Together for the Gospel

Conference calls pastors and leaders back to the truths of the Reformation

In 2006, then-Christianity Today journalist Collin Hansen was finishing an exploration of sorts. Hansen had immersed himself in a growing evangelical movement and had just published an article in Christianity Today on it. The article, entitled “Young, Restless, Reformed,” details the growth or resurgence of Reformed theology, somewhat synonymous with Calvinism, among young adults in their 20s and 30s.

The article, which would later turn into a book by the same title, takes the reader to the major hubs around the U.S. where the doctrines of the Reformation were being taught. From the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, to Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hansen speaks with young adults who aligned themselves with Reformed theology.

One of the stops Hansen makes on his tour of the country is Louisville, Kentucky where the Together for the Gospel (T4G) conference is held. Birthed out of a friendship between four men, Albert Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever and Ligon Duncan, this conference sought to equip and train pastors.

April 2006 was the inaugural T4G conference, and it drew around 3,000 pastors and church leaders.

“Most of the audience were in their 20s and 30s,” Hansen wrote. “Each of the seven speakers holds to the five points of TULIP. … They drew unity as Calvinist evangelicals from their concerns: with seeker churches, church-growth marketing, and manipulative revival techniques.”

T4G celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year, and I had the privilege of attending the conference last week. The conference focused primarily on the upcoming 500-year anniversary of the Reformation and how it is still effecting our lives as Christians to this day.

Some things have changed over the last 10 years for T4G. The conference was originally held in the Kentucky International Convention Center but has now moved to the KFC Yum! Center a few blocks away due to spacing issues. T4G, which was attended by approximately 3,000 people at its first ever meeting back in 2006, has now ballooned to around 10,000 attendees.

Yet even with these changes, many important things have stayed the same. One evident example is the friendship between the core four who established the conference. As fickle as human relationship are, the deep love and friendship shared between Mohler, Mahaney, Dever and Duncan is encouraging and heartwarming.

Another aspect that has lasted over the last 10 years is the conference’s focus on the gospel. As one can tell from its name, T4G was originally established in the hopes of pointing pastors and church leaders back to the riches of the gospel. In an age where Christians can be more focused on the lighting, smoke machines and shallow songs, T4G’s emphasis on doctrine and sound theology is refreshing.

In a society that is so focused on personality and celebrity, it can sometimes be hard to bring the attention of the listeners from the speaker to the message itself. Yet from the sermons to the worship to the breakout sessions, this conference leaves those attending with a greater appreciation and love for the Word of God.

“What stood out to me about this conference is that it will not be remembered for any particular person,” Tim Challies, a popular Christian blogger, wrote describing the first T4G. “I don’t know that anyone will look back and remember the words or message of one speaker far above the others. What people will remember is the collective passion for the gospel, a passion that existed not only in the hearts of the seven men who spoke, but in the 3,000 who sat and listened and participated.”

Sutherland is the opinion editor.