Sharing with associational leaders during their lunch session June 7, Daniel Ritchie, evangelist and SBC first vice president, encouraged those in attendance to stay the course.
“What you guys do and who you are matters to our churches. You are the face of what convention life is,” he said.
Ritchie’s passage for his message was 2 Corinthians 4:1–6:
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
Ritchie encouraged associational leaders to “not back away from the ministry God has given you,” but also acknowledged, “It’s easier said than done to not lose heart.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life is to pursue Christ and make His gospel known. It’s to love people. It’s to shepherd people. What you do on an everyday basis is brutal. It’s hard and it’s more than you can handle, but that’s the point.”
Keep your eyes on God
God’s strength shines through believers who are weak but fully relying on Him, Ritchie explained.
“So much of what you do is built around engaging and supporting and providing systems and encouragement … but don’t forget to proclaim the gospel to yourself. Don’t forget to preach the goodness Jesus has been to you. … For all of us in this room, we don’t stand apart from the gospel of Christ.”
In relation to the upcoming SBC Annual Meeting business items, “we probably are going to get a few things wrong in the next few days,” Ritchie noted. “But don’t get the gospel wrong. If we are going to be right about something, if we are going to be precise about something, if we are going to be known for something, may it be that. Everything else can fall in line behind that.”
Ritchie wrapped up his message with a reminder “let our light shine in dark places.”
Read more stories from the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando
“The God we have built our ministries on … is the God who in one word brought all of the universe to life. … It is the God that does impossible things,” he said. “Sometimes the most godly thing we can do is let the gospel follow you outside of your … office. We have hope in a world that is absolutely swallowed up in darkness and hopelessness. What you and I have in Christ is what the world desperately needs.
“When we live as lights in the midst of this dark world the great purpose is for our lives to stand out.”
