Fieles Conference and Updates on Mexico

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace Churches to our executive director. Mark, I know a memory that I, along with many others, recall with great joy and gratitude; last year at the Council of Elders. Before the Pastors Conference, we voted to make Mexico an ecclesiastical nation. That was a sweet moment of celebration as those men, those Mexican pastors, went up on the stage and it was officially announced that they were their own ecclesiastical nation. Well, those guys, as they have been for many years, are hard at work. There's continuing significant activity in Mexico, and you want to tell us about a couple events that are coming up?

Mark Prater:

I do. I remember that vote last November at the Council of Elders meeting, a unanimous vote. An enthusiastic vote, as you said, Ben. A very sweet moment in our short history as a denomination. I would say a historic moment for us as well, because since our polity was ratified, book of church order ratified in April of 2013, we have now our second ecclesiastical nation, obviously here in the States and now Mexico. And that vote reflected the labors of Carlos Contreras, who's been leading in Mexico well over 30 years, and he has been a faithful pastor and faithful leader in building that nation, and he's not done it by himself. Since that vote in November, they formed really a leadership group there in Mexico that is Carlos Contreras, Hellman Avila, who's in El Paso, Jaime Chow is in El Paso, Abelardo Munoz, who is in Juarez, Cuautemoc, who is in Juarez, the administrator there and helping administratively, and then Manolo Quintal, who's down in Silao. So that's the men who help lead.

And these are rough numbers, but as I recall in my old man memory, we have eight partner churches in Mexico and then eight to ten more that are pursuing adoption. Those men, I think about 30 men, Rich told me, are in the ordination process in Mexico right now. So to accommodate just the God-given expansion in Mexico, they're forming two regions, one, more in the south, one in the north. And it's just wonderful to see the labors of faithful pastors and leaders like Carlos over 30 plus years, maybe close to 40 now, bearing a lot of good fruit. And because of that, they've had to just find ways to serve pastors and wives. And for several years now, they've had a conference called the Fieles Conference, and that's coming up in August. I want to speak about that in just a moment and explain why that's important.

I mention the Fieles conference, that will be August 7th through 9 at Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Juarez, Mexico, the church where Carlos leads, becuause at that church right before that conference starts, they are going to have a National Assembly of Elders meeting, which is glorious to think about. That is much like the Council of Elders meeting we had last November and have had for what, over a decade now. So to see those men draw together and make decisions regarding governance decisions regarding polity is just very, very sweet. They're functioning as an ecclesiastical nation, and that's important because it helps us to build strong churches and healthy churches, but it helps us to plant churches as well.

So I wanted to mention the National Assembly of Elders meeting because if you listen to this podcast or you're a reader of this podcast, please pray for that. Please pray for Carlos as he leads to that National Assembly of Elders meeting that'll happen right before the Fieles Conference on August 7th in Juarez, Mexico.

Benjamin Kreps:

Excellent. I've had the honor of spending time with some of those guys down in Mexico and in Mexico a little bit, and it is always humbling to interact with these pastors. I mean, their example is compelling. These are gifted and godly men. Just hearing Carlos talk about how that church began as a small group of believers that met in a park leading up to where things have grown, to God be the glory, and we are certainly grateful for the grace in Carlos's life. So the Fieles Conference is coming up. You've talked about it before, but people checking on the podcast, don't necessarily know what it is and actually how strategic this conference really is in Mexico.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, this is one of the most strategic conferences we do in Sovereign Grace every year. Of course, we have our pastors and wives conference in November here in the States, but this conference is just as strategic, especially outside of the states. I mean this conference, which we'll be in Juarez, as you mentioned, it serves primarily pastors and wives in Mexico. But there are several pastors and wives that travel from different Latin American nations to attend this conference because it is a conference that is not only gospel centered, it is a conference where Carlos's leadership is very intentional to equip and care for and invest into pastors and their wives so that they leave not only equipped for what they've been called to do, they leave very encouraged and cared for, and the conference because of that, the conference has just grown. Last year they sold out.

My guess is they'll sell out again this year in terms of just not having any more space. Last year the theme was something like the pastor and his family, and the fruit that came back, the feedback from that, was just excellent. This year, the conference theme is a pastor's call to live a life of piety or to live a life of godliness, which obviously scripture calls all believers to, but the pastoral epistles call pastors to, because we lead by example in how we live godly lives and lead godly families. And so I think it's a very timely topic that will serve pastors and wives attending this conference from Mexico and Latin America.

I want to give you a little bit of a rundown of who's speaking there and topics so that you could pray for this conference. Jeff Purswell is speaking, Mike Bullmore, a wonderful friend of Sovereign Grace, will be speaking and Juan Sanchez, who leads a Baptist church here in the States in Texas, also a wonderful friend of Sovereign Grace. Carlos Contreras is doing a main session, and Carlos asked me to do a main session, so I was humbled by that and grateful to do it.

So, Jeff is going to open the conference just talking about living a life worthy of the gospel. In Carlos's leadership and planning, he wants to begin there. He wants to begin with the gospel of Jesus Christ and living a life worthy of that. Mike Bullmore is going to speak on a pastor's character, which I can't wait to hear that message. Carlos is going to speak on abiding in Christ from John 15. Juan Sanchez is going to speak on the topic of the spirit in the mortification of sin. A wonderful topic, and I'm so glad there's an element of the spirit's work built into the conference. Carlos is then going to speak on persevering in holiness, so it's not just a one-time event; we all, for the rest of our lives, are being sanctified. And by the grace of God, we are growing in Christ's likeness, in holiness.

He's asked me to do a sermon on the praying pastor, and if you study Paul's prayers, they're recorded in his epistles, one of the things he consistently prays for is for the godliness of his people. And so that's one of the ways that we care for them. And then Jeff's going to end with a pastor's zeal because it would not be a good example for a pastor to have zeal and no godliness, but it doesn't serve the church if a pastor has godliness and no zeal. I think those two are not separated. They actually go together. The more you grow in godliness, the more you grow in zeal for God. So great topic. And then Juan Sanchez is doing a breakout session on pursuing a godly home, which will help pastors and wives. So that's who's speaking.

That's a bit of the lineup, and I wanted to mention the specifics to you and the dates to you; August 7th through 9th in Juarez so that you could please pray for this conference, pray for Carlos as he leads this conference, and pray for the speakers, and then especially pray for all the pastors and wives gathering there. My heart, as I pray for the conference, is I can't wait to meet them and interact with them because these are pastors and wives who are serving faithfully, many of them in Sovereign Grace churches. And I desire, my prayer is that God would meet with them, speak to them, encourage them, and build them up in Christ. But we need God's help to do that. So please pray.

Benjamin Kreps:

Excellent. Yes, thank you. Thank you for the update. In hanging out with Carlos a couple years ago, at Gracia Soberana, he just spent unhurried time talking about this conference and described the stirring way in which the whole church is involved. The whole of Gracia Soberana; feeding people, putting people up, giving them places to stay, cleaning, supporting. I mean, this is a church that is zealous to see the gospel deposited in pastors throughout Mexico. And they're going to guys that are isolated out in the mountains who don't have partnership, who maybe are a little off theologically, to draw them in and begin teaching, instructing, building fellowship and friendship. This is a very important conference in Mexico. So grateful for Carlos and all that serve alongside him in this. So let's be praying.

Thanks, Mark, for the update. Thank you all for checking out the podcast. We'll see you here next week. Lord willing. Bye for now.