Those who serve as spiritual leaders have the joy of investing themselves in the spiritual growth of others. You prepare messages, lessons, and events, preach sermons, teach classes, and give of yourself in all the ways that contribute toward building others in spiritual growth.

One of the blessings for a Christian leader at Spiritual Leadership Conference, however, is that you get to be on the receiving end.

You get to hear preaching. You get to listen to the choir. You get to soak in moments of godly fellowship and sharpening lessons.

The theme for Spiritual Leadership Conference ’15 is “I Will Build.” In addition to praying that the Lord will use this year’s conference to stir your heart to a renewed dedication in building the work of God, I’m praying that the Lord will also use it to encourage your heart—to build up the builders, using some of the same basic building blocks that you are often using in the lives of others:

Preaching—As a pastor, I love preaching—as a verb and as a noun. That is, I love to preach, and I love what preaching does in hearts. But, also as a pastor, I preach almost every church service. Thus, I greatly appreciate any opportunity to have my own heart challenged by another preacher.

The three evening preaching services are definitely the highlights of Spiritual Leadership Conference. Each service has Christ-exalting music (another spiritual edifier) and Bible-filled preaching.

Teaching—With seventy plus workshop sessions taught by godly leaders who practice what they teach, you are sure to be equipped to return to your ministry with fresh vision, practical tools, and renewed focus for building the work in which God has called you to minister.

Fellowship—One of the great gifts of the Christian life is fellowship with God’s people. And one of the great blessings of Spiritual Leadership Conference is the gathering of hundreds of pastors and Christian workers from around the world. It is a wonderful time of sharing blessings, praying for burdens, and generally strengthening one another’s hands in the work of the Lord.

I’m greatly looking forward to Spiritual Leadership Conference and am asking the Lord to use it to build every church represented at the conference and every spiritual leader who attends the conference.