New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary partnered with five Baptist state conventions to facilitate the Prepare Here Pastor’s Summit (Oct. 10-11), an event designed to encourage and equip more than 60 pastors from those different conventions.
A representative from each participating state convention, including four executive directors, spoke during the event.
The five representatives from the participating conventions were:
In addition to Horn, the Friday afternoon panel featured NOBTS President Jamie Dew as well as Jim Henry, pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church of Orlando, Fla., and Waylon Bailey, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington, La.
Before the panel began, Dew thanked the group of executive directors for their continued partnership.
“I’m grateful that we get to partner together to do this kind of stuff,” Dew said. “I think this is the kind of thing that we need to be doing as Southern Baptists. We really ought to find these different moments where different layers of the SBC can partner together and find events like this that can be genuinely edifying to people. I’m grateful for you brothers.”
Dew encouraged pastors at the event to press on in their ministry, but also seek help as they go.
“Thank you all for coming, and I hope that you all have been encouraged this week,” Dew said.
“I want you to know, and I think I can say this on behalf of the state execs as well, if any of us at any time can ever help you, please let us know. We exist for you, we are your servants and we want to do everything we can to strengthen you personally and we want to do everything we can to strengthen your church. We want to keep as many of us in the work as we possibly can because it matters that we have people out there doing what we do.
“I don’t think there’s any more important task on planet Earth right now than preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep being faithful in the pulpit and feed your people. Keep your heart, mind and spiritual affections for the Lord cultivated and nurtured. If we can help you with any of that along the way, I just want you to know that we’re here to help.”
The panel discussion focused on the topic of ministry pipeline shortages. Panelists spoke about older pastors who mentored them as they were pursuing ministry, and about how current pastors can do the same for the younger generation of leaders.
Horn shared his personal story of being called to preach at 15 years old and commented on the important role his church played in mentoring him.
“I am so grateful that they (his church’s pastors) were persistent in really making me preach in those early days,” Horn said.
“I think we make this a lot more complicated than it is. Our stories are all similar in that somebody really helped us and gave us opportunity. I don’t think we can talk enough about that.”
In addition to Friday’s panel, the summit also featured plenary session messages from Henry, Rummage, Lance and Reggie Ogea, director of the Jim Henry Leadership Institute at NOBTS.
Breakout topics during the event included managing personal finances, confronting discipleship dysfunction, leading congregational change and addressing cultural crises.
Each of the state conventions also held their own convention-specific breakout session on Thursday afternoon.
During his plenary session on Thursday, Rummage spoke about how relying on God’s strength is the key to overcoming adversity in life.
“Trials are an inescapable reality of ministry, but God wants us to trust Him in the midst of those trials so that those trials can become trails that bring us closer to Him,” he said.
Lance closed out the event with a closing challenge for the group of pastors on Friday evening about pressing on through failure.
"Just because we fail at times, doesn’t mean that is the epitaph of our ministry,” Lance said.
