Annual Conference 2008
Introduction
The Annual Conference has the aim of helping people to ask the question; ‘Should I go into full-time gospel ministry?’. To this end we provide an environment which has a healthy mix of teaching from the Bible, practical seminars on different types of ministry and particular issues, one-to-ones with experienced church leaders, and time for informal chat with those church leaders and other delegates.
The programme looked like this in the previous years:
Friday
6:30pm Arrive from now
8:00pm Supper
9:00pm Bible Reading 1 (1 Corinthians)Vaughan Roberts
Prayer Group
Saturday
8:00am Leaders meeting
8:30am Breakfast
9:30am What is Gospel Ministry? Christopher Ash
Prayer Group
11:15am Coffee
11:45am God's Word to God's World Dick Dowsett
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Free Time
4:00pm Tea
4:30pm Seminars (1)
5:40pm Seminars (2)
6:45pm Supper
8:00pm Interviews
Prayer Group
Sunday
8:00am Leaders meeting
8:30am Breakfast
9:30am Bible Reading 2 (1 Corinthians) Vaughan Roberts
Prayer Group
11:15am Coffee
11:45am What Next? Mark O'Donoghue
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Depart
Talks
Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford, leads this conference and will give two Bible readings setting the foundations for gospel ministry. Then other leaders, invited from churches all over the country, will give another three talks about gospel ministry itself: what it is, who should do it and what to do next. Such high quality teaching is often a highlight of the conference for many and is the backbone to most of the other elements at the conference.
Seminars
The seminars are a great chance to find out a bit more about a particular type of ministry or an area of particular interest. Seminars over the last few years have been:
Anglican Ministry
Free Church Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Theological Education
International Gospel Work
Inner City Ministry
Marriage and Ministry
Guidance
With such a demand for this element of the conference, this year delegates will be able to attend three seminars rather than two. It is hoped there will also be a seminar on Youth Ministry.
Contact with church leaders
One of the great advantages of this conference is the opportunity there is to speak to experienced gospel ministers. This can happen in three settings. Firstly, each delegate is put in a small group, which has two leaders. They will generally be single-sex, but there is often also a group for married couples. The purpose of this small group is to create a setting where the talks can be discussed and questions raised. There is always a time of prayer, and it is also a chance for delegates to know a few people a bit better.
Secondly, each leader is encouraged to meet up with those in their small group one-to-one. This is not a requirement, but can be the most useful part of the weekend for many. Of course, the leaders often can not give very detailed advice if they have just met those in their groups, but it can be a great chance to work out which are the important issues to think through. Finally, many delegates come away having had the most productive and informative chats informally over lunch or on a Saturday afternoon walk. There is plenty of time in the programme for these chats to take place.
Leaders from churches all over the country give up their time to lead on this conference showing their commitment in their ministry to raising up new leaders for the harvest field. Here are some of the leaders that have come from the last few years:
Christopher Ash: Director of the Cornhill Training Course, London.
Tony and Margaret Baker: Recently retired from being vicar of Bishop Hannington Church, Hove.
Peter Comont: Pastor of Magdalen Road Church, Oxford.
Ben Cooper: Curate at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, London.
Rick Creighton: Associate Minister at Banstead Baptist Church, Surrey.
Joe Dent: Associate Ministry at St Nicholas, Sevenoaks.
Dick Dowsett: OMF - runs OMF conferences and their Training Ministry.
Andy Gemmill: Pastor at Beeston Free Church, Nottingham.
Annabel Heywood: Works with women at St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford, and in their parish.
Genevieve Jennings: Works with women at Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge.
Leonie Mason: Works with women at St Helens, Bishopsgate, London.
Mark and Claire O’Donoghue: Curate leading ministry among City workers at St Helen's, Bishopsgate and on the 9:38 Exec Committee.
Elspeth Pitt: Works with women at St Helens, Bishopsgate.
Ray Porter: Tutor of Mission Studies at Oak Hill Theological College in London.
Alan Purser: Regional Team Leader for London with Crosslinks.
Vaughan Roberts: Rector of St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford, and chairman of the 9:38 Exec Committee.
James Robson: Tutor of Old Testament studies and Hebrew at Oak Hill Theological College in London.
Carrie Sandom: Works with women at The Bible Talks, London and is on the 9:38 Exec Committee.
Tim Silk: Curate at churches in Arborfield and Barkham, near Reading.
Alan Wenham: Part-time outreach worker at the Good Shepherd Mission, East London, co-ordinating evangelism and discipleship.
David Williams: Crosslinks - Principal of Carlisle Mission College, Kenya.
Paul Williams: Rector of Christ Church, Fulwood, Sheffield.
Interviews
An addition to the programme in recent years has been up-front interviews with some of the leaders on the Saturday evening, which is a great chance to see the route through that some full-time gospel ministers have taken. Vaughan Roberts will normally interview two or three different leaders.
Books and audio
There will be a bookstall at the conference selling a selection of Christian books, and a range of audio from previous 9:38 events (including an exclusive compilation CD of all the best talks from over the years). We have managed to get a significant discount on the books so it is worth bringing some money (cash or cheque) to stock up for a winters reading.
Musical instruments
In each of our main meetings we like to sing, and rely entirely on delegates bringing instruments to accompany us. If you come, and play an instrument, please do bring it with you (there will be a piano there!).
Conference centre
The conference is held at a conference centre in Newport Pagnell, just outside Milton Keynes (download directions here). The restaurant and rooms are of the highest quality and the cost of the conference includes all meals and accommodation. There is some free time on the Saturday afternoon, which gives a chance for relaxation, taking in a walk, or shopping in Milton Keynes!
Who should come?
This conference is ideal for anyone who is considering going into part-time or full-time gospel ministry. It is equally useful for both those who have had this possibility in their minds for many years, and for those who have only just started thinking these issues through. It is not designed to pressure anyone into signing their lives away, but rather just to present the facts, give delegates an opportunity to discuss their futures with experienced gospel ministers, and apply biblical teaching to their lives. Many delegates come away one step closer to deciding that full-time gospel ministry is not for them at the moment, and some begin taking steps towards it. This conference is ideal for those in their 20s and 30s, although still of great use to those who are older. Those who are retired are most welcome as are postgraduate students. There is a conference especially for undergraduate students – the Student Conference.
To back up our commitment to work in partnership with local churches, each delegate must have a recommendation from a church leader if at all possible. It would be well worth talking through your thoughts about full-time gospel ministry with your church leader before coming on the conference, and afterwards as you consult and pray with them to see if this is the right thing for you.
Note to church leaders
If you are a church leader and you are intending on sending a number of people from your church on the conference, you would be most welcome to come on the conference yourself, either as an ‘official’ leader (one that looks after those from other churches as well as your own, and if we have enough notice), or as a leader of those from your church. It can be a great chance to be away for the weekend, receive the teaching from the conference and to benefit from discussion about full-time gospel ministry. Many leaders find that they can have discussions on a 9:38 conference with those from their churches that they would not normally find time to have back ‘at home’. Please be in contact with the 9:38 administrator, Matt Morgan, with as much notice as possible to chat through possibilities. Even if you can not attend the conference yourself, please do consider sending us any in your congregation for whom this conference might be a great help. And be assured that your church members will be looked after by a great team of Bible believing and teaching leaders from across the country, and will probably be sent back to you with more questions than answers!