Archive for April, 2016
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.
A National Call to Prayer for Spiritual Leadership, Revived Churches, and Nationwide & Global Awakening
On June 14, the entire Tuesday evening session of the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention will be committed to praying for spiritual leaders, our churches, nation, and world. There, perhaps, has never been a time in our generation when we have needed to pray more than now.
The Greatest Night Ever
Testimonies poured in from across the nation after last year’s national call to prayer, where 7,000 Baptists cried out to the Lord together. A common testimony was, “This was the greatest moment I have ever experienced in a Southern Baptist Convention.” God was with us powerfully and everyone present knew He was!
2016 National Call to Prayer
Last year was the first session, perhaps in our modern history, where an entire session of the Southern Baptist Convention was given to prayer. Due to the work of God among us last year, His present work today, the critical need of the hour in America, the state of our churches, the needs of our pastors, the status of our evangelism or lack of it, and the exponential lostness of the world while we are bringing home hundreds of our missionaries… it is time to pray.
Baptists need to pour into St. Louis by the thousands for this historic night of prayer. Those who can only attend this one night, please come. For the members of the 300 churches in the metro region of St. Louis, please come for this significant night.
Southern Baptists who are not able to come to St. Louis may join us as it is streamed live on the web at www.sbc.net.
3 Components of This National Prayer Gathering
1. Spiritual Leadership: We will pray for pastors and spiritual leaders in America… their lives, leadership, families, and ministries.
2. Revived Churches: We will pray for our churches in America… for racial unity in our churches and nation, and for the dry bones of spiritual life in our churches to come alive. Our God can turn any church around!
3. Nationwide & Global Awakening: We will pray for America… where we are in our nation spiritually, morally, politically, and for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America as well as an explosion of the Gospel to bring about global awakening.
Please Review and Share This Graphic Across the World
At the present time, the persons who will help me lead this gathering are listed below. Others may join us in leading as well. Pray for these persons by name, gather the people, and let’s come to St. Louis expecting God to move in our hearts so dynamically, people will say as they did in Acts 17:6, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
The above image is from the Pre-Convention issue of SBC LIFE, newsjournal of the Southern Baptist Convention. The print edition, published five times a year, is distributed free of charge to all pastors and will be mailed next week; the digital version is posted online and is accessible to everyone. Each issue contains vital information about our Southern Baptist ministries. If you do not receive SBC LIFE, click on the subscription tab at SBCLife.net to receive the print or access the digital version.
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.