ORLANDO–Florida Baptists will come together to challenge and sharpen one another during the Challenge 2025 Gathering scheduled for Feb. 22 at First Baptist Church in Orlando.
“Challenge 2025 will be a time of encouragement, inspiration and equipping to be even more efficient and effective in proclaiming the gospel and reaching people for the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. “I know God is going to show up and move mightily as we come together.”
Paul Purvis, pastor of Mission Hill Church in Tampa, will present the keynote address during the morning session. The president of the Florida Baptist State Convention is known for his heart for missions and pastoral training, traveling around the world equipping and encouraging pastors.
During the afternoon session, Green will lead a season of prayer including praise, confession, scripture, intercession, petition and thanksgiving.
He implored Florida Baptists to “come be a part of what God is doing among the Florida Baptist family.”
This year’s 2025 event is the second time Florida Baptists have gathered to set their congregations’ challenges and address their ministry contexts and struggles, while equipping one another to reach their Challenge 2025 goals.
The 2021 gathering drew over 800 pastors and leaders from 321 congregations across the state, representing a diversity of churches, from urban to rural and more than five language groups. Through it all, the unity among Florida Baptists was applauded and celebrated.
Green originally revealed a five-year vision for Florida Baptists during the 2019 Florida Baptist State Convention in Orlando. “Challenge 2025” was designed to spur the family of Baptists to attain a new level of commitment to reach the state with the gospel.
Green’s vision established annual benchmarks for the state’s combined churches:
–75 new church plants;
–100 revitalized churches;
–30,000 baptisms;
–12,000 mission engagements;
–$33 million in Cooperative Program gifts; and
–$1 million in Maguire State Mission Offering gifts for church planting
“These are not just checklist items,” Green said. “They are indicators of the feet on the ground working for the glory of God. No one person, no one church can accomplish all that God has called us to.
“So, we work together. We challenge and sharpen one another. We encourage our brothers, and we pick each other up when it is too hard to go it alone,” he said.
“We know as Florida Baptists we can do more together than we ever could alone.”
The 18 targeted and strategic breakout sessions will feature a panel of pastors and church leaders sharing testimonies, along with practical and helpful discussions.
- Brazilian Challenge
- Hispanic Challenge
- Haitian Challenge
- Urban Challenge
- Suburban Challenge
- Rural Challenge
- Missions Challenge
- Church Planting Challenge
- Next Gen Challenges
- Children & Families
- Students
- Collegiate
- Church Revitalization Challenge
- Multi-Site Challenge
- Technology Challenge
- Asian Challenge
- Financial Challenge
- Ministry Wives Challenge
The schedule for the one-day event is:
8 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. Kickoff Celebration
9 a.m. Breakout Sessions 1
10:45 p.m. General Session
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions 2
3 p.m. General Session
4 p.m. Dismissal
Costs to attend the meeting are: Individual Registration – $30; Church Leadership Registration (all pastors, key leaders from church) – $120
To register, click here.