Administrative Bishops Gather for Leadership Conference
January 8, 2016–Nashville, TN—Church of God North American administrative bishops and their wives are gathered in Nashville, Tennessee today for the second day of a Leadership Conference at the site of the upcoming 76th International General Assembly, GA16.
The two-day event began yesterday afternoon with a tour of the Music City Center, the site of GA16. State and regional leaders were introduced to the venue, which has only been open two years. This will be the first time back in Tennessee in 50 years for a General Assembly and the first to be held in the capital city.
Later that evening the church leaders gathered for a dinner with special guest, Mark Lowry, Christian humorist, vocalist and perhaps best known for his composition of the well-known Christmas carol, “Mary, Did You Know?”
General Overseer Mark Williams opens the morning session at the 2016 Leadership Conference in Nashville.(click photo to enlarge. Photo by Daisy Moffatt Photography)
Friday’s agenda included two morning sessions, centered around the theme of the conference, “Christ and Culture.” The first session was led by Dr. Thom Rainer, author and president of LifeWay Christian Resources, led the topic, “Cultural Issues the Church Must Address.”
“When church leaders think of cultural issues the church must confront, they often and rightly think of moral issues such as homosexual marriage and abortion,” Rainer expressed. “But the church must not neglect the key issues that are impacting her effectiveness at reaching culture with the gospel of Christ.”
Rainer’s topic was followed by a session with Dr. Ed Stetzer entitled, “Helping Churches Get on Mission.” Both were followed by engaging Q&A sessions with the administrative bishops.
The afternoon session topics included more challenging “Christ and Culture” issues, including same sex marriage and church safety and security. The sessions were led by experts in the field: Dr. Stephen H. King, managing director of Gammon and Grange, P.C., and Timothy Miller, president of Lion Heart International Services Group.
Leadership 2016 is scheduled to close out on Friday evening with a worship service led by a group of administrative bishops and their wives. Special musical guest will be Clark Beckham, 2015 runner-up contestant on American Idol, followed by a message from General Overseer Williams.
