young_dennis_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

Young to be nominated for
BGCT second vice president

By Marv Knox

Editor

HOUSTON–Dennis Young, pastor of Missouri City Baptist Church in Missouri City, will be nominated for second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas this fall.

Marvin Delaney, pastor of South Park Baptist Church in Houston, announced he will nominate Young when the state convention holds its annual session in Lubbock Nov. 10-11.

Dennis Young

Young will join two BGCT agency leaders to be nominated for the convention's top offices.

The presidential candidate is Ken Hall, president of Buckner Baptist Benevolences in Dallas. His pastor, Jim Denison of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, will nominate him.

Albert Reyes, president of Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio, is the nominee for first vice president. He will be nominated by his pastor, Charlie Johnson of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Young would make a strong BGCT officer because of his depth of commitment to the convention and his involvement in missions, Delaney noted.

“Dennis has for a long time been a really strong supporter of the Baptist General Convention of Texas' work,” Delaney said.

In fact, Young has been on both the receiving and giving ends of the BGCT's missions and ministry programs, he added.

Young was the founding pastor of Missouri City Baptist Church in the early 1990s, and one of the new congregation's most significant supporters was the BGCT's Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions, he explained. During the ensuing decade, the church has grown, and it is a strong supporter of the offering, which now helps other churches get started.

Through the years, Young also has participated in direct missions projects in various parts of the world, Delaney said. Young has served in Jamaica, St. Eustatius, South America and Nigeria.

Young's involvement began while he served on the staff of South Park Baptist Church, Delaney said, noting that involvement persisted while Young led the Missouri City congregation as a mission of South Park and continues now, even as the church is self-supporting.

“Dennis has been serving on the (BGCT) Executive Board, and he has been chosen for a number of committees because of his diligence to his work,” Delaney said. “He's intimately involved with BGCT life.”

Young said he is willing to be nominated for the BGCT vice presidency because he has “a strong sense of urgency for … building God's kingdom.”

“I'm a BGCT man all the way through,” he said, adding the state convention's strategic principles “will assist us in reaching the world for Christ.”

Young particularly resonates with the BGCT's theme, “Being the Presence of Christ,” he noted.

“I could see myself being the presence of God through the BGCT in all areas of work. … I had the privilege of planting a church, and I would want to be an influence for church planting.”

The advances ethnic groups are making in Texas through the BGCT are gratifying, added Young, who is an African-American. He has worked with ethnic Texas Baptists to encourage their involvement in missions. And he is a founding board member of the as-yet-to-be-named BGCT missions network.

Another priority for Young is reaching teenagers with the Christian gospel, he said.

“These are the leaders of tomorrow,” he explained. “In some churches, teenagers haven't been able to shine. But if we're going to reach this world, teenagers have to be a great part of this (missions and evangelism) force.”

Evangelism and discipleship among teens produces a “dual impact,” he said. “We reach them, and they reach their peers. When they get motivated and get the opportunity, they will network … to spread the gospel and build God's kingdom.”

“Family” also should be a priority, he stressed. “As Baptists, we are family. We are children of God. We all have to love each other and treat each other with dignity and respect. This aids in building God's kingdom.”

Young has been pastor of the Missouri City church since 1992. He was on the staff of South Park Baptist Church from 1978 to 1991.

In addition to serving on the BGCT Executive Board and missions network board, he has served on various BGCT and Union Baptist Association committees.

He has been involved in the Fort Bend Independent School District, the Fort Bend Pastors' Association and local civic organizations.

He is a graduate of Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Houston Graduate School of Theology in Houston.

Young and his wife, Fanny, have two children, Fandenia and Dennis II.