October 21, 2002
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Call the called
___The articles on ministerial calling (Oct. 7) were very insightful in that they pointed out a problem that has plagued many young men who have been called to the Lord's vocational ministry. That is the lack of mentoring and words of encouragement from the very people those men look up to.
___I was one of four people surrendering to the Lord's call to vocational ministry in a six-month period at the church I attended as a young man. The church membership was thrilled God was working in my life and in the lives of the others, but the pastor of the church, my pastor, seemed to feel it was his responsibility to weed out those who had misinterpreted God's instruction. He chose to discourage rather than to encourage us.
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___Today, of the four, I am the only one in the ministry. A couple, who I believe were called, do not even attend church today largely due to the pressures put on us by "the pastor."
___Those who share a call with their church should have all the encouragement the "vocational ministers" of their church can give them. After all, the fiery darts of Satan and the challenges of this world are enough to "weed out" the ones who come for the "wrong reasons."
___ Pastors, call forth the called, encourage them, mentor them, love them and, most of all, pray for them. God has put you in a very special place in the formation of his next generation of ministers.
___ Jim Bulin
___ Hereford
Source of decline
___The decline of young people responding to God's call (Oct. 7) can be directly related to the decline in age-level missions education in the local churches.
___If we want to see a rise in the number of individuals responding to God's call to serve, we must make it a priority in the church to provide an ongoing, intentional program of missions education and awareness that cultivates an environment where God can move and work in the lives and hearts of our next generation of leaders.
___For a variety of reasons, churches have discontinued using the wonderful resources provided by Woman's Missionary Union. Nowhere else will you find the quality and focus on biblical principles that teach children God loves them and loves the world. Then they learn that the same love compels them to respond to the mandate to go and tell others.
___The most wonderful part is that this awareness also includes the knowledge that God uses pastors, youth ministers, athletes, farmers, computer technicians, doctors and teachers to tell the world about Jesus.
___Churches should look at what they are doing to cultivate the next generation of ministers and missionaries. If that observation leads to the awareness of a lack of age-level missions education for the entire church, then contact your local association office or the state WMU office for help in getting something started. Discover the joy of missions!
___ Toni English
___ San Angelo
Lost generation
___It is unwise to blame churches for a lack of young ministers in Southern Baptist churches (Oct. 7).
___I am 23 years old, a student at Dallas Theological Seminary and the youth pastor at a local Baptist church. As I chart the future God has for me in the ministry of the gospel of Christ, I find myself enraged by all Baptist leadership.
___When a young man is burdened by God to reach the lost for Christ, to disciple believers and to build Christ's church, why can't he follow his calling? Instead, as a Baptist minister (especially in Texas), he must take sides between the national and state conventions.
___This 20-plus-year fight has now affected every area of local -church ministry. It affects missions, evangelism, youth camps, local associations, Sunday School literature, budgets, everything.
___When will the leadership of the state and national conventions wake up and realize that they are losing a generation of young pastors because of their own pride? When will all Baptist leadership humble themselves before Christ and seek forgiveness for the conflict they have caused that is running my generation away from the Baptist church?
___I pray to God Almighty it will not be too long.
___ Keith P. Ferguson
___ Ovilla
Repent of sins
___I am disappointed with the editor for allowing the recent letters and editorials to print. Our convention is facing internal strife. In Texas, the contention caused the forming of a new convention. Our debates and fights are an embarrassment to the Baptist name. How can the editor feel it appropriate to print letters and editorials that foster hate and resentment toward the other state convention and the national convention?
___Let's begin by admitting there are doctrinal distinctions between the two state conventions. Individual believers and congregations have the responsibility to align themselves with the organization that best represents their beliefs. However, the arguments have left the matter of doctrine and center around who controls the money. This is disgraceful at best and sinful at worst!
___Christ commanded us to love one another. Why is it we can maintain cordial contact with clergy and parishioners from other denominational backgrounds but feel compelled to attack brothers in Christ within our own denomination?
___It is time to repent of the sins committed in this great debate. Every believer in Christ as Lord received the command to go and make disciples. The argument between Baptist factions has distracted us from our mission, wasted funds and fostered the notion that the church is just about the money. We have failed, and we have sinned. It is time to repent.
___ Steven Rindahl
___ Louise
Great help
___Recently, our church elected a community impact team to pray and research ways for us to reach more people in our city. I e-mailed Wayne Shuffield, the Baptist General Convention of Texas' director of local-church evangelism, to ask if he might have any input for us.
___He called and e-mailed me several times after that, offering to come speak to our team. A couple of weeks ago, he called to let me know that he would be in Houston for a conference and offered to come by the church. I set up the meeting with our team, and on a Tuesday night, he came to our church and met with us for around three hours.
___He did not spend any time promoting giving to the convention, trying to "sell" us on BGCT resources or discussing politics. Instead, he gave us a practical strategy for achieving our goals.
___We are not a large church, and surely he would have enjoyed staying at his conference or spending a quiet night in his hotel room. Instead, he drove across town to give us help we really needed.
___I want to commend a man who is doing a great job and to encourage our churches to make use of the state office for strategic evangelism. As we seek to reach the lost for Christ, we need all the help we can get. And we can testify that Wayne Shuffield and his colleagues can be a great help to you and your church!
___ Jeff Berger
___ Pasadena
___What do you think? Submit letters for Texas Baptist Forum via e-mail to marvknox@baptiststandard.com or regular mail at Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267. Letters must be no longer than 250 words. They may be edited to accommodate space.
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