NC Baptists

Compelled by the Gospel to Love People and Hate Sin

In a culture that increasingly calls what is evil good and what is good evil, we must learn to engage unbelievers with love. As disciple-makers, we must understand that it is unloving to fail to address sin. Loving others requires confronting their sinfulness. Speaker: Jeff Holder

The Church in a Community of Clashing Culture

Gospel-centered, biblical preaching and teaching is a necessary element of a robust disciple-making strategy. Disciple-making requires more than good preaching and teaching, but it must include it. We will examine Scripture, case studies and contemporary research as we explore this topic. Speaker: Russ Reaves

How to Connect with Neighbors Who Are Different from You

Oftentimes we ask people to connect with Jesus, and we haven’t even connected with them. Experience a highly participatory, active and fun session to learn the first step of connecting with your neighbor to build a loving relationship. Also, learn how you can be trained to teach “The Six Stages of Cultural Mastery” to leaders in your church. Speakers: Ken Tan & Neal Eller

Basic Tools for Gospel Conversations

There are a million ways to get into a gospel conversation, but the question is: Do you know what to do once you are in one? In this session, you will gain practical tools both to share and train others in telling your story and God’s story competently, confidently and humbly. You will also spend time practicing in the session. Speaker: Caleb Sprinkle

Millennial Parents: Understanding, Equipping and Empowering

Millennials have broken the mold on the priority of church attendance. We will explore what makes millennials different from previous generations and what your church can do to understand, equip and empower millennial parents as disciples who make disciples. Speaker: Cheryl Markland

How Technology is Distracting the Family

Are you perplexed with the impact of smartphones? Do you find yourself competing with texts and social media? With all the competing voices, how do you guide your child and build foundations for faith? This session will help you answer questions like these about technology, culture, and the family. Speaker: Merrie Johnson

Discipling the Whole Person: A Guide to Living and Thinking Well in the Real World

If we have been commissioned to make disciples by teaching them everything that Christ has commended and the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, what kind of implications does this have for our discipleship process? Join us for a conversation on how these two commands work together and how to move towards a discipleship process that shepherds the whole person unto life in Christ. Speaker: Yana Conner

Immigration is a Gospel Issue

In the face of North Carolina's rapidly growing international population, how should the church respond? Is there a biblical mandate to make disciple among immigrants, refugees, and international students? If the answer is yes, what Great Commission strategies and methodologies might we use to reach our international neighbors with the life-transforming message of the gospel? Speaker: Chuck Register

Discipling Generosity

As church leaders, we are trained to disciple every area of spiritual maturity...except generosity. This session is designed to give you some practical tips on how to disciple generosity versus talk about money. Speaker: Kent Vincent

The Generation Next Door: Connecting With Generation Z

Generation Z — the generation born after 1995 — outnumber baby boomers and millennials and make up 25 percent of the population today. As adolescents, their power may be limited, but their habits will become increasingly important. Habits set in this generation’s teenage years will influence their lives forever. They are the first generation to grow up in the digital age. They have short attention spans. Visuals matter. Meeting them where they are matters. What is your church doing to reach Gen Z? Speaker: Merrie Johnson

Pastor as Disciple-Maker

This session will equip the pastor to be a disciple-maker and provide him with a structure to create a disciple-making culture in his church. Speaker: Sandy Marks

How to Reach International Students

For the second year in a row, more than 1 million international students have chosen to study in the United States. Many of these students enrolled in our colleges come from countries that are hostile to Christians, and many have never heard the gospel. Yet, many churches do not think of international students when they think of missions. This breakout session will help you and your church learn practical steps in understanding international students and sharing the gospel with love, friendship and cultural awareness. Speakers: Tom Knight & Vana Conner

Bondage and Freedom: Pornography Addiction and the Local Church

This session will be an honest discussion about the plague of pornography and the way it devastates men and women in our churches. The session will also provide some handles for helping people find freedom from pornography. Speaker: Scott Hildreth

Living in a Culture of Compromise

Living in a culture where living "set apart" can seem difficult, society communicates it is acceptable to step over boundaries and live as you want. Compromise seems like the only way to function in the world. But Scripture tells believers something different. This session will focus on how those who name the name of Christ can still live according to biblical absolutes without compromising the truth of Scripture. Speaker: Missie Branch

Cultural Backdrop: How Did We Get Here?

Many in our churches and world today wonder how our society and culture arrived where we are currently. How can we better understand society in order to reach those who are far from God with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Ministry does not take place in a vacuum, and culture affects how people think and respond to the gospel. This session will provide an understanding of how society moved from a modern to postmodern culture. Speaker: Ashley Allen

Finding Joy in Your Work

The single most effective place to meet people where they are and lead them into a living relationship with God is at work. Develop a new way of thinking about how finding joy in your work - whether you're a housewife, business owner, pastor, employer or employee - builds relationships, produces results and leads to flourishing. Changing the way you work can change the world for Christ. Speaker: Boomer Brown

Disciple-Grid: Evaluating Your Discipleship Strategy

We all desire to be part of God's mission of making disciples, but sometimes we get overwhelmed with how to go about ensuring that we are accomplishing this great objective. This session looks at how to build models that help us accurately assess how we are doing in this ultimate kingdom enterprise. Speaker: Walker Armstrong

The Vision Frame as a Discipling Tool

Every pastor wants to make disciples, but few know how. Why? Because most of us were never discipled ourselves, we resort to a program-driven approach in classrooms and Bible studies. But the effectiveness of this method remains elusive, at best. In this session learn how to frame a culture of disciple-making designed to engage everyone in your church and fulfill your uniquely given Great Commission calling. Speaker: Bryan Rose

Ministry in a Secular Age

As American culture becomes more and more secularized and fragmented, does the gospel still offer hope and meaning? How should we preach and lead in this context we find ourselves in? During this session, learn from a pastor who planted a church in one of the most secular areas of North Carolina and hear personal stories of the gospel taking root in the most unlikely of lives. Speaker: Chase Gardner

How to Partner with Ethnic Churches to Reach Ethnic Communities

God has brought the nations to North Carolina, and it is imperative for us to reach and make disciples among the nations. God has provided strategic partners to reach the nations — ethnic churches. This session will provide practical ways to work with ethnic churches to reach ethnic communities for Christ. Speaker: Sammy Joo

The New Sexual Orthodoxy: Critical Issues Facing the Church

Sex, marriage and babies. The connection of these topics is obvious for believers, but how can churches thrive in a world that sees little relationship between the three? This session will address why sexual ethics is at the heart of the current worldview debate and how we can respond with the hope of the gospel. Speaker: John Stonestreet

Gospeling: Recognizing opportunities & Transitioning Conversations

This session was designed to equip participants to recognize gospeling opportunities in their everyday rhythms of life and then focus on how to transition those conversations from the mundane to the Master through asking relevant questions, listening and ministering to the whole person. Speaker: George Robinson

Dynamic Discipleship from Mundane Ministry

Pastoral ministry can be filled with many mundane moments - studying for sermons, visiting the sick and various meetings. How can a pastor find time to make disciples when his calendar is already full of normal ministry responsibilities? This session discusses some ways a pastor can shepherd the flock well by making disciples. Speaker: Chris Griggs

Marijuana: Stigma, Science, and Scripture

Our current cultural climate sees growing acceptance and use of marijuana and its by-products. In light of the opioid epidemic, current science and Scripture, Christians should be prepared to have meaningful conversations with our culture about marijuana, its effects and the gospel. Speaker: Larry Lyon

How to Connect with Neighbors Different From You

Often we ask people to connect with Jesus, and we haven’t even connected with them. Experience a highly participatory, active and fun session to learn the first step of connecting with your neighbor to build a loving relationship. Also, learn how you can be trained to teach “The Six Stages of Cultural Mastery” to leaders in your church. Speakers: Neal Eller & Ken Tan

How Can We Be Great Commission Neighbors

We all have neighbors, both as individuals and as churches. But how do we begin to engage these neighbors for the sake of the kingdom? How can you help create urgency in your congregation to reach your community? Join us as we consider these questions and ask God to help us see our own communities as a mission field. We will discuss pathways to entry, church programming and prioritization, faithfulness and perseverance, and other practical tips as we approach this subject with both urgency and humility knowing that the Lord of the harvest is good, and His kingdom is unshakeable. Speakers: Andrew Ivester & Melissa Childers

Impacting the Diversity in Lost Pockets

Within North Carolina’s pockets of lostness, there is a wide diversity of hard-to-reach population segments. In this session, we will discuss and share real-life examples of how we are working together with associations and churches to identify and build strategies to engage those population segments. Speaker: Russ Reaves

Equipping Families to Be Missional in Their Neighborhoods

Most likely, the community around your church is growing, but attendance on Sunday morning is not. Could it be the families of your church do not see their neighborhoods as a mission field? Do they understand why their neighborhoods are their mission field? Come learn about a missional family action plan to help equip families to be missionaries where they live. You will walk away from this session with several great resources and the confidence you need to put this plan into action. Speakers: Eric Simmons & Mark Smith

Loving Our Unchurched Neighbor in Rural NC

Is it possible that many churches have plateaued or are declining because we have forgotten the art of neighboring? We are aware of urban churches that are multiplying, but what can rural churches do to reach their neighbors? Learn from a rural North Carolina pastor who will share simple, yet intentional, ways to reach neighbors in the natural daily rhythms of life. Speaker: Jonathon Blaylock

#ChurchToo- Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Reports of workplace sexual harassment abound with no end in sight. No workplace is immune from this problem, including the church and related Christian ministries. These events damage lives, ruin reputations, hurt morale and lead to costly legal actions. However, the church is uniquely called to demonstrate leadership, show compassion, practice humility and provide accountability in addressing this painful issue. This workshop will review practical steps that a ministry can take to prevent and address harassing behaviors before the damage is done. Speaker: Darrin Coon