Newly elected Southern Baptist Convention Pastors Conference President Daniel Dickard has announced details on next year’s event, which include the theme, those he’s named to his team and initial efforts to establish governing documents and bylaws for the conference.
Among those on his team are Vice President Stephen Rummage, pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, and Treasurer Robert Keats, associate pastor of business administration at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, Greensboro, North Carolina, where Dickard serves as pastor. Kenny Lamm, who serves as worship ministry strategist for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, will help Dickard select worship leaders and musicians for the event.
In a series of tweets on July 1, Dickard also named a council of pastors who will help select speakers for next year’s conference, scheduled for June 11–12 in New Orleans. In addition to Rummage, the team will include Mac Brunson, pastor of Valleydale Church, Birmingham, Alabama; Matt Capps, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church, Apex, North Carolina; Quintell Hill, pastor of Multiply Community Church, Monroe; Chad Campbell, pastor of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, Easley, South Carolina, and Gevan Spinney, pastor First Baptist Church Haughton, Louisiana.
This year’s conference theme is “Character Matters in Ministry: Beatitudes of a Pastor,” based on Matthew 5. The speaker selection team will help Dickard choose eight speakers to preach through the Beatitudes.
Dickard noted that all speakers must include the following characteristics:
— Must be members of a Southern Baptist church.
— Men of credible character, possessing a proven track record of integrity as defined by 1 Timothy 3:17 and Titus 1:6–9.
—Men who evidence the fruit of the Spirit in their personal, public and ministry life.
— Men who are biblical inerrantists, devoted to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and demonstrate a commitment to biblical expositional preaching.
— Men who are encouragers to pastors.
Nine additional pastors, each possessing more than 25 years of pastoral experience, will be selected to give 10-minute messages on character and why it matters in ministry. Each of them, Dickard noted, will focus on characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22.
Dickard noted that “initial conversations” to establish governing documents and bylaws have taken place. At previous conferences, decisions surrounding the event — such as election rules — have been determined by the Pastors Conference president.
“I have sought counsel from Christian attorneys who work with our state conventions and other convention parliamentarians,” Dickard tweeted. “This is an ongoing conversation, and we are both hopeful and expectant to bring forward governing documents to be voted upon in New Orleans. We will solicit input from previous SBCPC presidents in the weeks/months to come.”
Efforts to establish an endowment fund “to fund the conference for years to come” are underway, added Dickard, noting that a meeting with leaders of the North Carolina Baptist Foundation has taken place, and contact has been made with the Southern Baptist Foundation.
Regarding church partnerships, Dickard said he will appoint four pastors by region (West, Midwest, South and East) who will serve as liaisons with state convention leaders and state convention pastors conference presidents to “provide information on how [Southern Baptist] churches can pray, give and serve.”
More details will be released in the coming weeks, Dickard said.
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