What Happened at the 2026 ERA Convention

Last week (10/30-31), the Eastern Regional Association gathered at Emmanuel Church (Rochester, NH) for its 2026 annual convention. Over the course of the two days, those assembled (77 delegates, 13 guests) shared in worship, sat under the preaching of God’s Word, and on the final day took up the business of the region.

Shifting away from offerings workshops as in years past, the convention featured expository sermons from Ephesians 1-4. The preaching was shared by Rev. Doug Foss (Hope Church [Lenox, MA]), Rev. Justin Nash (ACGC Executive Director), Rev. Derek Irvine (Vernon ACC) , Rev. Lou Going, and Rev. Tim Soucy (ERA Superintendent). On the whole, these sermons placed a strong emphasis on doctrinal rigor, the acknowledgment of God’s saving power in Christ, and the manifestation of Christ’s transforming work in the life of the church. Full audio/video of these sermons will be published on ACV; short form videos will be shared on social media.

The most notable item from the business portion of the convention was the election of new officers: Pastor Jonathan Price (Faith Evangelical Church) was re-elected as secretary; Pastor Sam Cobb (Hope Church [Lenox, MA] was elected to complete the remaining term (1 year) of vice president vacated by Rev. Erik Reynolds; Pastor Greg Walton (Goodwins Mills ACC) was elected as a member of the judiciary committee.

Following the official business, a forum was held to discuss what transpired at the 2026 ACGC Triennial Convention. Most comments centered on the work of producing a new Declaration of Principles, since the 2026 Declaration of Principles fell short of the required 75%. Overall, there was great support for continuing this work of renewal, anticipating improvements in the future process of garnering input and feedback from those throughout the denomination. Some raised concerns about preserving our distinctive Advent Christian doctrines and this was acknowledged as a point that will require continued conversation.

The 2027 ERA Convention will be held at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center, 10/29-10/30.