Forerunners of the Faith – God’s Work In the Past As Encouragement For the Future
Does history matter to God? Absolutely, because what God has done in the past provides us with an important source of encouragement for the future. Time and again, in the story of Israel, the Israelite leaders were forced to pause, look back, and look up to the living God who sits on the throne, who reigns, and who will bring His counsel to pass.
Even the first disciples took courage from God’s work in the past. It compelled them to do the task that lay ahead. We see this pattern continued in the lives of all believers throughout the centuries of church history that followed.
Join us for this year’s Shepherds’ Conference and be encouraged by the forerunners of the faith!
The 2023 German Shepherds‘ Conference will be held from May 17 – May 20, 2023, at the Evangelical Baptist Church in Soest.
The event will begin with a preconference for men on Wednesday 5/17 from 14:00 – 21:00. The regular Shepherds‘ Conference will start Thursday 5/18 at 11:00 and continue until Saturday 5/20 at 16:00.
Preconference: 50 €
Shepherds‘ Conference: 250 €
Wives: 130 €
Registration for the German Shepherds‘ Conference
Speakers:
Nathan Busenitz:
Nathan Busenitz is the Executive Vice President, Dean of Faculty & Associate Professor of Theology at The Master’s Seminary (LA). He teaches historical theology. He currently serves as an elder at Grace Community Church and has authored several books, including Living a Life of Hope, Reasons We Believe, and Long Before Luther. He and his wife, Beth, have four children.
Benedikt Peters:
Benedikt studied Greek, Hebrew, and General Linguistics at the University of Zurich and earned his doctorate at The Master’s Seminary in California. He was an editor for a Christian publishing house for several years. Benedict serves in a church in Arbon, Switzerland, and has a full-time teaching ministry in churches in various European countries. He is the author of numerous theological books. At the Zurich location, Benedict teaches in the Bible Survey, Profitable Bible Study and M.Div. programs. He is also a speaker at the annual Hirtenkonferenz (EBTC Shepherds‘ Conference). Benedict is married to Helen and has four grown children.
Kris Brackett:
Kris is a long-time missionary, Bible teacher, and elder who completed his own M.Div. in 1996 and his Th.M. in 1998 at The Master’s Seminary. Together with his wife Nina, he was sent to assist Misko Horvatek in building and strengthening the church in Croatia.
He served for many years in the city of Krapina both as an elder at Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) and as assistant director of the Theological Bible Academy (TBA), where he taught hermeneutics, homiletics and other subjects. One of his primary goals in teaching was to equip godly men for church ministry. The influence of the ministry has spread throughout the region and today reaches as far as Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
The M.Div. course at EBTC is done in cooperation with other European TMAI training centers and equips proven men for pastoral ministry to teach and preach God’s Word with care and accuracy.
Since September 2022, Kris is the new course director for the M.Div. program at EBTC.
Martin Manten:
Martin took both the basic and advanced programs at EBTC and studied at The Master’s Seminary in California. He served as a pastor in Bern for several years and was sent out to church plant in Turbenthal (Switzerland) in 2014, where he currently serves as a pastor of Gemeinde Hoffnung und Licht (Hope and Light Church). Martin is a board member and the Location leader of the EBTC Zurich location. He primarily teaches the Profitable Bible Study and Expository Preaching courses and leads the church planting seminars. Martin and his wife Gabi have six children.
Wolfgang Nestvogel:
Wolfgang is pastor of the Bekennenden Evangelischen Gemeinde Hannover as well as an author and Bible teacher. He is married to Patricia.