After dry season, Texas church experiencing a wave of new life – Baptist Press

Institutional Revitalization of FBC Mexia and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

This report details the revitalization of a community institution, First Baptist Church (FBC) Mexia, which had experienced a significant multi-decade decline. The turnaround, initiated in late 2024, demonstrates a practical application of principles that align with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning the strengthening of institutions, promoting well-being, and fostering sustainable communities.

Background and Initial Institutional Challenges

H3: State of Decline

Prior to the intervention, FBC Mexia faced critical challenges threatening its sustainability:

• Membership Decline: A consistent loss of approximately 100 members per decade since the 1990s, reducing the congregation to 115.
• Capacity Loss: The departure of all ministerial staff, the audio/visual team, and the praise team, indicating a severe institutional capacity drain.
• Community Disengagement: Key facilities, such as the baptistery, had fallen into prolonged disuse.
• Erosion of Social Cohesion: The congregation expressed feelings of abandonment and was hindered by unresolved internal conflicts, impacting community well-being (contrary to SDG 3).

Revitalization Strategy and SDG Alignment

H3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Peace (SDG 16)

The new leadership, under Pastor Robert Blackmon, implemented a strategy focused on rebuilding the institution from its core.

1. Vision and Direction: A clear plan for revitalization was communicated, providing hope and a path forward, essential for strengthening institutional effectiveness.
2. Conflict Resolution: The leadership actively listened to members affected by past conflicts, facilitating a healing process necessary for building a peaceful and inclusive society within the community.
3. Re-establishing Core Functions: The church reinstituted faithful prayer and worship, reinforcing its primary functions and stabilizing its operational foundation.

H3: Promoting Well-being and Sustainable Communities (SDG 3 & SDG 11)

The strategy directly addressed the health and social fabric of the community.

• Community Care: The pastor’s focus on hospital visits and providing support demonstrated a commitment to the physical and mental well-being of community members.
• Image Repair: Members began actively promoting a positive image of the institution within the town, helping to rebuild social capital and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient community (SDG 11).
• Community Outreach: The congregation was equipped with evangelism methods to engage with the wider community, fostering social integration.

H3: Leveraging Education and Partnerships (SDG 4 & SDG 17)

The revitalization was supported by advanced education and strategic partnerships.

• Quality Education (SDG 4): The pastor utilized his doctorate in church revitalization, applying specialized knowledge to address the institution’s specific challenges.
• Lifelong Learning: The establishment of a discipleship group for young men, complete with Bible reading plans and journaling, promotes continuous personal and ethical development.
• Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17): The pastor’s placement was facilitated by a mentorship program through the North American Mission Board Leadership Institute, a key partnership that provided the necessary leadership resource.

Measurable Outcomes and Development Impact

The implemented strategies have yielded significant and measurable results, indicating a successful institutional turnaround.

• Increased Participation: Average weekly attendance has grown from 115 to approximately 200, with a peak attendance of 350, the highest since the 1990s.
• Youth Engagement: The children’s ministry has grown from approximately five to over 30 participants, securing engagement with the next generation.
• Renewed Activity: The church now conducts baptisms on a near-weekly basis, a primary indicator of renewed institutional vitality.
• Economic Sustainability: Financial giving has increased to a level where the institution can consider hiring additional staff, ensuring its long-term operational sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

Explanation

The article, while focused on the revitalization of a single church, touches upon themes that can be connected to several Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis requires interpreting the SDGs in a local, community-focused context, where the church acts as a key social institution.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: This is the most relevant SDG. The article is a case study in institutional revitalization. It details how a declining, conflict-ridden institution (FBC Mexia) was rebuilt into an effective, growing, and inclusive one that serves its community. The narrative focuses on restoring trust, resolving past hurts, and building a strong organizational structure.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The church is presented as a vital part of the local community’s social fabric. Its decline represented a loss to the community, while its revival is shown to have a positive external impact, such as repairing its “image… in the community” and members making a “difference in their community.” This relates to strengthening community cohesion and safeguarding cultural/social institutions.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article addresses the mental and spiritual well-being of the congregation. It mentions healing from the “pain” of “recent conflict” and the pastor providing care through “a lot of hospital visits.” The restoration of hope and a sense of belonging contributes directly to the well-being of the community members.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Explanation

Based on the SDGs identified, specific targets can be linked to the actions and outcomes described in the article.

1. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • The article highlights the pastor’s role to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry,” noting that the members “are the ones who are out there doing it.” This shift from a passive congregation to an active, participatory one aligns with the principle of inclusive and participatory institutions.
2. Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
   • While typically applied to historical sites, this target can be interpreted to include intangible cultural and social heritage. The church, as a long-standing community institution, represents a part of the local social heritage. The revitalization efforts described—reversing a decades-long decline—are a direct effort to safeguard this institution for the community’s future.
3. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • The article’s focus on healing emotional and spiritual wounds directly supports the promotion of mental health and well-being. The pastor’s actions of listening to those “hurt by recent conflict” and providing care and attention helped the congregation process pain and find hope, which are key components of mental and emotional well-being.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Explanation

The article provides several explicit and implicit metrics that can serve as indicators to measure progress toward the identified targets.

• Indicator for Target 16.7 (Participatory Institutions):
  • Increased Community Participation: The growth in weekly attendance from “about 115” to “about 200,” the children’s ministry growth from “around five to more than 30,” and the record Easter attendance of “350 people” are direct quantitative indicators of increased participation.
  • Increased Financial Contributions: The article states that “Giving has increased enough for the church to consider hiring additional staff members,” which serves as a financial indicator of the congregation’s renewed trust and investment in the institution.
• Indicator for Target 11.4 (Safeguarding Heritage):
  • Reversal of Institutional Decline: The primary indicator is the reversal of a long-term trend of losing “about 100 people per decade since the 1990s.” The current growth signifies that the institution is no longer in danger of fading away.
  • Resumption of Cultural Practices: The fact that the baptistery went from having “dirt” in it from disuse to being used for “12 successive weeks of baptisms” is a powerful indicator that the institution’s core cultural and religious functions have been restored and strengthened.
• Indicator for Target 3.4 (Well-being):
  • Qualitative Reports of Hope and Healing: The article implies improved well-being through statements like the new pastor “gave them a lot of hope that was lost over the last few years” and that people who were hurt “wanted to move forward.”
  • Provision of Care Services: The mention of the pastor making “a lot of hospital visits” can be used as an indicator of the institution’s activities aimed at promoting well-being and providing social support.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: baptistpress.com