Multigenerational revitalization reflects church’s mission

CEDAR HILL—In his first 18 months as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, Josh Prince has baptized a 13-year-old, a man in his 80s and all ages in between.

It marks the beginning of the manifestation of the congregation’s goal to reach all ages with the gospel message.

Prince came to the church in August 2020, in the midst of stringent COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainties about the days ahead. It was his first experience as a senior pastor, and he and the church staff wanted to see the church build on a solid foundation. They focused on preaching the gospel, giving the congregation the confidence to share the gospel, and praying regularly and passionately.

“We wanted to care for the people here, solidify relationships, and really help them dream again as a church and be excited about the work of God. But then we also wanted to give them lots of opportunities to really start reaching Cedar Hill,” Prince explained.

Connecting with young families

The church has emphasized connecting with young families in the community. In the past year, members have been encouraged to see a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old accept Christ and be baptized at the church.

In addition to this work, First Baptist also is emphasizing internal healing and growth.

“As focused as we are on those efforts and reaching our community, there is still important revitalization work on the people within the church, some of whom have been here for 30 or 40 years,” Prince said.

One of the first significant conversations Prince had as the new pastor was with a man in his 80s. The man had been in the church for decades but had struggled with confidence in his salvation. He wondered if he had only been baptized because it was what everyone else in the church had done. He felt inadequate and unworthy of true salvation.

Prince sat down with him and talked through the gospel, answering his questions and ultimately showing him that, even though all men are unworthy, God still loves them and has provided a way for eternal life. He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and was, for the first time, completely confident in his salvation.

That man’s baptism was the first Prince carried out at First Baptist in Cedar Hill. The gentleman was one of three adult members Prince was able to counsel and lead through baptism in 2021.

Consultant helped connect the dots

With the goal of strengthening the church and engaging the community in mind, Prince connected with Jonathan Smith, Texas Baptists’ director of church health strategy, in fall 2021. Together, they talked through Prince’s goals for his congregation and looked at models of similar churches.

“He connected all those dots that are big necessities in the church, and we looked at other models of churches and ways to connect them to what we were doing,” Prince explained.

Smith saw Prince as well-equipped to lead a church in a growing community that also is growing in diversity.

“He has the heart to reach everyone, young and old, and the heart to reach all of the beautiful and various ethnicities that are moving into Cedar Hill,” Smith said. “As an equipper, I can teach pastors many things, but I can’t give them a heart to reach the community. Only God can do that.”

Prince sees the recent baptism of adults, including several senior adults, as a clear sign of the work of the Holy Spirit and a strong indication of the great things that are to come for Cedar Hill.

Now, the church staff is working with Smith to develop a clear vision for the church that they can communicate easily with the congregation and the community.

“I want to see us become a diverse church—generationally and ethnically, especially given the extreme diversity in Cedar Hill. We want to see everyone represented within the church,” Prince said. “It’s cool to celebrate the diversity of age, and that’s something we’ve really been blessed with and want to continue to expand on.”