Shane Hochstetler
Shane Hochstetler
Shane Hochstetler
Twenty pastors from the eastern part of the Gulf States Conference met at the Conference office on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. In preparation for the Southern Union’s emphasis of 2019 as the Year of Evangelism. Gulf States is designating 2018 as a year to prepare for the future united effort. In 2018, each pastor in the Conference will be presenting a series of meetings in their district. The Conference is making this effort now because, as Ellen White says, “It is in the water, not on the land, that we learn to swim,” Gospel Workers, page 495. In taking this year to work with their local churches, putting into practice the necessary effort to prepare for an evangelistic reaping event, they will be better prepared to make a unified effort with the entire Union in 2019.
Richie Halversen, pastor and director of church planting for Gulf States, trained the pastors on leading out in their local evangelistic efforts. Halversen began by sharing a devotional from Luke 5, “A Great Catch,” where the disciples were disappointed with their fruitless labors on the fishing waters, when Jesus appears and calls them back into the boat to labor on. “Are you tired of laboring for souls without obtaining a catch?” Halversen asked. “Don’t stop fishing, follow God’s guidance, He will supply the catch.”
Halversen provided basic training on the fundamentals and theology of evangelism, along with what needs to happen practically, before, during, and after the event. Each pastor was presented a printed resource binder along with a USB flash drive loaded with presentation materials. The seminar was repeated the following day in Jackson, Miss., for the rest of the Gulf States pastors.
Gulf States | January 2018
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