Looking to Jesus, Loving Like Jesus (Leaders' Conference 2024)

All of church leadership is shepherding as men and women in the church lead, care for, and love God’s flock in all manner of ways.

That’s why more than 1,000 church leaders once again headed to England’s north-west coast for the 2024 FIEC Leaders’ Conference. The three-day conference at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool focused on looking to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and considering what it means to love like Jesus.

Pastors, elders, youth workers, administrators, ministry wives, musicians, and others in local church leadership gathered for Bible teaching, sung worship (led by Joyful Noise), seminars, and prayer.

In the main gatherings we reflected on the “I am” statements of Jesus and their implications for ministry:

• He is the Good Shepherd who alone can lead the sheep to life and salvation.
• He is the way to be empowered and equipped to serve as faithful shepherds ourselves.
• He is the bread of life who can satisfy us forever if we simply go to him.
• He is the resurrection and the life bring dead people to life and prepares them for eternity.

Seminars explored what “shepherding” looks like in different contexts, led by pastors and leaders in FIEC churches, as well as from other friends and partners.

Brian Croft (Practical Shepherding) spoke on how good shepherds can follow the Good Shepherd, and led a seminar track for those experienced in ministry. Girma Bishaw (The London Project) was another main speaker, also leading a seminar to explore shepherding across cultures.

Other seminars included how to shepherd those who are suffering in various ways, responding to the ‘conversion therapy’ ban, and theological questions on the humanity of Christ and authority.

As always, a big part of the conference is making space for leaders to spend time with one another to share experiences and pray for each other. I enjoyed sharing mealtimes with old friends and new in the impressive Empress Ballroom - including singing Behold Our God a cappella as a choir of 1,000.

A highlight was our evening prayer gathering. We used the conference app to share hundreds of stories of how God is working across the country and to give thanks to him - a moving meeting.

It's always a privilege to serve at the FIEC Leaders' Conference: to look around the room and consider what impact God is having across the country through these men and women.

Join me in praying for them to be refreshed as they return to church life and that they would depend on the Spirit's help to be faithful good shepherds, just as our Trus Good Shepherd is to us.