Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
The Baptist Paper
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds

Penn/S. Jersey churches celebrate BRN’s 50th anniversary, launch new format

  • November 22, 2021
  • Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey
  • Church Life, Latest News, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Baptist Resource Network Executive Director Barry Whitworth challenges Accelerate Conference attendees to “move forward.”
(Photo courtesy of BRN)

Penn/S. Jersey churches celebrate BRN’s 50th anniversary, launch new format

During the inaugural Accelerate Conference, the new annual meeting format for the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey, messengers celebrated the network’s 50th anniversary, examined the future of church, and urged churches to love their neighbors through a three-phase initiative called #LovePASJ (Love Pennsylvania/South Jersey). This year’s event drew 143 messengers and 108 guests, representing 101 churches.

Business Session

During the business session at the Oct. 5 meeting at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hersey Hotel, messengers elected Bryan McClelland, senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as president of the BRN Executive Board and approved a BRN budget of $2,139,750, which includes a one percent increase of Cooperative Program receipts forwarded to national and international Baptist causes (from 30% to 31%).

Outgoing president Buff McNickle shared about the “highly productive time for the BRN” throughout the pandemic, including the ability to help meet churches’ needs, despite a 40% decrease in the budget due to pandemic losses in partnerships and support.

“I am proud of the fact that we didn’t have to let anyone go from the staff, and we were able to help navigate the safety of the team and visitors by making sure we had all the up-to-date appropriate safety protocols,” McNickle said.

He also applauded the network’s efforts in racial reconciliation, sexual abuse prevention, evangelism, new affiliations, and the #LovePASJ initiative, which seeks to help churches “know” their neighbors through exegesis and prayerwalking, “show” Christ’s love to them through evangelism and compassion ministries, and “grow” them in the Lord through intentional discipleship and leadership development.

Accelerate Conference

As COVID-19 halted ministry gatherings worldwide, the BRN decided to postpone its 50th anniversary celebration from 2020 to this year, kicking off the Accelerate Conference with a celebratory video highlighting the BRN’s 50 years of ministry. This year’s 96-page program also highlighted history with several articles and a historical timeline, which can also be found at www.brnunited.org/history.

This year’s annual gathering of churches was shortened to one day, beginning with a brief business session at 9 a.m., followed by a full day of worship and engaging content. A month earlier — now in October instead of November, to better accommodate schedules and hotel availability — the format was designed to feel more like a conference than an annual meeting.

In his address, BRN Executive Director Barry Whitworth explained the new format for the annual gathering. “Accelerate is designed to help encourage and challenge the BRN family of churches to be fueled and inspired to accelerate Kingdom movement across Pennsylvania and South Jersey.”

For the past two years, the BRN has been in partnership with Denominee, one of the inter-connected organizations of Future Church Co., which guides leaders of denominations and networks through a process to bring increased value to churches they serve by designing a new operating system that will guide them into the future. Ministry entrepreneur, Will Mancini, author of the recently published “Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth,” co-written by Cory Hartman, led these efforts and was this year’s conference keynote speaker.

‘Identifying God’s next step’

Out of that work emerged the BRN’s new mission statement, “Helping churches accelerate Kingdom movement,” particularly focused on helping churches love their neighbors and help take the gospel to the 14 million lost people in PA/SJ.

“Our mission at the BRN moving forward is to help any BRN church take their next step towards accelerating movement for our King, Jesus,” Whitworth explained. “We want to help you to identify whatever it is you believe God’s next step is for you as a church. We believe if we can see churches take a step moving forward, this will give them a faith boost, and synergy, to see movement in their neighborhoods and local community.”

Whitworth added, “Our goal over the next year is to see movement among 50 churches that decided to take their next step towards getting healthier and stronger.”

In other sessions, Mancini examined the premise that many churches in North America are “faking disciples” rather than making them. He defined the “functional Great Commission” of most churches in America, which has become “Go into all the world and make more worship attenders, baptizing them in the name of small groups, and teaching them to volunteer a few hours a month.”

#LovePASJ

This year’s conference was based on the theme #LovePASJ, a three-phase initiative that seeks to accelerate a Kingdom movement of Baptist Resource Network churches. Participants received kits, full of resources to help church leaders and members reach their communities for Christ.

Through this effort, the BRN seeks to enlist 100 churches to reach their communities; establish, identify, or recognize a gospel footprint in at least 500 neighborhoods; engage in at least 5,000 gospel conversations; and in celebration of the network’s 50th anniversary, ultimately to embrace and adopt 50 new neighborhoods for the gospel. Learn more at www.lovepasj.com.

Replays of the main sessions are available at www.acceleratepasj.com.

The BRN will host its inaugural Advance Evangelism conference on March 21, 2022, focusing on three key areas: Reaching the Post-COVID World (overcoming Division and Distance), Reaching the Digital World (from Social Media/Social Ministry), and Reaching the Next Gen (with a Biblical Apologetic and a Loving Hermeneutic). Learn more at www.advancepasj.com.


EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was written by Shannon Baker and was originally published by the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey.

Share with others:

Facebook
X/Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • First person: Ruth’s surrendered life
    First person: Ruth’s surrendered life
    May 18, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • Baptist Campus Ministry at WKU awarded ‘Best of the Hill’
    Baptist Campus Ministry at WKU awarded ‘Best of the Hill’
    May 17, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • First person: Celebrating the people you serve, love
    First person: Celebrating the people you serve, love
    May 17, 2025/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

First person: Ruth’s surrendered life

“Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live,

Baptist Campus Ministry at WKU awarded ‘Best of the Hill’

The Baptist Campus Ministry at Western Kentucky University was awarded with the Best of the Hill recognition by the College Heights Herald, the campus newspaper.

First person: Celebrating the people you serve, love

One of the joys of pastoring is celebrating the milestone achievements of the people you serve and love.

Looking for the 2025 SBC Book of Reports? It’s available online.

If you’re looking to brush up on your business and financial reports knowledge ahead of this year’s Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas (June 10–11), the SBC has released its 2025 Book of Reports online.

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
Copyright © 2025 TAB Media Group
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ

Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org

About

  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church
  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church

Explore

  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news

Subscribe

  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel