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Illinois and Missouri Churches Meet for Fall Conference

By October 6, 2021November 1st, 2021No Comments

Mike Myers (center), pastor of Faith Baptist, Winfield, Ill., hosts the Illinois-Missouri association’s Fall Conference.

WINFIELD, Ill.—The Illinois-Missouri Association of Regular Baptist Churches held its Fall Conference Oct. 5.

Meeting at Faith Baptist Church, the attending pastors and church members explored the theme “Finishing Well through Ministry Relationships.”

“Finishing well requires the encouragement and involvement of other loving Christians in your life,” says speaker Mike Hess, GARBC national representative. “Your encouragement of others means you care deeply about them hearing one day from their Savior, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.'”

Summarizing Mike’s message, Bernie Augsburger, state representative of the Illinois-Missouri association, says, “We need one another in order to finish well as pastors of disciple-making churches in a world that is becoming more antagonistic toward God. Individually this is accomplished when we admit our weaknesses each day and live in total dependence upon God.”

David Gunn, director of Regular Baptist Press, also spoke, addressing the importance of Christian education.

A sound Christian education strategy must be built on the following four principles, he says: “(1) the church’s overarching goal is discipleship, (2) the church must teach the entire Bible, (3) the interpretation of Scripture is foundational, and (4) sound doctrine is essential.”

Kerry Watkins (left), director of church engagement for the GARBC, attends the Illinois-Missouri association’s Fall Conference.

Further, the mission of the church should revolve around this single goal: “that those in our spheres of influence would be brought into conformity to the ‘measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,'” David says, citing Ephesians 4:13.

Kerry Watkins spoke as well, presenting his role as director of church engagement for the GARBC.

“We want to do a better job of connecting with our pastors so we can better help you have healthy, disciple-making churches,” he says. “We would love to hear from our pastors as to how we can serve you better.”

A business meeting also took place. The association accepted into its fellowship a new church in Illinois and granted a church plant in Missouri mission status.