BBFI’s Healthy Church Conference 2023
Welcome to the first edition of the BBFI’s Healthy Church Conference. I want to first say thank you to the State Fellowships and the host pastors that have partnered with the Central Office to facilitate this event. It would not have happened without you.
Second, I would like to say thank you to Kevin Carson and Terry Thompson. These men did an exceptional job of preparing and delivering timely messages that will be both an encouragement and a challenge. Third, I would like to thank the BBFI Executive Committee for trusting me and allowing the Central Office to prepare and provide this event.
This “hybrid-style” conference is the evolution of the virtual conference (all online) the Communication Office hosted the previous two years. This event helps fill in the gaps from not having an in-person BBFI Mid-Winter Meeting in February. This year, rather than hosting another online event, the Executive Committee, and the Central Office decided to equip State Fellowships with a resource to help strengthen the pastors and churches in their states. There are a few states that are having their first in-person meeting since the COVID pandemic this week. There are also a few pastors utilizing this resource to serve the pastors in their local community, which in turn promotes the BBFI brand to new pastors.
I just completed my doctoral degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. My doctoral project and dissertation were on “The Revitalization of a Network of Churches.” Specifically, it focused on “A Strategic Plan for Future Effectiveness of the BBFI.” As part of my research, I conducted a survey that compared the BBFI and the churches that identify with the BBFI today with thirty years ago. A few things stood out that emphasized the great need for revitalization in many of our BBFI churches. For example, almost half (44%) of BBFI churches baptized fewer than ten people over a two-year period. Granted, that is not the only indication of a church in need of revitalization, but there was a strong indication that churches have transitioned from an emphasis on evangelism to an emphasis on discipleship.
Depression. Loneliness. Anxiety. These are becoming recurring health issues in our culture – even among pastors. Lifeway Research found that 23% of pastors say they’ve had personal struggles with mental health and that 49% said they rarely or never speak on the topic to their congregation. Pastors need others that can help them in their time of need.
This conference, the BBFI’s Healthy Church Conference, has as a primary goal, the desire to help pastors and churches take steps toward becoming healthy. One of the statements I love about the BBFI is that we are a network of pastors where no one stands alone. If you are reading this, if you feel like you aren’t as healthy or that your ministry is not as healthy as it should be, please let somebody know. That person could possibly be your State Rep. It could possibly be another pastor in your state. If it is not one of those, please let me know. I will do my best to serve you and help in any way I possibly can.
I am praying that God would use this one-day conference to be a help and an encouragement and that He would receive much glory for all that is accomplished.
Randy Harp
BBFI Central Office, Director