GA 2023 GOSPEL PRIORITIES SUMMIT

The Gospel Priorities Summit is designed to provide inspiration, encouragement, and practical helps for EPC leaders to engage their congregations and communities in the denomination’s Gospel Priorities of Transformation (Church Health), Multiplication (Church Planting), Effective Biblical Leadership (Discipleship), and Global Movement (Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth).

Tuesday Plenary Sessions
Wednesday Plenary Sessions
Thursday Equipping Sessions: Church Health
Thursday Equipping Sessions: Church Planting
Thursday Equipping Sessions: Effective Biblical Leadership
Thursday Equipping Sessions: Global Movement

All Sanctuary sessions will be live streamed on the EPC website and GA smartphone app. All times are Mountain.

TUESDAY PLENARY SESSIONS

CHURCH PLANTING: WHY CHURCH PLANTING?

Time: 10:00–10:50 a.m.
Location: Worship Center

Our Tuesday morning Plenary Session will be led by two of the EPC’s most seasoned church planting pastors, Tom Ricks and Mike Moses, due to a late cancellation by our previously scheduled guest speaker.

In 2002, Tim Keller published an article entitled, “Why Church Planting?” This work continues to be the gold standard by which other church planting philosophies in the United States are measured. Tom will lead us through this work, offer insights and examples of how Keller’s ideas have influenced and informed EPC church planting for more than a generation, and lay the philosophy of ministry for Session 2 immediately following.

After planting Greentree Community Church in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, in 1998, Tom and the GTCC family went on to plant five other churches in the region—all of which are active EPC churches today. In 2011, Tom was tasked by former Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah to help create a church planting culture within the EPC. Over the past 12 years, church planting has grown every year and EPC church plants now constitute approximately 6% of all EPC congregations. In August 2022, Tom became the EPC’s National Director of Church Planting.

CHURCH PLANTING: SO WHAT?

Time: 11:00–11:50 a.m.
Location: Worship Center

Mike Moses will discuss the “So What?” question. What is the practical application of Keller’s biblical thinking on EPC church planting? How do we put it into practice going forward as the EPC seeks to be a church planting movement in the time until the Lord returns?

Mike Moses learned church planting under one of the best, Craig Strickland and Hope Church in Cordova, Tennessee. In 1998 Mike and a handful of individuals launched Lake Forest Community Church in a local bowling alley on the north side of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the years since, the Lake Forest Family of Churches has grown as the mother congregation has planted Warehouse 242 EPC, Threshold EPC, Lake Forest Davidson, Lake Forest El Buen Samaritano, and several other new congregations. Mike has served on the EPC National Leadership Team, National Church Planting Leadership Team, and teaches church planting at the Charlotte campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT:

SHARPENING OUR FOCUS ON THE 3 BILLION

Time: 1:00–2:50 p.m.
Location: Worship Center

Matthew Ellison, Mary Ho, and John Love will sharpen our focus on the task remaining: reaching the 3 billion people who have little or no access to the gospel.

Matthew Ellison is the President of Sixteen:Fifteen, a Christian organization that provides mission coaching for churches. He was rescued by Jesus when he was twenty-three. Shortly after, he found himself in Ghana, West Africa, on the first of what would be many ventures to the mission field. That first trip, he says, “ruined me for anything less than a life lived for God’s global purpose.” In 1993 he began serving at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he attended and graduated from their School of Ministry. He worked as the Missions Pastor at Calvary for nine years, developing and launching a strategic, church-wide missions ministry. There he founded an international short-term mission ministry called LifeLine Missions that gave thousands across the country the opportunity to experience the mission field firsthand. Through these ministry opportunities he became extensively involved in short- and long-term mission endeavors around the world. He currently devotes his time to serving local churches across the country by coaching them in strategically focused missions and helping them to discover and use their unique gifts in partnership with others to make Christ known among all nations. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Renee.

Dr. Mary Ho is the International Executive Leader of All Nations International, a global Christian missions agency focused on seeing Jesus worshiped by all the neglected peoples of the earth. All Nations has more than 450 cross-cultural workers spread out over 45 countries, and the organization’s mission is to make disciples and train leaders to ignite church planting movements among every people group. In her current role, she provides leadership and direction to the International Leadership Team which oversees five Hubs located in Kansas City, Missouri; Uganda; South Africa; Germany; and Taiwan. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Born in Taiwan and raised on four continents, Mary has lived in Taiwan, the Philippines, the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United States. She and her husband, John, have have two adult sons.

Dr. John Love is an EPC Teaching Elder serving with EPC World Outreach and Pioneers. He was ordained in the EPC in 1985 and the next year moved to Indonesia where he worked among the Sundanese people of West Java—which at the time was the world’s largest unreached ethnic Muslim people group. In 1992 he was appointed Area Director for Southeast Asia for Pioneers and helped to recruit and deploy teams across the Indonesian archipelago, as well as open a mobilization office in Singapore. In 1995 he returned to the United States to serve as Director of International Ministries for Pioneers. From 2004-2019 John and his family served in Thailand. John currently works in mobilization and leadership development efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. John and his wife, Dawn, have four adult children, all of whom serve in ministry.

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WEDNESDAY PLENARY SESSIONS

CHURCH HEALTH:

CELEBRATING EVANGELISM IN THE EPC

Time: 10:00–10:50 a.m.
Location: Worship Center

This presentation will highlight the collaboration between EPC Church Health, Church Planting, and World Outreach in promoting evangelism and the 3 Circles—including stories of God’s ministry through the use of this tool.

Thomas D and Mark V serve with EPC World Outreach. Jeff Moore is the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Illinois. Bob Stauffer serves as the EPC’s National Director of Church Health.

CHURCH HEALTH:

LOVE THY NEIGHBORHOOD

Time: 11:00–11:50 a.m.
Location: Worship Center

God has providentially rooted every congregation in a particular place, on purpose and with a purpose. When we commit to more fully knowing those places—the people and the stories that have shaped them—we bear a more contextually faithful witness to the Spirit of Jesus and his now-and-coming Kingdom. This presentation will unpack exegeting your church’s neighboring community for faithful gospel witness.

Keon Abner is the Founding Pastor of Bridge City Church in Cleveland, Ohio, an urban EPC church plant in the Presbytery of the Alleghenies. Marc de Jeu serves as Church Health Coordinator and Mission Mobilizer for the Presbytery of the Alleghenies.

EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP:

WHAT IS AN EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADER?

Time: 3:00–4:50 p.m.
Location: Worship Center

What is an effective biblical leader? Effective biblical leaders are people of increasingly Christlike character whose example and passion inspire others to follow Christ. In this plenary session, we will learn about how the EPC desires to help resource all of our Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders by equipping and empowering them to build the body of Christ.

Michael Davis serves as Assistant Stated Clerk of the EPC.

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THURSDAY EQUIPPING SESSIONS: CHURCH HEALTH

Each of these sessions is available from 10:00–10:50 a.m., 11:00–11:50 a.m., and 4:00–4:50 p.m.

CHURCH HEALTH 1:

BUILDING AN EVANGELISTIC CULTURE UTILIZING 3 CIRCLES

Location: Room 170 (10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.); Orchard 1 and 2 (4:00 p.m.)

Got evangelism? A healthy church is one that has an evangelistic culture and does evangelism. Join our equipping session and discover the importance of keeping the Great Commission central to vision and strategy in building an evangelistic culture in your church utilizing the 3 Circles. This session will include training in the use of the EPC 3 Circles evangelism tool.

Mark Farrell serves as Pastor of Tampa Covenant Church in Tampa, Florida.

CHURCH HEALTH 2:

DO LESS BETTER: THE POWER OF FOCUS IN YOUR CHURCH’S HEALTH

Location: Room 173

Join us for a one-hour leadership breakout led by Stefan Bomberger, Church Health Coordinator for the Presbytery of the East. Stefan is pastor of the 2022 Bart Hess Award Recipient, Manoa Community Church in Manoa, Pennsylvania, which he serves as Pastor.

CHURCH HEALTH 3: HELP, OUR PASTOR LEFT … WHAT’S NEXT?

Location: Room 254

This interactive session will dive into the value of a Transitional Pastor, the difference between a Transitional Pastor and an Interim Pastor, and an overview of the process by which a church prepares for their next pastor.

Bill Rasch serves as Director of Transitional Pastor Ministries in West Lafayette, Indiana, and is a member of the EPC National Church Health Team.

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THURSDAY EQUIPPING SESSIONS: CHURCH PLANTING

Each of these sessions is available from 10:00–10:50 a.m., 11:00–11:50 a.m., and 4:00–4:50 p.m.

CHURCH PLANTING 1: PARTNERING TO PLANT: WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

Location: Room 248

Every church in the EPC is called to participate in the work of church planting as either a parent, a partner, or a patron. Since the capacity of most of our congregations means that they will not be taking on the sole responsibility of planting as a parent, we want to explore what it looks like to collaborate in this work with other EPC churches as partners. In this discussion-based workshop we’ll hear the “from-day-one-approach” of one such partnership and the new church emerging from their work together, and we’ll share some of the unique assets and challenges in the specific contexts of our participants.

Marc de Jeu serves as Church Health Coordinator and Mission Mobilizer for the Presbytery of the Alleghenies.

CHURCH PLANTING 2: THE MANY FACES OF CREATIVE CHURCH PLANTING

Location: Room 251

There are many ways to plant a church. Come and hear from some of our best EPC innovators. This panel discussion will expand your vision for unique successful church planting. Our time together includes leaders from under-resourced, under-served, bivocational, small, and large churches who will inspire, innovate, and help you learn what church planting model is the best fit for your church, network, or presbytery.

Shawn Robinson is the Founding Pastor of Clayton Community Church in Clayton, California. Shane Sunn serves as Executive Director of the Aspen Grove Church Planting Network in Denver, Colorado.

CHURCH PLANTING 3: WHY CHURCH PLANTING IS GOOD FOR EVERY CHURCH

Location: Room 249

Join us as we explore both the biblical foundations of church planting and the practical role church planting plays in the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. Come and consider God’s vision for church planting as a catalyst to reach those who do not yet know Him, to press the story of the gospel into a hungry and hurting world, and to breathe life into supporting churches. Whether you need to be convinced of the importance of church planting or encouraged in your church planting passion, this seminar is for you—and for the good of the Church.

Hunter Bailey is a church planting missionary with inFaith, serving as Regional Director for the EPC Church Planting Network’s South and Heartland regions. Richard Rieves serves as Lead Pastor for Downtown Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a member of the EPC ‘s National Church Planting Leadership Team.

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THURSDAY EQUIPPING SESSIONS: EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP

Each of these sessions is available from 10:00–10:50 a.m., 11:00–11:50 a.m., and 4:00–4:50 p.m.

EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP 1:

A FOND FAREWELL: NAVIGATING A HEALTHY PASTORAL TRANSITION

Location: Pavilion 2

The departure of a pastor is a sensitive time in the life of a congregation. A successful transition depends on the mature preparation of the pastor, the Session, and the congregation. In this seminar, EPC leaders will share best practices for navigating that transition well, with tips for both pastors and ruling elders. Come and learn how you and your church can bid a fond farewell to one season of ministry while welcoming the future God has for you.

Kent Mathews serves as President of Heartland Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Coordinator of the EPC’s Mentored Apprenticeship Program (MAP), and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for the Presbytery of the Great Plains. Annie Rose serves as EPC Director of Ministerial Support and Development and is the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes.

EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP 2:

A MOST VITAL EXPRESSION: USING THE WESTMINSTER STANDARDS

IN THE 21ST CENTURY AND BEYOND

Location: Room 115 (Tree House)

In 1897, B.B. Warfield called the Westminster Standards “the most vital expression that has ever been framed by the hand of man of all that enters into what we call evangelical religion.” How do we “sincerely receive and adopt” these standards in positive ways? Marcos Ortega and Zach Hopkins host this three-part discussion of the Standards, their place in EPC ministry, their multi-cultural applicability, and their practical implications for all areas of life and ministry.

Marcos Ortega serves as Lead Pastor of the Beacon, New York, campus of Goodwill Church in the Presbytery of the East. Zach Hopkins serves as Pastor of Edgington Presbyterian Church in Taylor Ridge, Illinois, and is Chairman of the EPC Theology Committee.

EFFECTIVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP 3: PASTORAL HEALTH AND EFFECTIVENESS

Location: Pavilion 1

Pastor, we want to see you thrive in a lifetime of ministry. Pastoral ministry is hard and many of us struggle to survive, never mind thrive. We are stressed out, burnt out, and ill-equipped for the challenges of today. We invite you to intentionally invest in your pastoral health and effectiveness by taking your relationships, leadership, and expertise to next level. Your participation in this pilot program will give you and others access to recommended resources and a personalized pathway in the following areas of spiritual and character formation, organizational leadership skills, and biblical and theological expertise.

Doug Resler serves as Senior Pastor of Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Parker, Colorado. Rachel White serves as Pastor for Lifegroups and Alpha at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington.

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THURSDAY EQUIPPING SESSIONS: GLOBAL MOVEMENT

Each of these sessions is available from 10:00–10:50 a.m., 11:00–11:50 a.m., and 4:00–4:50 p.m.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT 1:

A TOUCH OF KAIROS: SIMPLY MOBILIZING & EPC WORLD OUTREACH

Location: Room 252

Kairos is a foundational discipleship course on God’s mission. It develops the major biblical theme of God’s heart for all nations—both globally and in our own neighborhoods. Designed to educate, inspire, and challenge, Kairos is a tool God is using to help transform the worldview of believers so they see themselves as having been blessed in order to be a blessing to all people groups—both across the street and throughout the world. Kairos concludes by challenging the participant to discern how they can be on mission with God and to begin the work of integrating what they’ve learned into their day-to-day walk with Jesus. Typically delivered in nine sessions, the course covers the biblical, historical, strategic, and cultural areas of the world Christian movement. Come join us for a Taste of Kairos. Is the Kairos Course something that could benefit you or those in your church?

Nancy Cimprich serves with EPC World Outreach, working to strengthen the mission focus of EPC World Outreach among Presbyteries and local churches. She is a Ruling Elder for Deerfield EPC in Bridgeton, New Jersey, as well as the leader of missions for the Presbytery of the East. She loves facilitating the Kairos Course, the Afghan Refugee Cohort, and the Presbytery Mission Chair Network. In her spare-time she enjoys hiking and biking with her husband, Bob, and spending time with their four granddaughters.

Colleen Di Raddo serves as National Coordinator for Simply Mobilizing-USA, and has been involved with Simply Mobilizing & the Kairos Course since 2015. She yearns to see the whole Body of Christ with a biblical worldview and engaged on mission with God with churches facilitating people to find their unique place in God’s mission. She holds a PhD in Psycho-educational Processes from Temple University.  She and her husband, Jim—a retired Presbyterian pastor-teacher-mobilizer—live outside of Baltimore, Maryland on the farm where she grew up.

Randy H and his wife, Martha, are currently serving on the field as missionaries with Frontiers. They have served for 17 years in Southeast Asia as team leaders on a church planting team among an unreached people group. Since 2018, they have served as the Training and Development Coordinators and then Engage Field Coordinator for World Outreach global workers going to difficult places where there are few or no followers of Jesus. Randy also serves as a head facilitator for the Kairos Course.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT 2: PRACTICALLY, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO REACH THE 3 BILLION?

Location: Room 197

Practically, what does it take to reach the 3 billion people who have no access to the gospel? It takes a courageous church to intentionally and strategically send workers to these least reached places. The great news is that people with minimal access to the gospel are 50 times more responsive to the Good News than those with access! Yet evangelicals invest 100 times more in church planting efforts where there is already a significant number of Christians. Come and learn how you and your church—regardless of size, experience, or resources—can be equipped and catalyzed to take the gospel to the 3 billion people who have the least access to it, but the most open heart to receive it. Join us as we share from All Nations’ 30 years of experience in training and sending to the least reached.

Dr. Mary Ho is the International Executive Leader of All Nations International, a global Christian missions agency focused on seeing Jesus worshiped by all the neglected peoples of the earth. All Nations has more than 450 cross-cultural workers spread out over 45 countries, and the organization’s mission is to make disciples and train leaders to ignite church planting movements among every people group. In her current role, she provides leadership and direction to the International Leadership Team which oversees five Hubs located in Kansas City, Missouri; Uganda; South Africa; Germany; and Taiwan. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Born in Taiwan and raised on four continents, Mary has lived in Taiwan, the Philippines, the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United States. She and her husband, John, have have two adult sons.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT 3:

THE MOBILIZED CHURCH: KEYS TO UNLOCK MISSIONS POTENTIAL IN YOUR CHURCH

Location: Room 225 (Fireside Room); Room 170 (4:00 p.m. only)

In Acts 13 we are introduced to an audacious church—the church at Antioch of Syria. The church at Jerusalem was the hub of the early Church and can teach us some important lessons, but like many churches today she was reticent to accept the multi-ethnic dimensions of the Great Commission. The church at Jerusalem focused mainly on reaching people who were culturally like themselves while neglecting God’s commission to disciple all nations. An audacious mission required an audacious church. Antioch was that church and they led the way and changed the world forever. Focusing on Acts 13, in this workshop we’ll unpack the Scriptural qualities of a church mobilized for the Great Commission and help participants think about what it takes to cultivate a vibrant missions culture in their context.

Matthew Ellison is the President of Sixteen:Fifteen, a Christian organization that provides mission coaching for churches. He was rescued by Jesus when he was twenty-three. Shortly after, he found himself in Ghana, West Africa, on the first of what would be many ventures to the mission field. That first trip, he says, “ruined me for anything less than a life lived for God’s global purpose.” In 1993 he began serving at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he attended and graduated from their School of Ministry. He worked as the Missions Pastor at Calvary for nine years, developing and launching a strategic, church-wide missions ministry. There he founded an international short-term mission ministry called LifeLine Missions that gave thousands across the country the opportunity to experience the mission field firsthand. Through these ministry opportunities he became extensively involved in short- and long-term mission endeavors around the world. He currently devotes his time to serving local churches across the country by coaching them in strategically focused missions and helping them to discover and use their unique gifts in partnership with others to make Christ known among all nations. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Renee.

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