MBC church planting points toward Acts 1:8 conference May 23-24
By Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
March 22, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY – If the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) church planting department is going to reach the goal of planting 100 new works in 2005, it will do so in accordance with Acts 1:8. As a statement of that commitment, an Acts 1:8 Global Missions Connection conference will be held at First Baptist Church, O’Fallon, May 23-24.
“The idea of an Acts 1:8 strategy is so fundamental to what I believe we’re supposed to be doing as churches,” said MBC Church Planting Director Jerry Field. “We’re really excited about the potential of what can come out of this.”
Bob Roberts, founding pastor, NorthWood Baptist Church, Keller, Texas, and Jim Slack, a speaker and author on church growth and church planting for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, will be the preachers/teachers. Slack will preach three times and Roberts will preach twice.
“I’ve heard both of these guys multiple times and there’s probably nobody who challenges me personally more than these guys do,” Field said. “These two guys are not just being listened to by Southern Baptists. They are being listened to by evangelicals all over North America.”
Field said he is inviting as many Missouri Baptist pastors, church staffers and lay leaders as possible to attend the conference. Thanks to the generous giving of Missouri Baptists through the Cooperative Program, the conference is free.
“It’s really going to be a challenge to an Acts 1:8 kind of missions and specifically Acts 1:8 kind of focus on church planting,” Field said.
MBC Worship Specialist Bill Shiflett is scheduled to lead worship both days as he blends his ministry passion and musical talent with a praise band from an MBC church plant out of the Lee’s Summit area. A variety of music styles will be featured through video clips from other worship services in Missouri.
“The music itself helps to kind of reflect that idea that the music is representative of groupings of people,” Field said.
For more information, contact Carla Martin in the MBC church planting department at (800) 736-6227, ext. 611.
