ORLANDO—When pastors from across the state gather for the 2019 Florida Pastors’ Conference in Orlando Nov. 10-11, they will consider a slate of nominees to serve as officers in 2020.
Cliff Lea, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, is expected to be nominated for conference president by Charles Roesel, pastor emeritus of the church.
As the teaching and church leadership pastor, Lea has served the Leesburg church family and community since 2007. A graduate of Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, Lea is the author of several books including “A Selfless Marriage”—a faith-based marriage advice tome for newly engaged, newlyweds and longtime spouses.
He has been married to his wife, Suzy, for nearly 30 years. They have five sons.
Aaron Filippone, campus pastor at Family Church in West Palm Beach, plans to nominate Aaron Burgner, lead pastor of Church at the Mall in Lakeland, as first vice-president of the Pastors’ Conference.
The Polk County native was called as pastor of the Lakeland church in 2017 after having served churches in Kentucky, North Carolina and Louisiana.
Burgner holds a doctor of ministry in Christ-Centered Exposition from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; a master of divinity degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and a bachelor of science degree from Southeastern University in Lakeland. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Louisiana Baptist University for his leadership in church growth.
“My focus is to continually keep God’s Word at the center of all we do,” Burgner wrote in a letter on the church’s website, “and to continually equip and mobilize our members for the accomplishment of the Great Commission.”
Darian Kress, pastor of Scott Lake Baptist Church, plans to nominate Lanelle Pickett, pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Bartow, as second vice-president of the 2020 Pastors’ Conference.
“Dr. Pickett has been in our association for over 20 years and served on the State Board of Missions for two terms where we got to become really good friends riding together to different places for meetings,” said Kress.
Under Pickett’s leadership the Hope Missionary Baptist family has demonstrated steady growth and stability, he added. “He is very faithful, and his church loves him, and I look forward to nominating him in Orlando.”
Elections at the annual conference will be held during the Monday afternoon session. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Stay At It” and will begin with the Sunday session at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the annual meeting click here.