MECHANICSBURG, Pa., (BRN) – Hours before the Baptist Resource Network’s (BRN) fourth annual Advance Conference, which puts a high priority on equipping churches to share the gospel, things started to go astray. The Emcee got sick, weather conditions stranded a speaker, seasonal illness diverted churches from coming and original plans were changing by the minute.
It seemed as though something more than a storm was brewing against the March 17 conference.
Then 8:30 a.m. rolled around and 205 guests, pastors and church members representing 63 churches across Pennsylvania/South Jersey, poured into Country & Town Baptist Church (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) for Advance.
The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from Dr. Larry Anderson, BRN director of church advancement and evangelism, who stepped in as the newly recruited Emcee for the day.
After opening remarks, SEVEN, a worship band made up of college students from Messiah University, led guests in a time of worship. Prior to the worship set, Dr. Douglas Curry, worship ministries pastor at Messiah University and director of SEVEN, offered the opening prayer for the conference.
Preparing with prayer
As the final chords of “Be Thou My Vision” rang out, James Roberson III, lead pastor of The Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York, took the stage to lead the first keynote.
Roberson, originally from Westchester County, just outside of New York City, returned to his roots in 2014 to plant The Bridge Church. In 2011, he graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary while simultaneously pastoring a church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Along the way, he has also helped plant churches in Maryland, Georgia and New York.
Before his days in ministry, Roberson played football at James Madison University. A time he revisited during his keynote session.
“Football was my god. That was my focus and my aim. By 1998, my senior year, I was playing and on the outside everyone saw me and they would think my life was full. Little did they know I was depressed,” recalled Roberson.
He went on to describe what he can only define now as “the presence of the Lord” meeting him in his dorm when he was left there alone during his Spring Break.
“I knew God was drawing me into a relationship with Him. Now, here was the problem: I wanted God, but I did not know what to do next,” said Roberson.
Prompted to approach a young woman in his class who he knew to be a Christian, Roberson shared his encounter with God with her. She sat down with him and shared her testimony.
“It was just good to be around an authentic Christian. Somebody I could tell wasn’t playing church but really knew the Lord” recalled Roberson about this moment.
Her name was Erin. Soon there was a Tim, who met with Roberson at a coffee shop most mornings and went over Scripture. Then there was David, a pastor at a local church Roberson attended who preached the Word of God.
“None of these people knew each other, but God had sent these people into my life,” said Roberson.
He continued: “The reason why we are here is because we need more Erins, we need more Tims, we need more Davids, we need more of you. We need more laborers.”
Roberson then directed the audience to Matthew 9:35-38, when Jesus informs his disciples that the “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).
Talking through this passage, Roberson noted that Jesus went to where the people were already (the synagogues), Jesus had compassion on the crowds because he recognized their spiritual condition and Jesus implored the disciples to pray “earnestly.”
Roberson concluded by challenging the Church to meet people where they are at with the gospel, to not miss the spiritual condition for the natural and to desperately pray for the souls of the lost.
“We tend to think human recruitment more than heavenly intercession…[but] I believe we will find laborers when prayer is our primary strategy,” said Roberson.
Going with gospel boldness
Following the first keynote session, guests made their way to the first set of breakout sessions. This year at Advance, the BRN was able to offer four breakout options per round of breakout sessions, with there being two rounds of breakouts built into the day.
The following breakout sessions were offered:
- Evangelism in the Workplace with John Velarde, owner of Chik-fil-A in Whitehall, PA
- Preaching Evangelistically with Dr. Chris Betner, Lead Pastor at Delval East in Willingboro, NJ and Josh Crans, Pastor of Providence Church in Coatesville, PA
- Reaching the Next Generation with Wayne Morgan, National Network of Youth Ministries National Director
- Bring the Men Back to Church with Mike Greiner, Lead Pastor at Harvest Church in Kittanning, PA and Dr. Thomas Dawson Jr., Senior Pastor at SOAR Church in Woodbine, NJ
- How to Evangelize through Small Groups with John Cope, Send Network Director of PA/SJ (NAMB) and Senior Pastor of Keystone Fellowship, and Kyle Canty, Send City Missionary for Philadelphia (NAMB)
- VBS Unleashed: Creative Approaches to Evangelism with Christy Kraus, BRN VBS Consultant
- Evangelism Close to Home with Mary Landis, BRN women’s ministry consultant (offered during both rounds of breakout sessions)
Mary Landis stepped in to lead the “Evangelism Close to Home” sessions when Shelia Alewine, Co-founder of Around the Corner Ministries, was no longer able to attend due to a flight cancellation.
An afternoon filled with breakouts, lunch, vendor exploration, fellowship and worship swiftly concluded in the worship center of Country & Town with one final keynote session.
Dr. Lee Clamp, associate executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, started his keynote message with a picture of a vulture roosted on top of a church steeple.
Clamp explained that the pastor of the church confided in him about this vulture problem. Understanding that the vulture is a federally protected species, the pastor didn’t want to harm the bird, but, rather, find a way to shoo it away. In a series of unconventional events, the pastor was, in fact, able to get rid of the vulture, but the image stuck with Clamp.
“Our churches are in danger of circling vultures. Some of them once thriving are dying a slow death and they don’t even realize it, and it’s because they lost their gospel boldness,” said Clamp.
Turning to Acts 5:17-42, Clamp used the example of the early apostles to show that gospel boldness is uncomfortable, it demands a “BYOG – Bring Your Own Guts” mentality and it’s a risky business, but a family business.
“The preaching of the gospel landed the apostles in the most uncomfortable of situations,” said Clamp, referencing the part in Acts 5:17-18 where the disciples of Jesus were thrown into prison for their obedience.
Calling it back to the current time, Clamp reported that for the first time in history there are more people in America who do not go to any religious organization than those who do, and the fastest growing religious group in the country are the “Nones.”
“You will find in your lifetime that sin will become more and more normalized. The more normal sin is the more abnormal obedience to Jesus Christ will be…when you speak up about the gospel you will find yourself in uncomfortable situations,” said Clamp.
This reality of uncomfortable circumstances is why, as Clamp calls it, “a BYOG – Bring Your Own Guts” mentality is necessary for Christians.
“It’s time for the Church to get up and not be afraid anymore,” said Clamp, calling his audience to not only be bold in sharing the gospel, but also in inviting lost people into their lives.
Clamp concluded his time by spurring on Advance guests with the fact that gospel boldness is a risky business, but it’s not a job you do alone.
“We are in desperate need of risk takers…it’s a risky family business, but the lost souls of Pennsylvania are worth it,” said Clamp.
BRN Executive Director Dr. Barry Whitworth officially ended the conference with a parting prayer and an invitation to the BRN’s annual Accelerate Conference, which is set to take place on Oct. 7, 2025 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel and feature keynote speaker Dr. Jeff Iorg, President/CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.
View a full photo gallery from Advance 2025 here.
