Ethridge preparing for inspirational SBC Pastors’ Conference
Feb 2, 2012 | article by Brandon Pickett and Amanda Sullivan
HAMPTON, Va. (BP) – When Grant Ethridge, senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, VA, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference (SBPC), the weight of his new task was immediately felt.
“The first thing that I do is pray and say, ‘Okay, Lord, You have given me this assignment, and I’ve just got to trust You to guide me through it and show me exactly who You want to preach,’” Ethridge said. “Because it’s really not my conference or even the convention’s conference—this is a time when God speaks to His servants.”
Ethridge says he attended his first SBC pastors’ conference in 1984. The conference was under the direction of Dr. Charles Stanley.
“I attended every session, heard every sermon, went early, and stayed late,” Ethridge said.
According to Ethridge, that conference prepared him for his new position as president and the duties required of him. The experiences he encountered during that time impacted his ideas and goals for this year’s conference—to create an atmosphere of influence and enrichment of the pastors’ spiritual lives.
“I was like a spiritual sponge. I just couldn’t get enough,” Ethridge said. “I think about the awesome opportunity we have to influence young pastors. And so, certainly, that’s part of our goal.”
The SBPC is about more than the spiritual development of pastors and church planters. To Ethridge, it’s also centered on equipping pastors with the tools they need to bring renewal to their churches.
“So it’s about church planting, yes, but it’s also about church revitalization. And it’s about unreached people groups around the world,” Ethridge said.
Overall, Ethridge feels the Southern Baptist Convention is moving in the correct direction, but some changes still need to be made.
“We needed a Great Commission Resurgence (GCR),” shared Ethridge. “Two things have caused us to reevaluate, and one is GCR, but the other is the economy and [evaluating] how we can do more with less and make some hard decisions—of what do we keep doing, what do we stop doing—so that we can put more resources, more energy on the main thing.”
Although the conference is still months away, plans are underway—as is the level of excitement regarding the event.
“…Already, I am so excited about the speakers coming because God has opened doors that we have been praying about for some time,” Ethridge explained. “We have confirmation, and these men of God have agreed to come, and I can’t wait to reveal who they will be.”
Ethridge says the schedule and speakers for the 2012 SBC Pastors’ Conference will be announced in the next few weeks.
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Brandon Pickett is the Director of Media Services for the SBC of Virginia
Amanda Sullivan is a writer for Innovative Faith Resources
