Nothing!?!

During this Christmas season my mind has been drawn toward the incredible humility displayed by Jesus. None of us can fathom what Jesus gave up to become a man, better yet an infant born in a messy stable. Imagine closing your eyes in the throne room of the Kingdom of heaven and opening your eyes [...]

The Dawn of a New Day

This afternoon the Executive Board announced the selection of Jan Daehnert as the interim Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. This selection is good news for those seeking change and progress in the life of the convention. Daehnert is a good, honest, hard-working leader who knows how to build bridges and bring [...]

The Best Christmas Gift of All

For children the celebration of Christmas often revolves around presents under the lights of the tree. Those brightly wrapped boxes hold the wonderful mystery of Christmas.  Will they find deep inside the box the toy they have stayed awake at night dreaming about?
 Many have traced the tradition of giving Christmas presents back to the Wise [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 7 System-Sensitive Decision Making)

Systems-Sensitive Decision Making
Recently Charles Wade wrote a blog calling attention to the fact the church was a “body not a bunch”. He called attention to the vast difference between an “organism” versus an “organization”. To understand the dynamics of the local church on a small scale or the inner workings of the Baptist General [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 6c Creative Conflict Strategies)

A Good Split?
For decades the secret to the growth of the Kingdom has been the starting of new churches. Baptists have perfected this art. One of our strengths has been the good ole fashioned “church split”. You find dotted across the state of Texas stand Baptist churches of all different shades of color. Many of [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 6b Creative Conflict Strategies)

Embracing Conflict
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”—Paul
(Ephesians 4:3 NIV)
How can this dream of the BGCT embracing conflict in a positive healthy way become a practical reality? If it was as easy as it sounds why has our convention splintered and over one thousand churches left our [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 6a Creative Conflict Strategies)

“Unity by Conflict”
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 5c Communication Loop)

Feedback: The Biology of Communication
 
“System Feedback”
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)
Due to the vast size [...]

Baptist General Convention of Texas: Embrace Our Future Together (Part 5b Communication Loop)

Feedback: The Biology of Communication
 
“Leadership Feedback”
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, [...]