Weekly Update
The timeliness of the gospel
Jun 18, 2026
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
Summer ministry continues! Several churches are doing outreach events around the FIFA World Cup excitement. For example, Pastor David Balyeat from GrandView Baptist Church in Mesquite has created a unique way to engage with the World Cup, while also sharing the gospel.
Pastor Balyeat is showcasing his World Cup Museum at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas as an opportunity to live out the Great Commandment and Great Commission through the love of soccer.
This week in particular, Texas Baptists Super Summer is taking place on the Dallas Baptist University campus. As students from various churches attend, they are inspired, encouraged and equipped to share their faith and serve as leaders and disciplemakers.
Meanwhile, 215 students and adult volunteers are serving in Kerrville through the Texas Baptists BOUNCE disaster recovery. They are serving the community with labor in Christ’s name, enjoying worship together, sharing the love of Christ and being invited to a life of Great Commandment, Great Commission practice. Three more weeks of BOUNCE are still coming.
We are thankful for the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program that fuels our collaborative ministry!
Baptist groups are often identified by what we are against. We can let others define who we are, or we can tell our own story. For Texas Baptists, our story remains God’s mission. Our 140-year legacy is about cooperating together for the sake of the gospel.
There are seven distinctives that describe who we are as Texas Baptists. Texas Baptists are biblically-faithful, gospel-centered, historically-rooted, future-thinking, beautifully-diverse, servant-hearted and kingdom-collaborating. This is who we are!
Each of these is important and worthy of consideration. I plan to unpack these in the next several weeks. What a great reminder we have from the Scriptures telling us who God desires us to be: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
This weekend, we commemorate Juneteenth, the announcement of the emancipation for enslaved African Americans, which arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, two years after it was initially issued. We are reminded of how important it is to share the good news of freedom in Christ in a timely manner. Additionally, we are compelled to continue to live in harmony with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, strengthening God’s design for a Pentecost kind of people.
The gospel belongs to everyone! Let’s live it! Let’s proclaim it! Let’s love God, love people and make disciples of ALL people groups!
Dr. Guarneri is the 21st executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He holds degrees from Texas A&M University Kingsville, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Dallas Baptist University. He has more than 39 years of ministerial experience and is passionate about sharing the Gospel with the nations and cross-cultural missions and ministry.