Asbury Seminary Hosts Ministry Conference March 17-19
by Beeson International Center
Asbury Theological Seminary hosts the 2015 Ministry Conference on March 17-19, along with a pre-conference event March 16. Keynote speakers include Asbury Seminary President Dr. Timothy Tennent, Dr. Winfield Bevins- Asbury Seminary Church Planting Director, and Dr. Prabhu Singh- Professor and Head of the Department of Missions at South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in Bangalore, India.
The 2015 Ministry Conference counts both evangelism and church planting as a means of multiplying grace and hope. This conference is designed for both clergy and lay leaders who want to intensify their passion of inviting others to Christ.
Church planting is not about new sites or buildings but about making disciples. During the conference, participants will witness afresh the ways the Spirit creates a hunger and thirst for new faith communities. Through workshops tailored to specific interests, participants will interact with experienced leaders in the church planting world.
“Two thousand years ago, Jesus called his followers and said, ‘You are the light of the world and you are the salt of the earth.’” Singh said, “And there is a calling, not only as [transformed people], but that we would become change agents for Jesus Christ. This conference will help us understand that calling.”
The variety of speakers include beloved Asbury faculty, as well as new voices that you won’t want to miss, such as Dr. Brad Kalajainen, Geoff and Sherry Maddock, Dr. Ken Nash, and Dr. Ken Werlein.
The Seminary offers a registration rate of $199 for Asbury Seminary Alumni ($99 for their spouses), and the discount rate of $99 for retired clergy and their spouses. Current seminary students can attend for $25.
Pre-Conference Event: Building Bridges, March 16
Dr. Winfield Bevins hosts “Building Bridges: Collaborating to Advance the Call of Church Planting” March 16 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is free, but required. Building Bridges is a half-day gathering with church planters and network leaders to collaborate, learn from one another and explore strategies for advancing church planting globally.
“There are 2 billion people on the planet who do not know Jesus Christ,” Bevins said. “The reason that we are called to church planting is that we want to reach those people with the message of Christ.”
Not all are called to plant churches, but we are all called to be involved in making disciples. Bevins describes three ways in which we can move our participation from passive to active.
“We can pray for church planters, unreached people groups, cities and nations. We can participate on some level through giving or supporting those in leadership. Or, we can get more skin in the game and plant a church,” Bevins said.
Since every congregation started as a church plant, most of us have benefited from the faithfulness of a church planter. Network and seminary leaders will consider options for multiplying initiators of new faith communities around the world.
Learn more on our website or register online.
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