In the church we rightly esteem the leaders God has gifted as teachers. We honor these preachers by setting them apart for this vital work, as the apostle Paul commanded (1 Tim. 5:17). We observe their contributions every week as they bring the Word of the Lord to us from the pulpit. When we convene conferences that draw together leaders from a variety of churches, we build the schedule around these teachers, through whom God blesses us with rich, biblical instruction such as we enjoyed last week in Chicago at TGC11.
While more than 5,400 learned from these examples of preaching Christ from the Old Testament, only a few have witnessed the months of intense labor devoted to making this event possible. Without the exemplary work of The Gospel Coalition’s executive director, Ben Peays, none of us would have enjoyed these three days of fellowship, instruction, and rejoicing over the gospel of Jesus Christ that unites us and invites us to action.
Ben has devoted himself to the study of God’s Word while earning his MDiv at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and ThM at Princeton Theological Seminary. We trust him as a faithful steward of the one and only gospel as revealed to us in Scripture. He is a devoted member of his local church, CrossWay Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin, led by TGC council member Mike Bullmore. And he is a loving husband to his wife, Lynae, and father to his children (you may have delighted in watching them run around the spacious McCormick Center ballroom during the Reach Records concert on Thursday night).
While excelling in all these other responsibilities, Ben serves the church at large with his exceptional talent for administration. I’ve never known anyone else who can manage so many details with such skill. He excels in negotiating, saving TGC money wherever possible so we can invest in our priority of promoting gospel-centered ministry for the next generation. He sets a standard of excellence and hard work that inspires the rest of us to give all we have to honor God in our labor.
So on behalf of Hannah Schmitt, John Starke, and Josh Mathews—those who work closely with Ben for TGC every day while spread around the country—I want to offer him our deep thanks for organizing TGC11 and leading us. Thank you, Ben, for devoting yourself to the cause of Christ and sharing your gifts so that TGC might serve church leaders on the front lines of gospel ministry.
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