I don’t know when it began, but the move to shift the cost of benefits from churches to ministers has unfolded at an alarming rate.

The driver of all this is the rapidly escalating cost of health care, namely health insurance. What once was a staple benefit for most employees quickly is eroding in the American workplace. Congress is fully aware of the problem, which is why a few years back it passed the bipartisan Affordable Care Act. The ACA provides the opportunity to purchase health-care benefits for millions of previously uninsured adults and children.

President Trump has promised to repeal the ACA his first day in office. Latest reports indicate it will, in fact, be repealed; but the repeal will be delayed some years until Congress and the new administration can figure out what to do in its place. Meanwhile, far too many ministers are left twisting in the wind, wondering how they will provide health care for themselves and for their families.

Spectrum of possibilities

Recently, I asked churches to share with me how they go about providing these benefits. Of the 42 churches that responded, the results were all over the spectrum of possibilities, from churches that still offer full family coverage for all ministers to one church that noted, “We just decided to get out of the insurance business.”

Inequities abound. Influencing where a church is on the spectrum are a myriad of forces. Primary among them are shrinking church finances. While loathe to cut missions, church programs and salaries, and while required to pay property and casualty insurance as well as utility and building costs, the easiest place to cut is benefits.

In my work with young pastors, I find this may be the single biggest shock they experience entering ministry.

Eroding “package”

Most folk accepting a job in the secular world—I know there are exceptions—are offered a salary accompanied by some sort of benefit package for health-care coverage and retirement contribution. Many churches have started offering a “salary package.”

One minister told me he was getting a $50,000 salary, which he thought to be generous and appropriate for the setting. Only later did he learn out of that $50,000, he would have to pay $19,000 for health insurance, $5,000 for a retirement contribution, plus all of his ministry expenses—travel, continuing education, conventions, books, etc. His actual salary/housing amount proved to be just under $23,000.

Another minister who has served a church more than a dozen years actually is taking home less money today than when she first began at the same church. Sure, she received a few pay raises across the years, but as the church shifted benefits costs to her, it eroded what little gains she made. Several churches gave ministers a “one-time” pay increase to cover the insurance costs at that point in time. The ministers then were left to cover any future increases, whatever they might be.

What can be done?

Churches are forcing ministers into the “marketplace” of the ACA or onto the plan of a spouse if they are that fortunate. One church recently transitioned to a health savings account that, while it costs less, carries with it a $7,000 deductible and no prescription benefit. Essentially, what many churches have done and others are beginning to do is move toward a form of low-cost catastrophic coverage.

My purpose is not to affix blame to anyone about this crisis. But when those who work for the government have defined and guaranteed health-care benefits, as do many professionals in the business world, what can be done to ensure that our ministers and their families are not broken by the system?

Possible options

We simply must think about this in ways that have not been necessary until now. Allow me to offer a few modest suggestions.

• Smaller rural churches that always have had a full-time pastor may no longer be able to afford that luxury. What about two churches finding a way to share a pastor so they might be able to provide decent pay and benefits?

• What about smaller churches merging to form a new, more vibrant congregation, one that is able to afford and provide for ministers and reduce the expense of two churches at the same time?

• What about larger churches that have too much staff? When a vacancy occurs, might it be helpful to reassign work assignments and use those saved funds in order to cover health care for the rest of the staff?

As someone who is retired and on Medicare, I have no dog in this fight; but it is unconscionable to me that some churches expect their ministers to bear the full brunt of health-care costs. Midst all the regulatory uncertainty and congressional apathy to truly “fix the problem,” there are things congregations can do to make it right. If in your church you have any voice at all in this matter, please use it.

Mike Queen is a consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches.

South Asia is an interesting place to visit—especially for an introvert. When I initially applied for a mission trip, I thought I probably would do construction work. God had a different plan in mind.

You see, God sent me to South Asia, and he did it for a reason—so I could share the hope of Jesus Christ with others. Who would have thought a shy college student would be going around looking for people of peace who could open doors for ministry?

Before the trip, I had a fear of talking to others about Jesus and the gospel. As I ended the trip, God opened my heart. Now, I want to share this news with everyone. I learned many ways to spark a conversation, turn it toward spiritual subjects and share the gospel.

I always will remember going through an area where people were scared of the word “Jesus.” In that place, people were told they would be beaten up if they believed in Jesus. As we made our way through this area, we prayed, asking God to open doors for a conversation with a bold student or man who would be willing just to listen. We serve an awesome God. He opened up a conversation with a college student who was interested in prayer. His family heard the gospel, and they were the only family in the area willing to listen.

This trip changed me. It does not matter what you do in life; we all have an opportunity to share the good news with someone. This was my first mission trip. God did a number of things in my life. I hope my experience will inspire you to go on mission.

Dustin Lynch, a student at Tarleton State University, served with Go Now Missions in South Asia.

By all accounts, a light-and-breezy atmosphere prevailed in Austin Tuesday, as Texas lawmakers convened for the 85th Legislative Session. Those breezes most likely will turn to hurricane-force winds, with maybe a tornado or two thrown in for good measure, before the session concludes Memorial Day.

Marv Knox

Under the Capitol dome, goodwill turns on money and policy. Since the money will be tight—Comptroller Glenn Hegar has allocated a 2.7 percent decrease in statewide funding—tempers will flare, and legislative elbows will fly soon and very soon. Although the Legislature is dominated by one party, Texans don’t see eye-to-eye on key issues, and that will create a wind tunnel to increase the velocity of the breezes.

What to do?

So, what’s a faithful Texan to do? To quote an old political adage: Follow the money.

Throughout this session, pay close attention to how legislators propose to spend the state’s $104.87 billion budget across the next two years. In particular, watch out for how spending bills would impact the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

Of course, when it comes to money, we might as well acknowledge the elephant in the room: Texas Baptists don’t all agree on how government should operate. Some believe in small government, and some wish government would expand to take on large social problems. But can we agree to disagree and follow a unified purpose? By the end of the session, the Legislature will draft a $104.87 billion budget. Nobody will be entirely satisfied with the final version. But since we’re going to spend the whole amount anyway, let’s try to make sure the money goes where it can do the most good. And in general, that doesn’t mean making the rich richer and the strong more powerful.

Lasting repercussions

A couple of areas where spending decisions will create lasting repercussions are education and the child welfare system. Faithful Texans must remain vigilant to ensure the Legislature does what is right for all Texans.

For example, a federal judge has claimed Texas children who depend upon the state’s welfare system often leave state custody “more damaged than when they entered.” The Legislature must improve the state’s foster-care program. That will require lots of money. Many interests more powerful than at-risk children—and aren’t they all more powerful than these kids?—want some of that money. So, we must keep an eye on the money and make more of it is channeled to help those children. Shame on us if we don’t.

Similarly, some of the state’s most powerful people want to pull money from public schools and free it up for spending at private schools. They claim it’s a civil rights issue, insisting vouchers would enable poor families to choose where their children go to school. But, of course, that won’t work, because even with the vouchers, they can’t afford those schools. So, the ruse ultimately would aid well-off families and private schools, while further harming the public schools—which take all comers—and especially the state’s poor children.

Other issues

Of course, other issues will arise, and we should make our voices heard. For example, Texas Baptists have been strong advocates of payday lending reform and restrictions on human trafficking. Further advances to restrict payday lending and human trafficking deserve our support.

Some issues will generate noise out of proportion to their importance. Take the “Bathroom Bill,” for example. It would restrict use of public restrooms to the gender on each person’s birth certificate. Advocates and detractors alike see it as a key moral issue, and it’s a pet topic of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. But since House Speaker Joe Straus values other priorities and Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t likely to get involved, this bill probably will be a tempest in a toilet.

Keep up & speak up

Throughout the legislative session, the Baptist Standard will collaborate with the Christian Life Commission to cover issues of particular interest to Texas Baptists, and particularly topics that may not be covered elsewhere.

Pastors for Texas Children will stay on top of school-funding.

Your local news outlets should cover bills and legislative issues of concern to your community and region.

And the Texas Tribune will provide some of the state’s most comprehensive coverage of the entire Legislature.

You already made your wishes known when you voted for state officeholders. Now is the time to urge those leaders to do the right thing. So, keep up with the legislative session and make your voice heard. To find out who represents you, click here—and then speak up.

Follow Marv on Twitter: @marvknoxbs

It is a strange fact of human life that idolatry can become commonplace so easily. Worship of the less-than-worthy lodges in our hearts like shrapnel and becomes painful to remove. So painful, in fact, we often look in every place for any justification to avoid facing the problem.

Patrick Adair

The old, longstanding idolatries of evangelical Christianity in the United States are our worship of money, celebrity and power, both political and military. We long have justified the worship of these idols in our culture and even in the church by pointing to the great amount of good that can be accomplished with wealth, with the influence that comes with fame, with political clout and with military victory.

It should give us significant pause that our Lord neither used these methods to accomplish his Father’s purposes, nor instructed his disciples to do so. In the pause, perhaps we will hear the Spirit calling us to repent of those idolatries as we seek to do the work of the kingdom of God.

A new idolatry

The fact is, however, those are the idolatries to which we have grown accustomed. Now, a new idolatry has arisen, aided and abetted by the old idolatries. The new idolatry is that the personal character of leaders does not matter to the evangelical church. No, that is not accurate. The new idolatry is that the personal character of conservative political leaders does not matter much to many evangelical Christians in any significant way. The personal character of liberal leaders—however “liberal” is defined—in any capacity matters very much, just as it always has.

Presumably, the personal character of religious leaders still matters. But the idolatry of pragmatism over right attitude and action reigns over the church’s relationship to conservative politics. This idolatry has taken root, even in the church, because of our older idolatrous commitments to money, celebrity, and political and military power. It is in no small part because we can be convinced that a person would better serve those idolatries and the interests related to them that we were willing to excuse and justify issues of personal character.

Excused & justified

It is painful to recognize and remove idols, so the poor personal character of some conservative leaders has been excused and justified in a variety of ways. The most popular methods are (1) pointing to character issues of whoever is opposing the conservative leader and insisting they are worse; (2) insisting that God can use broken people while ignoring the necessity of repentance and accountability; and (3) hoping vaguely God will make things turn out all right somehow.

Taking each justification in turn:

1. Much ink already has been used to describe the various ethical twists and turns involved in Christians seeking discernment between “the lesser of two evils.” Less attention has been paid to what our responsibility is when only one of the two evils remains.

Discernment here is much simpler. Surely, the answer is not to pretend the lesser evil is now good. Winning does not absolve the winner from being held accountable for his or her speech and behavior, both past and present.

2. When I speak of being held accountable, I mean professing Christians should expect fellow believers to encourage them in righteousness. It is absolutely true that God can use broken, sinful people. I have been blessed to experience this in my own life, as I am sure you have in yours.

But God also makes it abundantly clear repentance is a necessary part of Christian life. You cannot claim to be a Christian without genuine repentance of sin. If this sin has been public, it seems reasonable to expect public repentance. Any professing Christian in any position of leadership who has, for example, been a serial adulterer, owned casinos and a strip club, frequently and publicly used abusive and vulgar speech, and spoken of and treated women as less than co-bearers of the image of God publicly should repent of such behavior.

Repentance is, of course, a very different matter from making excuses, blaming others or changing the subject. It even goes beyond apology. Repentance means acknowledging one’s attitudes and actions have been sinful, asking for forgiveness of sin from God on the basis of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, seeking to make things right between the sinner and any he has sinned against, and turning away from such sin and toward righteous behavior. Anything less is not repentance.

The Christians who serve as such a person’s co-workers or advisers have the responsibility to make that an issue of highest priority, lest the name “Christian,” and even “evangelical Christian” be linked further to massive hypocrisy. As Christians, we have the responsibility to urge our fellow believers in such positions of national leadership to hold one another accountable.

3. Our hope as Christians is not vague. Our hope is specific. Our hope has a name, and we have the privilege of addressing our Hope each time we pray. Let us pray specifically for what we hope God will do in our nation, in our churches and in its leaders. Let us pray for one another in these times of idolatry and pray all idols would be thrown down and all praise go only to the One who is worthy.

Patrick Adair is pastor of Central Baptist Church in Marshall.

In 1993, Kurt Cobain chanted lyrics that resonated with an entire generation: “All in all is all we are,” also heard as “All alone is all we are.” The chant occurs during the fadeout of Cobain’s wildly successful song, “All Apologies,” and it seemed to concretize the feelings of loneliness among many of us Gen-Xers. We were labeled the “latchkey generation” and the “MTV Generation” due to our supposed laziness and parental abandonment.

James HassellJust to remind you about Gen-Xers, we primarily are people born roughly between 1965 and 1980. Our most vivid memories revolve around rapid technological changes, the Challenger explosion, being scared of AIDS, a short war in Iraq and an adulterous president.

Those of us who grew up going to Baptist churches also may recall tense moments and have the battle scars to prove it. Sometimes, the church looked nothing like Jesus. As we have advanced rapidly toward middle age, some of us have found a home in other denominational groups or even outside of evangelicalism. Some have quit being part of a church altogether.

Being a Gen-X pastor, then, is an interesting proposition these days. Some of us still hear Kurt Cobain’s lyrics loudly ringing in our ears.

Some flee

Let’s face it: Research overwhelming reveals the majority of our generational peers view the local church as old, passé, fading, declining, irrelevant and kaput. Somewhere along the way, many Gen-Xers started to believe either that we do not need the church in order to look like Jesus or that the church does not need us. Consequently, many resolved with finality to flee the church in order to do kingdom work.

This issue of fleeing may be the most pressing one for Texas Baptists in the 21st century. Our response today certainly may impact even how things work among our fellowship into the next century. So, how do we respond?

Here is a Gen-X Texas Baptist pastor’s attempt to provide some initial guidance:

First, a fresh engagement with the discipline of listening appears in order for all Texas Baptists, young and old.

I find ample biblical evidence to support the fact churches do better when they listen first and talk second. Some of us may be so culturally conditioned, however, that it’s hard to hear the Bible, much less each other.

Take, for example, the issue of homosexuality that seems to be the hottest button among Texas Baptists now. All of us must be wary of setting up a classic “us versus them” scenario in which your camp is defined as the one on the side of God and justice. Justice without love is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Ethicist T.B. Maston said we truly get on the side of justice when we pay attention to the restless masses, yet we should not neglect loving order. Such can only be done through careful, prayerful listening.

This issue is not, therefore, an “either/or,” but it is a “both/and.” We all—no matter our age—have a right to be wrong. Gen-X pastors may be particularly suited for moderating this conversation between some polarized generations in our churches. Kurt Cobain may be wrong about us after all.

Second, let’s remember the local church is a large part of God’s plan for us to edify each other and to equip one another to live as ambassadors of Christ in the world.

I think it a little odd when people try to do kingdom work without the church and vice versa—the danger being kingdom work, especially social kingdom work, easily can turn into an exercise in egotism for those not rooted in a local-church community. The local church, then, is a gathering of imperfect priests doing kingdom work together in a local context.

Mid-20th century theologian W.T. Conner said it this way: “The more we move away from democratic organization and government in the church, the more we cease to be Christian in our application of the Bible in the local church.” Conner was considered by some as a “progressive” in his day.

So, from a Gen Xer pastor to you: Please don’t forget the importance of local churches. They are outposts of the kingdom of God in Texas. Abandoned outposts will come under attack and eventually turn into museums. Therefore, listen to one another, and keep cooperating. Flee the devil, not the church.

James Hassell is pastor of First Baptist Church in San Angelo.

An article at the Washington Post by Wilfrid Laurier University professor David Haskall, “Liberal churches are dying. But conservative churches are thriving,” has been turning heads lately.

Jake RaabeThe article details a Canadian study of 22 Mainline Protestant churches in Ontario. The study asked a series of questions to determine if the churches are “conservative” or “liberal” and examined the net growth or loss in attendance over a 10-year period. Haskall concluded, “Conservative Protestant theology, with its more literal view of the Bible, is a significant predictor of church growth while liberal theology leads to decline.”

This gave me pause. The phrase “literal interpretation” has lost almost all meaning within contemporary Christian discourse, as have the phrases “conservative” and “liberal.” To find out what the author constituted a “conservative” or “liberal” church, I examined the original study he published in Review of Religious Research, “Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy.”

Surprising criteria

The criteria he used to determine if a church is liberal or conservative surprised me. The statement “Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God provided a way for the forgiveness of my sins” indicates church is conservative, as does “God performs miracles in answer to prayer” and “It is very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians.” A conservative church, by this study’s definition, seems to be a church that believes in the basic narrative of the Gospels, God’s intervention in the world, and evangelism and discipleship as important components of the Christian life.
            What struck me reading the study is that these are not typically convictions I would associate with conservative theology. Belief in Jesus, an active God and evangelism seem to be basic components of the Christian faith. Contrary to what the headline implied to many readers, Young-Earth Creationism and a ban on women in leadership roles didn’t correlate with growth; basic adherence to historic Christian theological affirmations did.

“Saving” the church
            In his article in the Washington Post, Haskall refers to John Shelby Spong’s Why Christianity Must Change or Die as a model for what he calls a “liberal” church. In this 1998 book, Spong, an Episcopal bishop, claims in order to remain honest and relevant to the modern world, Christianity must move beyond the traditional understanding of Christianity as expressed in the creeds to fit within the scientific and philosophic consensuses of the day. Christianity in the modern world, he claims, no longer can teach “a supernatural deity who invades the world periodically, who works through a virgin birth, a physical resuscitation and a cosmic ascension.”

Departing from the vision of Christianity expressed throughout history was supposed to save the church. Instead, we now find, those who subsumed the gospel to culture are failing, and those who proclaimed basic orthodoxy to a skeptical culture are gaining ground, regardless of which particular “brand” of Christian theology they subscribe to.

Success or failure

If the results of the study are true, then Spong was incorrect. Christianity does not need to change in order to survive in the modern world. In fact, departure from Christian orthodoxy is an assurance failure for a church.

Perhaps the title of the study should be adjusted. Conservative Christianity isn’t growing, and liberal Christianity isn’t shrinking. Churches that hold to the gospel as it has been understood throughout Christian history are growing, and churches that subsume the gospel to the movements of culture are dying.

A healthy, growing church doesn’t come out of subscribing to a particular brand of Christian theology, but from having a theology that is Christian in the first place.

As an active member of a church with female deacons and more members that vote donkey than elephant, I take great heart in this news. God is faithful age to age, and the gospel is a truth that, while often translated to speak to new contexts, never has to be altered or adjusted. Spong was incorrect; Christianity is doing just fine as it is.

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

In reading Psalm 1 recently, I was reminded how Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the great bulk of the Christian life as one of diaspora, in which we are scattered out into the world. Most Christians do not work in churches or, as I do, in educational institutions that train ministers; we do not spend most of our waking hours in close proximity to church members or in celebration of the word. And so, with the Psalmist, we must ask ourselves what it means to be a Christian in the world, when we are, in fact, sitting in the seat of mockers most of our lives (Psalm 1:3).

Myles WerntzTo do this well requires, to paraphrase the Swiss theologian Karl Barth, to be able to say both Yes and No well. We must, as Christians, say Yes to the world, for it is this world which God has created, loved, atoned for and one day will re-create. Accordingly, our answer to the world cannot be a resounding No. As Christians, we live in the world as those seeking another city, but also as those committed, in hope, to God’s future for creation.

But neither can our witness be without a No. As those committed to the person and way of Jesus Christ, there are acts and ways that appear now as shadows, negative images in light of the Light of the world. And to be a Christian is to acknowledge that, while there is a great deal Christians should be saying Yes to, every Yes entails a subsequent No. To say Yes to the Lord of Creation is to say No to all other lords.

Say and do

This, of course, is easier said than done.

As Jason Mahn recently wrote, we are Christians living, for the most part, in Christendom. Our country is not a theocracy, and our incoming president has evinced no interest in enacting those kinds of reforms. But we live in a world that, for the most part, recognizes Christianity as the default faith, even where there is no faith to be found. Christianity is in the air we breathe, whether or not we are holding our breath. Whether one confesses the faith or not, Christianity remains the de facto assumption.

It’s complicated

For the Christian, then, following Christ becomes complicated. Saying Yes to Christ will mean saying Yes to things our Christ-haunted culture sees as the exception, the extreme and the abandoned. It will mean taking on guilt, dining with sinners, letting our feet be washed by those who use their own clothes as towels. It will mean saying Yes to possibilities that have been forgotten to history books and fairy tales.

This Yes will bring with it certain Nos, although to be certain, not every No we wish to utter is the one God would have us utter: There are calls of discipleship we always will want to refuse under cover of inconvenience that are the call of Christ nonetheless. But saying Yes to Christ in spaces where we find Christianity the de facto position will mean at times saying No to those safe spaces. It will mean refusing cheap grace in favor of a costly one, as well as taking up a cross when we would rather put it down. It will mean refusing the safety of being the majority.

Christians have been offered safety and protection, a great freedom to remain the majority and to have their interests protected. And it is precisely now when relearning discipleship involves both a Yes and a No matters.

The danger facing Christians in America is not that we will never confess the faith, but that it is too easy now to confess. The challenge for Christians is to say Yes and No in ways that exceed the low bar, that even in a place where Christianity is assumed, we might be Christians.

Myles Werntz is assistant professor of Christian ethics and practical theology and the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary in Abilene. Email him at Myles.Werntz@hsutx.edu.

John Whitten is lead pastor of the gathering, the contemporary-style congregation at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated minister to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured, click here. 

Background

• How long have you served in your current place of ministry?

I started attending Pioneer Drive when I was a college freshman at Hardin-Simmons University. I came on staff as a youth intern 13 years ago and have worked in a variety of capacities at the church, including as college minister. This is my first church to serve in ministry.

• Where did you grow up?

Spring, Texas

• How did you come to faith in Christ?

I grew up in a Baptist pastor’s home, which meant even when I was visiting my grandparents, I had to go to church with them! When I was 8 years old, I attended Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Texas, and accepted Christ. I was baptized later by my dad at Wildewood Baptist Church in Spring.

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

I have a business management degree from Hardin-Simmons University, along with a master of divinity degree from Logsdon Seminary at Hardin-Simmons. I currently am pursuing my doctorate of ministry degree from Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary.

Ministry/church

• Why do you feel called into ministry?

I sense that the gifts God has given me can serve the needs of the local church. I believe the local church is the hope of the world, and she needs thoughtful, compassionate, Jesus-centered leaders. I’m definitely not perfect at living up to those qualities—but I do try.

• What is your favorite aspect of ministry? Why?

By far, it is hearing stories of God breaking down walls in people’s hearts, in our community, in churches and in families. We serve a boundary-breaking God, and I love seeing walls come down so people can experience authentic friendship with God and others. Whenever I sense a frustration in ministry, it means it’s time for me to invite someone to lunch and hear what God is doing in their life.

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

I think congregations could change dramatically over the next 20 years. Many congregations hopefully will be getting more diverse, which I love!

Additionally, the time church members will give the church could decline, along with the frequency of church attendance. I will say I am hopeful about the future. We have college students here at Pioneer Drive who give a tremendous amount of their time—Sunday morning for worship and Bible study, a leadership development time on Sunday evening, a large weekly outreach on Sunday night, and a small group throughout the week. So, I don’t buy all of the stuff out there that says younger generations won’t commit to the church. I believe people, including younger generations, want to be a part of a church with a compelling New Testament vision. They won’t make much time or energy for institutional maintenance.

• What qualities do you look for in a congregation?

This is easy for me to answer. It’s the people. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 has always stood out to me as an example of what the church ought to be. It says,“ Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

There is a lot of solid preaching out there, and a lot of places have good music and have fruitful ministries. However, a place where people are vulnerable and share their lives in authentic, life-giving ways is not always the norm. It doesn’t get better than the Good News of God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ and sharing that love with others.

About Baptists

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

As the polarization continues and our society becomes increasingly divisive, I think we will have to work really hard at building bridges instead of walls. We continue to live rather segregated lives, and I think we will have to work really hard to not be a niche church or denomination that only caters to certain demographics. 

I think many would say they are pessimistic about the future of denominational life and specifically Baptist life with declining giving and participation. I’m not one of those. I certainly believe we are living in challenging and changing times—and I think as Baptists, we will have to resist the temptation to become too negative about things. I think these times will force us to focus on what we can do really well. I believe the church—and denominations—can be at their greatest with their backs against the wall and dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit.

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

I think we have to streamline much of what we do and partner with others who might be able to do some of what we do better than how we do it. Additionally, we have to get better at dialoguing with difference and appreciating differing perspectives. We need each other, and the world will know our Savior based on our unity together. We need to hold our convictions humbly in love, while respecting those who may see very important issues different than we do.

About John

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

Just before I wrote this, I had been on the phone with one of my mentors, and I also had talked to someone I mentored. My mentors are my spiritual heroes! They remind me I’m not alone when the days seem dark, give me a kick in the rear when I need to be reminded of why I do what I do, are a shoulder to cry on, and are a huge fan when I’m rejoicing. I would not know what to do at all in ministry if it weren’t for those mentors of mine who coached me early on and encourage me today.

• What is the impact of ministry on your marriage and family?

I’m thankful to serve in a church where our family can be a part of the church. There are not crazy expectations on my spouse or children. It is their church and a place where they are encouraged and allowed to use their gifts to serve. Our church does a good job of encouraging us to take care of our families. So, I am glad when my son is excited about going to church!

• What else would you like for our readers to know about you?

One of my foundational verses for ministry is 1 Corinthians 2:4. It says, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.”

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

“To take something for granted is to begin to lose it!”

I never will forget when I first heard that statement. I was 19 years old, and Wallace Roark, my professor at Howard Payne University, said it to our entire class.

Danny ReevesHe went on to defend his premise, and the more I listened the more I knew he was right. If we take any part of our lives, any person in our lives, any situation in our lives for granted, then we are in the beginning stages of losing something or someone.

Let me offer some examples, and I will begin with a simple one—the simple wooden, picket fence that may surround your back yard. Do you see it in your mind? It’s a nice fence—new, precise, clean, neat. It won’t need attention for years. So, you forget about it. The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t see in its second winter several nails begin to loosen in the pickets. You don’t notice in its third summer the Texas sun has begun to warp the untreated boards. You’re not aware of the wood ants that eat away out by the shed. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it. Soon, that fence will be gone.

Consider another example. This one is quite a bit more serious. This time it is your church. This congregation has been a part of your life as long as you can remember. The building has dominated the corner of 15th and Main your entire life. The church is strong, dynamic, financially stable and gospel strong. So, you don’t really get involved or take on any responsibility. (After all, you’re not really needed with all the people down there!) The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t notice an entire generation of leaders has passed on to be with the Lord. You don’t see the pastor and staff struggling to carry the load themselves in the absence of involvement. You’re not aware of baptism numbers that decline year after year. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it. Soon, that church will be gone.

And now, the final example. This one is the most critical of all—your personal relationship with God. You begin following Jesus when you’re just a child. Your parents have you in church every time the doors are open. You fall in love with Jesus, and as a teen and young adult you are dynamic, on-fire, winsome and Spirit-filled. This faithful disciple is going to go the distance, so you sit back and put it on cruise control. The truth is you take it for granted. So, you don’t see that you really no longer read God’s word. You’re not really vigilant in guarding your heart and mind against un-Godly input you allow into your life. You’re not aware that sin and disobedience have become your norm. You see, you take it for granted, and you begin to lose it.  Soon, that devoted walk with God will be gone.

Texas Baptist family, the principle is true for every area of life—our fence, our car, our health, our church, our convention or our relationship with the Lord. So, be vigilant. Be concerned. Don’t take anything for granted, or you will begin to lose it!

Danny Reeves is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and pastor of First Baptist Church in Corsicana.

Glorieta facts should be revealed

The specific facts of the Glorieta case have not yet come out for court examination, due to procedural problems with the case.

Like many things that happen in church and the denomination, we can ignore/accept what was done without question; or we can look at it and ask if it was indeed truly and legally fair—and not unconscionable.

I think Kirk Tompkins wants a court to look at the facts of the complete situation, and then everyone will be at peace with that attempt to get justice.

It is sad, but yet a fact, that homeowners who got anything for their homes are silenced by legal agreements and cannot speak. I have never been comfortable with agreements like that among Christian brothers and sisters, but that is the reality now.

My sincere hope is that Baptists will get to the bottom of what happened at Glorieta and why it happened—the promises made and the trust involved with homeowners and LifeWay.  

This should never happen again. We must learn from it and learn to be far more transparent and trustworthy in our dealings with one another. Arrogance and ensnaring one another legally should be put far, far away from us—especially considering elderly and retired ministers and missionaries were victims.

Lastly, I do think this matter should have been handled peacefully by Baptists and not by courts.

R.A. King

Dallas

So, how would you rate 2016?

Marv Knox

Your answer might depend upon how you look at it.

From our family’s perspective, last year was terrific. Our older daughter, Lindsay, and her husband, Aaron, adopted a long-anticipated baby boy, Abram, to join his big brother, Ezra. Our younger daughter, Molly, earned her Ph.D., and she and her husband, David, announced they will deliver another baby girl to join her big sister, Eleanor, in the spring. Joanna underwent apparently successful surgery for a disease that haunted her almost a quarter-century. Everybody’s jobs went well. And we all still not only love each other; we even like each other.

We’d take years like 2016 over and over and over. I hope you and your family can say the same thing.

Oh, yeah …

But then there was everything else.

Our nation endured a presidential election cycle unprecedented in sheer nastiness and vulgarity. If anything, the contest for the White House skulked only a notch below the general behavior of Congress. We watched in horror as cell-phone cameras and cable TV teamed up to deliver police brutality and racial violence into our homes. We saw people die.

We witnessed America turning upon America. “The greater good” seemed like an outmoded concept from bygone generations. We experienced the birth of the post-truth era, when facts didn’t matter as long as people wanted to believe something. We even stood by as our longstanding enemy interfered in our presidential election.

And speaking of overseas, that’s where things weren’t much better. Western Europe fractured just as badly as the United States. ISIS continued to exert its will in the Middle East and export terror around the globe. Russia reminded us of the bad ol’ Soviet Union. Myriad nations systematically violated the rights of their own citizens. And a feckless North Korean dictator with the world’s worst haircut threatened nuclear annihilation.

Thank God, 2016 is over.

But next …

So now we stand in the first week of 2017. We have no idea if this new year will be better or worse than the one that preceded it. With so much melancholy, evil and hatred building up a full head of steam, we can imagine even darker days ahead.

And yet we get up and go to work. We kiss our loved ones and wave to our neighbors. We look forward to births and first steps and kindergarten and graduations and weddings and anniversaries. We learn new praise choruses and dance to new tunes. We laugh, even—maybe especially—at the politicians who infuriate us while they take themselves too seriously. We eat too many good meals and work out, but maybe not enough.

Still, we can’t help but peer into 2017 with at least a smidge of dread. What’s a faithful person to do?

Divine help

The Apostle Paul offered excellent counsel: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:26-28).

You can’t help but love two things about Paul’s advice.

First, let God—through the Holy Spirit—do the heavy lifting.

Instinctively, we know we should pray, but we realize we don’t even know how. We can let the Spirit help us pray—even pray for us. That awkward groan that catches in your throat and brings tears to your eyes? Amplified by the Spirit, it’s the beautiful prayer of a passionate saint. We don’t have to be eloquent; we only have to care and trust.

Second, we realize we’re not in this alone, and the outcome is not ours alone.

In the midst of our sorrow and fear and uncertainty, God is with us. God is working to bring good out of even the worst situations. Current events extract very little imagination, because they’re often worse than our nightmares. Yet God never leaves us. God is here, working to redeem grace out of horror, beauty out of devastation, love out of hate.

The Spirit harvests our tears and translates our groans into the ears of a loving, redeeming God who is greater than any dictator or storm or fire or economic collapse or disease or sorrow. Of course, those are dreadful, and we live with their consequences. But Paul reminds us there is more to life than what we see on TV or read online or even hear across our kitchen table.

Walk in hope

So, we walk in hope. And day by day, we follow faithful advice and lean into a promise: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Follow Marv on Twitter: @marvknoxbs

It’s just past New Year, and the Texas Legislature may be hamstringing mental health professionals, and in turn, Texans when the legislative session convenes this spring.

John WhittenAs a Texas Baptist pastor, I understand the value of mental health care and know the challenge of finding good mental health care for members of our congregation and community. I frequently hear success stories in our congregation and around our community of the impact of our mental health professionals.

Spouses reach common understandings. Children process complex emotions. People who are depressed begin to see glimmers of hope. The grieving experience comfort. Individuals with addictions move toward recovery. And those with suicidal thoughts safely process their hurts and discover love and purpose for their life.

Mental health care professionals are on the front line of our Christian pro-life ethic, which desires all humans to flourish fully to their God-given potential. Mental health care is essential for the well-being of our state.

Significant threats

Unfortunately, Texas continues to rank at the bottom for mental health care services. And without many Texans’ awareness, the Texas Legislature could deal Texans a huge setback when it comes to mental health care. Current agendas would lead to a decrease in quality and access for Texan’s mental health.

The Texas Legislature’s Sunset Commission is looking to dissolve the boards of the state’s licensed professional counselors and its licensed marriage and family therapists, as well as social workers, and turn them over to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

This state agency—TDLR—is not equipped to handle the oversight of this many licensed professionals. This change negatively would affect the quality of mental health care in the state. As it stands right now, marriage and family therapists are trained through thousands of hours of coursework and internships. Only a professional board has the knowledge and experience to establish a reasonable, appropriate and rigorous licensing standard and to enforce ethical standards that protect the public. We do not need to change this.

More bureaucracy

Additionally, works are in process that would require licensed marriage and family therapists to be under the supervision of a licensed medical physician. It is widely understood other mental health professionals—licensed professional counselors—would be next. What this would mean is that a person seeking mental health first would be required to see a physician for a referral to see a mental health care provider. The patient then would continue to see a physician for periodic updates on progress.

Many physicians are not set up to deal with an influx of patients this policy would bring. Physicians are tremendous at practicing medicine but are not trained like family therapists and counselors in mental health and therapy.

Also, this would drive up health care costs as Texans would be forced to add another step to get mental health care. This provides an unnecessary profit point off the backs of hard-working Texans for their mental health care.

What you can do

Here is what you can do to ensure the mental health care of Texans is not further impeded:

First, call your state legislator and members of the State Sunset Commission and let them hear your voice. Let them know you are for mental health care for the state and do not want to see the independent boards of counselors and therapists transferred to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Instead, the Sunset Commission should accept the proposal of mental health professionals to improve the functioning of their boards by creating the Texas Department of Mental Health Professionals, whereby mental health professionals can regulate themselves in the most cost efficient and responsible manner. (To contact members of the Sunset Commission, click here.)

Second, let them know you support the rights of family therapists to continue to diagnose their clients for billing purposes. Failure to do so would decrease Texans’ access to health care and drive up their costs.

Will 2017 find the Texas Legislature supportive of mental health care? I sure hope so.

John Whitten is lead pastor for the gathering at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene.