My wife and I are enjoying this season of our lives as we relate to our adult children and our grandchildren. Each member of our extended family has a distinct personality, personal preferences and varied time commitments. We do not agree on all things for sure.

Yet, in spite of all our differences, we often enjoy spending time together. Whether we do a cookout, meet at a restaurant, go on a road trip, watch a movie or go swimming, we cherish each other’s company, laugh together, pray for each other and respect one another. What a gift!

That is what the Apostle Paul had in mind for the church family. Acknowledging all the unique ways in which God created us, we can strive to be like-minded, to love one another and to be one in spirit and mind. That ought to be our prayer for each church and for our convention.

I am particularly thankful for our Texas Baptists Executive Board. This board, elected by messengers to our annual meeting, is composed of ninety individuals, men and women, from every part of our state. They represent small, medium and large churches, vocational ministers and church members, as well as the ethnic and age diversity of our Texas Baptists family.

This past month, our executive board met on the campus of Hardin-Simmons University. After meetings by committees, councils, commissions and advisory teams, we began our joint session at the Logsdon Chapel with hymn singing and prayer, seeking to be one in spirit and in mind.

I delivered my executive director’s report to the board that same evening. I shared that our preparation for God’s movement in our world today needs to be similar to the preparation of God’s people in Acts 1, referring in particular to Acts 1:8 and its context.

Jesus told his disciples that once the Spirit came on them in power, they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The disciples needed to prepare for a holistic, global and transformational movement.

As we pray for God to move today, we need to prepare in the same way. We want to care for people well. We want to reach Texas, North America and the ends of the earth. And we want to see God change us so that we can be agents of change.

We are moving forward with an initiative we are calling GC2 Strong. It is based on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We want to see churches strengthened. Strong churches need strong ministers. Strong churches strengthen mission partnerships. GC2 Strong!

This will be our focus in the months ahead. I have assigned a staff team to design a process that will meet churches and leaders where they are, to help them get to the next level in living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

We will realign our staff, our resources and our organization to serve churches, ministers and missions along this GC2 Strong focus. We hope to invite interested churches and ministry leaders to sign up for this process early in 2026. I am thankful for the executive board’s unanimous affirmation of my report and of this strategic direction.

In the meantime, we want to pray for God to prepare our hearts, to prepare our churches, to prepare the harvest field and to do what only He can do. Will you join that prayer? Will you pray for Texas to be reached with the gospel? Will you pray for Texas Baptists to be a global missions force?

The executive board heard other reports, received a challenging message from President Ronny Marriott and made some important decisions, including the development of the Texas Baptists Indemnity Program and a special agreement with DBU. You can read more about that here.

Thank you for your support and your prayers. May we, as Texas Baptists, continue to be one in spirit and in mind for the sake of the Kingdom.

Being one in spirit and in mind for the sake of the kingdom