One Retreat to Rule Them All
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Ben 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. Hey, Mark.
Mark Prater:
Ben, where are you? You don't appear to be in your office. Are you at home?
Ben Kreps:
I am at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville at the Pastors College. I think on the last podcast I talked about how I was coming to take the pneumatology class. It's Thursday and I've been in the class for a couple of days. It has been deeply edifying and faith building. Fellowship has been wonderful. Jeff, what a gift he is. And this building, what a gift this building is. So grateful for this facility. I'm so glad for Sovereign Grace Central and for Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. I think CJ said, it's like God designed this building for them, and it really does appear to be that way. So what a blessing this is. And for the Sovereign Grace Music nerds, I'm one of them. You might recognize the backdrop here from the Psalms album videos. So yeah, it's a real joy to be here. But we're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about what's going on next week as you head to Orlando for a Leadership Team retreat. You have Leadership Team retreats a few times a year, but this one is a little bit different. Tell us about it.
Mark Prater:
It is. This is a retreat we planned almost a year ago. The Leadership Team is gathering as we do three times a year. But this time we have invited key leaders, about 31 or 32 leaders from eight or nine different nations that are going to be at this retreat. We as a Leadership Team thought we're at an important juncture right now where we're going to expand in the next couple of years, and we want to gather the leaders that are a part of all of that and talk about how do we lead Sovereign Grace together.
So, all of our US regional leaders will be and there are non-US regional leaders, which we thank God for. There will be also about eight or nine global leaders; men from Germany and Italy and Ethiopia and Australia and the Philippines. Carlos will be there from Latin America. So, men that guys would know. And then we've got a group called the National Leaders Fellowship, a little bit younger group of guys that we've been working with for a few years. They will be there and will join the Leadership Team. So, we're just so excited about the retreat. It starts on Monday the day that this podcast drops into your inbox. So if you think of it, if you're a reader or a listener of this podcast, please, please pray for the retreat and pray that this retreat would accomplish what we hope.
And really, this retreat is so important as we expand globally, there are just certain things that mark Sovereign Grace, that mark our culture in Sovereign Grace that we don't want to change. Obviously some of that is theological, some of that is gospel centrality, but we just want to make sure that we are on the same page as leaders. And that Sovereign Grace experience you have in a Sovereign Grace Church, whether that is in Louisville, Kentucky, or Middletown, Pennsylvania, or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or in Manila, Philippines. That's what we're hoping for. And we need God's help to accomplish that.
Ben Kreps:
Yeah, we will be praying. Can you fill us in a little bit about what you're planning to do at the retreat? I know you jump on this podcast, just pausing in the middle of a very busy week that you've been preparing for weeks. Actually, what's going to happen at this retreat?
Mark Prater:
Yeah, there's going to be time where the individual groups that I just defined will spend some time together. So, on Monday morning, Dave Taylor and myself, I believe Jon Payne and Jeff, we're going to spend time with the global guys. They're coming in Sunday night. And we're using that Monday morning session to talk about a five year plan in their nation. We feel like we've got to be able to plan better and budget better as part of the impetus that lies behind that. Then everybody arrives by noon on Monday. And we'll take a session where everybody introduces themselves to one another. And then I'm just going to talk about leading Sovereign Grace now and in the future and why this retreat is so important.
And then those individual groups will spend the rest of the afternoon in their groups; US regional leaders with Jon, global leaders with Dave, National Leader Fellowship guys are going to be with Jared. And they're just going to do a lot of updates on how they're doing in their region or in their country. And an opportunity to care for them as well. And then on Tuesday, the entire day on Tuesday all those groups will be together. And certain sessions we have planned, as you hear these, you're going to say, oh yeah, that's what marks Sovereign Grace.
So we've asked CJ to teach on the pastor's self-watch, to watch his life and doctrine closely, something that he's not only taught, but he models very well. Because we want to be pastors who love Jesus and it marks our life. We are passionate about Christ. I know we've asked Jeff to do a session on theological integrity and consistency, because as we expand globally, that's what we must maintain, theological integrity and theological consistency. And then we've asked, Jared Mellinger to do a session on Apostolic Mission. We still believe in the gift of apostolic ministry. And we want to be doing apostolic mission work, including pioneering work, by planting churches and sending missionaries and reaching the unreached. So, we're going to talk about that and do some Q & A over that. And then we've asked Jon Payne to do a session on apostolic care for churches because we want to continue to build relationally. We want to care for Elderships and care for churches.
And then I'll end that time talking about what Sovereign Grace might look like, without being presumptuous, but might look like in 20 years. And I want us to dream a little bit because the purpose of that is that you can't prepare for 20 years from now in 20 years from now. You got to prepare now for 20 years from now. And, the main thrust of that session will be leadership development and developing young men who are, who may be, called to pastoral ministry. So, if we expand more globally, our bench is a little bit deeper, to say it that way. So that's Tuesday, all together. And those are themes that have marked Sovereign Grace for years and we're wanting to maintain. And then Wednesday morning, they'll spend time in their individual groups, and then we'll pull everybody together and just end with the time of prayer.
And then the Leadership Team will stay in Orlando and we will finish out the rest of our retreat. We've got a pretty full schedule to get through clearly after those men head home. So that's a little bit about next week, and I would so appreciate your prayers. The men on the Leadership Team would so appreciate your prayers. And let me just thank you ahead of time. Thank you for praying.
Ben Kreps:
Well, we will be praying. We've enjoyed a long history of celebrating, appreciating, receiving, the gift of leadership in Sovereign Grace. And so it is deeply encouraging to hear about next week's retreat, which reflects a multi-generational global flavor, in that gift of leadership. So, praying God's blessing on everyone who's attending. Mark, thank you for your labors to equip leaders for the next 20 years. And thank you all for watching or reading this podcast. We'll see you here, Lord willing, next week. Bye for now.