Well… it’s official… Wendy and I are moving to Texas! I have accepted a position as the Pastor of Worship at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, TX and will begin working there on February 22nd, 2015. Austin is the capital of Texas and has been named the fastest growing city in the United States with over 100 new people moving there each day.

Hyde Park Baptist Church is a large church with a rich history and is also the home of Hyde Park Baptist Schools, a 4K-12 fully SACS accredited private Christian school with a strong 40-year history of Christ-centered excellence in education. The main church campus is near the downtown area of Austin and is also the home of the elementary and middle schools. A second campus on the north side of Austin named The Quarries serves as a second church campus as well as the home for Hyde Park High School and The Quarries Fitness Center.

At Hyde Park, I will serve as a member of the Executive Team along with the Pastor, Dr. J. Kie Bowman. Dr. Bowman has served as Senior Pastor since joining the Hyde Park Baptist Church staff in 1997. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in New Testament Interpretation from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, where he also received the Master of Divinity degree.

In addition to leading the Worship Ministry, I will have opportunities to unleash some of my other passions for teaching, preaching, and writing. Hyde Park is also going to help publish my first book on Christian Apologetics, Prove It, which Dr. Ken Hemphill has agreed to publish through his publishing company, Auxano Press. Dr. Norman Geisler has written the foreword for the book and, if the timing works out, the plan is for the book to be published on Easter Sunday. That morning, a copy of the book will be distributed to the entire congregation as a free gift. Shortly after Easter, I will begin teaching the apologetics curriculum at Hyde Park.

Here is a short quote from Dr. Geisler’s foreword to the book:

“Prove It by Stephen Cutchins is one of the best written, best organized, and most timely books to fill the need to provide a defense for our faith. Never has the evangelical church needed books like this more than today. Every pastor, every parent, every Sunday School teacher, and every youth worker needs this book. I highly recommend it.”

Wendy and I ask for your prayers as we take a step of faith and move into a new season of ministry. It is with a heavy heart that we move away from the Carolinas, which have been our home for decades. However, our family is united around this decision and are trusting God with all the details. He has been faithful in the past and we look forward to seeing His faithfulness on display in our lives as we move forward.