West Virginia Pastors Network Joins American Pastors Network; Commits to Stand for Biblical Truth in All Pulpits

Local WVPN Leaders Look Forward to Partnering with Pastors Around the Country to “Stand in the Gap for Truth”

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The American Pastors Network, the largest national network dedicated to equipping pastors to be a voice for truth in the public square, is welcoming a new state pastors’ network to its growing organization.

APN has announced the addition of the West Virginia Pastors Network, a uniquely gifted group of pastors in West Virginia who are joining together to “Stand in the Gap for Truth.”

“The American Pastors Network has been standing in the gap for truth around America and is growing again through the new West Virginia Pastors Network,” said APN President Sam Rohrer, who is also president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network. “We know that pastors there will be an invaluable support to one another as they engage their congregations to stand for truth and freedom and effect true change in the culture.”

Leading the West Virginia network as its president will be T. Kevan Bartlett, senior pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia. He has served at Maranatha since 1984 and became the senior pastor in 2008. The previous 24 years, he served alongside his father, Dr. Bill Bartlett, as associate pastor. His wife, Linda, directs the women’s ministries and the nursery. They have two sons and eight grandchildren.

Leading WVPN with Bartlett will be vice president David Buckley, senior pastor of Cross Lanes Bible Church in Charleston, and secretary/treasurer Treg Spicer, lead pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Morgantown.

APN focuses on a concerted effort to grow its state pastors’ network initiative through a plan to welcome pastors in all 50 states who will serve as State Network Organizing Representatives. The ultimate goal is to develop free-standing state chapters of pastors and leaders in each state. These state networks will focus on their particular states and carry out the mission and purpose of the American Pastors Network, which include:

  1. Identifying, encouraging, equipping and educating pastors and church members to “Stand in the Gap for Truth;”
  2. Being a voice for truth and an advocate for pastors in the public square by providing Bible-based and constitutionally consistent analysis and recommendations on matters of public policy; and
  3. Strengthening the biblical relationship between pastors and elected officials through various private and public meetings for prayer, study and policy discussion.

Current chapters are already doing the important work of providing timely, in-state leadership on issues impacting local families and congregations. Examples of their efforts include speaking out in the defense of marriage and standing up for religious liberty.

WVPN and APN offer pastors numerous online resources that help clergy choose sermon topics and find information for other church ministries. With some free and some paid resources, topics include marriage, abortion, apologetics, creation, the culture crisis, economics, education, the environment, history, homosexuality, and Islam, along with many others.

The West Virginia Pastors Network encourages pastors to bring together biblical and constitutional principles in their sermons and provides resources to pastors throughout the state. For more information on WVPN, visit its website at www.wvpastors.net .

WVPN is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues, examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits, and engage their congregations in taking part in the political process on a non-partisan basis.

The American Pastors Network is the largest, national network of pastors who believe in the authority of scripture; who boldly preach the whole counsel of God with a disciplined application of a biblical worldview to public policy; who are building a permanent infrastructure of biblically faithful pastors and lay leaders; and who are mobilizing congregations to participate in the political process on a non-partisan basis. For more information on APN, visit www.AmericanPastorsNetwork.net, its Facebook page, or follow APN’s Twitter feed, @AmericanPastors. Those interested in forming a chapter in their state may contact amy@americanpastors.net.

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