Those who attend the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) annual meeting Nov. 5-6 have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions related to various areas of ministry. There are three, one-hour sessions occurring Mon, Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m., Tues., Nov. 6 at 10:45 a.m. and Tues., Nov. 6 at 3:15 p.m. Some sessions are offered only once, so please plan accordingly.
A Conversation with Russell Moore
Monday, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Auditorium IV
Join a discussion with Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, about contemporary issues in loving our neighbors. The session will be moderated by Matt Capps, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C.
Basic Tools for Gospel Conversations with Josh Reed, BSC senior consultant, adult evangelism & discipleship
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m., Colony A
Attendees will learn and practice two basic tools for conversational evangelism. We will also discuss transitions into sharing the gospel, as well as calling people to decision.
Church Revitalization for the Sake of Our Neighbors with Sandy Marks, BSC senior consultant, church health & revitalization
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Pinehurst
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Pinehurst
Is your church impacting lostness in the surrounding community? Impacting lostness with the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the heart of church revitalization. This session will introduce you to a process and resources available to N.C. churches that desire to return to their mission of impacting lostness by making disciples.
#ChurchToo: Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace with Darrin Coon, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance/American Church Group of N.C.
Tuesday, 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m., Auditorium IV
Reports of workplace sexual harassment abound with no end in sight. No workplace is immune, including the church and related Christian ministries. These events damage lives, ruin reputations, hurt morale and lead to costly legal actions. However, the church is uniquely called to demonstrate leadership, show compassion, practice humility and provide accountability in addressing this painful issue. This workshop will review practical steps that a ministry can take to prevent and address harassing behaviors before the damage is done.
Community Colleges as a Mission Field (panel discussion) facilitated by Darrick Smith, BSC senior consultant, collegiate partnerships
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Oak C
Seventy percent of N.C.’s 1.2 million college students are taking classes at community colleges. Statistically, there are about 650,000 students on those campuses who don’t yet know Jesus. Community colleges are often smaller, and the typical four-year turnover is cut in half at community colleges. N.C.’s community college system is booming, but being on mission there takes innovation and intentionality. It’s not easy. Come learn from church leaders who have stepped into this frontier mission field and are successfully seeing disciples being made.
Contextual Awareness in Discipleship with Walter Strickland, associate vice president and professor, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Heritage A
When shepherding young believers from different races and cultures, it is important to ask the question, “How can I lead this person to become more like Christ without causing them to jettison their culture?” Come learn how to pass along the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” to those who are called to walk in faithfulness in different cultures.
Cutting through the Slew with Josh Reed, BSC senior consultant, adult evangelism & discipleship
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Colony A
Attendees will learn and discuss what the apostle Paul calls the “elementary principles of the world.” We will seek to understand how this phrase describes basic human motivation, discern its relevance for disciple-making and learn how to apply the gospel to what we discover.
Demonstrating Faith to Our Neighbors: Building Bridges between Communities of Faith and People in Need with Dan Collison, BSC strategy coordinator
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Olympia
We can be easily overwhelmed by the pressing nature and scope of need among the poor. The power of the gospel is demonstrated when we offer hope and help in a posture of humility and through a disciple-making relationship.
Equipping Families to Be Missional in Their Neighborhoods with Eric Simmons, associate pastor of students, First Baptist Church, Summerfield, N.C.; and Mark Smith, BSC senior consultant, family evangelism & discipleship
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Colony C
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Colony C
Most likely, the community around your church is growing, but attendance on Sunday morning is not. Could it be the families of your church do not see their neighborhoods as a mission field? Do they understand why their neighborhoods are their mission field? Come learn about a missional family action plan to help equip families to be missionaries where they live. You will walk away from this session with several great resources and the confidence you need to put this plan into action.
The Generation Next Door: Connecting with Generation Z with Merrie Johnson, BSC senior consultant, youth evangelism & discipleship
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Oak B
Generation Z – the generation born after 1995 – outnumber baby boomers and millennials and make up 25 percent of the population today. As adolescents, their power may be limited, but their habits will become increasingly important. Habits set in this generation’s teenage years will influence their lives forever. They are the first generation to grow up in the digital age. They have short attention spans. Visuals matter. Meeting them where they are matters. What is your church doing to reach Gen Z?
Home Team & Away Team: College Ministry in the Established Church with Jonathan Yarboro, BSC team leader, collegiate partnerships
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Oak C
For many established churches, building a collegiate ministry starts with the homegrown students they already have fresh out of high school. This desire to make sure we keep our homegrown students grounded while they are away at college often presents challenges to reaching new students on the campuses closest to our churches. This session will give practical tips for caring for those students while they are away while simultaneously building a collegiate ministry that impacts the lostness on nearby campuses.
How Can We Be Great Commission Neighbors? with Andrew Ivester, pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Durham, N.C.; and Melissa Childers, IMB emeritus missionary/lay leader, Durham Memorial Baptist Church, Durham, N.C.
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Oak B
We all have neighbors, both as individuals and as churches. But how do we begin to engage these neighbors for the sake of the kingdom? How can you help create urgency in your congregation to reach your community? Join us as we consider these questions and ask God to help us see our own communities as a mission field. We will discuss pathways to entry, church programming and prioritization, faithfulness and perseverance, and other practical tips as we approach this subject with both urgency and humility knowing that the Lord of the harvest is good, and His Kingdom is unshakeable.
How to Be a Peacemaker in Your Neighborhood with Eddie Thompson, BSC senior consultant, pastoral ministries
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Olympia
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Olympia
According to Jesus, our neighbor is anyone we come in contact with, and that certainly includes people that live all around us. But living in close proximity can become the breeding ground for disputes and hard feelings. And because we are living so far from what God calls us to be, we have forgotten – or don’t even know – how to honor Him or love our neighbor. This session will help us look carefully at the power of peacemaking and how it can affect entire communities, while creating opportunities for sharing the gospel and making disciples.
How to Connect With Neighbors Who Are Different From You with Neal Eller, BSC team leader, church strengthening team, and Ken Tan, BSC senior consultant, leadership development
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Cedar C
Often we ask people to connect with Jesus, and we haven’t even connected with them. Experience a highly participatory, active and fun session to learn the first step of connecting with your neighbor to build a loving relationship. Also, learn how you can be trained to teach “The Six Stages of Cultural Mastery” to leaders in your church.
How to Develop a Biblical Leadership Pipeline with Sammy Joo, BSC senior consultant, Asian ministries
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Bear Creek
One of the integral parts in ministry is leadership. In this session, we will discuss biblical leadership and how leadership can be developed and used in the context of Korean churches.
How to Partner with Ethnic Churches to Reach Ethnic Communities with Sammy Joo (see info above)
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Pinehurst
God has brought the nations to North Carolina, and it is imperative for us to reach and make disciples among the nations. God has provided strategic partners to reach the nations – ethnic churches. This session will provide practical ways to work with ethnic churches to reach ethnic communities for Christ.
How to Reach International Students with Tom Knight, BSC senior consultant, collegiate partnerships, and Yana Conner, BSC consultant, collegiate partnerships
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Arrowhead
For the second year in a row, more than 1 million international students have chosen to study in the United States. Many of these students enrolled in our colleges come from countries that are hostile to Christians, and many have never heard the gospel. Yet, many churches do not think of international students when they think of missions. This breakout session will help you and your church learn practical steps in understanding international students and sharing the gospel with love, friendship and cultural awareness.
Impacting the Diversity in Lost Pockets with Russ Reaves, BSC strategy coordinator
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Heritage B
Within North Carolina’s pockets of lostness, there is a wide diversity of hard-to-reach population segments. In this session, we will discuss and share real-life examples of how we are working together with associations and churches to identify and build strategies to engage those population segments.
International Partnerships to Reach Our Neighbors of the World (panel discussion) with Tanner Marquis, BSC catalyst, Peoples Next Door NC
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Turnberry
How could partnering with our missionaries working among unreached people groups globally help your church to more effectively reach the unreached peoples who have migrated from around the world to be your neighbors? Hear from church leaders about how global partnerships have better equipped and empowered them to reach the unreached nations who are now their neighbors. Attendees will also hear from International Mission Board leaders about how your church can partner with missionaries working among unreached peoples from around the globe in places like East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and more.
Loving Our Neighbor in the Context of Discipleship with John Malek, senior pastor, Sharpe Road Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C.
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Oak A
During this session, we will discuss how to love our neighbors in the context of discipleship by addressing the biblical texts of Luke 10:25-37, John 15:7-10 and 1c John 2:1-6. We will answer three questions: Who is my neighbor? What does loving and discipling my neighbor mean? And how do I disciple them?
Loving Our Neighbors Across Our Nation with N.C. Baptists on Mission staff
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Cedar A
This breakout session will cover ways to love our neighbors across the United States. Come learn more about missions partnerships and projects in the Appalachian coalfields, Pennsylvania, New England, the Rocky Mountains and Hawaii. The session will also cover disaster relief in Puerto Rico.
Loving Our Neighbors Around the World with N.C. Baptists on Mission staff
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Cedar A
Join several Baptists on Mission staff members to discover ways to love our neighbors through international missions partnerships and projects. Come learn more about opportunities in places like Honduras, Cuba, Guatemala, Armenia, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa and the Roma partnership.
Loving Our Neighbors in Our Community and State with N.C. Baptists on Mission staff
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Cedar A
Join several N.C. Baptists on Mission staff members to discover ways to love our neighbors here in our own state. This session will cover ministries like Operation Inasmuch, missions camps, health screening and dental buses, disaster relief, Baptist builders, compassion ministries, Deep Impact, Deep Impact Kids and more.
Loving Our Neighbors Who Struggle with Addiction with Matthias “Matty” Ponce-de-Leon, pastor, Arlington First Baptist Church, Jonesville, N.C.
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Cedar B
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Cedar B
North Carolina has a segment of its population that few pastors and churches are equipped to engage with the gospel, and this population is growing at an alarming rate – individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. This breakout session will provide participants with a greater understanding of this growing segment of our population, a system to respond to addicts and their families that reach out to your church for help, as well as other resources to help you assist those struggling with addiction.
Loving Our Unchurched Neighbors in Rural North Carolina with Jonathan Blaylock, pastor, West Canton Baptist Church, Canton, N.C.
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Heritage B
Is it possible that many churches have plateaued or are declining because we have forgotten the art of neighboring? We are aware of urban churches that are multiplying, but what can rural churches do to reach their neighbors? Learn from a rural North Carolina pastor who will share simple, yet intentional, ways to reach neighbors in the natural daily rhythms of life.
Loving Your Neighbor Through Immigration Issues (panel discussion) with Amaury Santos, BSC Hispanic strategy coordinator; Larry Phillips, BSC contract strategist, Baptist Immigration Services; and John Faison, Center on Immigrant Relations executive director
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m., Bear Creek
Come and learn how the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s Baptist Immigration Services assists our churches in loving their immigrant neighbors. Immigrants today face various obstacles and issues coming from different cultural contexts. Engaging immigrants with the gospel can happen in many ways. Come learn how you can join this strategic effort.
Loving Your Neighbor with Special Needs with Donnie Wiltshire, BSC senior consultant, special ministries
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Heritage A
People with special needs are our neighbors who have developmental disabilities and delays of various types. This breakout session will look at the overwhelming demographics in our state and the need for churches to bring the gospel message and the love of Christ to persons and families impacted by these special needs.
Making Disciples Among Hindu, Buddhist and Animistic Neighbors (panel discussion) with facilitator: James Cooper, BSC catalyst, Peoples Next Door NC
Panelists: International church planters
Tuesday, 3:15-4:15 p.m., Arrowhead
Now that God has brought unreached people of Hindu, Buddhist and animistic faiths here to our cities, towns and communities, we have an incredible opportunity and responsibility to reach them with the love and gospel of Jesus. This session will equip you to discover, naturally encounter, intentionally engage and make disciples of your neighbors of other faiths.
Making Disciples Among Muslim Neighbors (panel discussion) with Facilitator: Chuck Baker, catalyst, Peoples Next Door NC, BSC
Panelists: Church planters among Muslims
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Arrowhead
Now that God has brought Muslims from across the globe here to our cities, towns and communities, we have an incredible opportunity and responsibility to reach them with the love and gospel of Jesus. In this session, you will be trained and equipped to more effectively reach your Muslim neighbors. Hear from church engagement catalysts, local church practitioners, and planters who are working to see the gospel go out among Muslims here in North Carolina and around the world.
Multifamily Housing Part 1: Engaging Our Neighbors with K.O. Grissett, Joe Maye, Brian Norris, BSC catalysts, Office of Great Commission Partnerships
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Oak A
Hear the stories of several churches who are strategically and faithfully engaging their neighbors in multifamily housing communities, loving them well, sharing the gospel relationally, making disciples and starting gospel communities.
Multifamily Housing Part 2: Loving Our Neighbors with same people as above
Tuesday at 10:45 a.m-11:45 a.m., Oak A
Develop a biblically practical plan around one of three approaches to enter and engage a particular multifamily housing community in your area. Strategically plan your next steps to pray fervently, engage with people, speak the gospel, start seeker studies, identify and equip key leaders, launch a sustainable ministry, and exit with care.
Operation Reach: Who Is My Neighbor? with Mark Gray, BSC team leader, church planting; Ralph Garay, BSC senior consultant, Asian church planting; and Eric Cook, associational missionary, Union Baptist Association
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Heritage B
This breakout session will introduce a practical training opportunity to assist churches in identifying unreached and unengaged population clusters in our communities. Learn more about the people in our local communities who are and are not being engaged with the gospel. Discover where new works may be needed to ensure that all people in our state are being reached. Hear from a church planting consultant and an associational missionary about the effectiveness of an Operation Reach event.
Praying Our Neighbors to Christ with Chris Schofield, BSC director, Office of Prayer
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Auditorium I
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Auditorium I
This breakout session will examine how to pray biblically and effectively for lost family, friends and neighbors in your world.
Sharing Christ with Your LGBT Neighbor with Maleah Allard, director, New Beginning Support Ministry; and Steve Harris, BSC strategy coordinator
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Cedar B
The LGBT lifestyle is a segment of our population that isn’t going away. It represents people who are in great need of a Savior just like all of us. This breakout session will explore the LGBT culture as Meleah Allard shares her own story of her lifestyle as a lesbian, how the gospel brought her freedom and how God has called her back into this culture to minister the love of Jesus Christ. Participants will discover the unique characteristics of those who are part of the LGBT lifestyle, how the gospel can transform anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and how Christians can minister both truth and love through the power of the gospel.
Singles in Your Neighborhood: More Diverse Than You Think (panel discussion) with Ashley Allen, BSC senior consultant, Embrace; Molly Lydick, member, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, N.C.; Mary Wallace Wilson, women’s ministry director, Providence Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C.; and Tabatha Frost, pastor’s wife, Providence Baptist
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Colony C
Sadly, when churches say “single adult,” the immediate thought is “not married,” and a host of characteristics and reasons for a single status are given. Yet, single adult women are much more diverse than their marital status, and they aren’t all the same. However, many don’t feel welcome in a church or even that there is a place for them within the body of Christ. This panel will focus on how to reach the growing demographic of “single women” without viewing them as anomalies. Panelists will include a recent college graduate, a working professional who has never been married, a pastor’s wife who works with single adults and a widow.
The Soul Winner’s Pulpit with Daniel Dickard, senior pastor, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C.
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Colony B
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m., Colony B
Evangelistic preaching is a priority of our pulpit ministry, but personal witnessing often escapes us. The embers of your pulpit ministry will stay lit to the degree that you, as a pastor and church leader, continue on the hot trail of personal witnessing. Join us as we discuss practical ways to complement personal witnessing and pulpit evangelism.
Understanding the Impact of Various Worldviews on Our Neighborhoods with Scott Thompson, vice president for academic affairs, Fruitland Baptist Bible College
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m., Turnberry
While everyone lives or works in a neighborhood, not everyone lives with their neighborhood. If Christians are going to minister in our neighborhoods, we must understand the impact of various worldviews on our neighborhoods and learn to love our neighbors with the truth as we minister to their needs. Understanding worldviews is an important aspect of successful discipleship.
Understanding Your Neighborhood with Chuck Campbell, BSC strategy coordinator
Tuesday at 10:45-11:45 a.m., Cedar C
This session will explore 10 simple tactics to start engaging people who live around us in order to proclaim the gospel in contextualized and relevant ways.
Using the Church Renewal Journey to Awaken, Equip and Commission Church Members with Bob & Phyllis Foy, Mission Service Corps Missionaries, Church Renewal Journey Ministry
Monday 3:30-4:30 p.m., Old North
This session provides an overview of the Church Renewal Journey and the five different lay-led revival weekend options available to your church. These weekends focus on awakening the laity to understand how God wants to use every member of the church for Kingdom work; how every believer is equipped for ministry by the Holy Spirit; commissioning church members of all ages as missionaries to their communities, empowering the church through kingdom-focused prayer; and sending the church into its Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Using Sunday School and Small Groups to Impact Our Neighbors with Rick Hughes, BSC senior consultant, Sunday School/small groups; and Jeff Holder, pastor, Society Baptist Church, Statesville, N.C.
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Oak C
Is your Sunday School or small group stuck in a rinse and repeat mode? In this session, we will look at both theoretical and practical steps to turn Sunday School and small groups from an inward focus to an outwardly focused missional mindset. Come learn how to bring unchurched neighbors into biblical community.
Walking by Faith: Simple Discipleship Across Cultures with Sarah Davenport, member, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, N.C.
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Heritage A
The Bible is filled with stories to draw us closer to God. As we are called to share across the world, 2 Timothy 2:2 encourages us to formulate our teaching so that it is reproducible. In this session, we will look at a few successful tools to help us encourage and disciple those of other cultures here and around the world.
Walking with Our Neighbors in Hard Times with Meredith Snoddy, women’s ministry director, Green Street Baptist Church, High Point, N.C.
Tuesday at 3:15-4:15 p.m., Oak B
Sometimes reaching our neighbors with the gospel is hard because life can be messy. How can we reach a woman with the gospel when her life seems to be falling apart and we have grown weary? This breakout session will focus on biblical and practical ideas for reaching our neighbors and finding encouragement from God’s Word for staying the course.
Who Is My Neighbor? Understanding Pockets of Lostness with Cris Alley, BSC team leader, strategic focus team
Monday at 3:30-4:30 p.m., Cedar C
North Carolina has 250 identified pockets of lostness. Think of a pocket of lostness as a gospel desert – a small geographic area with a large percentage of lost people. This session will show where pockets of lostness are located, explore why they exist and introduce the steps your church can take to eradicate lostness in N.C.’s gospel deserts.