Fort Bend pastor nominated for BGCT first VP post

Byron Syevenson

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SUGAR LAND—Byron Stevenson, founding pastor of The Fort Bend Church in Sugar Land, will be nominated for first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Byron Stevenson

Ron Lyles, pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena, will nominate Stevenson—incumbent second vice president of the BGCT—for the post at the BGCT annual meeting in Corpus Christi, Oct. 29-31.

Lyles, who characterized Stevenson as a "colleague and friend," praised his service this year alongside President Jerry Carlisle and First Vice President Jeff Johnson. Carlisle has announced he will not seek a second term as president, and Johnson will be nominated for president.

"I believe that some continuity from his continuing work with Jeff will be a good thing," Lyles said.

Stevenson's service on the BGCT Executive Board "has been admirable, and his love for the ministries of Texas Baptists is exemplary," Lyles added.

"In addition to those things, his splendid leadership as the founder/pastor of The Fort Bend Church in Sugar Land has been impressive in the last eight years. His church has grown explosively and has expanded the scope of ministries to others," he said. "I am grateful for the opportunity of nominating him officially to this position of leadership."

Stevenson founded The Fort Bend Church in 2004 with 600 people who attended the first public worship service at Sugar Land Middle School. Today, the church has about 3,500 members and averages more than 2,000 in worship each Sunday.

"We started as a Texas Baptist church, and I've never known anything but Texas Baptists," Stevenson said. "I have an ongoing love affair with Texas Baptists. I like what Texas Baptists are doing and what Texas Baptists stand for."


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Recalling the "Ignite Hope" theme of last year's BGCT annual meeting, Stevenson said he agreed to allow his nomination for another year as a convention officer because wants "to see that flame of hope continue to burn"—particularly in terms of church starting and evangelism.

He looks forward to next July, when the BGCT meets in conjunction with the African-American Fellowship of Texas, the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and other affinity groups.

"It presents us with a wonderful opportunity for all of us to see what Texas Baptists really look like. We're a large family, and we're very diverse. We don't always get to see that diversity, and this offers a tremendous opportunity," he said.

In addition to his service as an elected BGCT officer and on the BGCT Executive Board, he also has served as secretary of the African-American Fellowship of Texas.

Stevenson earned an undergraduate degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., and a master's degree in theological studies from Houston Baptist University. He also studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

Before entering vocational ministry, he worked as an accountant. Prior to founding The Fort Bend Church, he was minister of program development at Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston.

He and his wife, Sonya, are parents of two daughters—Claire Alexandra, 17, and Cydney Victoria, 15.


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