By Editor Bob Terry
What do you want from the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference? Do you want to hear Alabama Baptist pastors? Do you want to be inspired by nationally recognized speakers? Do you want to know what Southern Baptists are doing to support evangelism across the United States?
Do you want practical helps on reaching certain target groups with the gospel? Do you want to know how to emphasize evangelism during regular worship services or how to give an evangelistic invitation? Do you want to know how to emphasize ministry evangelism in your congregation?
Do you want great music?
This year’s State Evangelism Conference Feb. 25–26 at First Baptist Church, Montgomery, offers all of this and more (see program, pages 12–13).
Four of the five Evangelism Conference sessions will feature Alabama Baptists. Lawrence Phipps, founding pastor of Montgomery’s Vaughn Forest Baptist Church, will kick off the conference Monday afternoon. Phipps is nationally known as a leader in the FAITH evangelism program. He not only has written numerous articles about growing the church through Sunday School but he also has implemented that approach at Vaughn Forest.
New tools for evangelism
Tuesday morning, Scottsboro pastor Roger Mardis will speak. He is the founding pastor of Agape Baptist Church, started in 1999. That afternoon, David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in north Shelby County, will be featured. Platt formerly served as preaching professor and dean of the chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
In the closing Tuesday evening session, Alabama-native Bobby Welch will speak. Welch, a native of Fort Payne, is the immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He currently works for the SBC Executive Committee as strategist for global evangelical relations.
Nationally known personalities on this year’s Evangelism Conference program include Don Wilton, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, S.C.; James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe — The Church at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Ga.; and Ergun Caner, president of Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va.
Wilton is seen nationally through his “The Encouraging Word” program, which is aired on the Inspiration Network. He formerly served as associate professor of evangelistic preaching at New Orleans Seminary. Merritt is a former SBC president who has been involved in a new church start for the past five years. Caner is a converted Muslim and travels extensively teaching the differences between Islam and Christianity.
Other out-of-state speakers include Frank Cox, who is returning to the Alabama Baptist Evangelism Conference, and Herb Reavis Jr., senior pastor of North Jacksonville Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla. Cox, who previously spoke at the 2005 and 1998 state evangelism conferences, is senior pastor of North Metro First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, Ga. During his 25-plus years as pastor, he has led the church to grow from just under 500 members to more than 5,400.
In addition to his pastorate, Reavis is noted for using a radio and television program called “Reach Out” to proclaim the gospel in the greater Jacksonville region and beyond.
For those looking for information and new tools to use in evangelism, Geoff Hammond, president of the SBC’s North American Mission Board, will be on hand to report on the board’s emphases on evangelism and church planting. In addition, Matthew Tanner will share how God used Baptists from around the nation (including Alabama) to restore the church he leads, Loving Four Baptist Tabernacle in the Central City community of New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina.
A variety of workshops
Running simultaneously with the general Evangelism Conference sessions will be six Great Commission Ministries Tracks. These are timed to allow participants to hear a particular speaker in the general session or to participate in a training conference. The training conferences will take various approaches. Some will deal with target evangelism. Topics include VBS, Your #1 Tool for Evangelism; Impacting the Student Culture; Men’s Fraternity; and Beyond Chaos: Purpose Empowered Women.
Other workshops will focus on evangelism in worship. For example, Charles T. Carter, pastor emeritus of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, will lead one related to preaching evangelistically and giving an invitation.
Some conferences will focus on one’s personal relationship with Christ. These include sessions on Great Beginnings for New Christians, Living a God-shaped Life: Pursuing Holiness Day by Day, The Power of Knowing Who You Are and more.
Other workshops will offer helpful information, ranging from sessions on Understanding Islam to Creating Video, Audio & Music Media on Your PC to a Demographic Profile of Alabama.
And the music. Christian recording artist Luke Garrett will be featured on the first day of the conference and popular music group Paid in Full on the second. Choirs from host First, Montgomery, will join Garrett on Monday evening, while choirs from East Memorial Baptist Church, Prattville, will be featured Tuesday evening.
The only thing missing is you. You have to decide to avail yourself of the opportunity to participate in two special days of inspiration and training. The program is not just for pastors and church staff members. It is for all Alabama Baptists, and it has something to benefit every Alabama Baptist.
A ‘don’t miss’ opportunity
Outside of Baptist life, one would expect to pay a sizable registration fee for access to either the general sessions or the ministries tracks. But because of Cooperative Program support, Alabama Baptists are provided these great resources free of charge.
Sometimes Baptists grow complacent and take such wonderful opportunities as the annual Evangelism Conference for granted. Shame on us when we do such a thing. This is a time to avail ourselves of the opportunity to learn more about how to do evangelism as well as be inspired by some who are being blessed in their evangelistic efforts.
Be a part of this year’s Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference. I hope to see you there.
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