Across The Nation
EMBRACE19 Open Bible National Convention
We embrace everything that the Holy Spirit desires to do in and through us.”
President Randall Bach stated the following resolutions for this convention:
- We turn away from complacency and satisfaction with the status quo.
- We choose to not be content with who we have been.
- We resolve to be the people He has called us to be.
- We receive as a fresh promise from Jesus, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8).
In his welcoming remarks, President Bach addressed the status of Open Bible Churches. He said, “Open Bible is at a crossroads. We have aging pastors/leaders and a lack of influx of new ministers and church plants. Open Bible and its churches/pastors must make significant moves with bold declarations and goals to reach our communities and our world for God. Fulfilling the Great Commission must be more than just a discussion. It must be our battle cry. It must be our compelling motivation.“
A regular attender of Open Bible national conventions, I look forward to them for the opportunity to connect and be encouraged. This year my family arrived early to be a blessing to missionary families. We played with their children, took several to lunch, and worked at helping them to relax and have fun. What a great way to start Embrace19!
As people began to arrive on Monday, June 17, the atmosphere felt like that of a family reunion. There was a lot of hugging, even some screams (you know who you are)! I realize that not everyone can attend this event, but if you could have and you opted for something else, you missed out. Open Bible is about family. It is about encouragement. Gathering together with friends from across the world just feels right.
I make it a priority to attend these events. In my 25 years of licensed ministry with Open Bible, I have missed only one national convention. There were many years my church didn’t have the money to send my family, and we attended at our own expense because we felt it so critical to be present.
Being part of Open Bible is about more than just obtaining a license or an endorsement to do ministry. It is about being part of something bigger than ourselves. It is about adding our uniqueness to the pot and seeing how Open Bible looks, tastes, and is experienced.
Dr. Michael Brown
In our first session Dr. Michael Brown challenged us to encounter God afresh. Dr. Brown shared that the reason that America is messed up is because the church is messed up. The reason the church is messed up is that so many leaders are messed up. Speaking out of Revelation 2 regarding the church walking away from its first love, he sounded an alarm.
He shared that we can work hard and do lots of things that appear right and still be spiritually backslidden. It is so easy to be busy “about the things of God” that we lose our first love. Every day can feel as if we are running a race with so much to do, but at the end of the day only one thing matters: Am I pursuing God?
Sadly, many of us have learned how to do ministry as a “profession,” and we can do it regardless of the condition of our hearts. We can put on a performance that would deceive ourselves!
One of the greatest signs of a backslidden heart is loss of joy. Paul confronted the Galatians about their lack of joy, and Dr. Brown confronted us: “Are you struggling to enjoy what God is calling you to? What is going on in your private life? Look deep. Ask the right questions. Get real with God. Reawaken your first love.”
On Wednesday morning, Dr. Brown dealt with some of the issues surrounding the battle with human sexuality. He referred to 1 Chronicles 12:32 and the “men who understood the times.”
He related that the greatest threat to Christian freedom is this debate on human sexuality. We cannot sit this battle out! Our responsibility is to reach out to people with compassion but also courageously resist the agenda that is being promoted.
We need to weigh our words carefully as we interact with individuals caught up in this issue. When we say we hate the sin but love the sinner, individuals in this arena hear “you hate me” because this is how they identify who they are. Our message must be biblical and communicated in such a way that we keep the door open for opportunities to reach people.
When most Christians age 50 or over hear the word “homosexuality,” they hear an issue or an agenda. That is different for Millennials, Generation Y, and Gen Next. They don’t hear issues or agendas; they hear “people.” It is our responsibility to communicate in such a way as to not turn them away. We must realize we are called to reach people and touch them at the core of their hurt. On the flip side, some people strive to be so sensitive that they speak in such broad terms that they never address actual issue going on all around them. Our words must be laced with grace and truth together. We can’t approach our message with such a course, rough tone that it immediately alienates those we are called to reach. We must have hearts of compassion with backbones of steel.
Dr. Brown stated that this is not just an issue of gay and lesbian, but it is a war on gender! We do God a disservice and we do people a disservice when we act like these are not issues, or when we try to agree with this agenda. One of the pitfalls of the Church today is that instead of interpreting their lives and leanings through the lens of the Scriptures, people interpret the Scriptures through the lens of their lives and leanings.
Hispanic Ministries
Our Wednesday luncheon was focused on Open Bible’s Hispanic Ministries. It is estimated that there are 51 million Hispanics in the United States today. The United States has become the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country. With the continually increasing population of Hispanics, the U.S. needs Hispanic Churches.
Open Bible has more than 62 years of history ministering to Hispanic people. We have countless opportunities to reach more. The goal of Hispanic Ministries is to plant new churches and ministries that will reach Hispanics. We are training future pastors within current churches who will reach not only the Hispanic community but also the new generation that is being born within the U.S. Open Bible has six new Hispanic churches being planted in the U.S. right now. That is not enough! America is the new mission field. Let’s work together as a family to reach this mission field.
Dr. Ed Stetzer
A message from Dr. Ed Stetzer focusing on the four commissions of Jesus concluded the day Wednesday.
The four commissions of Jesus:
We are called to be sent.
We are all sent on mission (John 20:21). Mission is not about comfort, but purpose. We are called to live as one who is “sent.” We are called to live on mission at all times, which means we must embrace the mentality that comfort is a byproduct of the past.
As the church around many parts of the world has exploded, the church in the United States has just trickled along. In many parts of the world Christianity is such a sacrifice that people are willing to get uncomfortable for the rest of their lives.
We are called to all different kinds of people.
Matthew 28: 18-20 reinforces the fact that we are called to reach all nations. The ministry needed to reach all nations may not look like the church we are familiar with or comfortable with. We need to learn to rejoice that some are being reached that we would never reach. Don’t judge people from other cultures just because they are different than we are.
We have a message.
Luke 24:46-48 highlights the message of repentance and forgiveness that we are to herald. It is critical that we realize we cannot be on a mission and forget the message of freedom. God has called us to announce to captives around the world that Jesus has brought new life. We must hold our models loosely and our message tightly.
We are empowered by the Spirit.
The message of Acts 1:6-8 is not just about us reaching our neighborhoods and expanding out from there to reach the world. Samaria also represents all the people we don’t like, all the places we avoid. The empowering of the Spirit is meant to increase reach and effectiveness. The Holy Spirit came to empower us to go on mission. We are commissioned with a purpose.
Business Meeting
At the business meeting we discussed an embezzlement that occurred at the national office by a former accountant. A full report was given, and responses to questions were provided. After a full presentation and analysis of what occurred and an expression of remorse from President Bach that the embezzlement was not caught earlier, forgiveness was extended by ministers and delegates who also were ready to move forward with the vision for where we are going as Open Bible.
It is difficult to fully capture the tone and intent of the rest of the session without presence, but suffice it to say, it was sobering to reflect on where Open Bible is now and what needs to happen to move forward.
President Bach emphasized that Open Bible must pursue a fresh 21stcentury vision. This will be accomplished in part through praying, dreaming big dreams, and collaborating with others to create strategic foresight. When speaking to this issue, Mike Nortune, pastor of Life Church in Concord, California, and co-leader of a New Generation Leadership initiative, said, “Our dreams must be greater than our memories.”
Open Bible must reaffirm its core doctrinal truth found in our doctrines manual, We Believe, and our reliance on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If we emphasize the fruits of the Spirit over the gifts of the Spirit, we will embrace His character without appropriating His power. If we emphasize the gifts of the Spirit over the fruits of the Spirit, we will appropriate His power without embracing His character. We believe in holiness without narrowness, Pentecostalism without fanaticism, freedom without wildfire. To assist in this endeavor, Open Bible is creating a new resource, Life in the Spirit.
Our second tier in this endeavor is to prioritize effective communication. We are working on a contemporary focus that addresses our website, our ability to administer our licensure test through Acquire, an online administration site, continued growth of the Message magazine as an online tool, and finally, continued promotion of our Statement of Faith.
Our third tier is to activate, addressing upward trends in ministers and churches. We must have growth in the number of young ministers and churches. As a movement we have 248 churches today.
Vision 25
President Randall Bach challenged each church to set goals to be accomplished by 2025 in the following five areas that are pivotal to accomplishing our mission:
| Decisions for Christ | % Increase (Not less than 10%) |
| Baptisms in the Holy Spirit | % Increase (Not less than 10%) |
| New Credentialed Ministers | Number (Not less than one) |
| Parent/Partner in a New Church Plant | Number (Not less than one) |
| MVP Contributions | % Increase (Not less than 20%) |
Each church must decide how they are going to assist in moving Open Bible forward with their own Vision 25 goals. Involvement in this process must be measurable. This will help churches determine which of their ministries are working and which need to change. Open Bible will not grow if we stay where we are with the same level of commitment. Now is the time for your church to go to the next level.
Karl Francis
Our concluding message was from one of our own, Rev. Karl Francis. Karl shared about being here “for such a time as this.” When we look at all we can do and where we can go, it would be easy to say that it is the “best of times.” In another sense it is the “worst of times.” We face new challenges and currents that are affecting the church. We live in a society that is leaning towards having no faith.
Our culture believes the Church is mean, hateful, lacking joy, and lacking power. We need to ask ourselves: Are we a viable alternative for what the world offers? If we are not, we have a problem! America is a great harvest field and we should not forsake it. For such a time as this, the Spirit of God is speaking to us!
Are you listening? Have you learned to walk in obedience?
If the gospel is needed in every home, it is evident we need more churches. Church growth is not hindered by outside forces. It is hindered by the mentality of our churches. We must change or die. We need church planters and church partners. There is a place for us all! We need to plant more churches, so we need to raise up church leaders. It is not about you and your abilities; it is about allowing God to use you!
Finally, we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit! Without the Spirit of God we will not have the effectiveness we need.
I left Embrace19 having been challenged and encouraged. If Open Bible is going to become all that it is called to become, we must come to the full realization that it will require more from us. We cannot sit on the sidelines and expect everyone else to do more. We must do more. I would like to thank all those who had a part in the planning of this convention. It was truly a blessing!
About the Author
Dr. Ralph Vencill, lead pastor of Bellbrook Community Church and a chaplain with Ohio’s Hospice, is a graduate of Eugene Bible College and also holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree from the King’s University. He and his wife, Nancy, have four children and three grandchildren.
When Bert Knapp talks about the neighborhood around Drake Park in Des Moines, he describes it simply: “the middle of the hood.” He also describes it as home. Just four houses down from where he lives, crowds gathered this fall for The Awakening, a multi-church outreach event marked by worship, testimonies, baptisms, and the unmistakable presence of God. What unfolded there was more than an event; it was a picture of the church at its best—unified, humble, and alive.
But to understand The Awakening, you first have to understand Bert.
“If you’ve ever committed crimes and now walk with Jesus,” he says, “you’re going from thugging to loving. That’s the lane God has allowed me to walk down.”
Bert’s story is one of radical transformation. He spent eighteen years in prison (ten of them consecutive) after a childhood marked by unthinkable trauma and a young adulthood consumed by violence, crime, gangs, and drugs. “I grew up in a world void of Jesus,” he says. “Fear was king.” He witnessed stabbings, shootings, and overdoses. As a child, he was abused; as a teenager, he became a gang member; as a young man, he landed in prison for attempted murder and arson.
But God pursued him.
When Jesus finally broke through the darkness of his life, everything changed. Today, he leads Thugging to Loving, a ministry dedicated to reaching the very people he once ran with—pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, the unhoused, and those entrenched in street life. “If you’ve ever committed crimes and now walk with Jesus,” he says, “you’re going from thugging to loving. That’s the lane God has allowed me to walk down.”
Bert, his wife Rachel, and their Thugging to Loving ministry team now spend their days going where most churches never go. Their heart is simple: go outside the walls, preach the gospel through relationships, and bring people into the family of God.
Since spring, Bert and Rachel have shown up every other week for what they call park pull-ups. They don’t preach sermons or hold microphones. They just set up speakers with Christian music, put out a sign offering prayer, hand out Bibles, grill food, and build relationships with the neighborhood. They do it for months leading up to The Awakening, so that when the big day comes, people know they’re not there for the spotlight. They’re there for the people. That consistency—those small, faithful deposits—helped prepare the ground for something bigger.
The idea for The Awakening began in 2022 after a drive-by shooting outside East High School left one teenager dead and two others gravely wounded. The shooters, who were just teenagers themselves, were later sentenced to life in prison.
Bert was stirred by the tragedy, and God began giving him a picture: churches and ministries of all kinds coming together, laying down their denominational differences, and uniting in a public display of the gospel. He saw believers waking up to their calling—not to play church, but to be the Church.
That dream became The Awakening.
The first gathering took place at Evelyn K. Davis Park. About 1,000 people came, twenty-five were baptized, and seven local ministries participated.
This year, the event returned—this time to Drake Park, right in Bert’s neighborhood. Approximately 1,400 people attended, more than thirty people were baptized, and eighteen churches and organizations participated, representing a wide range of backgrounds—Pentecostal, Baptist, Lutheran, and more.
The leadership structure was intentionally upside down. Well-known pastors came, but their names weren’t featured, and they didn’t take the microphone. Instead, they picked up trash. They prayed for people, baptized strangers, and served in complete humility.
The stage was filled instead with testimonies and Christian rap artists—people sharing their stories and preaching the gospel through lyrics and spoken word. At the end, Bert gave an altar call, but not before something remarkable happened.
After months of prayer and fasting, God told Bert to have the entire crowd pray over the pastors. One of the artists unexpectedly called the pastors up and did exactly that, before Bert even said a word. It was confirmation that God was orchestrating every part.
Throughout the park, people were healed, delivered, and baptized. One young woman, just eighteen years old and battling addiction, homelessness, and exploitation, attended after meeting Bert at another event. She was baptized, connected to a transitional home, linked with a pastor, and given a job. “Her whole life changed,” Bert said. “Just like that.”
For Bert, the greatest miracle wasn’t the crowd size or the baptisms. It was the unity.
“When you’ve had a real awakening—when you’ve encountered God for yourself—it’s impossible to go back. You’d have to intentionally deny Him.”
“I would like to thank God for my pastors at Kingdom City Church, who believe in the call of God on my life and came alongside me, as well as the other churches, ministries, and organizations that came and locked arms with us.” Bert said that seeing all these pastors with linked arms around the park was like a physical picture of Psalm 133:
At the core of Bert’s story is one truth: Jesus awakens what’s dead.
He awakens cities.
He awakens churches.
He awakens people who think they’re too far gone.
Bert says, “When you’ve had a real awakening—when you’ve encountered God for yourself—it’s impossible to go back. You’d have to intentionally deny Him.”
The fruit of The Awakening continues: new believers are being discipled, plugged into churches, and supported by a network of pastors now connected in unity. Park pull-ups will continue again in the spring. The firetruck-turned-mobile-baptistry is ready for the next outreach. And Bert believes what God is doing in Des Moines is just beginning. “We’re just one piece of a big puzzle,” he says. “But God is awakening His people.”
*AI tools were used for interview transcription and summarization; all content has been verified by editors.
By Darrick Young
We are at a strategic hinge in American history. The Boomer generation that has long dominated leadership and culture is aging and stepping off center stage. Meanwhile, members of Generation Z (twentysomethings) are becoming the leading edge of a new religious designation in America: the “Nones.” Nones have no religious preference, preferring an eclectic, mix-your-own religious outlook and philosophy.
They can be won, discipled, and developed into a new vanguard of dedicated servants for the Lord. But we must make that vision a priority.
A massive turnover of church leadership is underway, and the potential successor pool will continue to dwindle unless we proactively reverse that trend. God continues to call people to follow Him, and that includes Gen Z. However, many members of Gen Z are drifting, unsure of their purpose and usefulness in life. They need something, more like Someone, to seize their hearts with mission, energy, and a sense of purpose. They can be won, discipled, and developed into a new vanguard of dedicated servants for the Lord. But we must make that vision a priority.
Movement is Open Bible Churches’ ministry to mobilize Generation Z and its leaders, to empower this new generation to lead in the local church, Open Bible Churches, the marketplace, and every arena they influence. Our vision is to empower a new generation of leaders through building community, networking and equipping them to engage in the cause of Christ and encouraging them to utilize their calling and unique gifts to reach people, influence culture, implement new ministries and to lead the church.
On September 18-20, 2025, we will be gathering hundreds of Open Bible young adults from across the nation in Denver, Colorado, for Movement United 2025. This conference for young adults (18-32ish) is designed to challenge and empower a generation of young leaders and then equip them to serve and lead in their local churches and communities.
Detailed information about Movement United and registration is available here.
About the Author
Darrick Young serves as the lead pastor for Journey Church of the Open Bible in Urbandale, Iowa, which he planted in 2012. He also serves on the Central Region and national boards of Open Bible Churches and the board of Discover Church Planting Network. Darrick and his wife, Ranada, have two amazing children and two awesome kids-in-law.
One Monday afternoon in the early spring of 2024, as I finished my personal sabbath at the church where I pastor, I felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit to go outside. I sensed that [the Holy Spirit] wanted me to meet new individuals as they walked by the church, introducing myself as the pastor and learning their names. This was out of the ordinary for me, but I was excited by a new assignment, so I obeyed and went outside immediately.
As I waited in front of the church, I soon met four individuals as they were leaving their A.A. Fellowship meeting. One of these was the attorney who worked across the street, whom I got to know a little better during our conversation. I also met a woman named Michelle who turned out to be my wife Cheryl’s childhood next door neighbor. Thanking the Lord for these meaningful connections, I got in my truck to go home when I heard the Holy Spirit’s voice say, “MAGNIFY!” I responded in my spirit, “Okay, God, I magnify You.” The Holy Spirit spoke again, this time explaining to me, “‘MAGNIFY’ is an acronym that means MEET AND GREET NEW INDIVIDUALS FOR YESHUA. I realized that this was what God was newly calling me to do every day when I was at the church. After committing to the Lord that I would do it, I logged the acronym in my cell phone notes so I could capture the moment.
Just as I began to back up in my truck, I saw a couple walking down the nearby sidewalk carrying a heavy-looking kitchen table. Sensing the Holy Spirit’s prompting again, I asked them if I could help. The woman spoke to her husband, who hadn’t heard me, after which he replied, “Yes, you can help us.” I told them to put the table in the back of the truck and get in, which they did.
When I asked them where they were going, they said three blocks north to their apartment. As we drove the short distance, I asked them their names and the man answered, “Abdul and Maria.” When I arrived at Abdul and Maria’s apartment, they immediately got out of the truck and carried the table toward their doorway. I waved and began to drive away, but Abdul quickly called after me, “No, it is our custom to feed you.” Excited and honored to be a guest in their home, I parked and went inside.
Inside their home I found an empty living room with only blankets on the floor that they used for seating and a television. I sat down on the floor and before I knew it, Maria was bringing food on trays for me to eat (and I mean, it was a lot of food!).
As we sat and dined together, I learned that they were from Afghanistan. I asked them their story, and Abdul shared in full detail how they came to live in Tacoma. The story was so moving to me that I asked them, “How can I help?” Abdul said that they needed chairs for their new table, a vacuum cleaner, and a sofa. Our church had all those things, so I told them, “Let’s get back in the truck and go get those things right now.” They were so thankful for the help that they invited me back for lunch the next day. (Apparently, I didn’t eat enough to satisfy them). I told them I would return with my wife Cheryl.
Since the Lord called me to go out into the neighborhood and “MAGNIFY,” I have met over one hundred people.
The next day, to my surprise, they had set the table to look like a feast for a king! Their appreciation for my assistance was evident in their heartfelt hospitality. As Cheryl and I sat to eat with them, I asked if I could pray over the food, and Abdul said yes. I asked because I assumed that they were Muslims, which I learned they were. After I prayed, we had a conversation about faith. Most of my conversation was with Abdul, since Maria doesn’t speak much English yet, which explained why I’d spotted them coming from the direction of Bates Vocational College, where Maria is taking English lessons.
During our conversation I asked Abdul if he believes Jesus is the Christ, and he responded twice that he believes Jesus is coming again, which really didn’t answer the question. I shared the story about the Samaritan woman at the well who acknowledged Jesus as a prophet, after which Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. Abdul said he knew the story, since it had been told to him at the dinner table when he was a child. I left it at that and proceeded with the luncheon.
What I have learned through MAGNIFY is this: soul winning begins with seed planting
When it was time to depart, I thanked them for their wonderful hospitality, and they invited us to come over any time for tea or for lunch. I did not invite them to church, since I didn’t want them to think that was the only reason I had helped and had lunch with them.
That following Sunday, to my surprise, I looked up and saw Abdul and Maria walking through the doors! Abdul served as Maria’s interpreter throughout the whole service. My heart was overjoyed that simple acts of kindness had led to drawing these new people to our worship service. Abdul and Maria do not attend regularly yet but have attended a few times since. Our relationship has continued to grow. I was able to transport Abdul to a job interview, and he got the job. Today, he and Maria are both working, both have driver’s licenses, and own a car.
Since the Lord called me to go out into the neighborhood and “MAGNIFY,” I have met over one hundred people. All their names are on a list that I keep, both so I can remember them the next time I see them out in the community and so I can call their names out in prayer. Some of them are even showing up in our worship services! I cannot begin to tell you how many lives have been touched by the light of the Lord through MAGNIFY. The conversations I have had with the “down and out” and the “up and out” have been priceless and insightful. Many of them have allowed me to pray for them, and I have found the most precious people in the homeless community surrounding our church. As a pastor, my goal is always to win souls to Christ, and this endeavor is no different. However, what I have learned through MAGNIFY is this: soul winning begins with seed planting. Will you join me and MAGNIFY?
About the Author
Gary Wyatt
Gary Wyatt has been the lead pastor of SureHouse Open Bible Church, an urban ministry in the inner city of Tacoma, Washington, for over 25 years. He is the author of The Art of Blending, a book about mixing cultures in a biased society. The Art of Blending is a book intended for racial reconciliation within the body of Christ.
