fbpx
News Articles

‘All Generations’ at LifeWay black church conf.


RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) — Empowering all generations in Gospel ministry is the aim of the 2019 Black Church Leadership and Family Conference, an annual LifeWay event that draws about 1,200 church leaders and family members.

“To All Generations! Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Favor Forever” is the theme of the weeklong conference July 22-26 at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, N.C. Expanded breakout sessions and more recreational activities for millennials are new in 2019, said Mark Croston, conference convener.

“Our goal is to prepare the church and its leaders of all generations to share the message of God to all generations,” Croston said in promotional materials. “Psalm 89:1 says, ‘I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever; I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations with my mouth.’

“Each generation must remind the next that God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, and favor are forever,” said Croston, national director of black church partnerships with LifeWay Christian Resources. Church leaders and their families “have the opportunity to gather with other leaders of the Christian community to be encouraged, equipped, and empowered for another year of ministry.”

The conference is not exclusively for African Americans, Croston said, but is designed also for parents of black children, church leaders who want to reach black communities around them, and leaders of churches desiring to become more multicultural.

Among guest speakers this year is Lisa Harper, LifeWay Women’s author and speaker who adopted Missy, an orphaned child from Haiti. Harper, whose latest book is “Job: A Story of Unlikely Joy,” will speak at the women’s dinner.

Conference attendees may choose from a plethora of daily, concurrent conference breakout sessions and other daily events including early morning praise and worship, morning conference-wide Bible exposition, recreation and evening worship. Man2Man and Woman2Woman sessions and ministry dinners are also scheduled. Family registration includes Centrifuge Camp for grades 7-12, offering a week of worship, small group Bible study and team-building activities led by trained staff.

The slate of evening preachers is Marshal Ausberry, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax Station, Va., and president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention; Adron Robinson, senior pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills, Ill., and president of the Illinois Baptist State Association; Kerwin Lee, pastor of Berean Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.; and Lance Watson, pastor of Saint Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.

Leading daily conference-wide Bible studies will be Jerome Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church of Cresmont in Willow Grove, Pa.; Vernon Gordon, pastor of Life Church in Richmond, Va.; Gregory Perkins, pastor of The View Church in Sun City, Calif.; and Nathaniel Brooks, pastor of Greater St. John Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

Additional speakers include Herbert Ponder, pastor of Mt Tabor Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.; Treyon J Sinclair, young adult pastor of Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn.; Lisa Fields, founder of the apologetics ministry Jude 3 Project in Jacksonville, Fla.; Veronica Robinson, first lady of Hillcrest Baptist Church; and William T. Branch, assistant professor of preaching and Bible at The College at Southeastern, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Movie night will feature a pre-release showing of the latest film from Alex and Stephen Kendrick, “Overcomer,” opening in theaters Aug. 23.

Additional conference information and registration are available at LifeWay.com/BlackChurchLife and 1-800-588-7222.