Recently on the weekly podcast, Ben and I talked about the theology and joy of giving because Sovereign Grace is in the process of writing a biblical, theological approach to giving paper, meant to equip, inspire and stir giving for mission and ministry with the emphasis on experiencing joy.

And it's a joy to serve the church and to labor for the church. It's a joy to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to people. It's a joy to pastor people, whatever they're walking through. And so it's a vocation of joy that we're involved in, but it's not only our joy, it's for those that we serve that we are to cultivate joy. Paul said as much in one of his letters, he said, "I work, I labor for your joy". And so joy is to mark the Christian Church, not only what pastors do, but what members enjoy.

And I think there are a number of ways that we labor for the joy of our people in our churches. I don't know that we would put generosity in giving near the top of that list. And so I think we've gotta have a fresh perspective when it comes to the call to give, to sacrificial giving, because when you give sacrificially people experience a joy, right? That actually can be very contagious and they want to be even more generous as a result. And we don't want to deprive our people of that joy is maybe the way to say it. And so that's really the motivation of writing a theology of giving paper. ~Mark Prater

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. A weekly podcast with Sovereign Grace updates, hosted by Benjamin Kreps, is posted on his blog.

Left to right: Gabriel Magill, Philip VanderWeide, Tim Owens, Merrick Potter, Eddie Spuler, Caleb Collins, Mark Christenson, Matt Groen

Last month, the Pastors College held its 23rd annual graduation exercises. It was an honor to celebrate with these students and their families, all of whom sacrificed in significant ways to give themselves to a rigorous course of study, training, and personal growth—all in order to glorify Christ and serve his church. This year’s class comprised eight students, ranging in age from 25-42, hailing from seven different churches in six states. Two students were sent by Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, a testament to the intentionality of Greg Dirnberger and his team in raising up young leaders. For the second year in a row, we had a second-generation PC student in Philip VanderWeide from Covenant Fellowship Church, whose father Brian graduated in 1999. Most of the students were strangers when they arrived, but they all now depart as dear friends and trusted co-laborers in the gospel.

Although it was painful to bid farewell to these dear friends, we are eager to observe the fruit these men and women will bear for the cause of the gospel. Four of the students are returning to their sending churches, eager to take on new ministry responsibilities. Two of the students are actually returning to churches they had been part of in previous years; in their case, the PC served as a sort of “means of re-entry” into Sovereign Grace. The Pastors College can also serve to connect graduates with churches in need of a pastor, and this summer Caleb Collins, who came to the PC from Louisville, relocated to Richmond to join Matthew Williams and the team at KingsWay Community Church.  

I hope you’ll join us in giving thanks to God for the provision to Sovereign Grace these graduates represent. And please do pray for them as they relocate and prepare to serve in local Sovereign Grace churches.

• Mark Christenson: serving at Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, SD

• Caleb & Kristi Collins: serving at KingsWay Community Church in Midlothian, VA

• Matt & Jami Groen: serving at Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, SD

• Gabriel & Melissa Magill: church-planting in Warren, PA

• Tim & Becca Owens: serving at Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, CA

• Merrick & Abbey Potter: serving at Covenant of Grace Church in Copley, OH

• Eddie & Raven Spuler: serving at CrossPointe Church in Arnold, MD

• Philip & Shannon VanderWeide: serving at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, PA

Jeff Purswell is the Director of Theology and Training for Sovereign Grace Churches and the dean of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College. He also serves as an elder at Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, KY.

“May Sovereign Grace be known for taking the greatest risks of all for the greatest cause of all” ~Mark Prater

Each year, at SGC’s annual Pastors Conference, I meet with our Council of Elders and present what we call a “State of the Union” address. This is just a name for an overview of the last year and a vision of what I hope to help lead us through in the coming year.

Below in the intro is a summary of this vision, as well as the 6 supporting points that I hope will challenge and encourage all who read.

I am excited to let you know that the fourth edition of the Sovereign Grace Journal is here, devoted to our Seven Shared Values. These seven values shape who we are, helping to define how we do do life together in our local churches regardless of what nation our church is in. I am excited for you to read Jeff Purswell's article about the importance of our shared values and Mickey Connolly’s article about their purpose. And then the bulk of the journal are articles touching on our specific values. After working through each value, we asked some of our friends outside of the United States to talk about how the values work in their cultures. Abelardo Munoz talks about the seven shared values in Mexico, Christian Wegert from Germany, and Jeff Jo in the Philippines. Gary Ricucci then wrote an article about praying through the seven shared values. It's excellent. And per usual, Jeff did an excellent job with an article on resources to go with each of our shared values. Enjoy!

We are excited to announce that registration for our annual Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference is open! It will be held in Orlando, FL November 1-3, 2022. We hope you can join us!

This year is particularly unique because we are celebrating our 40th year anniversary as a family of churches. We couldn’t think of a better theme for to mark this celebration than “The Power of the Cross.” It’s what has shaped the gospel culture we share and is foundational to who we are.

We have a great lineup of main session speakers and we’re excited about the breakouts. This year’s lineup looks like this:

• A Women’s Breakout Session. More information on the topic and speaker is forthcoming. What I can promise you now is that this session will strengthen the ladies who attend our conference.

• Can My Church Really Be Evangelistic? 

• Overseer: The Pastors Inescapable Call to Lead

• Not Alone: The Priceless Gift of Friendship for Pastors

• The Untapped Treasure of Wisdom Literature for Pastors

So don’t wait! You and your wife can register here. Our conference is open to pastors and leaders in the local church. We also love having guests, And when you register, please make hotel reservations at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive where our conference will be held and take advantage of the discounted room rates.  You can make reservations and find information about the hotel here.

Most importantly, would you join us in praying for this time? Here are a few ways you can pray:

• Pray that all that happens at the conference would celebrate the grace of God that we have enjoyed for 40 years in a way that brings Him glory.

• Pray that God would use the preaching to equip us to live our lives, and pastor our churches, in a way that we remain dependent upon the power of the cross.

• Pray for the work of the Holy Spirit as we spend time together.

• Pray that God would give us opportunities to care for one another and strengthen our relationships.

• Pray that God would use our time to strengthen and unite us in the gospel mission we share.

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando in November!

For us in Sovereign Grace, we see global missions as “the great commission work of making and maturing disciples around the world.” This is something that Jesus himself calls us to in Matt 28.18-20, when he says,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We’re therefore passionate about this. Knowing that Jesus is always with us, we’re eager to embrace this call and run into this mission, with both purpose and faith. And this new newsletter and blog, taking over from the EN newsletter and blog, is the joyful reporting of the fruit of those endeavours.

Make no mistake, it is all the Lord’s doing. In our global endeavours to establish new congregations (Church Planting), partner in new places (Emerging Nations) and reach new cultures (Missionaries), it is Jesus who is leading and strengthening the charge. Wherever we are, it is always His doing, and so what a joy it is to tell you about what He’s doing!!

Please feel free to help us spread the word about this newsletter and blog. You can access it directly here (www.sgcmissions.org/blog) and can have folk sign up for the monthly newsletter at the bottom of the page here (www.sgcmissions.org).

May the glory always go to Him and may this always be marvellous in our eyes!!

DAVE TAYLOR JUNE 3, 2022