Calvary Chapel Conference 2021
Let Us Rise & Rebuild: Pastor Jerel Hagerman
Compiled by Katie Bass
Photos by Christian Rodriguez
The Calvary Chapel Association held its 2021 Los Angeles (L.A.) Regional Pastors and Leadership Conference March 5-6 at Calvary Chapel Downey, CA, close to L.A. The theme of the conference was Let Us Rise and Rebuild, from Nehemiah 2:18: And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.
Battling and Building
Using humor and poignant stories from his own life, Jerel Hagerman, senior pastor of Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel, CA, and president of Calvary Bible Institute in Yucca Valley, CA, led a Friday, March 5, afternoon session of the conference. He taught out of Nehemiah 4:10-23, describing how Nehemiah led the people of Israel in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem—with a sword in one hand and a tool in the other. "Our entire life in the ministry is battling and building," he shared in his opening.
Jerel continued, "If you're moving forward in the Lord, there's always going to be a battle, there's always going to be struggles, which means you're always going to have to have a sword in one hand, which is the Word of God; and you're always going to have to have a trowel in the other hand, where you keep moving forward and building."
He explained that trials will always be with us because "the enemy of our souls wants us to quit." He encouraged pastors with Paul's response when he was warned of the chains and tribulations that awaited him, found in Acts 20:24. “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
A group at the Los Angeles Regional Pastors and Leaders Conference soak in the worship time.
Cleaning up the rubbish
Jerel’s second main point came from Nehemiah 4:10, when the laborers were failing because of the rubbish surrounding the demolished walls of Jerusalem. He stressed the importance of "taking out the trash" so that we can build, equating the "rubbish" to insecurity, building up walls around ourselves, self-reliance, bitterness, resentment, and pride. Warning pastors to look out for "fear on steroids" found in social media and the negative remarks and attacks that come at them, he added, "The average pastor quits because of six people. ... People quit and give up because the enemy wants to discourage us and make us afraid.”
Worship was central and essential to the conference. The theme of the regional Calvary Chapel Association event was Let Us Rise & Rebuild, based on Nehemiah 2:18.
Raising up the next generation
Jerel also exhorted pastors to focus on raising up the next generation of leaders in the church. Quoting 2 Timothy 2:1-4 and sharing examples from throughout Scripture, Jerel reminded pastors to raise up the next generation of pastors and leaders. He reflected, "The victory [of seeing] young people raised up and going forth and doing more than what I've ever dreamed or imagined is worth absolutely everything to make it happen."
Closing encouragement
Finally, Jerel left pastors with the encouragement to rally around the cry, "Our God will fight for us!" (Nehemiah 4:20). He admitted, "We live in dark days, but we live in the days Jesus told us about (Matthew 24). Every one of us [has] to realize [the call is] 'Battle Stations!' It's time to rise up! It's time for us to not be afraid and not let rubbish in our lives keep us from moving forward, to keep us from entrusting [the mantle to the next generation]."
Young ladies lead attendees in heart-felt worship of the Lord.
Both men and women were encouraged by their fruitful time in God’s Word and the vibrant worship at the conference.
Two women pray together.
All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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