Conference Breakouts

MARK CLIFTON

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Monday, 12:15pm, LUNCH & LEARN BREAKOUT OPTION (Online Registration Required)

TITLE: Reclaiming Glory

DESCRIPTION: What is there about a dying church that brings glory to God? Mark Clifton's convicting answer is "Nothing." Because a local church is intended to represent the work of God in a community, when that church "loses it saltiness," not only is God's work pictured as irrelevant in that community, but also dishonor and disrepute may well become associated with God's name as a result. In Reclaiming Glory, Clifton draws not only upon his own burden for revitalizing dying churches but also upon years of church replanting experience to offer passionate counsel for how to breathe new life into a dying church . . . all for the glory of the God who is building his church upon the immovable rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

BIO: Mark Clifton is the Senior Director of Replanting at the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mark has served as a pastor, church planter, church revitalizer, mission strategist, coach, and mentor to young leaders. He has planted and replanted numerous churches. His experience includes serving as the lead mission strategist for the Kansas/Nebraska Southern Baptist Convention, serving as a church planter in Montreal, Quebec, as a Southern Baptist National Church Planting Missionary for eastern Canada, and leading Southern Baptist church planting projects west of the Mississippi. Mark has been planting, replanting, and providing strategic mission leadership since 1978. Mark, the author of the Reclaiming Glory, co-author of Rubicons of Revitalization, and podcaster with Thom Rainer on the weekly Revitalize and Replant podcast, is a graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark and his wife Jill live in Shawnee, Kansas and have two sons, two daughters in law, and four grandsons.

 

WORSHIP & MUSIC MINISTRY 

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Monday 12:15pm, LUNCH & LEARN BREAKOUT OPTION (Online Registration Required)

Worship and Music leaders as well as any other Audio/Visual leaders may choose to join this time for lunch to meet others in the same ministry, to have open discussion, and build a community to encourage and help each other.

 

KEITH BOGGS

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 9:15am

TITLE: Following God in Leading & Reaching Men

DESCRIPTION: If you go after the family, you will miss the men. But, if you go after the men, you will get the family. Join me in learning how to apply biblical principles and best practices in reaching the men in your church and city and watch God unleash a movement that transforms families and churches to the ends of the earth.

BIO: Burdened for a movement of men that transforms families and churches to the ends of the earth, Keith founded REAL MOMENTUM Ministries to help pastors and leaders in families and churches across the US and Dominican Republic experience the power of discipling men. Keith combines a professional background in marketing and development with more than a decade of pastoral ministry experience and serves as a Missionary to Men by offering men’s ministry coaching, conferences, and content. Keith and his wife, Nichole, have been married for 23 years have ten children. They enjoy teaching together in marriage retreats and conferences. The Boggs Family make their home in East Tennessee and are members of Fairview Knox in Corryton, Tennessee.

 

DWAIN CARTER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: How to Bring Help, Hope and Healing through Disaster Relief

DESCRIPTION: Learn how to respond directly to people in desperate need while also sharing the hope of the gospel with them.

BIO: Dwain grew up in Salisbury in North Central Missouri where he attended school, Moberly Area Community College, Hannibal La Grange University in Hannibal and Mid Western Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City Missouri. He led 3 different churches across Missouri for 21 years before working with Missouri Baptist State Convention as the Director of Disaster Relief and Missions Mobilization. After serving in that role, he moved to Texas to become the Director of Disaster Relief and Mission Mobilization Team Leader for Texas Baptist Men in Dallas. In 2020 he became the Pastor at Tilden Baptist in McMullen County Texas. Currently he serves as the Mobilization and Disaster Relief Director for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Dwain has traveled extensively leading people in disaster relief efforts and missional mobilization engagements all over the world.

 

JENNI CARTER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Guiding Parents (and Grandparents) to have Gospel Conversations with their Kids

DESCRIPTION: We understand that parents should be the primary spiritual leaders for their children. However, many of them do not feel prepared to have Gospel conversations with their children. In this session, we’ll discuss ways to help equip parents and grandparents to have these important discussions with their children and grandchildren.

BIO: Jenni Carter joined the state missionary staff of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board August 2013 and serves in the Next Gen Department. Prior to this position Jenni served as a Children’s Minister at Tabernacle Baptist in Macon, GA for 24 years. She is a gifted conference leader and enjoys equipping Kids Ministry leaders.

 

RHON CARTER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30pm

TITLE: 6 Non-Negotiables in Worship and Music Ministry: Worship that Exalts Jesus, Edifies the Believer & Evangelizes the Lost!

DESCRIPTION: In the state of Georgia, we have around 3500 Baptist churches and worship styles are as diverse as stones in a mountain creek. Seeking to minister to all Baptist churches, the question came, “Are there any things that all churches need in the area of worship and music, that do not depend on size, style and structure”? These six nonessentials are things that every church can use today and in the future. These six are for all churches who desire to take next steps to be successful in navigating worship and music ministry in the future. How does the “Mind of Christ” help us?  How do we help our people have the “Heart of an Artist”? How do we teach “Voice of Discipleship” through worship and music? Just a few questions we will answer in this session.

BIO: Rhon grew up in southeast Georgia in a small town called Hoboken and attended Hoboken Baptist Church, a very small church, where he was active in the church’s music ministry. His grandmother was the church organist, and she began to teach him to play piano. At the age of three, he could play the melody of Amazing Grace. At 12 years old, Rhon realized that he was a sinner in need of a Savior and gave his life to Jesus Christ. It wasn't until he had almost finished a degree in hospital administration that the Lord called him into full time music ministry. With multiple talents in music, he laid down his personal agenda and took up the Lord's agenda for his life. Rhon went back to Brewton-Parker College and acquired a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and minor in piano. While attending Brewton-Parker College, Rhon met his wife Vickki.  They have one son, Barhon. God has allowed Rhon to serve several great Baptist churches with tremendous pastors.  Rhon is currently the Worship & Music Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.  His desire is to help all Georgia Baptist churches take next steps to fulfill the great commission no matter, size, style or structure.

 

ANDY CHILDS

TIME: CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Ignite Evangelism – Refresh your Soul

DESCRIPTION: A passion for evangelism in the church starts with the pastor and spreads to the congregation. Join us as we discover how personal evangelism can replenish your soul, inspire your church and encourage us all “to do the work of an evangelist.”

BIO: Andy Childs serves pastors and churches in North Georgia as Pastor Wellness Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Previously he pastored Ebenezer Baptist in Toccoa, Georgia for seventeen years. Andy and Melissa have been married for thirty years. They have two children – a son Micah who is married to Jordan and a daughter Emilee who is a nursing student at Toccoa Falls College. Andy and Melissa reside in Toccoa, Georgia.

 

LEE CHITWOOD

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Monday, 9:15am

TITLE: Using Worship and Music Ministry to Share the Gospel to your Community

DESCRIPTION: Music is a great connector when sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Using music groups will often get you an invite to a location to share the gospel through music that you may not attain any other way.  Our music ministries should be looking for opportunities to share outside the four walls of the church.

BIO: Lee Chitwood is a Worship and Music Consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. He is a native of Williamston, South Carolina and has been the Minister of Music at First Baptist of Newnan since August of 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, and a Master of Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lee is an advocate for youth choirs. For the past 23 years Lee has taken youth choirs on annual tours, sharing the gospel message in song, across 27 states and abroad to Europe, South Africa, and Japan. Lee is a member of three professional choral, gospel groups, The Sons of Jubal, Jubal Tones and the 2000 Grammy nominated male chorus, The Century Men, and has been soloist in all three groups. Lee and his wife Andrea have two girls, Ashlee Grace and Abbey Rose.

 

PJ DUNN

TIME: CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Conversion to Conversations: Building Authentic Relationships

DESCRIPTION: Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have. To be a disciple-maker, you have to be a friend worth having and learn how to share truth in love to see life change.

BIO: Dr. PJ Dunn has a DEdMin from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a passion for discipleship. He has served in the local church for over 15 years before joining the discipleship team at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board in 2020. He enjoys traveling the state with his family to find all the exciting things Georgia offers!

 

STEVE FOSTER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: No Sweat Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: Learn a simple tool to help make sharing your faith simple. This process will help you identify and share with others the life-changing news of Jesus.

BIO: Steve has been the featured speaker at hundreds of evangelistic services and rallies. God has used Steve as a catalyst for revival and spiritual awakening as he has served as a senior pastor, director of missions, and a vocational evangelist. He currently serves as the evangelism consultant in the Northeast, Northwest and Southwest Regions of Georgia with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Steve is a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His wife, Dee’drya, is an elementary school teacher. They have one son, Bailey, and live in Lilburn, Georgia.

 

MATTHEW GIBBS

TIME: WARNER ROBINS, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Evangelism Through Your Sunday School

DESCRIPTION: From its inception, Sunday School was designed to be a reaching organization. However, many churches don’t utilize their Sunday Schools as an evangelistic tool. This session will help you use one of the best tools in your arsenal to reach people with the Gospel.

BIO: Matthew Gibbs is the Adult Education and Evangelism Pastor at Second Baptist Church.  He also serves as the Discipleship Consultant for the East Central Region of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.  Matthew has more than 25 year of ministry experience in the local church and is passionate about teaching and sharing the principles of the Gospel and about making disciples. Before coming to Second, he served for five years as Minister of Education and Senior Adults at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana. He has served in churches in North Carolina, Florida, Indiana and Georgia, is married to Kathy, and they have three children: Mary Beth, Daniel, and Aaron.

 

JEFF GONGWER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Ignite Evangelism – Refresh your Soul

DESCRIPTION: A passion for evangelism in the church starts with the pastor and spreads to the congregation. Join us as we discover how personal evangelism can replenish your soul, inspire your church and encourage us all “to do the work of an evangelist.”

BIO: Jeff Gongwer has been a lead pastor for 25 years in various settings . . . a rural church, a church plant, and two suburban churches. He serves with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board in the area of Pastor Wellness, investing in pastors and pastors’ families to help them thrive in life and ministry. He connects with 1,200 churches in the East Central and Southeast regions of our state. Jeff is married to Sheri and they have two grown, married sons.

 

BRAD MARCHMAN

TIME: CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: No Sweat Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: Learn a simple tool to help make sharing your faith simple. This process will help you identify and share with others the life-changing news of Jesus.

BIO: Brad serves as the evangelism consultant for the East Central, West Central, and Southeast regions of Georgia. He is married to his wife Casey, and they have three children: Brady, Griffin, and Mary Beth. Brad pastored in Macon for 16 years prior to starting with the Church Strengthening team in evangelism at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

 

TRIP MCALHANY

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Monday, 8:30am

TITLE: LIVESTREAM -Sharing the Gospel on a Digital Platform

DESCRIPTION: Livestream has become one of the most talked about words in the church for the past 3 years. It’s been proven that over 90% of people who visit your church in person have visited you digitally before. How are you sharing to the world what is going on inside the four walls of your church?  Do you want to make your livestream better? What does it take to have a livestream? These are the kinds of questions we hope to answer.

BIO: Trip McAlhany serves as the Media Director for First Baptist Church Statesboro, Georgia and has worked in the media ministry of the local church for over 35 years.  He started as a teenager helping direct production for FBC Statesboro to be viewed on local cable. In the digital world and in the past 3 years, Trip produces hours of video and audio presentations each week that share the ministry of FBC Statesboro through the World Wide Web.  He knows what it takes to create a great livestream no matter the budget.  He plans to share tips on how to make your livestream a great tool for sharing the gospel.

 

DANIEL NG AND TERRY ADAMS

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 5:15pm

TITLE: Creating a Gospel Centric Order of Worship

DESCRIPTION:  One of the greatest discussions in worship and music ministry today is about the amount of new music that is published each year. How can you be a great gatekeeper for the gospel being presented in music at your church? How do you create a flow of worship that is Gospel Centric? Let’s find out!

BIO: Daniel is the Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church Lindale, Georgia; and Terry Adams is the Worship Pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Gainesville. Daniel has a passion for the gospel to be presented through the music each week in the musical worship of his church. He is passionate to plan and prepare music that is scripturally based and always points to Jesus. Terry comes from many years at large churches in North Carolina and New Mexico and has always had a passion for music that shares the gospel. Both men desire to talk about how to plan a worship service that is always connected to the Bible and always gives a clear presentation of the gospel each week.

 

KAREN PACE

TIME: WARNER ROBINS, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Every Woman: 3 Practical Ways to Foster a Heart for Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: How do you inspire and equip women in your church to feel confident in sharing their faith? We will look at three practical ways to foster a heart for evangelism that results in gospel conversations.

BIO: Karen Pace is currently serving as consultant with Georgia Baptist Women.  In this position, she serves Georgia Baptist churches in assisting them in all areas of missions discipleship for all ages.  This includes leadership development for women (WMU and Women’s Ministry) and serving as camp consultant for Camp Pinnacle, Georgia’s only  summer mission camp for girls.  Throughout the years, Karen has served in many volunteer church positions working and leading all age groups.  Before joining Georgia Baptists, she worked with the North American Mission Board, taught high school, and worked for a corporation in Atlanta.

 

BEVERLY SKINNER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Advancing the Gospel on College Campuses

DESCRIPTION: Sharing the gospel with college students influences our culture for generations to come and college campuses are the most reachable mission field in our communities! Learn an effective strategy for advancing the gospel on a campus near you.

BIO: Beverly Skinner is the Director of Campus Expansion for Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry. She leads Georgia Baptists to advance the gospel on all campuses in Georgia through Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Beverly graduated from Baylor University with a BA in Communications and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with an MDiv. Her collegiate ministry experience includes serving as a campus minister at community colleges in Texas, The University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University.  She also served as the associate director of collegiate ministry for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. She is married to Warren Skinner and together they teach the Young Adult Sunday School class at Ivy Creek Baptist Church in Buford, GA.

 

LEVI SKIPPER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: No Sweat Next Steps

DESCRIPTION: Once you come into a relationship with Jesus, it is vital that you grow in that relationship. No Sweat Next Steps is designed to help you think through how to spend time alone with the Lord.

BIO: Levi currently serves as the lead strategist for the Church Strengthening team of the GBMB. Prior to this, he served as the evangelism catalyst. He graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree in 2009 from Luther Rice Seminary. He became the pastor of Concord Baptist Church in 2010, and over the next nine years, the church increased baptisms by 122%, Sunday School attendance by 115%, and birthed four additional campuses. Levi is the author of the discipleship tools “Resolved,” “Spiritual Avalanche,” and “Marriage in the Red.” He and his wife, Christa, have four children: Garrison, Mattie, Gavin, and Marlee.

 

SCOTT SMITH

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Digital Strategies for Local Church Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: Scott will show you what your church can do right now to reach more for Christ using the Internet. He will discuss strategies your church should deploy online right now to attract more lost people to hear the gospel, as well strategies to mobilize your members for evangelism online.

BIO: Scott N. Smith was brought on the GBMB team in 2012 after he had built a digital consultancy for churches while traveling in full time evangelism for 17 years.  Scott's expertise in digital strategy coupled with his broad engagement with hundreds of churches created an understanding of what churches need to be effective using digital. Since then, Scott continues to stay current on what tools and strategies are effective for local church evangelism using the Internet.

 

RICKY THRASHER

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: The Soul Never Wrinkles

DESCRIPTION: Senior Adults are as important as anyone when it comes to evangelism. Looking at creative ways to love and reach a growing population of Senior Adults that do not know Jesus is a topic that needs to be explored. We will look at the reason we often overlook this tribe and challenge one another to be more sensitive to them.

BIO: Ricky is a consultant with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board serving in Associational Missions and Convention Planning. He has aided in establishing compassionate ministries across the state as well as assisting churches in Community Missions. Before coming to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, Ricky served as an Associational Missionary and served two churches as pastor. He is a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Seminary earning a DMin. He and his wife Janet have two daughters and six grandchildren.

 

CHRIS TRENT

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Reaching the Next Generation with the Gospel

DESCRIPTION: If you’re a pastor, children’s pastor, youth pastor, or anyone who preaches or teaches the next generation, this breakout is for you. In our time together, we will do a deep dive into a generation that has grown up in a technology driven world, lived through a pandemic, and is living in a world that feels more and more broken every day. We’ll share ideas on how effectively reach this next generation with the Gospel so they will understand and respond in life changing ways.

BIO: Chris serves as the Next Gen Catalyst at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Having recently wrapped up almost 17 years as the Middle School and Student Pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist in Marietta, Georgia, he has a passion for pointing teenagers to Jesus and investing in leaders who are impacting the next generation for Christ.

He lives in Marietta, GA with his wife, Wendy and has two grown up kids, Dillon and Abby. As an “old guy” in youth ministry (now 30+ years), he is also the co-host of The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers (launching in August, 2022) and author of “Consider This: A Youth Minister’s Guide to Longevity.”

 

DALLAS WHITE

TIME: WARNER ROBINS & CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: The Missing Ingredient in our Evangelism: Rediscovering the Recipe for New Testament Revival

DESCRIPTION: In this breakout, Pastor Dallas White shares the oft-forgotten role that awe plays in awakening hearts to the Gospel.

BIO: For the last 13 years, Dallas and his wife, Amanda, have devoted their lives to helping others discover the joy of knowing Jesus and joining Him in His mission of making disciples. Since 2017, Dallas has served as the senior pastor of The Grove Church in Acworth, Georgia. In 2019, Dallas joined the Georgia Baptist Mission Board team and leads efforts to engage and encourage young leaders. He and his wife have four children: Judah (11), Cooper (7), Braden (5), and Ethan (4).

 

BETH ANN WILLIAMS

TIME: CUMMING, Sunday, 4:30,5:15pm; Monday, 8:30,9:15am

TITLE: Every Woman: 3 Practical Ways to Foster a Heart for Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: How do you inspire and equip women in your church to feel confident in sharing their faith? We will look at three practical ways to foster a heart for evangelism that results in gospel conversations.

BIO: Beth Ann Williams began with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board as the Adult Missions Consultant in 2007, and in 2013 transitioned to the role of GA Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Executive Director.  In 2019, she was named Lead Strategist for Georgia Baptist Women which includes both WMU and Women’s Ministry. Connecting women to missions and ministry is her passion.  Beth Ann has served Southern Baptists in several Olympic ministries, including directing the 2002 Winter Games Outreach in Salt Lake City, UT. She has served on the Utah-Idaho Baptist Convention staff, and previously Georgia Baptists as a consultant in Mission Volunteers. Beth Ann is married to Dan and they have two daughters, Danielle and Ella Grace.

 

JASON DEES

TIME: Warner Robins, Monday 8:30, 9:15

TITLE: Table Talk: A Tool For Personal Evangelism Individually and Corporately

DESCRIPTION: Learn how to get the members of your church to make evangelism a normal rhythm of their life both individually and as part of a body of believers. Table Talk will give you a model of how to engage your church body in the task of evangelism.

BIO: Jason is the founding pastor of Christ Covenant in Atlanta, GA.  He is married to Paige, and they have three children Emery Anna, John Kellis, and Raynor.  He has been a senior pastor since 2004 in Indiana, Georgia, and Alabama.  Jason grew up in Huntsville, AL, and earned his bachelor's degree from Auburn University, and a Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY.  He has served as an adjunct professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary and has published numerous articles and papers through various platforms from Christianity Today to presentations at ETS. Jason loves the outdoors, traveling, and most of all spending time with his family.

 

STEVEN GREEN

TIME: Warner Robins, Monday 8:30, 9:15

TITLE: Prayer: The Power in Evangelism

DESCRIPTION: Prayer is critical if we truly want to reach the lost and if we want to empower our people to be a part of reaching the lost. This session will help you get your people praying intentionally for the lost and seeing God begin to work mightily.

BIO: Steven is pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Douglasville