The live video feed from Advance the Church Regional (begins at 1pm CST) and the B21 Panel (begins 5pm CST) will be available here… (VIDEO BELOW THE SCHEDULE)
Schedule – Advance the Church Regional: The Supremacy of Christ in the Local Church
February 28, 2011:
- 1:00 PM: Jim Shaddix (Colossians 1:1-8)
- 2:00 PM: Russell Moore (Colossians 1:9-14)
- 3:00 PM: J.D. Greear (Colossians 1:15-23)
- 4:00 PM: Tony Merida (Colossians 1:24-2:5)
- 5:00 PM: B21 Panel Discussion – “Relevant: Should We Do That in Church?”
March 1, 2011:
- 9:00 AM: Jim Shaddix (Colossians 2:6-15)
- 10:00 AM: Russell Moore (Colossians 2:16-23)
- 11:00 AM: Tyler Jones (Colossians 3:1-11)
- 12:00 PM: Lunch
- 1:15 PM: Eric Mason (Colossians 3:12-17)
- 2:15 PM: Chuck Quarles (Colossians 3:18-4:1)
- 3:15 PM: Fred Luter (Colossians 4:2-6)
- 4:15 PM: David Platt (Supremacy of Christ Among the Nations)
- 5:15 PM: All Participation (Colossians 4:7-18)
(If there are technical difficulties CHECK HERE)
B21 is thankful to New Hope Publishers for the opportunity to exclusively promote this week Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care. Make sure to check back on the release date of the book, Baptist21 will be giving away a free copy of Orphanology.
Below B21 will provide:
Here is what Jonathan Akin had this to say about Orphanology, to be released on April 5th:
“I am grateful to God for the conversation taking place in the church right now about the centrality of the Gospel in all of life. One place where this is clearly seen is in the areas of adoption and orphan care. Those who have been adopted into God’s family as brothers of King Jesus are called to be those who image their Father by caring for the orphan. Tony Merida and Rick Morton have done the church a huge favor with this book because they have clearly shown that Adoption and Orphan care are Gospel issues and have given us intensely practical ways to move our churches to action. This book has especially impacted me because my mom grew up in an orphanage. For a decade she waited in vain for a father to come for her. This book will help churches everywhere say with their Lord Jesus to millions like my mom around the world ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come for you!’”
Here is what New Hope Publishers had to say about the book:
When many people hear the word adoption, they think of it as a plan-B way to have children. Others tune out entirely, assuming it has nothing to do with them and their circumstances. And yes, it is true that not everyone is called to adopt. But Scripture and 145 million orphans worldwide do beckon us, the body of Christ, to care and act.
That’s why coauthors Tony Merida and Rick Morton have written their recently released book, Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care, which they hope will bring adoption and orphan care into a new light for many readers.
The needs are urgent. Who will stand up for these tens of millions of children, often left on the street to fend for themselves in underdeveloped countries? Who will stand between them and unscrupulous criminals who would lure them into crime and prostitution? Or closer to home, who will step up to provide loving, Christian care for children in America’s foster care system?
Orphan care is more than just adoption. At the heart of orphan care is grace. Grace that flows from Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. Grace that reconciles us with God. Grace that we extend through the care of orphans and others (James 1:27).
There is a scriptural mandate for the church to act on behalf of the neediest and most vulnerable among us. That’s why Orphanology is such an exciting resource. It answers the questions: What can I do? What can my family do? What can my church do?
With openness and integrity, Rick and Tony speak from first-hand experience, as both men with their wives have adopted multiple children from overseas. Their book covers practical ways to get involved such as:
- Assisting adoptive parents in down-to-earth fashion
- Raising awareness of the crisis in orphan and foster care
- Developing a fund to assist potential adoptions
- Hosting orphans for a summer
- Underwriting an orphanage
- Starting an orphan care ministry in the local church
In the end, adoption is only a reflection of the most important adoption, our spiritual adoption as sons and daughters of God. Indeed, the gospel transforms not only our identity and eternal destiny, but when rightly understood and applied, it will also transform how we see the world and serve the world.
Authors of Orphanology:
Tony Merida: Tony Merida serves as teaching pastor at Temple Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He also serves as assistant professor of preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). In addition, Merida recently authored a book entitled, Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity. Tony recently announced that he will be joining the faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and will be planting Imago Dei Church in Raleigh. Tony is married to Kimberly and they have five children – Angela, Jana, Victoria, James, and Joshua.
Rick Morton: Rick Morton is the discipleship pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is married to Denise and they are the parents of Nick and Erick, eight and seven years old. The Mortons are in the process of expanding their family through the adoption of two more children from Ukraine. Together, the Mortons were a part of cofounding Promise 139, an international orphan-hosting ministry based in Hattiesburg. In addition to local church ministry, Morton has spent more than a decade as a college and seminary professor.
Check Out the Foreword, Introduction, and Chapter one
To Pre-Order the book, click here
Connect with Orphanology
Bryan Barley is a contributor to Baptist21 and the lead pastor of The Summit Church Denver, a new church plant in urban Denver, CO. He and his wife, Megan, have lived in the city now for two months.
Almost two months ago my wife and I, along with several other individuals from the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, were commissioned to plant a church in urban Denver, CO. And while two months on the ground makes me anything but an expert, one of the invaluable lessons I’ve learned is that being planted out of a healthy, supportive local church is indispensible in the planting process.
At the heart of the Summit’s vision for church planting is the conviction that planting happens best through the local church – it’s in the local church that the best assessment, training, and support can happen. With this conviction, and a vision to plant 1,000 churches in the next 40 years, they launched SendRDU to mobilize and equip people to plant churches in cities around the world.
SendRDU facilitates both international and North American church planting, and offers training ranging from the informal to a full-time, 9 month residency to prepare lead planters for church planting.
I was fortunate to go through the entirety of the SendRDU process. It began with mentorship and assessment where pastors looked into my life and evaluated everything from my ability to lead to my ability to love my wife. It culminated with coming on staff at the Summit as an intern and then a church planting resident, providing the opportunity to be trained in everything from preaching to leading an elders meeting.
Now on the ground in Denver and fully immersed in the church planting journey, I think almost daily how frightening it would have been to plant apart from this training. My time at the Summit not only confirmed and refined our calling, it gave us the confidence and support of a local church to move forward in the face of discouragement, and provided the practical training and skills we needed to know where we’re headed.
For my brothers reading this who are considering the call to church planting, I offer you some of the best advice I received in our church planting journey: the best way to prepare to plant is to serve in a local church with a vision for planting churches. While it’s certainly possible to take other routes to planting, my time at the Summit was priceless in mobilizing, equipping, and now planting us to start a new church in the city.
For more information about SendRDU, go to www.SendRDU.com.
In the fall of 2008, I sat with hundreds of other missionaries in Rockville, Va and listened as Dr. Tom Elliff taught us about the great doctrines of the Bible. Dr. Elliff’s ability to be both humorous and challenging as he spoke made him a missionary favorite during our 7 weeks of training. He shared stories of his time as a missionary in Africa, his struggles and victories as a pastor, and his love for his wife, his 4 children and his 25 grandchildren. But, the characteristic that resonated in my mind more than any other as I sat there and listened to Dr. Elliff is that he is a man of God. I want to briefly share 3 reasons why I believe Dr. Tom Elliff is a godly man and wonderful choice as the next President of the International Mission Board.
Tom Elliff is a faithful pastor and shepherd. He was the pastor at Eastwood Baptist church in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 10 years before being sent out as an IMB missionary. Upon returning from the mission field, Dr. Elliff was pastor at Applewood Baptist church in Lakewood, Colorado for a couple of years. Following that, He spent the next 20 years leading and shepherding the First Southern Baptist church of Del City, Oklahoma. Tom Elliff loves the word of God and for well over 40 years of his life has faithfully preached the Word of God to people all over the world.
Tom Elliff is a dynamic leader. Not only is he a pastor/shepherd, he is also has been a leader in Southern Baptist life for many years. Dr. Elliff was president of the SBC Pastor’s Conference in 1990. He also served as president of the SBC in 1996 and 1997. Most recently, Dr. Elliff served as IMB senior vice president for spiritual nurture and church relations. He has lead our denomination from many different posts and has a track record of being able to take churches and organizations to the next level.
Tom Elliff is a relentless missionary. In 1981, Dr. Elliff uprooted his family and left the comforts of America to work in the poverty stricken country of Zimbabwe. After spending 2 years there, the Elliff family had to return back to the US after the serious car accident that badly injured their teenage daughter, Beth. This accident may have caused the Elliff family to leave Zimbabwe, but it did not stop Tom Elliff from being a missionary. One morning back in the fall of 2008 before he was going to be speaking to the missionaries in training, Dr. Elliff led a man to Christ in the parking lot of the local IHOP in Richmond, Va. Being on mission with God is something that is normal for Dr. Tom Elliff. He sees himself as a missionary regardless of where the Lord has him on this earth.
Dr. Tom Elliff is a faithful shepherd, dynamic leader, and relentless missionary. He is a family man and a man of integrity. He has experience shepherding churches, training missionaries, and leading the SBC. His experience and heart for the nations is a key reason why I believe he is a great choice as the next President of the International Mission Board. I am excited to see how Dr. Tom Elliff reaches out to local churches and leads the International Mission Board to partner together for the sake of Christ among all nations!
Guest blog by Pastor Dwayne Milioni: Milioni is the lead pastor at Open Door Baptist Church in North Raleigh. Under Milioni’s leadership Open Door has trained and sent out leaders for seven church plants (check out their locations). He has also led in the formation of the North American Church Planting Foundation, a church-planting network that facilitates church planting through local churches. And he is the pastor of B21’s Nathan Akin and has had a tremendous influence on him.
B21 has interviewed Pastor Milioni in the past – part 1 and part 2 and Nathan Akin has blogged about his church in a post entitled, “A Look at a Model GCR Church” – part 1 and part 2
Hope for NAMB
I recently had the privilege of spending several hours with the Kevin Ezell, the new president of our North American Mission Board. In sum, our time together was everything I had hoped for and more. As a pastor who is infatuated with the local church and loves church planting almost as much, I immediately connected with Dr. Ezell. Upon entering the NAMB building, I began to recall the many stories (some I assume were rumored) of NAMB’s mis-management our cooperative dollars, fudging on numbers of actual church plants, and the evident misdirection of agency priorities away from church planting, Forgive me, but I’ve been a little skeptical.
Add to the fact that I tend to be ”anti-political” in denominational affairs and have not had much success in building relationships with local associations and state conventions. Much of this is my fault for not seeing much value in “playing ball” with organizations that seem to take more than they offer to give. Still, my disappointment is minor compared to friends who have been faithful servants of our denomination and who have labored to see Southern Baptist agencies and state conventions do the right things and do them in the right ways.
I found Kevin Ezell to be a strikingly different leader. Immediately after assuming office, he began to do the right things the right way. Being directed by our recent convention to promote the GCR (the Great Commission Resurgence), president Ezell has begun his work as a “man under authority.” With a broken heart, he told us how he has had to make deep cuts into NAMB’s staff in order to reduce their budget. It takes integrity to clean up your own house before you ask someone to clean up theirs. Ezell is setting an example for other Baptist agencies and state conventions. I pray they will follow suit.
One of the most striking statements made at our meeting came when Dr. Ezell said, “a pastor would never be allowed to do what has been allowed to take place here at NAMB,” As a local church pastor that struggles to stretch every dollar given, I really connected with this comment and felt glad that we now have a leader who serves with a pastor’s heart.
After asking Dr. Ezell what he wants the “New NAMB” to look like, I was excited to hear his desire to see millions of dollars diverted to church planting. He also wants to partner with key churches to plant churches in critical areas of North America. I asked how a local church that has been planting churches apart from the traditional path might get involved and he said that what we are doing at Open Door through our North American Church Planting Foundation will serve a model for church planting within the cooperative program. This comment really encouraged me, not just because it came from our NAMB president, but for first time I felt that our approach to planting churches via a network rather than directly through a local association and state convention was acceptable. I left feeling hopeful and more a committed Southern Baptist.
I’ve heard the mantra, “We exist to serve you,” from agency officials more times than I care to remember without seeing much application. At the new NAMB, they are really trying to live this out. Change is difficult, especially when bureaucracy has set it and the word is still out if NAMB will be able reinvent itself. After meeting with Kevin Ezell, NAMB has at least one more pastor’s support, encouragement and prayers.
Pastor Dwayne
