June 7th Meetings

Thursday June 7th was a busy one for my wife and I. We took a trip to Austin to meet with 3 different pastors in the area. The first pastors that we met with was a pastor/church planter of Hill Country Bible Church and the other pastor was also a church planter who will be moving to Phoenix, AZ to start a new congregation with the Presbyterian church. Can you imagine the conversation of this lunch meeting? It sounds like an opening of a joke; "There was a Baptist a Presbyterian and a guy from a Bible church and they all went out to lunch...." Despite our differences as to our denomination affiliation, there were not any differences between us when it came to our mutual desire to see people transformed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These pastors were young men and came to this meeting with insights and ideas as to reaching a 3rd-4th generation English speaking Hispanic community. It is so refreshing to see the Lord at work no matter what denominations we come from (Baptists aren't going to be the only ones in heaven). Our main topic of discussion was the need and urgency in creating a network for New Generation Hispanic Pastors and Leaders. I was reminded once again that in Texas alone the Hispanic/Latino race will become the majority by 2015! San Antonio and Austin will get the brunt of the population hit. This is why it is of utmost importance that in FCOH we raise and train our young men and women for the future of church growth and effective church ministry! I say that because under the same breath, later that evening, my wife and I met with another pastor and his wife who is in the midst of a struggling church. He founded this church 10 years ago and is fighting to keep a steady 100! One of his main concerns that he voiced was that people will attend, get saved, get baptized, join, and then never see them again. Case and point; we are living in a culture and society that has difficulty committing to anything, much less church. How can we as a congregation stay cutting edge and keep the people we come in contact with? Pastor Erwin McManus from Mosaic Church in Los Angeles,CA says that his church gives themselves 30 days to get each visitor plugged into a ministry, Bible Study, Home group, etc. If they don't plug them in and thus allow the visitor to "slip through their fingers", that person is 100% likely not to ever return. However, if you want a 100% return, plug them in within 30 days! I thought that was a pretty creative idea. I'd like us to try that at FCOH. I believe that individuals and families that walk through our door can either be a brother/sister for life or someone we will never see again. Let us pray today for pastors around the area as they seek the Lord for His direction and will for their respective churches.
Until Next Time- Pastor Sammy