During the summer months, our faculty have the opportunity to travel to conferences and gatherings to fellowship with pastors, students, and faculty from sister institutions.
Several faculty members recently took part in the Baptist Fellowship Association Annual Conference in Florida and the 2024 Bible Faculty Summit in Wisconsin.
BFA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida
Strengthening The Household of God, Ephesians 4:11-16
Dr. Brett Williams and family traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend the 60th Annual Conference of the Baptist Fellowship Association and share the ministry of Central Seminary.
In preparation for the conference, BFA President Milton Kornegay wrote “The theme of this year’s conference Strengthening the Household of God will do justice to the rich heritage and strong doctrinal stand of the BFA by presenting to you sermons and Bible teaching centered around that theme. Each sermon and the Bible teaching shared in each workshop and general session will emphasize the majesty of our great God as we look specifically at His Son, Jesus Christ, and how the Trinity works in our lives to heal, encourage, and strengthen us mentally as we engage in spiritual warfare.”
Dr. Williams presented a session entitled “Strong Families Make Strong Children” and had the privilege of talking with prospective students and pastors. Central is thankful for several close connections with the BFA through Dr. Nicolas Ellen, Visiting Professor of Biblical Counseling, and Dr. Victor Clay, Central Board Member.
Dr. Clay serves as the Senior Pastor of Dynamic Life Baptist Ministries in Kansas City and Executive Director of the Baptist Fellowship Association. Victor spoke in two PowerWalk Sessions on the topics of Church Development (“Ministry Planning and Goal Setting”) and Leadership (“Developing a Training Program for Training Leaders to be Biblical Leaders”), along with the Tuesday Evening General Session on “Strengthening the Household of God: The Mystery of Godliness” from 1 Timothy 3:14-16.
Central’s Co-Director of Biblical Counseling, Dr. Nicolas Ellen, spoke in the PowerWalk Sessions on Counseling, with discussions on Designing and Developing an Effective Counseling Ministry, General Principles for Developing Effective Counseling Skills, and Developing a Premarital Counseling Program. The Annual Conference concluded with a banquet on Wednesday night with Dr. Ellen giving the closing address.
Dr. Ellen serves as the Senior Pastor of Community of Faith Bible Church in Houston, Texas, and Senior Professor of Biblical Counseling at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston.
Audio from the general sessions and workshops will be available soon on the BFA website.
Learn more about the BFA at www.bfa.today.
The purpose of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association shall be to promote the establishment of Bible believing Baptist churches of like faith through means of encouragement, fellowship, and financial support; to foster the spirit of evangelism; to spread the Gospel; to advance the cause of Christ through mutual efforts in Christian education and missions – both at home and throughout the world; to promote the institution of the family; and to maintain a pure testimony of Jesus Christ by separation from worldliness, modernism and apostasy. (Matt. 28:19, 20)
Prospective students and pastors from churches of the Baptist Fellowship Association are eligible for a tuition scholarship from Central Seminary to assist in continuing education. Contact info@centralseminary.edu to learn more about the BFA Tuition Scholarship.
2024 Bible Faculty Summit in Watertown, WI
“Educators Promoting Scholarship in Service of the Church”
The Bible Faculty Summit is an annual event that brings together Bible teachers and seminary professors from a variety of colleges and seminaries and is a highlight of the summer travel season for our faculty to rekindle friendships and hear of new studies in theology. This year’s gathering was hosted by Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, WI.
The purpose of the Summit is to promote scholarship in service of the church, providing a forum since 1995 for academic reflection, scholarly engagement, and mutual edification among those in Bible teaching ministry. Faculty spend the time hearing papers and discussing them, while enjoying fellowship with fellow Bible teachers.
Central Seminary was represented at the Summit by Drs. Matt Shrader, Jon Pratt, Kevin Bauder, and Preston Mayes. Dr. Shrader also had the opportunity to present a paper entitled: “‘A Ministry of Enlarged Culture’: Characteristics of the First American Baptist Seminaries.”
The Summit concluded with a call for papers for the 2025 BFS which will be held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.
Published papers from past summits are available online at https://biblefacultysummit.org/published-papers/
