Ed Litton, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, North Mobile, in Saraland, will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors Conference during its June 8–9 meeting in Indianapolis, James T. Draper Jr., president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, announced May 13.
Litton, the first announced candidate for the position, has served as pastor of First, North Mobile, since 1994. Under Litton’s leadership, the congregation has grown in average attendance from 700 to 1,100 and averaged 140 baptisms per year for the past 10 years. It built a 1,500-seat worship center and added 19 acres of property without incurring additional debt. The congregation’s international missions ministry recorded more than 20,000 professions of faith in the past eight years. Litton also created "One80 Outdoors," an evangelistic outdoor sports show that reaches 19 million households through The Sportsman Channel.
"Ed has served the church in Alabama for 14 years now, and it has had significant growth under his leadership," Draper said.
"They have averaged 140 baptisms a year for the past 10 years and give more than 10 percent to the Cooperative Program. The church involved 175 people in 17 different international mission projects last year, and he has been guest speaker at International Mission Board (IMB) regional retreats in Uruguay, Brazil and Cyprus."
Litton will also be one of the featured speakers at this year’s Pastors Conference, speaking the morning of June 9, along with Alan Day of First Baptist Church, Edmond, Okla.; Hayes Wicker of First Baptist Church, Naples, Fla.; and George Harris of First Baptist Church, Kerrville, Texas.
This year’s Pastors Conference will focus on a call to prepare for revival — and the outpouring of witness and ministry that results.
Gathering under the banner Prepare for Rain, participants will focus on the role of prayer and brokenness in spiritual renewal.
"What we’ve done at times is we’ve hit our preachers over the head and said we need to be more evangelistic, but the reality is we don’t have praying churches that are longing for revival," said Michael Catt, Pastors Conference president and senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Ga.
"If there’s not prayer and brokenness in revival, our churches are not going to do a better job of evangelism because carnal people don’t have a burden for lost people."
During Monday afternoon’s session, Draper, Southern Baptist evangelist Bill Stafford, Stuart Briscoe of Telling the Truth ministries and James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Ill., will speak on the theme of revival.
Monday evening, Charles Lowery of the Lowery Institute for Excellence, Kerry Shook of Fellowship of the Woodlands near Houston and Evangelist Jay Strack will deliver messages on evangelism.
Featured speakers for the Sunday evening session will be Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga.; Daniel Simmons of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Albany, Ga.; and Tom Elliff, senior vice president for spiritual nurture and church relations at the IMB.
Music for the conference will be led by Mark Willard, worship leader at Sherwood Baptist, accompanied by a praise team and a 16-piece band.
Catt hopes the conference will be a time for renewing the spirits of pastors who are struggling.
"The Pastors Conference needs to be for guys who are rolling into town on four flat tires, ready to resign," he said.
"I’m praying that God so moves in that room that it’s no longer about where are we going to eat but it really stirs the hearts of every man and woman in that room toward doing something different for God."
Pastors who arrive early to the conference will also have the opportunity to screen "Fireproof," a new movie on unconditional love and covenant marriage produced by Sherwood Baptist, June 8 at 2 p.m. The church has produced two earlier movies, "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants." For a complete schedule of events, visit www.sbclife.net/Articles/2008/05/sla7.asp. (BP)
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