SAN ANTONIO (BCA) — Baptist communicators from across the nation made their way to Alamo City April 21-24, for the annual Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) spring workshop.  

Sitting in the shadow of the mission-turned-battlefield at the historic Menger Hotel, this year’s workshop called attention to the gospel-driven purpose behind the work Baptist communicators do by considering the theme “All in the Name of the Lord.”

Each keynote and breakout session strived to equip the nearly 70 workshop attendees with tools to add to their professional tool belts as well as a healthy reminder of why what they do matters, not just for the here and now, but for eternity.  

Lessons learned

After a brief devotional led by BCA Program Chair Heather Penna of Texas Baptists, keynote speaker Kristin Cole, founder and CEO of KC Communications, kicked off the first full day of the workshop. 

Cole, who specializes in crisis communications, focused her time on the importance of building and sustaining trust with clients, especially as professionals seeking to reflect Christ. 

“As Christian communicators, our credibility isn’t just about what we say, but what we do and how we handle challenges,” she said. “The reputation of a Christian communicator isn’t about self-promotion, it’s about reflecting Christ’s character.”

Following Cole, Jeremy Honea, creative director of e3 Partners, continued the thread of reflecting the Lord through the craft of communications in a keynote address titled “Co-Creators with God.”

Honea, based in Dallas, started his keynote by highlighting God as Creator, referencing Genesis 1:1-2. He proposed that this is a heritage that creatives have a unique opportunity to take part in, noting Adam as the first co-creator with God in the Garden of Eden. 

Viewing Eden as the first “temple,” a term Honea defined as “the cross section of where God dwells and where humans dwell,” he spent most of his address exploring other temples named in Scripture and observed the part humans played in the creation of these holy spaces.  

Honea concluded his keynote by pointing to Jesus, the Temple that will last for eternity. He illustrated Jesus as the “Tekton,” a Hebrew term for carpenter, mason, artisan or craftsman, and reminded creatives of the moment Jesus ascended and left us as living stones with the responsibility to go and make more living stones. 

“Anything that we create, design [or] communicate that is designed to make more believers is us using our craft to physically build the temple continually,” he said. 

The trend of memorable keynote sessions carried through into the next two days of the workshop as communicators heard from Katie Frugé, director of Texas Baptists’ Center for Cultural Engagement; Jonathan Malm, author and entrepreneur, most notable for his work with Sunday Social; and Matt Miller, Founder Principal of MAS Media. 

In her address, Frugé dove into John 4 and laid out “five pillars for good communication” through the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. Frugé highlighted Jesus’ patient communication with the woman and made a quick note of the cross-cultural interactions that took place during this moment. She urged communicators to learn from Jesus’ example. 

Jonathan Malm pulled from his book “Don’t Burn Out, Burn Bright” to share with BCA members the importance of knowing their limits and being self-aware of what areas of burn out they lean towards.  

“A lot of us in ministry, we have this desire to help people, and it can feel like we are putting up walls (when we put up boundaries), but it’s important to see boundaries as a gate, not a wall,” Malm said. 

He continued: “What if we saw boundaries as an appropriate way for people to come in and get our help?” 

Miller, a veteran in the communications field, shared a variety of lessons he has learned and how to navigate the inevitable challenges as professional communicators and Christ followers. 

Workshop guests also enjoyed a special lunch time panel on the first day of the workshop, which featured those who received a Grand Prize in the 2024 Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition. 

A historic night 

Communicators dressed in their best Texan attire April 22 and filled Casa Rio, the first restaurant to open along the San Antonio River Walk in 1946, for the 61st annual Wilmer C. Fields Awards Ceremony. 

The awards presentation was hosted by BCA Awards Chair Kathleen Sparks and BCA Membership Vice President Sarah Graham. Together, Sparks and Graham handed out more than 200 BCA awards and seven grand prize trophies. The 2025 grand prize recipients include: 

• René Zimny, Zimny Media — The Albert McClellan Award for Exceptional Achievement in Print Media & Design 
• Tim Ellsworth, Union University — The Leonard Holloway Award for Exceptional Achievement in Feature Writing 
• Kristen Sosebee, International Mission Board (IMB) — The Frank Burkhalter Award for Exceptional Achievement in Religious News Writing 
• William Haun, IMB — The M. E. Dodd Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Radio, Television, Film & Video 
• Cassidy Higgins, Arkansas Baptist State Convention — The Diane Reasoner Award for Exceptional Achievement in Interactive Communications 
• Philip King, IMB — The Jon H. Scofield Award for Exceptional Achievement in Photography 
• California Baptist University — The Arthur S. Davenport Award for Exceptional Achievement in Public Relations & Development 

In addition to these grand prize winners, BCA members also honored Jim Veneman, renowned photographer, photo editor and photojournalism professor, as a Lifetime Member. BCA Lifetime Members are selected from current or former members who have given significant service to the field of communications. 

Veneman has been a member of BCA since 1984. He is the only member to serve as president for four terms and the only president to serve in three different decades. Jim accepted the Lifetime Membership honor and award with his wife Carol in San Antonio. 

Serving together and looking ahead 

Before the conclusion of the 2025 BCA workshop, members voted on and welcomed new officers for the 2025-26 term. Outgoing president Bobby Puffenburger from Bay Leaf Baptist Church in North Carolina, passed the gavel to newly elected president Brandon Elrod of the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

“I was honored to be named president during our annual BCA Workshop last week,” Elrod said. “I’m humbled that our members have given me the privilege to serve. I look forward to working with our officers to create meaningful experiences this year that help shape all of us professionally and spiritually as we help Southern Baptists in our efforts to support the fulfillment of the Great Commission.”

The officers coming alongside Elrod to serve include: 

• Immediate past president: Bobby Puffenburger, Bay Leaf Baptist Church 
• President-elect: Kathleen Sparks, IMB 
• Membership vice president: Mitchell Bruce, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions 
• Communications vice president: Macala Mays, Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey
• Professional development coordinator: Sonya Singh, California Baptist University 
• Program chair (Alabama 2026): Amanda Smith, First Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama 
• Awards chair (2026): Lisa Misner, Illinois Baptist State Association 
• Program chair-elect (2027): Shannon Baker, Baptist Resource Network
• Awards chair-elect (2027): Myriah Snyder, Lifeway Christian Resources 
• Treasurer: Judy Bates, JSB Business Services 
• Historian: Cam Tracy, Union University 
• Executive director: Margaret Colson, Florida Baptist Convention 

The workshop concluded with a service project that had members filling mission bags for Texas Baptists River Ministries. 

BCA’s 71st annual spring workshop will be April 2026 in Alabama. Members attending the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas are encouraged to attend the BCA dessert fellowship on June 8 at 9 p.m.