I got drafted and could use your help

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Last Monday evening at our Associational Advisory board meeting I was drafted as Program committee Chairperson for our annual meeting coming up mid November.

I would like some fresh ideas. We have committed to having our New Regional Executive Minister speak.
And of course reports from committee chair persons. and I hope to have One of my fellow Advisory Board members, Dr. Tony Malone a physician who is passionate about the subject speak on the Baptist Principe of association. We will have three hours in the morning, an hour for lunch and up to three hours in the afternoon. I would like to hear from any of you ABC-USA, SBC, and CBF or any other that have state,regional, and/or associational meetings.

[Tim Dahl]

Off the top of my head, these are the recommendations I would make.
Top 3:
Becky Biser - Works for Tarrant Baptist Association as a director. Anything she teaches/speaks on is worth hearing. She is just that awesome! She heads up leadership development for the TBA; but she knows SO MUCH MORE!
Nancy Ortberg - you can hear her preach here: http://mppc.org/series/soul-o-lo-gy/nan ... ll-my-soul . I first heard her speaking on spiritual disciplines.
Jay Harris - works for TBA as a director (associate of Becky B.). He's great! Especially ask him about rest, or learning from the Lord, and developing leaders.

If you can get them:
Dallas Willard - spiritual disciplines, Kingdom of God
Richard Foster - spiritual disciplines
Bob Roberts Jr. - Missions thru the front door, church planting, leadership development, ministry in the 21st century, Global Christianity.

If I think of more, I'll let you know.

Tim

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Thanks Tim. But perhaps I was not clear in my initial post of this thread. I am not looking for speakers The Northeast is blessed with capable speakers. In fact we are uniquely located within a three to five hour drive of 3 ABC-USA affiliated Seminaries. And the North East has hundreds of Colleges and Universities and encompass all 8 Ivy League schools, Including Brown with its Baptist Roots.

Being an associational meeting of 27 churches I doubt we could afford those on you very exultant list. If this where a regional meeting of ABC-NYS I would bring back John Pierce, who in my opinion is over all the best informed individual on all thing Baptist in the U.S.. You may recall we had him here for the Baptist Fellowship of the Northeast spring meeting in 2011. Caveat: that does not mean that Johny and I are in sync on all issues.

What I an looking for is discussion topics and activities that speak to being Baptist in 2012-13.

[Tim Dahl]

What I an looking for is discussion topics and activities that speak to being Baptist in 2012-13.

Ed, that is a good conversation to have.

I guess one could start with Shurden's "4 Fragile Freedoms." That could be 4 topics, as they are expanded upon in light of today's culture. I guess some thought would have to go into what exactly within our culture those 4 freedoms speak too. In the ultra-independent culture I live in, most of it seems to be preaching to the choir. But, your area might be a little different.

There could also be a conversation about "Denominational Identity" via Panel Discussion. That would make for an interesting break out session. Why would people want to have the word "Baptist" in their name, when it is more than enough to just be "Christian?" This question was posed to me by my local police chief about a week ago. I see more and more the marks of a post-denominational age. While, we could offer up that we really aren't a denomination, just a convention/assembly/whatever; the vast majority of folks out there don't see a difference. So, why keep the name? Why value the identity, when a whole generation (or two, or three) find the idea (denominational identity) as superfluous?

Lately, my mind had been wrapping itself around the topic of delayed adolescence. What might that have to do with today's young ministers? What about the effect of fewer and fewer younger men and women desiring to be a pastor? Here is an article from the Alabama Baptist concerning some Alban Institute research.

Who knows what other topics are out there to talk about that affect Baptists in your area.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Thanks Tim there is indeed some good stuff to chew on there. And it is difficult not to let myself get side tracked and get involved in some of them here and now. But we have a prayer meeting here at the parsonage in about an hour from now.

One other topic I would like to work on is the effect of having an Extension of William's Mid America, SBC type Seminary setting in the middle of our association.

[Tim Dahl]

One other topic I would like to work on is the effect of having an Extension of William's Mid America, SBC type Seminary setting in the middle of our association.

That would be a good one. I can imagine that small churches in the area would use the students of the seminary as their ministers, if there isn't another available source of ministers. If it is an SBC type Seminary, then I might be a bit worried. If it turns out to be a "fundamentalist" type seminary, or a "calvinist" type seminary, how might that affect the churches in your association?

Tim