In 2007 leaders of the General Baptist denomination took intentional steps to re-engineer the denomination’s annual meeting.  The meeting originated in 1870 when a General Association of General Baptists was organized in Junction, Illinois.

For many years this General Association functioned as a convention of sorts where various independent General Baptist agencies made their annual reports to the assembled delegates.  With the creation of the General Baptist Council of Associations in 1996 the business portion of the annual meeting was, for the most part, unnecessary for the denomination to function since the operational detail of denominational life was assigned to the Council of Associations and the executive staff that comprised the Leadership Team.

A new format that utilized powerful worship, practical training and intentional missionary contact caused the attendance at the annual meeting to double in just two years!

Now in its 10th year of operation the Mission & Ministry Summit continues to provide missionary connections and to offer powerful worship in large group settings while also providing practical training in workshop environments grouped into workshop tracks.

Why offer workshop tracks?

Grouping workshops into similar subject areas allows workshop leaders to present more depth in each session.  For example, workshops are often divided into parts of segments so that a broader scope of information can be shared.

Workshop tracks also allows individuals to balance their workshop experience by choosing a variety or to specialize by focusing on one particular track.

Can tracks benefit me and my church?

Many times workshop tracks will offer ‘competing’ workshops. That is two or more workshops dealing with the same subject area are offered at the same time.  In this case many church leaders will work to divide and conquer by sending different members of their Summit team to different workshops.  Handouts can be shared and important information communicated so the learning can be multiplied.

Another benefit of tracks is the benefit of a shared experience by members who are engaged in ministry.  For example, this year’s tracks will offer some very in-depth presentations on children’s ministry.  A children’s ministry team that attends these tracks together will benefit significantly!

What tracks can I expect this year?  The complete list of Summit Workshops will be posted at www.GBSummit.org in late March.  In 2016 workshop tracks will include offerings dealing with

• Children’s Ministry with special offerings for smaller and larger churches.
• Women’s Ministries that will include topics on prayer and community connections
• Church Growth with presentations from noted authors, recognized consultants and General Baptist pastors.
• Local Church Ministry in such areas as bi-vocational ministry, healthy small church, gender issues, volunteer placement, recovery ministries, capital fund raising and family issues.
• Personal Enrichment will provide some important disciple making sessions on living a meaningful life, stress management, friendship factors among other topics.
• Apologetics will offer three sessions with the general theme of Answers from Genesis.
• Missions will, of course, offer sessions that provide up-close-and-personal connections to missionaries and national workers from around the world.  Some of these sessions will deal with programming and planning for short term missions.  Others will focus on the 10/40 Window and our General Baptist outreach there.

Pre-registration for individual workshops is not required but registration for the Mission & Ministry Summit is now open online, by phone (573-785-7746) or by mail to 100 Stinson Drive, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.