Uncertain times call for entrepreneurial leaders

Molly Marshall's list of entrepreneurial qualities:

1. Welcome the nudge of the Spirit, who loves to subvert old patterns.
2. Be receptive to the chaos that is inevitable when innovating.
3. Learn to embrace calculated risk.
4. Take responsibility if an experiment fails.
5. Empower people to bring their best thinking and energy to a common goal.
6. Search continuously for new opportunities.
7. Steward resources wisely and trust there will be enough.
8. Give back a sense of calm and stability in the vortex of change.
9. Pay attention to personal resistance to change and the desire to repristinate the past.
10. Remain hopeful in the midst of unknowing, and walk by faith.
11. Carry a disposition of “why not?” rather than “why it won’t work.
12. Cultivate a life of prayer, and become ever more deeply rooted in faith.
13. Seek wise counsel. An isolated leader cannot impose vision; rather, vision arises out of thoughtful collaboration. Leadership entails being a “keeper” of the vision, however.
14. Find or construct a supportive professional network that can offer forthright perspective.
15. Focus on performance objectives that align with values and vision of the initiative
16. Understand critical tasks unique to discrete positions and require accountability for their accomplishment
17. Continue to practice discernment about strategic direction.

View the full article here.

Looking Back and Thinking Ahead to 2015

Many new people became a part of the Baptist Temple family in 2014, including Associate Pastor Dan Trevino. Dan's years of experience as a social worker and pastor had an immediate impact. His work with unaccompanied minors crossing the border received media attention and helped to reinforce the image of Baptist Temple as a church on the front line of caring. The story was covered by CBN, Baptist Standard, KENS5, and San Antonio Express-News

Renovation was the dominant activity at BT as we tackled deferred maintenance, remodeled some spaces and fixed things that broke. The biggest job was the roof (actually roofs). It took longer than planned but cost less than we had anticipated.

The chapel was the most visible job. Brighter lights, fresh paint and new carpet have created a cheerful multi-purpose space. Crosspoint sent large teams of volunteers on two occasions to paint the chapel, other do-it-yourself projects saved us thousands. Soon there will be new seats and sound system.

Other work included upgraded lighting in the gym and sanctuary and completion of the Brunnemann Building rehab.

The rehab of the Brunnemann facilitated the launch of our client choice food pantry. The program is mentoring-based and designed to help people become more self-sufficient. Other hunger fighting ministries include our free Agape meals on Wednesday nights and the summer feeding program which fed 180 children each day. In 2014, we received nearly $5000 in grants for our hunger fighting ministries from the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, San Antonio Baptist Association Hunger Walk, and the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation. Additionally, the Fellowship of San Antonio, HIS Bridgebuilders, New Frontiers Charter School and Wendy's have provided clothes, food, paper products and toiletries.

Our children’s ministry enjoyed field trips to Magik Theater, the Rodeo, Morgan's Wonderland and Camp Zephyr. Vacation Bible School attracted a larger number of unsaved children than usual, resulting in 40 professions of faith.

BT youth were among the first groups to experience the inaugural year of BOUNCE mission camp. This BGCT program is a complete missions package that combines summer camp and disaster relief. One youth called it the best camp ever.

There were some memorable worship moments as well including the children's musical “Truth Works,” the Christmas cantata “Mary Did You Know?” and a special “Hanging of the Green” worship experience. Special guests included recording artist Eve Miller and the youth choir from FBC Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Guest preachers included author Tomi Grover, Mark Newton, Baylor's Director for Church Engagement, and Josue Valerio, BGCT's Director of Mission Mobilization.

The most important event of the year was the formation of the church council that meet for the first time on January 4. The church council puts the BT ministry leaders in the same place at the same time to plan ministry and coordinate efforts towards our goal of soul-winning.

Last year was a turning point. It takes ten years for an organization to turn around and we are halfway there. Lessons of the past five years were implemented in 2014 as a foundation for future growth. Some of our endeavors fell flat but a few showed spectacular results.

I expect that 2015 will be a year of tremendous growth. Seeds that we have planted will soon start bearing fruit.

Three key areas for 2015:

1. Our worship planning team is tasked with creating several worship experiences throughout the year that will attract our casual attenders and make first time attenders want to return.
2. We will be hosting the Texas Deaf Church Conference and the Bi-vocational/Small Church Conference. Two other conferences are in the negotiation process.
3. This summer we will offer an urban missions experience, Our partners include the Baptist General Convention of Texas and a growing number of local churches and ministries

I can see God's hand guiding us. He opens doors to new relationships and closes others that would not have worked in the interest of building His Kingdom. He has provided us with resources and friends as He builds His church.

More pictures from 2014.

Victories and Vision

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, o set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 

It has been another exciting year of ministry for the Baptist Temple family. In 2013 we baptized 14 people and added more new members. On the first Sunday of the year I spoke with four new families who were first time guests. They came because of our reputation for community ministry. One woman and her daughter started working in the thrift shop their first week here.

This past year has been one of solidifying new ministries and laying the foundation for growth in every dimension.

Here are some of the highlights of 2013:

• Our Director of daycare and preschool ministries, Paulette, started in January. She quickly brought stability, growth and excellence. Our attendance has been at an average of 100 all year, plus 50 kids in our after school club. Moreover, our summer camp kept our attendance stable all year.
  • Community impact and teacher morale was enhanced through Buckaroo Days, Fall Festival and a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Academics were improved through the addition of A Beka and Wee Learn curricula.
  • Along with Highland Park Gifted and Talented Academy, we have 400 children on our campus every day.
• Hunger ministries continue to be a big part of our ministry
  • Last year we reached the point of distributing 16,000 lbs of food each month. Most of it is on our Thursday and Saturday distributions but also there Sunday bread and sweets distributions, emergency lunches for transients, free or reduced lunch and breakfasts for our school children, backpack meals for our children in danger of hunger over the weekend, and free summer feeding.
  • Our partners in reducing hunger are the San Antonio Food Bank (who provide food at less than .10 a pound), the San Antonio Baptist Association (who gave us $1250 this year from the hunger walk), the Texas Christian Life Commission (who gave us $1200 this year to purchase food), the Texas Department of Agriculture who provide funding for the free or reduced breakfast and lunch and free summer feeding program), the Thrift Shop (which covers all other costs), and the dozens of volunteers who make these programs happen.
• We participated in UTSA's “Building a Healthy Temple” program to improve the health of our church family in partnership with the Baptist Health Foundation and the SA Food Bank.
• Wednesday Night Meals returned, along with AWANA, bringing a renewed spirit to our midweek ministries. We have programs for children and youth and for adults in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.
• Heartstrong for CHRIST!
  • In order to ensure that our facilities would be able to continue ministry into this new century you pledged $362,252 over the next three years and gave $80,950 in first fruits.
  • There is still an opportunity to pledge if you have not already done so.
  • The generation gathered at the 150^th anniversary of Baptist Temple, will rise and call you blessed.
• We were blessed to receive $23,000 for our endowment from the estates of Ed Flynn, Nell Liverett and Weldon Frazelle.
• Of course there are still the ongoing ministries that are so much of our church life such as free family counseling, young in heart, ceramics, Sunday school, worship and more.

Your financial support makes all this possible. You can be sure that your tithes, offerings, grants and gifts are put to good use at Baptist Temple. This year we will build upon the blessings of the past few years.

• We will develop a system to improve our ability to meet the spiritual needs of our food pantry and thrift shop clients.

• Develop a High School diploma program for young adults
• Start a Bible Institute.
• Expand our Healthy living initiative thanks, in part, to a $7500 grant from the Baptist Health Foundation.
• Add to the classes we offer on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings
• Add two more weekend worship opportunities.
   
  

  It is indeed a privilege to serve Baptist Temple Church and the extended family of friends and supporters with whom God has blessed us. Thank you for being a blessing to our church and community and let's make 2014 a year to remember. 

  
  

   

Staying on course

During an orienteering exercise in the Army, I was given a map and a compass and a destination. It was simple enough but I ran into an obstacle. Between myself and my destination was a murky, swollen creek of unknown depth. I decided to find a way around it so I made course corrections and reached my destination later than I anticipated but dry and free of leeches.

There are some leadership lessons here:

1. You need to know to your destination. A church needs a clear vision; an understanding and agreement about a preferred future. The clearer the vision the greater the congregational motivation to achieve it.

2. There is more than one way to get there. I could have chosen the dirty (perhaps dangerous) route through the swampy water. Instead, I took the time to weigh the alternatives and chose a longer but cleaner route. If church leaders get in a rush they can make a mess of things resulting in hurt feelings and lost members.

3. Course corrections are required. I've read that NASA made over 1000 course corrections to reach the moon. Even when the vision is clear adjustments are required. There may obstacles or opportunities but knowing the destination allows for good decisions.

In 2002 Baptist Temple went through a vision casting process that involved the whole church. The result was a well written document that outlined goals that were practical, measurable and achievable. It was this document that convinced to accept the call to serve as pastor of the church 3 years ago. Much of what has been achieved in the past few years at Baptist Temple are a result of this document. A few course corrections were needed.

Although the process was called VISION 2012, the document is as vital today as it was 10 years ago. What is needed are course corrections.

All of Baptist Temple is invited to a Long-Range planning workshop to think about what we need to continue implementing the action plan that was painstakingly outlined 10 years ago. We will meet on Friday, October 12 and Saturday morning, October 13.

In the meantime be sure to read the 2002 vision statement.

LOOKING BACK, THINKING AHEAD

We have had a very exciting year filled with ministry. Our church has expanded at fast clip thanks to the hard work of our staff, church members and ministry partners. In 2010 we baptized 12 people; twice the number of 2009. Four baptisms are scheduled for this month. Let's double it again!

Our Spanish-language mission, Betel, received support funding from several partners: Northeast Baptist Church and San Antonio Baptist Association ($100 per month, each), Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ($400 per mo.) and Baptist General Convention of Texas ($975 per mo.). The mission continues to grow and accounted for 5 of our baptisms.

One notable area of growth has been in our missions and community ministries. Our trip to Eagle Pass stands out as BT spent a week building homes, leading VBS and more. We have worked with Literacy Connexus to provide bookshelves in the homes of children on the border and in San Antonio. This year saw the launch of our thrift shop and food pantry. Our youth have been heavily involved in church-wide service projects as well as many of their own.

Our community itself is a mission field and several mission teams came throughout the year to help us show the love of Christ to our neighbors. Our summer day camp was the biggest event of the summer. It involved 12 churches and service organizations, over 30 church members and a $1400 grant from CBF to pay an intern. The results were that over a period of six weeks we ministered to more than 100 children and served over 2000 free meals.

Infrastructure is vital to a large ministry. Many repairs and improvements occurred throughout the church. A $100,000 campaign fund was launched to repair and remodel the chapel building. Most of the work involved painting and re-tiling but it also included reconfiguration of the 2nd and 3rd floor. On the ministry side, we ordained four new deacons to help care for our expanding flock.

In addition to the ministries for our children, teens, and adults that continue to serve so well, we added other opportunities. On Wednesday evenings we now offer TeamKID for children and Trek for youth. On Sundays we have a new contemporary worship service at 8:15 AM.

Things picked up speed in the Fall as, 40 years after starting our daycare, we started a charter school. Highland Park Gifted and Talented Academy (a Jubilee Academic Center campus) began with 150 students PreK – 5th grade. Not only does this make better use of our church plant, it helps us to share in the cost of running it. The impact was immediately felt in our other ministries as charter school families began to participate.

Also in the Fall we had our 30th annual Fall Festival and it was a big one. It attracted three (maybe four) times as many people as we had last year. A $7500 grant from the Baptist Health Foundation allowed to add a health fair which added to the growth. Highland Park GT Academy helped run some of the booths, STAR AM 810 ran a live broadcast and the fire department had a truck for the kids to see.

Next year promises even greater results as we celebrate 100 years of ministry. Each month we will look back at our rich history while, at the same time, we surge ahead.

We've already hit the ground running in January with the launch of our After School Club and Fitness Ministry. The After School Club runs from 3:30-5:30 and has 33 children enrolled. In the first two days we have had rave reviews for kids, parents and teachers.

The Fitness Ministry builds upon last year's work which includes a Karate club and a $20,000 grant from CBF to purchase equipment and set up a workout room. The ministry will include something for all ages. In the meantime the workout room is ready for action.