CO-CHAIR THOUGHTS FROM BILL BRIAN
Layman, FBC Amarillo

What a privilege to serve as co-chairman of Texas Baptists Committed with Jerold McBride, whom I respect and admire. Jerold served Texas Baptists faithfully and effectively as president of the BGCT (1994-1995). I had grown to appreciate Jerold even before that, having known him for several years.

The Baptist church has been my only church, but it is the controversy among Southern Baptists that began in 1979 and that Baptists continue to struggle with in 1997 that caused me as a young adult to examine closely the tenets of the belief peculiar to Baptists.

My generation is that known as the "Baby Boomers." One of my hopes for 1997 is that Texas Baptists my age and younger will want to know more about Baptist distinctives—the priceless contributions to integrity of faith that we as Baptists have made to the American way of life.

Foreign observers of our great American experiment have said that the separation of church and state—one of Baptists’ historic distinctives—is the single greatest contribution the American system of government has given to the world. Baptists of all ages, from the oldest to the youngest, have much to be proud of in the selfless contributions of our Baptist forbears, not only in defense of such principles as separation of church and state, but also in their zeal for evangelism that cuts across language, culture and race.

Texas Baptists are a people who have given sacrificially of their material possessions for missions. Baptists are a people who appreciate those who serve us in their capacities as convention employees.

Historically, Baptists have understood individual freedom and local church autonomy under the Lordship of Christ Jesus, and at the same time recognize the benefits of voluntary cooperation through local associations and through state and larger conventions.

With fresh dedication, our state convention, through “Texas 2000,” serves the local churches, assists in local missions with new church starts and encourages existing missions and churches through partnerships. These are very good days for our BGCT. Median and younger adults need to join in great numbers with their parents’ generation in recognizing and affirming the benefits of having a strong state convention.

This year brings the prospect of even more new churches, many more Texans coming to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, and Texas Baptists giving more sacrificially to missions on a global scale.

It’s a wonderful time to be a Texas Baptist.

If you are a Baby Boomer or younger, and have not joined Texas Baptists Committed, or if you have been a member but have not lately shared your material resources with Texas Baptists Committed, I hope you will do so.

Read, listen, think— about the challenges that face Texas Baptists.

If you are older than a Baby Boomer, encourage younger adults you know to be involved in the work of the BGCT, to understand the issues that face our state Convention, to learn how to be an active part of “Texas 2000.”

April 1997