TABCOM ANNUAL GATHERING (TAG2025)
The Authentic Church in Challenging Times
“Encourage one another…” Hebrews 10:23-25
May 2-3, 2025
Given the current climate of uncertainty and the challenges we all face, now more than ever, we are called to stand together in faith, unity, and encouragement. As the body of Christ, we are not alone—we are strengthened by one another and by the unwavering faithfulness of our God.
We invite you to join us for our upcoming Annual Gathering (#TAG2025), themed “The Authentic Church in Challenging Times,” inspired by the powerful words of Hebrews 10:23-25:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)
This verse is a profound reminder that our God is faithful, and He calls us to remain steadfast in hope, to uplift one another, and to be a light in the midst of uncertainty. As we gather, we will explore what it means to be an authentic church—a people of bold faith, resilient love, and unwavering commitment to the Gospel, even in the face of difficulty.
Come and be renewed. Come and be encouraged. Come and be reminded that we are stronger together. We can’t wait to see you at #TAG2025!
Registration is closed but we would still love to see you. You can register at the door without meals or lodging.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rev. Dr. David E. Fitch
David Fitch (Ph.D Northwestern University) has pastored for 30 years, been involved in 8 church-plants over the course of his ministry. He is the Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary Chicago. He teaches in the fields of church and mission, culture studies, political theory, Neo-Anabaptist theology and ethics. He speaks on the challenges of church in mission in the changing cultural challenges of our times. He has written 9 books, published in multiple academic journals, for Christianity Today, OutReach Magazine, ChurchLeaders.com, EthicsDaily.
He writes regularly on Fitch’s Provocations (https://davidfitch.substack.com/), leads discussion on his facebook page (fitchest) and on twitter at @fitchest. He is married to Rae Ann and they have one son named Max. He is an ordained pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He’s coached hockey for the YMCA USA Hockey program for seven years. His theme for us is Reckoning With Power: Discerning God’s Power, Navigating Worldly Power in Leadership, Conflict, and Mission
TABCOM ANNUAL GATHERING OFFERING
OUR HOSTS
Grotonwood Camps and Conference Center
Grotonwood is a Christian camp and conference center located in the beautiful town of Groton, MA.
Nestled among 247 acres of private woodland, camp is a treasure trove of outdoor fun and recreation. Through summer camp and retreat hosting, they have been ministering to children, adults with physical, developmental and intellectual disabilities, families, church communities and not for profit organizations since 1956! It is their desire and commitment to be a resource to ALL God’s people, encouraging spiritual growth (and adventure!) in the tranquility of a natural environment.
Their summer camp and year-round programs give way to beautiful encounters, lifelong learning experiences and relationship building opportunities. At the heart of this are beautiful facilities and a committed group of staff that will support and encourage you in the process of spiritual growth.
BLANCHARD HALL
JUDSON VILLAGE
GOING LODGE CABINS
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MAY 2
| 1:00pm | Registration |
| 2:00pm – 3:15pm | WORKSHOP #1 |
|
1. |
Understanding Pastoral Compensation – Rev. Diane Badger |
|
2. |
It’s Time for a Change Part I – Rev. Ron Bouthillette |
|
3. |
Excellence in Black Preaching – Rev. Kenneth Young |
| 3:15pm-3:30pm | Break |
| 3:30pm-4:45pm | WORKSHOP #2 |
|
1. |
Organizing Your Church History – Rev. Diane Badger |
|
2. |
New Neighbors & Religious Freedom with the Massachusetts Council of Churches—Rev. Laura Everett & Rev. Cristina Rathbone |
|
3. |
It’s Time for a Change Part II – Rev. Ron Bouthillette |
|
5:00pm-6:00pm |
Dinner |
| 6:00pm | Business Meeting |
| 7:30pm | Worship |
SATURDAY, MAY 3
| 7:00am | Registration |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am – 10:15am | WORKSHOP #1 |
|
1. |
Presence Based Witness: Six Steps to Power-full Witness in Christ’s Kingdom – Rev. David Fitch |
|
2. |
The Church of Tomorrow – Rev. Ron Bouthillette |
| 3. | Church Revitalization with a Five-Fold Acts Strategy – Rev. Dr. Yaliang Zhao |
| 10:15am – 10:30am | Break |
| 10:30am – 11:45am | WORKSHOP #2 |
| 1. | Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church – Rev. Rick Harrington |
| 2. | From servants to Jesus’ Friends – Rev. Jennifer Layte |
| 3. | Missions at the Border – Rev Dr. Mary Day Hamel |
| 12:00pm | Lunch Banquet |
| 1:30pm |
Closing Worship – Rev. Dr. David Fitch |
|
Honoring Milestones (Ordinations and Church Anniversaries) |
|
| Benediction |
Rev. Dr. Mary Day Miller |
WORKSHOPS AND FACILITATORS
Presence Based Witness: Six Steps to Power-full Witness in Christ’s Kingdom
A seminar where we will discuss five qualities that characterized the leadership style of Jesus. When church leaders emulate these qualities, they will inspire and empower the people they have been called to lead. The seminar will wrestle with four questions that emerge from John’s introduction of Jesus, “and the word became flesh and dwelt among us….”
Rev. Dr. David E. Fitch
David Fitch (Ph.D Northwestern University) has pastored for 30 years, been involved in 8 church-plants over the course of his ministry. He is the Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary Chicago. He teaches in the fields of church and mission, culture studies, political theory, Neo-Anabaptist theology and ethics. He speaks on the challenges of church in mission in the changing cultural challenges of our times. He has written 9 books, published in multiple academic journals, for Christianity Today, OutReach Magazine, ChurchLeaders.com, EthicsDaily.
He writes regularly on Fitch’s Provocations (https://davidfitch.substack.com/), leads discussion on his facebook page (fitchest) and on twitter at @fitchest. He is married to Rae Ann and they have one son named Max. He is an ordained pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He’s coached hockey for the YMCA USA Hockey program for seven years.
GOD’S LOVE AT THE BORDER
Reflections on my recent experience in Tijuana with the Border Church and other ministries.
Rev. Dr. Mary Day Hamel
Rev. Hamel was called to serve as TABCOM’s executive minister in August 2015. From 2012-2015, Re. Miller served as Associate Executive Minister of Mid-American Baptist Churches, a region serving churches in Iowa and Minnesota. She has held two long-term pastorates, at the First Baptist Church in Fredericktown, Ohio and Memorial Baptist Church in Indianapolis.
She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Central Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
NEW NEIGHBORS AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
At the Massachusetts Council of Churches, we know that many people in many congregations feel a deep need to do something – anything! – to help their immigrant neighbors during these hostile & perilous times. Figuring out how to do this, however, can be daunting.
Time and again we’ve heard the same anguished question: How can we offer our gifts right now? We want to help but what should we do? Can you help us get involved?
The good news is that we can. Thanks be to God, there are many organizations across the Commonwealth doing extraordinary, vital, and deep-reaching work with, through and for local immigrant communities. Join Rev. Laura Everett, Executive Director and Rev. Tina Rathbone, Congregational Coordinator to learn about what we can do together to support our immigrant neighbors. Learn about the federal lawsuit Mennonite Church USA et al vs Department of Homeland Security, of which the Massachusetts Council of Churches (and therefore TABCOM is a part) to protect all of our freedom to worship without fear, and stop ICE from intruding into worship, and how you can support our case.
We aim to leave this workshop equipped with new tools and strategies to connect with local immigrant organizations closest to you and start the transformative process of gathering your people and stepping up in whatever small, real way is best for you.
Rev. Laura Everett
Rev. Laura Everett serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. A graduate of Brown University, Laura received her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School. Ordained by the United Church of Christ, Laura is formed by many parts of the Church. She is happiest exploring somewhere new, preferably by bike. A dedicated urbanist and bicycle evangelist, Rev. Laura is the author of Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels.
Committed to the renewal and thriving of vibrant Christian institutions, she serves as an advisor with Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School. Laura is also the co-host of the podcast Can These Bones with Bill Lamar, from Faith & Leadership at Duke Divinity School. Laura aims for attraction not persuasion. A moderately competent seamstress, Laura loves working with her hands.
Rev. Cristina Rathbone has spent most of the last 15 years birthing new faith communities. As Canon Missioner of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, she founded MANNA (Many Anels Needed Now and Always) which remains a thriving and multi-faceted ministry with unhoused people from the Boston area. The daughter of Cuban refugees on her mother’s side, Cristina went on to develop The Bridge Chaplaincy for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, helping them find plausible, pastoral and incarnate ways to serve migrants and asylum seekers along the international border with Mexico. Following the onset of COVID, she partnered with Episcopal Migration Ministries, a national network designed to connect, support and train congregations who work with newly arrived asylum seekers in their local US contexts. Between August 2021 and November 2024, she served as Rector of Grace Church: An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires, a parish which sold their building in order to focus more deeply on God’s mission in the world.
Cristina recently completed her third book, The Asylum Seekers: A Chronicle of Life, Death and Community at the Border, which was published in March 2025. She currently leads an ecumenical workshop for chaplains through Brandeis University’s Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, and is the author of two earlier, award-winning non-fiction books: A World Apart: Women, Prison and Life Behind Bars and On the Outside Looking In: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City High School.
Cristina is the mother of two grown sons and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
EXCELLENCE IN BLACK PREACHING
Black preaching stands as a vibrant and transformative expression of faith that resonates deeply within the African American community and beyond. Rooted in a rich historical context, it encompasses a unique blend of emotional engagement, rhythmic cadence, and powerful storytelling that captivates congregations.
This dynamic form of preaching not only serves to convey the word of God but also fosters a communal identity, encourages resilience, and facilitates personal spiritual awakening. By emphasizing liberation theology and the preacher’s role as a prophetic voice, Black preaching emerges as a powerful catalyst for transformation, inviting listeners to reflect, connect, and engage with their faith in profound ways.
In contemporary settings, acknowledging and supporting the traditions of Black preaching can enhance spiritual experiences and promote inclusivity across faith communities.
Rev. Kenneth Young
Rev. Kenneth Young earned a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology from American Baptist College, graduating with honors, in 2010. While in Nashville, he served as Overseer of Christian Education for the College Ministry of over 2,500 students at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Bishop Joseph Walker III, pastor. He also worked as a manager at Kroger where he was nominated for the Division’s President’s Award.
He has completed a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master’s Degree in Church History graduating with honors at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He is a: Michael Haynes Scholar, Byington Scholar, member of the Theta Alpha Epsilon Honor Society, and served as president of the Black Student Association. He is honored to serve as Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Haverhill, MA.
Rev. Young believes that ministry needs to take root in desolate areas. He hopes to carry his ministry to impoverished regions helping in areas of education and employment. Rev. Young is a native of Sylvester, GA. He is the middle of three children to Robert and Sue Young. Rev. Young is married to the love of his life, Adrianne D. Gladden-Young.
FROM SERVANTS TO JESUS’ FRIENDS
In his final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion, Jesus expressed what has been the heart of God since God created humans in the beginning: “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15, NRSVUE). Among the many reasons for church decline in the United States in recent years, rarely is friendship with Jesus mentioned. Yet for all the talk in some traditions about how “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship,” many if not most churches are ill-equipped to foster the intimate friendship with Jesus that he himself is looking for with his disciples.
In this workshop we’ll discuss some field-tested discipleship and Bible reading techniques that nurture an openness to friendship with God. You will have the opportunity to share some of your own experiences and ideas. We will also explore ways that perhaps we as pastors and Christian leaders have neglected our own friendship with Jesus and how we can renew it, for our own good and that of our congregations.
Rev. Jennifer A. G. Layte
JENNIFER A. G. LAYTE is an online spiritual director, in-person pastor, and founder of The Pilgrimage (https://the-pilgrimage.org), an online spiritual formation community. Her background in literature and theology gives her imaginative ways of retelling the stories of the Bible and of others, encouraging people to live within their own stories better. She is an amateur artist and the author of two novels, Trees in the Pavement and Favored One. Her most recent book, Follower: How Getting Close to Jesus Brings You to Yourself, is a study of identity in Christ through the story of Simon Peter. Jennifer lives with her husband, Paul, and their two rescue dogs in the “ruralburbs” of southern Massachusetts.
REDISCOVERING THE CENTRALITY OF THE CHURCH
Rev. Rick Harrington
Pastor Rick has been serving FBC Haverhill as the senior pastor for 14 years and on staff for over 20 years. Rick grew up in Haverhill, and loves to travel the world, read good books, drink quality coffee, and spend time with his wife and two kids. His passion is to see the church deeply in love with Jesus, spreading the fame of His Name throughout the globe.
Pastor Rick graduated from Gordon College (B.A.) and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.Div), and holds a doctorate degree in preaching from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min). Rick serves as the Provost of the Multiplication Center of the Baptist Churches of New England.
He is the author of Churching: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church in the Christian Life. Rick has published with Baptist Press, The Baptist Paper, and The New York Times.
CHURCH REVITALIZATION WITH A FIVE-FOLD ACTS OF STRATEGY
Rev. Dr. Yaliang Zhao
Rev. Dr. Yaliang Zhao was born and raised in Xi’an, China. She was taught to be an atheist and later turned agnostic in her teenage years. She graduated from Peking University with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry, and from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) with a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience.
She was compelled to follow Christ in 2000 and first heard God’s call to “drop your job and serve the church” in 2005 when she worked as a senior scientist at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer). She struggled with “the Call” and finally went back to school in 2012, this time to the seminary. She graduated with an M.A. degree in Religion under the mentorship of Dr. Alice Mathews (the former Academic Dean at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, GCTS). Alice is instrumental in helping her sort through the theology behind women in church leadership. Yaliang also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Theology in Practice under the mentorship of Dr. David Currie at GCTS. Her thesis subject was Revitalization of a Declined Church Using a Five-Fold Acts Strategy, a much-needed topic for many of our churches.
Rev. Dr. Yaliang Zhao has ten years of leadership experience in a Chinese Christian church in Brookline, two years of service as the youth pastor in Newton, and six years as the lead pastor at the First Baptist Church in Woburn.
Yaliang is grateful to be married to Dr. Yan Feng, her college classmate, for over 30 years. Together, they have three lovely kids and one son-in-law: Kimberly, Samuel, Timothy, and Larry. When not working, you will find her playing tennis or tending to her chickens and puppies.
IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE
Discussion and planning on how to change from an archaic way of governing a church to a new efficient way.
THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW
Rev. Dr. Ronald Bouthillette
Rev. Bouthillette is on the TABCOM staff. He is focused on working with our associations in “search and call,” and providing resources around church renewal.
Ron is a native New Englander. He is a graduate of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor in Practical Theology. Ron teaches courses in pastoral ministry, leadership and church revitalization. Ron specializes in Church Leadership and Revitalization.
Ron has pastored churches large and small for over 40 years. He brings this experience to all of his ministries – especially within the areas of church revitalization, churches in transition, leadership and in his mentoring ministry. He is also involved in church consulting with American Baptist Churches throughout the US. Ron is the Associate Executive Minister in Leadership in the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire. He is married to Cathy Bouthillette. They have two grown children and six grandchildren.
PASTORAL COMPENSATION FOR PASTORS
Paying a pastor properly, in accordance with IRS regulations is complicated. This workshop with bring clarity to how you pay your pastor correctly. What is cash salary, what is housing, what are benefits, what are reimbursable expenses. Join us as we wade through the complexities of pastoral compensation and make it easier to understand.
ORGANIZING YOUR CHURCH RECORDS
Whether your church is 20 years old or 300 years old, you have created records that tell the story of your church. This workshop will give you the basics on how to organize all these records; what to keep and what to toss. We will discuss what methods and materials work best for preserving your records.
Rev. Diane Badger
Rev. Diane L. Badger is an ordained American Baptist Minister. She graduated from Eastern Nazarene College with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. She served in Nonprofit administrative and financial positions for nearly twenty years prior to being called to the pastoral ministry. She received her Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in May 2009 and was ordained that same year. While still at seminary, Rev. Badger was called to be the pastor of Community Baptist Church of Marion, MA and served there until 2014. During that time, she also served as a hospice chaplain on Cape Cod.
Rev. Badger has served on the Executive Board of the Old Colony Baptist Association since 1998, first as clerk and now as treasurer. She also serves on the board of the Conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts (CBMM) and the Massachusetts American Baptist Investment Trust (MABIT). Since August 2021, Rev. Badger has worked for TABCOM as the administrator for the Commission on Ordained Ministry ushering candidates for ordination through the maze of paperwork and requirements to become ordained ministers.
In her spare time, Rev. Badger does research on genealogy and Massachusetts Baptist History uncovering our past before it gets lost in the mists of time.