Welch College will host its annual FORUM event and Bible Conference March 3 – 5, 2013, and will feature six speakers, according to President Matt Pinson. The theme of this year’s event will be “Culture and the Kingdom.” Speakers will delve into the relevant topic of engaging the surrounding culture with the gospel.
This year’s speakers include Dr. Timothy Tennent, Ken Myers, Jose Rodriguez, Matthew McAffee, Matt Pinson, and Barry Raper.
Dr. Timothy Tennent, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, is a highly regarded preacher, professor, missiologist, and author. Before his inauguration in November of 2009, Dr. Tennent held teaching positions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Toccoa Falls College. He has also taught and ministered in Eastern Europe and Asia. He and his wife Julie have two children.
Ken Myers, founder and president of Mars Hill Audio, has worked in radio since the age of nineteen. He began working for National Public Radio after completing his B.A. degree in communications, with an emphasis in film theory. He received a Master of Arts degree in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1979. He is a champion for Christian journalism’s role in engaging the secular worldviews that permeate contemporary society.
Jose Rodriguez pastors Ebenezer Free Will Baptist Church (Miami, Florida). The veteran church-planter and pastor has preached nearly twenty years in the Miami area. He graduated from Welch College in 1994 and later received a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and pursued graduate work at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Rodriguez serves as the primary Spanish interpreter at the Free Will Baptist National Convention.
The 2013 speakers will also include three Welch College faculty members: Mr. Matthew McAffee, Dr. Barry Raper, and President Matt Pinson. These men will bring a campus perspective to the conference and FORUM event. Mr. McAffee serves as Welch College’s Campus Pastor as well as program coordinator of Theological Studies. Dr. Raper is the program coordinator for the Youth and Family Ministry program. President Pinson has served as the college’s president since 2002. He also teaches select Theology and Free Will Baptist History courses.
President Matt Pinson said, “This year’s conference offers a unique opportunity for those involved in Christian ministry to grapple with the nature of the relationship between the church and its unique kingdom culture and the culture of contemporary America. This will be a time of challenging biblical preaching and stimulating discussion about some of the most important ministry challenges of our day.”
The FORUM13/Bible Conference schedule will include a number of workshops and break-out sessions on a variety of subjects. The music of Welch College will also be featured during the conference.
The Classes of 1963 (50 years), 1988 (25 years), and 2003 (10 years) will be honored. The Welch College Alumni Association invites all alumni to attend and reunite with classmates at dinner on Tuesday evening, March 5. Tickets will be available at the Alumni table. Tickets are free but limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
FORUM13/Bible Conference, Sunday through Tuesday, March 3 – 5, is free, with no charge to attend plenary sessions or workshops. Pre-register today at www.welch.edu/FORUM13.