The Department of Bible and Ministry is pleased to announce the 2024 Equip Conference hosted by York University. Building on last year’s inaugural conference momentum, the Equip Conference will expand to two days on March 11-12. Dr. Garrett Best, chair of the Department of Bible and Ministry, said, “Last year’s Equip Conference exceeded all expectations, and this year’s program will build on that success by featuring world-class scholars and faithful ministers addressing topics that are pressing for churches in the Midwest.”

Scott Lambert, president of Heritage21, will provide the keynote address entitled “Hope for Churches.” Dr. Carlus Gupton, director of the Doctor of Ministry program and assistant dean at the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University, will offer two sessions on Monday for church leaders on the topic of healthy church leadership and three sessions on Tuesday for leaders of small churches. Dr. Lance Hawley, assistant professor of Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew, will teach four sessions on the Book of Job. Dr. Grady King, president of Hope Network Ministries, will host two working lunches, one for churches looking to hire a minister and the other on how to help your church engage in conversations that matter. 

There will be a number of other speakers covering a range of topics including outreach and evangelism, intergenerational faith formation, New and Old Testament studies, ministering to people in pain, dealing with guilt, and preventing minister burnout. Speakers include Dr. Michael Case, Marvin Bryant, Brent Johnson, Kevin Knight, Jeff Hill, Kendall Fike, Dr. Darrel Sears, Trevon Buchanan, Glenn Dallmann, John Telgren, Reagan Branum, Simeon Tremaine, and Justus Coppinger.

On Monday evening, the Equip Conference will feature a musical performance by Sean Algaier, campus minister at York University, and selected musicians presenting songs highlighting scripture. On Tuesday evening, the conference will conclude with the annual Ides of March dinner hosted by the Clayton Museum of Ancient History. Dr. Lance Hawley will give this year’s Ides of March lecture on the topic “Echoes of the Gilgamesh Tablets in the Book of Genesis.” It is sure to be fascinating! To further highlight the museum, participants at the Equip Conference will have the opportunity to attend the dedication of the Clayton Apologetics Reading Room, inside the Clayton Museum of Ancient History. 

The registration fee for the conference is $50, and the cost of the Ides of March dinner is $25.

About the Clayton Apologetics Reading Room
The Clayton Apologetics Reading Room is an addition to the Clayton Museum of Ancient History on the York University campus. Over the 56 years of the Does God Exist? ministry, John Clayton has subscribed to virtually every atheist and apologetics periodical in existence. In addition to this collection of over 1000 periodicals, a library of books dealing with apologetics has been built with some books dating from the 1800s and having historical significance. The Clayton collection includes books by skeptics and atheists and well-known scholars of apologetics as well as leading evangelists in the Churches of Christ, all of which deal with questions of God’s existence, how we know the Bible is the Word of God, and how we know Jesus lived and is the Son of God. In our age of skepticism, atheism, agnosticism, naturalism and doubt, York University and the Does God Exist? ministry wanted a place where anyone could go and research how the growth of the erosion of faith in America has come about. The reading room will feature the entire Clayton collection of material and will provide a comfortable place for study and research. The Clayton Apologetics Reading Room will also continue to stay updated on the latest and best books and resources for promoting faith in our world of skepticism.