultures and generations effectively.

The executive coordinator should possess organizational and fiscal competency, willingness to provide spiritual leadership to staff and church leaders, and technological competency, including the ability to understand and use current and emerging communication tools such as social media, as well as traditional media.

Individuals interested in applying for the position should submit a cover letter summarizing qualifications, a resume and contact information for three references. Applications materials should be sent by email to search@emdconsulting.com. The committee will give priority to materials submitted by Sept. 15.

Two Texans on search committee

Jeff Roberts, senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., chairs the executive coordinator search committee.

Texans on the search committee are Jackie Baugh Moore, a member of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio, and Steve Wells, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston.

Other committee members are Courtney Allen of Richmond, Va.; Shauw Chin Capps of Beaufort, S.C.; Juan Garcia of Newport News, Va.; Jennifer Hawks of McLean, Va.; Emmanuel McCall of East Point, Ga.; and Chris Sanders of Louisville, Ky.

Stephen Cook, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and recorder of the CBF Governing Board, and CBF Moderator Gary Dollar from Dayspring Baptist Church in St. Louis, Mo., are serving as ex officio committee members.

In March 2013, Paynter became the third Texan—after Cecil Sherman and Daniel Vestal—and the first woman to serve as CBF executive coordinator.

Paynter, a San Antonio native, worked with the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission from 2001 to 2013—first as director of public policy and later as commission director and leader of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Advocacy Care Center.

What people are saying about John McCain

Many knew John McCain as a fighter. His war record and congressional record indicate as much. We may not have been with him in the Hanoi Hilton, but we saw its influence on him when he responded to political opposition time after time. We saw his fearlessness, and we respected him for it.

Lesser known was John McCain as a person of faith. Preferring not to make his faith public, McCain was shaped nonetheless by his Christian faith at least as much as he was shaped by the military, perhaps in ways we overlook because of his pugnaciousness.

Immediately after McCain’s passing, several news outlets—including the Baptist Standard—published stories of his quiet faith, citing his interview with Rick Warren, in which McCain defined being a Christian as being “saved and forgiven.” Others trumpeted his attendance at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

About that: I’m not sure why it’s so important to evangelicals to claim important people as their own. Why must we make sure people know John McCain said the right thing about what it means to be a Christian? Why must Baptists make sure people know McCain was one of them, a Baptist, and not just any kind of Baptist, a Southern Baptist?

What’s behind the need to tie powerful and well-known people to the words “saved and forgiven,” evangelical, Baptist? Could it be our hope that the powerful and famous will replace our loss of cultural cachet with their own prominence?

Actions speak louder than words

Of all the words I’ve come across in the days since John McCain’s passing, one story speaks louder to me than the rest. Several top lawmakers were interviewed about the historic moment McCain cast his “thumbs-down” vote against a “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York recounted McCain walking into the Senate chamber to cast his vote, saying: “I knew what would happen. John McCain again would do what he thought was the right thing no matter what the pressure.”

We might quibble about Chuck Schumer’s definition of “right,” but we shouldn’t be distracted from a larger point his words indicate. Schumer’s words indicate McCain was more concerned with doing the right thing than with being liked.

What we should take from Schumer’s assessment of McCain is not that McCain bucked the Republicans but that McCain was known to his colleagues as a person who acted on his principles regardless of how his actions would be received.

Given our “voting record,” how are we known by those around us?

Are we known for talking right or doing right?

Taking a page out of McCain’s book

John McCain didn’t seem to measure right by what church he attended or what words he used to define “being a Christian.” He seemed to understand these are outward displays that may have no correspondence to one’s inner character.

In the same way, we ought to be more concerned with our inner character than our outward appearance. We ought to be more concerned with being formed by Jesus than with having all the evangelically approved accessories, whether that be cross jewelry and tattoos or attending the right church. If we are not concerned with the right things, our actions will reveal our true guiding principles.

The price of doing what is right

John McCain lost his second bid for the presidency of the United States, perhaps because he refused to throw then-President Barack Obama under the bus by validating people’s fear and suspicion of Obama. Even when he could have smeared his opponent, McCain chose to appear weak by respecting and standing up for him. Appearances can be deceiving, however.

Though we may lose in this life for not keeping up appearances, may we be known for doing what is right and not just talking about it.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com or on Twitter at @EricBlackBSP.

About a year ago, a friend, who only recently moved to the United States, was asked by an acquaintance if he wanted to come to “a concert and a speech.” This was how the invitation was worded.

As you may have guessed, he was tricked into going to church.

The person who invited him was certainly being coy with the sneak-invite. But I wonder if he felt he gave an accurate description of a church service.

Church as a show becomes church as a commodity

Churches certainly seem like performances sometimes, with ministers taking the role of performers on a raised platform and congregants acting as the audience watching the performance. Elements of the service, like music and preaching, are determined by what the audience wants to see and hear.

In short, the mentality that church is just “a concert and a speech,” which just happens to be religious in nature, makes church become a commodity like any other. Church offers goods and services of a spiritual nature for consumption as desired.

When church becomes a commodity, we shouldn’t be surprised when people stop showing up. Whatever spiritual commodity the church can offer them—inspiration, comfort, moral guidance—can be attained from a variety of other places.

The “concert and speech” church, in other words, is church that will inevitably lose to better concerts and better speeches.

Involving the people: Communicating the purpose of the church

How do we keep church from becoming a show to be consumed rather than a community in which to participate?

First, as I wrote about in my last column, we must think hard about why the church exists.

What does the church offer that no other institution or organization can offer? What do people gain from being a part of the church that they can’t gain from being a part of anything else?

These are the questions we need to answer if church is to avoid becoming a product like any other.

Beyond developing and communicating these answers, those of us in the ministry should avoid making church seem like a show. If the congregation never participates in what is happening in the service or feels like their role doesn’t have the same significance as that of the pastor, why wouldn’t they think church is a type of performance or show?

Ways my church engages the whole congregation in worship

I think my church does exceptionally well at engaging people in the service. The congregation is literally essential to what happens on Sunday mornings.

We have two separate responsive readings every service, with a third in some services. A lay person leads the first reading and then prays a prayer they have written.

Our service also includes three Scripture readings, two of which are always led by lay people in the church.

We periodically stop for moments of silence or wordless music, taking the focus temporarily from the stage area and directing it back to the individuals in the pews.

As a Protestant church, the sermon is naturally the “high point” toward which the service builds. The structure of the sermon places it in the work of the congregation. The sermon isn’t especially long, it is based on a passage read earlier in the service by a church member, and it echoes themes and images found in the hymns we’ve sung during the service, which the music minister chooses in conjunction with the pastor’s message.

The examples above aren’t necessities of the faith or requirements pulled verbatim out of the Bible.

My primary aim in sharing these practices is to suggest what a church service might look like by aligning our convictions about the nature of the church with what actually happens when we gather.

Our gathering is—or at least should be—focused on Christ, who has gathered all of us.

Moving worship from performance for us to praise of God

Music that is difficult for untrained musicians to sing leaves the impression that the music is more a concert than corporate worship. Similarly, preaching—occupying the center of the service and clearly reflecting the personal beliefs of the pastor—makes the sermon appear to be a motivational talk or political speech rather than a space where the work of God is remembered and experienced.

What if we made accessibility one of the criteria for how we choose music for worship? Would it be a bad thing to have a stable selection of a few dozen rotating songs rather than a constant influx of new music with which the congregation is likely unfamiliar? In other words, what would it look like to actively consider the congregation’s role in proclaiming God’s works through song?

Similarly, how might our preaching be affected by thinking in this way? I imagine it would draw us to sermons that are more condensed and pay closer attention to the life of the congregation, with the pastor taking on the role of one who speaks for the congregation rather than one who teaches them during the worship service.

The American church is at a crossroads as our relevancy to contemporary society is called into question. Moving forward requires us to consider what the church is and to adjust our practices in light of this.

Jake Raabe is a student at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas. He is also a co-founder of Patristica Press, a Waco-based publishing house.

Back to school is a return to routine

For many of us, the start of a new school year means we can get back to our routines. Yes, we may have to buy new school clothes, but the kids are off to school again. We can work at home or away from the house knowing our children are in a structured learning environment with trained professionals for the next seven hours.

Back to school holds a different meaning for each of us, and as a former teacher, back to school has especially significant meaning for me. During my teacher preparation program, I was taught child development, lesson planning and professional/academic teaching standards to guide my work and career.

Back to school is a return to longsuffering

As I soaked in God’s word to me this week during our Wednesday Bible study and Sunday’s sermon, the concept of longsuffering loomed large. Reflecting on this time of year and the idea of longsuffering, I could see vividly how God encourages teachers with this particular fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

While the rest of us get back to our routine(s), teachers are about to enter a plethora of the unpredictable. Any given day, legislators and governing bodies can put forth new laws, district and school administrators can change the game plan, parents can selfishly expect too much from teachers, and students can come to school sick, hungry, angry and/or unprepared for learning.

Since teacher annual salaries can still average around $45,000, some teachers must negotiate updating their own child’s wardrobe amidst saving for a rainy day at the same time many of us will purchase new school clothes for our kids without too much agony.

While the rest of us leave for work prepared to use our training, teachers often use their heads, hearts and hands in ways for which they were not trained. Even so, they must perform. Their jobs are on the line. More importantly, more than 20 pairs of young eyes are focused on them daily.

How can teachers go the distance under such pressure?

Our guest preacher this Sunday, Rev. Michael Evans Jr., taught us how Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us to keep pressing forward.

For Christian teachers, God sees you praying. He saw you anoint the classroom and pray for students prior to the start of school. He sees you doing your devotions. Keep pressing forward.

All teachers, Christian or not, are encouraged always to focus on the reward. Keep the prize of a job well done, an educated society and a transformed student life in sight. Being a teacher can get hard. Endure suffering, and still progress. Focus on the reward.

If we are to progress, first we must remember those who came before us. We must remember we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).

Although teacher salaries are low, they have been lower. Former teachers had the same expectations of them: to educate students for a lot less money. Former teachers are our witnesses that it can be done.

Parents see your good work, also. Parents see the improvement in their child(ren). Oh, they may not say it, but parents are witnesses to your efforts.

Second, let some things go. Lay aside every weight and the sin which easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1).

Weights for teachers can be uninformed legislators or ill-tempered administrators, co-workers or parents. If we are to progress and run this race, we must lay aside those things that would distract us from the prize, including things about ourselves, such as procrastination or lack of planning.

Finally, we are to run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1). As a teacher, I found myself many times in competition with the next teacher. To run my race as a teacher, I must ensure I am running the right race. If I am attempting to run someone else’s race, it will only deter my progress in pressing forward.

As believers and as teachers, we are also called to longsuffering.

Minister of Missions Tamiko Jones taught us Wednesday evening how Paul tells us Christians are to put on our new clothes of mercy, kindness, humbleness, meekness and, yes, longsuffering (Colossians 3:12).

Teachers are not only called to longsuffering, we are also called to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15). Amid teacher accountability, high-stakes testing, school shootings, low teacher pay, amid all these things teachers are also called to peace. Praise God for the peace of Christ!

As teachers, we are to clothe ourselves in the above manner. Despite the frequently tough terrain, we as teachers must act, behave and respond in ways that show we are believers of the Most High God.

Teachers, my prayer for you this year and every year going forth is that you manifest the peace of Christ in the midst of longsuffering.

Lisa M. Rainey, Ph.D., is an experienced educator and a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas. She applied Sunday’s sermon by guest preacher Michael Evans Jr. and Wednesday’s word by minister of missions Tamiko Jones to issues of education.

SAN ANTONIO—This summer, Baptist Temple in San Antonio found a way both to strengthen its community ministries and provide hands-on experience for a Baptist University of the Américas student.

Miguel Garcia, a BUA student, served as an intern at Baptist Temple through Student.Church, a program coordinated by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Garcia was one of 46 undergraduate and graduate students who explored ministry opportunities at churches across the country through Student.Church.

Pastor Jorge Zayasbazan noted Baptist Temple already had bought a house and refurbished it for student missionaries who will live there while they serve in the congregation’s varied community ministries.

Baptist Temple’s hope to expand its involvement in the community and Garcia’s search to gain ministry experience came together through Student.Church, said Wanda Kidd, director of the program and collegiate ministries specialist at CBF.

Offer guidance and support

Student.Church internships, which begin at the end of May and conclude in early August, differ from many other church internships in the exposure and guidance students receive, Kidd noted.

“It’s not unusual for churches to have interns,” she said. “What is unusual is for church interns to know they are not insular in their experience.”

Student.Church supports interns by connecting them with mentors outside the church and bringing the students together so they can share experiences with each other, Kidd said.

Connections between students grow even more during debriefing at the end of the summer, when CBF assembles 40 to 50 student interns who bond as they relate their common experiences, Kidd said.

“People are always fascinated by how close these students are when they only have known each other for one week,” said Kidd. “There is a sense of community and shared experience.”

Student.Church internships offer a wide range of ministry experiences, including hospital visitation, business and church administration meetings, as well as sermon preparation and children’s lessons, she said.

A clear picture of congregational ministry

The experience gained at Baptist Temple gave Garcia a clearer picture of what ministry in the church can be like, he said.

Garcia, who hopes to serve as a worship leader in a church, noted he is on track to graduate from BUA next year. As an intern, he learned worship ministers can help other Christians be more active in the church, Garcia added.

“We’re meant to grow in our faith and plant other seeds,” he said.

Garcia’s experience and the lessons he learned while he served at Baptist Temple exemplify the reason CBF created Student.Church, Kidd noted. When the program started, she noted, more than 60 percent of students entering seminary reported they never wanted to serve in a local church.

“Since our organization is based in local congregation ministry, we said, ‘Maybe if we placed them in congregations and help them see the purpose and value of church, it might change that,’” she said.

Hands-on internship experiences in congregations tend to confirm a sense of calling, Kidd noted. Since Student.Church began, CBF has worked with 400 churches and somewhere between 400 and 500 students.

Every summer, one or two students decide they are not meant for ministry in a local church, she acknowledged.

However, many others—including some who accepted an internship because they could not find a summer job or because someone recommended the program to them—fall in love with ministry in a local church setting,  and their lives are shaped by the experience, Kidd said.

“I would have not done this for 10 years if I did not think this had intrinsic and lifelong value,” she said.

Jeff Box has been director of missions for the Concho Valley Baptist Association in San Angelo, Texas, since 2013. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

• youth minister in Snyder, San Antonio, Canyon, and Borger, Texas
• BSU/BSM director at Frank Phillips College (Borger), Mountainview Community College (Dallas, while in Seminary), Paris Junior College/Northeast Texas Community College, Amarillo College, Wayland Baptist University
• interim pastorates in Amarillo (2) and Hart
• senior pastor at First Baptist in Monahans and Chapel Hill in Odessa

Where did you grow up?

I was born in San Angelo but my father joined the Air Force, and I spent time in Vermont, Washington, D.C., Germany, Okinawa, Japan, San Antonio, Texas and then moved back to San Angelo to live with my grandparents in my sophomore year of high school, graduating from Lake View High School in 1974

How did you come to faith in Christ?

You asked a complicated question.

My family was not religious at all. My father was an agnostic and disliked any religion.

I remember once when I was about seven or eight years old being dropped off at Vacation Bible School at Lackland Baptist Church in San Antonio because it was cheap babysitting. It lasted two weeks; I think the workers are still recovering! I remember memorizing all the books of the Bible and the scripture list they had, not because of what it taught me, but because I wanted more stars on my wall chart than anyone else.

The second week, the preacher made a plea each day for us to get “saved.” I had no idea what that meant, but because I liked the preacher, I went down three times. The third time he told me to go sit down.

Seven or eight years later, while living in Okinawa, I suffered a serious leg injury that was originally misdiagnosed by the medics at our air base. The result was a staph infection on my right leg that led to massive blood poisoning. When it was discovered, I was rushed to an Army hospital on the other side of the island. The most seriously injured cases from Vietnam were sent there.

I spent 60 days in the hospital, during which time I turned 16 years old. My dad was told not to expect me to live, then that my right leg would be amputated above the knee, and finally that my leg would be paralyzed from the knee down. Back then, we were placed in wards of 45-60 people. I was the only one not wounded in Vietnam. I was an immature punk with a huge inferiority complex.

I saw some horrific things during my stay, but I also witnessed the brotherhood of vets and the things they did for each other and for me. Looking back, there were more Christ-like attitudes in there than in some of the churches I have seen.

One night, I was sound asleep when I heard screams for help. A soldier I played checkers with that night collapsed in the bathroom. The staff carried him to his bed, and for over an hour, I watched as they worked on him until they finally pulled the sheet over his head.

I lay awake and wondered what would happen to me if I died, and I knew it wouldn’t be good! Suddenly all the verses I memorized years earlier in Vacation Bible School came to my mind.

As I thought about the verses, I realized what I needed. That night, responding to what I knew and in a somewhat non-religious language and form, I asked for God’s forgiveness and surrendered my life to Christ. He has never left me since that night.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

• graduated from Lake View High School in San Angelo in 1974
• attended Western Texas College in Snyder in 1974
• received a Bachelor of Mass Communication/Journalism from West Texas State University in Canyon in 1979
• received a Master of Religious Education from Southwestern Seminary in 1986

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

I did not want to go into vocational ministry. Following high school, God and I fought for three long months before I surrendered. I knew nothing about what “going into the ministry” actually meant. I thought you either had to be a pastor or foreign missionary. I had just read the book Through the Gates of Splendor about 5 missionaries being killed, and my pastor was being raked over the coals by some of the “little ole’ ladies” over the color of some new carpet. As far as I was concerned, the call to ministry was a death sentence!

I wanted to be a photojournalist or a sports writer. Finally, God asked me the decisive question, “Who’s in charge?”

This June will mark 43 years in vocational ministry. Every stage in this 43-year journey has led me to this point.

Please tell us about your association—where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc. 

Our building is located in San Angelo, Texas. Our southern-most churches are located in Ozona and Sonora. Our northern-most city is Sterling City. Between those two points is a distance of 109 miles. Luckily, San Angelo is close to halfway.

Of our 43 churches and missions, 26 average 100 or less in worship, 10 average 100 to 150 and the remaining seven range from 200 to 1300.

We have two African-American churches, two Western culture, eight Hispanic and two Korean. We are hosting an unApologetic Conference in October, with Korean- and Spanish-language tracks.

The first line of my job description is I am to be a “pastor to the pastors.” If all we do is encourage, refresh and strengthen our churches’ ministry staff (and that includes the ministry assistants), then we have done a good job. The healthier the church staff is, the stronger the church can be.

We sponsor training events and fellowships. We have started local mission projects designed to help us help each other in building renovation projects. We have moved our Annual Gathering to Sunday night and try to bring in speakers who challenge and encourage the members in the pews. The program is aimed at them. Last year was unique in that we did a musical celebration of the diversity of the Concho Valley Baptist Association. It was great.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why? 

At heart, I am a pastor/equipper. I am working with some of the most incredible people who lead churches, and I am allowed to walk side-by-side with them and help in any way possible. And they help me.

What aspect(s) of associational ministry and/or its mission do you wish more people understood? 

The Concho Valley Baptist Association is NOT apart from the churches, nor is it a parachurch group. The CVBA exists because the churches have chosen to cooperate with each other for the benefit of each other and the kingdom of God.

I do not tell the churches what to do. They tell me what their needs are, and together we strive to meet them.

How has your association and its mission changed since you began your career? 

That would be a question better answered by the pastors who have been here longer than me.

How do you expect your association and/or its mission to change in the next 10 to 20 years? 

Each association is different because each group of churches is different. I believe the keyword we need to focus on is relevance. What is great in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex may not work in our setting. If a particular association is not relevant to its churches and for its churches, then it will cease to exist and it should.

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your association.

Leadership is always a key issue.

During an interview, I was asked an incredible question: “What about this job scares you the most?”

I have thought about that often, and I decided the greatest challenge for a director of missions is the challenge to listen, not merely hearing but listening to understand.

What are the church leaders and the churches telling me? What do they need? Where are they hurting? How do they need to be challenged?

Am I listening to God? Am I responding to what I hear and to how God wants me to respond and on his schedule?

For the churches, I think the issue of cooperation and seeing the need to be a cord of three strands is vital. To do that successfully, our focus needs to be on Matthew 6:33, seeking first to build the kingdom of God. If we do that, then he will take care of his churches.

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment? 

Seeing what God is doing in so many lives and in so many churches. Getting to know great people across the entirety of the associational family.

About Baptists

What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local? 

We have some great strengths: our commitment to God’s word, to missions, evangelism and a growing awareness of the foundational need to make disciples as a mandate from God.

Unfortunately, we are not readily known for those things. We are known more for what we are against than what we are for, and that must change.

About Jeff

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

There are too many to mention. I once had an older minister tell me that everyone is my superior in at least one way, and it is my responsibility to learn from them. I am truly raised by a village.

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why. 

There is not one author I focus on. I enjoy Bonhoeffer and Swindoll, but I like to read books focused on apologetics and understanding where people are coming from.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

I have had numerous surgeries and health issues, and I Corinthians 10:13 has always helped.

Matthew 4:19 and 6:33 and Ephesians 4:1-12 have always been meaningful and challenging for me.

And I love Matthew 1:1-18. Jesus is the only person who has ever been able to select his family, and look who he put in it: prostitutes, Gentiles, murderers! If I were to put my family tree together, it would be made up of Christians who are rich and generous (what good is a rich relative who isn’t generous?) and love the Cowboys!

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

I like Peter because we both suffer from “foot-in-mouth” disease.

Barnabas because he stood up for and encouraged others and willingly stepped out of the spotlight.

Rahab because she had the choice to fight God, flee from God or follow God, and she chose to follow him. Some people tend to focus on how “brutal” they see God to be in the Old Testament. But everyone is given the same choices that Rahab faced. 

Name something about you that would surprise people who know you well.

I am really an introvert at my core.

If you could get one “do over” in your career, what would it be, and why?

I would be more disciplined. I have tried to be more disciplined (repeatedly), but I guess I just don’t have the discipline needed to succeed in this area. 

Tell us about your family.

I have two grown kids who are married and have blessed us with three grandkids.

My true treasure is my wife. She is an incredible servant. We have put youth, college students and adults up in our house. I have called on her at the last minute to help, and she responds. In all the places we have served, no one knows all she has done for them or the kingdom. She has put up with my many health issues and kept me afloat. She also calls my hand on areas when needed. I call her “my Angel” because she is.