Julio Guarneri nominee for BGCT president

Julio Guarneri, lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen and Texas Baptists’ incumbent first vice president, will be nominated for president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Gary Cook, chancellor of Dallas Baptist University, announced he will nominate Guarneri, who is completing his second one-year term as first vice president, at Texas Baptists’ annual meeting Nov. 13-15 in Waco.

“Julio Guarneri truly is a servant leader, and he will approach the presidency from that perspective, seeking to work with all the different constituencies in Texas Baptist life,” Cook said.

Guarneri “has been a faithful pastor for the last 28 years,” Cook noted. He has served Calvary Baptist Church—a multicultural congregation in the Rio Grande Valley—since 2010 and previously was pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in Fort Worth.

Earlier, Guarneri was minister of education and youth at Segunda Iglesia Bautista in Corpus Christi. He also was founding pastor of Shalom Baptist Mission in Corpus Christi and was pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Taft.

“For the last two years, he has served as a trustworthy and dependable vice president of the BGCT,” Cook said.

Guarneri “has been a servant leader in our convention for years and years now,” Cook added. He served on the BGCT Executive Board, as vice chair of the board for Buckner International and as chair of the board of trustees of Stark College and Seminary in South Texas.

“I know he would be an outstanding president for our state convention,” Cook said.

‘An exciting time for Texas Baptists’

Guarneri affirmed Texas Baptists’ GC2 emphasis on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment—the instructions Jesus gave his followers to make disciples of all nations and to love God and one’s neighbor.

“It’s a very exciting time for Texas Baptists,” he insisted. “Our distinctive focus on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment is right where we need to be. Our convention will be positioned well if we continue to stay away from side controversies that have distracted some others and keep our focus on what is most important.”

Demographic changes in Texas offer both challenges and opportunities for Texas Baptists, Guarneri said.

“That’s nothing new, but it’s not going away,” he said. “Our churches need to be ready to adapt to engage other cultures—either by becoming multicultural congregations or by investing in starting churches to reach different people groups.”

In particular, he noted, Texas Baptists needs to invest resources in developing leaders and training pastors who can reach the growing Hispanic population.”

“We need to encourage more multicultural, bilingual leaders to answer God’s call to ministry and then provide them the training they need,” he said.

As churches continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Guarneri urged Texas Baptist congregations to view the last couple of years as “an opportunity to reset vision and strategy … rather than focus on what was, what used to be or what should have been.”

He said he hopes to see Texas Baptists continue to grow in providing holistic ministry that proclaims the gospel message while also responding to physical, emotional, educational and mental health needs.

Guarneri was born in Mexico City but graduated from high school in South Texas. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&I University in Kingsville, a Master of Arts in Religious Education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University.

He and his wife Monica have four children—Josh, Rachel, Mia and Stevan—and one grandson, Daniel.