2024
Saturday April 13th – Monday April 15th
Registration Deadline: Friday April 12th
This conference is for all male Christian workers and leaders serving in their local churches. We understand that Sundays are difficult days to miss being in your particular churches, but we encourage you to be here, and soak up the blessing of God’s Word.
Serving the Lord in His ministry can be difficult at times. God’s men from Enoch in Genesis to John the Apostle in Revelation knew and experienced this. Perhaps you have experienced it, too. But God always sent encouragement to His workers about the Person of Himself through His Word or through a word from a fellow worker. We desire to use God’s Word and a word from fellow workers in this conference to be an encouragement to you. Come fellowship and be discipled by others who have shared in the delights and disappointments in ministry for the Lord. Come be revived at the Encouragement Conference.
General Session Speakers
Dr. David Doran
Senior Pastor of Inter-City Baptist Church and President of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, Detroit, MI
Dr. Tim Jordan
Retired Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Landsdale, PA and President of Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dr. Marty Herron
Executive Vice President of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Ankeny, IA.
Dr. Les Ollila
Director of Building Great Leaders and former President of Northland Baptist Bible College, Dunbar, WI
Dr. Rand Hummel
Director of The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center in Deering, NH.
Dr. Jim Tillotson
President, Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Ankeny, IA.
Workshop Speakers
Dr. Gene Armstrong
Retired Pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Bidwell, OH
Dr. Frank Hamrick
Retired President of Positive Action for Christ, Whitakers, NC.
Dr. C.J. Harris
President of Positive Action for Christ, Whitakers, NC.
Mark Robinson
Bible Teacher and Itinerant Preacher, Trinity Christian School and PCA, Pittsburgh, PA
Conference Schedule
Saturday, April 13th
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8:00-8:45a—Registration Open
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9:00–10:00a—General Session: Dr. Rand Hummel—Knowing God Better; Loving God More
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10:00–10:20a—Break
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10:20–11:30a—General Session: Dr. Les Ollila—Where is Your Confidence?—Philippians 4:13
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11:30-11:45a—Break
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11:45a–12:45p—Workshops
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12:45–2:00p—Lunch at Local Restaurants
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2:00–3:20p—Questions & Answers
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3:20-3:35p—Break
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3:35-4:45p—Workshops
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4:45p—Dismiss
Sunday, April 14th
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9:00-9:40a—Sunday School: Dr. Marty Herron—Worn Out Along the Way: Defeating the Enemy of Impatience—1 Corinthians 10:9; Numbers 21
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10:00-11:30a—Morning Worship Service: Dr. Tim Jordan—Real Church Gets Real—2 Timothy 4:6-8
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5:00-5:45p—General Session: Dr. Jim Tillotson—What’s Up with That?—Job
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6:00-7:00p—General Session: Dr. David Doran
Monday, April 15th
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9:00–10:00a—General Session: Dr. Jim Tillotson—The Glory of God: the Motivation for Ministry—Isaiah 6
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10:00–10:20a—Break
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10:20–11:30a—General Session: Dr. Les Ollila—How to Stay Encouraged (3 Keys)—Philippians 3:10-14
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11:30-11:45a—Break
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11:45a–1:00p—Final Questions & Answers
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1:00p—Dismiss
Workshops
Workshop # 1
Saturday, April 13, 11:45-12:45
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Armstrong - A Pastor’s Priorities - 2 Ti 4:1-8. A sacred command to every man who takes up the mantle of pastor in the local church.
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Harris - A Lisping, Stammering Tongue: The Life and Ministry of William Cowper. Cowper is till one of the greatest English poets, a ministry companion of John Newton (Amazing Grace), yet struggled with discouragement. Learn lessons from his life on dealing with your discouragement.
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Herron - Christ at Home (Eph 4:20-24). We all have three lives: public, personal, and secret. We will review three daily chores and how to purify our lives.
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Hummel - The Curse of Discontentment. In what way has God been unfair to you? What do you want that God has not already given you? At what point will you be totally satisfied with what you have in life? When will you realize that God is more than enough? At what point will you be able to “thank” God for what you have rather than “ask” God for what you want? Discontentment is a curse that will poison every relationship and every task in life. It is a curse.
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Ollila - Symptoms and Solutions of Depression: Psalm 73. See how God guided Asaph through depression to the Solution of God Himself.
Workshop # 2
Saturday, April 13, 3:35-4:45
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Armstrong - Persevering in Ministry - 2 Ti 2:2. The transfer of the leadership of the church.
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Herron - What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There: 10 Things to Stop Doing (Gal 5:16-26; 1 Pet 5:1-5). In ministry, it is not so much what you do but what you don’t do. Together, we will review 10 bad habits that hold churches back from growing.
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Hummel - Humility, Pride and the Grace of God. I really want God to use me to impact kids and teens for Christ. I can only do what God wants me to do if I am empowered by His grace. Without his grace, I become plastic, fake, and will have no life-changing impact on my students. God resists the proud; He only gives grace to the humble.
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Robinson - “Racism: A Failure of Faith, Hope, and Love” – This talk/workshop aims to encourage us to overcome modern issues of race by living out a vibrant gospel-driven commitment to rightly see one another as made in the image of God, mutual recipients of biblical neighbor love, and those who hope for the world that is to come where all of the redeemed of every tribe, tongue, nation will dwell together in perfect union.
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Tillotson - God’s Prescriptions for Ministry Ailments – 1 Kings 19. A look at Elijah during his discouraging time and what God used to encourage him and get him back into service for him.