by Meredith Day

SACRAMENTO - God transforms His people from the inside out, continually renewing Christians to be agents of His transformation to the people they meet and in the places they go.

During the 2007 Pastors' Conference, held at Russian Baptist Church in West Sacramento Nov. 12-13, the theme of "Transformers: 'No longer I ... but Christ ... '" set the stage for a series of messages on how God can change individuals, churches, communities, even entire generations.

Speaking to pastors and church leaders from across the state, Randy McWhorter described how God's call transforms those He has equipped for ministry. McWhorter, who leads the California Southern Baptist Convention healthy church group, shared about his own calling, and how God changed - and continues to change - him to fulfill specific purposes.

"God's call is personally addressed, personally written, personally delivered, and demands a personal response. I believe the church that Jesus established desperately needs you to live a life worthy of the calling."

Living worthy means understanding what God has said, obeying Him and chasing after His will," McWhorter explained.

"The decision has already been made: I've decided to follow Jesus. No turning back," McWhorter declared. "This means that for the rest of my life, I will pursue the calling God has put on my life."

Adopting a "no turning back" mindset means persevering even when God's transformation process proves difficult, noted Roger Spradlin, pastor of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield. He spoke about how true change goes against the sinful nature, but Christians can rejoice because it is God's desire to transform those He has called.

"When it comes to transformation, God has never met His match," Spradlin asserted. "He is absolutely determined through the sanctification process to conform us to the image of Christ."

Spradlin noted spiritual transformation is sharing the pain of Christ, ultimately conforming to Him in His death while giving up "our own wants and ways" for His glory.

Rob Zinn, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, echoed Spradlin, saying that undergoing trials is integral to transformation.

"My experience has always been that I don't do my best growing when everything is going well. I do my best growing when all hell breaks loose."

Zinn, whose wife Sue died early this year, said God often uses the trials in life to show that He's near, that only He can calm the storms. Zinn spoke specifically to pastors, telling them tribulation is a certainty in the life of anyone who follows Christ, especially those who lead in ministry. But like He did for the disciples in Luke 8, God gives His Word in the storm, Zinn affirmed.

"Jesus needed to show them that His Word was more powerful than the storm. When we don't have faith, we let the circumstances of life have more of an impact than His Word."

Reliance on God's promises is foundational to transformation, agreed Ken Hemphill, who serves as national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention's Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis. Hemphill focused on prayer, stating that a deep, personal relationship with Christ through prayer is the key to spiritual change.

"We cannot experience radical transformation until prayer becomes our very breath. Prayer is not a last resort, but a continual process."

Going through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, Hemphill outlined the commitments God's people make to Him when they pray as He instructed: to live a holy life, to be dedicated to the advancement of His Kingdom and to be radically obedient to His Word.

Hemphill noted that when Christians pray like Christ taught the disciples, they are committing to God to work toward a day when all people will know His name and His power, bridging the gap between personal transformation and the kind of change God can bring throughout the world.

Brian Kennedy, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Ontario, spoke about how God transformed him through a calling to the church, and how He has since worked with the congregation at Mt. Zion to reach the community surrounding the church.

Kennedy noted when God brings about a metamorphosis in one leader, that change spreads outward. It's all about being willing to look and act differently because He has issued a call to holiness.

"The community will be transformed when the church refuses to be squeezed into the world's mode. The world is not looking for someone who looks like them, even though they say they are. The world wants someone who looks different.

"You know what the world wants?" Kennedy asked. "The world wants Jesus!"

To share the love of Christ in their community, Mt. Zion has set up a boxing league for neighborhood children. It's a whatever-it-takes approach that is specifically tailored to their location - and it's a necessary model for today's church, according to Dan Kimball, who delivered the final message of the conference.

Kimball, pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, described how the world has changed from a "What denomination are you?" environment to "What religion (or religions) are you?"

He emphasized the importance of understanding the next generation, seeking them out to get an idea of where they are spiritually so churches can continue to reach them.

"It is the Holy Spirit's role to convict and draw people to repentance," Kimball explained, "but we forget that we have a responsibility to build relationships with the people who live here, and we have stopped praying daily for those who don't know Jesus."

Kimball challenged pastors to become brokenhearted for the next generation, and to realize the potential God has given those He has called.

"God, You have given us the ministry of transformation. Help us become transformers, in Your power and for Your glory," Kimball prayed.

(Day is communication director for Vision San Diego.)