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| KBC Annual Meeting Set for Nov. 13-14 |
| Release Date: 09/26/2007 |
LOUISVILLE – Kentucky Baptists will focus on mobilizing people for missions during the 170th Kentucky Baptist Convention annual meeting Nov. 13-14 at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown.
The annual meeting will include an address by Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page, the release of a special research report on spiritual maturity among Kentucky Baptists and a session of nine practical workshops on conducting missions.
As many as 2,000 messengers from churches across the state are expected to meet for convention business and special workshops at Severns Valley Baptist Church, located at 1100 Ring Road in Elizabethtown.
The theme for the annual meeting will be “Kentucky Baptists Connect: Empowering Believers in Missions,” continuing the Kentucky Baptists Connect emphasis which began at the 2004 annual meeting.
“Our prayer is that the number of believers and churches will multiply as believers are empowered by God,” said Bill Mackey, executive director for the KBC. “Only God can truly empower believers through the Holy Spirit, and the church has the role to send them out into the harvest fields.
Kentucky Baptists Connect is a five-year initiative focused on renewing commitments to evangelism, missions, leadership training, church growth, networking, and relationships with Baptist agencies and institutions.
Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., will be the featured speaker Tuesday evening.
Four convention sessions are planned – Tuesday morning (8:20 a.m.–12 p.m.), Tuesday afternoon (1:30–4:40 p.m.), Tuesday evening (6:30–8:50 p.m.), and Wednesday morning (8:30 a.m.–noon).
The Tuesday morning session will feature an address by Darren Gaddis, president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Gaddis, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Corbin, also currently serves on the High Impact Church Advisory Team, as a trustee for GuideStone Financial Resources and the Kentucky Ethics League. He has also served as a member of the Cooperative Program Study Committee and the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws.
Reports will be given throughout the session by KBC agencies, institutions, committees and Mission Board staff. Attendees will also receive a results report of Cross Over Kentucky, an evangelistic outreach event being held in the Elizabethtown area ahead of the annual meeting.
A report from the Order of Business Committee will include a recommendation for future annual meetings to be conducted on a single day, with the option of a second day for workshops or other activities as needed.
The recommendation comes in recognition of a trend toward lower attendance at the Wednesday morning session of the annual meeting. For two of the past three years, the Convention was unable to conduct business during the Wednesday morning session due to lack of quorum.
Tuesday’s afternoon session will include the election of a new KBC president. Bill Henard, pastor of Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, is currently the only announced candidate for president.
Henard will be nominated by Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort and associate dean of ministry and proclamation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. York served as convention president in 2005.
The election for first vice president will also be held during the Tuesday afternoon session. Candidates for the office have yet to be announced.
Allen Harrod, pastor of Nicholasville Baptist Church, will preach the convention sermon.
Prior to Page’s Tuesday evening sermon, elections will be held for the positions of second vice president, convention secretary and assistant secretary. A program entitled “Empowering Believers in Mission” will also be featured that evening with a special focus on missions.
The missions segment is designed to be “an extended theme interpretation to show how we go about empowering believers in mission through the KBC,” said Randy Jones, Missions Growth Team leader for the KBC. “Our ultimate goal is for every believer in Jesus Christ to have an on mission lifestyle.”
According to Jones, the segment will highlight ministries funded by Cooperative Program dollars, including the High Impact church planting program, literacy missions and prison ministry.
On Wednesday morning, Scott McConnell, associate director for LifeWay Research, will share the results of a recent discipleship study conducted by LifeWay Research.
Customized for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the study examines the spiritual development of Southern Baptists in Kentucky, as well as that of protestant laity.
“We believe this study is an important tool in helping us better understand Kentucky Baptists,” said Rice. “The results help us identify the most challenging areas of discipleship that will require the greatest attention from church leaders.”
Also on Wednesday, messengers and visitors may choose to attend two of nine workshops during the morning session.
Workshop choices include:
- Why Your Fish Stinks, led by Matt Johnson, pastor of The Journey Church in Murray, Ky.
- Online, On Mission, led by the Communications Department of the KBC Mission Board staff
- Creative Communication – How to Reach Those Far from God, led by Kevin Marsico, pastor of NorthStar Community Church in Ijamsville, Md.
- Creative Access Platforms for Community Missions, led by Richard Gaines, pastor of Consolidated Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky.
- Missional Church Meets the Bluegrass, led by Greg Faulls, pastor of Bellevue Baptist church in Owensboro, Ky.
- Leading Your Church Through Change, led by Billy Compton, pastor of Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Ky.
- The Reality of Baptism, led by Steve Ayers, pastor of Hillvue Heights Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Ky.
- Membership Matters, led by Chuck Lawless, dean and professor of evangelism and church growth for The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
- Every Child is a Winner, led by Shane McKenzie, vice president of Upward evangelistic sports ministry
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more.
Release prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC Communications |
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