Photos by Michael Duncan
ORLANDO–At the 2024 Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference Nov. 10-11 at First Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida Baptist pastors were encouraged to rest, based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28.
Aaron Burgner, president of the 2024 Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference, said, “My heart is that this conference and sermons that we hear would encourage your soul to find rest as you continue to labor in God’s kingdom for His glory.”
Burgner, senior pastor of Lakes Church in Lakeland, was assisted in planning the 2024 Pastors’ Conference by Matt McCraw, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Bartow, who served as first vice president for the 2024 Pastors’ Conference, and Lito Lucas, pastor of Philippine International Christian Fellowship in Lakeland, who served as second vice president for the 2024 Pastors’ Conference.
D.J. Horton:
D.J. Horton, pastor of the Church at the Mill in Spartanburg, North Carolina, opened the 2024 Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference with a call to rest.
Stating that in ministry, 100% of all pastors know another pastor who burned out because they never rested, Horton exhorted pastors to remember that the root of rest is a commandment from Exodus 20:8.
“We remain so active in ministry for the Savior, it becomes days, weeks or months since we’ve communed with the Savior, and then we find ourselves pastoring for God, not with God.”
He called pastors to seek out a redemptive rhythm and not a rigid regulation, as they pause and rest in the Lord.
“In His great sovereign generosity, God allows us to do His work, to communicate the truth of the gospel.” He asked, “Should not we owe it to Him to be rested when we do it?”
Cliff Lea
Cliff Lea, pastor of First Baptist Church in Leesburg, delivered a cautionary tale from the life of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26. “Uzziah,” he said, “shows us the opposite of the restfulness we should have in the Lord.”
Lea taught that God is behind every success, but He will often use other people to encourage and help along the way. When Uzziah did what was right it the eyes of the Lord, God gave him a favorable outcome. Lea encouraged pastors to a greater determination to rest, accrediting all success to the Lord and being thankful to and for others.
He warned pastors to watch out for pride and know that everything can be lost in a moment “when we quit resting in Him, when pride enters our lives, when we begin to view ourselves above the rules,” said Lea. “I pray that we, as God’s servants, would have the kind of humble audacity to confront sin when it’s needed and listen to words of correction.”
Edgar Aponte
Preaching from Hebrews 3:18-4:2, Edgar Aponte, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, warned Florida Baptist pastors that “unbelief will keep you from rest.”
Reflecting on his early years of ministry at Idlewild, Aponte shared with attendees the weight and restlessness he felt was due to not trusting the Lord completely. As Aponte walked through the passage, the Central Florida Baptist pastor stated that “a restless heart is symptomatic of a heart that is failing to trust God fully.”
Second, Aponte stated that a “restless heart within the congregation impacts the rest of the pastor.” He elaborated the point by stating that most pastors are not exhausted and restless due to mere activities and their ministry schedule but due to the restlessness and grumbling of the people of God.
Third, Aponte said, “Obedience to God’s Word is the only path to rest, so preach the Word faithfully and rest in Him.” Quoting Hebrews 4:12, Aponte challenged pastors not to get distracted by all of the noise but to “acknowledge and become dependent on the power of God’s Word.”
“The Word does little good if we refuse to believe it,” he said.
Finally, he begged pastors to long for righteousness and for all who are weary and heavy-laden to rest in Christ.
Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith, pastor of Family Church Village in West Palm Beach, delivered a message aimed at the weary hearts of pastors, focusing on the theme of rest and strength through Christ.
Preaching from Matthew 11:28-30, Smith acknowledged the profound weariness felt by pastors in today’s heavy ministry climate, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that while people come to church seeking strength, they often encounter leaders who themselves are burdened.
Smith reminded pastors that Jesus, who entered a weary and dark world, is the true source of strength and rest. He encouraged pastors to “come unto” Christ and to examine if Jesus is truly their “rock in a weary land.” He urged pastors to avoid distractions and to cultivate a close relationship with Christ—beyond merely holding a Christian worldview. By drawing near to Jesus, pastors can model genuine reliance on Him for their congregations.
In a powerful exhortation, Smith challenged pastors to get their “yoke and burden” from Jesus rather than the pressures of the world or comparisons with others. Taking on burdens that Christ never intended for them, he warned, only leads to anxiety, grief and disappointment. True rest, he concluded, is found in unwavering fidelity to God, with Jesus as the firm foundation and anchor for every weary soul.
Bryant Wright
Drawing from Hebrews 12:1-3, Bryant Wright, Send Relief president, shared a message focused on finishing strong in the journey of faith. With a recognition that many pastors struggle with rest, Wright highlighted the importance of a life purpose that keeps pastors grounded and fruitful. Reflecting on his own early burnout in ministry, Wright emphasized that rest is essential for endurance and avoiding pitfalls.
Wright shared practical advice for pastors to “finish strong” by nurturing a lifestyle centered on following Jesus and maintaining personal well-being. He urged pastors to lay aside distractions, shed sin, and run with endurance by fixing their eyes on Jesus, the “author and perfecter” of faith. Wright noted that Jesus not only models joy amid difficulty but also refines and strengthens the faith of believers.
He then outlined ten habits that enable longevity in ministry: daily quiet time, a weekly Sabbath, regular dates with one’s spouse, attention to health and fitness, focusing on ministry passions, setting aside time for creative renewal, establishing boundaries, managing discouragement, developing hobbies, and wise financial stewardship. By cultivating these practices, Wright asserted, pastors can create a sustainable path to “finish strong,” rooted in rest, joy and a steady focus on Jesus.
Ken Whitten
Closing the 2024 Florida Baptist Pastors’ Conference at First Baptist Church in Orlando was Ken Whitten, former Florida Baptist pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church for 33 years and current national director of pastoral leadership at the North American Mission Board. Preaching from 2 Corinthians 1:3-14, Whitten elicited laughter as he summed up the words of the apostle Paul –- “I am not okay, and that’s okay because I will be okay.”
Hitting the ground running, Whitten stated that the true test is what’s going to happen when attendees walk out the door of the Pastors’ Conference. “When we break the huddle, average life stuff still happens,” he said. “The Christian life isn’t lived in a bubble; it’s lived in battle.”
Defining compassion as “your pain in my heart,” Whitten urged pastors to lean into God’s mercy and comfort amid their afflictions and, in return, use it to minister to others. “God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to transfer that comfort to someone else,” he said. “You’re more than a person that just preaches sermons … you’re a minister.”
Whitten concluded the pastors’ conference by encouraging pastors to trust God and to keep pressing on. “We won’t trust God until we have to … Sometimes God allows what He hates, to accomplish what He loves,” he said.
In referencing an HOV lane on an interstate, Whitten challenged pastors to not go at ministry alone, but to find a passenger. “You may can go faster by yourself, but you can go further with someone else,” he said. “We’re in this together. Let’s be the most comforting pastors in Florida.”
Watch the sermons in their entirety here.
With reporting by Keila Diaz, Brooke Mannion and Jessica Pigg.
