State of the Union Address: Point 1
In 1927, Roland Allen wrote a book entitled, “The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church.” He starts the book by describing what you see in the NT – the gospel is shared, people are born again, and churches are planted as the gospel reaches more and more people. Allen goes on to argue that that kind […]
State of the Union 2021: Risk for the Cause of Christ
Each year, at SGC’s annual Pastors Conference, I meet with our Council of Elders and present what we call a “State of the Union” address. This is just a name for an overview of the last year and a vision of what I hope to help lead us through in the coming year. Below is […]
Sovereign Grace Journal: Our Statement of Faith (December 2021)
I’m excited to let you know about the release of our 3rd Sovereign Grace Churches Journal. This third edition is devoted to our Statement of Faith. As a confessional document, the Statement of Faith unites our family of churches theologically, defines the sound doctrine we share, and protects our churches from error. It plays a […]
Pastors Conference Resources
The annual Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference was held November 9-11 in Orlando after a 2-year delay due to the pandemic. Almost 600 attendees traveled from all over the world, including Bolivia, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Germany, Ethiopia, Italy, Mexico, Zimbabwe and the US. Those who couldn’t attend due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and immigration […]
The Blessing of the Local Church
I love the local church. I’ve been impacted by the teaching and preaching of a Sovereign Grace Church for 25 years. It has transformed my life. And I’ve seen how God works through the local church. It’s been something that has marked us as a family of churches, our love for the local church. A […]
We Are a Family of Churches
On the weekly podcast that is sent to our pastors, our host Benjamin Kreps always begins with “Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director.” Recently, Ben commented on his introduction and asked an important question: “Mark, I always say “family of […]
Sovereign Grace Journal: Summer 2021
Introducing the 2nd edition of the Sovereign Grace Journal, “A Christ-Centered People,” this issue is a treasure. In the introduction, I wrote: “The gospel, which shapes the culture in our family of churches, declares what Christ has accomplished for us through his death and resurrection. Based on the finished work of Jesus Christ that we […]
Third Quarter 2021 Prayer Requests
One of the ways that we love, care for, and serve one another as a family of churches is to pray regularly for one another. In his book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers, D.A. Carson says that Paul’s ministry is “designed first and foremost to serve the people of […]
2nd Quarter Mission Video: Strengthening Churches
One of my prayers for Sovereign Grace is asking God to give us grace to be a multigenerational family of churches that continues to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, all for the glory of God alone. I find joy watching God answer that prayer as our most recent Pastors College class graduates, and our […]
Second Quarter 2021 Prayer Requests
One of the 7 shared values that shapes Sovereign Grace is that we are a family of churches “united in fellowship, mission, and governance.” We experience “fellowship” in many ways including building relationally, and praying for one another. When we pray for one another as a family of churches, our unity is strengthened as we […]