Bb Pulse: Conference Update

Greetings in the name of our wonderful Lord Jesus! 

The blessing of God was evident in our fellowship at the Regular Baptist Ministries Conference 2024, “Together: The Incredible Value of Biblical Fellowship.” The highest of highlights was the approval by the gathered messengers of Clare Jewell’s nomination as national representative.  

Meeting for the annual conference at our office site in Elgin, Illinois, gave the opportunity for local staff of RBM to be recognized for their fine labor on behalf of Christ and our fellowship. Thank you to each one who so faithfully serves, both those who live in the Elgin area and those scattered across the country. 

This summer take time to rest, relax, and pursue new spiritual endeavors.  

Mark the dates for next year’s RBM conference: June 23–26! Until then, encourage one another, exhorting each other in life with Christ.  

“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). 

In His grace, 

David E. Strope, D.D.
Outgoing Interim National Representative

The Regular Baptist Ministries Conference 2024 has just ended at the beautiful campus of Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois, the site of RBM’s office. What a thrilling conference this past week.  

God wonderfully blessed our fellowship through the preaching ministry of Mike Bullmore. He preached three messages from Romans, beginning with the message “The Functional Centrality of the Gospel.” Mike fed our souls with rich, practical messages. Chris Anderson and the Church Works Media team led our worship with excellence. Pastor Sam Choi, Pastor Ken Fields, Clare Jewell, and I also preached in plenary sessions, addressing the theme, “Together: The Incredible Value of Biblical Fellowship.” 

All of the conference services may be viewed on YouTube.   

Certainly, the highlight of the conference was Clare Jewell’s presentation as candidate for the office of national representative. Messengers approved the recommendation with an 89 percent favorable vote. Clare begins his work immediately as national representative. I will continue serving as interim national representative in the coming months in a part-time role, assisting Clare in his transition to the role of national representative.  

Messengers also passed three resolutions and heard a reading of four amendments to the RBM statement of faith. These amendments have been approved by the Council of 18 and will be voted upon at next year’s conference.    

On the Council of 18, Mike Augsburger continues serving as chairman, Ross Shannon serves as vice chairman, and Brian Cederquist continues serving as secretary.  

The Baptist Bulletin

Our summer issue of The Baptist Bulletin will arrive later this month. You’ll find much encouragement by reading and sharing this issue. Read it thoroughly and then give it away as a means of witness.   

RBM Conference 2025

June 23–26 are the dates for the RBM Conference 2025. The theme is “Jesus Over Everything.”  Brent Belford, pastor of Colonial Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia, will serve as keynote speaker.  

Ministry Update

June brought me ministry at Tabernacle Baptist Church, Ithaca, New York (Pastor Elijah Beltz); Grace Church, Emmetsburg, Iowa (Pastor Curtis DeFord); and Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, Waterloo, Iowa (Pastor Tom Hlad).  

I also spent much time in administrative preparation for the annual conference and in prayer and preparation for preaching. God gave great grace as I prepared for the conference; as my wife, Debbie, and I cared for her aging father; and as I prepared to transition from serving as interim national representative.  

My Summer Ministry Schedule  

July 28–30: Desert Hills Baptist Church, Buckeye, Arizona (Pastor Adam Zamora)
August 10–11: Harvest New Beginnings, Oswego, Illinois (Pastor Scott Poling)

A Note of Thanks   

It has been my privilege to serve our wonderful fellowship of churches these past two years. There were many challenges, but God gave great grace and fruitful ministry. Thank you for the kind presentations and gifts given to my wife, Debbie, and me at the annual conference. We love our fellowship and are thankful for the support and encouragement from the Council of 18 and from multiple pastors and churches.

Again, thank you!
By God’s All-Sufficient Grace, 

David E. Strope, D.D.
Interim National Representative

I am so grateful and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the national representative of the GARBC. Over the past few months, many people have prayed about the filling of this role, as we all want God’s will to be done in our lives, our churches, and our association.

I cannot overstate how often I praise God for His grace to me. Looking back at nearly 40 years of ministry, I see His hand at work in every aspect of my life. He’s given me a godly wife, four loving daughters, and 13 awesome grandkids! He’s also given me more opportunities than I deserve to serve Him and His church.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 21 years I served as pastor of Lakewood Park Baptist Church in Auburn, Indiana, and I’ve been more than blessed to be part of the GARBC and ABWE families over the past 10 years. I am grateful this relationship will continue.

Proverbs has much to say about the wisdom of listening to godly counsel. For that reason, I’m looking forward to meeting with pastors in GARBC churches and leaders of the agencies with whom we are affiliated. The goal is to build strategic relationships that will help us move our mission forward. I also look forward to coming alongside the various regional, state, and local fellowships to fuel the health and reproduction of churches and leaders within our association.

I pray that I will meet many of you in our churches and at conferences. I will make myself as available as possible to share God’s Word and the vision of the GARBC. Through Regular Baptist Ministries, we want to provide the coaching, counsel, crisis management, grants, and resources you need to accomplish what God has given you to do.

I am also praying that many of our healthy churches actively contribute to the planting and renewal of churches within the GARBC. We need you! We want to partner together to create processes that grow and reproduce disciples, leaders, and churches. I’m hoping we can establish regional hubs to facilitate the collaboration and cooperation necessary that will make this possible.

Pray that God will open the door to bring young pastors, missionaries, and leaders into GARBC churches. We are facing a severe shortage of shepherds for our congregations that will continue to worsen with the retirement of many pastors over the next 5 to 10 years. This task cannot be accomplished without a movement of God’s Spirit among us and the young men He is calling into ministry.

Finally, I want to encourage those of you entering the retirement phase of ministry. Don’t waste your experience. Within the next year, we will develop a training process to prepare interim pastors to lead churches through the transition and change that occurs when a church is without a pastor. 

These are big tasks, but we have a big God! I am entering this role aware of the reality that I am not sufficient for it. I must—we all must—fully depend on our sovereign God. He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). He will be the one who is glorified in our churches as we proclaim Biblical doctrine, pursue His mission, and prioritize relationships inside and outside the GARBC.

May God bless this endeavor for the praise of His name!

Clare Jewell
National Representative