Truth Conferences are coordinated by “Local Church Apologetics” ministry and are designed to equip believers of all ages to better defend their Christian faith. A special emphasis is placed in Truth Conferences to also equip local church leaders to better incorporate apologetics into the ministry of the local church at every age level.
Rick McGough is the coordinator of the Truth Conferences. After pastoring New Life Fellowship church in Moline, IL. for 34 years Rick stepped down from pastoring to dedicate the remainder of his life to helping to bring apologetics training into local churches and the lives of believers. A new ministry, “Local Church Apologetics” (localchurchapologetics.org) was established and one of the arms of the ministry is the Truth Conferences. The first Truth Conference actually was held just before Rick stepped down from pastoring, in November of 2015 in Peoria, IL. The vision for the Truth Conferences includes bringing these conferences to locations across the nation. So far conferences have been scheduled for Peoria, IL., Kansas City, MO., Pensacola, FL., Moline, (Quad Cities – Illinois and Iowa) IL., and Naperville, (Chicagoland) IL. Plans are now in motion for the next Truth Conference on Saturday, November 7th at Central Assembly of God Church in Springfield, Missouri. *** (Postponed due to Covid-19 - Rescheduled date yet to be determined)
Josh McDowell has served as the keynote speaker of the Truth Conferences since 2015. Josh is a pioneer in apologetics ministry in America. His books have now sold over 140 million copies worldwide and he has been traveling to speak around the world for over 50 years. Other speakers from around the nation also serve in their areas of expertise as they speak in breakout sessions. Many of these breakout session speakers normally serve as keynote speakers in other conferences and seminars. Topics covered in Truth Conferences include “Creation vs. Evolution”, “The Reliability of the Bible”, “The Person of Jesus Christ”, “Christianity and Islam”, “The Biblical Response to Homosexuality” and “Answering the Criticisms of Skeptics.”
Phil Stacey, international song evangelist, and former America Idol finalist, serves as the worship leader for the Truth Conferences. Phil and Rick did a “Bold & Eternal Evangelism Tour” together in the fall of 2013 and developed a great friendship. Phil very much sees the need for apologetics in the ministries of local churches and in the lives of believers.
It is the goal of every Truth Conference to impact the community and area in which the conference takes place by training believers to better defend their faith, and even more by challenging local church leaders to consider how to bring apologetics into their ministries at every age level for years to come. Pastors who attend are challenged, encouraged and offered resources to help them identify materials they can use in their local church to teach apologetics to children, teens and adults.