What: Asian Americans Building Healthy Churches (sponsored by 9Marks)
Where: Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky.
When: April 13, 2010 from 9:00-10:30 am
Who: Jeffrey Jue speaking followed by panel discussion. Panel guests: Jeffrey Jue, Julius Kim, Mark Dever, and host Jeremy Yong.

Who should attend the preconference?
This preconference is really for everyone, not just Asian Americans! If you are an Asian American thinking about your own ministry, we trust this will serve you. But even if you are curious to know what issues face many of your Asian American brothers and sisters, or if you haven’t the slightest clue what an Asian American is, the preconference is for you! Through this conference, we hope to raise awareness of what God is doing in Asian American churches around us and consider how we might support them in the fight of faith.

Why are you excited about having Jeff Jue, Julius Kim, and Mark Dever there? And what will we be discussing?
We have brothers from different cultures, and denominations, joining together in the Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, with the same goal of seeing the local church display the glory of God… That in itself is exciting!

I’m especially looking forward to Jeff Jue’s talk called “The Unadjusted Gospel and the Asian American Church.” I’m sure Dr. Jue’s address will be great fodder for discussion as we examine the particular challenges Asian American Christians and their churches face in preserving and growing in the gospel. Dr. Kim and Dr. Dever will be excellent conversation partners.

How Can I Find out More Information?
To find out more information and to register, visit www.projectantioch.org.

What is Project Antioch and why does it exist?
With a common friendship and shared desires to see Asian American Churches grow in health, three friends joined together to form Project Antioch, a group dedicated to addressing Asian American church issues and promoting its health Project Antioch has partnered with 9 Marks to bring you Asian Americans Building Healthy Churches. See you at the preconference!

Praise God for His kindness. Can’t wait to join with you soon, friends, praising our Savior.

T4G2010 Schedule

1. Bring your video camera to T4G 2010 (nothing too professional, no lighting kits).
2. Capture footage of your time (interviewing attendees, walking around the bookstore…anything except interviewing the main speakers).
3. Create a “commercial” (2 min. max) telling people why they should attend T4G 2012. Be creative. Think outside the box.
4. We will select up to 10 winners for prizes ranging from $500 + free registration to T4G 2012 to $250 + free registration to T4G2012.

Entries maybe be submitted on a DVD by mail:

T4G
525 A St. NE
Washington, DC 20002

Or you may post them privately on Vimeo, and then email us with the subject line “T4G 2012 Video Promo” at: info@t4g.org.

Submissions are due by July 1, 2010. Winners will be notified by September 1, 2010.

Thanks for your help.

When I was a young pastor, a wise older pastor communicated to me an unforgettable sentence: “C.J., prepare your church for suffering.” I’ve never forgotten that sentence. It’s a sentence that informed my 27 privileged years in pastoral ministry. It is a sentence that reminded me over the years to prepare the church I love and serve for suffering. It is a sentence I have shared many times with several pastors over the years. And it is why I approached Mark, Al, and Lig with the idea of having Matt Chandler take my session.

Hearing from Matt will equip us as pastors to respond to suffering in a way that glorifies God. And it will help us return to our churches more intentional about preparing those we love for suffering. From my observation Matt has done this well, both personally and pastorally. I want to learn from his example and I think you will as well.

Here’s the plan (as it currently stands): Matt will address us from Scripture on the topic of suffering, and at the conclusion of the message I will interview him further on the topic. I will conclude the session with a few minutes of pastoral application. It is my hope that this session will serve you because serving you is the very purpose of this conference. Mark, Al, Lig, and I believe local church pastors are doing the most important work and the most difficult work, and it is quite an honor to serve you in these few days we have together.

Please pray for all who are speaking at the conference and the countless folks who will be serving behind the scenes. And please pray for Matt Chandler, who in the midst of severe suffering is honoring the Savior for whom this conference exists.

C.J.

I have some news for you about the upcoming T4G conference.  Our brother Matt Chandler (pastor of the Village Church near Dallas, TX) has graciously agreed, health permitting, to be with us.  During CJ’s slot on Thursday, CJ will introduce Matt, and Matt will then share with us about what God has been teaching him through his recent struggles.  CJ will then ask him some questions, and exhort us as we conclude our time together.  Pray for him and for us, that God would use this time for His glory.

Mark Dever, for CJ, Lig & Al.

1) Where do you pastor?

I pastor in the NE area of Indianapolis, Indiana at a non-denominational Baptist church called Castleview Baptist Church. I have been at the church for a little over a year. The congregation is a sweet group of people that is diverse in age and also becoming diverse in ethnicity as our community continues to change. It has been exciting to see how gospel-centered, expository preaching continues to shape us as a local body of Christ. With the Midwest easily characterized by its morality where Jesus is simply a mascot and the cross is a logo, we are trying to minister as a people committed to the glory of Christ as it is heard through the gospel and seen in its impact in our lives, personally and corporately.

2) How did you come to Christ?

Growing up for my part of my life in South Carolina in a non-Christian home, I was exposed to cultural Christianity but never heard the gospel. A man named James Walker moved in next door to my family. He turned out to be a new youth pastor at a Baptist Church. After visiting his church several times and having him explain to me the gospel, I surrendered my life to Christ. My knowledge of sin was real, personal, and pervasive in my life and the lives of those around me. Forgiveness and adoption by God through the work of Christ was overwhelming to me. I remember that night like it was yesterday.

3) Describe your call to ministry.

“Wandering in the wilderness” would best describe my time leading up to my full-time pursuit of ministry. I was very confused as to what “the call” meant. I thought I needed to have certain goose bumps or some other mystical experience. While in college, as I was taught by those in leadership in my local church, I began to recognize that the pattern Paul instructed Timothy in was desire, character, giftedness, affirmation, and opportunity. Thanks to men like Dwight Moody, Jerry Wragg, and John MacArthur my call to ministry was affirmed.

4) Tell us about your family.

I am married to a rock star named Danelle and we have three boys, Isaac, David, and Jeremiah. Two were born in California and are ours by birth and one was born in Ethiopia and is ours by adoption. The Bancroft Five lives in a house full of energy and we love to invite almost all of Indianapolis over to our house. A person walking into our house is usually greeted with a playlist created by my boys of anything from Trip Lee to Andrew Peterson, from Above & Beyond to Angel Taylor.

5) What are some of your favorite activities with your family or personal hobbies?

Moving from Los Angeles to Indianapolis, we have learned to have winter activities and summer activities. Our favorite winter activity is tying a rope to the backseat of our Honda Element, dropping the tailgate, and flying around the neighborhoods on snow discs (Indiana’s flat so you have to improvise). Summer fun includes the boys riding bikes while I ride the longboard skateboard on the Monon trail of Indianapolis, hiking through various parks looking for animals to “subdue,” and anything else that makes for a lot of laundry.

Beyond that, I love triathlons, adventure races, other outdoor sports, and going on wild date nights with my wife (which could potentially qualify as another outdoor sport).

6) Favorite biography?

Without a doubt, it would be Arnold Dallimore’s two-volume biography of George Whitefield. Reading about his life has made a big impact on my life. His passion for the lost and God’s sovereign purpose to bless his preaching like never recorded before in human history is stunning. It has definitely fueled my mindset that I would rather die at forty exhausted for the kingdom of Christ then live to eighty and be well rested because of my apathy.

7) What will you be speaking on at T4G?

My title is “Convincing Christianity: The Implications of a Robust Gospel in Marriage.” As Christians, we want the world to hear about the glory of God in Christ. Such a commitment is seen partly in the effects of the gospel working themselves out in our relationships, and no better single relationship for that to be seen in than our marriage; the epicenter of all relationships. This is about the convergence of Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Missiology. Nothing less than the glory of Christ and his saving work is at stake.

8)Which of the main T4G speakers could you “take to the mat” so to speak?

I’ve wrestled with the Big Mac and it’s no fun. The man is a powerhouse. But I think I’m ready for the Mohler Madness. As long as we have to leave our books at the ropes, I would step into the ring.

9) Why are you excited about T4G?

· Because its two hours from Indy and I can bring more guys come from our church.

· Because the messages always challenge me to think deeply about Christ.

· Because it is three days of fasting from sleep but three days of indulging in fellowship. The late night conversations I have had with friends from Sovereign Grace Churches the last two T4G’s have been worth the registration alone. Chase these men down to learn about theology that percolates into the soul.

· Because it begins new friendships that are formed from a passion for the gospel and a common commitment to humility by learning from others as we are reminded how big Christ’s church is.

10) Anything else we should know or you’d like to say?

One of the most helpful contributions to my love for the work of the gospel and view of Christ’s church has been to leave the borders of America and be involved in ministry in other countries around the world. It has caused my heart to long for the fullness of worship promised in Revelation 7 and helped me parse the “American” from my “Christianity.” It has given me a fuller picture of “T4G.”

Roland Bainton, Here I Stand (Martin Luther)

7) What will you be speaking on at T4G?

I’ll be speaking on the question, “What is the Gospel?”  Even though Christians all would affirm that the gospel is at the center of their lives, it seems to me that there is a good deal of confusion out there—and even perhaps “in here” among evangelicals, too—about what the gospel really is.  Questions abound:  How does gospel relate to kingdom?  How does gospel relate to cultural transformation?  Is the cross about Jesus exhausting the wrath of God in the place of sinners, or something else?  Even if it is about that, aren’t there other images of the cross that will communicate better with our culture?

8)Which of the main T4G speakers could you “take to the mat” so to speak?

Definitely Mark.  No question.  Ask him how many push-ups he can do!

9) Why are you excited about T4G?

What a great time the last two conferences have been—seeing old friends, being reminded of our calling as Christians to be clear on the gospel, and rejoicing in it through incredible music!  I am fully expecting God to pour out the same blessings on T4G’10.

10) Anything else we should know or you’d like to say?

Nope, don’t think so.

I am assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.  Mark Dever is my senior pastor, and it’s been wonderful to work with him and the other guys here at CHBC.  When I was here in 2000-2002, I never imagined that the Lord would give me another opportunity to spend time living and working my brothers and sisters here in DC.  But I am deeply grateful that he did!

2) How did you come to Christ?

I was raised in a Christian home by wonderful Christian parents.  We attended church faithfully, and the gospel was made clear to me over and over again as a child.  I was converted and baptized at the age of 9, during a week-long revival meeting at my church.  I remember listening intently to the sermon (though I don’t remember now what was said!), and I remember being convinced that I was a sinner deserving of God’s punishment, that Jesus had been punished for me, and that I could be blessed instead of punished if I trusted in him. It was a simple understanding of the gospel, but it was a real one.

3) Describe your call to ministry.

Never once as a teenager did I ever feel God calling me to the ministry.  I went to college determined to go to law school and start a degree in politics, but between my freshman and sophomore years at college I attended a week-long camp as a counselor to a group of high school freshmen.  That was an atomic week in my life, one in which God flipped some switches in my heart that had never been flipped before—concern for someone’s spiritual well-being, a pastoral love for others that I’d never felt before.  It really was overwhelming, and over the next year I wrestled hard with that.  By the end of my sophomore year, though, I knew that God had called me to the ministry, and I was ready to follow Him in that call.

4) Tell us about your family.

I am married to Moriah, the woman who is truly the love of my life, and we have three children.  They are Justin (6 years old) and Jack (3 years old), and Juliet (born in Jan. 2010).  My boys are 100% boy, and their days are filled with tractors and swords and balls and bats and super-hero capes and light-sabers.  God has blessed me beyond belief!

5) What are some of your favorite activities with your family or personal hobbies?

I enjoy all kinds of sports (you don’t have to be good at them to enjoy them!), reading, snow skiing, water skiing, running, playing Wii with my 6-year-old, hiking with the family, double- or triple-dates with friends, a movie and take-out Thai with Moriah.  Those are a few.

I re-read Werner Neuer’s biography of Adolf Schlatter (translated by Robert Yarbrough, a former professor) every Advent.  Schlatter was a genius of amazing breadth, and his labors as a scholar for the gospel’s sake (in a hostile European context) are an annual encouragement to me as a pastor.  He’s not a household name, but I love this biography.

7) What will you be speaking on at T4G?

“The Fears of the Minister.”  Substitute the word “fears” with “insecurities,” and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what I plan to address.  Ministers talk about Jesus Christ a lot, but we have come up with all sorts of ways to place our identity elsewhere.  (Even during the gospel-saturated days of T4G, most everyone there — especially ministers! — will be sizing each other up and wondering how they stack up by comparison!)  This session will be as pertinent to non-clergy as it is to ordained ministers.

8)Which of the main T4G speakers could you “take to the mat” so to speak?

Ligon used to doubt my claims to mastery of Shaolin Kung Fu, but after what we simply refer to as “the incident,” he now grows strangely silent whenever the matter comes up.

9) Why are you excited about T4G?

I’m a blank slate, having never attended T4G.  It will be a 90 degree learning curve for me.  I’m humbled to be a part of it.

10) Anything else we should know or you’d like to say?

Thank you for even reading this far.  And I think that 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 would be a fitting way to be praying for those teaching that week, especially the main speakers.

#T4G2010

So put that in and start chatting about the upcoming conference!

I pastor Downtown Presbyterian Church, a church plant of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.  Our city’s downtown has undergone a revitalization that has garnered national attention, and our church is committed to this particular area of our city.

2) How did you come to Christ?

I grew up in the church but didn’t have ears to hear until high school.  In God’s mercy, He granted me the new birth when I was a tenth grader, using the teaching of His Word in our church and older believers there who invested time in me.  And He has provided others to preach and model the gospel to me ever since.

3) Describe your call to ministry.

I had talked myself into being a business major in college, but even in high school I had thought about pursuing ordained ministry.  One particular thing that the Lord used was reading the first volume of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ biography during my summer job lunch breaks about halfway through college.  After graduation, I worked as an intern with Reformed University Fellowship, which confirmed both an “inward” and “outward” call to the ministry.

4) Tell us about your family.

My precious wife, Dana, is a Mississippian like myself.  [Insert all the "outside-my-league" type remarks here.  They would all be accurate.]  Our children’s names — Henry (9), John (7), and Betsy (4) — have been described both as “old school” and as “British royalty.”  All my attempts to make our children as boring as myself have failed.

5) What are some of your favorite activities with your family or personal hobbies?

I love to take over-produced 80′s songs and strip them down to a bare-bones arrangement for my acoustic guitar.