The fourth annual Grace Baptist Partnership conference took place at Swanwick from 21 to 23 August.
165 people of 20 nationalities from 43 churches met to consider the subject of church revitalisation. The title, Hope for Dying Churches, was realistic and many were indeed seeking such hope.
Ali McLachlan (Edinburgh) began with the unenviable task of stating the problem, that many churches are dying, and some are no longer churches at all. But this was not a miserable week, as successive speakers began to bring positive messages, drawing on God’s Word and illustrated by personal experience.
Kevin Felix-Hollington (Halling) spoke on the revitalisation of village churches, and Ryan King (Wood Green) drew out the differences in the urban context. Both men were plainly passionate and full of love for their flocks.
Essential questions
The main invited speaker was Brian Croft, pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. In two stirring messages he drew upon his 15 years at the church, the first five of which brought three attempts to fire him! In his second message he focused on the most essential questions a church must answer regarding Authority, Leadership, Membership, Unity and Worship.
In the Conference Sermon, Jonathan Armstrong (Diss) encouraged the listeners that they may overcome in Christ, and at the close of the conference Barry King (Dunstable) showed that the apostle Paul saw ‘many adversaries’ as a reason to press on, not give up (1 Corinthians 16.9). The closing words, chosen from the 1689 Confession, were a great comfort to all: ‘… nevertheless Christ always hath had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him, and make profession of his name.’
As always, this was a time of warm fellowship and powerful, practical ministry.
