TOWSON, Md.— Calling church planting an “extreme sport,” Ron Sylvia, founding pastor of the Church at the Springs in Ocala, Fla., asserted that “God is good, but He is not safe.”

Ron Sylvia

Sylvia, a keynote speaker for the opening session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., shared that he has grown the most in the hard times—not the comfortable times.

He noted that in Matthew 14, after sending the multitudes of people away, Jesus sent His disciples into the storm.

“We build this American theology around comfort and wealth, but God will send you into harm’s way to show His glory,” he stressed.

Sylvia noted that Christians either believe the Gospel enough to benefit from it, to contribute to it, or to give their life to it.

The disciples gave their lives for their faith, resulting in an astounding growth in Christianity.

“And yet, we want first century results with 21st century sacrifice,” he noted.

Sylvia shared how God called him in 1994 to step out of his youth ministry position at First Church, Ocala, to start a new church, The Church at the Springs in Ocala. He began with 21 people meeting in a basement of an office complex. The church has since met in 14 locations and has grown to over 3,000 people.

But it wasn’t always easy.

To illustrate, he showed a chart of the past 15 years of ministry, which pointed not only the times of explosive growth but also times of desperate decline, which corresponded with traumatic events in his personal life.

In 1995, after a season of incredible church growth, Sylvia faced false accusations of embezzlement and infidelity. Three years later, his mother died from cancer. In 1999, Sylvia underwent surgery for a benign brain tumor, which came back in 2008, when he had to endure 44 rounds of radiation in four months.

All along, his personal issues coincided with huge building campaigns.

He remembered thinking, “This isn’t exactly the best time, Lord!”

Looking back, Sylvia acknowledged that he wouldn’t trade the struggles “for all the money in the world.”

His whole family has come to Christ. Over 1,000 people have been baptized, over 15 churches have been planted, and over 400 pastors have been coached through a network that Sylvia and his church have created.

And most importantly, Sylvia learned how his valley experiences were “mountaintop experiences for God.” It was during those low, dark trials in Sylvia’s life that he spent the most time with God.

“It was as if God said, ‘We’ve never been closer,’” Sylvia shared. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

TOWSON, Md.—Scott Priessler, Eklund professor of stewardship at Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, explained the often-misunderstood parable of the “shrewd manager” depicted in Luke 16.

A keynote speaker for the Tuesday morning session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., Priessler said that, contrary to popular belief, the manager actually represented his master well.

In the parable, Jesus told the disciples about a rich man and his servant. The servant, a Hebrew slave, had been given full authority over the master’s resources while the rich man was gone from his estate.

Through the grapevine, the master heard that his servant was “squandering” the possessions that he was supposed to be managing and to save his reputation, came quickly to fire the servant.

Meanwhile, all the master’s debtors heard of the servant’s dilemma, and the servant knew well that the other Hebrews would not receive him. He had to come up with a plan—to save his master’s reputation and his own.

Priessler went on to explain that the master’s reputation was based on his benevolence to others. He wasn’t interested in being paid back, so he didn’t ask the steward for his money. He just said, “You gotta go,” Priessler explained.

After the master left, the steward, acting with more authority than before, summoned the debtors and effectively lessened their debts.

“Money was flowing,” shared Priessler, explaining that the debtors wanted to pay their debts before the master could change the amount they owed. Ultimately, the master praised the servant manager for acting shrewdly or “astutely.”

“The manager actually served his master better than he did before,” said Priessler, comparing the parable to today’s world.

“How long can the Lord tarry?” he asked, noting that times are going to get tough.

The servant was faithful; he wanted to make his master look good. He was industrious. Similarly, Priessler challenged, “It’s not to do more, but to do—to serve God faithfully despite the circumstances.”

TOWSON, Md.—I bet I am not alone in this experience.

David Lee

“It” doesn’t work. The “it” can be any device—your computer, your television, anything that has a plug. You work on it. You push every imaginable button. You shake it. You may even kick it. Some of us reserve choice words for just such occasions (Greek or Hebrew words, of course). A select few of us may in desperation resort to reading the instruction manual. (You know real men don’t do that unless they are really desperate.). Nothing seems to work. So finally you call the repairman. “This job calls for a professional,” you say. He or she walks in, assesses the situation, and sticks the plug firmly in the socket. “It” now works like a charm. You are embarrassed, but what can you do? You have been the victim of “disconnect.” You were unplugged, cut loose from your source of power.

I think most of us would agree that things are not working as well as we wished they would. I don’t think things are as bad as some say they are. Neither do I think things are as good as some of us try to pretend they are. But we can’t deny we are facing some issues when it comes to accomplishing our mission as the church of Jesus Christ. Could ours be a problem of disconnect? When you are disconnected, things don’t work the way they were designed to work.

I come to you with a burden.

We may have a disconnect from God.

In Isaiah 30:1-3, the prophet Isaiah chides Judah for their disconnect. “Woe to the rebellious children! This is the Lord’s declaration. They carry out a plan, but not Mine. They make an alliance, but against My will, piling sin on top of sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, in order to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shadow. But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and refuge in Egypt’s shadow your disgrace.” (HCSB) Process that a moment. The king and the nation were disconnected from God. The symptoms were obvious. They carried out their own plan, but not God’s plan. They ignored God’s will and pursued their own design. They set directions without asking God’s advice. They ran to Egypt because that seemed to be the easiest of the options they faced.

I was in a conversation recently with a national leader in collegiate evangelism. He was advising us on our approach to this strategic part of our missionary work as MD/DE Baptists. In the course of the conversation he made this statement. “Many godly people are spending their time doing many things that don’t matter to God.” That was one of those “zingers” that just gets stuck in your head. “Am I, are you, are we, engaged in doing things that really don’t matter to God?” Are we working his plans or our plans? We spend time networking online and off, but are we spending enough time connecting with Him? We listen to our coaches and our counselors, but are we really seeking His advice? Do we really want to follow his lead or simply want him to bless our plans and our self-prescribed journey?

I discussed with lay leaders this morning my list of the twelve top reasons that we are struggling. I know that some of us are doing well. I also know that not all of us are struggling in all areas. Yet, the majority of those with whom I speak tell me they are struggling. The question is why. Here is my list of twelve reasons why we are struggling in reverse order. I started with (12) economics. Truthfully, I do not believe this is our primary issue, but many do. There is no question that the economy has caused us to awaken to what is most likely the “new normal” and assess where we are and what things really matter.  And that is a good exercise for us in any area of life.

The list continued:

(11) bad DNA (Because we have not dealt with the issues in a healthy way, there is old (in some cases really old) stuff in some of our churches that continues to be a stumbling block for those trying to do ministry today.);

(10) awkward, slow-moving,  high maintenance systems (The Holy Spirit sometimes doesn’t have time enough to wait for us to work through our processes before he needs to act. Won’t it be tragic in judgment when we see how many times we got passed over for God’s assignment and blessing because we couldn’t respond quickly enough?);

(9) strained relationships between pastors and key leaders (Church conflict is killing us and in some cases setting back a church’s missional effectiveness for years.);

(8) lack of equipped leaders (If we were an army, we would be in trouble because of our lack of training. If we were a football team, we would be out of the game in the first quarter. If we were a “for profit business,” we would be bankrupt. Have we abandoned our effort to equip our leaders to be spiritual leaders because we assume the task is too hard with people’s schedules and priorities today?);

(7) Pastor and leadership not on the same page. (Each works from a different, often competing, script);

(6) leader fatigue (I meet so many pastors who are battle weary.);

(5) absence of intentionality. (Things are allowed to happen rather than made to happen with the leadership of the Spirit. Unfortunately, in too many of our churches things appear to happen accidentally instead of being the result of focused prayer and planning.);

(4) the absence of a strategy and a plan to accomplish that strategy;

(3) people have lost sight of the mission (Have we forgotten what we as the church of Jesus Christ are called to do?);

(2) lack of God-sized visions. (We have locked ourselves into plans that we made and plans that we can achieve with our resources and often lack the faith to tackle things that only God can make happen.)

Yet, at the end of the day our number one problem (in my opinion) is a lack of spiritual health. We search for the silver bullet, the quick fix, the latest and greatest. But only God can fix spiritual disconnect. We can theorize. We can blame. We can yell at one another. We can even use Hebrew and Greek. But nothing will work as long as we remain disconnected from the power of the Holy Spirit. You can’t accomplish spiritual things without the power of the Spirit.

I know you know this. I know I am preaching to the choir. But would you not agree that it is so easy to drift. Most of the time, we don’t consciously rebel. We don’t rip the plug out of the wall. What has been my experience is that in most cases the plug gradually works itself loose without our noticing it—that is until something important stops working and the power is gone. Or else someone or something bumps the system and we find ourselves unplugged.

We drift. Soon we become disconnected. Disconnect from God leads to powerlessness. Activity may continue or even increase, but spiritual transformation cannot take place while we are disconnected.

The solution is obvious. If there is a disconnect, then reconnect. Is it possible that our problems stem from the fact that we are not where we need to be spiritually? We are unplugged, disconnected, and thus powerless, doing things that really don’t matter to God. I beg Maryland/Delaware churches to spend 2010 focused on assessing the spiritual side of things, making sure we are plugged in with God and connected to his will and purpose and power.

Allow me to shift gears a moment.

Part of our problem as ministers may be our disconnect from other ministers.

I want you to listen to Paul’s last written statements to Timothy:

Timothy, please come as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.

May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you (2 Tim. 4:9-22 NLT).

There is so much feeling in those words. You can literally feel Paul’s loneliness. There were ample reasons to justify Paul’s feelings—his circumstances (in jail, unfairly charged, persecuted) and people (He felt cut off from good people who had blessed his life and was still stinging from “not so good people” who had hurt him. You know that you cannot do ministry without getting hurt, don’t you?).

It is not that hard to get to the point where you feel disconnected. Disconnect from fellow ministers breeds isolation. Isolation breeds all kinds of bad things. There was a recent series of articles in the North Carolina state Baptist paper on ministers and depression. Listen to this assessment by Greg Warner. “It’s a prescription for tragedy. A high-profile, high-stress job with impossible expectations for success starts you down the road to depression. Then a stigma against weakness and treatment, along with a cultural and professional code of silence, keeps you on that destructive path until you can’t take it anymore. Sometimes the result is the unthinkable—suicide. Most often, however, depressed ministers suffer in silence, unable to talk about it even with family. Sometimes they leave the ministry. Occasionally, they get help.” My friends, disconnect can be dangerous and destructive. Sherry and I believe that the situation is even more intense and widespread with ministers’ spouses. We also have seen first hand the effect on the children of ministers.

I was asked recently by a group of young church planters to share my list of priorities if money keeps getting tighter. I believe all that we do as a state convention is important, but I honestly sought to answer the question.  I listed church multiplication as one of the priorities, not because I was with church planters, but because I am convinced that we will not significantly reach this important region without planting more churches—all kinds of churches, especially language churches. Church planting is also a key to reaching our cities. But I quickly established providing support and equipping for our pastoral leaders as one of those key priorities as well. Again, in my opinion, that is the single most important way we can help strengthen our churches, both new and old. Healthy pastors and healthy pastors’ families build healthy churches.

Your job as a pastor is one of the hardest jobs on this planet, and it will become even more challenging as we move forward in this century. Just like Paul, we desperately need one another. It is the sheep isolated from the flock that becomes easy prey to the lion. Peter warned us about that.  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV).

Call it “misery loves company” if you wish, but we ministers need one another. We need to stay connected. There is strength in journeying together.

May I also suggest two things for pastors as a goal for the next year?

• Get connected in a network with others pastors. Iron does sharpen iron! Expanding network opportunities will be a priority for us as a convention in 2010. We are already making plans.

• Make and/or strengthen a deep friendship with a fellow pastor. Make it one of your priorities.

One other “disconnect burden” before I finish . . .

A church’s disconnect from other churches can limit our kingdom effectiveness and our power.

Do you recall the Acts 15 story? The early church leaders came together to address a challenge that threatened to derail the early Christian movement. Staying connected was essential to the mission.

I am concerned about the direction of our denomination. We are always in need of assessment and retooling. I would be the first to argue that point. But I am not sure that what I see happening is constructive. From the church all the way down to the national convention, economics have caused all of us to reevaluate. We are talking about what to do and what not to do. Things that were previously not on the table now are at the center of focus. The good thing is that we are talking. It is my prayer that the mission, not money, will drive our conversation. I also pray that the process as well as the outcome does not end up dividing us and giving excuse to some to disconnect.

There is another temptation that confronts us here. In times like these it is so easy to become self absorbed and turn our energy and focus to preserving and/or building our kingdoms. God intended that we build His kingdom and that we do it together! Read 1 Corinthians 12. Study the church at Antioch. Look at the churches that were praised by Paul. He spotlighted the churches that gave beyond themselves—those who connected to others.

One of my dreams for this next year is to encourage each MD/DE Baptist church to connect and partner with another BCM/D church. My ultimate dream continues that our churches will become true Acts 1:8 churches directly connected in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even in the uttermost parts, while continuing to share some of that synergetic power and resource so that together we can reach the pockets individual churches alone cannot reach. Your church may have arrived at a point to which you no longer need us as a convention. Yet, we desperately need you.

I know you must grow weary hearing me say this year after year. We cannot, however, afford to lose sight of the call and the opportunity before us here. Friends, we serve in the most strategic geographical region in this world. The entire world has its eyes focused here. The task before us is so much bigger that any one of us. But with God’s help we can do this together. We can make a difference together.

Disconnect creates fallout. The ultimate fallout from what we have discussed is a disconnect from the world we are seeking to reach. Disconnected from God, there is no power. Disconnect from partners in ministry can leave us vulnerable and even cause some of us to check out. Disconnect from the mission and from others who are on mission will dwarf our efforts at building his kingdom.

The solution is obvious… CONNECT!

TOWSON, Md.—The power of the “Lord’s Prayer” does not come in saying the 15-second prayer, shared Charles Roesel, presidential ambassador for the North American Mission Board and pastor emeritus of Leesburg Church, in Leesburg, Fla.

Charles Roesel

The power comes in praying it, he said.

Roesel, a keynote speaker for the opening session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., exposited on the familiar passage of Matthew 6:9-14, where Jesus taught His disciples to pray. He focused on the attitudes that one must have if he or she wants answers to prayers.

First, “you must have love of God in your heart,” Roesel shared, pointing to the first word of the prayer, “Our.” He explained the focus must be on others and that Christians should love those who are different, dirty, diseased, and difficult.

Roesel shared about his longtime church, First, Leesburg, which has a ministry village with a rescue mission, women’s shelter, two children’s homes, a pregnancy care center, clothes closet, food pantry, medical center, AIDS clinic, counseling center and a day care center.

Troubled people can become one of your greatest friends, he said.

Pointing to the next prayer, “Hallowed be your name,” Roesel urged his listeners to praise God for what He is doing.

“We begin in love and continue in faith,” he said, acknowledging that the modern church can do everything even if God didn’t exist.

“I, for one, am sick and tired of man-made stuff,” he said, stressing that it must be the power of God’s Holy Spirit that leads churches.

In the next prayer, “Thy kingdom Come,” Roesel noted that Christians can read the book of Revelation alongside today’s newspapers and see the scripture happening right before their eyes.

“If you have any witness to give, now is the time to do so,” he stressed.

Now 73, Roesel shared that he has more opportunities since turning 60 than any other time in his life. He has often had to pray, “Thy will be done.”

“Undercutting God’s will is our peril. Christians outside of God’s will are miserable,” he said. “Undertaking God’s will is our privilege.”

Then, he paraphrased, “Give us your daily bread” as “Teach us your daily provision.”

He stressed, “Never ever ask, can we afford it? Instead ask, is it God’s will? If it is God’s will, He can afford it!”

He explained that Leesburg’s Ministry Village, not counting the school or the church, costs $20,000 a week to operate.

“God is our provider; it’s not even in our church budget,” he said, sharing that to receive, “The first thing you need to do is to give what you have.”

“And forgive us…” Roesel shared that his favorite disciple was Simon Peter, who asked how many times he had to forgive others.

Wherever you draw the line with others than God will draw the same line with you, he said, noting how divided the Church is.

“Only Jesus can change people. That’s his business. My business is to love them just like they are.”

“Lead us not into temptation…” “If we don’t want to fall down, we shouldn’t walk on slippery ground,” Roesel continued, sharing the one temptation that he deals with every day: to spend his life doing good things to the exclusion of the best.

He said that the absolute best thing that one can do is “tell a lost soul about Jesus Christ.”

Roesel also discouraged his listeners from holding onto pet sins. “God does not have peace with any sin,” he said.

TOWSON, Md.—Byron Day, president of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and senior pastor of Emmanuel Church in Laurel, Md., is glad that somebody connected him to Jesus.

Byron Day

A keynote speaker for the Monday evening session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., Day asked, “How many non-Christian friends do you have?” He conceded, “We get so used to church folk and people like us, that we don’t even know how to connect with others.”

Pointing to the New Testament story of when Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter, Day noted that people today are looking for their real physical needs to be met.
“They want a personal touch,” he explained.

As Jesus traveled to visit Jairus’ daughter, the crowd gathered around him. Yet, He connected with people one person at a time, including a woman who had had an incurable disease for 12 years.

“Jesus always had time to reach out to the individual,” Day said, explaining the importance of investing in others’ lives. ”We must adopt this concern if we are going to connect with our world.”

Day asserted, “There’s a world out there disconnected because we don’t want to connect with them” because of their illness, skin color or education.
Conversely, Jesus ate with the publicans and the sinners.

“We’ve got to be very careful that we don’t fail to reach out, no matter what,” Day said, stressing that everyone is a sinner. “Let’s do some extraordinary things and step out of our comfort zone.”

Day suggested that his listeners consider ways to reach out in their own neighborhoods, to participate in “high-touch” ministries like feeding the homeless, or taking up hobbies intentionally to interact with nonbelievers.

“People are hurting. They are trying everything to fill their need,” Day said. “We’ve got the answer, and we need to give it away.”

TOWSON, Md.—Gary Hollingsworth, senior pastor of Immanuel Church in Little Rock, Ark., encourages Christians to connect with today’s culture by “fishing.”

Gary Hollingsworth

Hollingsworth, a keynote speaker for the Monday morning session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., used John 21:1-6, where the post-resurrected Jesus tells the disciples to put their nets out on the other side of their boat. After being unable to catch any fish all night long, the disciples listened and caught 153 fish.

Using the story’s fishing as an analogy for evangelism, Hollingsworth suggested three principles in answer to “How do we learn to fish in the culture we now live?”

Just making slight adjustments has the potential of making great harvests.

Hollingsworth noted that the disciples were successful when they followed Jesus’ recommendation to fish on the other side of the boat. Similarly, he shared how his church chose to serve in the community and partner in the schools.

“We made the adjustment. Instead of expecting them to come to us, we went to them,” he said.

He also noted international evangelist Luis Palau’s move from once successful crusade events to now setting up festivals that are more appealing to today’s crowds. One such event in Little Rock drew in thousands of participants, and Hollingsworth’s church participated in the various ministries.

Jesus is interested in Christians reaching the multitudes.

The opportunity has never been greater to reach the multitudes, Hollingsworth noted.

In her book, “Righteous,” journalist Lauren Sandler, an atheist, predicted that unless atheists and secularists do something, there is going to be another spiritual awakening.
Hollingsworth said, “Even the atheists recognize the power of reaching the multitudes. Jesus is interested in reaching the multitudes, and so should we.”

Working in the flesh produces absolutely nothing.

“We cannot be dependent on our structures and strategies without the Spirit of God,” Hollingsworth asserted, noting that, though the disciples were experienced fisherman, on their own they were unable to catch any fish all night.

“The men knew how to fish, but Jesus knew the fish! It’s not about having better techniques,” he stressed. “When you get on His plan and agenda, there’s going to be a great harvest.”

Hollingsworth concluded, “We need to take the tools that God puts in our hands and use them to reach the multitudes for Christ, making adjustments as necessary as the Holy Spirit leads so that we may have a large harvest.”

TOWSON, Md.—Drawing from Acts 1:8, Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Church in New Orleans, La., preached about how the early disciples were able to turn “the world upside down” in their neighborhoods, cities, nations and the ends of the world.

Fred Luter

Estimating that there were about “131 folk” gathered together in the Upper Room after Jesus’ ascension, Luter asked, “How did such a small group pull off such a monumental task of spreading the Gospel?”

Luter, a keynote speaker for the Monday afternoon session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., noted that these disciples “shook some stuff up,” changing thinking, traditions and families by their actions.

Yet, they were very limited in their resources—they had no seminary, no colleges, no books; “they were plain and ordinary men and women,” he said.

“They were simply empowered by another. They had the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit and now they were able to do what they could not do of and by themselves.”

Luter read Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

He explained, “If you wait on God, God will empower you to do what you cannot do by yourself.”

Three things happen when a Christian waits on God: he or she will become a new person, will receive a new purpose and will operate in a new power.

He contrasted the disciples who ran from Jesus’ crucifixion with the same disciples who were being accused of “turning the world upside down” in Acts 17. They had been filled, baptized and empowered, Luter said.

The disciples had learned that it wasn’t about them. Their purpose was to witness or testify about Jesus.

“Their new purpose is evident in their walk, talk and lifestyle,” he said. “People need to know that Jesus is the answer for the world today.”

Luter said that believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to help them have discernment about when and how to speak to unbelievers about Jesus.

“You can’t connect to the lost and dying by yourself,” he said, pointing to his constant prayer, “Give me the boldness that I don’t normally have.”

He concluded, “You must have the power of the Holy Spirit if you want to be His witnesses and turn this world upside down.”

TOWSON, Md.—The statistics about ministers and their wives are alarming: 1,500 ministers a month leave the ministry; 50 percent of ministry marriages end in divorce; 80 percent of ministers feel discouraged on any given day; and 80 percent of ministers’ wives want their husbands to quit the ministry.

Kim Hardy

Kim Hardy, the keynote speaker for the Ministers’ Wives Brunch, which was held during the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md., understands this statistics. She has spent the last 23 years alongside her husband in ministry, the last four as a church planter’s wife.

And somewhere along the way, she became depressed.

“I was a pastor’s wife, and I was suicidal,” she confessed. “I was trying to keep everyone together while I was falling apart.”

She said she had a great husband, but he could only handle so much. She had to come to an end of herself and rely on God to pull her through. And He did.

In her book, “Spiritually Sassy (Serious About Serving the Savior-Yes),” Hardy shares how to live boldly for Christ to women who are serious about serving the Savior.

“God is all powerful. He is still on the throne, and He is doing something in your life,” she told the ministers’ wives in the room. “Ministry hurts, but He has got to give you an opportunity to grow. God wants to do something in your life so He can get the glory.”

Pointing to John 10:10, Hardy said that Jesus is in the dark places, too. He’s the Good Shepherd who puts Himself in harm’s way for the sheep.

“He has not forgotten you,” she reminded.

She cautioned against finding fulfillment in other people’s approval.  Instead, one must ask God, “What are my assignments and what am I to do?”

To know what to do, one must “abide” with Christ in His Word, Hardy said. “We treat God like a hotel. We check in, and we check out. But when you abide, you stay, you dwell,” she said.

Hardy said that when you dwell like that, you learn to live in love and give love. “I live knowing I am loved, special and chosen. Because I am loved, I can give love,” she said.

Hardy shared about the day her van caught on fire, and she sat sobbing in the police car. The policeman on duty asked if she had car insurance. When she shook her head affirmatively, he told her to stop crying.

“There comes a day to stop crying, when you learn that there is enough power for the position that God has called you,” she said.

TOWSON, Md.—Larry Steen, senior pastor of Westminster Church, in Westminster, Md., asked God to enlarge his missionary heart in the same way that God enlarged the Apostle Paul’s missionary heart.

Steen was a keynote speaker for the Tuesday morning session of the Nov. 8-10 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware in Towson, Md.

Larry Steen

“Not enlarge my heart to go overseas to Africa; enlarge my heart as a pastor to sense that every aspect of my life is mission for Jesus Christ—and that mission is in every aspect of my life,” he said.

Calling the Apostle Paul “perhaps the greatest missionary of all time,” Steen noted how Paul viewed the “priestly duty of proclaiming the Gospel” in Romans 15-16.

“His task was truly sacred,” Steen said, noting that Paul’s dirty robes and sandals, marred by beatings, humiliation, and the like was as a “holy garment” before the Lord.

“Paul viewed what he did everyday as an act of worship,” he said. “Don’t think what you are doing is merely church work; it is an act of worship.”

Steen pointed out that Paul gave all the glory back to God, noting in particular three things that gave God glory: the Gentiles came to belief (“That’s like the people of Iraq and Afghanistan coming to Christ,” Steen said.); signs and miracles accompanied his ministry; and Paul preached the entire span between Jerusalem and what is now known as the former Yugoslavia.

“Paul takes no credit,” Steen shared. “It’s not about us. It’s about God.”

Moreover, Paul had a “God-sized dream.” The apostle wanted to share the Gospel in Spain, which was considered the “end of the world” from the Roman Empire’s perspective.

“His dream was to go some place where he’d never gone before,” Steen said, noting that the Scripture doesn’t show whether Paul made it or not.

Noting that God-sized visions differ from person to person, Steen said, “You may have not gone to the final destination but you were faithful on the journey, and it’s the journey that counts.”

He added, “Do one thing. Step beyond the vision you have today and take one step into the darkness where you don’t know what God is going to do.”

TOWSON, Md.—Three hundred forty three messengers and 70 guests gathered on a clear, autumn leaf crunchy weekend for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s 174th annual meeting, Nov. 8-10 at the Sheraton, Towson. This year’s theme was “Connect…A conference celebrating the Great Commission.” Keynote speakers focused on connecting to God, to one another, to each other, to the community and to the world. The yearly “family reunion” was shortened and revamped this year, focusing on truly “connecting” through break-out conference sessions, a workshop, special brunches and dinners and fellowship breakfasts and even a Baltimore mission tour where participants climbed to the roof of a Baltimore row home and prayed over the city.

In the business session, messengers re-elected Byron Day as BCM/D president. They approved BCM/D and Skycroft budgets, adopted a bylaws change regarding the convention attorney and passed resolutions, one of which dealt with the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to hate crimes legislation, recognizing God’s design for sexuality, deploring violence and hate, upholding inclusive language that would protect the freedom to speak the truth of the Bible and resolving to continue to preach that truth.

New BCM/D officers: Jim Burcham, pastor of Upper Marlboro Church for second vice-president; Harold Phillips, pastor of Pleasant View Church, Port Deposit as first vice-president; Byron Day, pastor of Emmanuel Church, Laurel, as BCM/D president; Gayle Clifton, pastor of Upper Seneca Church, for recording secretary and Bill George, pastor of Kensington Church, as assistant recording secretary.

Sunday Evening
BCM/D President Byron Day welcomed guests, officially calling the meeting to order. Gospel and contemporary music artist Dee Jones led praise and worship along with the BCM/D Gospel choir, under the leadership of Debbie Kempson, music director at First Church, Waldorf.

Keynote speaker Ron Sylvia, founding and lead pastor of The Church at The Springs, Ocala, Fla., told messengers church planting is an “extreme sport.” Jesus sent his disciples out in the storm; He sent them as sheep among wolves. They died for their faith.

“God is good, but he’s not safe,” Sylva said.

Sylvia shared his own experiences, including the death of his mother and two battles with an inoperatable benign brain tumor, requiring numerous sessions of radiation. But the lowest points in our lives are the mountaintop experiences of growth with God. It’s during the valleys that we truly grow and have the best times with God, he said.

Charles Roesel, presidential ambassador for the North American Mission Board, discussed how to pray like Jesus, and referred to the Lord’s Prayer found in Matt. 6.

“You can’t pray the first word unless the love of God is in your heart,” Roesel said.

He asked how Christians would really live if they truly believed Jesus’ return was imminent. When’s the last time you tried to win someone to the Lord, he asked, and when is the last time you tried?

Not trying to share the Gospel is “spiritual rebellion, high treason, spiritual disobedience and not in the will of God,” he said.

Monday Morning
Christian illusionist & extreme balloon man, Steve Gambrill, kicked off the Monday morning session. Gambrill made a balloon model of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and told how Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out of heaven for sinning. He then popped the tree and showed a balloon cross with Jesus on it and told how Jesus paid the price for our sin. He held up a dollar bill, asked about its value and tore it apart, saying it was now worth nothing, then blew on the bill and it “magically” was restored. Jesus can do that in our lives, Gambrill explained. He drew a sad face on a slate. When the face, named “Art,” heard about Jesus, Gambrill erased the frown and made it a smiley face. Then “Art” came to life and began “talking.” As a finale, Gambrill built a balloon space suit and outfitted a volunteer with the suit to show that we must be ready to go out, find God’s purpose in our lives and share the good news.

Byron Day shared greetings from other conventions. Joel Gilbert, worship leader at First Church, Rockville, led the music.

Keynote speaker, Gary Hollingsworth, senior pastor of Immanuel Church, Little Rock, Ark., spoke about connecting with culture.

He told the story of Jesus telling His disciples, who were fishing but not catching any fish, to throw their nets on the other side where they hauled in the catch of a lifetime.

“How do we connect with the fish in the culture we live in?” asked Hollingsworth. Slight adjustments have the potential for giving us huge results, he said.

“Jesus wants us to have a great harvest,” Hollingsworth said.

Depending only on structures and strategies will produce the same results. It’s only through the Spirit of God that we can have the success God wants.

“They knew about fishing. Jesus knew the fish,” Hollingsworth stated.

Following Hollingsworth’s discussion, meeting attendees could choose between three brunches—ministers, ministers’ wives and lay leaders. Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Church, in New Orleans, and Gary Hollingsworth were the special speakers for the ministers’ brunch and afterwards fielded questions together. Kim Hardy, author, worship leader and speaker, was the guest at the ministers’ wives brunch and David Lee, executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, was the speaker for the lay leaders’ brunch.

Monday Afternoon
International music artists, Keith and Kristyn Getty, led worship. The Gettys, both from Ireland, shared old familiar favorite music and their own songs, including, “In Christ Alone” and  “Oh Church Arise,” both of which had messengers on their feet, singing loudly and passionately and raising hands and praising God. Kristyn’s crystal clear soprano voice was backed by piano and violin, which added depth to the music. Between songs, the group intermingled scripture, read by Kristyn with a strong Irish accent.

The Gettys write contemporary hymns, designed to bring traditional and contemporary music together. Their goal is to write songs that tell a story and that a child and a senior would enjoy singing. The couple also led a two-part music and worship workshop during the meeting.

Keynote speaker, Fred Luter, Jr., spoke on Acts 1:8. Luter said the early church was made up of plain ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things. How? Because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, he said.

“They were able to do what they could not do of themselves by themselves,” he said.

“They were so effective that they turned the world upside down!” Luter shouted.

If we are obedient and wait on God, He will empower us to do what we cannot do by ourselves, Luter told messengers.

Following Luter’s message, there were several break-out opportunties offered including sessions on helping hurting people; ministries that impact; stewardship history from the artifacts themselves; building an evangelism strategy; discipling believers, impacting our changing culture and leading worship. There was also a “touching missions” first hand tour,” which offered messengers and guests the opportunity to see ministry sites and opportunities in Baltimore.

Fellowship dinners were offered for partnership missions, African American pastors and wives and language pastors and wives.

Monday Evening
The Gettys led messengers in praise and worship, even teaching some hand motions to some of the songs.

During a brief business session, messengers unanimously re-elected Byron Day, pastor of Emmanuel Church, Laurel, as BCM/D president.

Afterwards, messengers gave an offering of $1418.77 to Embrace Wilmington, a new partnership initiative to reach Wilmington, Del., with the Gospel of Jesus.

Byron Day and David Lee were the evening’s keynote speakers.

Day referred to Mark 5, where Jarius pleads for Jesus to heal his daughter. While on his way to Jarius’ home, a sick woman touches Jesus and is healed.

We must, like Jesus, take time to connect to people, one life at a time. Millions of people are waiting for a connection, Day said. “Jesus wants to resurrect lives, marriages, families, drug addicts, alcoholics….

“We’re the connection point,” Day said.

BCM/D executive director, David Lee, spoke of disconnect. Sometimes things don’t work, Lee said. We do everything we can to fix it only to find the real problem is that it’s not connected.

Things aren’t working as well as they should be. Could ours be a problem of disconnect? Lee asked.

Lee challenged messengers to set a priority focus on getting reconnected in 2010—reconnected to God, ministers connecting with ministers and churches connecting with churches. One of his dreams, he said, is to see every church be connected in partnership with another BCM/D church, praying for each other, fellowshipping, ministering together.

It’s synergetic, Lee said. We can do together what we can’t by ourselves.

“We dare not forget that you and I have been placed by God in the most strategic area in the world,” he said.

Following Lee’s sermon, Richard Logston, Montgomery Association director of missions, on behalf of all of the Maryland/Delaware directors of missions, presented Lee and his wife, Sherry, with a gift certificate to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, in honor of David Lee’s 15 years of service with the BCM/D.

“We respect and love you,” Logston said. “The best years of our convention are ahead.”

At the end of Monday’s session messengers and guests gathered for a fellowship reception with light refreshments.

Tuesday Morning
Early morning fellowship breakfasts, including a New Orleans Seminary breakfast and a Hispanic breakfast, offered messengers more opportunities to “connect.”

The Gettys led worship for the morning program.

During the business session, messengers voted unanimously to elect Harold Phillips, pastor of Pleasant View Church, Port Deposit as first vice-president and Jim Burcham, pastor of Upper Marlboro Church for second vice-president.

Members also unanimously re-elected Gayle Clifton, pastor of Upper Seneca Church, for recording secretary and Bill George, pastor of Kensington Church, as assistant recording secretary.

They also approved the 2010 BCM/D budget of $6,269,035 and Skycroft Conference Center budget of $1,842,240. A question arose regarding $100,000 for strategic resources included in the 2010 BCM/D budget. David Lee explained that the pending sale of a portion of the Baptist Mission Resource Center will enable the Convention to invest the principle which has the potential to produce annual interest in the range of the $100,000 per year. This money will be used to start and strengthen churches, assist with missions and develop leaders. He recalled that the messengers had already approved entering into a contract for the sale of approximately 9,000 square feet to Straughan Environmental Services. This approval came at a special called meeting on Oct. 20. The vote to approve the sale was unanimous.

Members approved a bylaw change to Article IV section 2 and 6, removing the requirement for the BCM/D attorney from serving as an ex-officio member of the General Mission Board and of the Administrative Committee.

David Lee explained that Alan Stocksdale, BCM/D’s longtime lawyer, is stepping down. The new attorney, Jeff Agnor with the firm of Davis, Agnor, Rappaport, and Skalny, LLC, located in Columbia, Md., has expressed that he would feel better not being a voting member of the board and that it could avoid a conflict of interest situation.

Scott Preissler, professor of stewardship at Southwestern Seminary, described himself as a “whole life stewardship person.”

The world is overheating, Preissler said. We can go faster, but have more places to go; we have more room, but more junk to put in it; we have more time, and more choices; we work more and sleep less; we have more and give less. In fact, Preissler said, people gave more during the Great Depression than they give now.

“We’ve lost a sense of the eternal. We live preoccupied with our rights, not our responsibilities,” he said.

“This is our stimulus package,” Preissler declared, holding up his Bible.

We must serve God people faithfully, despite circumstances, Preissler said.

Lee and his wife, Sherry, greeted new ministers in the convention as they came forward to introduce themselves.

Lee recognized BCM/D staffers Roy Thomas and Linda Waggoner. Thomas has served the BCM/D for 20 years and currently is the Baptist Mission Resource Center Coordinator. Linda Waggoner has served as a ministry assistant for ten years and currently assists in the areas of African American church development and planting, ministers’ wives and womens’ ministry.

Lee also presented a plaque to Raymond Moreland, executive director of the Maryland Bible Society, to commemorate the society’s 200th birthday. The society is a good partner to the BCM/D, Lee said.

“Thanks for sharing God’s Word for 200 years,” Lee said.

Lee then recognized Alan Stocksdale who served for 46 years as the convention’s attorney. Stocksdale’s family was in attendance.

Alan Stocksdale and David Lee

“There’s not going to be another Alan Stocksdale. He has loved the convention and served faithfully,” Lee said.

Stocksdale not only interpreted the law, but did so with the understanding of a Baptist and with the heart of Christ.

“Maryland Delaware Baptists love you. You are a Christian statesman,” Lee said. Messengers gave Stocksdale a standing ovation.

“Thank you for everything. I have enjoyed serving and God be with you,” Stocksdale said.

Messengers passed several resolutions including thanking God for the opportunity to meet once again and to show appreciation to the BCM/D staff, to the Sheraton staff and to the people of Towson for their part in BCM/D being able to have the annual meeting in the Towson location.

Another resolution praised God for the Embrace Baltimore initiative and resolved to move from embracing Baltimore as an initiative to a passion; and a third resolution, in response to recent legislation adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to hate crime laws, resolved to recognize God’s design for sexuality, to deplore acts of violence and hatred – especially under the guise of Baptist, and to  uphold the inclusion of language that would protect the freedom to speak the truth of the Bible, and to resolve to continue to preach the truth of the Gospel whether or not such language is included or not. (The complete resolutions can be found at www.bcmd.org.)

David Lee then led a prayer time over the new BCM/D officers petitioning God to give them wisdom and boldness.

“Most of all, endue them with the power of the Holy Spirit so that every time we see them lead, we see Jesus in them,” Lee prayed.

Debbie Kempson, music coordinator for the Connect meeting and the music/worship leader at First Church, Waldorf, led a hymn sing.

Larry Steen, senior pastor of Westminster Church, closed the meeting with the annual pastor’s sermon. Steen read from Romans 15.

“Paul had a missionary heart,” Steen said. “He was perhaps the greatest missionary of all time. Paul viewed his ministry as priestly…,” he said. Instead of seeing the dirt, filth and blood, he saw himself as a priest in a temple with holy garments. Instead of sacrifices of animals and incense, he offered the souls of Gentiles. Paul viewed what he did day by day as an act of worship, Steen explained.

“What we do for Jesus is an act of worship,” Steen said.

Setting tables for a meeting, ministering to a homebound saint – simple, everyday acts, but if you’re offering it up to God as an act of worship, whatever you do is God’s work, Steen said.

“We must never lose sight of who we’re doing this for and to whose glory it is to be credited.”

Byron Day closed the meeting with prayer. “Thank you for challenging us to go back into our little Jerusalem and keep at it. Encourage, keep and enable us to continue to be faithful to you…”