Matt Capps, president of the 2018 North Carolina Baptist Pastors’ Conference (NCPC), has announced the “expositional theme” of this year’s event: “7 Churches of Revelation.” The conference will take place Nov. 4-5 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C., coinciding with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s annual meeting.
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Seven speakers will preach from passages in Revelation 2-3 that correspond with Jesus’ well-known “letters to the churches in Asia” in the ancient cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
In a statement on the conference website, Capps said God has issued a “clarion call to the entire church” in these passages, noting their relevance for the modern church.
“These letters are sober reminders of the importance of defending biblical doctrine and the impact of devoted doxological witness,” said Capps, who serves as pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C.
“[They] are both comforting and convicting. There is comfort in knowing that Christ walks among the seven churches and is intimately involved in our fruitfulness. At the same time, there is a call to faithfulness that should bolster our desire to minister in a way that is aligned with God’s call to all churches between the ascension and second coming,” Capps said in an email to the Biblical Recorder.
The speaker lineup includes Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham and candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention; Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte; Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C.; Tony Merida, pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh; K. Marshall Williams, pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia; and Chris Griggs, pastor of Denver Baptist Church and NCPC vice president.
Visit ncpastorsconference.com to register for the event. The first 500 registrants will receive free books and other resources at event check-in, according to Capps. Registration is free.
“We are asking all the attendees to register this year so that we can communicate before and after the conference. Not only will the sponsors offer special deals on ministry resources, we will also make the conference sermon videos available online,” he said.
Sponsors include Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, The Christian Standard Bible, The Gospel Project, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Biblical Recorder and more.
“I am thankful for our sponsors,” said Capps. “Because of their partnership, I am praying that the majority of the money taken up in our two offering times will go towards North Carolina Baptist missions efforts.”