3 Takeaways from the Shepherds’ Conference

Last week was the 2022 Shepherds’ Conference. The theme was “Unashamed.” And with a lineup that included Voddie Baucham, Steve Lawson, H.B. Charles Jr., and Steve Lawson, it was bound to have some “fireworks.” Jabs at social justice, racial issues, political agendas, and identity politics came at rapid fire.

We brought 5 men from Wichita Bible Church (WBC), and the total number of attendees was somewhere in the range of 3,500-4,000 men. So, we at WBC represented less than 1% of that total.

With that in mind, here are some personal takeaways from the Conference.

1. Volunteers. Grace Church had well over 800 volunteers, and they told us that they had a waiting list with others hoping to be able to serve. Yes, you read that right – hoping to be able to serve. This is one of the highlights at every Shepherds Conference. When you attend, you are treated like royalty. I am sure for many pastors, they rarely receive a “thank you” or get much encouragement. And, the volunteers at Shepherds’ will make up for that lack in the way they serve. The variety of food and snacks, the free amenities, the warm smiles, and the intentional conversations – all of these are used of God to show a hospitality on steroids.

2. Redefining evangelicalism. MacArthur seems to be losing allies. While he didn’t “name names,” you can’t help but notice who wasn’t there in the speaker’s lineup and hasn’t been since the social justice debates began in recent years. I think MacArthur is restless about the wide umbrella of evangelicalism and wants to introduce a new name or new category, as he feels isolated. I miss R.C. Sproul who used to work hard and model relationships grounded in fundamental doctrine and living with secondary disagreements.

3. Confidence in the Gospel. Voddie’s sermon on Wednesday night was the highlight of the week, and I am certain most attendees would agree with me. A sermon from Romans 1:16-17 about the power of the Gospel and the solution the world needs in the truths of the Gospel got me teary on several occasions. We need Voddie’s voice right now and his sermon is worth the 45 minutes it will take to watch it on GraceMedia. I am more confident in preaching the biblical Gospel now than I ever have before.

“⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Rom 1:16-17).