This past week, I attended a state meeting with other key leaders. We were discussing ways to support churches in embracing the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Our leader shared information with us about the population of the state of Texas and the condition of the local church in Texas.
The current population in the state of Texas is obviously growing. Did you know that our current population is about 31.7 million people? That places Texas in the second-largest population position. California is the only state with a larger population of 39 million, and its population has been stagnant since 2015. Texas is projected to increase its population to 45 to 50 million by 2050. Some would suggest that DFW alone would have an estimated population of 14 million by 2050, given its current population of 6 million.
The bottom line is that Texas has become a state that is growing and in need of more churches. In the same meeting, the leaders pointed out that there is currently one church for every 4,500 people. By 2050, the projection is that there will be one church for every 16,000 people. Couple that with the fact that 145 churches close their doors every year in the state of Texas.
All of this information translates into a need to do two things.
1. We must continue to strengthen our existing churches to reach an ever-growing population. Our association must help our partnering churches to practice new strategies of sharing the gospel with a population of people who have not grown up in church or may have never heard about Jesus Christ because they came from a country that worships a false god.
2. We will continue to lead the charge to start new churches in this area. As I have stated before, our association must be willing to invest in church planting today and in the future. Our budget currently has $23,000 allotted for church planting. This year, we will spend approximately $60,000 on this necessary work. The remaining funds come from an interest-bearing account and a special account established several years ago for church planting.
Through this work, we currently provide funding for 11 church plants. These plants are reaching Chinese, Korean, Haitian, Tamil, and English-speaking populations. We also host a cohort that includes both Indian and English speakers. These men will be planting in the future.
My desire is that we continue to start churches and strengthen existing ones. We have key leaders who are helping us to train and mentor church planters. We have fellow ministers who are willing to help churches that need strengthening. In the long term, we will need funds to start and strengthen the two groups of churches. If you or your church is interested in helping us in either of these areas—church planting or church strengthening—please get in touch with the DBA office. Ultimately, we will need to reach the growing population that is migrating to Texas. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send out workers and provide us with the resources to encourage this work to flourish.