Posts tagged strengthening churches
2021 Pastors Conference

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.


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.

Moving Forward in Australia

An update from Riley Spring, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta, Australia…

It is a such joy to report on some of the key developments that are happening here as we seek to move forward in Sovereign Grace Churches Australia. The Lord continues to be so good us, and so here are some headlines for you:

Pastoral Internships, Leadership Bootcamp, Three partnership opportunities, Podcast Launch


Dave Taylor is Director of Emerging Nations for Sovereign Grace Churches and serves as the lead pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney. He resides in Australia with his wife Emma and their five children.

The full post Moving Forward in Australia originally appeared on the Emerging Nations blog on April 1, 2021. Emerging Nations exists to serve the pioneering work of Sovereign Grace Churches around the world.

Strengthening Local Churches

Sovereign Grace Churches exists to plant and strengthen churches for the glory of God. Recently on the Mark Prater Podcast, Ben Kreps and Mark Prater talked about how the Leadership Team is working on a tool to help strengthen churches.

…the strength of our mission really does come from the strength of our churches. To say it another way, I think strong local churches plant other strong local churches. And strong local churches participate in global missions in really gospel changing ways. And that begins with the eldership of a local church. And the strength and health of a local church is truly the reflection of the strength and health of the eldership team that leads that local church.

To learn more about the tool to strengthen churches, head to the Mark Prater blog for the full podcast:


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.

The post Strengthening Local Churches originally appeared on The Mark Prater Podcast on March 8, 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Prayer Requests

"If we were really convinced that prayer changes the way God acts, and that God does bring about remarkable changes in the world in response to prayer, as Scripture repeatedly teaches that he does, then we would pray much more than we do. If we pray little, it is probably because we do not really believe that prayer accomplishes much at all.” Wayne Grudem

Friends, may we be convinced that God does bring about remarkable changes in response to prayer. And as we pray for one another in Sovereign Grace, using the "First Quarter Prayer Requests" below, let us believe that our prayers will accomplish much for the good of the gospel, and the glory of Christ alone!

  • Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities and workplaces.

  •  Pray for Matt Turner and his team as they plant Sovereign Grace Church in Prattville, AL asking God to provide for them, and give them opportunities to share the gospel in the Prattville area.

  • Pray for Zicky Chanda and her four sons as they grieve the loss of their husband/father, Wilbroad Chanda, who was the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Ndola, Zambia asking God to comfort them and the church in Ndola. 

  • Pray for Bob Kauflin and the Sovereign Grace Music Team as they begin the work of producing a new album featuring the Psalms.

  • Pray for Eric Turbedsky (Director of Church Planting) and Joel Carlson (Sr. Pastor of Emmaus Road Church in Bozeman, MT) as they start a “Small Towns Initiative,” which will equip church planters to plant Sovereign Grace churches in smaller communities asking God to give them and their team wisdom.

  • 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.


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.