Focusing on God’s mission

This week is staff week at the Texas Baptists Rambler offices in Dallas. Our staff gathered to worship, hear ministry updates, interact with each other, be encouraged in the work we are doing together and be reminded of our mission. In a very real way, we are living out our “future-thinking” value.

These last couple of months have not been easy for our staff. We have been in a season of reorganization and right-sizing. After a two-year process of praying, learning and planning how to best carry out God’s mission in the next few years, we have arrived at the season of implementation.

Our plan forward takes into account our current resources, our context and our core mission.

As we look to the future, it is important that we have clarity of our mission, a strategy for accomplishing it and the right-sized staff team. This week we are talking about these things with our staff and rallying as one team, encouraged by God’s presence and promise.

The size and resources of the BGCT are impressive. The number of ministries that Texas Baptists have developed over the decades is extensive. The 2026 Texas Baptists Cooperative Program budget consists of $36 million with endowments for kingdom causes.

In addition, Texas Baptists is the largest state convention, consisting of approximately 5,300 churches and a combined total of over 2 million church members. BGCT relates to 26 Christian entities, including universities, seminaries, human care ministries, a Baptist news media entity and financial services organizations.

Texas Baptists also enjoys partnership relationships with Texans on Mission, WMU of Texas, Denison Ministries, the BWA and 92 local associations. The Texas Baptists footprint reaches beyond Texas, including churches in other states, MAP missionaries in other countries and multiple partnerships with other state and national conventions.

The Lord has been good to Texas Baptists. We are blessed and very grateful for His provision. Yet, in the midst of all that God has entrusted to Texas Baptists, we can become complacent or distracted. We could be doing a lot of good without being the most effective and strategic. The urgency of finishing the Great Commission task and the lostness around us demand more.

It is imperative that we have a clear focus and strategy. It is incumbent on us to be the best stewards of what has been entrusted to us (Luke 12:48 NIV). 

The GC2 Strong strategy is the expression of how we discern God is leading Texas Baptists to focus. In these next few years, our efforts will be directed toward strengthening a multiplying movement of churches who live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in Texas and beyond.

Texas is the fourth fastest-growing state in the country. Today, 32 million people call Texas home. By the year 2050, that number will reach almost 50 million. Texas is experiencing an epic demographic shift with Hispanics being the largest population. There is a growing number of other ethnic groups, including about 238 different language groups. Both the “future-thinking” and “beautifully-diverse” Texas Baptists descriptors relate to this.

It is estimated that at least half of the current population of the state does not know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Meanwhile, many churches are closing their doors. Others are in a state of decline. Unless there is a great commandment and great commission awakening among existing churches, and unless there is a multiplication movement of new churches, the proportion of lost people in Texas could easily be greater than half in a few years.

It is urgent that we focus on God’s mission! The Great Commandment and the Great Commission belong to Jesus followers and to the local church. While, as a convention, Texas Baptists facilitates collaborative Great Commandment and Great Commission action, the local church continues to be the center of mission activity.

Thus, GC2 Strong will invest in local churches. Church starts, struggling churches, thriving churches and multiplying churches all have a role to play. Texas Baptists will pray, come alongside, assist, connect and equip churches in a personalized manner to maximize Great Commandment and Great Commission practice.

While we continue to be committed to an Acts 1:8 perspective that includes being witnesses of Jesus in Texas, North America and the ends of the earth, we believe in the priority of investing in Texas Baptists churches. As they grow in their Great Commandment and Great Commission practice, we pray they would be committed to reaching North America and the ends of the earth.

The Texas Baptists staff has been reorganized to have three primary areas of emphasis: The Church Strong Team, led by Jonathan Smith; the Minister Strong Team, led by Kevin Abbott; and the Missions Strong Team, led by Noé Treviño. As we focus on strengthening churches, it is important that we strengthen the ministers who serve in those churches and that we connect those churches with strategic mission partnerships.

GC2 Strong strategy implementation will be part of the Church Strong Team. Replacing the former role of area representatives, the GC2 Strong strategy will equip and mobilize navigators around the state. These navigators will continue to have the role that area representatives previously held in addition to walking alongside churches strategically toward greater Great Commandment and Great Commission practice.

The Christian Life Commission, led by Katie Frugé; the Collegiate Ministry Team, led by Mark Jones; and the Affinity Ministries Team, led by Carlos Francis, will continue to be an integral part of what Texas Baptists do. Yet, in the most strategic way possible, they will align their assignment in a way that strengthens the local church, strengthens ministers and strengthens missions engagement.

As a whole, we are being intentional about collaborating across teams in the organization to be the most effective in strengthening churches, strengthening ministers and strengthening missions engagement. This is how we are stepping into the future with faith in God’s provision and direction. You can read more about the staff reorganization in our communications release.

While we focus on strengthening local churches, our related institutions and ministries play a key role. We will seek to coordinate and connect with churches and institutions so that local churches can be stronger, ministers and leaders can be developed and missions engagement is maximized.

We are launching our GC2 Strong process pilot project this fall. I will share more about that next time.

The future is here! We thank you for your participation, and we ask for your prayers.