Second Baptist Houston staff call Florida Baptists to action with practical advice

by Barbara Denman, Lauren Urtel
March 9, 2007

The Kid-Friendly Church
Catch and Release

BRANDON (FBC)—Citing statistics that Florida Baptists are baptizing the same number of new believers as they did 25 years ago, even as the state’s population has doubled, Ed Young, pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, declared, “You are going out of business.”

Young sounded a wake up call to the 1,500 persons in attendance at the 2007 Florida Evangelism Conference, March 5-6 at First Baptist Church of Brandon. He was one of three keynote speakers to address the conference which offered practical and inspirational insights into reaching people with the gospel message.

“The state of Florida needs to get back in the evangelism business,” Young said. “I do not believe that Florida Baptist churches know who they are, and if they had, they have forgotten.”

Saying that he had studied Florida Baptist Convention statistics, the Houston pastor, whose church baptized 2,000 persons in the past year, decried that the average Florida Baptist church baptized 11 people in 2005. Yet sadly, he said, the figure was comparable to other state conventions.

For Florida Baptists to begin reaching their community, Young said, a radical, paradigm change must take place.

Speaking from Isaiah 54:2, the Houston pastor called Florida Baptist churches to “lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,” he said. “Before revival must come a deepening of the stakes.”

Young said this would involve strengthening theology, ecclesiology and methodology.

Stating it in business vernacular, Young said, Florida Baptists have a product in the “good news the world desperately needs;” a mission strategy found in The Great Commission; a marketing plan from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria; and profit seen in changes lives.

Young urged Florida Baptists to market this product beyond the walls of the church focusing outward instead inward. “Jesus was a friend of sinners. That’s what we are missing; we have forgotten to be friends of sinners.”

Too many churches, Young said, do not look like they are in business anymore. One of the simplest things a congregation can do to improve its appeal to the community is to physically clean up and paint its facilities, much as a bride would do on her wedding day. “Is your church immaculate, shiny, sparkling and standing up for Christ,” he asked.

When he arrived at Second Baptist Church in the late 70’s, Young said he had less than 200 in worship; that figure now stands at 45,000 on five campuses. He built the congregation, he said, by focusing on evangelizing children and teens.

He pled for Florida Baptists to develop a similar passion for children if they intend to reach their state with the gospel message.

Two-thirds of all people brought to faith in Christ make decisions before the age of 18, Young said. Yet the average Florida Baptist church only baptized 2.5 persons age 18-or-below in 2005.

“You had 173,000 kids in Vacation Bible School,” he said. “What in the world did you do with them? Was there not an evangelistic invitation given?”

Nationally, six out of every eight children that are reared in evangelical churches will never make professions of faith, Young said. In a liturgical church, seven out of eight will never accept Christ, he said. “If that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will.”

Young suggested churches do a practical house-cleaning in the children’s area and “turn everything upside down until the best leaders and staff members are working with children.”

Outreach in the church will explode, he promised, as parents will come to a place where their children are loved and welcomed. All parents, and especially single parents, will welcome help in raising their children—a void the church can fill.

Focusing on the needs of children actually models Jesus, Young said, citing Mark 10. “When you begin to act like Jesus and program like Jesus, you will surely strengthen your stakes. And you will have to build a bigger tent and lengthen those cords.”

Young’s message struck a chord with Florida pastors in attendance.

“I especially appreciated the very personal way Dr. Young spoke with us about the condition of evangelism in our state,” said Kevin Goza, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pace, “ It is obvious he did his homework before he came and was prepared to share a word from God with us personally.”

“Ed Young's message was alarming and definitely a wake up call concerning our Great Commission progress in Florida,” added Michael Landry, senior pastor, Sarasota Baptist Church. “ We've got to be more intentional in our evangelistic efforts.”

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The Kid-Friendly Church

This year’s evangelism conference featured Young and his Second Baptist staff leading seminars and fielding questions about the church’s approach to evangelism.

In a break-out session, Steve Seelig, Second Houston’s minister of children, described their children’s ministry as a “bottom up” approach, providing their best instructors and facilities in children’s ministry. “If you raise the bar in how to approach children’s ministry, you will raise the bar with the mindset of the church.”

Second Houston’s ministry plan focuses on reaching out to families whose children are “in transition,” said Seelig. “We find creative solutions to progress parents and kids to the message of Jesus Christ.”

Seelig advised that “ministry start before the child is born” by reaching out to couples in transition to becoming new parents. Once their child is born, a Bible presentation before the congregation “lets them know that we [the church] love kids.”

Another Bible presentation is done at the transition to first grade at Second Houston. “One third of our first graders receive their first Bible at this time,” said Seelig.

They begin ministering to children when they first enter the church’s care as infants. “We believe in teaching even the youngest of babies,” said Seelig.

“When children enter preschool we start to get the parents involved,” he added. “This is a transitional time for them and by helping in the preschool area it helps the parents to model what they need to do at home.”

Marking the “incredible experience” of children accepting Christ as their personal savior has become a tradition at Second Houston where children place handprints in paint on designated walls to remember the juncture. “When kids come to Christ we mark the occasion and celebrate it,” noted Seelig.

Each age group transition, fourth grade through high school, is made significant at Second Houston with either a special class or new ministry opportunity.

Part of a successful children’s ministry is “integrating it into the other ministries of the church,” he explained. “As a result of the children’s ministry, families will come to the church and you have to communicate with the adult ministry.”

Seelig suggested family activities as a way to blend children and adult ministries. Three times a year Second Houston hosts a parent commitment ceremony where parents of any age child can participate. They also offer a once a month “Jump Start” class for families to learn about evangelism.

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Catch and Release

In another breakout session, Lisa Milne, Second’s program coordinator, shared the church’s “Catch and Release” strategy that focuses on innovative ways to reach all age groups and mobilize members for ministry.

Milne echoed Young’s earlier remarks that whatever is done in a church must be done with quality. “You have got to have a good product to make people want to come,” she said.

In presenting more than two dozen creative ideas the congregation has used to bring people into the church, Milne suggested that Florida churches pick a few of the events and do them well.

To reach college students, the church provides a specific service geared to them and bar anyone over a specific age from attending

Events targeting singles have included an 80s party, village coffeehouse, “X-Games Challenges,” and their annual evangelistic New Year’s Eve party. Single parents, “the most overlooked demographic,” are offered a family vacation that includes sessions on changing parenting skills.

A marriage preparation course is widely attended by the community at large. “Rebuilders Overcoming Divorce” and “Blended Not Chopped” seminars target niche groups within the community.

Women are targeted through events such as shopping excursions, “Table-top Tapestry,” “Dinner and Design” and “Spa Girls.” Men’s events offer a masculine touch, including “The Forge,” and “Passages to Manhood,” a scripture memorization course.

As important as opening the “front door,” Milne said, “is closing the back door,” by getting every person in class involved in ministry. This is done through the Sunday school, the church’s overarching program.

Sunday school classes are structured to involve the entire class in ministry, she explained. Each co-ed class is taught by two teachers, a man and woman who are not husband and wife. A director handles administrative duties in the class, freeing the teachers for Bible study preparation. Other assigned responsibilities in each class include evangelism director, discipleship director, shepherd group leader, prayer coordinator and missions leader.

Throughout the year, specific activities are developed where members cannot attend unless accompanied by a first-time visitor. This rationale “turns” church members “eyes outward to a lost and dying world,” Milne said.

Milne advised, “Don’t buy into the bigness or vastness of what we are doing. You can start with 10 people or no people. But these basic principles can fit any church size. What you do, do well and with quality.”

Two other breakout conferences focused on student and music ministry were led by Doug Page, associate pastor, north campus; and Mark Terry, minister of music, north campus.

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