What’s the easiest way to identify the genuine article? First learn to recognize a fake, says Dr. Bill Park, featured speaker at the 2012 GARBC Conference. During his opening sermon he played a brief video clip exposing the false doctrine of several well-known preachers. It was painful to watch. Offensive, even. But that was Park’s point—false preaching is an offense to the gospel and an enemy of the authentic church. Throughout the afternoon, messengers began gathering on the campus of Baptist Bible College and Seminary for the 80th annual conference of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. About 800 guests have registered for the event, with 700 attending the opening night. “Our responsibility is to be alert with discerning ears to the perversion of the glorious gospel, Park says, urging leaders to build authentic churches by proclaiming the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. His sermon was the first of ten planned from the book of 1 Timothy. During his introductory remarks, John Greening gave testimony of his experiences as a preacher’s kid suffering from “juvenile restless leg syndrome,” one who eventually grew up to be a preacher himself. Speaking of the steep learning curve for young pastors, Greening says “the ministry is not a vocation for a novice. The complexity of pastoral service requires the wisdom and experience of a seasoned pastor.” Greening met Bill Park when both served on the Baptist Bible College board of trustees. Both have sons the same age who attended BBC together. At the time, Park was still pastor of High Point Baptist Chapel, Geigertown, Pa., a ministry that has planted nine other Baptist churches. Today Park is professor of missions at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, Lansdale, Pa., where he helps coordinate the seminary’s overseas teaching ministry and church-planting initiatives. (He and his wife, Betty Jean, were celebrating their 47 anniversary on the opening night of the conference). “I hope we leave here this week with a renewed glimpse of the great grace of our God, and how He wants us to do authentic church,” Greening says as he introduced the week’s theme. The conference participants represent about 1,200 GARBC churches in 45 states, Canada, and Saipan. Several related ministries will give reports later in the conference week:
- Regular Baptist Press, a church education publishing ministry that serves 12,000 churches;
- Gospel Literature Services, an international distribution network that reaches 111 countries;
- Regular Baptist Chaplaincy Ministries, which services the military, hospitals, prisons, professional sports, and corporations;
- Baptist Builders Club, a ministry of providing grants and loans to churches in the association; and
- International Partnership of Fundamental Baptist Ministries, a network of international organizations.
- View our gallery of Monday’s conference photos.
- Listen to Bill Park’s sermon from 1 Tim. 1:3–11, The Authentic Church. Download sermon notes.
- Featured Speaker at the 2012 GARBC Conference.
- Download a copy of the 2012 GARBC Conference Notebook.
- Read “Students Sticking Around for the Week,” a report on the Students Alive! program.
- Follow Pastor Brian McCrorie’s Twitter reports @SharperIron.