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"I can't believe the man who called all pastors who graduated from Southeastern (Baptist Theological) Seminary a bunch of Œduds' deserves being heard in the Southern Baptist Convention," said Grady Faulk, pastor of Stough Memorial Church in Pineville.

Falwell spoke at Southeastern in March 1997.

"I thank God that one day, Virginia, the most liberal of all Baptist states in the nation, and North Carolina, who has the dubious distinction of being number two worst, will have the best because of Southeastern producing the pastors, the mentors, the leaders who will replace the duds with good Bible teaching and Bible preaching pulpits," he said.

Charles Willis, a Sunday School Board spokesman, said Falwell will preach at the conference.

Mike Miller, director of the church leadership services division for the Sunday School Board, said in a written statement that "a number of past NCCL attendees" requested Falwell as a speaker.

"We feel that his presence will strengthen the program," Miller said. "And, we are delighted to have him as one of our speakers."

People at the conference will be "challenged and stretched by hearing a variety of voices," Miller said.

"NCCL is a national conference focusing on leadership issues in the local church," he said. "Historically a variety of speakers both within and outside the Convention have been invited to address the conference."

Faulk said he doesn't believe Cooperative Program money should be used to bring Falwell to Ridgecrest.

"If churches would have wanted our money to go to Jerry Falwell, we would have sent our money up to Liberty University," he said.

Falwell is founder and chancellor of Liberty.

Faulk said he believes that thousands share his belief that Falwell shouldn't speak at Ridgecrest. One such person is John Setchfield, pastor of Pleasant Gardens Church in Marion.

"I'm disappointed that he would be given an audience with our folks as politically motivated as he seems to be," Setchfield said. "He does a lot of name-calling and character bashing."

Setchfield said Falwell's politics are his own business.

"I don't want to get Southern Baptists caught up in that," he said.

A Falwell spokesman confirmed that Falwell will be speaking the evening of June 26 at the NCCL, but would not comment further.

Promotional literature from the Sunday School Board says the conference is meant for professional staff and lay people.

The conference "is designed to inspire, motivate, uplift, encourage and train today's church leaders for ministry in the 21st century," the literature says.

The conference is the latest connection between Falwell and the SBC.

In 1996, Falwell's church, Thomas Road Church in Lynchburg, Va., contributed $1,000 to the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, a group that broke off from Baptist General Association of Virginia. Half of the money went to the SBC, which made Falwell a member of the SBC. Falwell later denied joining the Convention, saying he wanted to stay an independent Baptist.

Several prominent Southern Baptists, including former SBC presidents Bailey Smith and Jerry Vines, have spoken at conferences sponsored by Falwell. Vines is chair of Liberty's board of trustees.

Smith, Vines and James Merritt, chair of the SBC Executive Committee, are scheduled to speak at Falwell's "Super Conference 1998" in October.

Paige Patterson, who is now president of Southeastern and likely the next president of the SBC, turned down Falwell's offer of the presidency at Liberty in 1991. Last year, Patterson called Falwell his "mentor of worldwide rabble-rousing."