The Send North America Conference has gained a major partner for the Aug. 3-4 sessions at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
North American Mission Board (NAMB) President Kevin Ezell has announced that the International Mission Board (IMB) is partnering with NAMB to make the Send North America Conference fully comprehensive in missions scope.
At its core, the heart of the two-day Send North America Conference is a gathering of the church in North America to see a movement of people living out the mission of God in their everyday lives. It aims to bring mission leaders at every level from across the continent together for encouragement, vision and action.
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Kevin Ezell |
The conference holds promise to be one of the largest missions gatherings in North American history. Paid registration has already surpassed 7,300.
“Working together on this conference means churches and individuals will truly be able to come away with a complete vision and plan for their church’s mission activity in North America and around the globe,” Ezell said. “This kind of opportunity is unprecedented in Southern Baptist life and I am very excited about the potential.”
In addition to providing a comprehensive vision and plan, missions mobilization is a natural partnership for NAMB and IMB.
David Platt, IMB president, recounted, “When I first agreed to be a part of the Send North America Tour, culminating in this event in August, I had no idea that I would soon be serving alongside NAMB as president of IMB. I am exhilarated when I think about all the possibilities we have to mobilize Christians and equip churches for mission in North America and the nations together, and this conference is a reflection of that reality. I am eagerly looking forward to NAMB and IMB together hosting thousands of people in one place for God-glorifying, gospel-saturated worship all aimed at sending those people out from local churches on mission all over the world.”
The conference will provide many opportunities for networking between its main sessions, worship times and breakout sessions. An abbreviated list of speakers includes Platt, Matt Carter, Louie Giglio, Al Mohler and Eric Mason, among others. Worship sessions will be led by Passion Band, Casting Crowns, David Crowder and Shane and Shane.
With the Send North America Conference’s focus on mobilization and next steps, participants will have the opportunity to respond on-site to several missions avenues, from exploration to support to church planting and unreached people group engagement.
Organizers hope churches and individuals will be encouraged to live life on mission as a result of participating in the conference. That may mean beginning the conversation about what life on mission looks like, exploring where to plug in with NAMB and IMB, increasing support for missions or becoming personally involved as a church planter or other type of missionary.
The cost of the conference is $129. The event’s website – sendconference.com – provides information on registration, lodging and other important details.
Leading up to this year’s conference, dozens of Southern Baptist churches in about 30 cities throughout North America will have hosted tour stops for NAMB-sponsored Send North America Experiences.
This will be NAMB’s third Send North America Conference to encourage, equip and mobilize leaders in local congregations to penetrate lostness in North America. Nearly 2,000 people attended the 2012 Send North America Conference at First Baptist Church Woodstock, Ga. The attendance more than doubled in 2013 at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board.)