ST. CHARLES – Missouri Baptists set their minds on Christ during the Missouri Baptist Pastors’ Conference at the St. Charles Convention Center here, Oct. 28.
The theme of the conference, which took place immediately prior to the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting, was “Consider Christ,” based on Hebrews 3:1-2.
Hershael York
Featured speakers during the Pastors’ Conference included Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Hershael York, Pastor Josh Boley and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Jared Wilson. The conference also included worship led by Missouri Baptist University’s Spirit Wing.
Hershael York: ‘Jesus is our Shepherd’
Throughout the conference, York, dean of theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., shared about Christ as our Shepherd, and as the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
In John 10, York said, “Jesus made it clear that He was not like the thief who steals or the hireling who is just there for the profit.” Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. As such, “won’t he also keep them” and care for them?
Pastors should follow the example of Christ, the Good Shepherd, as they shepherd their churches. “Shepherding is not just preaching,” he said. “When we forget the sheep, we lose them.”
“The Father is pleased not with our self-righteousness,” he added, “but with our willingness to suffer, to walk through life with our sheep, and to lay down our lives.”
Later in the day, York spoke of Christ as the Author and Finisher of our Faith, as mentioned in Hebrews 12:1-6. Since Christ has saved you, he said, “you can finish well to the glory of God and help others finish well too.”
Josh Boley: ‘Jesus is our Rest’
Josh Boley
Jesus is “our Rest,” Josh Boley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Chaffee, Mo., told participants of the Pastors’ Conference. He preached from Matthew 11:28-30.
“Those who preach Christ is rest must receive Christ as rest for themselves,” Boley said.
He shared that, according to some studies, 50 percent of preachers will leave the ministry within five years, and 80 percent will leave within 10 years.
Boley said pastors shouldn’t only come to Christ for rest once, but they should come to Him continually. “Rest comes from learning Christ,” he said. “Learning is a life-long process.”
“The reason you can find rest in Him,” Boley added, “is He is gentle and lowly in heart.”
Boley then sang a verse from the hymn, “Only Trust Him,” changing the words slightly to call Missouri Baptist pastors to rest in Christ. “Come every pastor, tired and depressed,” he said. “There’s mercy with the Lord. And He will surely give you rest by trusting in His Word.”
Jared Wilson: ‘Jesus is our High Priest’
Jared Wilson, assistant professor of pastor ministry and general editor of For the Church (ftc.co) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, proclaimed from Hebrews 3:1-6 that Jesus is our High Priest.
“There is a specialness and weightiness” given to the high priest in the Old Testament law, Wilson said, but none of this outweighs the significance of Jesus as our High Priest. “Jesus is greater,” he said. Just as the light of the moon and stars pale in comparison to the light of the sun, even so “the gospel is bigger and more glorious than the law.”
Jared Wilson
“The law is good,” Wilson said. “It gives us work. But the gospel is better. It gives us the work of Jesus. If the gospel is eclipsed, it robs Jesus of His glory, but it also robs people of the knowledge of Christ. The law points to Christ. The gospel gives us Christ.”
Wilson added, “Even the best, unspotted ministry pales in comparison with the glory of Christ. All sacrifices ended with Christ, because there is no greater sacrifice than Christ.”
“No one is more faithful to your church than Jesus,” he said. “Unlike you, he is the great High Priest, and he made us co-heirs of his heavenly glory.”
New Pastors’ Conference officers elected
New officers were elected to organize the 2025 Pastors’ Conference. The new officers are President Robert Strong, pastor at Freshwater Church in Jefferson City; Vice-president Jimmy Dunn, pastor at Exchange Church, Arnold; and Secretary/Treasurer Travis Boyt, LifePointe Church, Fulton.