September 18-25 State Goal $1450000
Volume 60– September 2016 - No. 9 Gulf Coast Baptist Association Monthly Email www.gulfcoastbaptist.org
Inside This Issue . . . The Director Speaks Announcements Calendar
2 2-3 3
September 18-25 State Goal $1,450,000
“Does God’s church have a mission or does God’s Mission have a church?” Brad Briscoe, Namb Consultant, asked a group of DOMs this question at a meeting last week. There is a difference. We have been conditioned to think of the church as a place, an institution, and a place where we belong and that belongs to us. We are consumers that use the goods and services that the church offers. When the goods and services are not up to our standards we look for another church that does offer those services. We have also seen that most of the activities of the church happen on the church property. Most of our growth is through church members moving from one church to a “better church” down the street or across town. Church baptisms have been in steady decline over the past years because our focus has been on attracting more people to our meetings. I do not think that is what our Lord had in mind. From the time of Adam and Eve’s fall to now, it has been our Lord’s focus to seek and to save the lost. He sent His Son to die so man would have access to the Father. It has been God’s mission from the beginning. Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me so I am sending you.” It was the mission of the disciples to be on the same mission that our Father has been on all this time. It is our mission today. What would it look like if the Mission of God had a church? I think it is time for us to begin to question what we do and how we use our time and spend our resources. Our focus needs to be on seeking and saving the lost. Look at our budgets, our calendars and our preaching. Is the focus of these things on seeking and saving the lost or making sure that we are satisfying the consumers in our pews? We need to ask the question of ourselves, “Is what we are doing going to cause men, women and children who do not know Christ to hear the message of salvation and have the opportunity to respond to His Good news?”
Our Great Commission is that we are commanded to GO and to make obedient disciples. How are we doing with that? Donald
TEAM MEETING September 13 at 11:30 a.m. Texas Port Ministry 1103 Cherry Street Freeport 979-233-5641
This will be Session 1 of the Annual Meeting. We will vote on changes to the Constitution and Bylaws and on the report from the Nominating Committee.
UPCOMING CHURCH EVENTS
Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast On September 17 at the following churches. Click the church for information about the simulcast. FBC Lake Jackson Northway Baptist, Angleton Creekside Community Church of Oyster Creek is having a tent revival on September 25-27, 6:30 p.m. nightly. Contact Pastor Jim Martin if you would like to help in some way. [email protected]
GCBA Pastorless Churches Heights Baptist—Alvin Shadycrest Baptist—Pearland
The GCBA Office will be closed on Monday, September 5 for Labor Day.
November TEAM Meeting November 15 at 11:30 a.m. Heights Baptist in Alvin
SEPTEMBER
09/05 09/13 09/11-18 09/18-25 09/23-24 09/28
Labor Day GCBA TEAM Meeting, 11:30 a.m., Texas Port Ministry Week of Prayer for the Mary Hill Davis Offering (BGCT) Week of Prayer for Reach Texas Offering (SBTC) Confident Christianity Conference, Arlington (BGCT) See You at the Pole OCTOBER
10/06 10/10-12 10/11 10/14-15 10/21-22
Church Revitalization Lab, West Conroe Baptist Church (SBTC) Youth Ministry Conclave, Arlington (BGCT) Hispanic Pastors Meeting, GCBA at 7:00 p.m. Hispanic Men’s Conference, Riverbend Retreat Center Texas Baptist Men Convention, Dallas (BGCT) NOVEMBER
11/06 11/13-16 11/13-15 11/15 11/24
Daylight Savings Time Ends, Fall Back SBTC Bible Conf. & Annual Meeting, Great Hills BGCT Annual Meeting, Waco GCBA TEAM Meeting, 11:30 a.m., Heights Baptist Thanksgiving Day
Inside This Issue . . . The Director Speaks Announcements Calendar
2 2-3 3
September 18-25 State Goal $1,450,000
“Does God’s church have a mission or does God’s Mission have a church?” Brad Briscoe, Namb Consultant, asked a group of DOMs this question at a meeting last week. There is a difference. We have been conditioned to think of the church as a place, an institution, and a place where we belong and that belongs to us. We are consumers that use the goods and services that the church offers. When the goods and services are not up to our standards we look for another church that does offer those services. We have also seen that most of the activities of the church happen on the church property. Most of our growth is through church members moving from one church to a “better church” down the street or across town. Church baptisms have been in steady decline over the past years because our focus has been on attracting more people to our meetings. I do not think that is what our Lord had in mind. From the time of Adam and Eve’s fall to now, it has been our Lord’s focus to seek and to save the lost. He sent His Son to die so man would have access to the Father. It has been God’s mission from the beginning. Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me so I am sending you.” It was the mission of the disciples to be on the same mission that our Father has been on all this time. It is our mission today. What would it look like if the Mission of God had a church? I think it is time for us to begin to question what we do and how we use our time and spend our resources. Our focus needs to be on seeking and saving the lost. Look at our budgets, our calendars and our preaching. Is the focus of these things on seeking and saving the lost or making sure that we are satisfying the consumers in our pews? We need to ask the question of ourselves, “Is what we are doing going to cause men, women and children who do not know Christ to hear the message of salvation and have the opportunity to respond to His Good news?”
Our Great Commission is that we are commanded to GO and to make obedient disciples. How are we doing with that? Donald
TEAM MEETING September 13 at 11:30 a.m. Texas Port Ministry 1103 Cherry Street Freeport 979-233-5641
This will be Session 1 of the Annual Meeting. We will vote on changes to the Constitution and Bylaws and on the report from the Nominating Committee.
UPCOMING CHURCH EVENTS
Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast On September 17 at the following churches. Click the church for information about the simulcast. FBC Lake Jackson Northway Baptist, Angleton Creekside Community Church of Oyster Creek is having a tent revival on September 25-27, 6:30 p.m. nightly. Contact Pastor Jim Martin if you would like to help in some way. [email protected]
GCBA Pastorless Churches Heights Baptist—Alvin Shadycrest Baptist—Pearland
The GCBA Office will be closed on Monday, September 5 for Labor Day.
November TEAM Meeting November 15 at 11:30 a.m. Heights Baptist in Alvin
SEPTEMBER
09/05 09/13 09/11-18 09/18-25 09/23-24 09/28
Labor Day GCBA TEAM Meeting, 11:30 a.m., Texas Port Ministry Week of Prayer for the Mary Hill Davis Offering (BGCT) Week of Prayer for Reach Texas Offering (SBTC) Confident Christianity Conference, Arlington (BGCT) See You at the Pole OCTOBER
10/06 10/10-12 10/11 10/14-15 10/21-22
Church Revitalization Lab, West Conroe Baptist Church (SBTC) Youth Ministry Conclave, Arlington (BGCT) Hispanic Pastors Meeting, GCBA at 7:00 p.m. Hispanic Men’s Conference, Riverbend Retreat Center Texas Baptist Men Convention, Dallas (BGCT) NOVEMBER
11/06 11/13-16 11/13-15 11/15 11/24
Daylight Savings Time Ends, Fall Back SBTC Bible Conf. & Annual Meeting, Great Hills BGCT Annual Meeting, Waco GCBA TEAM Meeting, 11:30 a.m., Heights Baptist Thanksgiving Day
