FBC Hondo finding new growth through Pave

Mike Vasquez was already pretty keen on the idea of church revitalization when he learned more about Pave, the Texas Baptists revitalization strategy, at an associational meeting at the end of December 2025. After learning more, he quickly knew he wanted to be a part. 

“I have a thought that all churches are kind of revitalizing at any given point, and we should be. If we are just happy with what we used to do or yesteryear, we can become complacent and stagnant, and that’s not what the Lord is,” said Vasquez, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Hondo since April 2017 after serving as youth pastor for five years. “I want to be at work where my father is.”

Vasquez said his cohort started meeting in March, so the process is still fairly new. Participating pastors met with a life coach to discuss mental health issues in ministry. Jonathan Smith, Church Strong Team Lead, taught a seminar on conflict management.

The first principle of Pave Vasquez instituted at FBC Hondo was the baptism plan. He said at first he struggled with spreading the celebration over a few weeks, but he quickly saw the enthusiasm spread across his congregation.

“Baptisms are great; they’re the best actually. I think sometimes I’ve been guilty of thinking, ‘I don’t want to waste people’s time, and let’s get this finished and done with,’” said Vasquez. “But Jonathan said, ‘This is something worth celebrating. If this is going to be the most important day of their lives, why are we only spending two minutes on it in the service?’ So we started implementing his plan.”

The plan involves a three-part celebration: the first week, the church announces the baptism is coming the next week. The actual baptism is then celebrated the following week, preceded by a video of the person sharing their recorded testimony. 

“The next week, we show the testimony video and the baptism video and celebrate again. So if they missed it, they see [the baptism that] we did. So we’re getting three weeks’ worth of celebrating what God has done,” Vasquez said. “That’s just been really fun. Really impactful, certainly for the people who are getting baptized, but for the church and for myself as well.”

Vasquez said the practice has shifted the mentality in the church, with each baptism serving as a reminder of their own conversion experience. 

“That’s encouraging and moving,” he said. “Getting to celebrate that several times just increases the joy in the room and the excitement that God’s not done with us yet. He’s continuing to move and work in our lives.”

The church has already had seven individuals come forward for baptism under the new emphasis. Vasquez is excited by the results, and the rest of his congregation shares that joy.

Vasquez said one major principle that Pave has taught him is to be patient with the church. After 14 years with the congregation, he said he feels comfortable with slow change and movement. 

“Some of the exercises we have walked through, like thinking about how long people have been here and how long their families have been here, really emphasize the idea that quick change can really hurt if we don’t do it carefully,” he said. “One of the phrases Jonathan uses is ‘don’t microwave the brisket.’ So I’ve been encouraged that slow change is good change, and it’s okay if it takes a little while. It doesn’t have to be overnight.”

Vasquez said one helpful resource during the process has been a Pave manual that Smith recently published for participants. He said the cohort has completed sessions on leadership and personality styles, as well as on recognizing and addressing pain points. He has also enjoyed the relationship and wisdom of his Pave coach, Rodney Knous, and of Joe Aguilar, GC2 navigator for Texas Baptists, who also provides support.

“Joe has done a really good job of reaching out since he took the position. Our church has had ups and downs, and he makes a good point to reach out to me and be a voice of encouragement,” said Vasquez. “We had a meeting at our church that was particularly difficult, and he came and made himself available that day. I really appreciated that, and he’ll call me just to ask what’s going on at our church.”

“Rodney’s a great listener, and I appreciate that. The other guys in the cohort are able to share, and I’m able to share frustrations and thoughts about ministry, and it’s nice to have somebody who’s been in ministry longer than I have,” he said. 

Knous said he is happy to provide Vasquez with encouragement as a coach, noting that though Vasquez had been at FBC Hondo for 14 years, “sometimes we are at a point where we need to inject a fresh vision and find some great opportunities for members to remember why we gather.” 

Knous knows the value of Pave firsthand, having walked his church, FBC Castroville, through the principles two years after arriving in September 2020. While his church was further along in the process, Knous said that working the principles has helped his leadership team bond over a shared purpose and common language. 

So when Smith approached him about training to coach fellow pastors in his region, Knous agreed, finding the experience both fun and rewarding to lead a cohort of three pastors in both group and individual sessions.

“It’s about helping them find common language, sharing their experiences and helping them see the bigger picture, and what is a gain for the body and not what they’re losing,” he said, noting the Pave manual provided structure and guidance. “It helps them realize they are not alone.”

FBC Hondo has enjoyed increased enthusiasm, Vasquez said, but also has grown its discipleship efforts. This has been foundational, with study involving learning to read the Bible, going through a book chapter by chapter, verse by verse. They began a men’s Bible study on Monday mornings and Monday evenings, and he is seeing men begin to take Scripture seriously. He is also seeing multiplication happen.

“Over the last several years I’ve mentored several different men, and now watching those guys mentor others has been formative for our church,” he said. “Almost a year to the date we had our women’s Bible study start up, and watching the ladies do that mentoring as well, it’s almost contagious. Seeing that shift in our church has been really good.”

He also noted the rest of his ministerial team has benefited from the spirit of celebration across the staff, and Vasquez is encouraged by the progress that is being seen  in the youth and children’s ministries. Vasquez said he has appreciated the camaraderie with fellow pastors and the support of people like Smith, who bring not only real-world experience as a pastor but also research and study in the field. He said being able to share their stories and pray for each other has been a blessing.

“I think anybody who’s considering Pave should know it’s going to be an encouraging thing. It has been a positive thing for us, and it’d be a positive thing to do,” he said. “It was good to hear that there is hope going forward.”

To learn more about Pave and how it can be a resource to your church, visit txb.org/pave.