Nebraska Church Hosts Stronger Church Conference

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb.—“Wouldn’t it be great to have a stronger church? Well, we have a wonderful opportunity at First Baptist Church in October,” wrote Pastor Keith Hunt as he invited his congregation to attend the Stronger Church Conference hosted by First Baptist on Oct. 6 and 7.

The conference would, he said, provide an opportunity to hear from GARBC National Representative John Greening, as well as from Clare Jewell, national church planting coordinator for Regular Baptist Churches; David Gunn, newly appointed director of Regular Baptist Press; and Alan Wilson, U.S. field coordinator for RBP.

Making the conference personal for his church and state, Pastor Hunt explained the three tracks of workshops being offered: Work Out, Max Out, and Stretch Out. The Work Out track centers on discipleship. “I think we can agree that strong disciples make a strong church,” wrote Hunt. “And a stronger church will produce mature disciples. Our goal is Christlike maturity, and the church is the best way to produce that in the lives of those who follow Christ.”

The Max Out track is about revitalization. “Let’s face it,” he told the congregation, “when a church has been around for 162 years, it probably needs to be revitalized every once in a while. Our mission doesn’t change, but sometimes we need to update our methods and rearrange our assets in order to accomplish our mission more effectively. This track emphasizes the need to maximize the gifts and resources of the church so that they can be used for the fullest potential.”

The Stretch Out track focuses on church planting. A stronger church will be involved in reproduction. “Our Nebraska association has been pretty good at casting a vision for starting new churches. Unfortunately, we have lost a few of the new churches recently. . . . We rejoiced at the birth of these churches, but they did not survive. This track of the conference will be a much-needed primer on the necessity of planting and nourishing stronger churches.”

Interested in attending or hosting a Stronger Church Conference? Contact Alan Wilson by phone (888-588-1600, ext. 894), email (awilson@garbc.org), or text (847-830-8477). He appreciates that making time to attend a conference is hard, but he encourages pastors, church staffs, and congregations to attend a Stronger Church conference, which, he says, has the potential to change a ministry.

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