Theme: Unity Among Believers

By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up

– ‘How long?’ (Samuel John Stone)

The local church is a prime target. Ever since the days at the garden of Eden, heresies keep popping up to confuse and waylay people from being devoted to the only true and living God. Not only that, as the hymn tells us, schisms and splits are perennial affairs that also plague churches. You may have heard of church division or even part of it before or in the midst of one now!

Is what Christ prayed for (in John 17) for the believers a reality only in heaven or can it be for the church in this fallen world? If disunity does happen in your fellowship, what can/how should the church leaders and members handle it to avoid reactions that range from criticalness, cynicism, aggression to partisan & unforgiving spirit, avoidance and staying away from the church, never to be seen in one again? Can something be done to facilitate healing to such traumatic (and sometimes dramatic) rapture in bonds and fellowship?

If such rift in fellowship is not currently experienced by your church (thank God!) but perhaps a simmering tension is detected, what should the leaders do to resolve it: within members, among leaders themselves or among like-minded brethren? What would the objectives and considerations be as you manage such situations in the fellowship? What and how may the leaders undertake to prevent it from happening in the future?

A difficult and painful subject no doubt. But as church leaders, we must grapple with it on this side of heaven.

So at the coming conference, we’ll consider Christ’s High Priestly Prayer, with special focus on “Unity Among Believers” as our theme in 2016 church leaders’ conference. Join us!

May Ps. 133 be true of our fellowship!

‘A gem of a Psalm (133), beautiful in expression, clear in thought and structure, attractive in promise, practical and achievable in the vision it presents and above all important, even challenging in its truth.’  Alec Motyer

Main Speaker: Pastor David Chanski ( Trinity Baptist Church, Montville, NJ, USA)

Date: 30th – 31st March 2016

The conference messages are now available for download at http://www.shalomrb.org/church-leaders-conference/church-leaders-conference-2016/