The audio files from the BTC 2010 conference are now available for free download! To listen to Pastors Don Donell and Raymond Perron preach on the subject of “The Church & Missions,” follow the links below.

Session 1: Conference Introduction by Don Donell & Raymond Perron

Session 2: “The Mission Is God’s” (Don Donell)

Session 3: “Let’s Get Out of Our Hideout” (Raymond Perron)

Session 4: “Becoming a Radicalized Disciple”  (Don Donell)

Session 5: “Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Culture” (Raymond Perron)

Session 6: Questions & Answers with Don Donell, John Giarrizzo, & Raymond Perron

(By David Giarrizzo)

Just over one week ago, 110 people, most of them between the ages of 18 and 30-something, returned to their homes after a refreshing weekend of mutual edification and time in God’s Word. By all accounts, the third-annual Building Tomorrow’s Church conference was a wonderful success. Not even the cool, wet weather of Prescott, Arizona, could dampen the warmth of the fellowship between these like-minded brothers and sisters, many of whom sacrificed time and money to make it for the weekend. Conference attendees Anita, Catherine, and Joshua Baines traveled all the way from Maine to be with the brethren at BTC 2010 and listen to keynote speakers Raymond Perron and Don Donell preach on the topic of “The Church and Missions.” Others traveled from Massachusetts, Tennessee, and South Carolina in the east, and California and Oregon in the west. First Baptist Church in Clinton, Louisiana, sent the most young people with 14 attendees this year. Other churches in Bremen, Indiana, Mansfield, Texas, and southern California also sent large groups to this year’s BTC conference.

The 110 conference attendees represented more than 25 different Reformed Baptist churches from 17 states. More importantly, though, these 110 people represent both a legacy and a future for Reformed Baptists in North America.

A Legacy
Many of the young people who have participated in past Building Tomorrow’s Church conferences are second and third-generation Reformed Baptists. My brother Paul and I are examples of just such people. Our parents were exposed to the doctrines of grace shortly after being converted to Christ. They raised us with the understanding of Scripture’s authority and the Reformers’ and Puritans’ influence. To us, “doctrine” isn’t a dirty word. We have fond feelings towards catechisms, confessions, and creeds. Many young people like us know and love the great hymns of the church and we understand that reverence and order are essential to right worship. Most importantly, we learned from our upbringing in a Reformed Baptist home that everything we do should be done for the purpose of glorifying God (1 Corinthians 10:31, Soli Deo Gloria). This is the legacy our parents have left.

A Future
It is clear through their lives and conversations that most of the young people at the Building Tomorrow’s Church conferences are sober-minded believers. By their own admissions, they are seeking to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ, in full submission to His mission. Many of the BTC conference attendees are already members in their local churches; more are future members. Raised with a biblical understanding of reality, these young believers are the future of our churches; they present older saints with a hope for our churches when they are gone. Though few are seminary-trained and not all college-educated, they are nevertheless Reformed Baptist theologians in their own right because they have learned it from their parents and now own it for themselves. The purpose of BTC is to encourage the young people in our Reformed Baptist churches to continue in the fight for Truth that their parents have fought; to continue in the project of Kingdom-building in which their parents had labored. As Titus 2 encourages the older saints to teach the younger, through BTC we encourage attendees to be both the teachable younger brother or sister as well as the older saint who disciples. As we heard Robert Briggs say at BTC 2009, it’s not an “either-or, but a both-and.”

The legacy left by Reformed Baptist parents and pastors is seen in the lives of their children and young people. The future of Reformed Baptists is viewed also in these same people’s lives. Like a spiritual relay race in which one generation passes the baton of Truth to the next, our generation is responsible to preserve and promote and pass on the good deposit that has been entrusted to us.  As God keeps us faithful to Him and His mission, may we stay true to the truths of His Word and the lessons learned from our fathers and churches. May we continue in the work of building the Church today for tomorrow.


For more pictures from BTC 2010, click here.


(By David Giarrizzo)


After months of preparation, BTC 2010 is upon us. This weekend, August 6-9, 110 people from 25 different churches in 14 different states will descend upon Prescott, Arizona, for what should be a blessed weekend of time in God’s Word and fellowship with God’s people.

Please keep the following requests in your prayers:

• That God would be glorified in every part of our weekend together.
• That those who are travelling long distances to and from the conference will travel safely and without difficulties.
• That God would give Pastors Don Donell and Raymond Perron power from on high as they preach the Word.
• That God would encourage the young adults who attend the conference through the messages and fellowship.
• That God would encourage the brethren in the churches back home through the Christians who return to continue in their service to the Lord.
• That God might raise up the next pastor, missionary, or church planter through this year’s conference.  

We are continually amazed at what God has and is doing through this annual conference. Please pray for BTC 2010.

For more information, visit www.buildingtomorrowschurch.com.

(By David Giarrizzo)

In April of 2007, after a round-table discussion about the possibility of a nation-wide conference for young Reformed Baptists, Don Donell, serving at that time as a missionary in Argentina, expressed the following thoughts in an email to me:

I believe there exists a great opportunity to mobilize young people in godly living and purposeful preparation of their lives for gospel labors through such planned events. …That by His grace and blessing upon it we might see many lives transformed and kingdom priorities established in the lives of many young people that will impact whole nations for the gospel in their lifetimes.

Now in its 3^rd year of existence, the Building Tomorrow’s Church conference is aimed at impacting Reformed Baptist young adults, ages 18 years and older, with a deepening love for Jesus Christ and a renewed appreciation for His the church. Both singles and married couples from across America will be meeting together in Prescott, Arizona, August 6^th-9^th, for a weekend full of biblical teaching and sweet fellowship with like-minded believers. Indeed, we long to see “many lives transformed and kingdom priorities established” for the glory of God and the growth of the Kingdom.

We are privileged to have as this year’s speakers Pastor Don Donell from Crosspoint Church in Fletcher, NC, and Pastor Raymond Perron from Église Baptiste Réformée de la Capitale in Quebec, Canada. This year’s theme, “The Church and Missions,” deals specifically with the wonderful responsibility that Christ left with His disciples to take God’s Word to the ends of the world. At this summer’s conference Pastors Donell and Perron will address the parts that all of the church’s members should play in reaching the lost with the gospel. Through this conference we want to communicate that same evangelistic sentiment that C.H. Spurgeon expressed in his 1856 sermon on Gospel Missions:

We feel persuaded that all of you are of one mind in this matter, that it is the absolute duty as well as the eminent privilege of the Church to proclaim the gospel to the world. We do not conceive that God will do his own work without instruments, but that, as he has always employed means in the work of the regeneration of this world, he will still continue to do the same, and that it becomes the Church to do its utmost to spread the truth wherever it can reach the ear of man.

Thus, the activity of missions is an important part of the ministry of the local church, and therefore deserves our attention as individual Christians and faithful church members.

We have yet to find out how many future missionaries, church planters, elders, deacons, or Sunday school teachers may be raised up through one of these conferences, but we look forward to what the Lord might do. “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17).  May God alone receive all the glory.

“Pity the nations, O our God, Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad, And bring the strangers home.

We long to see Thy churches full, That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul, Sing Thy redeeming grace.”

For more information about this summer’s BTC conference in Arizona, visit www.buildingtomorrowschurch.com or email us at buildingtomorrowschurch[at]gmail[dot]com.

To take advantage of the early registration discount, register online before May 31^st!

(By: Chad Bennett)

Thursday morning we had the privilege of hearing from a number of church planters and national pastors sent out by ARBCA churches. Of this group two of the men are bloggers here at Ardent Cries. The time was especially encouraging as we got a taste if what the Lord is doing in the promulgation of His Gospel to the ends of the earth. We have a tendency to become so focused on our local ministry and sphere of influence that we miss the larger picture of what God is doing to build his church. May the following summaries serve to encourage your soul as it has mine.

Aaron Hoak is being sent to plant a church in Warsaw, Indiana by Grace Fellowship Church of Bremen, Indiana. Aaron sees Jesus words in Luke 4:43 as inspiration for his work “but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’” For sometime GFC Bremen has had a number of families traveling from Warsaw which is 30 minutes away. They began in February to meet on Thursdays to discuss vision and pray and  beginning  May2 they will gather to worship together on Sunday nights.

Tony Jackson is being sent to plant a church in South Denver, Colorado by the Reformed Baptist Church of Northern Colorado. He Was not able to make it to the G.A. this year but Doug VanDorn of his sending church in Boulder Colorado shared some about the work. Tony was sent only a few weeks ago to begin the work after being in RBCNC for a couple of years and having previous pasturing experience. Tony is a true church planter in that his desire is to continue to plant churches and have a pastor replace him as he moves on to plant other churches.

Chris Powell of Covenant Baptist Church, Toronto, ON, Canada is an ARBCA national pastor. He is ministering in the largest and most diverse city in Canada and one of the most morally corrupt. He shared that churches are being torn down and replaced with mosques and Hindu temples as well as apartments and other buildings. There are very few evangelical churches and confessional reformed Baptist are almost nonexistent. The church is self-governed but not yet self-supporting. Their focus is on evangelism and discipleship and their ultimate goal is Acts 17:11. The church is comprised of  26 members and run around 40 weekly.

Don Donell, former missionary to Argentina, has been sent to plant Crosspoint Church in Fletcher, North Carolina. His sending church is Grace Baptist Church of Taylors, South Carolina (The G.A. host church). The church which was originally started through the evangelistic efforts of Chris Powell and John Miller is currently running around 25 on Sunday. Fletcher is near Asheville which is filled with over 450 new age centers and is truly in need of the gospel.

John Miller is being sent to plant a church in Clarksville, Tennessee by Grace Baptist Church in Hartzville, TN. Clarksville is a town of around 124,000 with only one reformed church (PCA). The church is a result of the labors of  pastors Donny Martin and Carroll Carmen who traveled 1½  hours for a Friday night bible study and then a Sunday night service weekly for the last couple of years. There are currently five families committed to the work. John stated the churches purpose is Glorifying God, equipping men, and engaging the world. He has asked for assistance from other ARBCA churches in the starting of the work. John sees himself as a church planter and hopes to see this church firmly established and then go out to plant another church.

Matthew Brennan, national pastor in Clonmel Baptist Church, Ireland, was scheduled to share concerning his church but unfortunately was unable to join us this year due to the grounding of planes in Europe.

(By David Giarrizzo)

The following is a letter addressed to ARBCA churches and friends regarding this year’s Building Tomorrow’s Church conference. For more information, please visit the official conference website.


Dear Brethren,

It is with much thanks to our merciful Lord that we are excited to announce the details of this year’s Building Tomorrow’s Church conference. BTC’10 will be held again in beautiful Prescott, Arizona, the weekend of August 6^th-9^th (Friday-Monday). We are privileged to have for this year’s keynote speakers Pastor Don Donell from Crosspoint Church in Fletcher, NC, and Pastor Raymond Perron from Église Baptiste Réformée de la Capitale in Quebec, Canada. The theme of BTC’10 is “The Church and Missions.”

The Building Tomorrow’s Church ministry, aimed at young adults (18 yrs+) from Reformed Baptist churches, seeks to communicate that same evangelistic sentiment that C.H. Spurgeon expressed in his 1856 sermon on Gospel Missions:

We feel persuaded that all of you are of one mind in this matter, that it is the absolute duty as well as the eminent privilege of the Church to proclaim the gospel to the world. We do not conceive that God will do his own work without instruments, but that, as he has always employed means in the work of the regeneration of this world, he will still continue to do the same, and that it becomes the Church to do its utmost to spread the truth wherever it can reach the ear of man.

Thus, the activity of missions is an important part of the ministry of the local church, and therefore deserves our attention as individual Christians and faithful church members. May we all benefit from the reminder to be faithful in proclaiming the Word of Truth to all men.

It is our great desire to see the lives of young people sanctified by the power of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit’s conviction and encouragement in hearts that love the Lord and His people. We “expect great things from God” as we “attempt great things for God” through this annual conference. We have yet to find out how many future missionaries, church planters, elders, deacons, or Sunday school teachers may be raised up through one of these conferences, but we look forward to what the Lord might do. “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17).  May God alone receive all the glory.

We ask that you keep the BTC conference and its planning in your regular prayers. Also, take a moment to visit www.buildingtomorrowschurch.com to stay informed of upcoming BTC’10 announcements. May the Lord bless you and your Gospel ministries.

On behalf of the BTC conference planning committee and Grace Covenant Church,

David Giarrizzo
Conference Coordinator