Pete Ramirez, Executive Director of the California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC), met in person with the Vision Task Force on Tuesday, August 12, debriefing insights from the “Hear the Heart” listening sessions conducted across California in May to begin strategizing toward Ramirez’s 2% vision, cast at the 2023 annual meeting.
This meeting was 10 months in the making. As a reminder, here is the timeline:
- In October 2023, Ramirez spoke at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Clovis, where he cast a vision wherein 2% of California’s population would be in Southern Baptist Churches by the year 2033. (you can watch here – start at 50:40 and watch until 1:00:30)
- In November 2023, the GC Collective Podcast dedicated an episode to talking about Pete’s vision – Listen here for the 2% Podcast with guest Johnny Mendez
- Between May 14 and 23, “Hear the Heart” Listening Sessions were scheduled throughout California (San Diego, Orange County, Gold Coast/Ventura, Inland Empire, Shasta County, Great Commission, Mid-Valley/Fresno County, Kern County, and Redwood Empire/Solano County). (You can read the news story detailing those listening sessions here).
- In July, The GC Collective Podcast Hosts (Pete, Sarah, & Jason) debriefed the “Hear the Heart” Listening Sessions, and you can listen to them here at the Hear the Heart Podcast
- In August, the Vision Task Force met in person at Gateway Seminary.
According to Ramirez, “The [task force] members are composed of some board members, partners (DOM, NAMB), some staff members, the elected CSBC President and Vice President, and pastors.”
The Vision Task Force is composed of Nestor Amaya, Jason Blankenship, Will Browning Francis Chung, Victor Chayasirisobhon, Mark Gayden, Sarah Graham, Scott Hinman* (*Chairperson), Daryl Lackey, Jenice Moore, Jason Robertson, Rolland Slade, and Victor Solorzano. Jenice Moore, member of Gatetree Baptist Church in Danville, feels the weight as one of only two women on the committee but overall believes there is “a good representation of different groups from the state.” She continued, “It was obvious [Pete] made an effort to include a lot of groups so he could hear from everybody.”
The meeting began with a devotional word from Gateway President Adam Groza, followed by a season of prayer. Scott Hinman, who is spearheading the facilitation, guided the task force through a full day of debriefing and deconstructing the concerns raised by leaders across the state.
“Process takes time but it’s that time you put in… if you do the due diligence, that takes all the difference,” noted Hinman. “I’m reminded of Hebrews 12 where it says, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. If you do things haphazardly, you won’t get the same results. Process takes time…”
Hinman, who serves as Executive Pastor at Clovis Hills Community Church, continued, “When we go through exercises like this the goal really is getting people not to be compliant but rather to be convicted. Things will go father if we are convicted. We want our key leader to be convicted. You will only get so much out of a sense of compliance you will get so much more out of conviction.”
Both the news story and the Hear the Heart podcast (linked above) outline a timeline that the Vision Task Force has since restructured. According to the news story, “Ramirez concluded each session by detailing the next phases: First, he will assemble a task force comprised of “select staff, board members, and a few leaders from partnering agencies” to consider and work through all that was shared and to craft a strategic roadmap. Finally, he committed to reconvene a second time in the coming months with each group to share, in person, steps toward reaching California’s 2% goal.”
In the Hear the Heart podcast, at around the 22:17 mark, Ramirez emphasizes the importance of follow-up sessions, stating, “It might be at the end of August, … definitely before September, I expect to be out on the road again, sharing with others what has come from our strategy meetings. This is a priority for us because we believe that we have a great work to do, and we have to strategize together.”
Ultimately, the group tasked Ramirez with working through some matters with the CSBC staff, leading to a second meeting scheduled for October 2, effectively slowing the original timeline.
“I think we have a lot of work to do,” said Moore. “We came to a good consensus, but there are a lot of details and some challenges along the way. We still need to talk to the board, and we need to figure out how to encourage pastors and churches to join and be active in the process.”
Ramirez agrees with Moore that encouraging leaders to come alongside is key. “The in-person meeting was a bit eye opening as the task force brought up various thoughts on encouraging leaders to come alongside one another in counting the blessings weekly. Those blessings are the regular attendees that churches minister to every week.”
Though the projected timeline has been delayed, the consensus is that it is better to take the time and do it right. “I am optimistic, and I think there is a good strategy set in motion,” said Victor Solorzano, current CSBC Vice President and Pastor of Iglesia Vida en Victoria in Bell Gardens. “There is a group of people, from different roles and different church sizes, committed to giving sincere time and energy toward this strategy; our people should feel blessed.”
“Everybody wants to work on the future of the convention in the best way possible. Regardless of what the final product looks like, or when it comes,” said Moore, “people can feel confident in the integrity of the group and that there was a sense of teamwork and working together.”
And Ramirez wholly agrees. “I believe that when vision is being rolled out, it is better to be right than to let the calendar dictate your pace. Having the wisdom and input of these leaders -as we roll out a new strategy and vision for CSBC- is not a process to be rushed. The reality is, processes like these take time, and conventions move slowly, more slowly than churches.”
Like the rest of the committee, Hinman does not see the adjusted timeframe as a deterrent. “God is moving in California,” he said, “and to hear Pete’s vision on engaging the state with the Gospel over the next decade is intimidating yet encouraging. The process will take time, but I believe this state, and our communities will look different because of the prayer and commitments being made today!”
