Re:Charge 2024

By Heidi Sorrells, Pastor Advocate • Healthy Church Solutions

Everyone reading this article knows family and church relationships are messy and hard. Even the best leaders fail and come short. And too often, we find ourselves weary, frustrated and closer to burnout than we care to admit. As the airline personnel remind us, we have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before we can effectively minister to others. If we’re too busy doing life to really enter into sabbath and practice soul care, we’re missing out on breathing in the fullness of God and missing out on the sweet, long, exhale of praising Him. Being with Jesus first is so important before we can do anything for Jesus.

That is what the Re:Charge Conference is all about! This year’s conference will take place at Calvary Baptist Church in Fayetteville Oct. 1-3. Pastors, spouses, church leaders and ministry volunteers are invited to join us as we gather for a respite away from the work of ministry, prepared especially for you. This conference takes place during pastor appreciation month and is optimally timed to help leaders get rested and prepared for the busyness of the holidays.

Our theme this year is “Simply Worship.” In every part of the conference, we want to return to praising God for who He is and elevating His name and presence above everything else. We want to put aside other things and, like Mary in Luke 10, choose the better part — to be still before the Lord, unaware of anything else more pressing than to worship.

Re:Charge will kick off with a catered dinner from Wright’s BBQ with several surprises to say thank you for answering the call to ministry and serving the Lord right where He’s placed you. Our BMA Global ministries and partners will be there to show appreciation for you and to shower you with gifts to take home. The Baptist Trumpet will provide game nights on both evenings of the conference, and those are open to all ages, with a variety of games available for different preferences. On Wednesday morning, men will have a breakout with BMA Global President Dr. John David Smith on “Leading Yourself.” At the same time, ladies will have a breakout with National WMA Second Vice President Kelly Williams on “Daily Expressions of Worship.”

Zack Johnson, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Mena, will be our first speaker and share a great message about what it looks like to worship Jesus by obeying His command to be a disciple and make disciples. Kent Wiles, worship pastor from First Baptist Church in Rogers, will lead us in worship during the Wednesday and Thursday morning sessions. It will be a beautiful time of simply and joyfully praising God! There will be free time built in on Wednesday from lunchtime until 7 p.m. so spouses can spend time together, people can rest or folks can join friends exploring the area attractions.

Then, on Wednesday night, Calvary Baptist Church will open up the sanctuary for area churches to join us in a special worship concert and time of testimony with Aaron Williams, worship leader, songwriter and founder of “The Way of Worship” (a discipleship ministry for worship leaders and songwriters). Aaron is also the composer of a special song, many of you will know, called “Abide.”He is coming straight from the Dove Awards in Nashville, and we can’t wait to participate in praising the Lord with him!

We will close out Thursday morning with Pastor Dave McMurray from First Baptist Church in Blackwood, N.J. He will preach an inspiring message about what it looks like to worship the Lord through different seasons, reminding us that God is faithful, that we can persevere in obedience and that it’s possible through His power to take bold steps of faith.

In addition to these, one of the main blessings of the Re:Charge Conference is the opportunity to connect with fellow attendees. Whether rekindling friendships or finding new ones, you can find immediate soul kinship with others who have walked a similar path. This fellowship will remind you that you are not alone in your ministry journey.

None of this would be possible without a space to do what God laid on our hearts. We want to thank Calvary Baptist Church, Lead Pastor Kirk Shelton, Pastor of Family Ministries Dan Carson and their team, who are going above and beyond to provide a warm and welcoming place for you to come and feel at home.

We still have room at the table for you, so register today at bmaamerica.org/recharge, or consider registering your pastor as an appreciation gift. Healthy Church Solutions wants church leaders and their families to be loved, deeply encouraged and charged up for whatever God has next. Let’s be still and worship, and see what God does!