During such a unique year that has been filled with trials of various kinds, we want to be a people who pray big prayers with faith that our God can answer them according to His will. In his wonderful book entitled, The Power of Prayer in a Believers Life, Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Do not bring before God stinted petitions and narrow desires, but remember, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are His ways above your ways and His thoughts above your thoughts. Ask, therefore, after a Godlike fashion, for great things, for you are before a great throne.” 

Friends, let us be go before the “great throne” asking God in prayer for “great things.” As you pray, please consider praying for Sovereign Grace, our family of churches and our shared mission believing that God will continue to do great things through our small denomination. Here are a few ways you can pray:

• Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers from every tribe, tongue and nation especially during such a unique year.

• Pray that God would protect and strengthen our unity in every Sovereign Grace church in a way that display’s the power of the gospel to our broken and divided communities.

• Pray for the pastors of Sovereign Grace churches asking God to give them wisdom as they continue lead their local church through COVID-19 related decisions.

• Pray that God would provide for Michael Granger as he and his family begin the process of planting a Sovereign Grace Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia asking God to give Michael wisdom for when to launch his plant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Pray for the Pastors College students and their families as they move to Louisville, asking God to provide for their needs, and for grace to transition into the demands and joys of a full Sovereign Grace Pastors College schedule.

• Pray that God would give the Sovereign Grace Churches Leadership Team wisdom for how to expand globally in a way that preserves our theological convictions, gospel values, and allows us to continue to build relationally.

• Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.

On behalf of the Leadership Team, with the support of the Executive Committee, I wanted to let you know that we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference because of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For us this decision was not only very hard to make, but also a sad one to make. We love being with our pastors and wives annually at our Pastors Conference. To make a decision, that we consider an exception during an unprecedented time, is heart-wrenching for us. There is no one else we would rather be with in November than the pastors of Sovereign Grace Churches and your wives. 

As we sorted through, and prayed about this decision, here are some of the factors that led us to make this difficult decision:

• Most of our global pastors and friends will not be able to travel to the States for our conference in November.

• Because some of our pastors and wives are high risk, and because some will understandably be uncomfortable traveling when there is so much uncertainty, we anticipate that our attendance will be lower, especially when you factor in that our global pastors most likely can’t attend.

• Some states in the U.S. are requiring or recommending that people self-quarantine for 14 days if they travel from current hot spot states like Florida. We have no way of knowing if that requirement will be in place in the fall, but if it is, that could negatively impact our conference attendance.

• If we proceeded with holding the conference anticipating a lower attendance, we estimate that we would lose a significant amount of money. That loss didn’t seem like a wise one to absorb in a year that we project that our income will be down because of the economic impact of COVID-19.

• We also know that some of our churches are experiencing a drop in income because of the pandemic making it more difficult for them to incur the expense of traveling and participating in our conference.

• Given the size of our meeting room, and the much smaller hallway outside of the meeting room, we think social distancing would be possible, but would also be a challenge.

• We needed to make a decision now, not only in negotiating with the hotel, but also to serve everyone to give you clarity as you make plans for the fall. Given the current rise in positive COVID-19 cases in some states, including Florida, we think there remains enough uncertainty about the future that we didn’t think it was wise to proceed with the conference.

As mentioned above, we view our decision as an exception to the norm even if the impact of COVID-19 continues into next year. Having another year gives all of us more time to gather additional information regarding the virus, and more time to potentially adjust to a “new normal” meaning that we all understand better the need for acceptable risk related to travel and gathering together at a conference.

It’s hard for me to write this post because it communicates our difficult decision to cancel the Pastors Conference. I, along with all of the guys on the Leadership Team, will miss seeing you in November. However, may that only build our anticipation to gather for our conference November 9-11, 2021 in Orlando.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.

Dear brothers,

I’m writing to thank you for the many ways you are laboring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to pastor, lead, and care for the members of your church. In God’s good sovereignty, He uses pandemics to reveal many things. As I hear about the ways that you are responding to the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presents, my respect and appreciation for you has only increased. Here are some of the ways I see God is using this pandemic to reveal things about you, for which I thank God for.

This pandemic reveals your true calling as a pastor.

You are not men who are running away from this pandemic, rather, you are men who have run right into it with faith and courage. Your prayers, long hours, and the hard work you have done to serve your church reveal that you have been faithful, you have stayed at your post, and by God’s grace are even more resolved to pastor and protect your church. If you weren’t called, you would have quit. But you are men who have taken the people of your church by the hand and said to them, “fear not, for our God is with us.” (Isaiah 41:10) I thank God for how He is using this pandemic to reveal your true calling as a pastor.

This pandemic reveals your heart to shepherd the flock of God.

Peter exhorts us “shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” (1 Peter 5:2a) The necessary isolation this pandemic has produced reveals your heart to shepherd those among you who God has entrusted to your care. The frustration, pain, and burden you feel because you can’t be with your people only reveals the shepherd’s heart God has given you. The creative ways that you have used Zoom, Skype, phone calls, and texts to talk with your people, counsel your people, and pray with them all reveal a heart to shepherd the specific flock God has entrusted to your care. I thank God for how COVID-19 has revealed your heart to shepherd your flock.

This pandemic reveals your devotion to our ecclesiology.

COVID-19 has forced us to ask questions like, “How can we remain faithful to our ecclesiology and still pastor our people especially when we can’t gather together?” Just the fact that you are wrestling with that question reveals your devotion to continue to build your church on solid theological ground. You are men who don’t want to compromise all the entailments of corporate worship that we enjoy. I also believe that because you have been faithful to our ecclesiology, where you have taught the primacy of the local church, and the practice of gathering together every Sunday in particular, when this pandemic is over, you are going to see the fruit of what you have built for years. In other words, right now the members of your church are anticipating the day when you can all gather together because you have been faithful to our ecclesiology. I thank God for your devotion.

This pandemic reveals your commitment to our gospel partnership in Sovereign Grace.

Our interdependence to advance the gospel together is not only a New Testament reality, but also an important aspect of our culture in Sovereign Grace. We have always built relationally with one another, and God has used this pandemic to show us why we must continue to do so. I have been so encouraged to see our pastors sharing ideas and resources to help and strengthen one another. I’ve watched with joy as Sovereign Grace pastors reach out to one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and care for one another. By God’s grace, we will endure, and even thrive, in this pandemic together because you are men who are committed to the gospel partnership we share. I thank God for your ongoing commitment.

These are just some of the ways that I see God using COVID-19 to reveal the good work He is doing in each of you. I don’t know if it’s appropriate for me to say this or not, but I’m going to say it anyway. I’m so proud of the pastors in Sovereign Grace! And I continue to count it a privilege to labor for the gospel alongside each of you.

“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13

With my heart-felt appreciation,

Mark

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.