Men‘s Conference Doubles as Men Hunger to Experience God

By Sharon Mager

DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. — On April 13, 550 men excitedly filled the Riva Trace Baptist Church worship hall for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s (BCM/D) 2024 Men’s Conference: “The Whole Gospel for the Whole Man.” The attendance doubled from last year. This followed on the heels of last month’s women’s conference, which brought 700 women.

BCM/D Executive Director Tom Stolle said, “I can’t believe what we’re seeing right now. It’s a special time in our convention. I just want to pinch myself. I would never have anticipated that we would see responses to our men’s and women’s conferences larger than the annual meeting.” And it’s not just the numbers, Stolle said. It has been the spiritual hunger. The men were prepared to worship. “They came to experience something — to experience God.”

BCM/D Church Partnership Missionary Victor Kirk agreed, saying, “There seemed to be an air of excitement and expectation.”

Like the women, the men were waiting outside for the doors to open and were ready to go. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement, and the men were loudly talking and laughing with each other as they fellowshipped over coffee and pastries.

Eric McAllister, Redemption City Church (RCC), Baltimore, and the RCC praise team led in singing a mix of contemporary songs and timeless hymns—at times a capella—filling the center with the strong sound of the men’s voices and a worshipful atmosphere.

BCM/D Partnership Missionary Jeremy Dickson, who organized and oversaw the event, welcomed all, prayed, and introduced Stolle, who shared his excitement at the turnout and encouraged the men. “If we are obedient and humble and willing to give God all of us, God can do things with us that we can’t even imagine.”

Keynote speakers were Thabiti Anyabwile, author and pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C., Sean Sears, lead pastor of Grace Church, Avon, Massachusetts, and BCM/D Church Partnership Director Dan Hyun.

While there were plenty of seriously laugh-out-loud moments, the speakers’ candid sharing affected many men visibly.

Soul Care
“I’m a little tired. I’m weary in my soul. That’s just how I showed up this morning.” Anyabwile said at the first plenary session.

“Maybe you had a hard week, or maybe your week wasn’t particularly hard at all, but you’re still tired. Not just physically tired — that deeper weariness that we feel. That deeper sense of energy, life, maybe joy, has just been sort of steadily dripping out of you like a car leaking oil. Maybe everything is right, he said, it may be good for you, but if you got alone with yourself and asked, ‘self, how am I doing?’ you might have an answer that includes at least partially ‘tired, a little weary of soul.’”

Anyabwile emphasized understanding the value of the soul and nurturing it. Maybe we haven’t understood who we are and how God has made us, he said. “We are a combination of body and breath—a body from the dust and the breath of God.”  You are unique, he told the men. There is no other soul like you.

He encouraged men to seek, love, walk, and serve in the fear of the Lord and obey God’s words. “God will bring himself to a soul seeking Him, and you will be refreshed.”

Anyabwile encouraged men to nurture their souls by remembering and testifying to what God has done, referencing Deut. 4:9, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.” Anyabwile said, “Testify what the Lord has done.”

Following Anyabwile, Jamie Caldwell, BCM/D church planting team leader, led a meditation on Psalm 23 and emphasized “time with Jesus” through silence, solitude, singing, praying back to him His words, reading the Bible just to spend time with Him and living in community.

The Body is a Gift
Hyun shared that God chose to come in bodily form‚ the Word became flesh. ”The human body is a gift that is sacred. God created the body and said it was very good.”

Hyun said people tend to elevate creation rather than the creator, thus often looking at the body as a deity instead of viewing it as a gift.

“We are intended to steward what God gives us well.” Hyun encouraged men to offer their bodies to God as a living sacrifice — as an act of worship. Worship, he said, is more than singing. It’s giving our full bodies.

How will we use it for His glory and our joy? How will you steward your body?

Hyun also discussed shame — shame from something done to you or perhaps that you have done to another. In a poignant moment, Hyun encouraged men to “step out of hiding. Name the shame.”

“There is forgiveness and relationship. There is acceptance. God will take the fig leaf you are hiding behind and clothe you with royalty.

Your Calling
Sears, speaking on “calling,” told men, “You are a masterpiece.” Laughing, he said he was an abstract painting. “Sin is a distraction to the good plans God has for you,” Sears said. You must give the paintbrush to God.

“Our calling is to take responsibility,” Sears said. “The first calling is to repent of our own sin.” Additionally, Sears emphasized being responsible for one’s self. “I’m not responsible for the sins committed against me,” he said, but he is for how he responds. There is a time in our lives when we can blame others for our dysfunction, but there comes a time when you can’t blame anyone else anymore, and that is part of being a man, he said.

Breakouts
The Breakout sessions were a huge part of the conference, and each was full and lively with comments and questions. Topics included sexuality, family life, wellness,

physical health, finances, spiritual rhythms, man and his sexuality, leadership, and mentorship.

Following the conference, Jeremy Dickson said, “Several men commented how they wished the breakout sessions were longer and that they could have experienced more than just two of the breakout session options.”

Don Bronson, from Glendale Baptist Church, said, “Everything was great, especially the breakout sessions where you can get up close and personal — great stuff!”

Fellowship & Follow-Up
Many churches brought large groups, and they enjoyed the extended fellowship. A sunny 70-degree day allowed the men to take their subs and chips outside on the church lawn, gathering in groups to chat about what they were experiencing.

Jack, a soft-spoken teen from LifeHouse, Smyrna, said, “I was thankful to spend time with my dad, my youth leader, and the church.”

CJ Matthews, pastor of Bethany Church in Columbia, was one among many who shared that they were excited to spend time with 500 men in one room.

David Vincino, from Riva Trace Church, said he was “re-energized.”

Larry Davis, senior pastor of Grace Seaford Church, used the term “refreshed.”

Stolle affirmed the staff. “Everyone was working together selflessly. It was pretty amazing.”

BCM/D youth and kids missionary Kris Buckman said, “I really enjoyed serving the men at the conference. They were so kind and gracious for our service. It was beautiful to see the fellowship of so many men from different churches and different walks of life humbly gathered together to focus on God.”

“This was one of the highlights of my career at the convention to experience what we experienced,” Stolle said

Feature Photo: Thabiti Anyabwile addresses the approximately 550 men at Riva Trace Baptist Church for the 2024 Men‘s Conference. (Photo by Trevor Chin)

Sharon Mager serves as BCM/D communications specialist and BaptistLIFE editor.