Two pastors have announced their willingness to be nominated for the presidency of the 2019 North Carolina Pastor’s Conference: Chris Griggs, pastor of Denver Baptist Church, and Chip Hannah, pastor of Peace Baptist Church in Whiteville. Officers are elected two years in advance to allow flexibility in scheduling speakers.
J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, has announced his intention to nominate Griggs. Likewise, Josh Phillips, pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Norwood, will nominate Hannah. Nominations are scheduled for 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 6.
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Chip Hannah and Chris Griggs |
The Biblical Recorder sent the two potential candidates the following question to discover each one’s vision for the event, if elected:
Q: What is the most important way the pastors’ conference can encourage pastors?
Griggs: The most important way that the pastor’s conference can encourage pastors is by allowing them to have their souls nourished on the beauty and power of the gospel.
We are busy writing gospel sermons, reminding our people to trust in the gospel, sharing the gospel and working hard to carry out faithful gospel ministry. The pastor’s conference can provide a much needed opportunity for gospel ministers to have the gospel ministered to them, so that we might rejoice in singing the gospel, be refreshed in the preaching of the gospel and leave with our hearts resting in the Good News of a God who saves sinners through His Son Jesus Christ.
We all need to be reminded that our value and worth doesn’t come from how well our churches are doing, or what our statistics look like, but from our union with Christ. That’s the kind of conference that I believe would be a great encouragement to pastors.
Hannah: I want to see pastors encouraged, because I know pastors are worn down, burned out and just tired. As pastors we need encouragement from God’s Word to speak into our lives and our families’ lives.
With all we have going on in our country, I believe all pastors need an encouraging word and that needs to be in the form of all pastors being a part of the pastor’s conference. I once heard, “If we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we always got!” So, my vision is to bring more pastors together of diverse backgrounds to be one heartbeat with one cause for the work of His Kingdom!
The 2017 N.C. Pastor’s Conference will take place Nov. 5-6 in Greensboro, preceding the Baptist State Convention of N.C. annual meeting.