October 23, 2024
AUGUSTA, Ga. – For some 40 years, Georgians have been listening to the preaching of Tony Evans on the radio.
In November, they’ll be able to hear him in person.
Evans, the familiar voice on the Urban Alternative radio program that’s carried on more than 1,400 stations, will be among the speakers at the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting November 13-15 at the Marriott Convention Center in Augusta.
“In today’s climate and culture, he is that steady, unwavering voice preaching the pure gospel of Christ,” said Kevin Williams, president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and pastor at First Baptist Church of Villa Rica. “I think it will be exciting for Georgia Baptists to see him live and in person.”
The Georgia Baptist Convention, made up of 3,600 churches with 1.4 million members, holds a business meeting each fall. People attend from across the state, drawn as much by the fellowship, preaching, and singing as by any business matters on the agenda.
Last year, more than 1,000 people attended.
Some of Georgia’s best preachers will be in the pulpit at this year’s annual meeting, including two legendary Georgia pastors, Wayne Robertson of Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, and Josh Smith of Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Bogart.
Williams is urging every congregation in Georgia to attend.
Evans is expected to be a draw, considering the millions of people around the world who listen to him on his daily radio broadcasts.
The Urban Alternative, founded in 1981, is a preaching and teaching ministry aimed at restoring hope and transforming lives.
Evans, who is based in Dallas, Texas, preached virtually last year at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s SPARK Conference, urging Christians not to take sides in political and cultural divisions, weakening their ability to lead people to Jesus.
Using a football analogy in his SPARK sermon, Evans told Georgia Baptists attending that event that referees must stick to the rulebook, even when it’s not popular.
“We’re seeing that all around us today,” Evans said. “We’re seeing the teams line up. Seeing the Republican team and the Democrat team clash. The white team and the black team clash. The police team and the community team clash. We’re seeing the poor team and the rich team clash. Everybody trying to win. But in the midst of a clash of a football game is a third team. That’s the team of officials. This officiating crew does not belong to either team that’s in conflict on the field.”
Evans said Christians should be more like referees than the players fighting it out on the field.
“They don’t don the uniforms of either team, because they have their own black and white identity in the jerseys that they wear,” he said. “They are distinct. Each has been handed a book, and that book governs all decisions. Their personal opinions must be subject to that book. Their preferences must be subject to that book. They know sometimes they’re going to be booed. They know sometimes they’re going to be cheered. But popularity is not their first concern. It’s obedience to the book in the middle of the conflict that matters.”
