The Impact of the Fieles Conference in 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 with our executive director. People who check out the podcast might've noticed that there wasn't a podcast last week, and that was because I was on vacation and you were attending the Fieles conference, which you talked about on the last pod. You have some encouraging updates about your experience at the conference. But first, at the last pastor's conference, we had the joy of seeing Mexico become its own ecclesiastical nation in Sovereign Grace Churches. And recently they had their National Assembly of Elders and you were going to give us an update about that.

Mark Prater:

Yeah. In fact, that vote happened at the last Council of Elders meeting last November. The Council of Elders voted to establish Mexico as an Ecclesiological nation, and that is the first Ecclesiological nation apart from the US that we've established, which was a very historic and exciting moment for the Council of Elders, but especially for the brothers in Mexico. And the the morning of the Fieles conference, the brothers met from Mexico for their National Assembly of Elders meeting, and I wasn't there. Carlos told me about it. Carlos Contreras, who's leading the team there in Mexico, and Rich Richardson was there from our leadership team. And I heard just great reports from both of them of how pleased they just were with how that meeting went.

So a couple of highlights from the meeting. Mexico made some polity decisions regarding their Book of Church Order, just like we have been doing in the states, just trying to tweak it and fine tune it as we use it. So that happened.

They also made some financial decisions as a nation, which requires financial commitments from the churches in Mexico to give to the National Fund in Mexico. And the reason Carlos was so excited about that is because our goal overall in Sovereign Grace as we establish nations, is to establish self-sustaining nations over a period of time. And so Carlos was like, we took another step towards being a self-sustaining nation here in Mexico. And it was wonderful to see his excitement and his enthusiasm for that meeting because the thing that we voted on last November as a Council of Elders is actually happening. And one of the things that's so exciting for me is that it's not just happening on paper. It's happening in influence and impact that the brothers in Mexico are having, I think, seeing most clearly through their leadership of the Fieles conference.

Benjamin Kreps:

Excellent. Yeah, it is quite a thing to go from theoretical ideas about ecclesiological nations and what that might look like to actually seeing one established and it beginning to function. That is such a joy to hear about. But you were yes, at the Fieles conference and you wanted to talk to us about your experience there.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, let me just start with saying Carlos Contreras was responsible for planning and leading this conference. He did an effective, masterful job. Carlos is a gift to our family of churches. I thank God for him. Our leadership team here in the States thanks God for him. And he just did a really, really good job. Now, he doesn't do that alone. He's got a team that he works with, a leadership team that he's leading Mexico with. Each of those men worked very hard as well. And then he's got the members of his church. So Fieles was held in Juarez at Iglesia Gracia Soberana, where Carlos is the senior pastor and 160 of his members volunteered to serve during that entire conference. And they did so with such joy, and they did it with such a servant's heart. It communicates Sovereign Grace values just in the way that they serve. So first of all, just to commend all that served at the conference.

But it was a very effective conference. The theme of the conference was essentially the pastor pursuing a godly life. And the pastor's example is very important in building godly churches, which is something we want to do in Sovereign Grace. So this was a very significant conference for pastors and their wives. And by the way, there were somewhere between 400 and 450 pastors and their wives there, leaders from the churches and their wives there from mostly different parts of Mexico and really all parts of Mexico. There were also some pastors there from other Latin American nations, from Costa Rica for example.

But this was primarily in serving pastors and wives that are in Mexico. And the impact and influence that conference has is palpable. It's very, very clear. In fact, a lot of the pastors and wives that were there were not a part of Sovereign Grace. So for them to hear instruction, messages, for several days that will help them grow in godliness, they'll go back and they'll be stronger pastors and they'll build stronger churches as a result, regardless of whether they're ever part of Sovereign Grace or not, although several are very interested.

So Jeff Purswell was a main speaker. Mike Bullmore was a main speaker. Juan Sanchez, who's not a part of Sovereign Grace, but leads a church in Austin, Texas, he did a great job preaching. Carlos Contreras preached two messages, God bless him, in the same day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. And then he also asked me to do a main session. And then Mike Bullmore and Juan Sanchez both led breakout sessions that were really, really, really well done. Mike was more about pursuing God through the spiritual disciplines, essentially. And Juan was teaching, his breakout session was more on building a godly home, how a pastor builds a godly home. So all of the preaching that those men did, it was just outstanding. It was very well done. It had application and impact.

There were conversations I was having with pastors as the conference was ending, they're coming up, they're in tears because of how the Lord worked during that conference and how much it impacted their life. And that's the kind of thing you want to see, at least you pray for and you hope for, is that pastors are encouraged, they're built up in Christ, and they're also challenged to grow as men of God. So it was just a wonderful time, and I just walked away thinking, boy, the influence that this conference has and the influence that the men leading in Mexico have, it's really palpable. And really, I think "nation transforming" is, I think, the word I'm looking for, the phrase I'm looking for.

And so I just thank God for not only Carlos, but all of those men that are leading in Mexico; Abelardo Munoz and Hellman Avila and Jaime Chow and Manolo Quintal, Cuautemoc is there on the team, just helping administratively as well. Those men are gifts to our family of churches. And so this is a nation, not just on paper. This is a nation that's having influence and impact within Mexico. And I just wanted everybody to hear about it and continue to pray for our friends in Mexico.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yes, excellent. So grateful for Carlos and his guys and for that church. What a compelling example, 160 church members serving men and women they don't even know, probably most of them that aren't in Sovereign Grace, but as we see so often in Sovereign Grace churches; eager, cheerful, joyful servants. And so that's impressive. So well done. So thanks, Mark for the updates. Thank you all for checking out the podcast. We'll see you here next week. Lord willing. Bye for now.