Pastors share impact of PAVE program during Annual Meeting Workshop

In just three and a half years, the PAVE program has seen a major wave of growth not only in their participant numbers but in the churches involved in the revitalization effort. And that impact was celebrated in a workshop held Monday at the Texas Baptists Convention in Waco.

Led by Jonathan Smith, director of Church Health and Growth for Texas Baptists,  the workshop included a brief preview of the PAVE process, designed to help pastors revision their churches with renewed mission and vision to reach their communities.

“Research from 2018-22 revealed that 85 percent of churches have plateaued or are declining. The nationwide average is 85-95 percent. So why does numerical decline happen? Because spiritual decline happens,” Smith noted. “If your church is here, you are in the vast majority. There are 149 pastors in PAVE so far. And at the end of one year, our data from the first 43 pastors showed that the majority gained new insights into their church, have been personally encouraged, have seen revitalization progress in their church and have seen their church become healthier, grow and increase baptisms. This is about the Holy Spirit’s power to revitalize.”

Introducing a panel of pastors and coaches who have been part of this project over the years, Smith noted that though all had unique situations, the biblical principles of PAVE were applicable and successful for all. 

Nathan Adams, pastor of First Baptist Church in Hereford, said he started the PAVE process last year early in his pastorate there. Already, he has gone from six baptisms in 2023 to 23 so far in 2024. The baptism celebrations, which are a key component of PAVE, have been transformational. 

“We’ve been displaying the church we want to become, making baptisms bigger than we have in the past. We’re celebrating more and talking about it more. We’re also involving those leaders in baptism that have been part of that person’s ministry,” Adams said. “One thing we are seeing is the change from being known as the ‘rich white church’ into having more Hispanics and younger families, and that demographic is changing. We’re inviting family and friends to witness baptisms, and they are asking questions. I really feel like we’re just at the tip of the iceberg.”

Tim Rowell, pastor of Flatonia Baptist Church for 20-plus years, was one of the first PAVE coaches and spoke of the cohort aspect, where four pastors and a coach meet regularly to encourage each other and brainstorm strategies to employ the PAVE process successfully.

“One of the most powerful parts of PAVE is the cohort, to have someone come alongside you and remind you ‘you’re not alone.’ As you meet together, you get to laugh together and share wisdom and encouragement. Just having these friends with you is so helpful,” said Rowell. He also noted that missional engagement in a church can begin to spur additional momentum toward growth and excitement for the mission.

Lee Williams III, church planting strategist for Texas Baptists and a PAVE coach, spoke of the importance of coaching in the model, noting it “allows us to deal with the moments each pastor has with their individual churches. I don’t have to provide all the answers but ask the right questions to make him think strategically on how to work with his church.”

First-time senior pastor Sam Bunnell, serving First Baptist Church Henrietta, said he almost immediately signed up for PAVE after arriving at the church and finding it wavering and apathetic to the mission. The two days of initial training in the process were encouraging, especially in knowing it would take time and patience to implement fully. 

“We talked about easy wins, which was focusing on baptisms for us. I learned this new way and implemented it right away. Emphasizing this is what we’re about, and it’s a big deal in our church,” said Bunnell. “That changed momentum. We went from averaging 2.5 baptisms a year for 20 years to six in the first year and 15 this year. That was a momentum builder like no other. But to do this, you have to see some people get saved, and we worked to assimilate new visitors into the church and intentionally engage them and share the gospel with them.”

Finally, Enrique Soto, minister at El Buen Pastor Church in Fort Worth, was part of PAVE in Español which launched this past year. Soto said his own diagnosis of cancer put an urgency in his heart to see the church grow, and it has been successful, going from 120 to around 200 in attendance. Soto said the growth of young people in the congregation and young couples – many of whom have taken on ministry roles in excitement – have been key to the momentum. 

“We made a lot of changes, and we thought people would leave. But they didn’t because it was directed by the Holy Spirit,” he said. “We were not just bringing people to church; we were making disciples. The older members started feeling the pressure to do something too, and now they are all excited.”

Explaining that PAVE asks for a one-year commitment from pastors, Smith said the model includes a major emphasis on the Great Commission and getting congregations focused back on the clear mission to make disciples. 

“Christians not consistently sharing the gospel and making disciples are in radical disobedience to their Father. I believe churches are declining for one primary reason: disobedience to the Great Commission,” Smith said. “A lot of times, the mission does the heavy lifting once the church gets back to the mission. Once they are concerned with seeing God’s will be done and his kingdom come, the rest works out.”

The PAVE program involves an initial training session – which will be offered at 10 different regional locations starting in 2025 – and four six-month phases that guide pastors and churches through the process of revitalizing. All is focused on turning the church “right side up,” where the mission is overarching and key, then the programs and then structures are all designed to support the mission.