Steven Curtis Chapman to headline San Antonio Evangelism conference in January

On the heels of the relaunched 2023 Statewide Evangelism Conference that saw more than 1,100 registrants, church leaders and laypersons alike will have another opportunity to be equipped and encouraged to share the good news of Jesus Christ and hear from keynote speakers including recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman at the 2024 Statewide Evangelism Conference set for January 21-22, in San Antonio.

Carrying the Great Commission, Great Commandment theme of “Share Christ, Show Love,” the event will be held at Trinity Baptist Church beginning Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and continuing all day Monday, with Chapman’s address taking place Monday evening at 7 p.m.

Coming together to ‘celebrate what God has done’

“One of the things pastors and ministers enjoy is hearing from other ministers and being encouraged, and the fellowship and camaraderie that happens when you come together and celebrate what God has done,” said Leighton Flowers, director of Evangelism for Texas Baptists and organizer of the conference.

“We look forward to the year ahead and hopefully can create excitement for reaching the state for Christ, especially with a new executive director and getting to hear his vision for the convention.”

Guarneri, Chapman to lead evening sessions

Julio Guarneri, Texas Baptists’ newly elected executive director, will deliver a keynote address to open the conference during Sunday evening’s session. Guarneri, who started his time of service as executive director on Nov. 30 of last year, is traveling the state and meeting with gatherings of Texas Baptists church leaders. His conference address will be one of his first since beginning his new role.

During his keynote, Chapman will share his heart for evangelism and perform some of his best-known songs acoustically. Chapman is a Grammy Award-winning Christian artist with a 30-plus year career and 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards on his resume. He has 11 Gold or Platinum albums and 50 No. 1 hits under his belt, and he penned his memoir, Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story, in 2017.

In June 2022, Chapman became the first Christian songwriter to receive the BMI Icon Award. Between touring and appearing on news shows, Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, are avid adoption supporters and founded the nonprofit Show Hope to assist orphans.

Additional speakers will include Victor Rodriguez, evangelism associate and discipleship specialist with Texas Baptists; Ralph Emerson, senior pastor at Rising Star Baptist Church with more than 20 years of experience as a pastor and administrator; and Mary Jo Sharp, assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Christian University, founder of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry.

The worship team from San Antonio’s Life Church will lead session worship throughout the two-day conference.

Rekindling the ‘first love’ of attendees

Relaunched in 2022, Flowers expects the evangelism conference to continue to grow each year as attendees are impacted by the preaching and teaching it provides.

“We want them to walk away with encouragement, current practices and challenges that help people see the importance of evangelism and rekindling that ‘first love,’ so to speak, to reach others for the cause of Christ,” he said.

Audience interaction opportunities that Flowers called “Talk Back Times” will follow each session, giving attendees the opportunity to engage speakers in dialogue.

Also new to the 2024 event is a special dinner for pastors and spouses at Trinity Baptist on Sunday afternoon, with limited seating available only to pre-registered participants. The Texas Baptist Missions Foundation is sponsoring the dinner, which is intended as a time of fellowship for church leaders.

A small selection of Texas Baptists exhibitors will be featured, and a breakfast sponsored by Truett Seminary will be provided on Monday morning. A dessert fellowship will wrap up the conference after the Monday night session. Learn more and register today at txb.org/ec.

Run With It held in conjunction with evangelism conference

The Saturday before the conference, a San Antonio-area meetup of the second annual David W. Hardage Run With It will also be held near Trinity Baptist. Run With It is a hybrid run, walk and roll benefiting the David and Kathleen Hardage Endowment Fund at Baylor University BSM. Registrants of Run With It will receive a wristband allowing them free admission to the Statewide Evangelism Conference on Jan. 21-22. Learn more.