ZACHARY, La.—More than 350 pastors, church leaders, laymen and women from across Louisiana converged upon the Milldale Baptist Church Conference Center for the 61st-Annual Labor Day Conference, Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
The four-day preaching conference continued its long-seeded tradition of calling those in attendance to be devoted to prayer, bible reading, and revival.
The purpose of the weekend conference was to equip believers on how to share the gospel and present the vital need for salvation, said Jeremy Pruitt, pastor of Milldale Baptist Church and host of the weekend conference.
Resulting in two professions of faith.
Utilizing a classic revival-style preaching blueprint for the conference, the gathering kicked off Friday night with worship and back-to-back messages by Dr. Bob Pitman and Dr. Paige Patterson.
Pitman, a former pastor of Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn. and former Dean of the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, noted the emphasis on evangelism as he pleaded with the lost to be saved.
Patterson, president of the Sandy Creek Foundation and former president of three theological institutions, sought to challenge and encourage men in the room to actively make disciples and raise the next generation of godly men.
Also preaching at the conference was Dr. Tommy Kiker. Kiker is the pastor of East Leesville Baptist Church in Leesville, La. In reflecting on the message, Pruitt described Kiker's preaching as “authentic and passionate” as Kiker called on people to live their confession of Christ in everyday faithfulness.
"He strikes me as a man with the burden of a prophet and the heart of a pastor," said Pruitt.
Closing out the full slate of preaching was Dr. David Allen, the founder and president of Preaching Coach and Dean of the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Noting Allen’s ability with words through the art of text-driven preaching, Pruitt made some astute observations.
"He [Allen] is such a wordsmith,” he said. “It's never academic. His preaching is the call of God's heart to the people who are listening. You feel like you're hearing from the Lord."
During the Sunday afternoon session of this year’s conference was a four-person panel that included Barton, Patterson, Kiker, and Allen. A dozen questions came to the floor on topics concerning conflicts in ministry, the public reputation of the local church, how to deal with conflict in the pastor’s family and home, among other topics.
Reflecting on the weekend of worship, preaching, and fellowship, Pruitt noted the valuable “camp-like” style of eliminating distractions to be laser-focused on seeking the Lord through His sufficient, inerrant, and authoritative Word.
"I have attended the conference at Milldale since the late 1990s,” he said. “There aren't many camp-like meetings anymore to get away from everything and seek the Lord.”
Pruitt also noted the church’s heart to encourage local church pastors and ministry leaders to keep pressing on and abide in Christ when their marriages and ministries are troubled.
“This ministry is needed now more than ever,” he continued. “As the pastor, I've been drilling into our people that God has afforded us this ministry because about 100 people come to us from our Judea and Samaria.”
“Pastors come to us when they are ready to throw in the towel, churches ready to close the door, and marriages are struggling. But our church has the opportunity to pour into people from across the country. We get to pour into them the truths of the gospel and hopefully encourage that pastor and see some kind of revival where the pastor doesn't throw in the towel, the church keeps their door open, and the marriage is saved.”
He continued by stating that if the members of Milldale Baptist Church have a small part in encouraging a local church pastor and their family, it’s all worth the sacrificial cost.
“We get to have a part in all of their ministries,” he said. “I just don't think you can put a price tag on the value of the ministry of this conference.”
You can watch the video recordings of the 61st Annual Labor Day Conference on the Milldale Baptist Church Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/milldalebaptistchurchzachary).
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