Scott Gordon announced June 10 that he will nominate Jose Burgos, pastor of New Creation Ministry Church in Highland, Ind., for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) at the upcoming annual meeting.
Gordon, pastor of Claycomo Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., made the announcement in a blog post on SBCVoices.com, along with “the encouragement and support” of the site’s bloggers.
New Creation ministry photo Jose Burgos |
Burgos started New Creation in 2011 with 20 people. The church has since grown to an average attendance of 90 people and most of them are new converts, Gordon said.
“As a church planter in a non-traditional area for our convention,” Gordon said, “his is a voice we need to hear. He believes that, just as he learned through his military, law enforcement and church planting training, ‘All of us are smarter than any one of us.’ Our cooperative efforts are essential to the continuing Great Commission work of Southern Baptists.”
He continued, “Jose’s heart is that of a disciple-maker, making disciples who also make disciples. The core principles of his church include that they be a house of prayer which reaches into the community building relationships giving them the opportunity to make disciples who become leaders who carry on this Great Commission ministry.”
Gordon added, “The people of New Creation Ministry Church also reflect a vast array of cultures, bringing to light the beautiful picture found in Scripture that, in Christ, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all. Jose and his church will soon have the privilege of ordaining a new pastor, which they have mentored within their church. They will also be commissioning him to go out to shepherd their first church plant. Evangelism, ministry and discipleship are deeply embedded in the DNA of this church.”
Burgos has been married to his wife Tina for 26 years. They have two daughters.
See the full announcement below.
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With the encouragement and support of this band of brothers here, I will be nominating Jose Burgos, pastor of New Creation Ministry Church, in Highland, IN, to be the next Second VP of our convention.
I believe that Jose will serve our convention well as Second VP. As a church planter in a non-traditional area for our convention, his is a voice we need to hear. He believes that, just as he learned through his military, law enforcement, and church planting training, “All of us are smarter than any one of us.” Our cooperative efforts are essential to the continuing Great Commission work of Southern Baptists. He also believes that we must be mindful of the significant opportunity we, as a convention of churches, have to lead those around us through our influence. God has placed us, at this particular time, in our places of influence for ministry – for the sake of the glory of His name. His actions are consistent with his voice. His church is a faithful supporter of our missions and ministry efforts through faithful giving through the Cooperative Program.
Having grown up in a large Catholic family, he was led to Christ through the unwavering evangelistic efforts of a Baptist church in his hometown. His life speaks to a call to service. He has served our country in the US Army and his community as a police officer. He has served the churches of which he has been a part through teaching ministries, as a deacon, and now as a church planting pastor. In 2011, Jose completed his Masters in Biblical Counseling through Liberty University.
Jose’s heart is that of a disciple-maker, making disciples who also make disciples. The core principles of his church include that they be a house of prayer which reaches into the community building relationships giving them the opportunity to make disciples who become leaders who carry on this Great Commission ministry.
New Creation Ministry Church began in 2011 with 20 people. It has grown in its five years of existence to an average attendance of 90 people on any given Sunday. The majority of those connected to the life of New Creation have done so as new converts. The people of New Creation Ministry Church also reflect a vast array of cultures, bringing to light the beautiful picture found in Scripture that, in Christ, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all. Jose and his church will soon have the privilege of ordaining a new pastor, which they have mentored within their church. They will also be commissioning him to go out to shepherd their first church plant. Evangelism, Ministry, and Discipleship are deeply embedded in the DNA of this church.
I believe that Jose is well-positioned to speak with a clear voice to the future of our convention. He sees the need to be intentional in our relationships as believers-to-believers, churches-to- churches, and as a convention…that all our churches be seen as worthy of our investment and integral to our work. His is a voice we need to hear.
Jose and his wife, Tina, have been married 26 years. They have two daughters, Kristyana and Natalie. Interestingly, Kristiyana’s husband was the first person Jose baptized…and that was about three months prior to the official launch of the church on Easter Sunday 2011. Obviously, what was said earlier of the church is clearly evidenced in the life of its pastor.
I whole-heartedly recommend for your prayerful consideration, Jose Burgos, to be the next Second VP of the Southern Baptist Convention.