SETH’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY TO SEMINARY
An Incredible Journey to Seminary Mary Asta Mountain Entrust Alan Quigley
MESSENGER STAFF
Brian Hobbs | Editor bhobbs@oklahomabaptists.org
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Brook Daniel | Graphic Designer bdaniel@oklahomabaptists.org
Jacob King | Staff Writer jking@oklahomabaptists.org
Bob Nigh | Contributing Writer bnigh@oklahomabaptists.org
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As you know, last year WatersEdge purchased a building near downtown Oklahoma City (that was formerly the offices of the Sonic Corporation) to serve as the new location for the offices of Oklahoma Baptists, WatersEdge, Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) and Baptist Village Communities (BVC).
This was a significant development as the building allows for the growing office space needs of WatersEdge while at the same time placing the state convention in a firmer financial position. The money saved from operating and maintaining the aging building on 3800 North May allows the state convention to make greater investment in carrying out our mission of serving churches, serving pastors/staff and conducting our gospel ministries.
The new office location furthermore allows the offices of the state convention and its affiliates—WatersEdge, OBHC, and BVC (with the exception of Oklahoma Baptist University, located in Shawnee) to remain together in the same building. This is something I believe is important to Oklahoma Baptists and helps continue to foster the unique unity we enjoy as a state convention. Oklahoma Baptists and its affiliates have a strong relationship working side by side as we seek to achieve our common objective of advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ across our state and the world.
I am happy to report that our team at Oklahoma Baptists as well as the teams of our affiliates are now moved in and operating out of the new office location. Morale is high, and we are all looking forward to even
greater unity and collaboration together. WatersEdge occupies the second floor of the building, Oklahoma Baptists is on the third floor, and OBHC and BVC occupy the fourth floor. Sonic continues to have some employees on the first floor for the short-term future.
If you want to reach us or one of our affiliates, the phone number is still the same: (405)-942-3800 or (405)942-3000. The address of the new office location is 300 Johnny Bench Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. WatersEdge is suite 200, Oklahoma Baptists is suite 300, BVC is suite 400, and OBHC is suite 450. There is guest parking on the east side of the building and the visitor entrance is on the north side.
You can also park south of the building and take a very short, scenic walk across the canal to the building. In the near future, we will announce the date of an open house for you to come and see our new home.
We are so grateful to God for this opportunity to begin a new chapter of Oklahoma Baptists’ ministry in this new office location. We are praying that God will grow and strengthen our efforts to serve Oklahoma Baptists churches and play a part in God advancing His kingdom across the globe.
Serving Jesus with You
Todd Fisher
Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer
Advancing the Gospel from a new home, but still together.
Ask Him
Do you recall that scene in the movie Rocky III, where Rocky Balboa’s deadbeat brother-in-law Paulie lashes out at him in a violent rage, because Rocky has had such success in life and he’s had none?
After Paulie is not able to lay a glove on the boxing champion, and after his spluttering tirade, Paulie says in exhaustion, “Can I have a job?”
Rocky then laughs and says with a smile, “All you had to do was ask.”
Often in life, we witness people lashing out at other people, and we are shocked by their anger. In the social media world, we see name-calling, meanspirited rants, directed at people all the time. In fact, our society rewards such rage with attention and clicks.
Yet it’s good to remember the phrase “Hurt people hurt people.” This suggests that, oftentimes, there’s more going on behind someone’s rage— not always, but often.
That person who is always criticizing others may have gone through a recent major trauma or disappointment. That individual who comes at you for something seemingly insignificant may actually be upset about something completely different.
In the Bible, we see that, when we feel upset, God wants us to express our hearts in prayers. In fact, the Psalms contain prayers and verses that display that heartfelt honesty before the Lord.
Psalm 6:3—“My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?”
Psalm 38:9-11—“All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.”
Psalm 10:1—“Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
God seems to welcome us bringing our emotions, in prayer, to Him. But He doesn’t let us wallow there forever.
Recall the time when the Prophet Jonah was stomping around angry about the Lord not destroying Nineveh, God corrects him by saying, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4).
The Bible never excuses misplaced anger and certainly not the sin of mistreating others. Far from it. At the same time, when we consider that the individual who is lashing out may be going through something else, it can help us understand where he or she may be coming from and how to deal with it.
If we are honest, it is sometimes we ourselves who are stomping around with misplaced anger or emotions. It’s in those times, the Lord is there to help us. He’s eagerly there to hear us, and He wants us to ask for His help.
So the next time you find yourself in that place, remember this: All we have to do is ask Him.
Brian Hobbs Oklahoma Baptists Editor
Oklahoma Baptists currently has two job openings:
Administrative Assistant
Now Hiring!
We currently have two job openings:
Administrative Assistant
We are looking for an Administrative Assistant who will support the Executive O ce by performing event planning, secretarial, and administrative tasks. The position is full-time and includes paid leave and benefits.
Operations Associate (Conference Centers)
Feel called to camp ministry? Falls Creek Conference Centers is hiring an Operations Associate to work at CrossTimbers in Davis, OK. The position manages the maintenance needs at CrossTimbers. The position is full-time and includes paid leave, benefits, and housing.
Interested candidates can apply online at bgco.breezy.hr/. If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Jordan at 405.942.3800, ext. 3505 or tjordan@oklahomabaptists.org.
Operations Associate (Conference Centers)
Youth Apologetics Conference
We are looking for an Administrative Assistant who will support the Executive O ce by performing event planning, secretarial, and administrative tasks. The position is full-time and includes paid leave
Feel called to camp ministry? Falls Creek Conference Centers is hiring an Operations Associate to work at CrossTimbers in Davis, OK. The position manages the maintenance needs at CrossTimbers. The Interested candidates can apply online at https://bgco.breezy.hr/. If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Jordan at 405.942.3800, ext. 3505 or tjordan@oklahomabaptists.org.
The Things You Don’t Know
It happened before Christmas last year. I had gone to town with my wife, Gayla. She had several stops she needed to make, including a major stop at WalMart. You might be wondering why I went with her. I needed the “points”—I was really low on points, on the verge of desperate. So, there I was in WalMart.
Gayla let me push the cart for her. She is nice like that. Then it happened. She told me that she had forgotten to get some Rotel. And she asked me if I would go get some. Talk about major points… She said it was on the aisle that we had just come down. How hard could this be?
I took off for the Rotel although I wasn’t exactly clear on what that was. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. Soon, I found myself looking at every item on that aisle determined I was going to deliver on the Rotel request. This may surprise you but I didn’t find it.
So, I decided that I would go back to the end of the aisle and work my way down that aisle one more time in search of Rotel.
That’s when I found it. Not the Rotel. I will finish that story in a minute. But I found it. There on a shelve about eye level, I spotted a bottle of Mole Paste.
I have to tell you that stopped me in my tracks. I began to think about what I was looking at. My first dilemma was to decide whether this was for those discolored places on our skin. But I couldn’t figure out how paste would help with that... So, then I decided it must be for moles – you know those gopher-like creatures that tunnel through our yards.
But that created another dilemma. Was this mole paste something that you would use to stick body parts back on a mole that had lost them. But that made no sense to me. So then I wondered if mole paste was something you could use to paste a whole mole to some other creature, you know, like a gopher. Why would you want to glue a Mole to
anything? On second thought, why wouldn’t you want to glue a Mole to something? All I needed was a Mole.
As I stood there contemplating this new thing in my life, a couple of handy dandy WalMart employees happened by. Don’t think I didn’t want to have a bit of a conversation with them about Mole Paste. In fact, I wanted to ask them why they would a put glue-like substances (paste) in the food section. But I didn’t ask them that. They looked too busy.
Instead I asked them where the Rotel was. They told me it was one aisle over. They were right. But that means my darling wife misled me and sent me on a wild goose chase for Rotel. But I showed her. I found the Rotel and delivered it to our shopping cart. How about that for some points? Boy, did I want to sneak some Mole Paste in Gayla’s cart. Then when we got home, I could ask her what she bought that for. And I bet she would have an answer because she is smart like that, and she has been married to me for several years. But I didn’t. I was scared.
There are a bunch of lessons that could be learned from this incident in my life. One lesson would be just when you think you know something about almost everything, Mole Paste shows up as evidence that you didn’t know it all. Two, Wal Mart has everything. I think the next time I go there, I am going to ask a handy-dandy WalMart employee in the hardware department for some Mole Paste or maybe some Gopher Glue. Three, you should never get so low on points that you have to go to WalMart, especially during the holiday season. Four, even if your wife doesn’t know the exact aisle Rotel is on, she probably doesn’t know what aisle the Mole Paste is on either. But if she ever asks me to pick up some, I am going to be all over it.
Joe Ligon
Oklahoma Baptists Sr. Associate Executive Director
An Incredible Journey to Seminary: AUTISM PROVIDES MISSION
OPPORTUNITY
FOR OKLAHOMA
BAPTIST SEMINARY STUDENT
By Mary Asta Mountain, News and Copywriter at Southeastern Seminary
For each student at Southeastern, Great Commission ministry looks different. For Seth Taylor, it requires an arduous amount of effort; it can be painstakingly slow; and it is always through uncharted territory. But his ministry to a group of people called the Speller Bros is a testament to God’s grace and a celebration of the allsurpassing worth of the gospel.
“I always knew about God because of my parents,” Seth shared as he spelled out his story. “Even before spelling, I listened to them read the Bible, and I learned all about Jesus. One day mom read to me the plan of salvation from a homeschool book. I realized I need to be forgiven, so I asked in my mind for Jesus to save me. He did, and now the Holy Spirit helps me try to live for him, even though I still can’t talk.”
From a young age, Seth experienced the world very differently than those around him.
Here was an opportunity to try something new, something that might change Seth’s world. It was a terrifying thing to get their hopes up for something else that might not work.
However, our God is a God of hope.
When Seth was a little under a year old, his dad, Andy Taylor, who serves as Regional Ministry Partner for Oklahoma Baptists, and his mom, Laurie Taylor, learned that their son had severe autism and motor apraxia. Because of his autism, Seth was unable to speak and had no way of communicating with others.
Over the next decade, the Taylors sought out many different therapies and methods of helping Seth, but nothing seemed to break through the barrier. Not until his eleventh birthday, that is.
Around that time, Andy and Laurie learned about a woman who was able to communicate with her own autistic son through something called a letterboard; through it, he was able to spell out his thoughts.
Andy, Laurie, and Seth traveled to meet the woman who could teach them how to use the letterboard, and within a few days of working with her, communication opened up for Seth. Using the letterboard, an 8.5×11-inch laminated piece of paper, Seth demonstrated to his parents the fullness and complexity of his thoughts.
“The first time we saw him have open communication on the letterboard,” Andy described, “Laurie and I were both overjoyed and sorrowful at the same time. We thought that Seth was unaware of everything around him, but he was actually listening to everything we said. We were so happy that he now had a voice, but also sad that he had lived so many years trapped in his mind. There were lots of tears,” he remembered. “Honestly, it was also scary at first. We didn’t know what he would say. Would he be mad or disappointed in us?”
Seth also remembers that moment very clearly, and he described in his own words what it was like to communicate with his parents for the first time.
“It was amazing,” he spelled. “It was so good for me to show them that I am smart even though my hands and body act crazy. They could get to know me, and my family was so happy. Spelling has opened up my life.”
A year later, around his twelfth birthday, Seth experienced something even more life-changing than being able to spell: He asked Jesus to save him from his sins and through the gospel found eternal hope and forgiveness in his Lord and Savior.
The day he was saved, Seth spelled out to his mother the summary of Christ’s work on his behalf: “All done.”
SPELLER BROS AND SEMINARY
Over the years since then, Seth has grown in his faith and in his ability to communicate with people. Only recently he and his family discovered a community of other young men whose lives look very much like Seth’s. They are called, in Seth’s words, the Speller Bros.
Also autistic and non-speaking, these friends use letterboards to communicate at spell groups and community activities. Their proficiency at using a letterboard varies, and Seth explained that it takes a lot of time and energy to use. The practice of spelling also requires a partner to help, and for some of the Speller Bros, that means that communication can only happen at therapy with a therapist. Others, like Seth, are now able to spell at home with a family member.
With this newfound community, God answered Seth’s deep desire for friendship. However, he also placed a new desire in Seth’s heart: to share about Jesus and the beauty and hope of the gospel with these new friends. Once Seth realized this, he had another decision to make.
As Andy recalled, “Seth told me on his letterboard, ‘Dad, I need to go to seminary.’” When he asked
Seth why, his response was, “‘Because I need to learn about God so I can lead a Bible study for the Speller Bros.’”
At first Andy was overwhelmed at this request. Would it be possible? However, by God’s grace, he knew of a seminary that shared Seth’s heart for reaching the lost with the gospel. For almost three years, Andy has served on the board of trustees at Southeastern Seminary, and after Seth shared his desire for theological education, Andy reached out to Southeastern’s provost, Scott Pace, to see what their next steps should be.
THE FIRST STEPS OF THEOLOGICAL EQUIPPING
This year, Seth started his first Go Certificate class at Southeastern: Theology I with Ken Keathley. Because of the format of the class and its online delivery, he was able to work through the content at his own pace.
Since beginning the Go Certificate, Seth has now completed the first course and moved on to Hermeneutics with Danny Akin and Great Commission studies with Chuck Lawless. Through these classes, Seth is gaining a biblical and theological foundation as he prepares to lead a Bible study for the Speller Bros.
“I think God put the desire in my heart so they can know how much God loves them,” Seth expressed, reflecting on his mission to minister to the Speller Bros. “My first Bible study,” he said, “is about the man born blind (John 9).”
In addition to planning this study, Seth has been able to use what he is learning in his classes to articulate how God is at work in his life.
“I have a blog that has more subscribers than I thought would read it,” Seth shared. “I wrote my testimony recently to share the gospel. I had just learned about the Holy Spirit in theology class, so I incorporated it in my story. I hope I have more opportunities to share.”
As Andy reflected on the events of the past months, he was struck by the way that God has been able to use Seth in his own unique circumstances. “The last year has been amazing. Seth has grown into his calling. To see his determination is humbling. Certainly, he is impacting the spelling community. But Seth is an inspiration and challenge to all who know him to lay down their excuses and allow the struggles of your life to be used to magnify the greatness of Christ.”
“Laurie and I have said for years that Seth’s life has been the most sanctifying experience for both of us,” Andy shared. “Seth has helped us to see the Imago Dei in every person. His love for ministry is humbling. He could have become bitter with frustration and anxiety. But he leans on the Holy Spirit.”
GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES THROUGH SPELLING
As Seth seeks to minister to the Speller Bros, there is a lot to learn, and the journey is not easy.
“My mind cannot control my body, so I look like I’m only a shell of a person,” Seth shared through his letterboard. “I struggle to stay regulated, which can look like crazy, impulsive movements, strange sounds and my lack of verbal speech. It is hard to do a lot of things, and I have a lot of people stare at me in public.”
Their perception of him, however, fails to see the full picture. “My mind is intact,” he explained, “so it’s been life changing to have a way to communicate. My mind loves God and wants to fulfill his plan for me.”
It is through God’s sovereign plan and grace in Seth’s life that Seth is now able to be an ambassador for Christ to his friends and to those around him. As he is equipped for that work through his studies at Southeastern, Seth is able to see his own understanding and love for God grow. His journey challenges others, as well, to see the overlooked gospel opportunities around them.
“I think about Southeastern’s ‘GO’ logo every day, and especially as I think about Seth,” Andy shared. “We often connect Great Commission impact with the recognizable areas of the world that need more gospel witness. Who would have thought to see the Speller Bros as an unreached people group for ministry? But that is what Southeastern trains students to do every day.”
When asked how his Southeastern community could pray for him, Seth gave this request: “They can pray that we get the Bible study logistics worked out. Pray for more people to have spelling to unlock their voices. I know that I will be healed in heaven someday. However, if you pray for me to be healed in my life here, that would be great.”
Southeastern is thankful for the opportunity to come alongside families like the Taylors to provide theological education and equipping. Through students like Seth, God is bringing lost hearts to himself in the most overlooked and unreached people groups, both at home and across
For more stories about what God is doing in Seth’s life, visit his personal blog, Dispelled: Autism Exposed. the world.
Note: Bible translations may vary for clues
ACROSS
1 “ If we __ to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved?” (Job 4:2)
6 Apostle James’s brother
10 Piercing pain
14 Most populous country
15 Capital of Western Samoa
16 Martha’s worry at Lazarus’s tomb
17 Apostles laid on __ to heal the sick
18 Fido, maybe
19 Oompah-pah instrument
20 Big jug
21 Glitch (2 words)
WORDSEARCH
23 Time measure (Abbr.)
24 OT and NT periods, e.g.
26 Maybe Baby Jesus had one
28 Apostolic Christianity (2 words)
31 Simon or Andrew, e.g.
32 Apostles cast __ demons
33 What Apostles preached
36 “__ us not into temptation”
40 African antelopes
42 End Times event
43 Apostle Matthew’s Hebrew name
44 Apostle Paul’s mission territory
45 Apostles’ shoe
48 Lower limb
49 Let not “that day come __ you unawares” (Luke 21:34)
51 Two or more men (Abbr.)
53 Apostle who introduced Nathanael to Jesus
56 Give up
57 “Behold the fowls of the __” (Matt. 6:26)
58 Like the wooden horse
61 Invitation letters (Abbr.)
65 Needs for snowy slopes
DOWN
1 Be in pain 2 Playwright George Bernard
Trigonometric function 4 Apostle Peter’s brother 5 Casual affirmations 6 Apostle son of Alphaeus
7 Musical composition
8 Website visits
9 __ body, opposed to spiritual body
10 Golden item in ark of the covenant
11 Scorched
12 Peace Prize
13 Apostolic gift
21 BLT condiment, informally
22 Cooking spray
25 Tabloid, slangily
27 “Whether in the body, I cannot __” (2 Cor. 12:2)
28 Roman garment
29 Central Asian nomadic herdsmen
30 Decorative needle case
31 Computer expert, maybe
34 Elegant bird
35 Pot’s pal
37 Snaky fish
38 Maintain
39 Dwelling, informally
67 Nerve fiber
68 Benefit
69 Personal hardship, sometimes
70 Apostles made distribution according to __
71 Slow, in music
72 Sodom after brimstone fell
73 Jesus, God’s __ Son
74 Apostles continued in the breaking of __
Note:
41 Apostle Paul’s former name
45 Church choir section
46 “It shall be so” in prayer
47 “He was __ as a sheep to the slaughter” (Acts 8:32)
50 Hell, described as a bottomless __
52 What an elder is meant to be
53 Italian meal staple
54 Climbs
55 Like 2 Down
56 Something for a sweet tooth
59 Animals sold in the temple
60 OT Bible book
62 Lucid
63 Brief autobiographical sketch
64 Proceed sluggishly
66 Swine’s house
68 Clerical garment
TESTIMONY
THEOLOGY
Church NEWS
Upcoming Event:
Former members and friends of Oklahoma City, Baptist Temple are invited to a 5:30-8 p.m., March 9 ceremony and dinner commemorating the transfer of ownership of the facility to Crosstown Church. The church is located at 2433 NW 30th St. Doors open at 5 p.m. Please RSVP by calling (405)-445-4523 or at info@crosstownokc.org.
TRIBUTES
Brad Allen died Dec. 14. He was the pastor of Comanche, Countryside and previously served as pastor at Duncan, First; Lawton, Central and Sentinel, First. He was the father of Randy Allen, pastor of Duncan, Parkview, and Dan Allen, formerly on staff at WatersEdge.
Michael “Mich” Ray Dershem died Dec. 12. He was associate pastor of Yale, Fellowship. He also served as youth minister at Nash, Bethel Hawley and Yale, First. He served as a member of Oklahoma Baptists’ Historical Commission.
Keith Edwin Wiginton died Dec. 27. He served as president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in 1981-82 and on the board of trustees for Oklahoma Baptist University. He received the Lifetime Achievement in Evangelism award in 2009 at the Oklahoma State Evangelism Conference.
Ruth King died July 11, 2024. She was a charter member of the Singing ChurchWomen of Oklahoma and wife of John King, retired pastor at Madill, Trinity Southern and Cumberland.
PASTOR In Focus
KEVIN MOSS
Pastor of Antioch Fellowship Spencer, OK
Pastor Kevin, can you tell us how God called you to ministry and about the places you have served, as well as about your family?
God called me to the Gospel ministry on Easter Sunday 1996 while I was serving as Minister of Music of the New Hope Baptist Church (Pastor E.J. Tyson) of Vernon, TX. In Feb. 97, I united with the Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church OKC (Pastor A. Glenn Woodberry) where I served as an Associate Minister serving sick and shutins, musician (Director of Jr. Mass Choir), Sunday School instructor for Young Adults, Director of the Young Adult Ministry from 2002-2006 and developed and conducted the Spring Break Abstinence and Music Workshop from 2003-2008.
I am married to Tanya Moss since July 2008, and together we share 5 children (mostly grown). Michea Moss (deceased), Samuel Moss (16), Kristin (35), Kelli (33), and Kym (30). We have one son, Israel Vaughn, that we love as our own.
How is the Lord blessing and working through your church now?
How befitting that you would ask me that! The Lord is amazing as my wife and I have just been endorsed by SEND (Church Planting) Network on January 1, 2025 –To God be the Glory!
The Lord began transitioning us in May of 2024, and placed on my heart that we needed to replant the Antioch Fellowship Baptist Church. I did not know where, but God began to lead me. We have moved to our new location in Spencer, Oklahoma.
He has already begun to remake and redevelop our ministry, starting with our youth. We baptized our 3rd and 4th young person on Sunday, Jan 5, 2025, as we have the ability to teach our children about allowing Jesus to lead their lives more personally in our new location.
We are birthing small groups and beginning in Feb. 2025, we will begin a small group on relationships that will run concurrently with our Sunday School on the 2nd and 4th Sunday at 9:45 a.m. We are also providing a Wednesday Noonday Prayer and Bible Study and will be opening it up to the community, led by our Minister of Prayer and Visitation, Rev. Robert Proutt.
The half of what the Lord is going to do is yet to be seen, but we believe beyond a shadow of doubt that the Lord has sent us there to serve Him and reach the lost for Christ. The icing on the cake is our new endorsement with SEND Network. As Rusty Gunn said to us, ‘Get ready for the ride of your lives!’
What is your ‘Life verse’ or Bible passage that has held a special significance in your life and ministry?
I have a lot of ‘favorite’ verses or texts, but the passage that has been the most impactful to me is where the Lord directed me when my daughter was murdered in April 2015, the 77th Psalm, specifically verses 1-15. And then top it off with Romans 8:28, knowing that no matter what comes our way, good, bad, happy or sad, God can and will use it for our good.
Can you talk about the unique fellowship we share among Oklahoma Baptists?
From the ministry of service to the prayers of comfort and helps, Oklahoma Baptists have been a breath of fresh air to me. I am deeply grateful for the unique fellowship we share as Oklahoma Baptists. It is a bond rooted in our shared faith, united purpose, and unwavering commitment to spreading the Gospel. Together, we uplift one another through prayer, encouragement and collaboration, creating a community that embodies the love of Christ. Oklahoma Baptists are a constant source of inspiration and strength, reminding me of the power of unity in serving in God’s Kingdom.
Over the years I have been “Entrusted” with an increasing number of things. I remember the day that my grandfather gave me a pocketknife and explained to me that he was putting his trust in me to do the right thing with it and encouraged me to not disappoint him by misusing his trust.
That was a big day for me as a young boy. Beginning with that memory, I can say that through the years I have been “Entrusted” with a variety of things with an increasing amount of disappointment that would follow if I misused the trust.
Like many of you, I have “Entrusted” a sum of money with an investor who is holding, and hopefully growing, the money that I have “Entrusted” with them. Should they fail to be trustworthy with that which has been “Entrusted” with them, it would cause me a great deal of disappointment.
Perhaps the most valuable thing that I have been “Entrusted” with is found in 2 Tim. 2:2, which says, “What you have heard of me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” We hold the Gospel “Entrust.” Our failure with that with which we have been “Entrusted” with would be devastating to the work of Christ in our generation.
This year the Advance Conference that will be held March 3-4 at Mustang, Chisholm Heights will be themed, “Entrust.” The Great Commission in Matthew 28 implores us to “make disciples” which means we are to share with others what we have been “Entrusted” with so that they also will be “Entrusted” with the Gospel and continue this until all might know and hold this in trust for all future generations.
The event will feature great preachers from our Oklahoma Baptist family as well as leaders like Bobby Kelly from Oklahoma Baptist University and Jamie Dew, President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Additional guests will include Shane Pruitt from the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and Chad Higgins, Lifeway Senior Manager of Church Equipping.
On Tuesday morning we will have affinity breakouts: Women’s featuring Catherine Renfro, who serves in Women’s Evangelism with NAMB; Students with Chad Higgins from Lifeway; African American Fellowship with Adron Robinson, featuring Senior Pastor at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills, Ill.; and several others.
Let me encourage you to attend, whether you are a vocational minister or layman, there will be something for everyone because we ALL have been “Entrusted” with this truth!
For more information about attending the free Oklahoma Baptists’ Advance Conference in Mustang on March 3-4, which is supported by the Cooperative Program, visit oklahomabaptists.org/advance.
Alan Quigley
Oklahoma Baptists
Associate Executive Director
Join us throughout the year in praying for our missionaries, serving locally and around the world!
2025 MISSIONARY Prayer Guide
Who & Where Why How to Pray
Dr. Bruce Perkins directs and teaches the prison divinity program for Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) in Shawnee. Incarcerated individuals in the Oklahoma prison system are offered a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Studies. The mission is to see lives changed by the Gospel and then to change the prison culture. Through them, God will then extend His kingdom into their communities. More than 400 men have trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord in an 18 month period.
Jessica Wagner is serving with the International Mission Board in Yokohama, Japan. The Japanese are one of the most unreached people groups. Jessica says it is a blessing to share the Gospel in a country where Christianity was once prohibited and to serve in a city that is in desperate need of Jesus. She never tires of sharing truth and hope with those who have never heard the name of Jesus.
Paul and Hannah Yount serve through the International Mission Board. Paul heads a Bible translation organization called Deaf Pathway Global that is based in Nashville, Tenn. Deaf Pathway Global is dedicated to working with deaf nationals in translating Bible passages into more than 300 heart sign languages of the world. They love seeing how their translated Bible stories impact deaf nationals into sharing, teaching, and living out their faith in God in deaf communities across the world.
Alex and Diana Montgomery serve through the International Mission Board in Medelin, Colombia. They serve an unreached people group from jungle areas. Most have never before heard of Jesus Christ, so the Montgomerys share Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation in hopes they will follow Jesus and take the Truth back to their communities. Alex says it’s a privilege to bring them the hope and light of Jesus Christ, the only answer for freeing their bondage.
Pray God will continue to open doors for our students to share their faith so many more will come to Christ.
Pray God will continue to grant His favor through the officials that interface with OBU’s program.
Pray God will continue to supply our needs.
Please pray for Jessica as she continues to study the challenging language of Japanese.
Pray doors will swing open wide for Gospel conversations when she is in school, on campus, or surfing the ocean on her sabbath.
Amidst the challenges of life, pray God would use the difficult times for His glory and for Jessica’s sanctification.
Pray for Deaf Pathway Global.
Pray God will give Paul wisdom to effectively lead Deaf Pathway Global.
Pray for the Younts as they transition to America and that all things will proceed well with minimal difficulties.
As the first believers in their families, pray for young believers who are struggling to follow Jesus.
Pray the Montgomerys will have continued access to people from unreached people groups.
Pray the Holy Spirit will draw people to Himself, transform their hearts and minds, as the Montgomerys bring light into darkness.
Bruce Perkins
Jessica Wagner
Paul & Hannah Yount
Alex & Diana Montgomery
THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE 2000 AS A TEACHING TOOL
In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Memphis, Tenn. At that momentous meeting, messengers made two decisions with far-reaching consequences. First, they adopted the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, they launched the Cooperative Program as a unified funding strategy for Southern Baptist ministries. In remarks to the SBC Executive Committee earlier this year, SBC President Clint Pressley rightly referred to the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program as the “two rails” of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Our confession was born of controversy. For the first 80 years of SBC history, we had no Convention-wide confessional statement. The reason is not because Southern Baptists were not confessional. Most local churches had confessions. Most Baptist associations had confessions. Many state conventions had confessions. Our three seminaries at the time had confessions. Southern Baptists were clearly a confessional people, and had been since our founding.
There was little felt need for a denominational confession prior to the mid-1920s because we enjoyed widespread doctrinal consensus. The rise of modernist theology changed that. When some liberal pastors and professors began accommodating Darwinism, Southern Baptists responded by adopting a revised and expanded version of the New Hampshire Confession as the Baptist Faith and Message 1925.
Over the years, controversy has continued to result in revisions and amendments to the Baptist Faith and Message. In 1963, we revised the confession primarily in response to some seminary faculty teaching Neo-Orthodox views of Scripture. In 1998, we amended the confession to include a statement on the family that addressed progressive views that were becoming popular in American culture. In 2000, we again revised the confession to clarify our conservative theology on the other side of the Inerrancy Controversy. In 2023, a minor revision clarified that there is only one pastoral office in the New Testament, and that only men are biblically qualified to serve in that role.
Because of the historic relationship between controversy, confessionalism, and cooperation, it can be tempting to think of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 primarily in those terms. But thousands of local churches have adopted the confession since the turn of the century. In some cases, that decision might have been mostly symbolic or perfunctory. But in an increasingly post-denominational age, our confession can play an important role in helping churches understand what it means to be a Southern Baptist.
New members join our churches from all sorts of backgrounds. Some are new believers who might not know much at all about the Christian faith. Others are longtime Christians who have been nurtured in other denominational
traditions or nondenominational churches. Still others might have been Southern Baptists for all their Christian life, but they have little idea of what that means. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is the best resource we have for helping all these types of new members – and every type of longterm member – to understand the faith and practice of Southern Baptists.
• The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are orthodox believers who affirm the primary doctrines of the Christian faith
• The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are evangelicals who hold to a conservative biblical understanding of Scripture and salvation
• The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are Baptist followers of Christ who affirm a regenerate church membership, believer’s baptism by immersion alone, congregational polity, local church autonomy and religious liberty for all people
• The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are Great Commission Christians who are committed to evangelism, discipleship and church planting among all peoples
• The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are culturally engaged believers who care about the implications of the Christian faith for authentic human flourishing.
So, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message this year, I want to urge pastors and other ministry leaders to teach our confession in 2025. Don’t just post it on the church’s website, but distribute copies to all members. Consider a teaching series on Wednesday nights, Sunday evenings or during a Sunday School hour. Take your deacons or your small group leaders through the confession. Incorporate articles from the confession into your sermons when they relate to the text. Introduce a new article each week in your corporate worship gatherings by printing it in a bulletin or projecting it on a screen.
You may have other ideas that are better suited for your local church, and that’s OK. What is most important is that you have some strategy for helping your members understand what Southern Baptists believe. There is no better tool for this purpose than the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
By Nathan Finn, Author and Professor
