We need each other

The journey continued this week. I enjoyed fellowship with pastors in the San Antonio area during the Baptist University of the Américas Golf Classic. I visited with pastors in Lubbock, preached in Wayland Baptist University’s chapel, shared a meal with Plainview area pastors and Wayland ministerial students and met with pastors in the Midland area over lunch.

As I travel, I reflect on the conversations and the impressions of those encounters. I think about the students who are preparing for ministry, their joy and excitement about following God’s call. I think about pastors who are serving faithfully where God has placed them.

Some pastors are experiencing ministry success as God blesses their congregations through ministry, growth, people coming to faith and baptisms of new believers. Other pastors are facing challenges in congregations that are declining in size and vitality but remain faithful shepherds to them.

Some pastors are well connected with other pastors, their association, and/or with Texas Baptists ministries like BSM, PAVE, Pastor Strong, church starting or other Texas Baptists universities or institutions nearby. Other pastors feel isolated and long for connection. Some are starting new assignments with much excitement. Some have had long tenures in one church. And others are tired, frustrated and in need of respite, if not a sabbatical.

I think of the churches also. There are churches whose ministries are vibrant. Their worship is lively. Children and young people fill the hallways. Capital building projects are underway. The neighborhoods around them are booming with growth.

Other churches are struggling to deal with change in their communities. Often in rural areas, people have moved out, and the population has decreased. In urban and suburban areas, the demographics around the church building have changed drastically.

There are pastorless churches that have prayed and sought a pastor for months or even years. There are other churches that are making difficult decisions about staff and buildings. There are churches that are a part of growing associations. Others are in associations that are facing financial difficulties. And yet others are in areas where a local association no longer exists.

In all of those different settings, in all of those different circumstances, Texas Baptists churches, their ministers and members included, are trying to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Texas Baptists want to grow in their love for God, in their love for people and in making disciples of all nations. Some are further along in their practice than others. But there is love, passion, commitment, faithfulness and resilience throughout the state.

In encouraging the believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul reminds them that we all drink from the same cup and eat of the same bread. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of our connection with Christ. It is also a reminder of our connection with other believers in the body of Christ.

Regardless of the size of a church, we are all part of something bigger. Paul says it this way, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Since Christ is our source of life, we all share in Him as the body of Christ.

While we champion church autonomy, we also affirm that we need each other. Small churches need to know they are not alone in the kingdom. They need the encouragement and fellowship of other churches. Larger churches need to know that they are incomplete without the fellowship with other churches. All churches can give and receive from each other.

Wherever you are in the journey, whether you are a pastor, a minister, a chaplain, a missionary or a lay leader, whether you’re a thriving church or a church that is facing challenges, whether you are starting your lifecycle or are at the end of one, there is one loaf, and we all share the one loaf.

How do we do that? We pray for each other. Pray for pastors. Pray for churches. Pray for pastorless churches. Pray for associations and Texas Baptists institutions. Pray for unity. Pray for cooperation.

What else can you do? Reach out! If you’re a pastor, call another pastor and ask them how you can pray for them or how you can serve them, or simply send them an encouraging text. I get those often. Believe me, it makes a difference. God uses simple words of encouragement.

If you’re a church member, encourage your pastor. Pastors appreciate words of affirmation. It is not about stroking their ego but about letting them know they are loved. If you lead a Sunday School class or a small group, write a note or send a gift to a BSM director or a River Ministry missionary or a chaplain.

Contact your associational director of missions. Tell them you are praying for them. Encourage them. Commit to do things together with other pastors and/or other churches. God does something special when we do. Fellowship with others is a biblical thing!

And by all means, come to the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting in Waco, November 15-17, to celebrate what God is doing, be encouraged in the cooperative ministry we share and recommit to the Great Commandment and Great Commission task! There is only one loaf, and we all share it, y’all!

Next week I’ll be in San Antonio and Kerrville. Hope to see you soon!