Archive for the 'Pastors' Category
The Legacy Continues in Our Upcoming 2016 Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention
The annual Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention has a long-living legacy. During the days of the Conservative Resurgence, it helped set the agenda and atmosphere of the subsequent annual meeting of Southern Baptists.
3 Distinctives of the Pastors’ Conference
While the agenda may change annually, these distinctive principles set the tone.
1. Preaching Rules the Conference
The Pastors’ Conference highlights some of America’s finest biblical preachers and calls fellow pastors and laypersons to action.
2. Worship Sets the Atmosphere
The Pastor’s Conference is distinctive due to powerful, uplifting worship. It can be a tremendous outlet for pastors and their wives.
3. Encouragement is the Heart
At its best, the Pastors’ Conference gives heart-warming, life-changing encouragement to Pastors. In fact, it has been used of God to save the ministry of many pastors.
The 2016 Pastors’ Conference Will Continue This Legacy
Pastor John Meador of the First Baptist Church of Euless, Texas, is the current President of the 2016 Pastors’ Conference. He has gathered a powerful group of preachers, who will not just preach the Word, but encourage you to follow Jesus fully and do ministry passionately.
The theme, Live This, is based upon 2 Timothy 4:5-6. The goal is to challenge and equip pastors to mobilize and train their people to take the Gospel into their community more effectively. John believes, as I do, God wants to use the local church pastor to lead the way in reaching his community for Jesus.
Please go to sbcpc.net to learn more about this year’s Pastors’ Conference, including speakers and session details. It begins Sunday evening, June 12, and concludes Monday evening, June 13.
A Final Testimony
Some of the most dynamic moments in my life and ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention occurred during the Pastors’ Conference. I remember the 1979 Pastors’ Conference in Houston, Texas, when I heard James Robison, W.A. Criswell, and Adrian Rogers. It was my first convention and I had never been in such an environment.
President Stan Coffey, a friend who is now in heaven, asked me to preach at a Pastors’ Conference for the first time at the 1988 Pastors’ Conference in San Antonio, Texas. That evening, we were all sitting on the edge of our chairs and I will never forget W.A Criswell’s message, The Curse of Liberalism.
He introduced his message with these words: “We have a full program tonight, so we begin. May I speak on The Curse of Liberalism? Because of the opprobrious epithet “liberal,” today they call themselves “moderates.” A skunk by any other name still stinks!” The crowd exploded! The next day, Jerry Vines was elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention.
I have missed only two Pastors’ Conferences since 1979, have been humbled to speak many times at this conference, and was privileged to serve as its president in 1997 in Dallas, Texas. It has a special place in my life and ministry.
Come to our 2016 SBC Pastors’ Conference. You will be glad you did! John Meador, thank you for leading us as president. We are praying for you and the conference.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Southern Baptists and the Power of God
Far too many pastors, leaders, laypersons, and churches live life and do ministry without the power of God. Spiritual mediocrity leads to a lukewarm spiritual condition. Jesus severely rebuked a lukewarm life and church.
An Honest Evaluation of Ourselves as Southern Baptists
The Scripture warns us against deceiving ourselves. Modern day leadership warns against leaders who are not aware of their limitations. Both can happen personally, in a church, and even to a convention like Southern Baptists.
Almost 74% of our churches are plateaued or declining in attendance. The number of people we have reached and baptized has been declining for a number of years. In fact, this last year, we reached the same number of people as in 1948. Additionally, we are now witnessing our global missions personnel diminish by 1,132 people, 983 of which are God-called missionaries.
Simultaneously, many churches are filled with schisms and divisions. Our Southern Baptist family comprised of churches, associations, state conventions and national entities has continual challenges both internally and externally as we strive to walk in unity.
What are the answers to these challenges and others not mentioned?
The Power of God
I will never forget what Dr. Adrian Rogers and Bob Sorrell, Senior Associate Pastor of Bellevue Church in Cordova, Tennessee told me years ago: You cannot spiritualize management problems.
I agree with their words one hundred percent! Some challenges we face in our churches and within our convention are management issues that cannot be fixed by trying to spiritualize them. This only leads to further and deeper problems.
Yet, I am convinced that our greatest problem today is a lack of deep conviction of our need for the power of God. Far too many of us are living life, providing leadership, conducting and attending worship services, and doing ministry without the power of God. This has become so glaring within our churches and convention that we must not be deceived by where we are and what we do.
Activity is not spirituality. And spirituality by itself does not result in effective leadership. We need spiritual leadership! An effective spiritual leader maximizes their giftedness and is ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit at the same time.
When the Power of God is Released
I am convinced the power of God is released upon us when we walk in obedience to Jesus. Although this is not an exhaustive list, I humbly submit a few ways we can become recipients of His power together.
1. Preaching the Word of God
A practice I began years ago is standing upon 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 in prayer before I teach and preach the Word of God. It says, “My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit, so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.” Oh, how I want to preach God’s Word faithfully, but I also want it to be with a demonstration of God through me.
Eloquence of speech or cleverness of mind is nice, but without God’s power upon the preacher, they are empty. Charles Spurgeon knew deeply his need for the Holy Spirit in preaching. In fact, Spurgeon stated that he or any other preacher were “only skeletons without the Holy Ghost.”
Too much preaching today is done by nothing more than skeletons absent from the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Pastors, preach the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Crying out to God in prayer is a major part of your preparation in preaching. Do not minimize it. Laypersons, call upon God to anoint the preaching of your pastor with His Spirit.
2. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ
We read these words in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
When my evangelism professor, Roy Fish, taught personal evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he talked about how the power of God is always commensurate with our sharing the gospel. As he taught us this from Acts 1:8, he said God’s power will go to the level of our willingness to witness for Jesus Christ.
By the present state of affairs in our convention, the evidence is clear and convicting: We need an awakening in our commitment to personal and church evangelism. The power of God will go to the same level that we are willing to be witnesses practicing evangelism.
3. Crying Out to God in Prayer
Acts 4:31 says, “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.” Prayer was dominant in the New Testament church. The power of God shook the place where they were meeting because of prayer!
The church has never needed to pray more than today. We need the power of God to shake us and shake the churches of America! This will lead to a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and we will speak the message of God to this world with boldness.
We need to cease giving more time to promoting the church in our worship services than we give to calling out to God in prayer. No great move of God ever occurs that is not preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.
4. Walking in Unity
The power of God comes upon the church that walks in unity. Jesus said in John 17 the world will only know we are His by the oneness we have together. Walking in unity is imperative to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us.
Before the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, they were in one accord. The power of God is released upon a church when a church walks in unity. The power of God is released upon a family when they walk in unity.
The Southern Baptist Convention needs to recommit to walking in unity. When we are unified in our doctrine, mission, and fellowship, we will position ourselves for the release of the Holy Spirit’s power upon us.
This is Why
This is why we all need to come together in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 14-15, 2016. We need to agree, unite, and pray. We need the power of God more than ever before. Please adjust your schedule, find the funds, and make your way to St. Louis.
Let’s refuse to do ministry apart from the power of God.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.