“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)

Steve Bezner

I’ll never forget the moment I realized my pastoral duties had changed. It was the night George Zimmermann was acquitted in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

That evening, I scrolled through the social media posts of countless church members, and I recognized the variety of opinions, the varying degrees of hurt and confusion and the deep differences of convictions—all within my church.

I had a revolutionary thought that evening: “I don’t pastor a white church.”

Perhaps I hadn’t in some time. But now, for the first time, it became clear to me: I pastored people from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, and in short time, I would be climbing into the pulpit to speak the word of the Lord. I needed to preach the gospel of peace and grace to people who were—at that time—interpreting current events with very different cultural lenses.

That change did not happen overnight. We now are almost four years into our slow, but steady, pursuit of becoming more ethnically diverse as a church. To be clear: We have some advantages in that pursuit. For example, our church happens to be in Houston, the most ethnically diverse city in the United States (sorry, New York). But most of what we have done as a church has been something any church can do. Along the way, the Lord has seen fit to bring us fruit.

Here are some of the simple steps we have taken:

We publicly and repeatedly declare our church welcomes all races.

It may seem simple, but we regularly say from the pulpit our church welcomes all races. It happens in the course of sermons or announcements. But when we say it, people believe it. They invite their friends who are different ethnicities. Guests who are different ethnicities hear it, believe it and decide to stay.

Publicly declaring your intentions regarding becoming multi-ethnic eliminates confusion.

We preach on the issue of racial division and reconciliation.

When racial issues are prevalent in current events, we do not ignore them. We do not always approach them with the narrative frames provided by cable news, but we do address them from a gospel-centered, Scripture-focused perspective.

When you acknowledge the issues, the ethnic minorities in your church appreciate being in a church that chooses not to ignore those issues.

We seek friendships with pastors and churches of different primary ethnicities.

I have been blessed to become friends with pastors in my community who are not white. We cooperate and collaborate on ministry together. We serve together. We pray together. We ask awkward questions regarding race. We are real with one another. We hold events together.

We did not do this so that we could minister together. We did this so that we could be friends with brother pastors in the area. As we prayed and conversed, ministry was birthed.

I cannot recommend this enough: Call up a pastor who is a different race from you and take that minister to lunch. Build a friendship.

We preach the gospel.

I will never forget the first time I had a one-on-one lunch with Pastor Blake Wilson, pastor of a growing African-American church in our neighborhood. “How can we minister to the black community?” I asked. His answer was quick, “Preach the gospel.” He explained: When you preach the gospel and teach Scripture, you never go out of style. Teach the word, he exhorted, and it will apply to all ethnicities.

His advice rings true. The more we speak of the shocking grace of God, the more he surprises us by bringing more and more people of color into our church body.

Until the day every nation, tribe and tongue confesses Jesus as Lord, we hope to strive to become more intentional in our pursuits of a multi-ethnic church. I hope you will join us.

Steve Bezner is senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church.

Dana Moore has been pastor of Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi nine years. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated minister to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

• Where else have you served in ministry, and what were your positions there?

I have been pastor of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Amarillo, Mustang Baptist Church in Pilot Point and New Salem Baptist Church in Lott.

• Where did you grow up?

Houston

• How did you come to faith in Christ?

The witness of my parents and Sunday school teachers was powerful on me as a young child. I believed what they taught me about salvation and told my parents I wanted to receive Jesus. My mother took me to talk to our pastor, Paul Stephens, and at the age of 6, I was terrified when I met him. He was larger than life to me. Bro. Paul wanted to wait to baptize me, but I was adamant about my belief. Eventually, he relented, and at 6 I was baptized.

• Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

Baylor University, bachelor of arts

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, master of divinity and doctor of philosophy

Ministry/church

• Why do you feel called into ministry?

One Sunday, a deacon preached for the pastor while he was away. It surprised me as a youth to learn someone other than a minister could preach and thought how I might like to do that someday. Years later, as a junior in high school, I began to pray about what profession God would lead me to fulfill. Nothing interested me. Still, there was that memory of a deacon filling in years ago to preach for the pastor, which intrigued me. Was God using my desire to preach one sermon someday as way of calling me into the ministry?

I prayed all the more and began using 1 Timothy 3:1 in my prayers, “Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.” If God wanted me to be a pastor, then he needed to give me a desire to do so. Ever since then, God has consistently fueled the flames of desire to serve him as pastor of a local church.

• What is your favorite aspect of ministry? Why?

Seeing disciples of Jesus developed, whether it’s one coming to faith for the first time or a long-time saint learning to see God more clearly. What really excites me in the whole process is passing along insight into the Bible and how that insight may be applied to life.

• What one aspect of congregational life gives you the greatest joy?

I love hearing testimonies focusing on how Jesus is affecting people’s lives. These “Jesus stories” inspire and encourage me and the whole church. Whether they are ordinary or miraculous, it’s always a joy to hear how Jesus is impacting lives.

• What one aspect of congregational life would you like to change?

The attitude that we’re good exactly as we are right now. The notion that there’s no need for improvement or change. In reality, none of us is so good that we only need some fine-tuning in our lives to achieve all that God wants us to be.

• How has your ministry or your perspective on ministry changed?

Grace has grown in importance through the years. Being gracious has far exceeded the value of being certain, which I had in abundance when I was young.

• How do you expect congregational life to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

My concern is that society is going to continue to drive change in the church instead of the church leading society to change.

• What do you wish more lay people knew about ministry or, specifically, your ministry?

The absolute joy of being used by God to bless others. If more lay people had that experience, then more would get involved in ministry.

About Baptists

• What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local?

I would accelerate the effort in getting more minorities and women into leadership roles. Also, we need younger people to be more involved in all areas of Baptist work. It seems the value of cooperative work isn’t as valued as it once was, and only through cooperative efforts can great work be done.

About Dana

• Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

Robert Cupps was called to be pastor of the church where I grew up about the same time I started my first pastorate. Robert gave me valuable guidance and insight into leading a local community of faith. Also, Dan Kent, my Old Testament adviser at Southwestern Seminary, quietly and humbly grew my thirst for studying God’s word in an academic environment.

• What did you learn on the job you wish you learned in seminary?

The amount of time and effort a pastor must spend on administrative matters surprised me. Specifically, the amount of attention church buildings need still amazes me today.

• If you could get one “do over” in ministry, what would it be, and why?

I wish I would have been a better listener. My tendency is toward being hyperactive, which works against listening to others naturally. It is something I still struggle with, and I wish I would have known much earlier the importance of giving my full attention to everyone I came into contact with.

To read other “Deep in the Hearts of Texans” columns, click here.

Have you ever had a hard moment in ministry, and it made you question whether you were doing all you could to further the kingdom of God?

Richard Ray

Lately, I have been in contact with several youth ministers who have shared their stories of struggles in ministry as they strive to reach students for Christ. One such struggle happened when a youth minister found a student smoking marijuana while attending the church’s youth group. This minister did everything right in this situation by calling the parents and discussing the situation, while also challenging the youth to overcome this vice.

However, the minister still wondered whether he was getting through to these youth, even making the statement, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” He went on to say, “In moments like these, I feel at a loss.”

He was seeking answers we all seek when it comes to drawing others to Christ, especially when it concerns our students. I have spent a lot of quality time not only serving as a youth minister for 20 years, but also mentoring and encouraging this new generation of youth ministers.

Youth ministry is a challenge when faced with all the obstacles that must be overcome in the areas of social media, school activities, home life, peer pressure, loneliness and anger. Youth ministry is a challenge, but more importantly it is a calling—a calling to introduce others to Jesus Christ, just as Andrew did. In John 1:41-42, we read: “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”

Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. What Andrew did was personal and effective. Andrew went and looked for his brother so he could introduce him to Jesus Christ.

Everything a youth minister does is to fulfill that calling of introducing students to Jesus Christ. Every program, event or game that is planned, along with each ballgame attended and each slice of pizza represents the youth minister looking for students to bring to Jesus.

As with the adage of leading a horse to water, a youth minister’s calling is to introduce students to the Living Water of Jesus Christ. However, it is always up to the student to drink from the well that never runs dry. You may have to introduce these students to Jesus many times over until they recognize Jesus as Savior, or maybe the seeds you planted in their youth will be harvested when they have moved beyond your sight when they become adults.

I want to encourage youth ministers to be like Andrew and continue to introduce these students to Jesus Christ. You will experience moments in ministry that are challenging, that might even cause you to feel at a loss, but be assured the Lord is pleased with you, for you are fulfilling your calling of introducing students to Jesus Christ.

To contact your Bivocational/Small Church Association, go to www.tx.bivo.com or email at tririversdom@gmail.com.

Richard Ray is executive director of the Texas Baptist Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for Tri-Rivers Baptist Area.

Most Christian social ethicists have been trained, and have trained others, in a tradition in which the most important thing the church does is to address public moral problems via declaration or action.

David GusheeI am discovering as a pastor that the church has other ways it contributes to society that may be just as important. I will name three. …

Read the rest of the article at Religion News Service.

David Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University in Georgia and interim pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga. He is the author or editor of 21 books and is president-elect of the American Academy of Religion and president of the Society of Christian Ethics. His blog won the Wilbur Award as the best in religious publishing in 2015.

After a year of anticipation, the Supreme Court has heard oral argument in a case involving religious liberty, federalism and original intent. The justices did so despite a recent development that changed the dynamics of the dispute.  

Holly HollmanOn April 13, less than a week before the justices heard argument in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer, the new governor of Missouri announced a policy change that would allow state aid to flow to houses of worship.

This created uncertainty as to whether Trinity Lutheran even has a claim for the court to decide. 

Previously, Missouri state policy didn’t allow tax dollars to be used to improve church properties. Its constitution, like those of 38 other states, prohibits government aid to churches and other houses of worship. That’s a good rule for both church and state, consistent with our country’s fundamental commitment to religious liberty. This bedrock principle survives any decision by a single political actor.

Fundamental value

Churches are organized specifically for religious purposes, such as worship, teaching and spreading the faith. They are the quintessential expressions of religion. A fundamental value of our constitutional tradition is to avoid government funding of religion and allow religion to flourish on its own.

By drawing a bright line to keep the institutions of government separate from churches, Missouri recognized for nearly 200 years the special status of churches and showed respect for religion.

Trinity Lutheran Church sued when it was denied a chance to participate in a small, discretionary funding program aimed at reducing landfill waste by encouraging the use of scrap tire material for playground surfaces. Missouri designed the environmental program consistent with state policy to avoid funding religion. Trinity Lutheran argued the court should force Missouri to ignore its own state constitution and spend tax dollars to improve the church’s property.

Far from a mark of discrimination against religion, this bright-line rule reflects a core concern for religious liberty—keeping government out of religion. The founders were familiar with the perils of using taxation to support religion. Avoiding tax support for churches and ministers was a key focus in the fights for disestablishment of religion.

Missouri’s no-aid provisions date to 1820 and mirror language in Thomas Jefferson’s famous Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a precursor to the First Amendment.

Best protection

While government and churches have changed a lot since the founding era, religious liberty still is protected best by separating the institutions of religion and government and avoiding government sponsorship of religion. This is not simply a matter of history or originalism. Churches continue to be treated as special legal entities, exempt from many rules and regulations out of respect for doctrine, church autonomy and the preservation of religious freedom.

The court should reject arguments that a state must fund a church’s capital improvements because the program’s goals are environmental, not religious, and because the building materials are not inherently religious. Surely, the state does not have to build churches, even if it only uses “secular” building materials.

It also shouldn’t be taken at face value that any part of the church, such as the playground in this case, has nothing to do with religion. Biblical lessons in kindness, caring and sharing are certainly a focus for church preschool workers who supervise children as they play together and take turns on the swings and slides.

Even if a church seeks to divide its property into religious and secular areas to gain access to a grant, the government should not be required to adopt a policy that encourages such arrangements and requires the state to verify them.

The notion that the state’s line-drawing is in any way hostile to religion flies in the face of history and common sense. To avoid unconstitutionally funding religion or unnecessarily meddling in church affairs, Missouri has in the past wisely chosen to prohibit state funding of churches altogether.

Finding the line

Questions from the justices at oral argument of the case show just how hard it is to find a workable and constitutional line that is not a bright-line prohibition on aid to churches.

It is too soon to know the scope and ramifications of the governor’s new policy to allow churches to get government aid or what the court will decide.

The change could very well subject churches to more government oversight and intrusion, as well as subject the state to litigation for violating its own constitution. The governor’s abrupt change of policy seems shortsighted, and its effect on this dispute may pale in comparison to the damage it will do to religious liberty.

Holly Hollman is general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer. Religion News Service distributed her column.

Is your church thick or thin?

Marv Knox

This question has nothing to do with carbs or calories, paleo diets or splurging on double-chocolate fudge cake, or the average weight of your deacon “body.” It has everything to do with how well your church spiritually forms your members and creates a unified identity as the Body of Christ.

The basic idea is not mine. I picked it up from David Brooks, the gifted New York Times columnist, who wrote a splendid piece titled “How to leave a mark on people.”

Brooks’ inspiration is a summer camp that still draws people together and provides a vital component of their shared identity, even three decades later. His reference point is the death of a fellow summer staffer at the camp, and particularly how the camp’s alumni continue to bond and support each other in time of need.

“Some organizations are thick, and some are thin,” Brooks explains. “Some leave a mark on you, and some you pass through with scarcely a memory. … A thick institution becomes part of a person’s identity and engages the whole person—head, hands, heart and soul.”

Thickening ingredients

“What makes an institution thick? If you were setting out consciously to create a thick institution, what features would it include?” he asks, and commits the balance of his column to providing an answer. Among other characteristics, thick institutions:

• Exist in a physical location “where members meet face-to-face on a regular basis.”

• Possess collective rituals and shared tasks.

• Occasionally offer overnight encounters, so “everybody can see each other’s real self.”

• Often “tell and retell a sacred origin story about themselves.”

• Incorporate music into their life together, “because it is hard not to become bonded with someone you have sung and danced with.”

• Have a common ideal.

• Share “an idiosyncratic local culture.”

• Follow “a different moral ecology” that frames issues in terms of virtue and vice and leverages “people’s desire to do good and arouse their higher longings.”

Blessed, or not?

If these traits describe your church, you are blessed. They should describe every congregation, but, unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Congregations typically exist in a defined physical location, follow some shared rituals and incorporate music in their worship. Even then, some fail to infuse ritual and music with meaning. Either they deny ritual, because they think it’s “too Catholic,” or they fail to talk about why they do what they do and about how it connects them to Jesus and to each other. And sometimes, rather than allow music to bond them, they fight over what they like and don’t like and enable it to divide them.

The other “thick” factors require thought and intention, as well as a church culture that recognizes and treasures them. Some congregations go through the motions of implementing a church program and fail to appreciate all the factors that make them unique and that thicken their relationships with each other and their identity with the church.

Other congregations may think they possess those characteristics, but they’re microwaved—quickly forced onto the church because they appeared in the latest book the pastor or other influential member read. If the traits that could make a church thick aren’t natural and organic to the congregation, they’re faux-thick. They’ll thin out as soon as the leader’s attention turns to the next hot marketing, management or church-growth scheme.

Let’s also acknowledge a caveat: Some thick organizations—churches included—are not healthy. The variables that thicken a church can be manipulated and may be toxic. Cults, for example, are extremely thick. And some churches appear thick, but ties that bind are all about them, or all about their current leader, and not about Jesus. Quicksand is thick, but it’ll kill you.

Go vertical

This brings us to Brooks’ summary statement, which considers all the thickening qualities and explains the difference they make: “Thin institutions tend to see themselves horizontally. People are members for mutual benefit. Thick organizations often see themselves on a vertical axis. People are members so they can collectively serve the same higher good.”

That vertical axis, a friend who read Brooks’ column noted, is transcendent. It points beyond the church or organization itself to something more noble, more important. In the case of congregations, all the elements that create healthy church thickness combine in transcendence. They point to God.

What a compelling thought for early Eastertide. As we are involved in our churches, whether as laity or clergy, let us focus on the Cross and the glad tidings of the Resurrection. Let us remember church is not about us, but about those for whom Jesus died. Let us invest ourselves in Jesus’ mission, and our churches will be thick.

Follow Marv on Twitter: @marvknoxbs

Easter changes everything.

Bill WilsonLike no other part of the Christian faith, the story of Easter is at the heart of what makes our faith unique and life-changing.

Death is overcome by life.
Not even the grave is immune to the life-giving power of Jesus Christ.

Those simple statements have profound implications.

Across the centuries, this triumph of life over death has proven to be the spark that has inspired individual believers and the church. No obstacle has been too large, no challenge too intimidating. Men and women have found hope in the midst of oppression, loss and excruciating pain. Faith communities have leaned into challenges that seemed overwhelming with conviction, grit and confidence in victory.

Living on the right side of Easter makes all the difference in the world. There really are two sides of Easter, aren’t there?

One is the side of Easter the disciples experienced during the dark hours following the crucifixion. It is the side marked by discouragement, loss and despair. There is also the side of Easter those same men and women experienced when they discovered the tomb was empty and Jesus had been resurrected. This is life marked by confidence and hope.

Why, then, do so many of us, and so many of our churches, seemingly live on the wrong side of Easter? Think about the difference in a church that finds itself mired in a “pre-Easter” mindset versus a church that lives out of its “post-Easter” mindset.

Here are four key contrasts between the two:

A pre-Easter church believes only in what they can see. Thus, they work very hard and are convinced the kingdom will only come if they sacrifice and struggle and personally do the work to bring it to fruition. Life in the church is about effort, and much guilt is employed to motivate and drive the tasks that must be done. Life is marked by duty and obligation, along with resentment and frustration.

A post-Easter church believes in what they cannot see. They know the Spirit, not them, is responsible for supplying the power of the church. They live in alignment with the movements of God’s hand and are swept up in that sense of being part of something much larger than them. They are marked by joy and humility at being part of God’s unfolding drama.

A pre-Easter church relies upon human ideas and possibilities. These churches try program after program, hoping one will succeed where others have failed. There is much hand-wringing and scapegoating of staff and leadership as ideas are tried and fall short. They eventually become adept at saying “no” to any new idea, or greeting innovation with either “We’ve never done that before” or “We tried that and it didn’t work.”

A post-Easter church relies upon their “sanctified imaginations.” They are inspired by the Spirit to dream and explore possibilities others find ludicrous. These are the churches that surrounding communities notice and admire for their ability to innovate and create. They develop a permission-giving culture that greets new ideas with enthusiasm rather than disdain.

A pre-Easter church is fixated on the past. The glory days are always in the rear-view mirror, and there are many who long for a return to yesterday. Fond memories devolve into toxic nostalgia, and bitterness about cultural and congregational changes seeps into nearly every conversation. A prevailing sense that the best already has been permeates the life of the congregation.

A post-Easter church is focused upon the future. This crowd believes the best is yet to come. This church appreciates and honors the past but is convinced God is out ahead, calling his people into a dynamic and invigorating future. The witness and stories from their heritage inspire this church to risk boldly and live with confidence as they face the future.

A pre-Easter church lives in fear and dread. It is no wonder so many churches emulate the terrified disciples of Saturday before Easter Sunday. The headwinds of culture are strong, and the metrics of most established churches show decline. There is much to cause alarm, and these churches give in to the temptation to huddle up, raise barriers to those who are different, grow increasingly angry and become increasingly irrelevant.

A post-Easter church lives in confident anticipation. While not unaware of challenges, these churches believe God is at work and wants them to be engaged in the larger life of their city/community. They know politics, materialism and financial success all are false gods that will be shown to be unworthy of worship or devotion. Instead, they know the Good News of Jesus Christ is exactly what the world needs now. They believe there has never been a better day to be God’s people on a mission into the world.

Perhaps this Easter season is an appropriate time for us to remember: We are Easter People—365 days a year!

Bill Wilson is director of the Center for Healthy Churches.

This year, my wife and I gave up meat for Lent, a practice we borrowed from the earliest Christians. (For those concerned, this practice predates the Roman Catholic Church.)

Jake Raabe

In the era of online recipes and near-identical meat substitutes, it wasn’t as difficult as we thought it would be. Maintaining a healthy and filling meat-free diet was mostly a matter of setting aside personal preferences. Sure, a burger may sound good, but learning to accept something other than your first choice should be lesson No. 1 for people who follow a Master who commands them to take up a cross daily.

We did have another reason for choosing to fast as we did. We’ve lately become aware that animal abuse is unbelievably rampant in the U.S. meat industry.

Chickens are kept in cages with less floor space than a sheet of paper and are kept from sleeping with harsh artificial lights so as to encourage them to eat more. Animals of all kinds are shoved into over-crowded spaces and injected with hormones that encourage growth while making the animal sick, in pain and immobile. Beyond these concerns of animal abuse, beef production is one of the largest contributors to climate change on the planet.

Seeking the “Christian response”

Learning about rampant mistreatment of the animals God made and entrusted to our care and the damage it was causing the Earth God called us to protect, my wife and I decided it would be beneficial to make some temporary dietary changes while we considered what the Christian response should be.

As I’ve already said, I was surprised to find the shift was significantly less difficult than I expected, especially given my steak-and-potatoes upbringing. More surprising, though, were the reactions we got from people when they enquired about our reasons for leaving meat behind during Lent. “I couldn’t do that. I love bacon too much” and “Suit yourself; I’m having steak for dinner” were archetypal responses.

This was distressing to me. When we told fellow believers our biblical convictions regarding the sanctity of animal life and human responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth were leading us to make this decision, they replied in such a way that assumed their preference—a tasty bacon cheeseburger—was more important than following Scripture.

Thoughts captive to Christ

I wouldn’t have been bothered by someone questioning our evidence that animals were being abused or challenging our interpretation of Scripture’s command “to work and keep (the Hebrew is literally “serve”) the Earth.” No, I was bothered by people’s insinuation that, since they liked something, they didn’t have to consider its relationship to their Christian convictions.

Is Christ not Lord over our diet as well? Does taking every thought captive to Christ not include our decisions about the food we eat? This isn’t a call to vegetarianism and a condemnation to those who eat meat. My wife and I have resumed eating meat, but in lesser quantities and only what we buy from local farmers.

No, my call here is to recognize liking something doesn’t mean it is necessarily good. Far too many people who asked about our Lenten plans seemed to imply the fact an action brings them pleasure means it is exempt from Christian examination.

Room for idolatry

Any area of our life that we aren’t willing to ask, “Does Christ approve of this?” is an area where we are guilty of idolatry. Taking every thought captive for Christ means taking every thought captive, no exceptions.

The things we eat, the way we spend our money and other such “personal matters” are subject to Christ’s lordship as well.

This Lent taught me no area of our life is exempt Christ’s lordship. When we become his followers, we agree we will submit to his will as revealed in Scripture in all things. Jesus ate fish, but would he have eaten a chicken that was raised in a cage too small for it to move and that never was allowed to see sunlight?

If we aren’t willing to at least genuinely consider this question, we won’t be able to “take up our cross and follow” him.

Jake Raabe is a student at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas.

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” (John 20:19)

Trevor BrownThe day must’ve blown by like a whirlwind. Somewhere between Mary’s discovery, the disciples own experience and the appearance of angels, you might’ve thought a new hope would be breaking in already. You might think the alarming news of an empty tomb would’ve caused more of a stir in the disciples than this. But apparently, by day’s end, fear still was prevailing. So, they locked the doors.

Some might have been afraid of Jesus himself. After all, if he were alive, he probably would have a thing or two to say about those who abandoned him. Guilt and shame at their own failure might have given some of the disciples a reason to fear rebuke from the Teacher. Some of them probably were relieved to lock the doors, embarrassed by their own disloyalty. It’s also likely their fear of how others would perceive them made it all the more convenient to make sure the deadbolt was set. They were more than content to seek protection, confinement, insulation in these moments.

Focusing inward

Fear and terror have a way of doing that. They send us spiraling into sometimes-unmanageable self-preservation in search of security. For any organization, fear has a way of turning the focus inward. Between the fear and uncertainty of how the outside world might react and the unsettling idea of who might be interested in coming in, the disciples sat huddled behind locked doors.

But all their fearful whispers stopped when a familiar voice came from the center of the room.

“Peace be with you,” Jesus told them twice.

Jesus knew the chaos of these events and the struggles and stresses of life are real. But from the beginning, God’s voice has been one that brings peace in the midst of chaos, hope in the midst of uncertainty. As we peer into the confused and lifeless huddle in this room, we see what we are prone to be. Like the disciples, we are prone to succumb to fear, and when we are driven by self-preservation, we rarely are beacons of hope or makers of peace.

Jesus comes in

Jesus has a way of appearing in the moments I’d prefer isolation, appearing in the places where I’d rather him stay out, breaking through the doors for which we’ve given fear the keys. The problem is this new resurrection reality, the one we—like the disciples—were joyously astonished by on Easter morning, calls us to more. It calls us to better. So quickly after Easter, too many followers of Jesus will return to locked gatherings where there is a growing fear of what’s outside and an absence of energy toward bringing outsiders in.

Fortunately, locked doors or not, Jesus comes in.

He comes in to the place where we’re most comfortable and sends us out the doors we considered bolting shut.

He enters, by his power, into our fear and hiding and beckons us to see that sin and death will not, in fact, have the last word.

He breaks through our locked doors of isolation and binds together the community we let fall apart.

He offers purpose to a people who became purposeless.

He brings peace into the room that reveals our own strife.

He calls us to open our eyes when we’ve shut them to the chaos outside.

He appears amidst our doubt and empowers us with faith.

Unlock the doors

It will not be sufficient to sit idly. It will not be adequate to prevent others from venturing in. Locked doors, as tempting as they may be, serve only our kingdom, not the kingdom of the risen Lord.

The disciples did not have to duplicate Jesus’s achievements, but they were called to implement them. This is why they needed this new breath of God, this new wind of the Spirit that came from the mouth of Jesus himself. To a confused and rebellious world, they would be the heralds a new reality.

God is, again, breathing new life into all the world, healing once and for all the brokenness and rebellion of those who would believe.

Our reasons for locking the doors are many, so the calling that forces them open must be heard again and again: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Trevor Brown is minister to students at First Baptist Church of Round Rock.

Greg Robinson has been pastor of Bono Baptist Church in Godley five years. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated minister to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

• Where else have you served in ministry, and what were your positions there?

I served as the pastor of Sunnyside Baptist Church in Wichita Falls three years and at Bluff Dale Baptist Church in Bluff Dale five years. Before being a pastor, I served as a youth and music minister for two churches.

• Where did you grow up?

Fort Worth—born and raised—and proud of it!

• How did you come to faith in Christ?

I accepted Jesus Christ when I was 7. Having been raised in the church, I was able to understand the need for a Savior at a young age. However, I wasn’t baptized until I was 11, when I had fuller understanding of what it really meant to surrender to and follow Jesus.

• Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

I went to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, where I received a bachelor of music degree, focusing on vocal performance. Later, I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I earned my master of divinity degree.

Ministry/church

• Why do you feel called into ministry?

I know that I’m called into ministry because I’m not capable of doing anything else. I’m not trying to say I don’t have the education or abilities to work in another field, but I know my life would lose its joy and meaning if I weren’t serving the Lord. Ministry not only gives me the opportunity to operate in my spiritual gifts, but I get the pleasure of seeing those gifts used for the edification of others.

• What is your favorite aspect of ministry? Why?

I received my first opportunity to preach the gospel when I was 16, and although I didn’t surrender to a life of ministry there and then—that would happen several years later—my life was deeply changed in that moment. I had experienced the deeply satisfying feeling of God’s pleasure, having been obedient to his leading and willing to trust that he would give something to say. I’ve been addicted ever since. I’m never happier than when I’m standing up and proclaiming God’s word.

• What one aspect of congregational life gives you the greatest joy?

There are many aspects of congregational life that I greatly enjoy, but there is one that stands above the rest. Each week, when the Sunday morning service ends, there’s about a 20-minute window where I get to interact, fellowship and pray with the people in a deep and impactful way.

I love getting to spend time with my church members, but often life is so busy, it can be difficult to have meaningful exchanges. However, it almost never fails that after our church has experienced our service of worship and the word, there are a handful of individuals who linger to talk and pray. What’s even greater is that it seems to be a different set of people almost every week. Something awesome happens when we gather together as a church, putting aside the distractions of a busy schedule and opening ourselves to God’s moving.

It is in those moments after the service ends where we move past the casual conversations and get real about what God is doing. Even though every week is a different experience of who I get to talk to or pray with or even who might come to pray over me, the Spirit is always the same, and by the time I get in my car to head home, I’m blessed to the point of bursting.

• What one aspect of congregational life would you like to change?

Committees. I’m nervous that just by stating this I run the risk of being kicked out of “The Baptist Club”! In truth, I’m not actually opposed to churches having committees. I believe it is vitally important that the Body of Christ have church members who are involved in the various projects and decision-making issues of the church.

However, there’s a point where this structure can get out of hand. I mean, a committee on committees? Pshaw, I say. Pshaw! (No hate here. Just having some fun!)

My point is this: Give your pastor, ministerial staff and/or elders the freedom and authority to implement their God-given vision with their unique God-given talents. I can’t stand seeing churches go through a lengthy process of finding the leader(s) God has for them and then tie the leader’s hands behind their back by running the church through committees.

I know almost every church has a story of a leader who came in and did great damage. I hate those stories, but that doesn’t mean we should over-react. No matter the way your church uses the members to help get the work done, the attitude should be one of serving under the leadership and direction of the men and women the church has voted upon as the spiritual leaders.

So, to the committee-loving church member I would say the following: First, don’t send me hate mail! Second, don’t stop the good work you’re doing. Just take a moment to evaluate your attitude. Is it one of assisting in the direction your pastor and staff are trying to lead the church, or are you trying to determine the direction and expecting the leaders to follow you? Also, please know that I’m not saying your ideas aren’t needed or your wisdom is not valued. Trust me, your leaders still want to hear from you! When church members start working together hand-in-hand with the church ministers, the result will be healthier congregations and happier pastors.

But what do I know? I’ve never served on a committee on committees.

• If you could launch any new ministry—individually, through your congregation or through another organization—what would it be? Why?

Trips to Israel, but of a slightly different variety than most people’s trip to the Holy Land.

I have been unbelievably blessed to travel to Israel several times, and while I have fallen in love with the land, what has been even more impactful to me has been connecting with the believers who live there. My church has formed a partnership with a congregation of Jewish believers in Tel Aviv, and on my last couple of trips to Israel, I have been able to spend time working with and ministering to those wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

I believe the movement of Jews, Arabs and Gentiles of Israel who are coming to Christ is one of the most awesome things happening today. However, it saddens me to see so many sight-seeing groups go over there and never take the opportunity to connect with those wonderful people. I know there are many sights to see, and it is awesome to stand on those holy places, but there are men and women there who desperately need the partnership and encouragement from believers here.

I know I will continue to travel to Israel, but as I continue to do so, I want to take even more people with me to not only experience the sights, but also to see just how big the Family of God is becoming.

• What qualities do you look for in a congregation?

One of the most important qualities I look for in a congregation is their attitude toward worship. Notice I didn’t say I look for a certain style of worship; it’s the attitude that matters. I have pastored a church with traditional worship, one with a very Southern Gospel style, and where I am now, we are mostly contemporary.

Every time I preach about worship, I like to use the phrase, “It ain’t about you!” Worship is not about our preferences. While I fully understand getting into a correctly oriented heart of worship is easier when it is being done to familiar music or in a style that makes us comfortable, I must purposefully seek to focus my worship on God and not my preferences. If I do so, then I should be able to truly worship in any setting or style.

One of the things I appreciate about where I pastor now is how extremely rare it is to have church members complain that we aren’t singing enough of a certain style. We have multiple generations in our congregation and with a variety of preferences, but I have been so proud of our people in the way they approach worship. They have come to realize Who worship is all about.

It’s worth repeating one more time: When it comes to worship, “It ain’t about you!”

• What do you wish more laypeople knew about ministry or, specifically, your ministry?

I wish more laypeople understood that I actually want to know and hear from them if I have offended them or hurt their feelings, or if they disagree with something I am doing.

I don’t enjoy being told by someone that he or she has a problem with me, but what is many times worse is finding out a person has been not only dealing with a hurt/issue for weeks or months but has been telling others about it while refusing to come speak to me.

I know a lot of other pastors who struggle with this same issue. I know that I am far from perfect, and I can easily say or do something that hurts someone else. If someone comes directly to me and tells me the problem, the first thing I’ll do is apologize and then seek to get things back on track.

I don’t know why people are so afraid of going directly to the person with whom there is an issue. I want people to know my door is always open, and I want to hear from them. However, if you can’t come to me and tell me your issue face-to-face, then please don’t go say those words to someone else.

This problem has caused dissension in many churches and the discouragement of countless pastors. You can tell me anything, as long as you tell it to me!

About Baptists

• What are the key issues facing Baptists—denominationally and/or congregationally?

I told my congregation about an encounter I had recently that might help answer this question.

Sometimes I find myself in a position of talking to a person who doesn’t know I’m a pastor. They begin to talk in a manner that is, let’s just say, not pleasing to the Lord. I always get a good chuckle when they finally ask what I do for a living and awkward silence that follows after they realize they’ve been using a lot of four-letter words around a minister!

A few months ago, I was getting a haircut, and the young lady who was working on me, a person I never met before, started telling me her life story. At some point, she took up the issue of church. It went something like this: “When I was growing up, every time I stayed with my Grandma, she took me to church. I don’t remember what kind of church it was, but it was OK. I liked the music, and the pastor was pretty nice. I kind of stopped going when I got into high school. None of my friends went. But lately I’ve been thinking that maybe I’ll start going again. I just moved here, so I really don’t know what churches are around, but maybe I can find a nice one. I’m not sure what kind of church I should go to, but I know where I won’t go—a Baptist church! Those Baptists are crazy! Especially the Southern Baptist ones! I had a friend of mine go to a Baptist church once, and they told her she couldn’t stay because her skirt was too short! Can you believe that? Those Baptist are just so ‘judgy,’ but I know how they really live. Bunch of hypocrites!”

About this time, I started praying this woman wouldn’t ask what I do for a living! However, I had no such luck, as her very next question was the one I was dreading. I briefly thought about lying and saying I worked on the railroad or some other crazy thing, but I swallowed hard, looked her straight in the eye, and told her proudly that I served as the pastor of a local Southern Baptist church. Don’t bother asking how the rest of the haircut went.

I tell this story to help illustrate what I feel is one of the greatest problems facing the Baptist denomination today. Sadly, many people carry the perception that Christians in general and more specifically, Baptists, are judgmental and hypocritical. In some ways, we’ve earned that title. I’ve encountered too many people who have a story about being shamed and judged by a person carrying the Baptist label, or of an experience of trying to attend a church only to see infighting and gossiping.

While I do believe the majority of Baptist churches, and the members who fill them, are grace-filled and loving toward the lost, we have allowed the sinful actions of the few to characterize how people on the outside of the church see us. As Baptists, we must get serious about changing this image. A lost person won’t want to listen to a message of salvation if he or she is first feeling judged by an obviously imperfect person.

We desperately need to get rid of the attitude of, “love the sinner, hate the sin” for that puts us in the mindset of seeing others only in the context of what sins we want to label them with. Instead, we need to adopt the words that are actually found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

About Greg

• What did you learn on the job you wish you learned in seminary?

How to handle crisis situations.

I’ve never had someone come into my office who is dealing with a failing marriage, a health scare or a loss of a loved one where I grabbed my systematic theology textbook off my shelf and tried to use that to offer comfort or guidance. I’m happy I studied subjects like that in seminary, for they have been a huge help in my ability to do in-depth Bible teaching. But I can’t say seminary ever prepared me for dealing with those crisis moments.

It has been on-the-job training. However, those moments have become some of sweetest and most memorable parts of my ministry. I never enjoy seeing someone go through a trial, but it has become a tremendous privilege to be the person who gets to “stand in the gap” and be the instrument of God’s grace and comfort when it is needed most.

• What is the impact of ministry on your wife and children?

My wife, Penny, and I have been married almost 15 years with all but our first six months spent as a ministerial family. During those years serving the church, we’ve been blessed with our two boys, Peyton, who is 9, and Parker, who will soon turn 7.

I won’t claim serving in the ministry is always an easy thing on my family, for they often feel the pressure of expectations that come with that role, but I know we have received tremendous blessings as a family because of our role in the church.

A little over five years ago, my youngest son, Parker, was facing the prospect of a tremendously difficult and rare surgery. At the time, I was serving my second church as pastor, and I’ll never forget how that church family gathered around us with support and prayer during that time. They ministered to us when we needed it most. During those weeks, we also contacted friends from the first church I pastored, and they began to pray as well.

What was even more awesome was that later, when we accepted the call to Bono Baptist Church where I currently serve, we learned our new church family had been praying for us and our son even before they knew us! Working in the church can be hard for a spouse and children, but I try to never forget the awesome blessings that more than compensate for the difficulties.

• What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

A former church member used to claim that, every Sunday when introducing the text for the morning message, I would say, “This is one of my favorite passages.” I guess that is true, because every time I focus on a different passage of Scripture, I get overwhelmed by the awesome truths found within, and it becomes my new favorite.

However, one passage I think of often is Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me, and I will answer and will show you great and unsearchable things which you did not know.” I love those words for many reasons, but it’s the “things which you did not know” part that really speaks to me. It reminds me there is still so much I don’t know—a humbling thought—and awesome blessings that have yet to come. I try to live for today, but this passage keeps me excited about what might come tomorrow.

On April 9, 69-year-old Dr. David Dao was forcibly removed from Chicago-based United Flight 3411, bound for Louisville, Ky. By late Monday night, cell-phone footage from the traumatic incident had been viewed around the world, and the hashtags #BoycottUnitedAirlines and #BoycottUnited swept the Internet.

Across the world, the story that filtered through news outlets, Twitter feeds and Facebook rants began like this …

Read the entire column at Sojourners.

Child abuse in Texas has become an epidemic. Each day, 185 children are abused, and each year, more than 65,000 child abuse cases are confirmed. Before their 18th birthdays, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused in the Lone Star State.

Denise GeorgeLast year, more than 43,000 children received critical care services at Texas’ 70 Children’s Advocacy Centers serving 194 Texas counties. Seventy-one percent of these children were sexually abused. Twenty-five percent had not yet started kindergarten.

Child abuse in Texas

The recent rash of horrifying child abuse cases in Texas is becoming far too commonplace:

• A 2-year-old in Houston dies at the hands of his father. Doctors find 86 bruises, fractured ribs and contusions on the child’s body.

• A 1-year-old girl in Irving dies from severe brain and internal injuries. Her mother’s 19-year-old boyfriend beat her to death while babysitting. Officials also find bite marks and healing fractures on the bodies of her two young siblings.

• A 5-year-old girl in Denton is sexually abused by her adoptive father. Her injuries are severe, requiring several surgeries and a colostomy bag. Police also arrest the girl’s mother, charging her with “serious bodily injury to a child by omission.” Both charges are first-degree felonies, carrying a punishment of five years to life in prison and a $10,000 fine.

• A 1-year-old girl dies in Blanco at the hands of her mother, 23, and her mother’s boyfriend, 26. The child has bruises on her head and trauma consistent with sexual assault.

• A 19-year-old father in San Antonio is charged with capital murder after he chokes to death his 2-month-old son.

• A 39-year-old father in Lubbock is jailed after sexually assaulting his disabled daughter, killing her and removing her uterus. His wife also is arrested.

The abusers

Most child abusers are not strangers lurking in dark alleys. They are family members, trusted friends and/or people of authority the child knows and trusts. Ninety-five percent of abused children in Texas know their abusers.

“Child abuse has occurred too often in churches and homes—which ought to be places of shelter and safety—and it has happened at the hands of family, educators, ordained ministers and ministry workers—who ought to be trusted persons of authority,” a Southern Baptist Convention statement notes.

“I have always believed that if the central focus of the church is concern about protecting the children, a collateral consequence will be that churches will be better protected. I think we make a mistake by making the primary focus churches protecting themselves legally or in any other way. The primary focus must be on vulnerable children,” states Boz Tchividjian, executive director of GRACE—Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment—a program to protect children from sexual abuse in Christian institutions.

How can Baptist churches in Texas prevent child abuse within their congregations, churches and communities? Here are some practical suggestions:

Preventing child abuse

Before hiring or placing church staff, volunteer workers, and those who will work with children and youth:

• Require that person to have been an active member of the church at least six months.

• Check five or more personal references.

• Interview the person, asking: “Have you ever been charged with or convicted of a crime?”

Get written permission to conduct a criminal background check and follow through.

Establish a clear set of abuse-prevention and abuse-reporting policies with staff, children and youth workers, and teachers.

Install windows in classrooms and keep doors open.

Never allow one adult to be alone with a minor. Implement and enforce a two-adult rule, and require the adults to be unrelated.

Implement a training program, teaching church leaders how to protect and work safely with children.

Educate workers and parents to look for symptoms of child abuse and report them.

Work with and support local leaders, agencies and organizations in your community that address child-abuse prevention programs.

If you suspect child abuse, report it immediately. In an emergency, call 911.

What constitutes child abuse in Texas?

“Inflicting or failing to reasonably prevent others from inflicting mental or emotional injury impairing child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning; physical injury resulting in substantial harm, or which is at variance with explanation given; sexual abuse, exploitation, use of controlled substance resulting in mental or physical harm to child.”

For more information, click here.

Reporting child abuse in Texas

Texas child-abuse laws criminalize physical, emotional or sexual abuse of children under age 18. Texas law requires anyone with knowledge of suspected child abuse or neglect to report it to the appropriate authorities. This mandatory reporting requirement applies to all individuals, not just those working in certain professions.

Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect is a punishable Class A Misdemeanor.

Report suspected abuse to a local or state law enforcement agency, or to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Call: (800) 252-5400 or report online: www.TxAbuseHotline.org.

For more information, click here.

Forms and recognizable symptoms of child abuse

Forms of abuse:

• Injuries—physical, emotional and sexual.

• Sexual exploitation.

• Neglect, both physical and medical.

• Inadequate supervision.

Symptoms of abuse:

• Physical—bruises, burns, cuts, black eyes, and/or burns on face and body; complaints of pain; malnourishment; lack of personal cleanliness; frequent tardiness/absence from school.

• Behavioral—unexplained behavioral changes such as aggressiveness and/or withdrawal; fear of going home; frightened of adults, parents and/or guardians.

• Sexual injuries to the genital area; physical pain when walking/sitting; symptoms of venereal disease in teens; and pregnancy.

• Emotional—low self-esteem; severe depression, anxiety or aggression; lagging in physical, emotional and intellectual development; failure to thrive; disorders in speech; antisocial and/or destructive conduct; and attempted suicide.

Helpful resources

• To become involved in the mission of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, click here.

• For information about the First Lady and DFPS Commissioner’s Network of Nurture Initiative, click here.

• For helpful resources to protect your church’s children from child abuse, see:

GRACE

Protect My Ministry

• To conduct background checks for potential church employees, download/print the form “Authorization for a Background Check” by clicking here.

• For employee screening information, click here and here.

• To read Southern Baptist Convention child abuse resolutions, click here and here.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. To learn more about this observance, click here. 

Denise George, author of 30 books, is co-author of the new Penguin Random House book The Lost Eleven: The Forgotten Story of Black American Soldiers Brutally Massacred in World War II. She is married to Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University.