Free Will Baptist National Convention: Reflections from Kansas City, Missouri
This year all seven Helwys Society Forum contributors attended the eightieth National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. Several were involved in business, panels, and seminars, along with the other 4,150 attendees.
In addition, several books were released with which Forum members were involved, whether through editing or writing. These include The Promise of Arminian Theology: Essays in Honor of F. Leroy Forlines, which readers may purchase beginning August 9, 2016; and Sexuality, Gender, and the Church: A Christian Response in the New Cultural Landscape, which readers may purchase by emailing order@welch.edu.
Finally, the HSF released Volume II of its journal, Connections. (To order, please contact us.)
This convention theme was “The Path to Revival,” with 2 Chronicles 7:14 as its primary text. And with the variety in worship, seminars and panels, competitions, exhibits, outreach, and business, attendees were given ample opportunity for revival of mind, spirit, and will. In this post, we will give an overview of the convention. While we hope to give a full treatment, it is not exhaustive. We hope that this is helpful to you.
(This post was comprised by culling reports and notes from each contributor. Thus the individual assessments of Forum contributors’ sessions or presentations in each instance comes from other contributors who attended.)
Worship
Worship services were available for each age group: ages 3-5, grades 1-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-12, and an adult service. We regret we can’t cover each of these worship services more fully. In the teen worship, the speakers included Ryan Akers (Sunday morning), Aaron Pontious (Sunday evening), Axis (Monday evening), and Allen Pointer (Tuesday evening). What follows in this section is an overview of the adult services.
Sunday
Sunday School: Ben Evans led the adult Sunday school class, teaching from the D6 Fusion curriculum. He was an excellent teacher who clearly explained and applied Genesis 35:1-39. He highlighted the need for us actively to seek to grow in the Lord and to find opportunities to serve, and emphasized the importance of having fathers who will lead their families in truth.
Morning Worship: Wayne Miracle preached an excellent introductory message on the theme verse for the week. We especially appreciated that he did not strip the verse from its context, instead reminding convention attendees that the promise in this verse was given by God to Solomon and the nation of Israel. He reminded us that we need revival and restoration in times of prosperity, in times of disobedience, and in times of forsaking God. Finally, he encouraged us to walk in obedience to the Lord and repent of nominal Christianity.
Evening Worship: Cory Thompson’s message highlighted who the people of God are. Like Miracle, Thompson emphasized that 2 Chronicles 7:14 was not written to the United States of America. Instead, this promise is given to the followers of God. He encouraged us to remember who we are, why we are who we are, and what it means to be called by God’s name. This, he pointed out, will lead to revival.
Monday
Evening Worship: Brad Ryan called conference attendees to humble themselves before the Lord and earnestly seek Him in prayer. He reminded us that so often, we try to come up with our own solutions to fixing cultural and church problems rather than admitting that we are nothing in our own strength. He called us to ask the Lord for help and healing.
Tuesday
Evening Worship: Richard Robinson encouraged conference attendees to seek the Lord in times of great cultural change. He encouraged us to pray and to repent from our lukewarmness. He also, as an elder preacher, directed several specific admonitions to the younger pastors present.
Wednesday
Evening Worship: Convention attendees witnessed the faithfulness of many missionaries and were reminded that the gospel is for the whole world at the beginning of the service. Marc Neppl closed the convention by calling Free Will Baptist to forsake the fighting in which we so often engage and instead to forgive one another. He also called Free Will Baptists to look around and see the next generation and actively mentor them to become leaders. It was very encouraging to see so many younger people in attendance.
Seminars and Panels
All told eighty-eight seminars and/or panels were hosted at this year’s convention meeting. Our treatment is by no means comprehensive. Instead, we have covered some of the ones that we attended.
Monday
“Worldview, Ethics, and Engaging the Culture,” ENGAGE Seminar: Specifically, answering the question, “How should we live?” requires us to consider the one for Whom we live. The answer to this question will be influential in how we live. While the search for a personal god can still be observed in a secular society, danger awaits us if we limit our understanding of God to how He relates to us. Worldview evaluations must be kept in order. We begin with God’s Word, and then evaluate the world by it. In this workshop, Forum contributor Zach Maloney examined the relationship between worldview and ethics, and their importance for engaging the culture for Christ’s sake. When worldview assumptions are identified, then understanding the motivations for moral behavior becomes clearer. Whether a person is aware of it or not, they have a worldview, which reflects his or her inner ethical beliefs. It could be that the person’s stated belief and actual practice actually contradict one another. This contradiction can sometimes be a unique opportunity for Christians to engage in evangelism by identifying where worldview and ethics may in fact collide or even contradict. Cultural engagement begins with an ethic and a worldview that finds its final authority in divine revelation. We identify the world around us with meekness and gentleness, seeking to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ in our lives and those around us.
“Youth Ministry in an Age of Distraction: Ministering to Digital Natives,” Welch College Seminar: As digital technology takes on an ever more pervasive role in our lives, youth ministers are struggling with how to respond. Should we embrace each new advertised app and social media platform, or is more caution needed? Forum contributor Chris Talbot discussed the difficulties of ministering in an age of electronic media. He provided some helpful, if sobering, information about how digital technologies affect children and teenagers psychologically and physiologically. Talbot recommended that youth pastors inform their students about the addictive and destructive effects that digital technology can have. After surveying these wide reaching effects (e.g., muddles reality, shortens attention spans, shrinks mental capacities), he offered a Biblical solution for moving forward: to present students with a Biblical worldview, as well as “glimpses of glory.” At the same time, Talbot did not advocate an Amish-like withdrawal from these technological developments. Instead, he urged us to take the effects of digital technology seriously and to participate in practices that will help us to limit its power in our lives. To minister to digital natives, one must minister to the mind through taking students deep, but also to the heart and hands by showing them the height of glory.
“The Extra Hour: How to Make the Most Out of Children’s Church,” ENGAGE Seminar: Steve Greenwood reminded seminar attendees that children’s ministry must be intentional and strategic. He highlighted the importance of children’s ministry in that it helps kids understand the gospel. Furthermore, he encouraged workers in children’s ministry to mirror “big church” as much as possible. He also emphasized the need to focus on pouring God’s Word into children instead of simply trying to keep them occupied and entertained so that adults can have a break.
“F. Leroy Forlines and the Future of Free Will Baptist Theology,” ENGAGE Seminar: This seminar was certainly one of the highlights of the 2016 NAFWB Convention. Few men have had as much influence on the Free Will Baptist denomination than the eighty-nine-year-old theologian, teacher, mentor, father, and husband, F. Leroy Forlines. Free Will Baptists owe a great debt to his life and work. Forum contributors Matthew Bracey and Jackson Watts gave a great presentation that was a genuine surprise to the Forlineses. This seminar involved the unveiling of book, The Promise of Arminian Theology: Essays in Honor of F. Leroy Forlines, which can be purchased beginning August 9. With standing room only, attendees witnessed Mr. Forlines receive the first copy of the book in his honor. Volume editors, Bracey and Watts, spoke for several minutes about Forlines’s importance to the denomination and to Arminian theologians everywhere. We especially enjoyed hearing excerpts from the chapters; David’s Outlaw’s account of his childhood interactions with Forlines was particularly beautiful. We are convinced that readers will walk away from this festschrift encouraged by the scope of Mr. Forlines’s legacy and his investment in future gospel workers. Congratulations to all contributors for this momentous work. We are, indeed, grateful for the life and work of Mr. Forlines.
“Legal and Religious Liberty Implications of the Supreme Court Decision on Same-sex Marriage,” Theological Integrity Trends Seminar: Matthew Bracey has done much research in the past year on the legal and political implications of same-sex marriage for American Christians. This year the Commission for Theological Integrity asked him to present his work along with some recommendations for how Christians should respond. Bracey gave an excellent overview of Obergefell v. Hodges. Christians are coming under more and more fire from this decision, but the dangers of Obergefell are much broader. Bracey showed that principles like religious liberty, the separation of powers and federalism, the rule of law, and democracy and liberty are being undermined by the Supreme Court, and that the results are destructive for all Americans. As Christians we must respond with love toward our LGBT neighbors, but we should also work to engage the public square on this issue by stating the sinful nature of homosexuality and the dangers of arbitrary government.
“God and Country: The Christian and Politics,” ENGAGE Panel Discussion: With the 2016 general election approaching for all Americans, this seminar was timely and important. We were encouraged to hear a lot of discussion on how Christians should think about politics and cultural engagement. Panelists Matthew Bracey, Jim McComas, Tyler Penn, David Trogdon, and Philip Whitetaker gave thoughtful and nuanced answers to questions. The discussion of the Christian’s role in the public square touched on what it means to be a good citizen and how to respond to increasingly questionable government decisions. Attendees were reminded that we ought to be a thoughtful, kind, and truthful people who appropriately fill our roles as Kingdom ambassadors in the culture. Christians should engage in political activity with confidence because we know the end of history’s story. To that end, we look forward to perhaps future panel discussions on this topic.
Tuesday
“Transforming Culture with the Christian Worldview,” Welch College Seminar: This seminar emphasized the need for Christians to impact the culture, reminding us to live lives of integrity that do not add reproach to the gospel. Matthew Bracey encouraged seminar attendees to exercise godly influence in their particular settings and called them to consider cultural transformation that occurs in the public square, particularly through citizenship.
“Is Youth Ministry Biblical?” ENGAGE Seminar: Recently, youth ministry in its present form has come under scrutiny. Chris Talbot’s seminar highlighted some of this current debate. In particular the family-integrated church movement argues against specific youth ministry, stating that it is a “failed experiment.” Talbot answered both yes and no. Youth ministry is not commanded in Scripture, but the ways in which we are to instruct young people are. Talbot reminded the audience that God calls us to instruct everyone in His Word within the context of the entire body of Christ. Therefore, youth ministers’ main concern should be expositional teaching and preaching. Fun and games are not bad, but they must not drive our ministries. In addition, youth ministry is appropriate so long as it does not cut teenagers off from the rest of the church body. Instead, youth ministry should provide intergenerational fellowship, specific instruction, and mentorship for teenagers, while also involving them in all areas of church work.
“How Far Can My Teens Go? Theology and Doctrine in Youth Ministry,” ENGAGE Seminar: The exodus of youth from the church after high school graduation is alarming. This reality should lead us to think about meeting real needs with the gospel rather than quick fixes based on entertainment. Forum contributor Phillip Morgan gave attendees a framework to think through areas of ministry with wisdom and practical advice. His excellent workshop encouraged youth leaders not to settle for shallow Bible study with their churches’ teenagers, but instead to teach intentionally the rich theology and doctrine to their students who are regularly required to master difficult subjects in their school work. One helpful note in his handout stated, “If we nurture and admonish our teenager in the Lord they will go as far as we are willing to lead them.” Morgan recommended in-depth Bible study, Christian classics, and rich hymns as means to accomplish this task.
“When Free Will Baptists Went Liberal: The Forgotten Facts of the 1911 Merger,” Welch College Seminar: In a unique seminar, Forum contributor Jesse Owens revisited the 1911 merger of the Randall movement of Free Will Baptists with the Northern Baptists. He explained some of the reasons that the Northern Free Baptist movement chose to merge with the Northern Baptists. Owens contended that we should not view the merger in the typical sad, sentimental way that we often do. Rather than lamenting the loss of so many churches and colleges, we should hold a chastened thankfulness. He substantiated his proposal with an up-close look at the changing beliefs of some of the Free Baptists in the north even as early as the late 1800s, concluding that future controversy could not have been avoided, even if the Randallite movement had remained intact. The increasing influence of Protestant Liberalism on the denomination at that time would likely have prevented them from joining the current national convention anyway. Therefore, even though the loss was great numerically and geographically, it was likely a blessing doctrinally. This was a well-researched and clear presentation of an important event in Free Will Baptist history.
“Shepherding a Child’s Heart,” Welch College Seminar: Rebekah Talbot presented a helpful summary of Tedd Tripp’s book in this seminar. She did an excellent job of both presenting the material and encouraging audience interaction. Her love for children and her desire to see them all become the people that God would have them be were quite evident. The insight into child-rearing was very practical and accessible.
“Sexuality, Gender, and the Church,” Welch College Panel Discussion: The church must be equipped in the areas of sexual ethics if it is concerned about gospel witness. For this reason, I am grateful for the discussion at this panel. In it, panelists Eddie Moody, Matthew Pinson, Matthew McAffee, and Matthew Bracey answered questions about sexual identity from audience members and highlighted the first book printed by Welch College Press entitled Sexuality, Gender, and the Church: A Christian Response in the New Cultural Landscape, which can be purchased by emailing order@welch.edu. The discussion was very good and very helpful. The questions were answered with clarity, conviction, and precision. The panelists struck the correct balance of speaking the truth in love and offered practical solutions to some of ethical conundrums these issues bring. Furthermore, this discussion provided an excellent place for us to begin thinking through these issues and their implications.
Wednesday
“Forging a Classical Christian Perspective on Literature in a Post-Christian Culture,” Welch College Seminar: In this seminar, Frank Thornsbury presented seminar attendees with a reminder of the importance of literature in Christians’ lives. Thornsbury defined “classics” by tracing the characteristics of classics in the Hebrew, Greco-Roman, and Renaissance-Reformation cultures. He encouraged Christians to read the classics, especially since our “post Christian world is a post-Word/word world.” He also mentioned the important differences between book culture and Internet culture, calling us to be thoughtful in out reading choices. Two English-major thumbs up.
“Student Ministry and the Sexual Identity Conversation,” ENGAGE Seminar: Students today are living in an age of sexual confusion. With transgender issues headlining the news, and same-sex marriage being affirmed from the Supreme Court, one must know how to minister and teach students appropriately on these subjects. In this seminar, Chris Talbot gave a Biblical survey of gender roles, as well as focused on the human person’s need and hopeful union with Christ. He also offered helpful resources on this subject to attendees.
Competitions, Exhibits, and Outreach
We’re not able to report more fully on competitions, exhibits, and outreach. We’ll simply report that students enjoyed participating in competition in Bible, crafts, song, and more.
The exhibit hall stayed busy with booths from NAFWB agencies, as well about twenty-five others. The exhibit hall is always a popular place for its fellowship opportunities, freebies, and giveaways.
Finally, Free Will Baptists participated in outreach opportunities in Kansas City, including Impact Kansas City and Reach That Guy (renamed Reach the City) service projects.
Business
We have attempted to summarize each department and commission’s reports below, though we would encourage those interested to obtain a copy of the Digest of Reports for a fuller picture, especially concerning the financial activities and standing of our institutions.
Board of Retirement: Director John Brummitt reported on the many transitions that had taken place with the BOR in the last year, including his replacing CEO Ray Lewis, who retired at the end of 2015. Other staff members had also been added recently. Despite these changes, as well as some market volatility due to Brexit and some other financial losses at the end of 2015, the BOR continues to offer first-rate returns and overall service to our Free Will Baptist pastors and church leaders.
Executive Office: Secretary Keith Burden reported on behalf of the Executive Office. He spoke of the changing times—morally, culturally, and economically—and how these challenges were forcing the Office to think more strategically about how better to deploy financial resources and take steps to help protect our ministries and institutions. Among the positive details mentioned was the Rekindle program, adapted from the Embers to a Flame church revitalization ministry. This ministry has been spearheaded by several state leaders, as well as veteran pastor Danny Dwyer, to help bring renewal to struggling churches.
The Foundation: The Foundation experienced a difficult financial year. David Brown explained that the losses were mostly attributable to an investment advisor violating the policies of the Foundation and selling off a large number of shares the last trading day of 2015. However, the Foundation also experienced greater than expected losses in their estate plans. Though estate plans are expected to lose money, the Foundation has decided to raise the prices of estate plans slightly in order to alleviate some of the losses of the program.
Historical Commission: The Historical Commission has continued to work hard on digitizing all of the minutes from each Free Will Baptist district association. This is a massive project that will likely require two more years to complete. Eric Thomsen, who gave the report, made a plea for minutes to be sent in to the commission for preservation and digitization. Those who are loath to part permanently with what they have can loan them to the Commission for a short time so that they can be digitized and returned. Lastly, Thomsen expressed the Commission’s sorrow at the death of Jack Williams who had served on the Commission for almost forty years.
International Missions: Director Clint Morgan’s report paralleled some of the others given. Increasing ministry opportunities is exciting. At the same time, the mission has experienced profound financial challenges. These challenges ultimately precipitated the Board’s decision to return to a designated plan of support for missionaries. While these changes are being phased in, the impact is already being felt across the nation and the globe. On a more positive note, the 2015 year ended in the black financially. Several new missionaries have been appointed as career missionaries, and Mirial Gainer was honored for forty years of service to Japan, and Carlisle Hanna for sixty-five years of service to India. This was truly a moving moment to experience.
Media Commission: The Media Commission reported that they are continuing to develop live streaming opportunities for the convention including, for the first time, the business session. The Facebook footprint of the Convention is continuing to grow, reaching over half a million Facebook users this year.
Music Commission: Chairman Doug Little presented on the work of the Music Commission, which is partly to provide musical resources for those helping lead worship in Free Will Baptist churches. He noted that fewer than forty-five full-time church leaders in our entire denomination work primarily or extensively in music ministry. Thus the commission has been working to serve more diligently those unsung heroes who volunteer their time in helping minister to their churches through music. A new website with such resources is expected to be launched in the near future.
North American Ministries: David Crowe offered the report for North American Ministries (NAM) and honored retiring U.S. Army Chaplain David Trogdon. NAM has been working to present a balanced budget for several years and has made some progress in that direction. However, Crowe explained that this year their independent auditor found several items in their financial reports that needed to be updated, leaving them much further behind than they had planned. Crowe is still committed to providing a balanced budget in the coming years and is confident that the Board will fulfill its goals and mission well. They continue to plant churches and to offer the Power Conference for church revitalization.
Randall House Publications: CEO Ron Hunter gave a sobering report on the challenges facing the Christian publishing world, especially for denominational publishing houses. Introducing the D6 2GEN curriculum was a very costly undertaking. While Randall House Publications (RHP) has faced many of the same challenges of other publishing houses, it has managed to maintain stability in its staffing, while others have experienced major cuts in this area. RHP has cut significant monies from elsewhere in its budget to account for losses. The most important message for our churches, Hunter stated, was to know that we express our convictions about the need for and value of our own publishing house by the way we purchase and utilize the products they provide. Curriculum sales are an area where churches need to let their interest and support be felt in the days ahead. As a side note, the National Youth Conference, which is hosted by RHP, will be known as the Vertical Three Conference going forward, and will provide training year round.
Theological Integrity, Commission for: Chairman Matt Pinson reported on the work of the Theological Commission, highlighting the 2015 Symposium, the upcoming Symposium (October 24-25 at Welch College), and announced that the newest edition of Integrity: A Journal of Christian Thought is now available. Copies will be mailed to all ordained pastors in our denomination. Additional copies may be purchased by emailing mattpinson@welch.edu, and information about the Symposium can be found at fwbtheology.com, or by emailing fwbtheology@gmail.com.
Welch College: President Matt Pinson reported that Welch College had a very good year in several key areas. Student enrollment continued to be good even though the school was in the process of selling off the campus and relocating to Gallatin, Tennessee. The capital funds campaign for relocation has gone much better than had been expected and thus a chapel has been added to the proposed to campus and the college intends to be debt-free in five years. A short video showing the progress on the new campus was shown, and Pinson spoke on the good participation in the new masters program the school is providing.
WNAC: Elizabeth Hodges reported that the WNAC has been active this year in many areas. They have offered scholarships to four young Free Will Baptist ladies attending Free Will Baptist colleges. This past year they offered two regional retreats for young women and their mothers, which were well attended, and they intend to hold another this November in Ohio. In the past year, Hodges was also able to travel to Cote d’Ivoire where she spoke several times to a gathering of Free Will Baptist women.
The Business session also included four resolutions, three of which pertained to more contemporary or urgent concerns to which the delegates to the Convention were asked to speak. These included a response to transgenderism and the LBGT movement, a reaffirmation of Free Will Baptists’ commitment to total abstinence from intoxicating beverages and abuse of addictive substances, and a commitment to pray for and support law enforcement personnel, especially in light of the shooting of a Kansas City officer while the Convention was meeting. The final language adopted by the delegates will be posted here once this is obtained from the Executive Office.
Conclusion
While this post is lengthier than our usual Forum posts, we have wanted to provide as much information as possible. This not only benefits those Free Will Baptists who were not able to attend the meeting, but also those who attended, but could not possibly attend every aspect of the meeting.
Our prayer is that all Free Will Baptists will be engaged in the larger conversation about the state of our churches, our institutions and priorities, and our responsibility to the world around us.
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