Baptist Temple Expands Care Through Stephen Ministry

Eighteen members of Baptist Temple Church, San Antonio were commissioned as Stephen Ministers this Sunday, January 19. A Stephen Minister provides one-on-one distinctively Christian care to hurting people in and around the congregation. While they are not therapists nor lay counselors, they do receive 50 hours of initial training followed by peer supervision and continuing education.

Stephen Ministry will strengthen our church by providing direct care to people going through a difficult time. I have heard too many stories of hurting people who felt abandoned by their church.

A Stephen Minister would meet with this hurting person for an hour a week; providing a listening ear and shoulder to cry on for as long as it takes.

Furthermore, our church is strengthened by training and deploying church members to apply their spiritual gifts in service to our Lord. Both the care giver and the care receiver grow in faith as a result.

Stephen Minister Rosalinda Acosta said, “The Stephen Ministry training was so incredibly intense while, at the same time moving. The presence of God was so strong at times. I could feel the Lord impressing into my spirit that the main element, the main purpose of a Stephen Minister is to show the love of God to those in a dark and lonely place, a place of despair, confusion and perhaps helplessness.”

A phrase often heard in Stephen Ministry is, “We are the care givers, God is the cure giver.”

Stephen Ministers do not “fix” people. They listen without judgment and maintain strict confidentiality. Even the fact that someone has a Stephen Minister is confidential. Their training includes listening, feelings and confidentiality. Through reading, lectures, case studies and role playing, Stephen Ministers learn how to help people in specific situations. These include divorce, terminal illness, grief, and childbirth.

Newly commissioned Stephen Ministers (L to R) Tracy Zayasbazan, Lin Leeth, Ernest Cruz, Ernest Alvarez, Charlotte Cruz, Bertha Alvarez, Dan Cruz, Steve Grinnell, Clinton Blumberg, Melissa Baxter, Linda Grinnell, Muriel Persky, Vernon Liverette, Rosalinda Acosta, Richard Good, Karen Newman, Armando Acosta and Robert Newman.

Stephen Ministers are found in over 13,000 churches representing 183 denominations. Texas, at 1042, is the state with the largest number of Stephen Ministry churches.

Baptist Temple is part of a family of seven churches and twelve service organizations sharing a campus to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our community.

A learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context

A student from St. Phillip's College contacted me recently. He is interested in studying Deaf culture for a class project. He is one of many who have come to Family Deaf Church over the past few years to learn more about American Sign Language and the Deaf.

The Baptist Temple campus has become a learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context. We currently host three Christian Social Ministries interns and one music intern from the Baptist University of the Americas. Last month we entered into a formal agreement with OLLU and UTSA to help train students in their MSW programs. Earlier this year we hosted conferences for Deaf ministry and small church/bivocational ministry, as well as, the Immigration Service and Aid Center's Summer Institute.

Hands-on experience in a real world environment enhances classroom learning. In the business, non-profit and government worlds internships have provided mutually beneficial vocational opportunities. The host organization receives free or very cheap labor and the intern receives resume enhancing training and experience.

My personal experience of serving a two year internship in a new church start was foundational to my ministerial career. It not only gave me confidence in my first paid ministry position but, perhaps most importantly, paved the way for that job and the next as well.

Beginning with that first ministry position I have committed myself to help ministry students to develop their call. My internship experience allowed me to practice ministry skills under the mentoring and protection of a pastor. On more than one occasion he stepped between an angry church member and myself; even though I was in the wrong. His point was that I was a novice and our church was to show me grace and prepare me for the mission field. It was not until I had to do the same for one of my own interns that I fully understood the risk he took in protecting me.

Beyond traditional ministry training, Baptist Temple has had the opportunity to work with AARP to provide job training in office and janitorial skills. Furthermore, we wish to provide training in early childhood education and cooking.

Being a learning lab for multicultural ministry in an urban context requires providing a network of experiences that are both mutually supportive and independent. Spiritual formation, life skills, emergency interventions, recreation, health improvement and more all offer opportunities to develop marketable leadership skills.

Honoring the Legacy of Past Sacrifices

Guest blog Steve Grinnell

Baptist Temple Church has given me so much. Our Baptist Temple ancestors gave wholeheartedly to build this church on this corner so we (who were not even born) could study God’s Word and hear His voice of truth. For the past 100 years, members of this church family have faithfully given to make sure that future generations have a beautiful place to worship and a functional place to do ministry and bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Linda and I joined Baptist Temple in January of 1982; I actually joined the choir before we joined the church. It wasn’t long before we were teaching children’s Sunday school, helping with VBS, and going on mission trips. I’ve learned much from this church family:

When life seemed like giant waves were about to crash down on me, Jerry Beauchamp taught me that God will carry me through. When I was saddled with a responsibility that I knew I didn’t have time or expertise to accomplish, Bill McCoy and Elton Dudley just showed up, quietly guided me through, and taught me to not give up. When I faced opposition that made me feel like I was battling a giant with only a handful of rocks, Woody Woodall said “stand your ground and fight fair.” Boyd White taught me to pray, and when I was finished, to pray some more. Max Brunnemann taught me to stay faithful and pay attention to the preacher because he is the man God has sent to lead us.

The former plant superintendent, Jim Fancher, guided me through this entire campus and gave instructions on maintaining the systems to peak efficiency so that people can study God’s Word and worship Him without the distraction of something that is broken. I learned to show up on work days to honor God. I am putting into practice the things I have learned here at Baptist Temple, and I continually praise God for the people of faith who taught me to listen for God’s voice.

I have been taught to tithe and to give beyond my tithe so that God’s voice can be heard into the next century. So I want to give wholeheartedly of my time, talent and treasure to the Lord. I want to be Heartstrong for CHRIST. That is the theme of our new stewardship campaign. I believe in this stewardship enrichment campaign and am fully committed to it. Linda and I have been praying about how we can honor God with our gifts, and I’ve been praying every day for all of you, by name.

When we hear God’s voice and follow in faith those crashing waves of doubt become ripples in a pond. When we follow his leading, that handful of rocks are perfect for slaying the giants that attack us and keep telling us that we can’t do this. When we follow God faithfully our consistent gifts honor Him and become more than enough to accomplish His will.

For such a time as this God has called us to be strong and do His work. We are instructed to not be discouraged or afraid for God is with us. The Bible also tells us to obey Him and to pass on our inheritance to our descendants forever.

These buildings are a part of our inheritance, built on a solid foundation, and we need to keep them up and not allow them to crumble. It is my heart’s desire to step out in faith and give beyond our tithe so that this church will continue to be a lighthouse in the community – leading people to Christ well into the future.

Be a mentor

Jesus told us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Paul told Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)”

Mentoring is an intentional friendship where a more experienced person guides a less experienced one so that BOTH grow and learn. It is used in the corporate world to maximize the effectiveness of young executives. It has been used informally in the United States Armed Forces to develop non-commissioned officers. In the church we use it as part of the discipleship process.

Biblical examples of mentors include Barnabas who mentored Paul and John Mark. Paul, in turn, mentored Timothy and Titus. Moses, who was mentored by Jethro, mentored Joshua. I these cases leaders are both mentored and mentor others.

Who mentored you? Who taught you the ropes and spoke words of truth and encouragement into your life?

Whom have you mentored? Are you helping another reach their potential in Christ​?

Mentoring is a process that requires relationship building. It includes not only words but actions as you model behavior that you want to see replicated in the person you are discipling. It requires patience. Be ever mindful of the Holy Spirit's role in spiritual formation.

If you are a Christian leader (at any level) you are already a role model. Be a mentor, too. Look for someone you can invest time in; someone you can encourage and challenge. Imagine the impact on your ministry if you do this often enough to create a leadership chain reaction.

Internships that build the Kingdom

When I was in seminary, I was told that nearly 50% of seminary graduates leave the ministry within five years of graduation. There are many reasons for this but a lack of a need for trained ministers is not one of them.

Many drop out because they can’t find a paying job or an adequate salary. Others burn out from the stress of ministry or family pressure. Most, I believe, drop out due to inadequate preparation. Seminaries and Bible Colleges do an excellent job of academic preparation but it is not enough. Head knowledge is no substitute for practical experience.

Compounding the problem is the reality that churches today have higher expectations of their pastors in regards to business, technical and leadership skills than in the past. Yet, these are not part of the standard seminary curriculum.

What is needed is a partnership between the academic institutions and the local church that gives students real ministry responsibilities under the mentorship and coaching of a pastor. Ideally the ministry student will learn how to work with church leaders to get things done (the most important task not taught in seminary), how to handle conflict, and recovering from mistakes. Even such seemingly mundane tasks as follow up phone calls and other administrative duties show a side of ministry not available in the classroom

The church gets some benefits in having a student increase the ministry’s impact. More important, however, is supporting the Great Commission by producing highly trained workers for the harvest field.

Baptist Temple has one such intern in April Puckett and is working with the Baptist University of the Americas to recruit others. BUA Professor Mario Ramos and VP of Student Development Marconi Monteiro both strongly believe in the power of mentoring to develop tomorrow’s church leaders. They are eager to work with local churches and other groups to better train their students and impact the community for Christ.

The secular world also sees the value in work experience as part of the learning process. In his book, Recession Proof Graduate, Charlie Hoehn recommends recent college graduates work for free at a major company. Doing so, he says, gives you solid experience to put on your resume and starts building the network you will need to find a paying job.

When counting the cost Hoehn suggests that a person might spend $100,000 on an MBA and still not have the type of experience needed to land the job they want. Free work, he argues, is cheaper and has a greater impact on your job prospects.

There are plenty of churches out there for ministry students to find a place of service, but that service must be meaningful if the internship is to be successful. Interns need to have some sort of recognition of their office and their tasks must have a direct impact on the church’s ministry.

It is the ministry students who start well by finding places of service where they can gain experience that will finish well. They will, also, have the greatest overall impact on the Kingdom.