This year’s Alabama Baptist Pastors Conference will be nothing but a place for pastors to get away and concentrate on the holiness of the Lord, said Harold Fanning, president of the 2005 Pastors Conference.
“I hope that pastors will come out of the conference excited about knowing the Lord and recognizing His holiness,” said Fanning, pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist Church, Decatur.
“I want these pastors to have a day to forget about the stuff that’s going on out in the world and forget about political stuff — this day will be Jesus’ day.”
For He Is Exalted is the theme of the daylong conference, to be held Nov. 14 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville.
“An alarming phenomena is sweeping our land today in an attempt to move the church from the ‘sacred’ to the ‘secular,’” Fanning said. “We have well-meaning individuals who are telling us that the church can evangelize the world by adopting secular principles and marketing strategies. We are constantly being bombarded with phrases like, ‘user friendly,’ ‘marketing your church,’ ‘contemporary approaches’and others.”
The theme comes from Philippians 2:9 and asks pastors to come and experience the holiness of God without having to worry about the conference being a political forum, Fanning said.
“God demands our adoration, worship and obedience. It is time for the pulpits of America to rise up and boldly proclaim the exaltation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” he added.
Developing the theme at the conference will be eight Southern Baptist pastors and evangelists, five of whom are Alabamians.
The speakers are, in order of appearance:
• Richard Walker, pastor of MacLand Baptist Church, Powder Springs, Ga.
• Edwin Jenkins, director of the office of leadership and church growth for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
• Junior Hill, an evangelist from Hartselle.
• Len Turner, an evangelist from Woodstock, Ga.
• Billy Cagle, pastor of Flint Baptist Church, Decatur.
• Michael Mason, an evangelist from Decatur.
• Roger Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville.
• David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, San Diego, Calif.
A lineup of 10 other Alabama Baptists pastors will also be praying at different points sprinkled throughout the program. “We wanted to involve the (Alabama Baptist) State Board of Missions, as well as give some Alabamians a chance to speak,” Fanning said.
Special music will be brought by Evidence, a quartet from Spring Hill, Tenn., as well as the Morgan County Mass Choir. David Hopkins, minister of praise and worship of Shoal Creek Baptist, will lead worship throughout the day. A luncheon will also be held as part of this year’s Pastors Conference with Whitesburg Baptist pastor Jimmy Jackson speaking.
“He will be speaking on the exaltation of Christ and all are invited,” Fanning said, adding that pastors should look for more details at the conference.
Jackson said Whitesburg is glad to host the conference and welcomes pastors, hoping that the time will be both pleasant and profitable. “We have been praying and preparing for the Pastors Conference and the annual convention for many months,” he said.
For more information about the Pastors Conference and details of the Nov. 15–16 annual meeting of Alabama Baptists, visit www.thealabamabaptist.org and watch upcoming issues of The Alabama Baptist.
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