“We worshipped; we feasted and fellowshipped with friends; we rejoiced in Christ.” -Benjamin Kreps, Senior Pastor, Living Hope Church, Harrisburg, PA.

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 issues from 10 different nations, many from the Asia Pacific part of the world, watched a live-stream which was also translated in Spanish.

The theme was “Christ Preeminent” with the focus on Jesus because “he is before all things” (Colossians 1:17), and “he is the head” of the church’s that we have the privilege to pastor and lead (Colossians 1:18). Each session was planned to build churches upon the gospel and in a way that celebrates the preeminence of Jesus Christ. I highly recommend the excellent preaching we enjoyed, not only in the main sessions, but in the breakouts, as well.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. A weekly podcast with Sovereign Grace updates, hosted by Benjamin Kreps, is posted on his blog.

I have some great news. The 2021 Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors Conference is a go! Because we couldn’t gather together last year, I can’t wait for us to gather together again on November 9-11 in Orlando. After needing to cancel our 2020 conference, I have been even more eager to give you the details of our 2021 Pastors Conference.

Given the events in our world over the last couple of years, there isn’t a more fitting theme than “Christ Preeminent” for our 2021 Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors Conference. We look forward to being together to focus on Jesus because “he is before all things” (Colossians 1:17), and “he is the head” of the church’s that we have the privilege to pastor and lead (Colossians 1:18). Every session we have planned will equip you to continue to build your church upon the gospel and in a way that celebrates the preeminence of Jesus Christ.

How will we celebrate the preeminence of Jesus Christ? By hearing Christ-exalting preaching from our main session speakers C.J. Mahaney, Jared Mellinger, Jon Payne, and Jeff Purswell. Additionally, we have one main session dedicated to giving you a faith-building Sovereign Grace Missions update that I will lead along with Dave Taylor and Eric Turbedsky.

We also have five breakout sessions planned. Each one is designed to equip you for the challenges you face in leading and pastoring your church. As a Leadership Team, we want to do all we can to make sure we don’t lose our gospel-centrality, including how we help the members of our church apply the gospel at home. Therefore, we have a breakout session dedicated to parenting and one dedicated to marriage. Jeff Purswell will use his breakout session to help us grow in preaching and in particular our delivery of God’s Word from the pulpit. Josh Blount will address the current cultural pressures churches are facing and how to equip your members to remain faithful to the teaching of Scripture. I have the privilege of leading a breakout session that will help you develop future pastors and leaders.

Registration for our conference is now open. You can register here and find more details on our website here. Look to register early so that you can take advantage of the reduced early registration fee.

Can I ask you to begin to pray now for our time together in November? Here are a few ways you can pray:

• Pray that all that happens at the conference would celebrate the preeminence of Jesus Christ in a way that He alone would receive all the glory.

• Pray that God would use the preaching to equip us to live our lives and pastor our churches in a way that we make much of Christ as we faithfully serve His people.

• Pray for the work of the Holy Spirit as we spend time together.

• Pray that God would give us opportunities to care for one another and strengthen our relationships.

• Pray that God would use our time to strengthen and unite us in the gospel mission we share.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. Mark and his wife, Jill, have three adult daughters and ten grandchildren.