Workshop Impacts Ohio Leaders

More than 140 pastors and leaders had the opportunity recently to attend the Engage 24 Evangelism Workshop hosted by Liberty Heights Church (LHC) in the Cincinnati Area Baptist Association (CABA). Five of the leading Southern Baptist pastors in America encouraged, equipped, and challenged workshop attendees to be personally intentional in sharing the gospel with those far from God. In addition, attendees were asked to lead the churches in which they serve to be laser focused in reaching their communities with the gospel.

Jimmy Scroggins (www.jimmyscroggins.com) spoke on the importance of creating an evangelistic culture in a church. James Merritt (www.touchinglives.org) unapologetically asked attendees, “when was the last time you led someone to Christ? Or even tried to?” John Meador (www.johnmeador.com) encouraged pastors to be deeply connected with community leaders as they build church and community gospel strategies. Ken Whitten (www.idelwild.org) challenged attendees to practice gospel hospitality. Joel Southerland, National Evangelism Strategist for NAMB (www.peavine.org), challenged pastors to lead their churches to be on mission, to gather on mission, and to live on mission.

In addition, Joel (along with Dr. Page) introduced a new NAMB and SBC national “gospel conversation” initiative encouraging SBC churches to do their part in seeing Southern Baptists commit to having 1,000,000 gospel conversations with those far from God within the next 12 months. Go to www.gcchallenge.com today to register your church’s commitment to this gospel conversation challenge!

Finally, attendees were blessed to have a surprise visitor to the event. Dr. Frank Page, President and CEO of the Executive Committee of the SBC shared with everyone his passion and belief that the world can be impacted for Christ as SBC churches carry the compassionate and powerful mantle of the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world. He challenged each pastor and church leader to do their part in seeing their own communities impacted with a gospel witness!

This event was co sponsored by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO), and was made by possible by the generous and faithful gifts of churches to the Cooperative program!