CCA Leadership Conference—Part 2
Foundations: CCA Regional Leadership Conference—Part 2
Pastors & Leaders Gather for Spiritual Encouragement
Story by Kathy Symborski and Terry Flagg
Photos by Christian Rodriguez and courtesy of CC Golden Springs, CA
This is Part 2 of a three-part series about the Calvary Chapel Association Regional Leadership Conference held May 21-22 at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, CA. The conference, themed Foundations, encouraged nearly 1,000 participants in the calling of God in their lives. In this installment, we feature the teachings of pastors Dale Goddard and Sean McKeehan. To read Part 1, click here. All of the teachings are available on the Somebody Loves You Worldwide playlist on YouTube.
(This article sponsored by Pritchard Websites and Calvary Web. Click here to read more.)
Many men and women were encouraged in their spiritual lives by attending the May CCA Regional Leadership Conference at CC Golden Springs, CA.
Dale Goddard: The Centrality of Christ
“Leadership in churches today is in a crisis,” warned Dale Goddard, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, CA. Citing elements of progressive Christianity as the root cause, he encouraged the audience to keep Christ at the center of every aspect of life, so as to give Him all the glory. He solidified that goal with wisdom from the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:5: For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
Keeping Christ as preeminent in the faith is crucial. Pastor Dale thoughtfully provoked the listeners with key considerations when it comes to church leadership in these Last Days. “There must be a sense of urgency … to proclaim Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world,” he exhorted. He asked the leaders at the conference to examine if their motivation is to bring glory to God rather than selfish ambition. Dale pressed in deeper, asking the crowd to consider if church leaders are earnestly seeking God and keeping Him at the center of their personal lives, even “behind closed doors”: Abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thessalonians 4:3b-4).
A man and woman are deeply impacted by the teaching and worship at the conference.
The importance of the authority of Scripture in the church is paramount and the foundation of solid leadership. “The ability to issue commands and demand obedience ultimately belongs to our God, our Lord and our Savior, and not [to] you or me,” explained Dale, “and we have no right to get up here (in the pulpit) and change it or to use it for [our] own [purposes].”
He ended with the exhortation to go back to our churches and examine our leaders, have courage to set them on the right course if they are going the wrong direction, and to be Christ-centered leaders ourselves; for if Christ is central, our selfishness and personal ambitions will be exchanged for the purpose of Jesus Christ and His Church.
Dale Goddard, assistant pastor at CC Golden Springs, encouraged the men and women—pastors, leaders, and their wives—to keep Jesus at the center of every aspect of their lives, to give Him all the glory.
Sean McKeehan: Called to Ministry
Pastor Sean McKeehan, associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, shared from 2 Timothy 1:1-12, focusing on verse 12: For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
Pastor Sean stated, “It is important to understand that ministry is a calling unlike a job working as a professional in the corporate world [where] reaching the top is the goal.” The call of ministry is also unlike a job where you just walk away and go to another one because you are dissatisfied or discouraged. You “stay the course” because it is a calling for you to serve, living a life not ashamed of the Gospel—not pleasers of men but pleasing God, Sean reflected. Servanthood ministry is important, just as Jesus demonstrated to his disciples during his last hours with them. Ministry is to serve, not [to] be served; it is a conviction, a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9).
Sean McKeehan, associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, teaches at the 2021 CCA Regional Leadership Conference. Discussing the call to ministry, Pastor Sean emphasized the importance of servant leadership.
Sean further elaborated that in ministry, you will experience some of the greatest moments of your life, such as seeing lives restored. And you will face some of the hardest challenges in your life, things you would have never imagined. However, today we have a hurting generation, which needs encouragement as in Paul’s last letter to Timothy. Timothy was facing challenges and needed encouragement from someone who had been there before, who kept fighting the fight, pressing on, no matter how he felt.
Pastor Sean focused on lessons from Paul’s ministry: Have a godly perspective through suffering; do not be ashamed of the Gospel; know what you believe; grow in the knowledge of God’s Word; receive the “holy call” personally, growing in your faith and in your relationship with the Lord; remain persuaded that He is able; commit your life to Christ; know that your commitment is not in vain, that there is a purpose—you want to make sure that all you do brings glory and honor to Christ. In closing, Sean exhorted, “The call of ministry is to fulfill the call of God.”
Personal worship was an essential part of the conference for all attendees.
Angel Wilson (right), a recent graduate of Calvary Bible Institute (CBI), prays with three other CBI graduates at the conference.
A man worships God.
Impacted by the Word of God, a man prays on his knees.
A woman praises her Lord and Savior at one of the conference worship sessions.
All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
© 2020 Calvary Chapel Magazine. All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.