Are you familiar with the Belgian draft horse? They are the strongest horses in the world.
Bred to work farms, these horses can pull a tremendous amount of weight.
From what I've read, a single Belgian draft horse can pull up to 8,000 lbs. alone. But these horses are even more powerful when they are teamed with other horses.
So, if one of these majestic animals can pull 8,000 pounds, it is logical to think that two could pull 16,000 pounds, correct? One would assume that to be the case, but actually, two Belgian draft horses yoked together can pull up to 24,000 pounds (3x the weight one horse can pull). And what's even more impressive is that if those two animals are intentionally trained to work together, they can pull 32,000 pounds of weight (4x the weight either could pull alone). And that's just two horses. Imagine the pulling power if there were more horses teamed together!
This story serves to illustrate the power of synergy and cooperation. I sincerely believe that each individual church in our association, by God's grace, can do powerful kingdom work. Still, I also believe that when we intentionally and strategically work together, we can do exponentially more for the kingdom.
I know it's an overused phrase, but I sincerely think that we are better together. But our "togetherness" must be grounded in theological truth and missiological purpose, and thus I like to think of us as United in Christ - United for Christ.
As you've heard me say, associations are the oldest form of Baptist cooperation, dating back to 1707 in Philadelphia. That first association had three stated purposes:
Provide a means for pastors to mutually encourage one another.
Provide a means for churches to hold each other accountable to sound doctrine.
Provide a means for churches to pool their resources for evangelism and missions
It is my prayer that our Network can carry on that type of cooperative effort in the Brazos Valley.
One of the ways we seek to partner, mobilize, and strengthen our churches is through our Annual Gathering, which, over the past few years, we have been gradually reshaping to be an annual Church Health Conference.
This year we are changing the format to accommodate three guest speakers coming to share a word with our pastors. I believe that all three will benefit our pastors and lay-leaders in unique ways while contributing to the long-term strategic goals of our Network.
Our main speaker will be our newly elected Southern Baptist President, Bart Barber. Bart will be bringing a message designed to encourage and edify our Network. As pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville, Bart can identify with and relate to normative-sized Baptist churches. At the end of Bart's session, we will have a time of Q & A where you can ask Bart questions that are on your heart, including questions about the focus and direction of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Deepak Reju will be another speaker featured at our Church Health Conference. Deepak is the Pastor of Counseling at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. We have asked Deepak to share a message on creating a culture of counseling and discipleship in the church. We live in an age of great moral confusion and increasing mental and emotional stress. It is incumbent that our churches equip their members to counsel one another. We hope this will be the first step for our Network to be able to provide our churches with Biblical Counseling training.
Finally, Kyle Bueerman from the North American Mission Board will speak to us on church revitalization. Kyle is the Rural Specialist on NAMB's Replant Team. He is also the co-host of the popular weekly podcast, Not Another Baptist Podcast with Matt Henslee. Kyle specializes in rural church revitalization, an increasingly pressing need in our association. I pray that Kyle will help our Network continue its vision of seeing churches revitalized and replanted.
All three of these men will be a huge blessing to our Network of churches. I encourage you to mark the date on your calendars now - October 15th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.
The conference is free for all BVBN church leaders and members, but we do ask that you register in advance for the meeting. You can do so by clicking here.
Thank you, friends. I am praying for you and that our Network will continue to partner strategically together—United in Christ, United for Christ.