A small group of black PCA pastors seeking to spread biblical teaching within the African-American mainstream church is hosting a conference in Baltimore this summer.

Lance Lewis, pastor of Christ Liberation Fellowship PCA (a plant of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, Pa.) is joining with a handful of other African-American teaching elders to host “Revival 2K10: Worshiping God Through Preaching, Prayer, and Praise,” June 4-6 in Baltimore, Md., at New Song Community Church.

“We are praying for revival and renewal,” said Lewis. “We hope to impact the black church and community with a Christ-centered view of what our faith is and how to live it out,” he said.

Overcoming the Prosperity Gospel

Lewis is particularly concerned about the entrenchment of the prosperity gospel and word of faith teaching, which he says have increased within the African-American church over the past 25 years. “I think it’s as much a threat to the historic black church as theological liberalism was to the evangelical church in the early part of the 20th century.”

And his concern is that errant teaching could lead to an eventual abandonment of evangelical Christianity. “When people see that the prosperity gospel doesn’t work they may reject God altogether,” he said.

He envisions a more biblical way of believing, “where people no longer measure their lives by their circumstances, but seek to serve the Lord as an end to itself. That helps to provide a foundation for a growing, thriving, and flourishing walk with the Lord.”

The black Reformed community has had little effectiveness in connecting with the wider African-American church community, Lewis says. “Part of the problem is that we’re providing the right answers to questions they simply aren’t asking,” he said. “Revival 2K10 seeks to offer preaching and teaching that provides biblical answers to the questions that are on the minds of churched and unchurched black people. They’re chiefly concerned with what is the substance of salvation in the here and now.”

Working through Effective Media

One of the goals of June’s Revival 2K10, which is open to pastors and laypeople alike, is to feature biblical preaching to disseminate through a variety of media.

“In general the way to connect with the Reformed community is to write and publish,” said Lewis, “but the way most blacks receive teaching is through electronic media—radio, TV, online. It’s most effective to connect through the means they use.”

The sermons and teaching from Revival 2K10 will be available afterwards in a number of formats.

“We want to present biblical worship, preaching, and a biblical church model at the conference,” he said, adding that the meetings will feature breakout sessions, prayer for revival, a ministry tour of New Song Community Church, and a Christian hip-hop concert.

While the conference is oriented toward the African-American community, all are welcome. “We joyfully invite any and all who long to see an increased witness among all peoples in cities and metro areas,” said Lewis.

To learn more about Revival 2K10 click here, or contact Lance Lewis at lance818@verizon.net.