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Churches Evangelize at Conference

dgreening — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:10:12 +0000

Pastor Dan Simmons of New Community Baptist Church of Strongsville (Ohio) facilitated nights of community outreach for 2009 GARBC Conference attendees. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings before Conference worship services, adults, teens, and children distributed cookies and invitations to neighborhood homes, inviting the residents to attend “Love Thy Neighbor Sunday” that was held the following Sunday in two area churches.

Pastor Dan shares the following report about the outreach effort:

3000 dozen cookies (36,000 cookies) were provided/given away!
2600 homes received cookies and invitations to church (at 3.5 persons per home = 9,100 touches were made)
4,000 left over cookies were delivered to Police & Fire, City Hall, and City Service
120 people helped deliver cookies and invitations over three days
The two target churches provided cookies; First Baptist of Lagrange-500 doz. cookies and First Bapitst of Elyria -250 doz. cookies
Additionally, 4-5 churches provided 100+ doz. cookies and many churches provided quantities of 10-30 doz.

Many churches helped and got people involved in evangelism through making cookies. The majority of cookies came from a forty-mile radius.

“Love Thy Neighborhood Sunday” celebrations took place in the target churches on Sunday, June 28th. Please pray that guests attending those services will continue to seek Christ and receive Him as Savior.

Special Offer: If you are interested in doing a similar outreach, Pastor Dan is packaging the outline, cookie distribution strategy, graphics, and “Love Thy Neighborhood Sunday” planning for those who request it.

GARBC Annual Conference

agower — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:41:48 +0000

Attendees of the 2009 GARBC Annual Conference, June 22-26, returned home with hearts full of thanksgiving for God’s Word. After focusing their minds on expository preaching and teaching based on the Cutting Straight (2 Timothy 2:15) theme, conferees were spiritually refreshed and ready to rightly divide the Word of God. It was a moving week in which God was glorified. Highlights of the week included:

stirring exposition of the Word (see audio links on the sidebar to the left)
Interaction on dispensationalism in workshops, panel discussions, and round-tables
launch of The Quest (young Baptist leaders) website
enriching workshops: Ins and Outs of Church Government, Technology and Media in Worship and Ministry
community outreach
Talents For Christ
Council of Eighteen Election
Conference resolutions
Great fellowship
And much more! See photo gallery.

Save the date to attend the 2010 GARBC Annual Conference, June 21-25 in Arlington Heights, IL (northwest of Chicago-plan family vacation!)

2009 Conference Addresses Dispensational Theology

Administrator — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:40:41 +0000

ELYRIA, Ohio—The 2009 GARBC Conference continued to focus on dispensational theology during a full day of activities on Tuesday. Dr. Renald Showers, church ministries representative for Baptist Friends of Israel, opened the morning Bible session with a discussion of the differences between Reformed and dispensational theology. Earlier in the day, conference messengers voted to clarify the GARBC Articles of Faith, approving several minor changes to the section on end-time events. Read more at BaptistBulletin.org.

Ins and Outs of Church Government

agower — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:10:11 +0000

Whether we like to admit it or not, any local church must have some sort of government in order to function decently. Bible-believing Baptists have generally practiced a “congregational” form of church government, and this type of system might be humorously referred to by the familiar parliamentary procedure phrase, “All in favor, say aye.”

This was the title of Tuesday morning’s workshop on the subject. Pastor Stan Lightfoot of Rustic Hills Baptist, Colorado Springs, began by reviewing the definition of congregational government, as well as other popular forms of church models: papal, episcopal, presbyterian (elder rule), state church, and minimalist. Lightfoot also shared quotes from several historical writers who have acknowledged that the congregational form of church government was the practice in the early Christian churches.

Some time was devoted to key Scripture passages that support congregational rule, followed by discussion of potential problems that churches face in this type of system, such as the scenario where a church takes a vote on an issue, and the issue wins or loses by just one vote. Another item the group discussed was just how much power a pastor should exercise and yet preserve the congregational rule.

A number of attendees in the workshop raised quality questions, and some cited examples in their own lives concerning strengths as well as challenges that present itself with congregationalism. It was a good, and hopefully helpful, interaction.

2009 Conference Begins

Administrator — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:22:57 +0000

ELYRIA, Ohio—Kevin Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, Minn., was the opening speaker at the 77th annual conference of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. More than 800 people attended the opening night event, representing about 1,450 GARBC churches in 45 states.

Earlier in the day, a group of young Baptist leaders in the GARBC announced the development of The Quest, a new ministry group and website geared toward young leaders. Read more at BaptistBulletin.org.

GARBC Conference—A Family Affair!

dgreening — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:39:14 +0000

Fun, fellowship, and food (spiritual and physical!) await the GARBC family at the 2009 GARBC Conference, June 22–26, in Elyria, Ohio. This year’s theme, “Cutting Straight,” reflects the Association’s commitment to rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Bible teaching and preaching are the focal points of the Conference, with panel and roundtable discussions on theological issues taking place. The week includes many GARBC family events, such as a Conference picnic, ladies’ luncheon, ministry receptions, and outreach opportunities. Exciting children’s and teen programs are happening, along with Talents For Christ competitions. The Quest, a group of young Baptist leaders, is participating in a workshop and enjoying a meal with their families together. International guests from India and the Philippines are attending the Conference, and the Association will be welcoming into the Fellowship stateside churches of Spanish, Filipino, and Haitian ethnicities.

GARBC Staff is posting daily updates from the Conference at the GARBC Conference and Baptist Bulletin websites. Whether conferees can attend for a day or a week, the Conference has something for everyone!

The Quest Reunites!

dgreening — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:20:58 +0000

Attention pastors under the age of forty:

You and your family are invited to a great time of fellowship and dinner on Tuesday evening, June 23rd, 5:00 p.m. at the GARBC Conference. Dinner will take place on the Conference site. (Rumor has it that “old guys” who want to connect with “young guys” may attend as well.) Also on Tuesday morning, a workshop for The Quest will take place.

Cutting Straight . . .

dgreening — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:44:24 +0000

is the theme of this year’s GARBC Conference (2 Timothy 2:15). You won’t want to miss the spiritually enriching time of preaching and teaching. Pastors, you’ll want to be sure to sign up early; a free book set will be given to the first 250 pastors who register!

2009 Conference to Stir Thinking

dgreening — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:29:14 +0000

Looking for a conference that offers much food for thought? Come to the 2009 GARBC Conference and take in challenging messages and great teaching. Conference speakers Renald Showers, author and teacher for the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., and Kevin Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, Minn., will explore the theme of dispensationalism during the five-day conference, held at First Baptist Church, Elyria, Ohio, on June 22–26. Conference guests will be challenged to think about the practical implications of their theological positions. Dr. Showers writes in There Really Is a Difference, “A biblical philosophy of history must be able to explain how, when, and why such things as murder, false religions, capital punishment, human government, different languages, different nations, anti-Semitism, the Church, Roman Catholicism, Islam, the Renaissance, and the Reformation began.”

Headed to Ohio!

agower — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:22:16 +0000

Plan now to attend the 2009 GARBC Annual Conference in Elyria, Ohio. A great lineup of workshops and speakers are scheduled for this year’s theme, Cutting Straight, 2 Timothy 2:15. Take an active role at this year’s Conference by exploring the theme through interactive discussions. Join your GARBC family for a great time of fellowship and spiritual enrichment! Plan now to attend. Register today!