21-C conference challenges participants to embrace vision and innovation

WOODBRIDGE — Virginia Baptists' annual 21-C conference, held Feb. 15-16 at First Baptist Church, Woodbridge, challenged participants to embrace a new vision for reaching the lost in Virginia.

“21-C has become synonymous with Kingdom vision, Kingdom innovation, and Kingdom courage,” said Wayne Faison, team leader of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's courageous churches team. “This year's conference was no exception. We believe that Jesus established an important priority when he said, ‘I have come to seek and save people who are lost' (Luke 19:10). Our vision is to initiate a movement that will reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and innovation and courage will be needed to achieve this God-sized vision.”

The theme for this year's 21-C, “Causing Heaven to Celebrate,” was based on Jesus' statement that “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one person who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

The conference was led by five facilitators: Alan Hirsch, director of the Forge Mission Training Network in South Melbourne, Australia; Doug Murren, church consultant and pastor of New Heights Church in Boise, Idaho; Dennis Pethers, general director of Viz-A-Viz Ministries in Basildon, Essex, Great Britain; Nelson Searcy, pastor of The Journey Church in New York City; and Curt Watke, executive director of the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry Inc., in North Augusta, S.C.

In the opening session, Hirsch voiced a theme that was echoed by each of the other four facilitators. “If we're going to reach the lost,” he said, “more of the same won't get the job done.” The facilitators spoke of developing “missional churches” that are committed to reaching the lost, practicing “servant evangelism” that meets physical as well as spiritual needs, and creating “communities of love” into which lost people can be incorporated even before they have made a decision to become Christ followers.

One innovation employed at this year's conference to help participants better understand their role in reaching the lost was the APEPT Missionality Personal Role Index, created by Curt Watke and the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry. “APEPT” is an acronym comprised of the first letters of five missional roles (Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic, Pastoral, and Teacher), which are described in Ephesians 4:11-12.

Preregistrants completed the APEPT survey online as part of the preregistration process and received personalized results identifying their primary missional role when they arrived at the conference. Persons with the same APEPT role met together in breakout sessions for a time of networking with similarly gifted people and of dialogue led by the facilitators.

A worship service on Friday evening featured Marshal Ausberry, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fairfax Station, and worship leader Matt Papa from Gainesville, Ga.

At the end of the worship service, Dennis Pethers exhorted the audience to become part of something new. Referring to the parable of the prodigal son and the older brother who refused to celebrate when his younger brother returned home, he said, “We can't live like that anymore. We sit inside our churches and wonder why lost people don't come in. We've got to knock down the walls and build bridges.”

Pethers then challenged the audience to embrace “670,” Virginia Baptists' five-year evangelism strategy to reach 600,000 lost people. “I'm inviting you to become part of a movement. 670 is a movement, not a program.”

After Pethers spoke, Amy Tucker, a participant from Catalyst Church in Portsmouth, asked to address the gathering. Tucker related her conviction that she personally had not been doing enough to reach lost people. She invited participants to the front of the church for prayer and commitment, and a large crowd responded. According to Faison, this spontaneous worship moment helped to create “significant ownership of 670 by local church leaders.”

By the end of the conference, some 21-C participants had committed to pray for this new vision for reaching the lost, others had committed to attend specific training to prepare, and others had committed to church planting. “It is our prayer that the missional outcomes from this year's 21-C will truly ‘Cause Heaven to Celebrate,' said Faison.