North Texas Baptist Association - End of Year Update

Since June of 2014 it has been my privilege to serve as Director of the North Texas Baptist Association (NTBA).  We have seen God blessing this cooperative work in many ways and I thought this to be a good time for an update.  The churches of NTBA are autonomously and cooperatively continuing in the work of kingdom advancement with biblical unity.

• We continue to be one of the few truly confessional Baptist associations in Texas as all our churches affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and the inerrancy of Scripture.  This certainly makes us rare in a modernistic and increasingly postmodernist religious culture but it makes missional work so much more efficient as we walk together in doctrinal agreement. 
• We continue to work to help start new churches.  The need for church planting is great across North Texas as the population is burgeoning with approximately 10,000 new residents per month in the DFW metroplex.  There are 10 new churches in this past year throughout North Texas because of the faithful work of NTBA churches working together.  
• We continue to help with church restoration.  There are so many churches throughout our land in need of revitalization and our land needs them.  I have spoken in so many churches through this last year to provide encouragement and to challenge them toward greater Great Commission focus.  So many have been greatly responsive!  I am currently helping a church that had been in decline but has more than tripled in size the last 6 months and is advancing for the glory of God.
• We continue to work for continued edification for pastors.  Jesus has been gracious in providing us with such great speakers at our theological fellowship luncheons.  We have had many pastors and church leaders from across North Texas gather for personal growth and education at the 8 lunches and seminars this past year.  There have also been faithful pastors to gather for prayer and it has been my privilege to help with this effort.
• I have been amazed at the amount of ministry God is doing through the NTBA.  Praying with a pastor whose wife was just diagnosed with cancer, encouraging men to press on and not quit, helping with church problems because we're all human, speaking at pastor's retreats, helping new churches find places to meet, comforting a pastor and his wife at the death of their newborn baby, meeting with men who are hurting after painful departures from churches, helping churches find the man God has called as their new pastor.  I really did not know what all to expect when God brought me to NTBA but I am grateful for these opportunities to serve you.

I promise to do all that I can possibly do in this next year to continue serving for the cooperative efforts of NTBA.  Thank you for this privilege.  We will continue in doctrinal integrity as we plant new churches, restore struggling churches, and encourage pastors and church leaders.  We will work in biblical unity for kingdom advancement.  To God Be The Glory!

Onward and Upward,

Richmond Goolsby