2018 STATE OF THE CONFERENCE
This conference year is quickly coming to an end, and with much anticipation about the successes of the conference. It is the desire of us all to see the conference flourish with growth, and with gains in membership. This being my second year as Presiding Bishop, I take full responsibility for the state of our conference. We can not continue doing the same thing and expecting different results. The following observations have been made over the past eleven months.
1. My visitations to the churches helped to get my finger on the pulse of the churches. I did not feel a zeal for worship, or a great concern for the lost. We say it is all about Jesus, but we fail in keeping Him at the center of our focus.
2. We are proficient when it comes to doing outside curriculum activities. We should be just as proficient at doing the work of the Lord. There is no project that we cannot achieve and we are to be commended for that. We must understand that is not the purpose of the church.
3. The survey results tell us that we have some real problems with our churches which must be addressed. Reports that I have received over the year from concerned church members remind me that the problems facing our conference must be addressed.
So, as we prepare for our Annual Conference, it is imperative that we pray and seek God’s favor concerning the matters that lay before us as a conference. Make sure that you pray for your Bishop for he will be faced with some heavy decisions. Pray that God will give guidance for the direction of the conference in the ensuing conference year.
Bishop Jimmy F. Locklear
