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Evangelists to pick up Billy Graham’s ‘torch’
David Roach, Baptist Press
May 16, 2018
3 MIN READ TIME

Evangelists to pick up Billy Graham’s ‘torch’

Evangelists to pick up Billy Graham’s ‘torch’
David Roach, Baptist Press
May 16, 2018

Following Billy Graham’s death, his fellow Southern Baptist evangelists “are ready to pick up the torch” of evangelistic ministry in the 21st century, said David Stockwell, president of Southern Baptist Evangelists, also known as the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists.

They will discuss how to do that at an evangelists retreat and business meeting June 8-9 in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) annual meeting in Dallas. The retreat’s theme is “Go Tell!” based on Mark 5:19.

In addition to the retreat, cosponsored by the Conference of Texas Baptist Evangelists, Southern Baptist Evangelists will host a Sunday worship celebration service June 10 at First Baptist Church in Grapevine, Texas. A “Southwest Supper Sing-A-Long” June 11 will give pastors an opportunity to connect with evangelists.

Pastors and other church leaders are invited to attended all slated activities.

“Southern Baptist Evangelists stand ready to assist, support and serve every pastor and church in the Southern Baptist Convention by helping in evangelistic outreach programs and training their people in personal evangelism techniques,” said Stockwell, a Houston-based evangelist. “Evangelists and pastors can work together to reach their communities with the Good News of Christ.”

The retreat and business meeting – to be held at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Dallas – will include prayer, worship, testimonies by evangelists and an address by Shane Pruitt, director of evangelism for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Among topics to be discussed in testimonies are international ministry and using technology such as Skype and Facebook for evangelism.

“Over 200 million people in America and over 5 billion people internationally have not heard a clear, uncompromising presentation of the Good News of Christ,” Stockwell said, “and have not repented, turned and trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Despite these sobering facts, we are living in the greatest days of harvest in history. Missiologists tell us that more people are coming to Christ worldwide in this generation by far than ever in history.”

The business meeting will include election of a new Southern Baptist Evangelists president.

The evangelists’ Sunday morning worship service at First Baptist Grapevine will begin at 10 a.m. Speakers will include Stockwell and Georgia-based evangelist Rick Gage.

The June 11 “Sing-A-Long” will run from 4:30-6 p.m. in Trinity Ballroom 5/6 at the Omni Dallas and feature a light meal along with music by Southern Baptist music evangelists. The event is free and open to all attendees of the SBC Pastors’ Conference and 2018 SBC Annual Meeting.

An evangelists booth in the SBC exhibit hall will help Southern Baptists understand the work of evangelists internationally and in North America and allow convention attendees to meet Southern Baptist evangelists.

“Southern Baptist Evangelists are looking forward, at the Dallas convention in June, to connecting with pastors and church leadership to discuss and strategize on ways we can work together to reach the lost in their communities and around the world,” Stockwell said.

An online directory of all Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists members may be accessed at sbcevangelist.org. Each evangelist’s profile provides contact information and details about their ministry. The website also provides information about the group, including the purpose and work of the evangelist according to Ephesians 4:11-16.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention’s news service.)