news about the denomination The following news items apply to (or affect) the Free Will Baptist denomination scattered across the nation and around the world.To read more about Free Will Baptists and the various departments that make up the national organization, visit www.nafwb.org. Read a brief history of Free Will Baptists in the United States.

Equipped for His Work: 2021 Leadership Conference

Ardmore, OK—he 2021 Free Will Baptist Leadership Conference met at Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel December 6-7. One hundred ninety-five pastors, church leaders, and denominational leaders from 25 states and a Canadian province gathered to explore the important theme “Equipped,” considering new ways forward in post-pandemic ministry.

Monday and Tuesday evenings were highlighted with sessions featuring Dr. Thom Rainer, founder of ChurchAnswers.com, an online forum for church leaders. The prolific author and former CEO of Lifeway encouraged healthy churches to consider “adopting” or “fostering” a struggling church. The primary goal is to help that church return to a place of health where assistance is no longer needed. In some cases, however, the helping church may ultimately “adopt” the struggling congregation, bringing the two churches together permanently.

Why adopt this strategy rather than just merging from the outset? “I grieve when God’s Church loses a presence in a community,” Rainer noted. “I want every church to continue being a lighthouse to the families and neighborhoods around it.”

During a packed Tuesday schedule, 16 speakers presented training seminars and workshops over a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from “Developing a Sending Culture in Your Local Church” to “Hispanic Ministry as a Tool for Church Revitalization.” For the first time, a portion of seminars were provided by and for Spanish-speakers, and keynote sessions were translated into Spanish.

The conference additionally featured two panel discussions. Danny Baer (NC), Jeff Blair (OK), Doug Carey (OK), Ron Hunter (TN), Jeff Manning (NC), and Mike Trimble (MI) addressed the important question, “What Does ‘Husband of One Wife’ Really Mean?” Following the Tuesday service, Executive Secretary Eddie Moody, Dr. Robert E. Picirilli, and Dr. Danny Dwyer explored the important subject, “Facing the Pastoral Shortage,” and identified the growing need for revitalized churches.

The two-day conference featured much more than strategy and training, however. The ballroom buzzed with conversation during banquet-styled meals, and in-depth discussions continued long after each meal concluded.

Several national boards, committees, and groups met in conjunction with the conference, including the Board of Retirement; the Executive Committee; Free Will Baptist Foundation; IM, Inc; North American Ministries; Randall House; Welch College; state leaders; and the 3 for 30 Task Force.

Reflecting on the conference, Executive Secretary Eddie Moody said, “I think we were all able to come away with actions we can take to help our churches be healthier and more effective in reaching their communities, discipling other believers, and giving themselves completely to the Lord. I was encouraged by the inaugural meeting of the 3 for 30 Task Force, and by meeting with state leaders. I look forward to seeing the ideas discussed this week put into action across our movement in the coming days.”

Moody announced December 5-6, 2022, as the dates for next year’s conference. Best-selling author and pastor Robby Gallaty will be the featured speaker as the conference addresses the theme, “Discipleshift.”

Visit www.nafwb.org/leadershipconference throughout the year for more updates regarding the 2022 conference.

Foundation Updates 2022 Grants Program

Antioch, TN—Following its December board meeting, the Free Will Baptist Foundation announced it will expand its grants program in 2022. “Thanks to the continuing growth of the Foundation, we will expand grants from a half million in 2021 to $750,000 in 2022,” said Director David Brown.
Brown encourages Free Will Baptist organizations to prepare grant requests to meet the March 15 deadline.

The program, begun in 2017, has grown consistently. Any ministry connected to the National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) is eligible to apply for a grant. This means all state and district associations and state and district-owned ministries are eligible if they report directly to the NAFWB or are members of Free Will Baptist associations. Local churches also may apply if they belong to a district association that is a member of a state that belongs to the NAFWB. We encourage those interested to visit our website to download the rubric to help guide their grant request.

Until 2016, the Foundation largely served as a channel for individual endowments and planned gifts to fund ministries perpetually. However, the grant program allows the Foundation to fund the needs of ministries directly.

The program is not designed to support a ministry’s general fund or “shore up” annual budgets. Instead, grants should be invested in projects with long-lasting impact on ministry and the denomination as a whole. All ministries awarded a grant must file follow-up report(s) with the Foundation to verify how the grant funding was used.

More information regarding grant applications can be obtained by contacting the Foundation office at 877-336-7575, by emailing foundation@nafwb.org, or by visiting fwbgifts.org (grants tab).