“The church must reach men and millennials, if we are to effectively evangelize Illinois,” said Scott Harris as he prayed over a new emphasis for pastors and church leaders. The result is the Ignite Conference, set for September 26-27 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur. Breakout sessions will be held at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, across from the church.
Fresh from a Georgia pastorate with a strong focus on sharing the gospel, Harris saw encouraging a gospel movement in Illinois as a main reason for accepting a new position as IBSA’s Missions team leader, which includes missionaries who aid mission mobilization, church planting, and his personal focus on evangelism. “We are praying for a move of the Holy Spirit that ignites a movement all across our state,” Harris said. We seek the Spirit to ignite a movement, he explained, and the pastor is key to firing up renewed evangelistic zeal in his own congregation.
“Pastors will receive training in an evangelism process that they can take home to implant in their church and equip their people to share the Gospel in their community,” Harris said. He will share the “domino effect” of faith sharing. Each participant will receive Johnny Hunt’s “Best News” Evangelism Training Kit for use in their church.
Keynote speakers are Fred Luter, New Orleans pastor and former SBC president, and JJ Washington of the Georgia Baptist Convention staff.
Enthusiastic preacher Luter is known for leading men to Christ. He advocates FRANgelism, reaching friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors. Luter says “if you save the man, the man would save his family.” Washington leads evangelism for the Georgia convention.
In addition to two worship events, participants can choose two breakouts led by Illinois pastors and IBSA team members.
The cost is $25 per person. To find additional information and to register, visit IBSA.org/ignite.