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"Eyes
Wide Open: Texas in the 21st Century"
The
Gospel of John records that a large number of Samaritans from
Sychar were making their way toward the Messiah when Jesus focused
the attention of his disciples on this group and said, "I
tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe
for harvest." The
parallels between the plight and identity of the Samaritan people
and Hispanics in the United States share an uncanny similarity.
Both groups share cultural, historical and religious affinity.
I am proposing that Hispanics in the United States are modern-day
Samaritans. They seek answers to spiritual questions while struggling
to reconcile their culture, history and religion with the claims
of Christ much like the Samaritan woman at the well. Several issues
emerge given the challenge of reaching Hispanics in Texas in the
new millennium. First,
Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic population in the United
States. U. S. News and World Report says that Hispanics are increasing
four times as fast as the rest of the population. The growth of
Hispanics in Texas mirrors the trend nationwide. Second,
Hispanics are responding to an invitation to experience a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. Of the 27 million Hispanics in
the United States, 6.2 million consider themselves protestant.
Projections for Hispanic religious trends for the 21st century
suggest that Hispanic Roman Catholics will find religious expression
in three ways: some will remain in the Catholic church, some will
become evangelicals, and some will abandon organized religion
altogether. "The biggest loser will be the Catholic church;
the biggest winner will be agnosticism." The
third issue is leadership development. Currently, only two percent
of seminary students in the United States are Hispanic. Not only
is the Hispanic population in Texas growing at light speed and
the spiritual future of this emerging population uncertain, but
church leadership is scarce. We desperately need to identify,
develop and equip cross-cultural ministry leaders who are prepared
to creatively address the challenges of winning modern-day Samaritans
to Christ. We
need to identify emerging leaders while in their teens and early
20s who can become pastors, church planters, youth pastors, worship
leaders and ministry specialists. In light of God's redemptive
activity in Texas history, we are at the threshold of challenge
and hope. What kind of legacy will Texas Baptists leave for the
next generation of Texans? Are we prepared to heavily invest in
the development of the next generation of cross-cultural ministry
leaders who are equipped to interpret the biblical text, understand
their ministry context and develop appropriate textures of effective
ministry? My hope and prayer is that Texas Baptists will take
on the challenge and demonstrate unprecedented faith, allocate
strategic resources and facilitate the development of cross-cultural
leadership to impact 21st century Texas. July 2000 |
