Last year’s “U-Turn” conference for pastors and church leaders hosted by the Pennsylvania Pastors Network has been called “transformational” and “life-changing” by pastors who said they were “inspired” and “moved” by the event.
Now, plans are in the works to take two similar conferences to the Boston area on Nov. 10 and Iowa on Dec. 1. Location and registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.
The initial conference in March at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pa., titled “U-Turn: A Roadmap for Renewal—A Conversation with Pastors on Society, Culture and Leadership,” equipped pastors, church leaders and laypeople to focus on how cultural trends can be strategically impacted with the truths of God’s Word.
“The ‘U-Turn’ conference this past spring in Pennsylvania was nothing short of miraculously instructional and transformational for more than 500 pastors and church leaders,” said PPN President Sam Rohrer, who is also president of the American Pastors Network (APN, www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net). “The power of God’s Word, combined with quality instruction about the decisive role played by pastors in American history, as well as practical applications of biblical principles, made this event a powerful time in the lives of all who attended. They were moved in their spirit to ‘stand in the gap for truth’ with urgency and courage—exactly what is needed in these critical days in our nation’s history.
“Now more than ever, churches must sound the warning bell in a culture that is embracing such sins as same-sex marriage, an evil and debauched abortion industry, and leaders who promote nuclear deals that are harmful to Israel and our own nation,” Rohrer added. “If our nation is to return to a position of blessing, it will be Christians who lead our country out of this mire and back to biblical and constitutional reliance on God. It is for these reasons that APN is expanding ‘U-Turn’ events to states around the nation.”
Goals from the March “U-Turn” conference, which will carry through to the Boston and Iowa events, included:
- That pastors would leave transformed in their personal ministries, understanding more fully their ordained position to lead by preaching the whole counsel of God and applying scripture into all jurisdictions of authority, and that pastors would understand their need to preach the Gospel of salvation but also to the critical importance of discipleship.
- That lay people and church leaders would grasp their need to come alongside their pastors in greater prayer and support, assisting them in fulfilling their God-ordained roles.
- That attendees would leave with a biblical conviction to more fully understand scripture and realize their responsibility in civil government, as well as experience the strong sense of the interconnectedness of prayer, revival and obedience to God’s Word.
- That the mission of the American Pastors Network would be shared: to be a national network of pastors who believe in the authority of scripture; who boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to public policy; who are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders; and who are mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process on a non-partisan basis.
“(‘U-Turn’) was a transformational day for me and how I fulfill God’s call,” said one pastor in attendance. “I now have an urgency to share this message with other pastor friends and with those to whom I minister. I came to the ‘U-Turn’ conference with three other brothers (and) we wept, prayed and worshipped the Lord all the way back to the Pittsburgh area.”
Added another pastor in attendance, “I was really blessed by the U-Turn Conference. … This was truly life-changing and transformational. I don’t remember the last time I have been so inspired to want to make a difference in the kingdom of God after attending a conference with such great impact. I was thoroughly energized to know what, how and why we should take back our country for Jesus Christ.”
And continued yet another, “(T)his conference has moved me beyond words. I am a pastor of a church in a ‘dead denomination,’ but I am not dead. For over 20 years, I have been preaching, and I’ve known in my heart that there was something missing. I preached the Gospel but always sensed in my heart that I was not preaching all that was needed. But today, God put it all together. I know now about the greater importance of my role and duty as a pastor, the component of discipleship, and my duty to lead in all areas—family, church and civil government. … Your mission and focus on God’s Word and preaching the whole counsel of God and to look around and see so many others who are standing alongside—this is exactly what I’ve been longing for.”
For more information on upcoming “U-Turn” conferences, to plan an event in your area or for details on how to start a state chapter, visit www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net.