Articles by Teresa Young

“The Great Commission has not been paused, postponed or rewritten – it still calls us to go, to love and to make disciples.”

In just three and a half years, the Pave program has seen a major wave of growth not only in their participant numbers but in the churches involved in the revitalization effort. And that impact was celebrated in a workshop held Monday at the Texas Baptists Convention in Waco.

What started as a one-week service emphasis at First Baptist Church in San Marcos evolved into a multi-church ministry with its own nonprofit status and big goals for the future.

Despite being a vibrant part of the San Antonio community for 102 years, Saint Luke Baptist Church appeared to some to be dying.

This past August, a group of Texas Baptists church leaders and ministry staff traveled to the East African countries of Uganda and Tanzania in support of a continuing partnership with the Baptist Union of Uganda and the Baptist Churches of Tanzania. While the purpose of the visit was to provide training and resources and preach the gospel, the group received a lesson in cooperation in return.

“We want to help women grow in confidence in their beliefs, to know and articulate Christian theology. Women’s ministry is drifting from being event-driven to formation-driven. Personal formation is becoming the emphasis among these ministries.”

“By investing in these students, we are ministering, discipling, mentoring and developing leaders that will impact the generations that are coming behind them. Our churches do not need more members; our churches need more disciples of Jesus, and this is what this program is about: making disciples that make disciples.”

“Sometimes the crowd is wrong,” said Ammons, pastor at First Baptist Church in Garland. “Just because there is a groundswell saying to do this, doesn’t mean it’s right.”

Just miles from the border between Texas and Mexico, Texas Baptists gathered during the 2023 Texas Baptists Family Gathering to celebrate 55 years of River Ministry at the Missions Banquet.

If your church is declining in attendance or plateauing for several years, there is good news: You are not alone. But the better news is you don’t have to stay that way, said Dr. Jonathan Smith, Director of Church Health Strategy for Texas Baptists.