I get to visit a lot of churches.  The churches I visit seem to share several struggles.  One shared struggle is often the cause for my visit – a lack of trained, sensitive, and effective lay leadership.  Whether it be a shortage of well-trained Sunday School teachers, disoriented deacons, poorly supported committee chairs, or just the absence of “young potential,” nearly every church seems to be suffering lay leadership woes.  This state of being shouldn’t come as a suprise – the systems Baptists relied upon for years to enlist, equip, empower, and enable lay leadership have been, at best, on auto-pilot, and in most cases, deterioriation.  

At this year’s General Assembly in Charlotte, CBF will provide a new resource – the Essentials Conference.  Consistent with our mission to “resource Christians and churches as they discover their God-given mission,” the Essentials Conference at General Assembly affirms the importance of an equipped, empowered, and enabled lay leadership to the local church.  The Essentials Conference will provide fourteen unique tracks for training designed to be highly accessible to lay leaders.  Subjects range from children’s Sunday School teacher/worker training to committee chair training to helping members discover their place in ministry.  The array of leadership providing training is second-to-none! 

This low committement, short-term event will utilize Friday afternoon and Saturday morning for training, allowing persons travel time on Friday morning and Saturday afternoon.  The design allows first time lay attenders to attend worship at the General Assembly on Friday evening, browse the resource fair, and get a glimpse of the experience we call Fellowship!

Who in your church needs to attend this conference, find equipment for their God-given mission and experience the Fellowship?  Perhaps you know of a committee chairperson who has been asking for training for years?  Perhaps the leader you’re eyeing as deacon chair in 2012?  The person searching for their place in your church’s ministry?  There is a place for all of your existing and emerging leadership.  Don’t simply ask someone to fill a slot, equip them for the task, empower them for ministry, and enable them toward faithfulness!  Bring them to the Essentials Conference at General Assembly in Charlotte!

For more information, visit: http://www.thefellowship.info/assembly/essentials, drop me a note (rbennett@thefellowship.info) or give me a call. 

Peace to you as you seek to “…equip the saints for works of ministry…”
Rick Bennett