Missional Engagement

Along the Texas-Mexico border, Texas Baptists River Ministry missionaries work hard to share God’s love with the immigrants, refugees and locals who live on both sides of the border. 

On Jan. 10-11, approximately 50 people from around the United States gathered at Houston’s First Baptist Church to attend “Am I a Replanter?,” a conference centered on nation-wide church replanting. 

After attending Texas Baptists Church Planting Center (CPC) training in Houston, Pastor Ryan Thompson set out to plant a church that would reach the lost and the broken in Nederland, Texas.

Twenty-eight Texans partnered with MAP missionaries along the Amazon River to share the Gospel and strengthen the ongoing work in Brazil.

After months of hopelessness following the destruction of Hurricane Harvey, Houston homeowner Gaye Stephens was shown compassion and joy for the first time through middle and high school students.

Prisoners lives are being transformed as their fellow inmates are living out the call of the Great Commission to start ‘Philippi Churches.’

Las Iglesias Filipos son grupos de presos que se reúnen para orar, adorar y testificar del amor y el poder de Dios dentro de las prisiones.

In 1967, the Baptist General Convention of Texas recognized the 2 million people living along the border of Texas and Mexico as an important mission point and launched the Rio Grande Mission Thrust with $250,000 allocated for missions opportunities.

Daniel Rangel joined with Mario Gonzalez, director of Texas Baptists Multi-housing and House Congregations, to train house church leaders on ministering to new congregations in Laredo.

Osvaldo and Vanessa Lerma have served as Texas Baptists River Ministry missionaries in the Rio Grande Valley for a combined 25 years.

When a family is struggling to put food on the table, stocking the house with interesting literature while fostering a love of reading in their children isn’t usually a priority.

Outside the city of Brownwood, lies a small Baptist encampment where I was spending a week as camp pastor of an RA/GA camp when the reports out of Louisiana and Minnesota came in. These were quite disturbing to me.

Home to over 116,000 students, the University of Guadalajara lies in Guadalajara, the state capital of Jalisco, Mexico, which has a mere 1% Christian population.

Living on mission, according to Josue Valerio, director of the Missions Team, is being present with the people around you and pointing them to a deeper relationship with Christ. 

Recently, I posted about prayer on a social media account, because I was writing up course lessons for urban pastors. A wise friend commented and asked me the question, “How do you define praying strategically?”

Our day began with a short walk over an International Bridge from El Paso in to Juarez. In less than 30 minutes, God transported us by foot into another world—a world of opportunity.

I have often thought back to a meeting one afternoon with the "consultant" in regard to attendance. The church was at its lowest point in my tenure.

Christmas seems to come sooner and sooner each year. Most retailers are displaying and selling Christmas merchandise in the middle of October, some before the end of September.