Since 1991, men from eighty-seven countries have attended the Shepherds’ Conference. Fifty different countries were represented at last year’s conference alone. These numbers are a graphic reminder that although these men are scattered across the ends of the earth, they are united by an unbreakable bond—their union with Christ.
Throughout the year these shepherds experience joy, hardship, and sometimes despair as they seek to be good stewards of the gifts God has given them. Each knows his toil is not in vain, but no pastor who stands alone stands for long. The healing balm and rekindling power of fellowship is an oasis to the soul of every shepherd.
In just nine weeks our church family will host the 2012 Shepherds’ Conference. The unique environment of the conference unites those who are united with Christ. Our church’s goal, like that of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, is to encourage each year’s attendees to run well the race before them and to persevere in ministry—for a reward that is imperishable.
Grace Church, you are the very essence of this effort. Your commitment, sacrifice, service, and hospitality invigorate each attendee as they encounter firsthand the fruit of a ministry that faithfully teaches God’s Word in the midst of a hostile world. The preaching, teaching, and fellowship becomes real and powerful because the results are modeled right before their eyes.
The Lord has been generous to send thousands of pastors and church leaders to the conference each year. Serving so many would be impossible without the dedication of the volunteers who give of their time and resources to this effort. This year, the need for your service and support will again be great. It is our hope that many of you will be involved in helping to establish a servant-minded culture so that our service might be a “fragrant aroma…well-pleasing to God.”
It was with this goal in mind that we selected this year’s theme for our volunteers, “Aiming to Please Him.” It is our aim to direct your heart and mind to the reality that your service is to Christ, and Him alone. We labor and strive in the hope that our ambition will be the same as Paul’s in 2 Corinthians 5:9, where he writes, “so whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.”
I encourage you to consider volunteering to serve during the week of the conference. You can sign up at our table on the patio. The deadline for signing up to volunteer is January 22, which is also the date of the mandatory meeting for all first-time volunteers. There will be another meeting on Sunday, February 26, that all volunteers, both new and returning, are asked to attend.
If you are unable to serve, you can still support the conference in two ways—by opening your home to host a pastor or by providing a full or partial scholarship for a pastor in financial need.
As you prayerfully consider your involvement in this year’s conference, please also pray that the 2012 Shepherds’ Conference will be pleasing to Jesus Christ, and that each attendee will leave with a renewed sense of His glory and an enlivened vigor to glorify Him through the ministry of the church.
Jonathan Morton
Director, Shepherds’ Conference
Click here to sign up as a host home during the conference. For more information about volunteering or scholarships, call (818) 909-5530. For general information about the 2012 Shepherds' Conference, visit www.shepherdsconference.org.