God is our father and he has invited us to come to him with our needs and requests. But often times we pray for reconciliation and the marriage ends in divorce. We pray for resources and the house goes into foreclosure. We pray for healing and have to learn to live with the disability. What do we do when we do not get what we ask for earnestly in prayer? When we sense that God has said "no" to our prayers, we are in good company. Jesus knows what it feels like to hear God say "no" and so does "Paul." Observing what Jesus said when God said “no” to his pleading prayer and how Paul responded when he heard "no" shows us what to do when God tells us “no.”
Nancy Guthrie addresses this content in her breakout session taught at this years Pastors Conference: Pain that Can’t be Prayed Away
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It’s one thing to believe in plurality of elders. It’s quite a different thing to actually have a healthy functioning plurality in the local church. Is it now government by committee? Is there a place for a Senior Pastor in a plurality? Are all elders equal? If not, how are they different and how do those differences impact a local eldership?
Many Sovereign Grace churches have made significant progress in establishing a plurality of elders in past few years. And yet, many unforeseen challenges lie ahead for these churches, especially as we stand on the verge of entering into a new polity structure for Sovereign Grace churches. Phil Sasser addresses many of these questions in his breakout session taught at this years Pastors Conference: Effective Elderships: Fostering Clear Roles, Healthy Function, and Strong Leadership
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The intent of James chapter 3 is to convince us that our words hold great power. Multiple metaphors are used to reveal the disproportionate strength the tongue holds: like a bit in the mouth of a horse, a rudder of a large ship, and a spark setting a forest ablaze. We must be aware of this power the tongue holds to either bless or curse, to forgive or condemn, to honor or slander.
In Paul Buckely’s breakout session from our 2012 Pastors Conference, he addresses The Power of the Words we Speak, Write, and Read. Paul humbly shares the effects his sinful speech has had on others and how ungodly speech directed at him has injured. James chapter 3 and Paul’s stories point to the reality that we have all failed to tame the tongue. We are all in need of forgiveness, both from each other and from God. And all of us can find forgiveness in the person and work of Jesus!
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All pastors need evaluation, whether it is to ordain them to ministry or to help them improve or to handle charges of wrongdoing. This much the Bible makes clear. But our history in Sovereign Grace--at least for some of our churches--has been lacking in clearly defined processes and in approaching evaluation in an ad hoc manner.
In this breakout session from our 2012 Pastors Conference, John Loftness points to directions for improving in this vital area of ministry--by first distinguishing between different types of evaluation and then establishing pre-determined processes that lead toward accurate and helpful conclusions.
Evaluating Pastors: Common Mistakes, What We've Learned, and What Scripture Calls Us To
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Because pastoral ministry has a public dimension to it, Charles Spurgeon said, “Public men must expect public criticism.”
Over the last year the pastors in Sovereign Grace Ministries have received a lot of thoughts, input, and criticism. Much of it has been necessary and helpful. God is using the input and critique to sharpen us as pastors and grow us as a family of churches. One area that God seems to be sharpening us as pastors is to learn how to effectively respond to criticism by loving and leading those who criticize. How do we as pastors listen to critique, be shaped by it and yet lead if we don’t agree with the input received? And how do we love and lead those who criticize without minimizing their voice, benefitting from the diverse perspectives in our churches while maintaining unity? Those questions are answered in this 2012 Pastors Conference breakout session taught by Mark Prater, entitled “Loving and Leading Those Who Criticize.”
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Do elders have a role in the Great Commission? Absolutely!
In this breakout session from the 2012 Pastors Conference, Dave Harvey addresses four specific ways elders play a vital role in the global mission. It is the goal for every church to be even more passionate and more involved in seeing the gospel proclaimed to the nations.
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How do we receive people? In particular, how do we receive people who are different than us on indifferent or debatable matters. Paul addresses this very question in Romans chapter 14. His answer: welcome them because God has welcomed them.
In this breakout session, Discerning Holiness: Legalism, License, and the Principle/Practice Distinction, Mickey Connolly discusses how Paul’s understanding of welcoming has helped him recognize and adjust some of the mistakes he has made in trying to apply biblical principles to certain practices. Scattered throughout are eight practical implications of Paul’s teaching that can help us all be more welcoming, less judgmental, and more biblically informed Christians and churches.
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From our earliest years, what God says in His Word about raising children has been an important value in Sovereign Grace churches. But over the last three decades, Sovereign Grace churches have grown in number, our children have become parents, and we’ve become more aware of the implications of the gospel. As parenting standards and practices have become more diverse, some have wondered if our understanding of the grace of God in parenting has changed.
In this breakout session from our 2012 Pastors Conference, Bob Kauflin addresses from his own observations and experiences what has and hasn’t changed in the way we seek to equip parents to raise the next generation. As a father of six children who have all grown up in Sovereign Grace churches, Bob sheds light on the difference between changing practices and unchanging principles and helps us see the significant role God’s grace plays in thinking about our past, present, and future.
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One seasoned church leader wrote, “Uttering the word ‘change’ is the equivalent of yelling ‘shark’ at the beach." Announce some big changes are coming and panic will often ensue. In this breakout session from the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference, Craig Cabaniss - Pastor of Grace Church in Frisco, Texas - teaches how pastors and leaders can lead through change.
This message offers a theology of change addressing questions like:
- How do we understand change from God's perspective?
- How are we to respond to change?
- How do we identify the various types of change and measure their impact in the church?
- How do we care for God's people as we lead through change?
- How should leaders communicate about change with the church?
- And most importantly, how does a leader keep the gospel in view during times of change?
There is no avoiding change in our lives or our churches. But by God's grace it needn't result in conflict or chaos. Instead, change provides an opportunity for God's people to mature together as we follow him.
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“Union with Christ is that driving principle that transforms our gospel ministry." - Sinclair Ferguson
The treasure of our union with Christ glitters throughout the pages of the New Testament. The massive New Testament emphasis on this golden doctrine should be reflected in our own study and, for pastors, in our ministry. It is because Christians are united to Christ that all of God's promises are "yes" and through this union that we have received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Jon Payne encourages pastors to dig deeply into this doctrine for the benefit of their own souls and to infuse its driving principle into their pastoral ministry. He taught this breakout at the Pastors Conference: Union with Christ and Everyday Pastoring.
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