Archive for June, 2011

I am very excited about the “Adelante…the next 100 years” initiative that the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas officers are proposing at Convención’s annual meeting in San Antonio this year. Considering the growth of the Hispanic population in Texas, and the numerical strength of Hispanic work in Texas, this is the right time for such an initiative. In 2010, as the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas celebrated its 100^th anniversary, it approved a revised unification agreement with the BGCT at its annual meeting (June) in San Antonio. Messengers to the BGCT’s annual meeting in McAllen (November) also approved this agreement. Acting on the implications of this revised agreement, president Jesse Rincones and the officers of Convención have ably prepared and are proposing new bylaws, which call for the formation of an executive board for Convención. The “Adelante” initative is historical and brilliant. It keeps Convención as a body that is integrally related to BGCT. It encourages its affiliated churches to continue to support the Texas Baptist Cooperative Program with their offerings and to participate fully in the life of BGCT. And yet, it gives Convención a new level of freedom to speak into the direction of Hispanic work in Texas and to support new initiatives that meet the ever increasing needs of its work.

During its first 100 years, Convención experienced the freedom and the hardships of being completely independent until its unification with the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1964.  Since 1964 Convención has enjoyed the synergy of being integrated into the larger family of Texas Baptists.  This period of its history has seen tremendous growth in many areas of Hispanic work.  Over 1,100 of Texas Baptists’ 5,500 congregations are Hispanic.  That’s over 20% of congregations.  (Convención is not only the largest Hispanic Baptist Convention in the United States but it is the largest Hispanic Baptist Convention in the world, following Brazil and Mexico).  Participation at the Hispanic Evangelism Conferences around the state has reached 3,400, by far surpassing the attendance to any other adult-oriented conference sponsored by BGCT.  Convención’s annual meetings attendance has been comparable to attendance at the BGCT’s annual meeting, sometimes more.  Congreso, the student event in the spring, has had over 7,000 in attendance.  While Hispanic events are not in competition with larger Texas Baptists family events, these numbers show the vitality and strength of Hispanic work.  This is an exciting time for Texas Baptists in general and for Hispanic Baptists!

As we enter Convención’s second century, BGCT and the Hispanic Convention do not need to be distant cousins.  Neither do they need to be mother and daughter.  They are two healthy sisters that need each other in the Baptist family.  They need to be interdependent, exercise freedom, and help each other further the cause of Christ in Texas and around the world.

Thanks Jesse and Convención officers for your hard work and your insightful leadership. Adelante!